The idea of North Carolina beating the Hokies in football is disturbing. It’s just wrong. So it was nice to see the Hokies restore order to this rivalry with a convincing win Saturday. It heals one of the many wounds from the 2012 season.

After entering the ACC in 2004, the Hokies ran off five straight wins over UNC, by an aggregate score of 129-64, an average of 26-13. But by 2009, Butch Davis and John Blake’s player-buyin’, wheelin’-and-dealin’, don’t-worry-about-going-to-class coaching methods closed the talent gap with the Hokies, and UNC knocked off Tech 20-17 in Lane Stadium on a Thursday night.

I remember that game clearly. UNC was superior physically and athletically, no question about it. It was pretty disgusting, to see a team that wears baby blue just be … better at the game of football.

As for 2012, there are two games from last season that were utterly embarrassing, games in which the Hokies barely put up a fight: the Pittsburgh game (a 35-17 thrashing that wasn’t nearly that close), and the UNC game, a 48-34 loss in which three things happened:

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