BOSTON - Rich Gunnell returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown and Boston College overcame an off night by quarterback Chris Crane to beat No. 17 Virginia Tech 28-23 on Saturday.
Crane threw three interceptions -- two of them returned for touchdowns -- and fumbled away another turnover. But BC (5-1, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) stayed in the game with its defense, which limited the Hokies (5-2, 2-2) to a season-low 240 total yards.
"You expect us to come out with the win when we force five turnovers, but it doesn't happen that way," Hokies defensive end Orion Martin said.
One game after passing for 428 yards to beat North Carolina State, Crane was 16-for-32 for 218 yards with four turnovers. But he led the Eagles on a 13-play drive after the Eagles fell behind 10-0 in the opening minutes, then burned most of the last 7 minutes off the clock to seal the victory.
"I'll tell you what: He's a winner," BC coach Jeff Jagodzinski said, noting that Crane is 6-1 in his career as a starter.
FROM NEWS SERVICES
