Associated Press

BC quarterback Chris Crane (left) had a break-out game at N.C. State 10 days ago. Crane finished with 470 total yards.

Stuck behind Matt Ryan the past three years, Boston College quarterback Chris Crane entered this season as one of the biggest unknowns in the ACC.

Well, so much for the anonymity factor.

Making certain that he's known around the league now, Crane held a spectacular coming-out party 10 days ago at North Carolina State, accounting for 470 total yards and five touchdowns in BC's 38-31 victory.

In only his eighth career start, Crane completed 34 of 51 passes for 428 yards and ran 11 times for 42 yards, including a 13-yard game-winning TD scamper with 22.8 seconds left.

Crane's break-out performance assuredly hasn't gone unnoticed in Blacksburg, where 17th-ranked Virginia Tech (5-1, 2-0 ACC) began preparations Monday for its Saturday night date with BC (4-1, 1-1) in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

"I tell you, [Crane] made some great throws in that N.C. State game, some throws down the field, right on the money, hit guys in dead stride, had zip on the ball," Tech coach Frank Beamer said Monday.

"They mix the option with the decide play in there, throwing the ball down the field and it makes it tough [to defend]. When he runs the option he's not going to be a blazer, but he kinda falls forward ... so he presents some problems for you."

Crane, a 6-foot-4, 239-pound senior, had gotten only limited time behind Ryan, the No. 3 overall pick in last April's NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. As a result, second-year BC coach Jeff Jagodzinski wasn't completely sold on Crane being the answer. The Eagles also took a serious look at redshirt freshman Dominque Davis, who got some significant playing time in two of the season's first four games.

Sounds like Jagodzinski has his man now, though.

"I would like to get Dominque as much playing time as we can," Jagodzinski said. "It's just that the game at N.C. State dictated that I keep playing Chris. That would have just been foolish to take him out. If I've got a guy who has got it going, that's who I will stay with.

"But Chris Crane ... if we can get that Chris Crane, I think we've got a heckuva chance."

Jagodzinski said he wasn't sure what he had until Crane's big game in Raleigh. Crane's 470 total yards against N.C. State surpassed Ryan's BC career high of 445 yards vs. Florida State in 2007.

"I know what we had -- we had a young quarterback who had never played before," Jagodzinski said. "I think we as coaches took the shackles off a little bit [at State]. We probably pulled back a little too much."

No leash on Macho

Tech has lost two starters the past two games to season-ending injuries -- rover Davon Morgan (torn ACL) against Nebraska and tailback Kenny Lewis Jr. (ruptured Achilles tendon) against Western Kentucky.

When asked if that makes him hesitant about playing All-ACC cornerback Macho Harris too much on offense, Beamer said: "I think you just got to go play. I thought both of those [injuries] were just kinda freakish things. Sometimes, that happens.

"You can't coach with fear. You've got to coach aggressively and play aggressively, and that's the way we need to go."

Return man needed

While Harris leads the ACC and ranks 13th in the country in punt returns (15.1 yards), the Hokies are back to square one on kickoff returns with the loss of Lewis and Morgan. The duo had combined for all but three of Tech's 18 returned kickoffs in the first six games.

Beamer said the team worked to find an answer during last week's bye week. He said the list of candidates to fill the role include: junior fullback Jahre Cheeseman, who returned the last kickoff by WKU for 18 yards; redshirt freshman cornerback Cris Hill; freshman wide receiver Dyrell Roberts; redshirt freshman wideout Ervin Garner; and redshirt freshman wide receiver Patrick Terry.