By Jake Russell
Being more than 300 miles away from Blacksburg, Va. didn't stop the Virginia Tech faithful from turning Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis into a modified version of Lane Stadium.
The announced crowd of 34,277 was the second largest in Military Bowl history. The majority of those in attendance Saturday consisted of maroon and orange and gave the Hokies a strong home-field advantage.
Holding on to a 13-10 halftime lead, the tide changed for the Hokies (7-6) when they knocked Cincinnati (9-4) quarterback Gunner Kiel out of the game in the third quarter. On that play, Kiel was sacked by Virginia Tech linebacker Deon Clarke and lost the ball, which was picked up by defensive tackle Nigel Williams, who then fumbled at the 12-yard line. That fumble was recovered by cornerback Greg Stroman, who ran it in for a touchdown to give the Hokies the 27-10 lead.
Kiel did not return. His absence essentially immobilized a Bearcat offense that ended up with 489 total yards.
Virginia Tech running back J.C. Coleman ended the game with 157 yards and one touchdown on the ground to secure the team's 22nd straight winning season. Coleman became the first Virginia Tech player since David Wilson in 2011 to have back-to-back 100-yard rushing performances and was named 2014 Military Bowl MVP.
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