Tech Decade: Hokies' Best Game of the Aughts

I went with the Dave Meyer game. At the time we were No. 2 in the country and when Vick went down in the 2nd quarter we were down, 20-17 and thought our season was over. But Meyer was efficient and even though Antonio Bryant destroyed us we were able to make a fourth-quarter comeback. Carter Warley (who CBS Sports’ Dean Blevins kept calling “Carton Wally” that night) kicked a field goal with 16 seconds left to keep us unbeaten for one for more week. It was an exciting game that I didn’t think we were going to win until it was over. I have expected Pitt to throw a screen to Bryant for an 80-yard TD at the end.

Simply put, this win changed the culture of Virginia Tech football. Without this win, the last five years couldn’t have happened. Now if you’re thinking “what’s his logic here?” it is about to be revealed. Does anyone remember how YOUNG and how GREEN that team in 2004 was? Expectations were their lowest since the early 90’s, Tech was picked to finish 7th in the ACC by most outlets, and I can remember some of the ACC big-whigs having a general disdain for how we kind of squeezed our way into the ACC expansion at the last minute. The general feeling was that we didn’t belong and couldn’t compete. I still maintain we beat USC (that BS pass interference call is never gonna leave my mind), but as it was scored we lost to USC and lost to NC State on a rare Brandon Pace mistake and inability to block a freakishly athletic defensive line, but the point was that we looked out of sync and there was every indication that we were headed for a hum-drum season again. That’s why this game was SO important. We went to Atlanta, we were young, we got shellshocked early on and I was so angry at the way we were playing that I left the room. My father kept imploring me to come back in, that we were not out of it yet. So eventually I did, and what I saw was a miracle. Bryan Randall and these young receivers started to mesh, Chris Ellis played a hell of a game and everything started clicking. THAT GAME and that frenetic comeback was what set us off on our ACC Championship run and beyond. I feel that without that game the Hokies may have meshed at some later point, but the dominance that class had wouldn’t have been nearly as complete. I think that game gave that class confidence, that even as freshmen, they were legit, and ready. Without that game, I don’t know what the landscape of Hokie football looks like, and I don’t even know if Beamer is still manning the ship (because of the post-2003 season heat that Beamer took and similar future results would continue to produce). Bottom line: This was not only the most important game of the 2000’s for Tech, but also one of the most important games in Tech history! All the other ones are good, but this one was surreal. Any Tech fan that doesn’t remember basking in the glory of this amazing win and feeling like the pieces of the puzzle had just come together needs to go re-watch this program-ascending win.

I can agree with your reasoning, because I don’t think it was the best game at all. In fact, I’d argue that the absolute BEST game isn’t even on this list. Try 2001 Tech-Miami. Tech vs. undefeated Miami in the last game of the year. Tech vs. Miami with probably the most talented team to ever come into Lane Stadium. And while the first half was an absolute bummer (along with the play of Grant Noel) the finish was amazing. I just wish Wilford had some stick-em that day. ESPN named it an instant classic, and I’m still trying to track down this game on DVD (or even VHS! Yeah, I want it THAT bad!) The result, yeah it didn’t favor VT, but overall I think it was the hands down BEST game of the last decade. And yeah, that Pitt game, I had to listen on the radio, getting a static-y ISP feed biting my nails the entire second half. Whew. Close one.