Virginia Tech's Top 10 Plays of the Last Ten Years: No. 9

As a TKP reader, and therefore Virginia Tech Hokies fanatic, EVERY play of every game has you captivated and your emotional state hangs on every pass, every tackle, every penalty, every little detail of every game. But of course not all plays are as big as others and as your memory of the mundane fades you're left with last memories of the truly game-changing plays of every season. Here we use analytics to count down the biggest, most game-changing plays in the past 10 years of Virginia Tech football...

In each installment of this series I'll bring you two plays: one play devastating to the Hokies' chance to win, and one dominating play in Virginia Tech's favor. They will count down in order of how much each play affected the odds of Tech's victory.

For details on the method, see Virginia Tech's Top 10 Plays of the Last Ten Years: No. 10.

The Countdown

Most Devastating:

10. Boise State 9/6/2010 - Kellen Moore pass complete to Austin Pettis for 13 yards for a TOUCHDOWN

Most Dominating:

10. Boston College 12/1/2007 - Sean Glennon pass complete to Eddie Royal for 24 yards for a TOUCHDOWN

The 9th-most Devastating Play: Miami 11/4/2006 - Tyrone Moss rush for 50 yards for a TOUCHDOWN

When Virginia Tech faced Miami in 2006, the Hokies were still in the process of asserting its dominance over the ACC and doing so against Miami — a team trying to show that it was still nationally relevant — would be a huge step. The Sean Glennon and Brandon Ore led offense wasn't prolific, but it was good enough given that Bud Foster had the defense dialed in, as usual, that season.

The Hokies entered halftime pitching a 10-0 shutout. While not high-scoring, the game was well within control. On their first drive in the second half, Miami needed points badly enough that the team attempted a 55-yard field goal that incredibly was successful, making it a one-score game. However, the Hurricanes still had not shown an ability to move the ball and the game felt within control. Neither team was able to move the ball on the next three series, and halfway through the third quarter Miami found itself at midfield on 3rd-and-2.

Hoping for a drive-sustaining first down, Miami called for a rush by Tyrone Moss. Unfortunately for the Hokies, Moss did much more than move the sticks: Initially he appears to gain just enough for the first down before running into traffic, but then he inexplicably pops out of the other side of the crowd. The Hokies entire secondary had entered the fray already, leaving no one to stop Moss from sprinting across open field to the end zone, bringing the game to a 10-10 tie.

Despite the gut punch of a touchdown by Tyrone Moss, a Brandon Ore response with just a minute and a half to go gave the game back to the Hokies, 17-10.

The 9th-most Dominating Play: North Carolina 10/29/2009 - T.J. Yates pass intercepted by Rashad Carmichael at the North Carolina 10, returned for 5 yards to the North Carolina 5

Playing at home and hoping to avoid an upset by the visiting Tar Heels, the No. 13 Hokies found themselves playing catchup for much of the game. North Carolina had scored first, and VT had responded to make it a 7-7 game. Then they fell behind again 7-14, and could only respond with a field goal to make it 10-14. The game was now in the fourth quarter, and the Hokies would be kicking off to a Tar Heels team ready to drain the clock and cling to the lead in their upset bid.

On the first play from scrimmage at their own 20-yard line, Rashad Carmichael breathed life back into the hopes of the fans in Lane Stadium. Immediately following the snap, the pocket collapses as Yates fakes an inside handoff; he then makes a poor choice in trying to complete a screen pass to a receiver far too close to Carmichael. Rashad shakes his block and snatches the interception a full 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage, flipping the tables from a 4-point deficit on defense to possession a mere 5 yards from the end zone.

Three plays later Tyrod Taylor would rush for the touchdown and lead, but unfortunately a pair of late UNC field goals ultimately took the win back and gave the Tar Heels the upset they were seeking.