We can only speculate whether the disclaimers would have persisted if North Carolina put away Virginia Tech after leading 17-3 midway through the third quarter. Most Tar Heels may have stuck by their refusal to call this a chance to measure themselves against the ACC’s top program, the expansion member that had won 28 of its first 32 conference contests and the 2007 league title.

Perhaps this was in fact just another game, another step in a long march toward respectability and competitive excellence. Maybe it’s all about patience and learning how to win, about what coach Butch Davis called the difference between possessing talent and converting it into performance. There are many platitudes to choose from in a loser’s locker room, many hymns to ease the pain of defeat.

But, in the end, this was a 20-17 loss on UNC’s home turf, marked by four turnovers and numerous squandered opportunities. The visit by Virginia Tech provided a chance to ratify predictions the Heels could go toe-to-toe with the favorite in the Coastal Division, their 2-0 start, best since 2000, reflective of genuine progress. Instead, the result was something short of satisfactory,

Blue jersey marred by grass stains, cheeks smeared with eye black that looked like mascara run to ruin, Mark Paschal was not averse to admitting the obvious. “Whenever you play a team like Virginia Tech who’s always, in the past 20 years, been a program that everybody wants to measure themselves up against, I think that first three quarters, we did,” said the senior linebacker from Charlotte. “We just weren’t able to finish it.”

During the first half it was difficult to tell if the North Carolina defense was as good as it looked – Davis said it was -- or if the Virginia Tech offense was correspondingly bad. Probably it was both. The Hokies gained a measly 22 yards in the first quarter and 80 in the half, with three first downs.

Tyrod Taylor, Virginia Tech's fleet sophomore quarterback, seemed uncomfortable in the pocket for much of the game. His passes were off the mark or for such small gains they put scant pressure on the defense and left receivers vulnerable to repeated hard blows. His jukes in the running game were inconsequential, his judgment suspect as the Heels assigned at least one player to contain him on every possession. But coach Frank Beamer, who insisted afterward that Taylor “has an ability to win games,” stuck with his starter.

In fact, Virginia Tech was lucky to trail only 10-3 at halftime after giving up an interception by Paschal at its own 38-yard line, twice starting series inside its own 11, and watching Tar Heel kicker Jay Wooten miss a 35-yard field goal midway through the first quarter. “We talked about hanging together as a team here at halftime, and just keep on playing, and it worked out for us," said Beamer, whose team has won three of three games since an opening loss to East Carolina.

The silver lining wasn't readily apparent as Taylor started the second half in the same feckless fashion he displayed in the first. He threw an interception on the Hokies’ fourth play of the third quarter, a long, looping toss picked off by UNC safety Deunta Williams. Two possessions later, the Heels pushed their lead to 17-3 as tailback Greg Little took a handoff from quarterback Mike Paulus and rambled up the middle for 50 yards and a score. It was Paulus’ first play from scrimmage after replacing starter T.J. Yates, who sprained his left ankle and did not return after hobbling to the bench with 9:03 left in the third quarter.

Yates’ status remains uncertain; his extended absence could seriously hamper UNC.

Virginia Tech again started at its 11 following Little’s touchdown, and showed no sign of avoiding another three-and-out series. But on third and seven, Taylor’s elusiveness suddenly emerged, as he evaded the grasp of a tackler long enough to complete a 15-yard pass for a first down. And, just like that, the Hokie offense came alive, alternating runs by Taylor, Kenny Lewis, and Darren Evans with a more vertical passing attack.

Stunningly, over the span of the next 11 minutes Virginia Tech scored 17 unanswered points, registering touchdown runs by Evans and Lewis and a go-ahead, 45-yard field goal by Dustin Keys with 10:42 remaining. The Hokies got several timely boosts from a few of the 14 penalties for 121 yards that haunted the Heels, whose defense and mental acuity wore down as the Hokies rallied.

Once UNC fell behind, it could not regain its offensive rhythm behind Paulus, a redshirt freshman whose ill-advised interception killed his team’s last best chance. “We knew going into the game that playing Virginia Tech is a tight fit,” Davis said. “It always is. They’re the type of program that they are not going to give you a lot of things…It’s going to be a tight fit and you can’t waste opportunities.”

The evening’s disappointment was reminiscent of last year, when a half-dozen close losses marked Davis’ debut season. Plenty of chances remain to prove things are different in 2008. But on this night at summer’s end, the result was strikingly, disconcertingly familiar.