Virginia Tech gets 43-41 6OT win over North Carolina in first test of new overtime rules
Virginia Tech and North Carolina became the first teams to try out college football’s new extended overtime rules Saturday night.
The Hokies beat North Carolina 43-41 in six overtimes thanks to a three-yard run by quarterback Quincy Patterson. Here’s how the score happened.
It was not a touchdown. Instead, it was a two-point conversion that came on Virginia Tech’s only play of the overtime period. Think of it like college football’s version of penalty kicks.
The NCAA changed its overtime rules ahead of the 2019 season for any game that went beyond four overtimes in an attempt to shorten games that can go on for more than a handful of overtime periods. Starting this year, any game that went over four overtimes resulted in a rotating contest of two-point conversions from the 3 to see who scores first. And since North Carolina failed to score on its conversion to start the sixth overtime, Patterson’s run was the game-winning score.
Both teams missed field goals in the fourth overtime to send the game to a fifth overtime at 41-41. And neither team was successful on its conversions in the fifth overtime.
The six overtimes fall one short of the FBS record for most overtimes. That record was tied in 2018 when Texas A&M beat LSU 74-72 in seven overtimes at the end of the regular season.
All other overtime rules were unchanged. Both Virginia Tech and North Carolina needed to go for two-point conversions in the third and fourth overtimes after touchdowns by rule.
Patterson finished the game with 54 passing yards and 122 rushing yards. North Carolina freshman QB Sam Howell was 26-of-49 passing for 348 yards and five touchdowns.
ACC Coastal chaos
The game was a perfect metaphor for what life is like in the ACC Coastal. Virginia Tech’s win pushed the Hokies to 2-2 in the conference while dropping the Tar Heels to the same record. Duke is also at 2-2 after losing to Virginia on Saturday. The Blue Devils beat Virginia Tech earlier in the season.
Virginia leads the division at 3-1 in the conference — a half game ahead of Pitt — a week after losing on the road to Miami. That’s the same Miami team who lost to Georgia Tech on Saturday. Both the Hurricanes and Yellow Jackets are at 1-3 at the bottom of the Coastal.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
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