One of the most exciting games of the season marked a very familiar moment for a program that knows what it takes to win conference championships.

The Virginia Tech Hokies usually wobble early in a season. They usually sit near the precipice. They also manage to avoid falling into the abyss. Revived by an escape, they manage to become the best team in the ACC when late November rolls around.

They might have begun another journey back from the brink with their Houdini act on Saturday afternoon at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia.

One of the best games of 2011 ended with a Logan Thomas touchdown run befitting the star of the week in college football. A week after he went only 15-of-27 for 125 yards against Clemson, in a game where his team managed only a single field goal, Thomas had his breakout game as Virginia Tech starter. Thomas was 23-of-25 on the game with 310 passing yards and 3 TDs and no interceptions. While he had only 28 rushing yards on the game, he had the game winning 19 yard scoring run with 47 seconds left on 4th and 1 with the game on the line. Thomas's teammate, running back David Wilson, added 23 carries for 128 yards in the close-shave win.

In a high scoring, high yardage game, Miami actually outgained VT 519-482 on the strength of 236 rushing yards. Lamar Miller, the outstanding sophomore running back for the Hurricanes, had Tech’s number all afternoon, with 166 yards on only 18 rushes and a go ahead scoring run with under three minutes to go that could have been the game winner if not for Thomas’s heroics. Jacory Harris, who can be maddening with his decision-making at times, also had an outstanding game as Miami's quarterback, going 13-of-21 for 267 yards and 3 TDs with no picks, a brilliant outing for the turnover-plagued signal caller.