MORGANTOWN, West Virginia (Ticker) -- This time, West Virginia did it.
The Mountaineers turned a pair of early turnovers into touchdowns in a historic 28-7 Big East Conference victory over No. 3 Virginia Tech, which was dumped from the unbeaten ranks.
Two days after placing third in the first BCS rankings, Virginia Tech saw its hopes for a national title take a tremendous hit.
"When you turn the ball over like we did tonight, you'll have a hard time winning ballgames," Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said. "It was a tough loss against a team that played great."
In a rare Wednesday night game, the Hokies (6-1, 2-1 Big East) became the highest-ranked team West Virginia (3-4, 2-1) has ever beaten. The Mountaineers nearly toppled No. 2 Miami before falling, 22-20 in a Thursday night game on October 2.
"It was a great team effort against a great team," West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez said.
Senior defensive back Brian King got things going for West Virginia, picking off Bryan Randall's pass at the Moutaineers 10. The Mountaineers marched 90 yards in 11 plays, taking a 7-0 lead on a seven-yard touchdown run by Kay-Jay Harris.
Virginia Tech gave up the ball on its next possession when Randall fumbled at his 36. Three plays later, Quincy Wilson made it 14-0 with a five-yard TD run.
Wilson ran for 178 yards on 33 carries. Harris rushed 15 times for 77 yards.
"Their backs were really running hard tonight," Beamer said. "They were getting downhill on us all night. They flat-out played really well."
Randall threw two more interceptions to help do in the Hokies. He completed only 14-of-22 passes for 147 yards without a touchdown.
The Hokies managed only 14 first downs, and leading rusher Kevin Jones gained only 57 yards on 11 carries. Virginia Tech also hurt itself with 13 penalties for 116 yards.
"They were hammering us and we lost our poise," Beamer said. "I think the way the game went was all wrong for us."
Virginia Tech's only touchdown came on a questionable play. After a fumble by Wilson, Tech's Vegas Robinson picked it up and ran it back 18 yards to midfield, where he appeared to be dragged down. But as he went to the ground, the ball came loose, and teammate Vincent Fuller ran it all the way in for the score.
Television replays appeared to show that Robinson was down before the ball came out, but the play did not cost West Virginia the game. In fact, the Mountaineers made a momentum-changing play of their own in the third quarter.
After Adam Jones muffed a punt and backed up West Virginia to its 3-yard line, Rasheed Marshall completed a 93-yard touchdown pass to Travis Garvin to all but seal the win.
Marshall's four-yard sneak later in the quarter was the final blow in the upset.
After the game, West Virginia fans stormed the field, but police used pepper spray to stop them from tearing down the goalposts. During the game, however, the fans helped tear down Virginia Tech's offense.
"I thought our fans did a good job when Tech had the ball," Rodriguez said. "It seemed their cadence was off the whole game and our fans had something to do with that."
A light rain helped to douse the threat of bonfires, which have become something of a ritual on West Virginia's campus after big victories.
