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BC, Virginia Tech meet in ACC title game rematch

Dec 6, 2008 - 11:15 AM (20) Boston College (9-3) vs. Virginia Tech (8-4), 1:00 pm EST

TAMPA, Florida (Ticker) -- They followed a circuitous path back to the ACC championship game, but No. 20 Boston College and Virginia Tech meet Saturday at Raymond James Stadium in a rematch of last season's title contest.

Virginia Tech (8-4), which clinched the Coastal Division title last week with a 17-14 victory over Virginia, is hoping history repeats itself.

Last year, the Hokies suffered a heartbreaking 14-10 home loss to Boston College in the regular season, allowing two touchdowns in the final two minutes. However, the Hokies avenged that defeat with a 30-16 victory in the conference title game.

Virginia Tech also lost this year's regular-season meeting, 28-23, in Chestnut Hill on October 18.

"To be in this position, I think our coaches deserve a lot of credit and I think our players deserve a lot of credit," Virginia Tech Frank Beamer said. "We hung in there and battled. We found a way and never gave up. I'm just as proud as I can be of this football team."

The Hokies are looking to become the first team to win two ACC championship games, while Boston College (9-3) is once again seeking the first outright conference title in the program's history.

The Eaglers expected to be going through a rebuilding season following the graduation of record-setting quarterback Matt Ryan, the third overall selection in this year's NFL draft.

While Virginia Tech and Boston are meeting for the fourth time in the last two seasons, the quarterbacks will be different on both sides.

In last year's title game, Virginia Tech's Sean Glennon outplayed Ryan.

Sophomore Tyrod Taylor, who started this year as a redshirt after splitting time with Glennon last season, will start Saturday's contest for Virginia Tech. Taylor rushed for 137 yards last week, his fourth career 100-yard rushing game.

Taylor will be opposed by freshman Dominique Davis, who took over for the Eagles when senior quarterback Chris Crane fractured his right collarbone against Wake Forest on November 22, an injury that will keep him sidelined for the remainder of the season.

After replacing Crane against Wake Forest, Davis fumbled twice - and both were returned for touchdowns. But he engineered a 70-yard touchdown drive in the final minutes that sparked the Eagles to a 24-21 victory.

Last week, Davis threw two touchdown passes in a 28-21 win over Maryland that enabled Boston College to clinch the Atlantic Division title.

"No one said we would do it (get back to the ACC title game)," Boston College coach Jeff Jagodzinski said. "That's the best part of it. The guys believed they could. ... that's the whole thing about coaching. It's getting your guys to believe that they can do it and it doesn't matter who's on the field."

Both Boston College and Virginia Tech faced long odds to reach Saturday's showdown.

The Eagles won their final three conference games after falling to 2-3 with a 27-21 loss to Clemson on November 1, while the Hokies won three of their last four after slipping to 2-2 in the ACC with a 30-20 loss to Florida State on October 25.