MIAMI — For Virginia Tech, there was no mystery. The Hokies came into the Orange Bowl convinced that if the defense delivered, everything else would fall into place.

Oh, how right they were.

Darren Evans had 28 carries for 153 yards and a touchdown, Virginia Tech's defense came up with four interceptions and the 21st-ranked Hokies beat 12th-ranked Cincinnati, 20-7, last night to join Southern California and Texas as the only schools to win 10 games in each of the past five seasons.

"All year, all year, all year we've been the underdogs," Hokies cornerback Victor "Macho" Harris said. "We had to scratch and claw our way to a victory. It says a lot about the character on our team."

They were the underdogs again yesterday, plus were driven by the chance to avenge last year's Orange Bowl loss to Kansas.

For the first 2 minutes, they seemed very much in trouble.

But the rest of the way was all Virginia Tech (10-4) — and coach Frank Beamer couldn't remember too many sweeter wins than this.

"This game has special meaning for Virginia Tech," Beamer said.

Tony Pike — who wasn't even on Cincinnati's depth chart at the start of the season before blossoming into an all-Big East quarterback — threw for 239 yards and a touchdown, but saw his night marred mightily by the four picks and getting stopped on a fourth-and-goal in the fourth quarter.

Mardy Gilyard had 255 all-purpose yards and a touchdown catch for the Bearcats (11-3), who saw their six-game winning streak snapped.

"You work out in the summer and in preseason camp because you want to get to this point," said Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly, whose team was picked fifth in the Big East's preseason poll. "But you want to finish it off, so there's a lot of disappointment."

Evans, the game's MVP, got the clinching score early in the fourth, after Pike threw his third interception — albeit on a highlight-quality play by Virginia Tech defensive end Orion Martin.

Deep in his own territory, Pike rolled right and threw back to the left, hoping the misdirection would pay off. Martin never bit, made a diving interception at the Cincinnati 10, and Evans rumbled in from 6 yards out for a 20-7 lead with 11:29 left.

Pike got the Bearcats to the Virginia Tech 1 on the next drive, tried to run in on fourth-and-goal, and was stuffed by Barquell Rivers with 7:25 left to end Cincinnati's last realistic comeback chance. Pike's fourth interception came 5 minutes later.

"Their secondary was the best I've ever played against, as long as I've been playing football," Pike said.

Gilyard walked off the field with tears in his eyes.

"I'm really hurt," Gilyard said. "I really wanted this game for the seniors, the guys I came in with. I'm really, really hurt."

The Hokies' best defense was their ball-control offense. Virginia Tech held the ball for nearly 40 minutes.

The Bearcats took the opening kickoff, sent their spread offense onto the field and made the Hokies look very confused. Pike found Gilyard for a 38-yard pickup on the third play from scrimmage, and they hooked up for a spectacular 15-yard touchdown three plays later.

It looked easy, but the nation's seventh-ranked defense would eventually get its bearings.

"We don't always play well but we always play hard," Beamer said. "That's what we did tonight."

Virginia Tech held Cincinnati to 137 yards, rendered the Bearcats' running game nonexistent (eight carries, 11 yards) over the remainder of the half, and battled its way to a 10-7 lead by intermission.

The Hokies became the first ACC team to win a BCS game since Florida State — ironically, perhaps — beat Virginia Tech, then a Big East member, for the national championship to close the 1999 season.

"It doesn't get any better than this. BCS, Orange Bowl champs," Harris said. "Being mentioned with teams like Texas and USC, it says a lot about our players, says a lot about Coach Beamer. BCS — finally, we got one!"