Thanks for posting this. This takes me back to happier Hokie times. I was probably 25 at this point. I don't remember obsessing about VT football quite as much at that point in my life. For one thing, the coverage was just far less. For instance, this game was televised on CBS. I guess I forgot that there was a world before ESPN owned nearly all college football broadcasting. That was a great broadcast crew we had on this game. Alas......will we ever get back to this position in the national college football landscape? I fear not...
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Big east football was great, we were in a hard nosed conference with competetive teams and tough matchups. Our move from bring independent to the big East put us in national prominence, along with a hall of fame coach.
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Kind of funny but CBS is the only channel I do not have now with how all the streaming services are set up so pretty thankful we are mostly E$ecPN meow
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My dad got tickets the day before the game, surprising me by asking me to come with him to Christiansburg for pool supplies. When we got near to Cburg, he asked me to check the glove box for a tire pressure gauge, and there were the tickets. Great evening.
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One of my fondest memories comes from after this game. I was 7 when this happened. The students tore down the goalposts and my father, brother, and I were walking back after the game to get dinner. I still remember touching the goalpost on the drillfield. What a magical day.
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That was a fun game to attend. Had to come back from Thanksgiving break early but it was well worth it. The end of that game had one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen.
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Ah... ran onto the field after the game and celebrated with the team. I went up to Corey Moore and hit him on both shoulder pads with my fists (in a congratulatory way). He looked at me with those eyes and I thought I was a dead man for a second. Then, we both just started yelling and screaming with everyone else.
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First VT game I ever went to. My cousin was a freshman at VT at the time, and getting to go to this game was really the first time my parents could justify spending the money to fly us all the way out to Blacksburg from CA.
As SI captured in their photo, the Sunset was incredible that night. I was young enough (around 9 years old) to not fully grasp the magnitude of what was going on, but I just remember feeling the overwhelming sense of happiness coming from everyone in attendance at that game. The stands were like a party, with people throwing sugar cubes as early as the third quarter, the players actively engaging with the fans in the stands, and people coming to the realization that we were going to the national championship. Probably my fondest sports memory
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Thanks for the share. That was the last regular season game of my college days. Such a great time to be a Hokie. I still have a chunk of grass from the end zone that I plucked when we stormed the field.
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This was a special game to me. The 99 year was my freshman year at Tech. I entered fall semester not really caring about college football and I ended that semester seriously considering driving to New Orleans to watch the Sugar Bowl. I didn't, but the fact that I was seriously thinking about it tells you everything you need to know about the impact the 99 football season had on me.
I also got extra tickets for my uncle, Dad, mom, and cousin that day. It was their first college football game any of them had ever been to, and Dad will occasionally still talk about it.
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When you have weapons all over the field, dont overcomplicate things..make it simple...TEs were good..Receivers were good...RBs were good...QB was exceptional..
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Ahh the good ol' days...worked 12 hour night shift 2 hour nap and headed to the game. rained most of the morning but the clouds parted and had a beautiful sunset during the game I remember. The announcer was giving the play by play of Nebraska vs Colorado after our game was over on the load speaker if I remember correctly and the place exploded when he said Colorado won but it was a little premature, didn't matter tho. thanks for posting this
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That's my miss Scarlett, we adopted her a year and half ago. She's the most gentle soul I've ever known I think. I have a 10 month old bulldog pup now too. They are great great dogs. My parents raised bulldogs when I was little, all kinds of baby pictures of me in the middle of a pile of bulldog puppies. So sorry about your bully but a great name choice!
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The sugar being thrown on to the field the whole 4th quarter. Running onto the field and celebrating with the team. Frank giving his big speech. Everyone who stormed the field standing there and watching the score updates of the the Colorado/Nebraska game as Colorado almost pulled off the big comeback in overtime. It was the perfect day in Lane Stadium.
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If it was kosher for freshman to win the Heisman in '99 like it is now Vick would have won it. Not to mention the Heisman also highlights more of the wow factor now on the field. There was no one like him and to be honest I don't think there will be another QB that 'electric'.
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Unfortunately Vick was the first player in that "changing of the guard" you mentioned in your post and it usually takes a year for the old curmudgeons who vote to accept it and adjust to it. Had he stayed healthy the next year, who knows what would've happened for him and us...
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Exactly. He changed the way QBs play so it was possible for guys like Lamar Jackson, Murray, Manziel, etc. He had the ability to make you hold your breath (for the viewer and the opposing team) each time he had the ball in his hands.
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Man, Vick was ridiculous. How he could throw the ball across the field off his back leg and still get it 50 yards downfield...Andre Davis smoking the secondaries...crazy.
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I know we lost the game, but the National Championship game against F$U was the single greatest performance I've ever seen by a college football. The Noles had 4 future first round picks on their DL as well as several other future pros on that defense and Vick was able to make them look like Pop Warner players. He rolled up over 500 yards on those guys.
I still think that if Ben Taylor doesn't miss the tackle on Travis Minor on 4 and 1 early in the 4th quarter we win that game-that play completely turned the momentum. Ugh.
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This is quality TKPing. If anyone does an oral history about 1999, I hope they interview Tim Hasselbeck for his perspective playing that defense. Physical, all over the QB.
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French, it's the 2nd most egregious use of option football I've ever seen live. #1 was Chuck Amato and Marty Galbraith running speed option plays with Philip Rivers at NC State. What a world it was during late 90's early 2000's football!
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A few thoughts. First, I really miss the I formation. Everyone knew what was coming, just a matter of who was the badder man. Second, those pads are bigger than some aircraft carriers. Jerome is as wide as he is tall with those bad boys on. My next door neighbor growing up is playing center in this game. Walk-on and earned a scholarship. High school coaches called him brick, cause they thought he was smart like one. He was a real smart dude actually and played well. I miss 300 yards of rushing in a game. I would even take 200. Has Fu/Corn ever lined our offense up with 1 wide receiver and 10 men in the box? I can't remember that happening. I really hope our O-line is better this year.
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Kadela married a girl that grew up in the Church I attend.
They visited a few years ago....a mountain of a man. Its rare at 6'2" that I feel tiny.
When the pastor introduced 'the Kadelas' and they stood up.....I knew it had to be him.
I brought my sons up after the service to meet him....nice fellow.
I got to tell them about watching him play in the National Championship game with Vick, etc .
What a season.......
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I still remember Chris Hovan sacking Vick when it was 31-7 or something similar and doing a throat-cutting gesture...seriously, dude? You're getting smoked.
I watched this game with my uncle (who's from Boston and is a huge fan of all Boston teams), at half-time he said "is there any way they can make this game fair by ruling Vick ineligible for the second half?"
he still bets me on the VT-BC game to this day...good thing he's rich
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Damn, I miss power I football. Up back quick hitters, lead block kicking linebackers ass. By the fourth quarter, you learn if the defense wants to tackle, or if it is broken and wants to go to the locker room. Play action pass, burning the d backs that are cheating up to help out on the run. Old school , kick your ass football with the o line firing off and putting linemen on their backs.
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Want some more fun? Watch Darryl Tapp redirect in 2004/2005, or Chris Ellis shedding blocks. That was some good stuff.
Also, I went back and watched some of the awful 2012 VT vs Cincy game. But, a highlight was watching Derrick Hopkins. Man, if there had been some depth so he could have gotten a wind every now and then! What a player he was.
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Couldn't go to many games back then cause the kids were young but I was a telephone mortgage loan officer and being Black Friday, no one was calling. I brought a portable TV and watched it at my desk while fielding the occasional telephone call. Had to make judicious use of the mute button to avoid shouting in customers' ear when we had a big play or score!
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I will never forget rushing the field and tearing down the goalposts. Or the brief standoff with our school resource officer before everyone took the south goalpost.
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This was my first ever VT game. I was 12 and my dads company bought tickets for the entire company and their families. Unreal looking back now at what I was able to experience. I had no idea the magnitude of what I was watching, especially for free.
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What is that weird formation they lined-up in so often? It almost looks like the letter "I". Not knowing what it is I'll just call it the I-formation until someone corrects me. There seemed to be a lot of success with that formation but I dont recall seeing that ever in the last 10+ years. Anyone know why we abandoned it?
Sarcasm aside, I was there as a sophomore and that was a fun experience on a late Friday afternoon. The offense moved well, D dominated, Vick realized he didn't have to take tacklers head-on and started going out of bounds, the sunset, rushing the field afterwards. Great memory!
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This was one of the first games after I was accepted early admission. And the following Monday I told Bobby Bowdens granddaughter that VT is coming for FSU. She laughed it off as FSU was a juggernaut and she knew it.
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What a great game! It's clearer in my mind than on that video. We utilized the safety position in blitzes with great effectivity. I personally love a good safety blitz.
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Note the BC DT Mike Willetts. He was the RTWN no. 1 player in VA in 1995. That was the year a host of VA stars chose BC over VT, including Damien Woody and Darnell Alford.
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Comments
Thanks for posting this. This takes me back to happier Hokie times. I was probably 25 at this point. I don't remember obsessing about VT football quite as much at that point in my life. For one thing, the coverage was just far less. For instance, this game was televised on CBS. I guess I forgot that there was a world before ESPN owned nearly all college football broadcasting. That was a great broadcast crew we had on this game. Alas......will we ever get back to this position in the national college football landscape? I fear not...
I loved CBS doing Big East VT games. Most of the VT games I watched in my teens until I was 22 were on CBS.
Big east football was great, we were in a hard nosed conference with competetive teams and tough matchups. Our move from bring independent to the big East put us in national prominence, along with a hall of fame coach.
Kind of funny but CBS is the only channel I do not have now with how all the streaming services are set up so pretty thankful we are mostly E$ecPN meow
Started my Freshman year in HS that season.
My dad got tickets the day before the game, surprising me by asking me to come with him to Christiansburg for pool supplies. When we got near to Cburg, he asked me to check the glove box for a tire pressure gauge, and there were the tickets. Great evening.
This is the type of stuff I'm looking forward to do with my kid when he gets older. That's a great story
Wonderful story! Thanks for sharing!
Slightly off topic, but whoever runs that HokieTapes YouTube account is awesome. So many games available to go back and watch.
My thoughts exactly
I was on the field after the game hanging out with our long snapper Shane Beamer
One of my fondest memories comes from after this game. I was 7 when this happened. The students tore down the goalposts and my father, brother, and I were walking back after the game to get dinner. I still remember touching the goalpost on the drillfield. What a magical day.
I miss the fullback handoff out of the fake pitch. Such a deceiving play. Jarrett Ferguson was a beast on this playcall.
I've seen the panthers run it a few times down by the goal line..
Ah, back when we had a running game! Let's hope that with King added to the stable, McClease and Holston can make some things happen this year!
That was a fun game to attend. Had to come back from Thanksgiving break early but it was well worth it. The end of that game had one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen.
Ah... ran onto the field after the game and celebrated with the team. I went up to Corey Moore and hit him on both shoulder pads with my fists (in a congratulatory way). He looked at me with those eyes and I thought I was a dead man for a second. Then, we both just started yelling and screaming with everyone else.
First VT game I ever went to. My cousin was a freshman at VT at the time, and getting to go to this game was really the first time my parents could justify spending the money to fly us all the way out to Blacksburg from CA.
As SI captured in their photo, the Sunset was incredible that night. I was young enough (around 9 years old) to not fully grasp the magnitude of what was going on, but I just remember feeling the overwhelming sense of happiness coming from everyone in attendance at that game. The stands were like a party, with people throwing sugar cubes as early as the third quarter, the players actively engaging with the fans in the stands, and people coming to the realization that we were going to the national championship. Probably my fondest sports memory
Thanks for the share. That was the last regular season game of my college days. Such a great time to be a Hokie. I still have a chunk of grass from the end zone that I plucked when we stormed the field.
My freshman year. Awesome memories
This was a special game to me. The 99 year was my freshman year at Tech. I entered fall semester not really caring about college football and I ended that semester seriously considering driving to New Orleans to watch the Sugar Bowl. I didn't, but the fact that I was seriously thinking about it tells you everything you need to know about the impact the 99 football season had on me.
I also got extra tickets for my uncle, Dad, mom, and cousin that day. It was their first college football game any of them had ever been to, and Dad will occasionally still talk about it.
I said it yesterday but it bears repeating. Rickey Bustle's offense was the one true lethal simplicity.
When you have weapons all over the field, dont overcomplicate things..make it simple...TEs were good..Receivers were good...RBs were good...QB was exceptional..
Watching stuff like this really makes you appreciate HD tv.
When I read the title of this post, I was like...
Ahh the good ol' days...worked 12 hour night shift 2 hour nap and headed to the game. rained most of the morning but the clouds parted and had a beautiful sunset during the game I remember. The announcer was giving the play by play of Nebraska vs Colorado after our game was over on the load speaker if I remember correctly and the place exploded when he said Colorado won but it was a little premature, didn't matter tho. thanks for posting this
leg for your avatar....I miss my English...Beamer...RIP buddy
That's my miss Scarlett, we adopted her a year and half ago. She's the most gentle soul I've ever known I think. I have a 10 month old bulldog pup now too. They are great great dogs. My parents raised bulldogs when I was little, all kinds of baby pictures of me in the middle of a pile of bulldog puppies. So sorry about your bully but a great name choice!
The sugar being thrown on to the field the whole 4th quarter. Running onto the field and celebrating with the team. Frank giving his big speech. Everyone who stormed the field standing there and watching the score updates of the the Colorado/Nebraska game as Colorado almost pulled off the big comeback in overtime. It was the perfect day in Lane Stadium.
If it was kosher for freshman to win the Heisman in '99 like it is now Vick would have won it. Not to mention the Heisman also highlights more of the wow factor now on the field. There was no one like him and to be honest I don't think there will be another QB that 'electric'.
Unfortunately Vick was the first player in that "changing of the guard" you mentioned in your post and it usually takes a year for the old curmudgeons who vote to accept it and adjust to it. Had he stayed healthy the next year, who knows what would've happened for him and us...
Exactly. He changed the way QBs play so it was possible for guys like Lamar Jackson, Murray, Manziel, etc. He had the ability to make you hold your breath (for the viewer and the opposing team) each time he had the ball in his hands.
Man, Vick was ridiculous. How he could throw the ball across the field off his back leg and still get it 50 yards downfield...Andre Davis smoking the secondaries...crazy.
I know we lost the game, but the National Championship game against F$U was the single greatest performance I've ever seen by a college football. The Noles had 4 future first round picks on their DL as well as several other future pros on that defense and Vick was able to make them look like Pop Warner players. He rolled up over 500 yards on those guys.
I still think that if Ben Taylor doesn't miss the tackle on Travis Minor on 4 and 1 early in the 4th quarter we win that game-that play completely turned the momentum. Ugh.
Shout out to Tom O'Brien and Dana Bible for running speed option with Tim Hasselbeck.
This is quality TKPing. If anyone does an oral history about 1999, I hope they interview Tim Hasselbeck for his perspective playing that defense. Physical, all over the QB.
French, it's the 2nd most egregious use of option football I've ever seen live. #1 was Chuck Amato and Marty Galbraith running speed option plays with Philip Rivers at NC State. What a world it was during late 90's early 2000's football!
A few thoughts. First, I really miss the I formation. Everyone knew what was coming, just a matter of who was the badder man. Second, those pads are bigger than some aircraft carriers. Jerome is as wide as he is tall with those bad boys on. My next door neighbor growing up is playing center in this game. Walk-on and earned a scholarship. High school coaches called him brick, cause they thought he was smart like one. He was a real smart dude actually and played well. I miss 300 yards of rushing in a game. I would even take 200. Has Fu/Corn ever lined our offense up with 1 wide receiver and 10 men in the box? I can't remember that happening. I really hope our O-line is better this year.
Kadela married a girl that grew up in the Church I attend.
They visited a few years ago....a mountain of a man. Its rare at 6'2" that I feel tiny.
When the pastor introduced 'the Kadelas' and they stood up.....I knew it had to be him.
I brought my sons up after the service to meet him....nice fellow.
I got to tell them about watching him play in the National Championship game with Vick, etc .
What a season.......
I still remember Chris Hovan sacking Vick when it was 31-7 or something similar and doing a throat-cutting gesture...seriously, dude? You're getting smoked.
I watched this game with my uncle (who's from Boston and is a huge fan of all Boston teams), at half-time he said "is there any way they can make this game fair by ruling Vick ineligible for the second half?"
he still bets me on the VT-BC game to this day...good thing he's rich
Damn, I miss power I football. Up back quick hitters, lead block kicking linebackers ass. By the fourth quarter, you learn if the defense wants to tackle, or if it is broken and wants to go to the locker room. Play action pass, burning the d backs that are cheating up to help out on the run. Old school , kick your ass football with the o line firing off and putting linemen on their backs.
Want some more fun? Watch Darryl Tapp redirect in 2004/2005, or Chris Ellis shedding blocks. That was some good stuff.
Also, I went back and watched some of the awful 2012 VT vs Cincy game. But, a highlight was watching Derrick Hopkins. Man, if there had been some depth so he could have gotten a wind every now and then! What a player he was.
I was 13 in '99 and just watched this for the first time since it was played.
I sure hope we are able to have another experience like that again I can more thoroughly enjoy.
Couldn't go to many games back then cause the kids were young but I was a telephone mortgage loan officer and being Black Friday, no one was calling. I brought a portable TV and watched it at my desk while fielding the occasional telephone call. Had to make judicious use of the mute button to avoid shouting in customers' ear when we had a big play or score!
I will never forget rushing the field and tearing down the goalposts. Or the brief standoff with our school resource officer before everyone took the south goalpost.
And the greatest uniforms VT has ever worn.
I was a couple feet from the south goal post when it came down. This was a great day!
This was my first ever VT game. I was 12 and my dads company bought tickets for the entire company and their families. Unreal looking back now at what I was able to experience. I had no idea the magnitude of what I was watching, especially for free.
Sean McDonough narrates the highlights of my life.
What is that weird formation they lined-up in so often? It almost looks like the letter "I". Not knowing what it is I'll just call it the I-formation until someone corrects me. There seemed to be a lot of success with that formation but I dont recall seeing that ever in the last 10+ years. Anyone know why we abandoned it?
Sarcasm aside, I was there as a sophomore and that was a fun experience on a late Friday afternoon. The offense moved well, D dominated, Vick realized he didn't have to take tacklers head-on and started going out of bounds, the sunset, rushing the field afterwards. Great memory!
This was one of the first games after I was accepted early admission. And the following Monday I told Bobby Bowdens granddaughter that VT is coming for FSU. She laughed it off as FSU was a juggernaut and she knew it.
What a great game! It's clearer in my mind than on that video. We utilized the safety position in blitzes with great effectivity. I personally love a good safety blitz.
Note the BC DT Mike Willetts. He was the RTWN no. 1 player in VA in 1995. That was the year a host of VA stars chose BC over VT, including Damien Woody and Darnell Alford.
It was hilarious to watch BC CBs line up 15 yards deep and still get run by by Davis like they were standing still.
The best part....it rained sugar that night