2008 ORANGE BOWL GUIDE - HokieSports

Tech posted the biggest win
in school history when it
defeated Texas, 28-10, for the
championship of the Nokia Sugar
Bowl. The Hokies fell behind 10-0
before rallying behind bowl MVP
Bryan Still, who returned a punt
60 yards for Tech’s first score, set
up the go-ahead touchdown with
a 27-yard catch and hauled in a
54-yard TD pass for insurance.
During the 1996 FedEx Orange
Bowl, the Hokies stuck with No. 6
Nebraska for nearly three quarters
before wearing down in a 41-21
loss. Nebraska out-gained Tech by
just seven yards — 415 to 408 —
in total offense and managed to
lead by only three points with less
than a minute remaining in the
third quarter.
Following the 1997 season,
the Hokies returned to the Gator
Bowl — this time in Jacksonville
— and lost to No. 7 North
Carolina, 42-3. In 1998, Tech
played in the inaugural Music
City Bowl in Nashville, Tenn., and
posted a convincing 38-7 win
over Alabama that set the stage
for 1999.
In 1999, the Hokies marched
to an 11-0 regular-season mark
and a berth in the Nokia Sugar
Bowl and national championship
game. Tech and quarterback
Michael Vick made a memorable
run at the title before succumbing
to No. 1 Florida State, 46-29.
Vick compiled 322 yards of total
offense to help rally Tech from a
21-point deficit to a 29-28 lead
early in the fourth quarter.
In the 2001 Toyota Gator Bowl
game against Clemson, the Hokies
raced to a 14-0 first quarter lead
and went on to win 41-20. Tech
Michael Vick and the Hokies wowed the nation in the 2000 Sugar Bowl
National Championship game.
out-rushed the Tigers 211-88 in
Vick’s final game in the maroon
and orange.
The Hokies and Seminoles met
in a rematch of the 2000 National
Championship on Jan. 1, 2002 in
the Toyota Gator Bowl. Despite
trailing heading into the fourth
quarter, Florida State tallied 17
points in the final 15 minutes en
route to a 30-17 win.
In 2002, Tech’s tough defense
limited Air Force to just 101 yards
rushing in the inaugural Diamond
Walnut San Francisco Bowl, as
Tech posted a 20-13 victory over
the Falcons.
The Hokies and California
played one of the more exciting
bowl games in recent history in
the 2003 Insight Bowl. The teams
combined to score 31 fourthquarter
points, but Tech’s valiant
rally came up just short in a
52-49 loss at Bank One Ballpark in
Phoenix, Ariz.
The 2004 season marked
Tech’s first year competing in
the Atlantic Coast Conference.
After winning the ACC title, the
Hokies earned a BCS berth against
undefeated and No. 3-ranked
Auburn in the 2005 Sugar Bowl.
BOWL HISTORY
Jim Druckenmiller led the Hokies in their first Orange Bowl appearance, which
came in 1996 against Nebraska.
Tech came close to knocking off
the Tigers, but fell just short,
losing 16-13. Senior Bryan Randall
threw two touchdown passes,
setting the Tech record for career
passing touchdowns with 48.
Following its ACC Coastal
Division title in 2005, Tech
battled Louisville in the 2006
Gator Bowl. The Hokies trailed
24-13 early in the fourth quarter,
but mounted a comeback behind a
Tech bowl-record 22 points in the
quarter, to win 35-24, and notch
the third 11-win season in school
history.
The Chick-fil-A Bowl matchup
with Georgia following the
2006 season was a tale of two
halves, and the Bulldogs emerged
by a score of 31-24. At the
intermission, it looked as if Tech
might waltz to an easy victory
after holding the Bulldogs to 47
yards of offense while building a
21-3 lead. The Hokies collapsed
in the second half, however, as
Georgia racked up 28 unanswered
points and Tech turned the ball
over on four straight possessions.
Only a field goal in the waning
moments kept the Hokies from
getting blanked in the second half.
2007 VIRGINIA TECH FOOTBALL 5
2008 ORANGE BOWL GUIDE