By Briana Gorman

bgorman@heraldsun.com; 419-6668

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Five years ago, on Oct. 30, 2004, North Carolina kicker Connor Barth made a 42-yard field goal as time expired to give the Tar Heels a victory over No. 4 Miami.

And Thursday, it was his younger brother, Casey, who provided a 21-yard game-winning field goal to give the Tar Heels a 20-17 upset over No. 14 Virginia Tech at Lane Stadium. It was the highest ranked team UNC has beaten since that Miami game, and gave the Tar Heels their first ACC victory of the season.

"I knew I could do it," Barth said. "I do a lot of visualization so I think that really helped me."

The game went back and fourth in the second half, and a 19-yard Barth field goal tied the score at 17 with 2:52 to play. But three plays later UNC defensive lineman Tydreke Powell forced a fumble and defensive back Deunta Williams picked up the ball and returned it to the Hokies' 24. The Tar Heels kept the time running and the ball moving, and as Barth's field goal sailed through the uprights as the clock hit zero the team rushed the field in celebration.

"We've never really had this feeling before, kicking it at the last second," UNC quarterback T.J. Yates said. "It just sends chills down your spine when your whole team is rushing the field. It's a hard place to play in: big stakes, Thursday night. We executed the game plan absolutely perfect. The defense played awesome. It's just a great feeling right now."

A week after blowing an 18-point third quarter lead over Florida State, the Tar Heels (5-3, 1-3) earned their biggest victory of the season and kept their postseason chances alive. UNC coach Butch Davis said Yates had his best game of his career, as the junior threw two touchdown passes and was 18 of 28 for 131 yards.

Yates also remained composed after it appeared he had cost the game for his team. Virginia Tech (5-3, 3-2) cut the lead to 14-10 at the start of the fourth quarter, thanks to a 36-yard field goal from Matt Waldron. On the ensuing possession Yates, who was under pressure, tried to make a throw wide but was picked off at UNC's 11 by Rashad Carmichael, who returned it to UNC's 5. Three plays later Hokies quarterback Tyrod Taylor punched it in for a 1-yard touchdown, and Virginia Tech's first lead of the game at 17-14 with 11:51 to play.

"That interception, I don't know what I was doing, smoking some drugs or something" Yates said. "It was so stupid on my part. I just completely put the defense in a horrible spot. That was a bad decision by me."

But Yates said he remained calm, and he turned around to lead the Tar Heels on a 78-yard scoring drive on the next possession to tie the score at 17. Yates completed five of eight passes on the drive, including a fourth-down 19-yard pass to Little, to eat 8:59 off the clock.

"I thought our kids today rose up and they proved something to themselves, that if you don't ever give up on yourself, then you always have a chance," Davis said.

The Tar Heels' defense, ranked seventh in the nation, also played a key role in the victory as it held the Hokies to 256 yards of total offense. Virginia Tech running back Ryan Williams, the seventh leading rusher in the nation with 119.14 yards per game, managed just 96 yards on the ground.

UNC also held Virginia Tech scoreless in the first two quarters for the first time this season. The Tar Heels had a 7-0 lead at the break thanks to a 13-yard touchdown pass from Yates to Jheranie Boyd in the second quarter. The Hokies tied the score with a 1-yard touchdown from Taylor in the third, but UNC took back the lead roughly five minutes later when Yates connected with Little for a 15-yard touchdown.

"It means a lot to come in and get a win over the previous conference champs," Little said. "It's just a wonderful feeling to be able to be down in the second half and battle back and make plays when the plays need to be made."