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Virginia Tech's place-kicker was acutely aware that the Hokies had been 0-4 in games in which he had missed a field goal this year.
"I was kind of nervous after I had missed that first kick," Keys said Monday. "It's been one of those things that's been with me all season, so it's hard not to think about it."
Well, he can forget about it all now. Keys made amends with 6:37 left in the game, drilling a 28-yarder to supply the game-winning points in Tech's 17-14 victory over UVa. The victory clinched the ACC's Coastal Division title and catapulted the Hokies (8-4) into Saturday's league championship game against 18th-ranked Boston College (9-3) in Tampa, Fla.
"I was actually pretty happy to see what happened ... that that's the way the game ended up turning out for us," Keys said. "I had let my teammates down on that first kick, and I knew if I had another opportunity to come back and make it that I was going to do whatever I had to do to make sure I came through."
In his first and last season as Tech's No. 1 kicker, Keys has come through 80 percent of the time. The Lou Groza Award semifinalist is tied for seventh in the country in field goals made, going 20-for-25. Before the short miss against UVa, Keys' only other misses had come against East Carolina (44 yards), Boston College (44), Florida State (43) and Miami (51). Tech lost to each of the four schools on that list.
Keys, a fifth-year senior starting for the first time, wasn't nearly as shocked as everyone was that he missed the seemingly easy chip shot against UVa. He had been 15-for-15 on kicks inside 43 yards this season.
"I told everyone that I know, my family, ever since I started kicking that anything that's 20 and in, from either the left or the right hash, those are more difficult kicks to make than your 45-, 50-yarders ... just because of the angle and there's not as much room for error," Keys said.
"I did stub my toe when I came through that kick, and it kept me from getting my hips all the way through it and I just kicked the ball right down the hash mark."
No matter, Tech coach Frank Beamer likes having Keys on his side.
If Saturday's contest comes down to a field goal, particularly from medium to long range, the numbers say Tech has an edge. BC kicker Steve Aponavicius is only 65 percent (13-for-20) on field-goal attempts , with a long of 36 yards. Keys has made six field goals of 36 or longer, including a pair of 45-yarders in BC's 28-23 victory over Tech on Oct. 18.
Foster runs wild
One of the everlasting, snap-shot moments of Tech's fifth straight conquest of Virginia?
How about the sight of coach Bud Foster bursting into a full wind sprint on the field in front of the Tech bench after linebacker Purnell Sturdivant sacked UVa quarterback Marc Verica with :52 left to seal the win.
A video clip of Foster nearly running over assistant coach Billy Hite was shown repeatedly on ESPN later Saturday.
"He looked pretty nifty, didn't he," Beamer said Sunday about Foster's dash. "I'm not going to race him. With my bum knee, I won't be racing him anytime soon."
Defensive end Jason Worilds said Monday that it looked Foster had been working with strength and conditioning coach Mike Gentry.
"That's definitely Coach Foster," Worilds said. "He wears his emotions on his sleeves and he's not going to hide how he feels. And what you saw was exactly how he felt."
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