BLACKSBURG -- It wasn't the simple blowout that many Virginia Tech football fans expected Saturday afternoon in Lane Stadium.

So what. Take it and run, Hokie backers, because this one could have been a major crash.

Responding after being cuffed around and knocked dizzy in the first half by upstart Cincinnati, 11th-ranked Tech finally found its power and punch in the final 30 minutes and wore down the pesky Bearcats 29-13 in front of 66,233 concerned witnesses at Lane Stadium.

The decision was much closer than the final scoreboard numbers indicated. Tech, a 28-point favorite, trailed 13-12 entering the fourth quarter.

Was anyone worried? No Tech player would admit to it. Of course, none of them probably were aware that the Hokies had been 8-60 all-time under Beamer in previous games in which they had trailed after three quarters.

"We said, 'Let's stop playing around, we're a better team than this team, this should not be happening ... let's go out and take it to them, let's go out and play Virginia Tech football,''' Hokies quarterback Sean Glennon said.

After three straight laughers over totally outmatched foes, Tech finally ran into an opponent that swung back Saturday. The Bearcats (1-3), fresh off a tough fight last week at No. 1 Ohio State, weren't a bit intimidated by the Hokies or the noisy crazed following.

Dominating on both sides in the trenches in the first half, the Bearcats had a 163-106 edge in total yards. They had 76 rushing yards, 23 more than their average in the first three games. Even more incredibly, they held the misfiring Hokies to minus-8 yards on 13 carries. The most important numbers, the ones on the scoreboard, read: Cincinnati 10, Tech 5.

Plain and simple, the Hokies were getting their rear ends whipped. And they knew it.

"That doesn't happen that much around here," Tech linebacker Vince Hall said. "It was like Coach [Bud] Foster [defensive coordinator] was saying, 'They're running the ball straight down your throat ... smash-mouth football. They're challenging you right now and you've got to step up to the challenge.' ''

After halftime, the Hokies got their act together. An offensive line that couldn't open any running holes or keep the pass rush off Glennon in the first 30 minutes suddenly began to work. A defense that had been lights out in Tech's first three games finally showed up.

On its first possession of the third quarter, Tech needed only five plays to go 70 yards. The drive was capped by a 47-yard touchdown pass from Glennon to Justin Harper, who positioned himself well and then went up and over cornerback Mike Mickens for the catch.

Tech's 12-10 lead was short-lived.

In what would be the visitors' last serious blow, the Bearcats answered with a 15-play, 52-yard drive that ate up 8:45 on the clock. Kevin Lovell's 46-yard field goal with 4:39 left in the third quarter pushed Cincy back on top 13-12.

Enough of this, the Hokies finally said. They decided it was time to go toe-to-toe with this foe and may the best man win. Tech's big O-line rolled up its sleeves and punched some holes in the smaller visitors' defense. It was Tech's time to mine some Ore. -- that would be tailback Branden Ore.

In consecutive scoring drives that resulted in a field goal and a TD, Tech pounded the ball on the ground. Ore had 126 yards rushing on 14 carries in the drives. The first one was capped by Brandon Pace's 21-yard field goal, which gave Tech the lead for good at 15-13 with 14:51 left.

Ore finished off the second one -- a 74-yard foray downfield -- with a 1-yard TD burst that put Tech up 22-13 with 8:30 remaining.

"As an offensive line coach, that's what you're looking for," Tech's Curt Newsome said. "We've got a good one back there and we weren't getting it done in the first half. I think [our O-linemen] really challenged themselves and they knew they could play better."

Despite finishing with 25 carries for 170 yards, both career highs, Ore's day would have been even better if not for a holding penalty on flanker Eddie Royal that wiped out his 71-yard scamper for a TD with 4:15 to play. If not for the flag, Ore would have broken Kenny Lewis Sr.'s 1978 Lane Stadium record of 223 rushing yards.

"That's a tough one right there," said Ore, smiling and shaking his head. "Eddie said he held him a little bit. I'm not mad at him or anything like that. It's just something that happened and you've got to look past that.

"The main thing was we got things rolling the second half. At halftime, we knew there were things we weren't doing correctly. Give the credit to my offensive line. The first half was kind of shaky. ... They were kind of missing blocks and things like that, but we got it together for the second half."

McGrath pitched the credit back to Ore. "I'm just glad we had that Branden Ore on our team, I swear. He made some plays when they weren't any,'' he said.

Tech cornerback Victor "Macho" Harris took over the game in the final minutes. In an 80-second span, Harris picked off the first and second passes of his career. He hauled the first one back 72 yards for a TD that provided the final margin with 2:01 left.

Afterwards, many of the Hokies talked about how this test can be beneficial heading into the meat of the team's schedule. What some have called Tech's "four-game preseason" is over as Georgia Tech visits Lane on Saturday.

"I feel good about our team," Beamer said. "The way we came back and played, I think it's a great lesson for us and great feeling. I feel good about our team, the way we ended today. The offense kind of took over and we know we've got a great defense.

"We are kind of what we are and I'm not sure we're going to have a lot of easy games."

1. Take the visitors seriously | C-minus

Either Cincinnati is better than everyone thinks it is, or Tech is not as strong as its ranking suggests. The way the Hokies' offensive line and some of its defense played in the first half leads one to believe some of the Tech players weren't totally ready to play from a mental standpoint. Facing a team that's a 28-point underdog tends to stir complacency. The Hokies did get their act together when they had to in the second half.

2. Score early and often, and let it snowball | F

Well, Tech got a safety on Cincinnati's second possession when Josh Morgan blocked a punt out of the end zone. The Hokies got a 37-yard field goal from Brandon Pace on their third offensive possession. Still, it wasn't nearly enough early points production to turn things into an easy day.

3. Continue to show diversity on offense | B-plus

Thanks to Branden Ore's career-high 170 yards rushing, the Hokies scored well here. Tech had 145 net rushing yards to go with 188 yards passing from quarterback Sean Glennon.