Imoh runs Virginia Tech past Tar Heels

He had 236 yards and two touchdowns, and Jim Davis made a key sack.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) -- Mike Imoh kept sprinting through the North Carolina defense, nearly running his way into the Virginia Tech record book.
But it was Jim Davis who made the play that kept the No. 18 Hokies atop the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Imoh ran for 236 yards and two touchdowns Saturday and Davis had a key sack on the Tar Heels' final drive, allowing Virginia Tech to hold on for a 27-24 win.
Imoh's rushing total was the second best in school history, falling 5 yards short of the record set by Kevin Jones last year. The junior carried the ball 31 times and cracked the 200-yard mark on a 13-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter.
Bringing pressure
Davis' blindside sack of Darian Durant undermined the Tar Heels' bid to send the game into overtime. Freshman Connor Barth, who kicked a last-play field goal to upset Miami last week, came up short on a 54-yarder that would have tied the game with about a minute to go.
"I think some big-time players made some big-time plays when it counted," Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said.
Bryan Randall added a rushing score for the Hokies (7-2, 4-1 ACC), who have won five straight games. Brandon Pace had two field goals for the Hokies, who nearly blew a 13-point second-half lead.
North Carolina (4-5, 3-3), coming off that 31-28 win against Miami, missed an opportunity to win back-to-back games for the first time in three years.
North Carolina recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, and drove to the Virginia Tech 26 in the closing minutes. But Davis took down Durant for an 11-yard loss, making Barth's job much tougher.
"I just went around that corner as fast as I could," Davis said. "All I wanted to do was get them out of field goal range."
The kick fell just short of the uprights with 1:09 left.
On the move
No matter what the North Carolina defense tried, it couldn't stop Imoh. He skipped over falling defenders and squeezed his 5-foot-7 frame through narrow running lanes for big gains.
His 13-yard touchdown run gave Virginia Tech a 27-14 lead with 3:40 left in the third quarter. During that period, Imoh gained 97 yards on eight carries, helping the Hokies keep the Tar Heels' confident offense on the sideline.
Virginia Tech controlled the ball for just under 10 minutes of the period, holding the Tar Heels to 45 yards.
"As the game goes on, the offensive line gets hot and you start to get a feel for the game," Imoh said. "I can say the third quarter I was starting to really get into the flow of the game. The offensive line was really pounding at them."
Chad Scott had another big day for the Tar Heels. After rushing for 175 yards last week against Miami, he ran for 122 against the Hokies, making him the first Tar Heel in seven years to put together consecutive 100-yard games.