Finals are over and Commencement is only a couple of days away. In Blacksburg, it's a time to relax, head downtown, get drunk and nostalgic. In between sips of your Rail or chugs of an icey cold mug of beer from Sharkey's (what we called The Tank back in the day) you'll most likely talk about the parties you got thrown out of, that bar you snuck into, the epic comeback in beer pong and unforgettable wins in Lane Stadium.
For those of you who enrolled in September 2006 you've been privileged to watch one of the most exciting and excellent periods of Virginia Tech football. The Hokies won at least ten games a season, 41 games in all, two ACC Championships and never lost to UVa. You may have not seen a National Championship game, but you lucky bastards never had to live through a collapse like in 2003. However, even during the Grant Noel, Bryan Randall and Marcus Vick years I got to watch some memorable football that I'll never forget.
These are my three favorite moments from when I was an undergraduate.
3) '04 Virginia Tech–Maryland
Lane was so loud that evening the sound waves took enamel off of my teeth. Even though Maryland limped into the game at 4-5 they were coming off of back-to-back 10+ win seasons and determined to prove they were still the big boy in the ACC. And all we did was score, score and score some more. When we went up 28-3 at the start of the second quarter, the game ended, the party started and airplane bottles of bourbon were passed around.
2) '02 Virginia Tech–LSU
This game took place during the beginning of the SEC meets ECW movement, ESS-EEE-CEE, ESS-EEE-CEE... I remember the Wednesday before the game walking through the commuter lot on my way off campus when I noticed it was inhabited by a shanty town of RVs and citizens draped in purple and gold yelling, "Geaux Tigers!", at any trespassers. Tensions and hostilities reached a boiling point on Friday night when a brawl broke out downtown between a mob of Tigers and Hokies. As for the game itself, Beamer Ball won the day. Knocking off the defending SEC Champions had a lasting effect. We proved to ourselves we had the athletes to compete with the best in the country.
1) '03 Virginia Tech–Miami
To anyone who wasn't there, I'd have to describe the atmosphere and noise on that November night as organized chaos. As students our goal was to will a victory over Miami after a disappointing loss to WVU and we'd do it by making as much noise as possible by any means necessary. It sounded like a miniature siren was embedded in each of my ears. There were no individual voices, just a collective. It was beautiful, and we all know the outcome.
Students were jumping from the sides of the east stands to bypass the dogs and cops. Once I was on the field, I slapped every hand I could and took two "complimentary" Hokie Waters.
So, graduates and alumni alike, I ask you, what's your favorite Hokie football movement? Leave 'em in the comments (register here first if you haven't).
Comments
'03 Miami is competitive in sustained volume.
The only game I can think of that matched it was the fourth quarter of '99 Clemson. That game was viewed as a major early challenge for a team we kinda thought might be good, and it was tight throughout, with senior QB Brandon Streeter holding up against Corey Moore completely terrorizing him -- until the 4th, when Corey went MY GAME on him, capping it off with a solo sack-forced fumble-touchdown.
The single loudest moment I've ever heard in Lane was the punt block+TD in '01 Miami, though. After a TD got us to 28-20 despite Grant Noel giving us the worst QB performance I've ever seen, Miami 3-and-outed, and I'm convinced every single person in the stadium, no matter what colors they were wearing, knew that block was going to happen. Unfortunately, Wilford dropped the 2-point conversion and that Miami team escaped to be regarded as one of the best CFB teams of the past 20 years.
Wilford
And before the replay most everyone thought Wilford caught the ball too. Then it was silence after we all saw the drop.
My top 3
This was tough for me but here are my top three without thinking too long and hard.
3. Miami in 09 just because of how VT was forgotten about, the defense was being scrutinized and Harris was on the Heisman watch list. Then we pwned them.
2. FSU in 07 because of the long losing streak and how we beat them. Plus I still honestly believe I started the tomahawk chop chant in the middle of the 4th quarter that took over the whole stadium.
1. Wasn't a student but the BC game that capped the undefeated regular season in 99 was unbelievable. Not a bad first game in Blacksburg huh? Knew I was going to be a Hokie from then on.
PS... enough with the math questions, my brain hurts from my Concrete Design exam this morning.
Legendary
That's the stuff that dreams are made out of.
Regarding the math, it's to keep spammers out. I'm still working out the kinks.
Top 3
I agree with your number one. I wasn't an undergrad then, but an alum, and I have NEVER seen atmosphere like that, either before or after. (Although, Clemson in '99 was a pretty good one too). It was like everyone in the stadium had read this:
http://www.techsideline.com/fanvoice/2003/stewart001.htm
and did exactly what Will told us to do. Unbelievable night.
Being from West Virginia and having family who graduated from that "university", you can say I took this rivalry very seriously. Truth be told, this was (and still is) a bigger rivalry than Miami or UVA @ Charlottesville. Don't believe me? Ask any alumni from the pre-ACC days.
At any rate, 02 and 03 were straight abortion games. In 02, we had Lee Sucks not able to get it in fro a yard out on 4 consecutive plays. And in 03... well... fuck that game.
2004 was another story. The Mountainqueers came into the Burg riding high in the top 10 and the team of destiny (I'm not exaggerating here folks, if not for that 04 team and the play of #3, Tech would not be where it is today) was not even ranked that year. I was feeling a Hokie domination fest that day. Combine a BeamerBall blocked FG TD with a downpour and the rout was on.
Now, beating a top 10 team is cause for celebration and tech fans are known to storm the field from time to time. However, with the crowd from Morganhole in town, it took on a whole new dimension. The fans (mostly students) took the field not to celebrate, but to take the quickest path to getting at the "U"WV fans. As soon as the students reached the opposite side of the field, it was on. Any and all projectiles were hurled into the visiting fan section. I myself tried to climb up into the crowd for some "damage control" (or "controlled damage" if you will). In the process, I was manhandled back to field level by 2 cops and 3 Codorks.
I then decided to show my displeasure at the scene and the visiting mouth breathers by giving them the dual birds. And this, my friends, is captured in a 2 page spread in the October 11, 2004 issue of SI. I am featured prominently and it is a topic of discussion in my family to this day.
Others:
- @ Morganhole 05. Marcus was on fire that day. The dude knew how to be the bad guy and played it well, taunting fans as well as dominating the Mountainqueers.
- aTm 02: the hurricane game. This one really started getting people's attention nationwide that Tech was a terrordome. I still remember the quote "Its coming down in sheets and we have gale force winds... the students are stripping and having a party though."
'02 alum, but have to disagree that it was bigger than UVa.
More full of pure hatred when we were paying attention? Yeah, probably. But unless (like you) you were from WV or had family that went there, that rivalry was one week a year. The UVa rivalry was every single day.
1000% agreement on #3 and how important 2004 was, though -- my favorite Hokie of all time. Cheering "A-C-C! A-C-C! A-C-C!" @Miami as they turned off the scoreboard at 0:00 to keep us from taking pictures of our FLAWLESS VICTORY is right up there with Nebraska 08 for favorite road trip moments.
True story: I bought a maroon #3 jersey before that season. I wore it to the USC game (where we wore white), didn't wear it to NCSU at Lane for some reason, and wore it to every other home game. It occurred to me the weekend of the UVa game that we had won every game I had attended wearing the same jersey Randall was. And I had tickets to Miami the next weekend. As soon as I put all that together, I proceeded directly to Tech Bookstore and purchased a white #3. The results were obvious. Even though the luck didn't last to the Sugar Bowl, it's still the best $55 I've ever spent.
My how things have changed.
UVa is still technically our main rivalry, but after beating them 9 out of the last 10 years it's not as intense as it used to be. Groh getting canned stoked the fire a little bit because most of them are buying what London is selling. But, I get fired up for Miami, GT and BC 100x more than UVa.
Also, magical jerseys are the best.
Awesome
Woot woot, my faves??
Lets do top 5. - Game, followed up by a quick thought...
5.) JMU 1999 - "Wow, a college football game, I hope this new quarter back is good..."
4.) LSU 2002 - "Stop throwing your stupid beads and go back to the flat, hot, gross state of Louisiana"
3.) WVU 2004 - "Who would ever go to school there...?" - Update: I did for Grad School, it was awesome... HAH!
2.) Miami 2003 - "Post TD people piles in the student section are awesome....awesome"
1.) Maryland 2004 - "What a sick final night game as a student..." - watching till 0:00 as all the fans left hanging out with my brother, a freshman at the time, soaking it in....gotta be my fave.
Honorable Mentions:
- Beating UVA never gets old....never...
- Texas A&M 2003 - Epic Rainy Win!
- Georgia Tech 2004 - geeze...all the 2004 season really..
- Oh wow, dont forget WVU 1999, the Miracle in Morgantown...
- UVA 2008, that is the most recent game Ive been to...damn...
Ok, I could be here all day....
my 3+
3. the national championship game. the 3rd qtr comeback, where vick pulled a neo like matrix moves on fsu defenders. he made the best athletes in college sports look like 12 yr pee wee players.
2. plenty of better games than this, but my pure hate for dadgumit and fsu, ranks this so high. eff them and the horse they rode in on. beating fsu felt good.
1. 03 miami. that shit was sick. pregame, game and after game downtown. most fun ever in bburg that didn't involve me and drunk coed.
beating uva in 1990 and numerous thurs night beatdowns (wvu 94) are honorable mentions.
Mine would have to be
5. Miami 2004 - Winning our first ACC Championship in the first year in the ACC. I still remember jumping up and down in our basement that day.
4. UVA 2005 - Probably the best UVA vs VT game in recent history. Well it was good for VT, not so much for UVA.
3. Miami 2003 - This was classic VT however this game is deminished a bit since this was the last good game Tech played this season. Wow what could have been.
2. BC 2007 (ACCCG) - After losing on a last second pass by Matt Ryan in Lane earlier in the year, VT came back and beat BC in the ACCCG, winning VT's 2nd ACC title.
1. FSU 1999 - VT lost this game but just seeing VT in the national title game... well that site will last a lifetime. Hopefully one day we can make it back there.
Favorite Moment
I've gone to every tech game since 2005, not that long i know, but i've been a fan for much longer, but I've never seen the crowd get as loud or excited ever when Danny Coale caught Tyrod's pass and ran it down the length of the field....only to be tackled short of the goal line...... just to have a 16 second scramble set up the winning touchdown in a game that went from the worst I've ever been a part of to the best.
Others include:
Thursday night vs Clemson in 2006
Enter Sandman for the 2005 Miami game (the game not so much)
FSU game in 2008
Darren Evans shell shocks Maryland in 2008
Ryan Williams dragging Jacob Sykes 12 yards for a touchdown
2008 comeback in the 4th quarter at North Carolina, personally being there and sitting in thier student section
UNC in 2010
I'm going to try to go to @UNC this year and I'm looking for a similar outcome. Revenge is a dish best served cold.
Miami '03 is the reason I went to VT
I was on a recruiting trip for the swim team at Tech that weekend so I was deciding on schools to go to. After that game I asked the coach to put the NLI on the desk right there so I could sign it. I rushed the field, Kevin Jones was spectacular, and ever since that game I look forward to Miami games more than any. That game made me choose to become a Hokie
My Top 5
5. 1993 Independence Bowl vs. Indiana
A blocked field goal at the end of the first half set up a romp in the second half and a "Hey Hoosiers, there's always basketball" chant.
4. 2006 vs. Clemson
The first time I got to rush a field plus everyone had written us off.
3. 2007 vs. Florida State
Beamer finally beats Bobby.
2. 2009 Orange Bowl vs. Cincinnati
We finally won a BCS bowl, even though it came against the Big East.
1. 2005 Sugar Bowl vs. Texas
This was our "Hello, World" moment, plus I have relatives who went to Texas and they talked SO MUCH shit before that game.
sugar bowl against texas??
That should be
1995
My Picks
1. Miami 2003 - Rushing the field, Getting hit by a pepper ball from cops.
2. Texas A&M 2003 - Playing in a tropical storm. It rained so much that the cops could not see or did not care that I was openly holding a bottle of liquor and passing it around.
3. West Virginia 2004 - I miss the WV hate
4. LSU 2002 - the actual game kind of sucked, but the atmosphere was great
That had to have stung.
Damn you Jim Weaver.
My memories
I'm late on this, but I was fortunate enough to be a freshman in Blacksburg during that sweet 2004 season. I was certainly spoiled enough to witness two ACC championships and a lot of great Hokies take that field. However, WVU and Maryland that year were both SICK. The environment was ridiculous, and when Vincent Fuller returned that blocked kick back to the house, I lost my mind. SO good.
By the way, good job preventing Mountaineers from posting by including a math problem at the bottom, although the answers should all be over twenty so they can't use their toes to count.