Virginia Tech finally gets it right on third trip to Atlanta
On their third try, Tyrod Taylor and Virginia Tech finally won a football game in Atlanta on Thursday.
Having lost to Alabama in its season opener in the Georgia Dome, then returning here following a five-game winning streak, only to get dropped this time by Georgia Tech, it’s safe to assume that whole burning Atlanta thing must have passed through somebody’s head at Virginia Tech. If not several heads.
But alas, the Chamber of Commerce can breathe easier today. They didn’t lose Blacksburg.
“If we lost tonight, we weren’t coming back,” coach Frank Beamer cracked.
Gaining some measure of superiority for the ACC over the SEC — at least for one night — Virginia Tech belted Tennessee, 37-14, in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. The result accomplished two things: 1) It will keep Tennessee out of the top-25 rankings, thereby minimizing any gloating by coach Lane Kiffin (hey, go with it); 2) It almost certainly will push Virginia Tech (10-3) into a top 10 finish. Beamer can only imagine what might’ve been this season, if Hartsfield Airport hadn’t been such a gateway to Hades for them.
It’s a wonder Virginia Tech didn’t pass on the invitation to return to Atlanta. The Hokies basically were eliminated from the national championship race in the season opener when they lost to Alabama, 34-24, in the Georgia Dome. They won their next five, but then came back to Atlanta and lost to Georgia Tech, 28-23.
Equally surprising was that when Virginia Tech accepted the bid, their fans didn’t mind coming back. The school’s allotment of 17,500 tickets disappeared in like seven seconds. When you consider the number that came down for the Alabama game and the small allotment that sold for the Georgia Tech game, bowl president Gary Stokan estimates 53,000 fans traveled to Atlanta this season.
“People thought we were crazy for inviting them back,” Stokan said.
Actually, it’s stunning how popular this game has become. This was the 13th straight sellout. Next year’s Chick-fil-A Bowl somehow is already only 3,000 tickets short of a sellout, and the teams haven’t even been announced yet.
Think about it. If Stokan was really evil, he could pit Vanderbilt against Duke next year just for chuckles. Of course, then he’d probably be out of a job. Or a sponsor.
This bowl has come a long way since its days as the Peach Bowl in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. One miserable reminder: The 1985 game between Army and Illinois was played in rain and mud and conditions so dreadful that even Dick Bestwick, then the Peach Bowl’s executive director, said: “The bowl can’t exist status quo. If things go as they have, I would question its reason for existence.” And he was the guy who was selling the thing.
Its current incarnation might be the greatest remainder of what the college bowl season used to be about: Good teams. Intriguing match-ups. Happy and content fans who viewed college football’s post-season as a reward, not an aggravating and illogical exercise in futility (read: BCS).
Virginia Tech? Sure, they’d come back. Georgia fans watched what they’re missing: Bud Foster’s defense. The Hokies held the Vols to five yards rushing, 240 total yards and shut them out in the second half. They also sacked Jonathan Crompton six times.
Tech jumped to a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter on two touchdown runs set by freshman Ryan Williams (one set up by an interception). Tennessee scored the next two touchdowns to tie it. The first on a four-yard touchdown run by Montario Hardesty, which capped an 80-yard drive. The second was a two-yard pass from Crompton to Denarius Moore.
Noteworthy about the second touchdown is it was set up by an interception by Janzen Jackson, a member of Tennessee’s Convenience Store Holdup Trio. Two other players were kicked off the team. Jackson was reinstated, I think because Kiffin determined he believed they were just going to an after-hours library.
Back to the game: The turning point came immediately following the Vols’ second touchdown. Virginia Tech began a possession with 18 seconds left in the half. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor completed a 63-yard pass to split end Jarrett Boykin to the Vols’ 4-yard-line. The clock ticked down to zero. All of the Tennessee players left the field. But officials put two seconds back on the clock after checking replays, and the Vols were forced to come back out and watch Virginia Tech kick a gimme field goal, making it 17-14.
That was it. Virginia Tech scored 20 consecutive points in the second half. Suddenly, Atlanta wasn’t such a bad place.
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259 comments Add your comment
collegeballfan
January 1st, 2010
10:10 am
Now we know why Richt wanted to hire the VTech DC. And I will say that later today we will find out why Richt wanted to hire the LSU DC.
Any late news on the UGA DC hire?
OldDawg
January 1st, 2010
10:11 am
Congrats to VT! For the first time in my adult life I could NOT pull for the SEC last night! Beamer is a class act…..Kiffen a royal douche beg….The little b!tch barely acknowledged Beamer at mid-field after the game
And as for the Vols….their toothless hillbilly fanbase has enthuiastically embraced Lame’s “in your face Vols B!TCH” attitude…..rest assured Tenn. will rue the day they even considered the hiring of Kiffen!
Any Vol fan STUPID enough to think that not only did Kiffen in fact know about “hostess gate”, but in fact fully supported and probably instigated it…..well you are simply delusional and have bought into Lame’s “win at all cost…screw the NCAA and the rules win at all cost attitude”
Again congrats VT…screw the Vols and Kiffen…..and Vol fans…enjoy the few coinquests that Kiffen will achieve…BUT KNOW THERE IS ONE HELL OF A PRICE TO PAY AWAITING YOU AND YOURS!
Seriously?
January 1st, 2010
10:18 am
The ACC boosters on here who say Tennessee is the # 3 team in the SEC haven’t looked at the records. Going into the bowls, Bama, Fla, LSU, Ole Miss had a better overall record than Tenn, and 5 other teams were tied with them at 7-5. That does NOT make Tenn the third best team in the SEC. That puts them anywhere between fifth and tenth. Only Vandy and Miss St had a worse overall record.
OldDawg
January 1st, 2010
10:18 am
for today I will put away the foolish argument of SEC/acc dominance…..and one who knows diddly about college football KNOWS that the SEC is by far the best conference in college foorball…PERIOD!
Ten-a-sissy Fan Here .........
January 1st, 2010
10:20 am
Just passed a fairy on I-75 north with a yellow mohawk sucking his/her thumb with his/her other thumb out. Could this be Yellow Fuzz?
Ten-a-sissy Fan Here .........
January 1st, 2010
10:22 am
You know yellow and orange kind of go together.
I’m stopping to pick IT up.Enter your comments here
Stinger
January 1st, 2010
10:25 am
The SEC is next to last in bowl standing this year. Only the PAC 10 has been worse. This clearly is a 2 team conference and both Florida and Alabama almost lost to Tenn, so they aren’t really great teams either. Both of them can easily lose on a given day. Tenn may be the best of the rest and they were clobbered by Virginia Tech.
Big Sack Dawg
January 1st, 2010
10:26 am
T- sissy Fan.
I would keep going if I were you.
No, go ahead and do the state of Georgia a favor.
Take that piece of wok back to your bazar state.
tThank you
YELLOW FUZZ
January 1st, 2010
10:27 am
I like Colt 45 malt liquor.
Ole sage
January 1st, 2010
10:30 am
Seriously and old dawg
….Damage Control.
Period. Deal with it!
YELLOW FUZZ
January 1st, 2010
10:30 am
And riding in the back of orange pick up trucks.
Would prefer to be sitting in the lap of a drunk Vol in the cab of the twuck, though.
Ten-a-sissy Fan Here .........
January 1st, 2010
10:32 am
I’m stopping, gonna take a chance.
david
January 1st, 2010
10:34 am
In his defense, Kiffin was trying to get to the locker room to check on Jonathan Crompton who was later hospitalized with concussion symptoms. You could even hear CLK in that crowd “where’s Jon?”. So, he gets a pass on the aftergame handshake incident.
Otherwise, as a UT alum and dedicated Vol football fan for years, I gotta say I am not proud of Kiffin. To me he is the Uriah Heep (Not, the band, the Dicken’s character) of the SEC. It’s too early to really evaluate his true coaching skills, but his behavior in the public eye is reprehensible and that by itself is bad for UT even if he does eventually turn in a winning football team. He should look to Beamer for an example of how to be successful AND a gentleman at the same time.
Your $1.4 million Shreveport vs. Our $14 million BCS Orange bowl
January 1st, 2010
10:44 am
ACC – Academic College Conference
SEC – Special Ed Colleges
The man
January 1st, 2010
10:47 am
The vols are on the way down again. Saw where several big recruits were now soft verbals. That means things are starting to come apart. Lane kiffin is not a savior coach. His dad has got him to this point. Tennessee will be 1-2 to start and will get worse. I love it.
Lame Kiffin
January 1st, 2010
10:47 am
I sure hope that the Chick-Fil-A selection committee is real proud of their lame attempt to support the ACC. Pitting a weak TN. team against A strong VT team is a simple ploy to raise the record of the ACC bowl record! Those of you talking about the SEC’s bowl record for the year way till all the games have been played then bash the SEC, if you can.
Ten-a-sissy Fan Here .........
January 1st, 2010
10:48 am
little david- what are you ,in kindergarden? Kiff only shakes hands with people we beat.
LET ME HAVE IT DAWG FANS, FYI
January 1st, 2010
10:51 am
Your $1.4 Million is= Yellow Fuzz ,St. Simons.
Already been exposed. Nice try.
Hard times a coming for UT and Blame man
January 1st, 2010
10:52 am
UT alumni will not be happy with the devastating blow out to VATech. Blame Kiffen is now going to face them and the fact that his recruiting practices are under major scrutiny from the NCAA. I am a family member with a UT board member that is a Knoxville merchant and he dropped that tidbit during the holidays after a few adult beverages. Kiffen WILL BE warned by men close to the Athl Dept.
Next year, they will go around 7-4 and the alums will insist on coaching changes and he will be gone by year 11. It has begun and that loss to ACC will not rest well with the $$ boys of UT.
UT continues to be a laughing stock of the SEC. Ole Rocky Top was mum last night in Atlanta town. UT was humiliated by V ATECh who has been blown out recently by LSU, UGA, Auburn, Bama. UT was humiliated on nationwide color TV. HAHAHAHAHAHA
You heard it here first.
Go Rebels.
Ten-a-sissy Fan Here .........
January 1st, 2010
10:53 am
I’m lettig Yellow Fuzz out of the truck now.
She/he made a big mess in the cab.
Suwaneedawg
January 1st, 2010
10:54 am
Normally I pull for every SEC team in bowl games but, watching the the big orange pimp get his arse kicked was a great way to bring in 2010. You can feel the fan depression in Knoxville this morning all the way in Suwanee and it feels great. Is there a “Fire Kiffin” website up and running yet in hick town?
jesse james
January 1st, 2010
10:56 am
If ACC stands for Academic College Conference – Nobody will answer my question of why does Tech announce the majors of their Senior Bands members on Senior Day, but they don’t announce the majors of their Senior Football Players? How about it 1.4 Million vs. 14 Million?
DP
January 1st, 2010
10:57 am
David, it’s good to see a Tennessee fan who admits to being embarrassed by Kiffin’s behavior. I think the bit about Crompton was an excuse for snubbing Beamer who had just thoroughly outcoached him. Crompton getting hurt is on Kiffin. He shouldn’t have been in the game throwing the ball in the last 2 minutes. Most coaches would have taken a senior, particularly one who went through as much as Crompton, out of the game during a series so the crowd could acknowledge him. Not Kiffin, he left him in against a Virginia Tech defense that was manhandling his offensive line.
And then after the game Kiffin talked about a lack of talent and depth and said he had to get back on the recruiting trail. Way to support the kids who have busted their humps all year for you Lane.
Rotten Top Teeth
January 1st, 2010
10:59 am
i likke da wey hee (the corch ) smyles. haddent sea hem doo et en ah whil,butt eye likes et wen hem doo. mee thenks hem wer en da movee delivarance. likked da movee lotts.
YELLOW FUZZ
January 1st, 2010
11:02 am
I need a ride.Help !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YELLOW FUZZ
January 1st, 2010
11:02 am
Enter your comments here
The man
January 1st, 2010
11:09 am
Kiffin is going down. His mouth has written a check his a&@ can’t cash. He has made too many enemies and been a UT embarrasment. Not such a big shot after all.
YELLOW FUZZ
January 1st, 2010
11:35 am
Help !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11
Coach Super Bra Techie
January 1st, 2010
12:02 pm
Yellow Fuzz would like my phsique.
BIg John
January 1st, 2010
12:07 pm
Hairy Dawg,
You lame sum’ bitch! Monte Kiffin a “big moth”? I did not know the Vols coach could fly, had antennae and crepuscular habits, You ignoramuses supporting the UGA football plantation system need to keep low and write your nasty notes on your asbestos-shingled shacks.
Johnny Majors
BIg John
January 1st, 2010
12:13 pm
Old Dawg,
Your wife informed us that your manhood is dead. No rise in those Levis, huh? No wonder you are such a negative sum’ bi*ch.
Big Johnny
W/E
January 1st, 2010
12:16 pm
Next season will be another 6 or 7 win season for UT, yr. 3 is where Kiffin’s future is determined. If he signs more top-15 classes he should be around a 9 or 10 win season in yr. 3. Unfortunately the schedule gets tougher next year when we pick up oregon and lsu and drop ucla and auburn.
GBO
Denver Dog
January 1st, 2010
12:17 pm
Va Tech should have been in the Orange Bowl. They were and remain the class of the ACC. They did play our champion head to head and lost. SEC played your champion head to head and won. That should pretty well define the season.
UT had a lot of seniors also. So does UF, Auburn, and Bama. Should be an intersting year coming off. Hats of to Va Tech for a great game, though they were greatly superior from head coach down to water boy.
Denver Dog
January 1st, 2010
12:19 pm
By the way, how bad to you have to be to get fired and ostracized by Al Davis.
Run to daddy, run to daddy!!!!
RUSS
January 1st, 2010
12:20 pm
I want a promotion!!!!!!!!!!!!
Denver Dog
January 1st, 2010
12:21 pm
Stinger, good point, the SEC only has 7 games to go!
GT STILL IS A 4TH RATE HIGH SCHOOL TEAM
January 1st, 2010
12:22 pm
ACC= ASS OF CUP CAKES==== THEIR CHUMPS——THE JELLOW JOKETS—— GOING TO THE PUMPKIN BOWEL—— WHOSE IMAGE IS AT THE END OF YOUR STREAM ON THOSE WATERLESS URINALS AT THE CALLAWAY GARDENS. GO SEE FOR HYOUR SELF AND ENJOY USING IT. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA FOREVER AND EVER.
Danny Forde
January 1st, 2010
12:25 pm
I’m still going get that Kiffens for tunring me in at Clempson. He thanks he can over to SC and do that cheatin stuff with those young girls, I’ll show em. They say I’m stupdst of all time, but that kiffer is an idiot.
RUSS
January 1st, 2010
12:27 pm
What time to the nerds play? Anybody know what network has it? Anybody care????????????????
I need more white paint!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hind tit
January 1st, 2010
12:39 pm
i dought kiffin knew about crompton from the time he left sideline to midfield. he played the whole game.
GR82BAG8R
January 1st, 2010
12:56 pm
Let’s see….GT beat VT who dominates UT who stomped and embarassed UGA…..
UGA beat GT…
hmmm….which of these was a fluke?
Ted Striker
January 1st, 2010
1:03 pm
Denver D. You still have the hottest wife amongst all the bloggers. (Just sayin)
Ramma Bama
January 1st, 2010
1:09 pm
Big deal—the second best ACC team beats a bottom feeder SEC team. The SEC is the best in the country–no comparison!!! Bama beats Texas easy for title #13!!!! 2010? Bama may be better—-look for title #14!!!
Hairy Dawg
January 1st, 2010
1:17 pm
The reason for Richt being a great coach is the Christain faiths. Arrogants back ends like Lame Kiffin dont know how to Christinizes the players, but instead offers fat womens. The Dawgs is getting all the good recruits with the SEC speeds and will beat down rest of SEC with Timmy T-blows leaving. As for the pestky nerdies, the ACC is a joke confrence dont know about the playing of the footballs. The bugs have gimmickey offense that everyone now has figured outs and a matador defense that runs the other way to get out of the ways. Its is a pathetic program that cant do nothing in big boy BCS football because they aint got the SEC speeds.
Frogger
January 1st, 2010
1:25 pm
The VOLs bowl record the last 10 years is 3 wins and 7 losses. Nice way to represent the SEC there Big Orange. You guys need to get it together during bowl season please.
juvenal
January 1st, 2010
1:38 pm
they sure figured out the USAFA & USNA O’s, didn’t they-the way to go if you can’t get fuma retreads…
juvenal
January 1st, 2010
1:43 pm
since uga now lives on the cheap thrills of being a lesser member of the suc,pull against all of them…
Tech Real Fans Are..
January 1st, 2010
1:53 pm
Mad
Tech Real Fans Are..
January 1st, 2010
1:53 pm
In denial
Tech Real Fans Are..
January 1st, 2010
1:54 pm
Daddy’s boys