Field goal after costly fumble all but dashes Hokies’ title hopes

BLACKSBURG

Virginia Tech said there would be no Georgia Tech hangover, but it certainly looked like it Thursday night as the Hokies stumbled, fumbled and fell flat against North Carolina.

The headache will be far worse this morning for the No. 14 Hokies – national title contenders two weeks ago – when they ponder a 20-17 loss to the Tar Heels, who had yet to win an ACC game.

Tech lost on a Casey Barth field goal as time expired after the Hokies’ star freshman tailback, Ryan Williams, fumbled with 2:02 to play . UNC took over at the Hokies’ 24-yard line.

Williams, who ran for 96 yards, was inconsolable, burying his head in his hands on the sideline and answering questions with a tear-streaked face.

“There probably isn’t anything you can do to lift me up,” said Williams, who hadn’t lost a fumble. “I feel like I kind of took the game away from us today. It was on the line and it was in my hands, and I fumbled.”

But the blame is hardly Williams’ alone. There were plenty of other chances for the No. 14 Hokies (5-3, 3-2) .

Tech was inside the Tar Heels’ 40 on five of six first-half possessions, but couldn’t score . The crowd booed louder with each failure. “I don’t think we came out flat,” Beamer said. “They took it to us.”

Meanwhile, the Hokies’ defense, in a repeat of the Oct. 17 loss at Georgia Tech , couldn’t get off the field when it counted. They allowed North Carolina to convert 10 of 19 third downs – and a big fourth down.

Even after being shut out in the first two quarters and trailing in the fourth, Tech appeared poised to sneak away with a victory. Cornerback Rashad Carmichael intercepted UNC’S T.J. Yates with 13:13 remaining, setting up the Hokies at the Tar Heels’ 5 .

Quarterback Tyrod Taylor ran over a defender at the goal line for his second rushing touchdown of the game , putting Tech ahead 17-14. But UNC (5-3, 1-3) answered with a 16-play, 78-yard drive that used nearly nine minutes and ended in a tying field goal with 2:52 remaining.

Carmichael, beaten on a first-half touchdown pass , helped the drive with a pass interference penalty. Yates then completed a 17-yard pass on third-and-7 and a 19-yard strike on fourth-and-7.

“We’ll look at it and see where we could’ve been better defensively down the stretch,” Beamer said. “That’s a concern.”

Maybe more worrisome is the Hokies’ inability to capitalize on excellent field position for a second straight game.

After David Wilson’s 42-yard kickoff return early in the fourth quarter, Taylor hit passes of 13 and 16 yards, setting up what appeared to be a 20-yard touchdown run by Williams that would’ve tied that game at 14.

Instead, the Hokies were flagged for holding and settled for a field goal.

With that, suddenly a season that began with national title hopes now has almost no chance of even a Coastal Division crown. Beamer is reduced to telling his team to play for a sixth consecutive 10-win season, which would require winning the final four regular season games and a bowl.

“It could’ve been better, certainly, but you’ve got to play every Saturday,” Beamer said.

His players, however, will be driven by more than their record the rest of the way.

“The motivation is ... I don’t want to feel like this any more,” linebacker Cody Grimm said.

“He took the words right out of my mouth,” said Williams.