CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – For the Hokies to walk away with a victory Saturday night here in a hollow surrounded by beautiful pine trees, they needed the following to happen:
A backup safety to make the biggest play of the game by forcing a fumble.
A backup cornerback recovering said fumble.
And a backup quarterback preceding to lead the offense on a game-winning 98-yard march that tied for the fourth-longest drive in school history.
Thus, having to rely on such things causes those in the coaching profession to age hastily.
"Every week is going to be a four-hour stomach ache," Tech head coach Justin Fuente admitted after the Hokies' game against the Tar Heels. "That's where we're at."
Fortunately, his players provided the Zantec on this evening, making the big plays down the stretch and scoring with 19 seconds left to escape with a 22-19 victory over the Tar Heels at Kenan Stadium. The win left Tech at 4-2 at its halfway point of the season and at 3-0 in the ACC. The Hokies hold sole possession of first place in the Coastal Division, with a bunch of home games still left on the slate.
Not that there was much chatter about that after this game. They went 1-0 on Saturday on a day in which the Tar Heels out-played the Hokies for most of the game. But yet again, Tech won not because of the way it played, but how – harder and tougher and for longer.
Subbing for an injured Divine Deablo, Tyree Rodgers had no business stopping North Carolina tailback Michael Carter on the goal line with a little more than six minutes to play. Carter only needed a yard to get in the end zone, and Rodgers was playing with a bum shoulder. He could have grabbed Carter's ankle and hoped for help from his teammates. Yet he delivered the season's most punishing blow, a shot square on the football that popped it in the air. Jovonn Quillen alertly recovered, stumbling down at the 2 and resuscitating Tech's chances.
"We were desperate for a play at the time, and it was pretty much one-on-one," the soft-spoken Rodgers said. "The hole opened up, and it was just me and the running back on the goal line. That was my responsibility."
Ryan Willis certainly had no business channeling his inner John Elway, and one wouldn't have expected that. Willis had been a little off for most of the evening, tossing two interceptions and misfiring several times with receivers open. He took numerous shots, too, courtesy of four UNC sacks.
Yet Willis is a stubborn competitor, as his demonstrative nature often shows. He deftly managed Tech's final march, and with the Tar Heel student section in full roar on every play, he rushed for four yards on third-and-2, completed a 19-yard pass to Steven Peoples on third-and-14, scrambled for 12 yards on fourth-and-9, and took a quarterback draw to the 1 on third-and-2.
Four third-down conversions and one fourth-down conversions for those mathematically challenged.
Willis may not be a Davey O'Brien Award winner. He may not even be All-ACC. But man, on this night, he wanted this situation. He hugged this challenge.
His touchdown pass to Dalton Keene with 19 seconds left was the final play of many winning plays – and was Tech's first completion to the tight end all evening.
"I was ready," Keene said. "I felt comfortable. It's a play we've ran a thousand times, so I felt good about it. I knew we were going to execute it well."
The Hokies left the Tar Heels enough time to run three final plays, none of which went anywhere. As the clock ran out, the Hokies started celebrating.
Fuente leaped onto Bud Foster, and the two fell to the ground in an embrace. It was the rare show of emotion for the normally stoic Fuente and a deserved one. His team is a reflection of him, which probably explains why they respond so well after losses - Tech is 9-1 under Fuente after a loss.
Foster slowly walked into the postgame media gathering, his voice hoarse, grass stains on his britches and looking as if he had aged a decade. His young charges struggled, and they gave up 522 yards, including 235 on the ground.
They gave up yards, but they left with something much more valuable in return – a win.
"It just shows we fight for 60 minutes and play and play hard for 60 minutes," Foster said. "The execution could be better, but we played hard, and that gives you a chance."
The Hokies are not perfect by any means. They are inexperienced. In spots, they lack talent. In others, they lack size. In some, they are beat up.
But Tech's roster consists of a group of players willing to fight, from a 185-pound backup safety to a quarterback that Kansas didn't want. They fight until the time runs out.
And on Saturday night, that was just enough.