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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia (Ticker) -- The legs of Thomas Jones won out over the arm of Joe Hamilton. Jones rushed for 165 of his career-high 213 yards in the second half and ran for two touchdowns as Virginia overcame an early deficit and upset Hamilton and seventh-ranked Georgia Tech, 45-38, in an Atlantic Coast Conference showdown. A senior running back, Jones came into the contest as the nation's leading rusher, at 159 yards per game, and a Heisman Trophy longshot. Jones did nothing to disappoint and got the best of Hamilton, who is among the frontrunners to win the award for the best player in the country. Jones was a workhorse, carrying 39 times and finishing with three more yards than his previous career high, established earlier this season at Brigham Young. He had a 10-yard TD run late in the second quarter and ran 35 yards for a score in the third. The effort of Jones overshadowed another strong effort by Hamilton, who came into the game as the national leader in passing efficiency and ranked third in total offense. Hamilton completed 18-of-26 passes for 233 yards with two touchdowns and an interception and added 49 yards rushing on 14 attempts. On the season, the senior has completed 136-of-203 passes for 2,121 yards with 19 touchdowns and six interceptions. Viginia (5-4, 4-3 ACC) was able to come back and win despite falling behind 17-0 after one quarter. The Cavaliers got back in the game in the second quarter, pulling within 24-21 at halftime. "The key might have been getting back into the game before the half," Virginia coach George Welsh said. "It was 24-7 and then we scored two touchdowns in a short period of time. The game could have gotten away from us, but it didn't." Last week, the Cavaliers led top-ranked Florida State by three points at halftime before eventually suffering a 35-10 loss. Georgia Tech (6-2, 4-2) had its first-game winning streak stopped and suffered its first defeat since losing to Florida State on September 11. The Yellow Jackets have scored at least 31 points in every game this season, but allowed 21 or more for the sixth time. The Cavs took the lead on their initial possession of the second half, going 80 yards in eight plays with Jones being the catalyst. After gaining just 48 yards in the first half, Jones fell one yard shy of matching that on the opening drive of the second half. He carried five times on the drive and capped it with his 35-yard TD run up the gut on 4th-and-1 that put Virginia ahead, 28-24. Hamilton would not be outdone and led the Yellow Jackets down the field on their first drive. He passed for 23 yards and ran for 22 on an 11-play, 81-yard march that Sean Gregory capped with a two-yard TD run -- his third of the game -- that gave back Georgia Tech the lead. Gregory finished with 119 yards on 25 carries. Virginia once again battled back and tied the score with 3:06 left in the third on Todd Braverman's 21-yard field goal. The Cavs wound up taking the lead for good with 12:15 remaining in the game when David Rivers connected with Billy McMullen on a 42-yard scoring strike. Rivers, a junior, had a strong game in his first career start, completing 18-of-30 passes for 228 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Starter Dan Ellis missed game after suffering a mild concussion last weekend. Hamilton tried to lead back the Yellow Jackets. They drove to the Virginia 34 with just over seven minutes left, but he was sacked on 4th-and-2. Sparked by that defensive stand, the offense went to the ground game to open a 45-31 advantage with 3:36 to play. Jones carried three straight times for 28 yards and then Tyree Foreman did the rest, rushing for 37 yards on five consecutive carries that concluded with a two-yard TD run. Hamilton quickly directed a scoring drive and found Kerry Watkins with an eight-yard touchdown pass with 1:45 remaining. Hamilton did not get another chance as the Cavs recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock. "The last team with the ball won," Georgia Tech coach George O'Leary said. "I was displeased with the way we played defense, and we had some penalties that hurt us. Give Virginia credit. They did what they had to do to win." In the first quarter, it looked like Virginia was still trying to recover from Florida State. The Yellow Jackets got a 24-yard field goal from Luke Manget, a four-yard TD pass from Hamilton to Kelly Campbell and an 18-yard scoring run from Gregory to make it 17-0 after one quarter. Georgia Tech racked up a massive 180-10 advantage in total yards in the opening quarter. The Cavs were able to overcome that start and get back in the game in the second quarter. Rivers got them going, connecting with tight end Billy Baber on a four-yard TD pass midway through the quarter. Gregory restored the 17-point margin with a four-yard run. But Jones ran 10 yards for a score and Rivers found Kevin Coffey with a nine-yard TD pass nine seconds before halftime to cut the deficit to three. The teams combined for nearly 950 yards of total offense with Virginia holding a 493-447 edge.
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