Matthew Jordan didn't find out he was going to get his first career start for Georgia Tech until just before the opening kickoff. He didn't even have time to get nervous.

Jordan rushed for two touchdowns and the much-maligned Yellow Jackets' defense had four takeaways to stun No. 14 Virginia Tech 30-20 on Saturday at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Va.

Jordan rushed 32 times for 121 yards and directed the more-conservative Georgia Tech attack to 343 yards. The sophomore scored on runs of 53 and 3 yards. He was 2-for-7 passing for 34 yards.

"Being the backup quarterback you never know when (starter Justin Thomas) could go down," Jordan said. "You have practice like you're going to be the starter. I was kind of nervous, but once I got in the game, I was able to settle down."

Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson tried to accentuate Jordan's strength. A physical runner who is often used in goal-line situations, Jordan didn't hesitate to keep the ball and avoided the higher-risk pitches.

"We tried to utilize Matthew with what he does well," Johnson said.

The victory makes Georgia Tech (6-4, 3-4 ACC) eligible for a bowl game. The loss prevented Virginia Tech (7-3, 5-2) from clinching the ACC Coastal Division; it can still accomplish that with a win over Virginia on Nov. 26.

"We understand to give ourselves a chance, we don't have a large margin of error," Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente said. "We still have plenty of great opportunities in front of us and I know that our team will respond in the right way."

The Yellow Jackets defense, which ranked 70th in the nation for total defense, allowed 437 yards but came away with a season-high five sacks and two fumbles. Junior Lawrence Austin intercepted two passes and caused a fumble.

"We played a ton of base defense," Johnson said. "Our kids played fast, they got some turnovers and some sacks."

The Georgia Tech special teams got three field goals from kicker Harrison Butker, blocked a field goal and caused a fumble on the opening kickoff.

Yellow Jackets B-back Marcus Marshall, who missed last week's game with an injury, returned and rushed 19 times for a season-high 143 yards and one touchdown.

"We needed to not allow big plays and we allowed two big plays ... that cost us the football game when it's all said and done," Virginia Tech defensive coordinator and associate head coach Bud Foster said.

Virginia Tech quarter Jerod Evans kept the Hokies in the game. The junior was 32-for-45 passing for 316 yards and one touchdown. He was intercepted twice, equaling his total for the season. He rushed 18 times for 75 yards and two touchdowns.

Cam Phillips caught 10 passes for 82 yards and Isaiah Ford had eight receptions for 85 yards and one touchdown for the Hokies.

The Yellow Jackets got a break on the opening kickoff when Terrell Lewis caused Virginia Tech's Der'Woun Greene to fumble and Nate Cottrell recovered for Georgia Tech. The turnover snapped a streak of three consecutive games without a giveaway for Virginia Tech.

Jordan stuck with a base offense, picked up a pair of first downs and settled for Butker's 40-yard field goal.

Georgia Tech got another field goal on its next possession after running 7:27 off the clock. Butker was good from 39 to give the Yellow Jackets a 6-0 lead with 2:01 left in the first quarter.

Virginia Tech drove to the Georgia Tech 20 and Joey Slye attempted a 38-yard field goal that was blocked and recovered by Lance Austin.

Jordan accounted for two touchdowns before the end of the first half to give the Yellow Jackets a 20-0 lead. He broke free for a 53-yard scoring run with 8:06 left in the half and powered in from the 3 with 30 seconds left.

Georgia Tech turned it over on the first play of the second half when Jordan fumbled and the Hokies recovered, which set up a 5-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Ford. It was Ford's fourth catch of the day and allowed him to become the school's all-time leading receiver.

The Yellow Jackets went up 30-7 on a 35-yard field goal by Butker and a 56-yard run by Marshall in the fourth quarter.

The Hokies added a pair of late touchdown runs from Evans. He scored on an 8-yard run with 4:37 left and a 7-yard run with 37 seconds left.

NOTES: QB Justin Thomas was a game-time scratch for Georgia Tech. The senior suffered an upper-body injury last week against North Carolina but had been expected to play. He had made 35 consecutive starts. Georgia Tech was also without center Freddie Burden, who was replaced in the lineup by freshman Kenny Cooper, and leading rusher Dedrick Mills, who was suspended two games for violation of team rules. ... Virginia Tech won its previous home games by an average of 32.5 points this season. ... Georgia Tech returns home next week to play Virginia. Virginia Tech travels to Notre Dame.