BLACKSBURG, Va. -- With under 3 minutes to play and his team suddenly trailing for the first time all game, Logan Thomas knew he had to come through.
Nice to have a little encouragement from a mentor at just that moment. Standing next to Thomas on the sideline was Tyrod Taylor, the player Thomas was understudy to for the past two seasons.
"It came down to that last possession and he said, 'This is where legends are made. This is where you make your legacy. Go ahead and do it,' " Thomas said of Taylor, one of the most accomplished and popular Hokies of recent years, now a member of the NFL's Baltimore Ravens.
Thomas ran 19 yards for a touchdown on fourth-and-1 with 56 seconds to play Saturday, capping a frenetic fourth quarter as No. 21 Virginia Tech beat Miami 38-35.
The Hokies (5-1, 1-1)drove 77 yards in eight plays to get the winning score. Thomas was looking only to gain the yard he needed on the big run, then call time out.
"I stepped through the hole and there was nothing there," he said.
Thomas finished 23 of 25 for 310 yards with three touchdown passes and ran for two scores. His only two incompletions were a short pass that David Wilson dropped, and a ball he threw away after picking up a bungled snap. He threw scoring passes of 40 yards to Danny Coale, 3 yards to Wilson and 60 yards to Jarrett Boykin. His only mistakes were a pair of fumbles.
The victory kept the Hokies in the race, but may have taken Miami (2-3, 0-2) out, despite a comeback that made them seem like the Miami of old.
Georgia Tech 21, Maryland 16: Tevin Washington ran for 120 yards and two touchdowns and No. 13 Georgia Tech's least impressive offensive showing of the season was enough to beat Maryland 21-16.
Georgia Tech led 21-3 before holding off the Terrapins' fourth-quarter comeback.
Georgia Tech (6-0 overall, 3-0) matched its wins total from 2010, when it finished 6-7. The Yellow Jackets began the day ranked first in the nation in rushing and second in scoring.
Quarterback C.J. Brown, who replaced starter Danny O'Brien, had a 77-yard touchdown run early in the quarter for Maryland (2-3, 1-1). Davin Meggett, who had 86 yards rushing, scored from the 1 with 7:33 remaining.
