David Teel wrote a fun read yesterday about the 13 most memorable games he's seen in Lane Stadium: http://www.dailypress.com/sports/teel-blog/dp-teel-time-lane-stadium-50,....
Curious to hear which games everyone's been to, and which of his 13 is your most memorable.
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Definitely Nebraska 09. I'll never forget the moment that pass connected.
Miami 11 is a close runner up. Enter Sandman at the end of the game really sealed the deal.
Could not agree more
I can't believe he put the game with that QB who shall not be named in the list... that one still hurts. But I guess that does make it memorable...
I was at 4 of his 13; The 1995 Miami game, the 1998 Virginia game and the 1999 Syracuse and Boston College games
The most memorable? Tough question. Overall, the 99 BC game but that's more for the aftermath and what the win meant than the game itself. I was on the crossbar when the first goalpost came down. Good times albeit painful. Then standing on the field while the scoreboard updated the Nebraska-Colorado game and celebrating the Buffs' win. There are other more memorable games personally that he didn't list. I'll leave those for another topic.
Miami 1995. My freshman year and My first home game. Lived in Pritchard and my entire wing went to the game together. Crazy atmosphere and I remember U players mouthing at the fans.
Oranges flew over my head into their bench....Hokies won on the field, but the U players would not stop mouthing at the fans.
That began my deep dislike of all things "U".
DT definitely hit all the sweet-spots.
My #1 will always and forever be 2003 Miami, because I've never felt such a palpable electricity in the air nor heard Lane be so loud for so long, including the half-hour leading up to kickoff. I was never prouder to be a student-fan than that night.
2009 Nebraska is a close second due to the sheer madness that ensued in the closing three minutes--I've never gotten goosebumps like that or hugged more random people in my life than on that day.
GT 2010 and Miami 2011 are both tied for third and are both memorable in their own ways. I've never seen anyone run faster than David Wilson on that return, and there are times I still wish 4th-and-Logan were a thing.
Anything from the 1999 season is just gravy, considering the three trips by GameDay and how we began to set the standard for what GameDay is today.
My first-ever game was the 1998 Homecoming loss to Temple, which was amazing and crippling all at the same time. Either way, I verbally committed myself to attending Virginia Tech, and it was one of the best decisions of my life.
i know not of this last game of which you speak.....
I've been to a lot of games in Lane, starting with the rather unmemorable 02 Temple game. For me as far as games I actually attended would be 09 Miami. The week of ESPN declaring the U back and the subsequent dismantling in the driving wind and rain has so many memories for me. The stands were like a giant party that day.
David Wilson running it back and Matty Ice doing Matty Ice things are big too, but that Miami game was a lot of fun. Honorable mentions to 05 Georgia Tech and Marshall last year.
09 Miami was amazing. First time I experienced the generosity of "old Hokies". Was a sophomore(first year at tech) who didn't win the lottery but this awesome group of guys gave me a ticket, beer, and more memories than I can remember. Most satisfying game I've ever been to. Also the only non-spring game I sat in West stands
I am surprised 2001 Miami didn't make his list but he may have been trying to cull down the Miami games. 97 Miami was another great game.
The mere mention of 2001 Miami makes my stomach turn, but it was a great game until we lost it. And that may have been the best Miami team (chock full of future NFLers) we've ever faced.
might be the best college football team anybody has faced.
I think so. As for the game, the noise when Green blocked the punt was incredible. And that was with nothing in the North end zone due to construction.
That was one of the only times I've gotten to sit on the West side for a game, and the place was shaking when he blocked that punt. That was a crazy few minutes. And a great football team that da U had.
Why does it make your stomach turn? That was quite possibly the best collection of college football players ever assembled (not just at Miami), and our defense was able to take them down to the wire.
Back then my parents didn't take me to too many games, and I know we lost that one, but that was actually somewhat of a fond memory from my childhood, walking out of that stadium proud that we'd almost beaten the #1 team in the country. Definitely high on the "memorable" list.
I was at a few of these... the 99 Cuse game definitely stands out. Like I've said in this forum before, I'm a lions-in-the-coliseum-watching ancient Roman at heart.
I didn't watch any VT football till i was a student in 2010, so I have as many memorable losses as I do wins... JMU '10, Miami '11, FSU '12 (the Tweedy game), and GT '10 all come to mind from my time
The only two I missed on the list were Nov. 24, 1990 and Sept 19, 2019. I came to Tech for engineering in fall of `93. Go Class of `97. I missed the Sept. game as my Dad was having heart bypass surgery and that was more important than football.
Sept 19, 2019??
It will be a Thursday so..... Maybe he's a time traveler who loved that Thursday night tilt at Lane.
If he's a time traveler, he'd better tell us how everything has gone from 2014-2019. Battle at Bristol? Championships? Did we land Josh Sweat and any other 5* talent? Inquiring minds want to know!
Yeah seriously what happens in 2016?
I was at 6 of these. None of them touch 2003 Miami. Nebraska was awesome, but not 2003 Miami. '09 and '11 Miami were amazing but miles behind '03 Miami.
Definitely Miami '11. That was one of the greatest experiences of my entire life being in the NEZ for the final 3 minutes or so.
The WVU game in 2004 is still one of my favorites. They came in ranked 6th I believe. It started raining in the 2nd quarter and Lane got louder. Jeff King blocked a field goal and Vinny Fuller performed the ol' scoop and score and SI featured the on-the-field celebration in a two page spread even though they had to remove several middle digits from fans responding to the WVU salute. First and only time I rushed the Lane stadium field.
Oh man, '04 WVU in the rain was absolutely a great time. Thanks for the reminder.
that was my freshman year and it was insane. it could've made the list
my freshman year as well, we went to the game painted up and spelled "WVU" on the front and "SUX" on our backs. the rain turned us into paint bombs, everyone around us was covered in orange and maroon specks of paint as it was flaking off. In true college fashion we showered off two floors up in Pritchard so we didn't clog the showers on our floor haha.
I lived on the 6th floor but dont remember paint in the shower, I was drunk all weekend after that game which was worth it
Most memorable for me:
-First game ever attended: Home opener for Fall '93 vs. Bowling Green. We were 2-8-1 the prior season and favored to lose to BG. Deshitzo came out and fumbled early, BG up 7-0. I was there w/ my whole hall (3rd floor Vawter). The guys that weren't freshmen were yelling and cussing out Deshitzo. Then we turned it around and ended up winning something like 33-13 I think? Don't remember exact score. But the remainder of the game was whipping BG a$$. Everyone was like "where did that come from? we never win that big." Was a good time. I was sunburned pretty good though. We went to Shultz for dinner afterwards.
Next - The '95 game vs. Miami - first win vs. them, I was on the field afterwards. 'Nuf said.
Next - The '95 game vs. Syracuse - watching Cornell Brown and JC Price just flat abuse McNabb the whole game was so much fun.
I think it was in '95 or '96, I don't remember, but it was a night game vs. ECU. Horribly cold. Driving ice/sleet with the Blacksburg wind behind it. But for some reason it was a very fun game. We made butt pirates jokes all game long.
Another that stands out is the '99 game vs. Miami. and then the '01 game vs. Miami. My ears are still ringing from how loud it was after Green blocked that punt.
Last game I was at was the '11 game vs. Miami. 'Nuf said about that.
Oh, don't remember the year, but we beat Akron something like 77-7 or something horrible. Beamer put the cheerleaders in and they still kept scoring.
Good picks by Teel. I was there for 7 of them. As others have said, I would also have included '04 WVU there. That game was nuts. I'm not sure any game I've been to in Lane since that one has come close in terms of noise and intensity. The NEZ was literally creaking under us, and you could feel it move. Also the only time I have been on the field after a game.
03 Miami
04 WVU
05 GT (my first College Gameday)
07 ECU
09 Nebraska
11 Miami
**Edit to add Maryland 04 (Thursday Night)
GT 2000. Lee Corso learns his lesson. The game was exciting but the pre-game was the absolutely thrilling. It was also the last game I watched in Blacksburg for MANY years until I got back years later.
maybe not the most memorable in top 10 games but really memorable.
That game was canceled due to weather and never played.
sorry, should have stressed the /sarcastica
It's was the only game I went back for the year after I graduated and I was leaving the country soon and be a world away. It was bitter moment for me.
That makes this one of the greatest posts I've ever read. (The sarcasm, not the bitterness.)
Upleg.
And I wasn't trying to be a dick, BTW. I attended a few home games I have zero recollection of, in that exact time span as luck would have it. Honestly thought you might have had your games confused.
haha, thanks. leg back at you. I've phucked up my sarcastica before. I like to see if it plays out and people catch it before actually writing sarcastica. I think posts are funnier if you aren't told outright that it is sarcastica. petebuddywilson got me and some others one time with a hilarious post, completely missed the sarcasm written into it because he didn't actually write the word. classic petebuddywilson
Yeah, the pregame was, no pun intended, electric in the stadium. There was an incredible amount of excitement and passion. Then we got wet. I left my poncho in the car a few hours before the game due to the sunshine. "No chance of rain" is what I thought.
On the little graveyard thing that Souvlaki's did (still does?) in the front window every season, the GT game that year had a little raincoat laid over the grave with a note that said, "Play the damn game!"
I'm wondering if anyone here went to the 1977 VMI-Tech game at Lane? My dad, born and raised in Upstate NY mind you, claims that's the coldest he's ever been in his life! He swears that some fg attempts were swatted down by the wind (this was before the end zones were built up).
I'll have to check if my parents remember.
I've been to so many games at Lane over the years, definitely the highlights for me were the following:
2003 Miami: Lane was and never will be as crazy and loud as it was that night, had to be there to understand.
1994 WVU: we beat them down and this was when the South endzone was just some ragged old wooden bleachers. My brother and I were sitting next to some WVU fans who left in the 4th quarter, but not before they dumped their spit cup on top of my brother's head before exiting....he was 10.
2009 Nebraska: being the last VT fan remaining in my section of 501 turned out to be priceless.
2010 GT: seeing David Wilson strike that dagger right after GT had tied was amazing.
1990 UVA: beating a ranked UVA team for the first time I could remember. Will Furrer goes off in that game.
My favorites are:
Nebraska in 2009
FSU in 2007 where we trailed 21-20 heading into the 4th quarter and won 40-21
Miami in 2011
Clemson on Thursday night in 2006
GT in 2010 was great too
and I'll never forget the Duke game in 2008. My freshman year and it was the coldest I have ever been, and we couldn't leave early since it was a tight game
I didn't put it in mine, but Clemson 2006 is a sorely underrated game in Lane, especially considering it was a Thursday night. I remember going in so drunk that I didn't start forming memories of the actual game until the second half. I *do* remember doing "snow angels" in the South End Zone after the win, though.
Going outside the box and saying Sept 18, 2003 vs. aTm played during hurricane Isabel. I've never been that soaked and that cold before or ever again in my life and never had as much fun. There's something great about just saying fuck it and getting drenched while tailgating and watching the game. It also helps that we won and KJ went off.
I have been to 4 of these games 07 BC, 09 Nebraska, 10 Georgia Tech, and 11 Miami. 2011 against Miami is probably the craziest I have ever seen Lane plus at the end espn panned to a shot of me and my roommates in the NEZ and then immediately to Jacory Harris crying. I think that may be the greatest moment of my life. Another great game for me was 2008 against Maryland on a Thursday night Darren Evans just wreaked havoc breaking the single game freshman rushing record. I was a senior in high school and went with my dad (class of 85). That was an amazing game and a truly great season culminating in an ACC championship and Orange Bowl victory.
99 vs JMU - Vicks first game. Something was odd about a guy flipping over people into the endzone.
99 vs Clemson - Corey Moore worked Clemson over.
00 vs UVA - Last home game against UVA in my college career
11 vs The U - Enter Sandman
I've been to five on the list:
-Miami 2011 -- I've watched the video of the final play so many times.
-ECU 2007 -- I remember giving the Hokie Bird a giant hug when I saw him because it felt like that's what we all needed.
-GT 2010 -- first time I brought my in-laws to a game.
-Miami 2003 -- coming off the field after the pregame show, I literally couldn't hear myself think. It was that loud. I've never heard anything as loud as that since.
-Duke 2004 -- first ACC game, and the only game in 4 years as an HT where I didn't perform the pregame show. Instead, I was tasked with taking pictures. I remember standing on a metal folding chair on top of the pressbox. The chair wasn't that sturdy, and it was very windy.
Honorable mentions should include:
Miami 2009 -- pouring down rain, but a thorough butt kicking. (My wife's first VT game.)
GT 2012 -- First, I had problems obtaining my ticket. Then I'm worried all day about the weather, because I really didn't want to stand in a downpour again. Finally, we get to the game, weather is fine, and we're down in the 4th quarter. I remember looking up to the sky and thinking, "I did not go through all of this trouble just to watch us lose." And then, boom, first OT at Lane.
GT 2006 -- not so much for the game, but the overall experience. It was my first alumni season. My old roommate was getting ready to ship off to Germany, so this was going to be the last chance to see him for a while. I got a ticket at the last minute. Some other guys had gotten a parking pass in one of the lots right next to the stadium. It was really my first chance to tailgate at Tech (can't really tailgate in the band). Then, walking in, my roommate and I realize that we ended up with seats next to each other. Yeah, we lost, and the rain made downtown suck that night, because everyone was crammed in, but overall, it was a cool weekend.
I lived on Center St during the Miami 03 game. Don't remember it at all.
I do remember watching the Ernest Wilford Miami game. I was at the north end of the East stands and we were down by a bunch. The fans around me were are older than I was, 30's and maybe 40's, which I found odd for the East stands, but they were all cool and enthusiastic. I was there alone, I can't recall why. Everyone around me was down and I was pretty level headed. Miami had scored and taken, I think, a >10 point lead, and I just said that I thought we were going to make a comeback. They applauded my optimism but it was clear they thought I was homer-ing it up.
After we scored to be down by 2, they all wanted to shake my hand. Then the two point conversion play. From where we sat, it looked like he caught it. It was a moment of pure ecstasy followed by a moment of pure deflation.
To this day, it was the most dramatic high-to-low sequence I've ever experienced.
Sucks that Spike Lee or whoever heckled Wilford. Good on Ernest, though, for standing up and pointing himself out about it. To this day, I don't feel any negativity towards him. Not as much as the muffed onside kick that set up Matt Ryan in 2007. Those are the two worst plays I can recall in the history of my Hokie fandom.
So I guess I went in another direction instead of the topic of the thread. Sorry.
I was at the 2003 Miami game and I thought there would be structural damage to Lane.....it was seismic.
I was at a few others of those, but on a personal note the 1986 game vs USCe was a tie 27-27, but my future wife was in the stands visiting from South Carolina and of course I didn't know it.
I wish I had met her then; it would have saved me A LOT of wasted time.
That sounds legend . . . dary. Legendary!