INDEPENDENCE BOWL : Virginia Tech Gets All the Breaks and a 45-20 Victory

The last 23 seconds of the first half made it a freaky Friday for Indiana Coach Bill Mallory.

Virginia Tech safety Antonio Banks recovered a fumble, intercepted a pass and returned a partially blocked field goal 80 yards for a touchdown as the 22nd-ranked Hokies defeated No. 21 Indiana, 45-20, Friday in the Independence Bowl.

Banks was voted top defensive player in a game that featured defense. Virginia Tech (9-3) forced four turnovers, setting up one touchdown and scoring two--both in the last 23 seconds of the first half.

The two quick scores “really cut our throats,” Mallory said. “You take those two plays out of there, and I think our defense played well enough to win.”

Indiana (8-4) trailed 14-13 before the Hokies’ defense broke open the game on two freak plays.

On the first, John Paci took the snap at the Virginia Tech 49 and soon the entire defensive line joined him in the backfield. Two players hit Paci as he was trying to throw and he fumbled.

J.C. Price tried to sweep the ball up, but wound up hitting it toward the Indiana goal line. The ball bounced into Lawrence Lewis’ hands as he trailed the play. Lewis caught it in stride and scored to make it 21-13 with 23 seconds to play in the first half.

“I just wanted to get to the goal line,” Lewis said. “If it had been five more yards, I don’t think I would have made it.”

When the Hoosiers got the ball back, Paci completed a nine-yard pass to Eddie Baety, who did not get out of bounds. The clock ran out, but the official ruled that Indiana had called timeout with one second left.

After the Hokies were called back from the locker room, Bill Manolopoulos came on to try a 51-yard field goal. The kick, partially blocked by Jeff Holland, was caught by Banks at the 20 and he ran it back for a touchdown to make it 28-13.

“I’ve never, ever seen a half end that way,” Lewis said. “They wanted the extra second, so they got the extra second, and look what happened. They should have just went on and took it as it was.”

Maurice DeShazo found Antonio Freeman for a 42-yard touchdown pass to make it 35-13 with 9:37 to play. On the next series, Price and Waverly Jackson sacked Chris Dittoe inside the Indiana five and Banks came up with the ball again.

Tommy Edwards ran five yards for a touchdown on the next play to make it 42-13.

Thomas Lewis, who had six catches for 177 yards, scored Indiana’s touchdowns on a 75-yard pass from Paci in the first quarter and a 42-yarder from Dittoe in the fourth.