VT Under .500 With 30-12 Egg At Miami

Unfortunately for the Hokies, they didn't follow through with their aspirations to keep their ACC championship hopes alive. For the first time since 1992, they sit below .500 as the Hurricanes struggled to pull away before eventually doing so late with a 30-12 win.

"I don't fault our effort," coach

Virginia Tech again couldn't put a complete game together, letting mistakes again get the best of them.

The Hokies looked good to start on offense, driving to the Miami 20. But an interception by junior quarterback

The Hurricanes went three and out, but forced the same of Virginia Tech on their ensuing drive. The Hokies again showed Beamer Ball is a thing of the past, as freshman

Two plays later, Miami junior quarterback Stephen Morris found junior

The Hokies responded with a 22-yard field goal by junior

Despite the early hole, a recurring theme this season, the Hokies quickly responded. Thomas ran a draw play up a wide open middle of the field and went untouched, 73 yards for a touchdown, the longest run of his career.

But big plays by Miami and missed tackles and coverage by Virginia Tech resulted in a pair of field goals by the Hurricanes, from 22 and 31 yards. The Hokies drove 57 yards in 10 plays and 3:28, but were held out of the end zone on five plays inside the 10 yard-line and settled for a 20-yard field goal by Journell as time expired in the first half to make the score 20-12.

Neither team could get anything going on the scoreboard in the third quarter, but Virginia Tech looked like it had something going to start the fourth quarter. Faced with fourth down and two at the Miami 39 yard-line, Thomas overthrew Phillips, who was wide open in the left flat.

The Hurricanes were simply biding their time, toying with the Hokies. Following a wide receiver-option pass down to the Virginia Tech seven yard-line, freshman running back

The Hurricanes connected on a 37-yard field goal with 2:54 left in the game for the final tally.

In their final two chances of the night, Thomas threw incomplete on fourth down and long, followed by an interception by Thomas with 2:26 to play.

"I've always said there's a thin line between being okay and not okay," Beamer said. "I think sometimes you just assume you should win 10 games and that should happen. But it just doesn't happen."

Virginia Tech, now 4-5 overall and 2-3 in the ACC, has another Thursday date a week from today, back home against Florida State.