The Result: After leading by a touchdown at the half, UVa trailed by a score with 4:42 left in the third. A back-and-forth second half continued until Brian Delaney made back-to-back FGs and the Wahoo defense slammed the door on a late Hokies drive in a 39-30 win over No. 23 Virginia Tech. The victory not only ended a 15-year losing streak but also secured the Coastal Division crown. Virginia (9-3, 6-2 ACC) now moves on to the ACC Championship Game against Clemson next Saturday night in Charlotte.

The Turning Point: With 4:47 left to play in a tie game, Noah Taylor dropped back into coverage and picked Hendon Hooker for the second time, giving UVa the ball at its own 35-yard line. Nine plays later, the Hoos would take the lead for good on a 48-yard FG by Delaney.

The Stat That Tells the Story: In the biggest game of his life, Bryce Perkins amassed 475 of UVa’s 492 total yards and helped the Hoos hang 39 points on outgoing Tech DC Bud Foster and his vaunted "Lunch Pail Defense."

Wahoo of the Week: While Perkins had a superb game (especially given the way last year’s game in Blacksburg ended), our Wahoos of the week were those in Scott Stadium on Friday. Simply put, it was the best home crowd of the season if not ever. The moment when Mandy Alonso sacked Hooker in the end zone to force a fumble that Eli Hanback recovered for a TD may have been the loudest the place has ever been. So many fans lived that painful losing streak year after year right along with their team and many of them left Charlottesville yesterday without a voice. Kudos to all of them for truly being the 4th side.

Bronco’s Winning Formula:

24+ Points?: Yes (39)

+1 Turnover Margin?: Yes (+3)

+5 Average Starting Field Position?: No (-1)

1) Bryce Perkins has to go off.

Well, if ever Ferber nailed a key to victory this was the one. While the throw game took some time to get going, Perkins was elecritic on the ground. He turned two early 3rd and longs into 1st downs and scored a pair of rushing TDs in the first quarter, first on a 39-yard run and then on a 67 yarder, the longest run of his career. Perkins finished with 19 runs for 164 yards and three TDs. He also eventually got himself going through the air as well, finishing with 311 yards on 20 of 33 passing to go along with a 25-yard TD pass to Billy Kemp (the first touchdown reception of his career). Simply put: He was the best player on the field and it wasn’t even close.

Grade: A+

2) UVa has to make Hendon Hooker uncomfortable.

The Cavalier defense finished with six sacks for -45 yards and kept his running in check, as he only netted 44 yards on 21 attempts. Ultimately, the Hoos not only wrecked his streak of passes without a pick but they also got after him late when it mattered most. That the front seven did all of this given the injury issues in the secondary compared to the talent level of Tech’s skill position players make their turn all the more impressive. Hooker had some moments where he settled in but that certainly wasn’t the case when it mattered most.

Grade: B+