Virginia Tech tames Bearcats in Orange Bowl win

January 3, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

MIAMI (AP) — When the coaches met near midfield for the traditional postgame handshake, Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer threw both arms around Cincinnati’s Brian Kelly.

Seemed fitting — since the Hokies pretty much wrapped up the Bearcats throughout the Orange Bowl.

Darren Evans rushed for 153 yards and a touchdown, Virginia Tech’s defense came up with four interceptions and the 21st-ranked Hokies beat the 12th-ranked Bearcats 20-7 on Thursday night to join Southern California and Texas as the only schools to win 10 games in each of the past five seasons.

“I think it’s the best football team, maybe, we’ve ever had,” Beamer said, emphasizing team.

The Bearcats probably wouldn’t argue.

Cincinnati (11-3) drove down the field with ease for a touchdown on the game’s opening drive, making Virginia Tech (10-4) look like it was in serious trouble.

But it was all Hokies from there, avenging a loss in last year’s Orange Bowl to Kansas.

Pike — who wasn’t even on Cincinnati’s depth chart at the start of the season before blossoming into an all-Big East quarterback — threw for 239 yards and a touchdown, but had his night marred mightily by the four picks and getting stopped on a fourth-and-goal in the fourth quarter.

“Their secondary was the best I’ve ever played against, as long as I’ve been playing football,” Pike said.

Mardy Gilyard had 255 all-purpose yards and a touchdown catch for Cincinnati, which had its six-game winning streak snapped.