 Tech 's offense took the field at their 20 @-@ yard line with 1 : 53 remaining in the game , two <unk> left ( used to stop the clock as necessary ) , and needing at least a field goal to win the game . Tech picked up one first down via a pass , then another as the Hokies drove to their 44 @-@ yard line . Stopped short of midfield with less than a minute to play , Tech called its second timeout in order to stop the game clock from ticking down . In college football , the clock stops after a team earns a first down , and because Virginia Tech had not earned a first down on the short run , Tech was forced to call the timeout . Following the timeout , the Hokies ran for a first down , penetrating to the NC State 44 @-@ yard line . With 53 seconds remaining , Chapman <unk> out of bounds on a short run . Another short run brought the Hokies to the State 36 @-@ yard line , and the Hokies called their final timeout to stop the clock . A few plays later , Tech ran a short running play that kept the clock running down . With just 33 seconds remaining and no other way to stop the clock , Tech 's Maurice Williams <unk> stayed down with a leg <unk> and the <unk> stopped the clock to allow the injured player to receive assistance from athletic trainers before the next play . Facing fourth down and needing three yards for drive @-@ continuing first down , Chapman passed for a first down at the State 29 @-@ yard line with 15 seconds remaining in the game . On the game 's next play , Tech committed a holding penalty , which pushed the Hokies 10 yards further away from the end zone , out of field goal range , with 11 seconds remaining . 
