ORLANDO, Fla. — A month ago, Rutgers had a Big East championship and an Orange Bowl or Sugar Bowl appearance within its reach, but let it slip away in a loss to Louisville.
Last night, the Scarlet Knights had the chance to extend their string of bowl victories to six straight, but let that slip away, too.
Cody Journell kicked a 22-yard field goal on the first possession of overtime to help Virginia beat Rutgers 13-10 in the Russell Athletic Bowl.
Rutgers (9-4) had a chance to tie it in overtime, but Nick Borgese missed a 42-yard field-goal attempt to the right.
The loss kept the Scarlet Knights from recording their first double-digit win season since 2006.
“Two tremendous defensive performances, and one of the better defensive performances I’ve seen from Rutgers players this season,” Rutgers coach Kyle Flood said. “It’s unfortunate that we came out on the wrong side of the game, and squander that kind of performance as a result.”
It was defense on both sides that controlled the action in the first half as Rutgers took a 10-0 halftime lead.
The Scarlet Knights were the most effective offensively, managing a modest seven first downs and a field goal. But the Scarlet Knights came up empty on their best drive of the second half, failing to convert on a fourth down pass play inside the Hokies’ 35.
Rutgers seemed to be in command until the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, when turnovers and a sudden surge from the Hokies’ offense quickly turned the momentum.
Down 10-0, Virginia Tech took over after Rutgers missed a field goal and moved into Scarlet Knights’ territory for the first time in the game on a 32-yard pass from quarterback Logan Thomas to Dyrell Roberts.
Thomas then found Corey Fuller for a 25-yard strike on the next play, before the drive stalled on the 8. It forced the Hokies to settle for Journell’s 25-yard field goal.
Virginia Tech cornerback Antone Exum, selected the most valuable player of the game, picked off Gary Nova’s pass on the ensuing drive to set up the tying score. Exum’s pick gave the Hokies a first down on the Rutgers 21.
The Hokies found the end zone three plays later on a 21-yard touchdown pass from Thomas to Fuller with 10:56 left as steady rain began to fall.
“We finally caught them off balance,” Thomas said. “We finally got them uncomfortable. … I just had to put the ball out there for him.”
Virginia Tech, which won its final three games, finished 7-6 to avoid its first losing season since 1992. The win also was the Hokies’ 12th straight over their former Big East rival.
“Not everything in life is real smooth,” Hokies coach Frank Beamer said. “These players worked hard and how they reacted to adversity and to disappointment and when all of them wanted to do better — they kept together.”
Virginia Tech trailed 10-0 at the half, then rallied in the final 30 minutes thanks to some timely turnovers and offense. Thomas struggled in the first half and finished with a pair of interceptions, but also had 192 yards passing and the game’s only passing touchdown.
Linebacker Bruce Taylor finished the night with a team-high 11 tackles to lead a defense that held Rutgers to 67 yards in the second half.