Virginia Tech Football: The 12 Most Heartbreaking Games of the Frank Beamer Era
Being a Virginia Tech fan can be quite painful. With four straight seasons now of being (at least twice unfairly) snubbed by the NCAA Selection Committee in basketball, Hokie fans know exactly what heartbreak and anguish feel like.
With regards to football, the Frank Beamer era has been fantastic. Three Big East titles, followed by four ACC Championships in just seven years is nothing to sneeze at. However, there can be no doubt that such a tremendous ascension of a football program also leads to elevated expectations from the fan base.
There's no denying that Hokie football has seen it's fair share of disappointments in big games over the past decade or so. While I do not prescribe to the theory that Frank Beamer can't win a big game (what do you call 1995 Texas, 2003 and 2004 Miami, or any of the ACC Championship games?), I do agree that Virginia Tech fans have been subjected to an unreasonable number of letdowns in recent years.
High expectations are going to engender letdowns from time to time, thus is the way of the world. But it certainly doesn't help that fans of the old school powers are constantly questioning Virginia Tech's validity as a powerhouse. After personally having to deal with the derision of Alabama and Boise State fans, I can't wait until the Hokies finally snag that MNC and shut all of the bloviating naysayers up for good.
But that is another day. May is a depressing time for college football fans, with March Madness a distant memory, and the distraction of the NBA and NHL playoffs withering away. On that note, let's wallow in the lowest of the low points we Hokie followers have experienced since Frank Beamer arrived and put Blacksburg on the map.
2001 vs. the Miami Hurricanes
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The 2001 Miami Hurricanes, arguably the greatest college football team of all time, had one close call all season: a December 1st, season closing trip to Virginia Tech.
Considering that 2001 was a rebuilding year for Virginia Tech, and the Miami Hurricanes had guys like Kellen Winslow, Jr., Sean Taylor and Antrel Rolle on their bench that season, it's remarkable that this was even a game.
Coming into it, and even halfway through, I would have been thrilled if you told me the Hokies would only lose by two. But experiencing it live, and seeing a win over No. 1 so close at hand, it was heartbreaking leaving that stadium with an L.
Miami jumped out to a 20-3 lead with a touchdown pass to Jeremy Shockey and a touchdown run from Clinton Portis (it's fun to name-drop with the 2001 Canes). But in the second half, the Hokie defense and freshman Kevin Jones, stormed back. A Ben Taylor fumble recovery led to a short touchdown drive, and Jones had 131 rushing yards in the second half.
Down 26-10 to with eight minutes left, it seemed like the game was over. But Tech responded with a suprisingly easy, six-play, 57-yard drive. A two-point conversation cut the lead to eight. After a quick stop, the Hokies did what they do, Eric Green coming in to block the punt, and Brandon Manning returning it 22 yards for the score. To this day, this is the loudest I've ever heard Lane Stadium.
But Ernest Wilford, despite his record-setting, prolific career, had an off day. He dropped the two-point conversation pass, and that was that. The Hokies got the ball back around midfield, but with Kevin Jones gone with an injury, and Grant Noel having the worst game of his career, the offense quickly gave the ball away on an Ed Reed interception.
1998 vs. the University of Virginia Cavaliers
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My how the tables can turn. What started off looking like the best-case scenario for a football game (pounding your rival into the ground), quickly turned into the worst-case scenario: momentarily pounding them into the ground, then allowing them to stage a huge comeback.
The Hokies took a 17-0 lead and later a halftime advantage of 29-7, before completely ceding control of the game in the second half. The swing in momentum occurred late in third quarter, when Hokie quarterback Al Clark threw an interception that Byron Thweatt returned 53 yards for a touchdown. That play flipped what seemed like an impending Tech touchdown drive into a Wahoo touchdown, flipping the score to 29-21.
After a Shayne Graham field goal, the Wahoos responded again with a touchdown pass from Aaron Brooks to Thomas Jones.
Then, with two minutes to play, the Wahoos capped a shocking comeback with a shockingly quick 93-yard touchdown drive. It only took five plays, the pin in the coffin being another deep slant, a play which likely haunted the dreams of Keion Carpenter and Pierson Prioleua that night.
2010 vs. the Boise State Broncos
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This one is so recent, I don't feel much need for recapping. The Hokies, thanks to a fumble and blocked punt, fell down 17-0. Painfully similar to the 2000 Sugar Bowl and 2001 Miami game, they stormed back, before falling just short.
I still contend that bad calls greatly facilitated the Broncos victory on Labor Day. The inexplicable decision to pick up the flag on the block in the back on the final punt return, and the unnecessary late-hit call on Bruce Taylor were both baffling. Much less clear were the possible pass-interference calls on the last Tech drive, but they were still questionable. Boise State suffered from a few ball calls as well, so it was mostly the horrendous first quarter that haunted me with respect to this game. But the officials were still bad and likely affected the game.
Either way, the game was infinitely frustrating. The Hokies outplayed the Broncos for three quarters and still lost. Tyrod Taylor had the phenomenal game we all assumed would accompany a program boosting victory, but as seems to be the case with Virginia Tech in big non-conference games, when part of the team steps up, another part falls flat on its face.
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1998 vs. the Syracuse Orangemen
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For all the years Tech played in the Big East, the place they seemed to struggle the most was the Carrier Dome. Even the wins there (which were few and far between) were tough, as I distinctly remember Michael Vick taking a beating from Dwight Freeney en route to a 22-14 win in 2000.
The Hokies had no such luck in 1998. The Hokies, led by a 76-yard touchdown run from Jarrett Ferguson (a fullback), jumped out to a 21-3 lead (the only score more cursed than 17-0 for VT). But the Orangemen closed the half with a field goal, then started the second half with a touchdown, cutting the lead to eight.
Another field goal and a touchdown early in the final quarter, and the Orangemen took the lead. But only for a moment, as Loren Johnson (who earlier returned a fumble for a TD) picked off the two-point conversion try and returned it almost the distance, before fumbling intentionally, as another Hokie covered the ball in the end zone.
After the Hokies added a field goal, Donovan McNabb took over with four minutes left. He methodically drove down the field, leading to a 1st-and-goal from the Tech eight. On second down, Corey Moore sacked McNabb back at the 13, and the Orangemen were forced to spike with five seconds left.
McNabb threw up on the field before Bud Foster, probably foolishly, called a timeout. But Foster probably didn't know the extent to which McNabb was exhausted and was just trying to get his defense set. Either way, McNabb came back. On the game's final play, he rolled to his right, saw nothing, then threw a perfect pass all the way across the field into pretty tight coverage.
The 12th ranked Hokies lost a heartbreaker to the eventual Big East Champion Orangemen. This game epitomized the 1998 season: close but no cigar. Just as in the Temple game, and the Virginia game to come, the Hokies blew a big lead. And made Donovan McNabb a Syracuse legend.
2003 vs. the Pittsburgh Panthers
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The 2003 season was the most painful Tech season I've had the misfortune of watching. This game just epitomized the whole season.
Fresh off a 31-7 drubbing of No. 2 Miami, the first (and sadly still only) Tech win over a top-five opponent, the Hokies travelled north to face the No. 21 Panthers. Though just two weeks past the soul-crushing loss to West Virginia, the Hokies season seemed revived by the huge Miami win, and at No. 5 in the country, it felt like Virgina Tech could still make a run at the Sugar Bowl.
Kevin Jones set a school record with 241 rushing yards, but the Hokies lost a shootout 31-28. The Panthers held the lead for a good part of the game, taking a 24-14 advantage with 1:24 left in the third. But Kevin Jones immediately responded with an 80-yard touchdown run and then a 13-yard touchdown that followed a 46-yard pass from Marcus Vick to Ernest Wilford.
With seven minutes to go and a four-point lead, the Hokies began a drive that culminated in a 4th-and-4 on the Pittsburgh 30. Though it looked like receiver Justin Hamilton was interfered with, no call was made, and the Panthers took over, before subsequently driving 70 yards and scoring with less than a minute left.
The tough less began a downward spiral of the Virginia Tech season. After sneaking by Temple (that's right, Temple), the Hokies lost to Boston College, UVA and Cal (in the Insight Bowl) to close the season. Despite having a loaded roster led by Kevin Jones, DeAngelo Hall and Jake Grove, the Hokies finished the season 8-5.
2000 vs. the Florida State Seminoles (Sugar Bowl. BCS Championship)
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Eleven years later, this is still hard to talk about. After being told they didn't belong by Rick Reilly and so many other sportswriters and college football fans, the Hokies responded to a tough start by taking the lead at the end of the third quarter, before seeing the national championship slip through their fingers.
I always say if even one break had gone the Hokies' way this entire game, they would have won. The game started with a long drive, which ended on a 4th-and-short where Beamer opted to go for it, Vick was stripped, and the Seminoles won the scrum for the ball in the end zone. Virginia Tech was forced to watch as the Seminoles scored two special teams touchdowns in the first half, one blocked and one returned punt.
Add to that the fact that Tech missed two two-point conversations, failed in a fake punt and failed to convert on three fourth downs, and it seemed like everything broke right for the Seminoles. The Hokies outgained the Seminoles 503-389 and seemed to outplay them for the majority of the game. But Florida State made the big plays, and big plays win games.
What can you say, other than woulda, coulda, shoulda. This game will likely haunt any Hokie fan who was a part of the 1999 dream season forever. The perfect season was just so close to being realized, before Peter Warrick (I can still hear the Dillards! chants) and the Seminoles swiped it from us.
2006 vs. the Georgia Bulldogs (Chick-Fil-a Bowl)
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It always seems like Virginia Tech is seeking validation in the college football world, no matter how many games and conference titles Frank Beamer adds to his resume. There's no better way to do that than to beat an old-school SEC power. And that opportunity was blown on New Year's Eve 2006.
The Hokies took a commanding 21-3 lead into the half. The offense was firing on all cylinders, and the defense was stifling Matthew Stafford and Co.
But as seems to unfortunately happen so often in big games, the Virginia Tech special teams faltered. After a Georgia field goal nine minutes into the second half, the Bulldogs took all the momentum with a surprise onside kick which led to a Stafford touchdown pass.
Glennon then started the fourth quarter with an interception, and the Bulldogs scored on their ensuing possession, tying the game with a two-point conversation with 12:39 left. The Hokies had blown an 18-point lead in less than nine minutes.
The rest of the fourth quarter materialized into Sean Glennon's worst nightmare, as he followed his interception with three more turnovers on consecutive possessions. The first, a fumble, led to a field goal, while the second, another interception, led to one-yard touchdown drive.
The Hokies finally got back on the board with a field goal with 4:24 left but couldn't get anything going with their final possession and gave the ball up on downs with a minute left. After starting off brilliantly, the Hokies blew a huge lead, and as the 14th ranked team in the nation, lost to an inferior 8-4 Georgia team.
2005 vs. the Florida State Seminoles
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As a Virginia Tech fan, it's hard not to just hate Florida State with a fiery passion. Derwin Kitchen's basket being called off was a big step in the right direction.
In 2004, the Hokies became the only 11-team ACC Champion. One year later, they had a chance to win the inaugural ACC Championship Game. But once again, the Florida State Seminoles ruined everything.
The normally prolific Tech offense sputtered for three quarters the way they had a month ago against Miami. But in the second half, Marcus Vick came alive and ended up with 335 passing yards. Once again, Virginia Tech greatly outgained Florida State (376-272), but once again a punt return (this time by Willie Reid) for a touchdown aided the Seminoles in victory.
The game started out slow, with a 3-3 halftime score. But the Seminoles owned the third quarter, following the punt return with a quick touchdown off an interception and a field goal off a poor Tech punt. The windfall of good fortune continued for FSU, as David Clowney lost the ball trying to shake a tackle, and Florida State followed with an easy 31-yard touchdown drive.
This loss was a hard pill to swallow. The Hokies were the better team and deserved to be the ones facing Penn State in the Orange Bowl. In place of an 11-1, top five Virginia Tech team representing the ACC in Miami, there was an 8-4 team that had lost three straight games coming into the ACC title matchup. Once again, the Hokies outplayed the Seminoles but suffered from special teams and big plays.
1992 vs. the Rutgers Scarlet Knights
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Few younger Tech fans know the story of how Frank Beamer almost got fired. After consecutive winning seasons, Beamer followed a 5-6 season in 1991 with a woeful 2-8-1 in 1992.
The 1992 season was a tough one from start to finish. The Hokies blew fourth quarter leads against East Carolina, Louisville and No. 21 NC State, thus heading into the Rutgers game a disappointing 2-4-1.
In spite of that, the resilient Hokies jumped out to a 28-7 lead over the 4-3 Scarlet Knights. But the second half proved to be the worst of Marcus DeShazo's career, as he threw three interceptions. Even with Antonio Freeman's 157 receiving yards (49 of it on a long touchdown pass), the Hokie defense couldn't stop the Scarlet Knights, and DeShazo couldn't stop giving the ball away.
In spite of all this, the Hokies still held a six-point lead when Rutgers got the ball with 1:22 left. But Rutgers quarterback Bryan Fortay completed 5-8 passes on the final drive, culminating with a 15-yard touchdown to Chris Brantley with no time left. It was another close loss for the Hokies, and it led to a downward spiral for the season, as Tech didn't win another game in 1992, a season which almost cost Virginia Tech the services of Frank Beamer.
2002 vs. the Pittsburgh Panthers
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One of the ancillary reasons I was glad Tech was joining the ACC back in 2003 was that they wouldn't have to play Pittsburgh anymore. The Panthers were a team that the Hokies could just never seem to finish off.
Just as they did a year later, the Panthers dashed the Hokies national title hopes first in 2002. Tech led the game 21-7 early in the third but were woefully outgained by Pittsburgh and dominated on both sides of the ball in the second half.
After Lee Suggs opened the half with a 59-yard touchdown scamper, an idiotic Ronyell Whitaker personal foul kept a Pitt drive alive, and they capitalized in only two plays. After a Tech 3-and-out, the Panthers responded with another quick touchdown drive, and the game was tied.
While the Tech offense continued to sputter, interceptions by DeAngelo Hall and Willie Pile kept the Panthers from taking over. But they couldn't hold out, as Brandon Miree escaped for a 53-yard touchdown with four minutes to go, and the Hokie offense failed to respond, following with another 3-and-out and finally a failed "Hail Mary."
This game, in retrospect, is far less frustrating than the 2003 redux where the Hokies outplayed the Panthers, as Pittsburgh in reality deserved to win this game. But it was just as painful in the moment, as the Hokies came in No. 3 in the country and firmly in the BCS Title race.
2004 vs. the USC Trojans
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Just as in 2000 and 2001, the Hokies faced a No. 1 ranked opponent and lost a close game that could have gone either way.
I try not to lay too much blame on officials when it comes to the outcome of any sporting event, but this game was so greatly affected by a bad call that, even seven years later, I think about it.
With a 10-7 lead halfway through the third quarter against the eventual national champions, Bryan Randall completed a long pass to Josh Hyman at the Trojan 12-yard line. Almost inexplicably, the referee called offensive pass interference against Hyman. It was a terrible call (as affirmed by the announcers) and irreparably turned the tide of the game.
The Trojans subsequently scored on the ensuing possession, and what should have been a 17-7 Tech lead was flipped into a 14-10 Trojan lead. The Hokies still didn't quit, stopping the Trojans and tacking on a field goal with 7:55 left in the fourth. But the Hokie D was worn out and couldn't stop USC from marching down the field and scoring again. Randall fumbled as he was sacked on the following possession, and Southern Cal finished them off with a field goal.
Though Southern Cal was inarguably the better team, the Hokies came out fired up on this night. With basically a home crowd at Fed Ex, the Hokies outplayed USC for the first three quarters. Who knows how the game would have gone if the unbelievable pass-interference call hadn't transferred the momentum so significantly.
2007 vs. the Boston College Eagles
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This game produced a unique feeling in the aftermath. Somewhat akin to just having been robbed. The Hokies held the Eagles scoreless for 58 minutes. 58 minutes. And lost the game.
The first quarter passed with two stagnant teams punting back and forth to each other. The Hokies finally produced some offense in the second quarter, capping a 91-yard drive with an eight-yard pass from Sean Glennon to Eddie Royal (with an arguably fortuitous touchdown call and review confirmation).
The Hokies tacked on a field goal in the third, and that was it for a long time. With 6:05 left, Matt Ryan threw an interception to D.J. Parker at the BC 31-yard line. The game was over...
But the Hokies quickly went 3-and-out, and Beamer elected to pooch punt instead of try the field goal. It was the right decision, as the ball was downed at the eight. It didn't matter either way, as Matty Ice methodically took the Eagles down the field and threw a 16-yard touchdown to Rich Gunnell with 2:11 left.
Still, the Eagles needed an onside kick. The game was still over...but no. Hauntingly similar and dissimilar to the way in which future NFL starter Ernest Wilford saw victory bounce off his chest to the ground six years earlier, future NFL starter Josh Morgan saw the onside kick bounce off his chest, and the Eagles subsequently pounce on it at the 34.
Once again, the Eagles moved down the field. Though the Hokies finally stood tall, forcing a third and 20, Ryan answered the call again, throwing a 24-yard touchdown just out of the reach of the backpedaling Orion Martin.
This game was the most painful experience of my young sport-watching life. Even an hour afterwards, I couldn't believe they'd lost. The game was in the bag, and Matty Ice swiped it out of nowhere.
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