Defense driving Boston College to top of ACC

BOSTON - All the attention lavished on walk-on kicker Steve Aponavicius was a novelty that everyone at Boston College seemed to enjoy.<br> <br> The Eagles know, though, that their chances of making an eighth consecutive bowl game depend more on their defense.<br> <br> ``We&#39;re starting to form an identity,&#39;&#39; said safety Ryan Glasper, whose interception was one of four turnovers forced by BC in a 22-3 victory over No. 22 Virginia Tech on Thursday night. ``Everyone&#39;s starting to see that we can be a dominant defense.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Much of the talk before, during and after the game was about Aponavicius, a soccer convert who had never played football before. But it was the Boston College (5-1, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) defense that handed the Hokies their second consecutive loss.<br> <br> Virginia Tech had two fumbles to go with Glennon&#39;s two interceptions, and the Eagles&#39; defense also picked up a safety and stopped the Hokies on a fourth-and-1 at the BC 18 yard-line in the first quarter. In all, Tech gained just 181 yards 21 of them in the second half.<br> <br> ``Defensively, we played awfully well today,&#39;&#39; coach Tom O&#39;Brien said. ``If you look at the stats, there wasn&#39;t a heck of a lot of offense (for either team).&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Freshman Alex Albright contributed to two turnovers, tipping a pass that was intercepted and recovering a fumble. Quarterback Matt Ryan was 16-for-29 for 174 yards and two touchdowns despite an ankle injury that had him limping through the second half.<br> <br> ``He&#39;s going to limp for the rest of the year. He won&#39;t be fine until after the bowl game, if we get to one,&#39;&#39; O&#39;Brien said. ``Once he settled down and relaxed, I think he did a great job managing the clock.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> It was BC&#39;s second victory over a ranked team this season; the Eagles also beat then 18th-ranked Clemson thanks to a blocked extra point in overtime on Sept. 9.<br> <br> Virginia Tech beat Boston College in Blacksburg last year, rolling up 492 yards of offense in a 30-10 victory. But linebacker Jolonn Dunbar said he wasn&#39;t dwelling on that game as much as a loss to North Carolina State this season, when the Wolfpack scored the game-winner on a 34-yard desperation pass with 8.5 seconds left.<br> <br> If not for that, Boston College would be unbeaten.<br> <br> ``I think that taste will stay in our minds for a little bit,&#39;&#39; said Dunbar, who also picked off Sean Glennon.<br> <br> Neither team was able to score until midway through the second quarter on Thursday night, when Glasper&#39;s interception set the Eagles up near midfield. Five plays later, Ryan hit Kevin Challenger with a 15-yard touchdown pass.<br> <br> The extra point brought out Aponavicius, who had never strapped on shoulder pads before he was discovered fooling around with a borrowed football in Alumni Stadium on the first day of classes his freshman year.<br> <br> ``He&#39;s really a confident kid,&#39;&#39; O&#39;Brien said. ``The kid isn&#39;t fazed by anything. He has a great personality. He kicked the ball through there. He had more fun than anybody. He was having a hell of a time out there. I&#39;m just happy for the lift that he gave us.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Aponavicius converted the PAT, and added field goals from 36 and 20 yards out to give BC a 13-3 lead late in the third quarter. It stayed that way until Ryan directed an 11-play, 83-yard drive that culminated in an 18-yard pass to Challenger with 6:49 left.<br> <br> Aponavicius a fresh-faced sophomore called ``Sid Vicious&#39;&#39; by those who can&#39;t pronounce his name kicked the extra point to give the Eagles a 20-3 lead and make him 4-for-4 on his kicks.<br> <br> ``The offense made a drive when we had to make a drive, there in the fourth quarter, to get a touchdown and put the game under control,&#39;&#39; O&#39;Brien said. ``That was a huge, huge drive for this football game.&#39;&#39;