MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- It's the Miracle at Hard Rock that never happened.
Virginia Tech initially thought it won on a miraculous 30-yard touchdown reception by Da'Quan Felton as time expired. Then, the Hokies had the victory snatched from their grasps after a lengthy replay review overturned the call on the field and allowed No. 7 Miami to escape with a 38-34 victory before an announced crowd of 59,539 at Hard Rock Stadium.
The Hokies (2-3) fell to 1-10 in one-score games under Brent Pry, but they never emerged with a signature win in Pry's third season.
Felton came down with the ball in the middle of several players and fell in the end zone. The ball was then ripped from Felton's grasp by Miami's Tyler Rowe while he was on his back. The officials spent about 10 seconds discussing the call in the end zone before signaling touchdown.
Referee Jerry Magallanes announced the ruling on the field was a touchdown. The Tech bench spilled onto the field in celebration at the announcement. That celebration was quelled with the lengthy review and subsequent overturn of the call on the field.
It capped a back-and-forth contest between rivals that the Hokies actually had opportunities to seize control.
Poor time management at the end of the first half made sure the Hokies didn't enter halftime with a double-digit lead. A fake field goal prevented Tech from extending the advantage to 13 points.
The little things that have held Tech back from winning big games in the Pry era were evident in the heartbreaking conclusion.
Miami quarterback Cam Ward led a game-winning drive in which he dazzled with fourth-down completions and escapes from sure sacks. His 2-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Horton with 1:57 remaining allowed the Hurricanes to escape with the narrow victory
Ward engineered a 10-play, 57-yard drive that took nearly 6 minutes off the clock. His touchdown pass to Horton gave the Hurricanes (5-0) their first lead since the second quarter.
It capped a wild 60-minute showdown between the rivals that didn't lose its bite in the one-year hiatus.
An emotional third quarter concluded with the Hokies holding onto a 27-24 lead and the teams being separated during the quarter break.
Kaleb Spencer's 77-yard interception return didn't result in points after a fake field goal was stopped behind the line of scrimmage, and Miami took advantage of that opening by driving the field and cutting the deficit to three on Cam Ward's 17-yard touchdown run.
The Hokies appeared to extend the advantage back to double digits, but P.J. Prioleau's 61-yard touchdown run was wiped out by a questionable holding penalty on Kaden Moore.
The teams had to be separated during the quarter break, and the Hokies answered the call by finishing the drive with Ayden Greene's 16-yard touchdown reception with 12:05 remaining.
The Hokies' 17 second-quarter points capped a dominating first half that they had desperately searched for in the opening four weeks.
Tech scored on four of its six first-half possessions and took a 24-17 lead into the locker room.
The first two touchdowns came after takeaways (Sam Brumfield fumble recovery and Mose Phillips III interception), and Phillips' interception sparked a run that saw the Hokies score 17 straight points to take a 10-point lead.
Bhayshul Tuten's longest run in a Tech uniform of 55 yards tied the game at 14 with 11:59 remaining in the second quarter.
Tech kept rolling after Tuten's rushing touchdown by forcing a punt and then scoring five plays later on Jaylin Lane's 20-yard rushing touchdown on a reverse.
John Love's 57-yard field goal extended Tech's advantage to 24-14 with 20 seconds remaining.
However, the Hokies elected to squib kick the ball to the Hurricanes. A strong return gave Miami life, and Andres Borregales connected on a 56-yard field goal to trim the deficit to seven entering halftime.
The Hurricanes used three big pass plays from Cam Ward to erase an early one-touchdown deficit and take a 14-7 lead.
Ward connected with tight end Elijah Arroyo twice for 88 yards. The first connection picked up 45 yards to set up Ward's 18-yard touchdown pass to Jacolby George.
The second came on third-and-1 from the Tech 43. Tech safety Jaylen Jones crashed the line of scrimmage on what looked like a dive play, and Ward found Arroyo wide open down the middle of the field for a 43-yard score.
The quick response spoiled a fast start for the Hokies.
Cole Nelson forced Ward to fumble the ball on the Hurricanes' third offensive play, and Sam Brumfield recovered the fumble at the Miami 31.
It took Tech three plays to strike.
Drones avoided the pressure and found Benji Gosnell open in the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown strike that put Tech ahead 7-0 a little more than three minutes into the game.
Damien Sordelett (540) 981-3124
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