Defense, first-time kicker lead BC over No. 22 Va. Tech

A year ago in Blacksburg, Va., Virginia Tech forced turnovers and plenty of other mistakes by the Boston College offense, en route to a 30-10 rout.

Last night, the Eagles returned the favor.

BC (5-1, 2-1 ACC), led by a defense that surrendered just 181 yards and forced four turnovers, kept the visiting No. 22 Hokies out of the end zone, winning 22-3.

Virginia Tech (4-2, 2-2 ACC) is now 12-2 lifetime playing in Thursday night games: both losses have come at the hands of the Eagles - the other coming in Blacksburg 11 years ago.

"It's a win on a Thursday night against a program that has owned Thursday night," said BC head coach Tom O'Brien. "I'm really happy with the way we played tonight."

The Hokies had not been held out of the end zone since the 1998 Gator Bowl, while BC has gone over two games without allowing a touchdown, its longest such streak since pitching three consecutive shutouts in 1992.

Neither team put much of an offensive effort together in the first half, or throughout the entire game.

"The defense played great. They got a lot of pressure on the quarterback," said O'Brien. BC had three sacks on defense during the win.

The Eagles waited until the final five minutes of the second quarter to break the scoring ice, striking first on a 15-yard strike from junior quarterback Matt Ryan (16 of 29 for 174 yards) to classmate wideout Kevin Challenger, the first of two scoring connections the duo would make on the night.

The fans' apprehension about sophomore walk-on kicker Steve Aponavicius was soon released, as his first career point after sailed through the uprights with no issue, giving BC the early 7-0 lead with 5:11 to play before the half.

The Hokies stormed back, and had looked to rack up the game-tying score. A l9-yard pass from Virginia Tech sophomore signal caller Sean Glennon to David Clowney appeared to have done just that in the final minute, but a holding call erased it, forcing the Hokies to take a field goal and a 7-3 halftime deficit.

They would get no closer.

Two Virginia Tech turnovers proved to be particularly back-breaking in the third quarter, allowing BC to stretch its lead to more than one score.

One play after a fumble that would have given the Eagles the ball deep in Hokie territory was overturned three minutes into the second half, true freshman defensive end Alex Albright hit Glennon's arm as he was throwing, sending a wobbly pass into the arms of junior middle linebacker Jolonn Dunbar.

Dunbar returned the pick for 32 yards. Once BC's drive stalled, it was time for Aponavicius' first career field-goal try, from 35 yards.

Kicking from the right hash, he tucked it just inside the upright, extending the Eagles' lead to 10-3.

On the next drive, redshirt freshman defensive end Austin Giles blindsided Glennon, forcing a fumble that Albright would pounce on, again setting up BC with great field position. Another Aponavicius field goal pushed the lead out to 10.

The dagger came on a drive that started with just under 13 minutes to play, as BC took it 83 yards in 11 plays, converting three third downs en route to another Ryan-to-Challenger touchdown, making it 20-3 with 6:31 to go.

A late safety, coming off of a bad punt snap, gave the Eagles their final two points in the waning moments, but by then, most of the orange-and-maroon-clad Hokies fans had hit the exits.