Hyped-up

My perspective of the Miami game of 2005

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There was talk leading up to the game. Some said it would be Virginia Tech's first real test of the 2005 football season. Fans were getting excited, especially since it was a night game at Lane Stadium. A good crowd showed up for “The Walk” 2 hours before kickoff. Fireworks exploded during the pre-game, and Metallica's Enter Sandman played for the Hokies big entrance on Worsham Field. Hokie Nation was electrified, and the game got underway.

The Virginia Tech Hokies proceeded to completely dominate the Boston College Eagles that Thursday night. There wasn't a doubt in anyone's mind – the Hokies were the ACC's best football team and were among the nation's elite.

Imediately following the 30-10 lambasting of BC, all eyes turned to the November 5^th showdown between the University of Miami and Virginia Tech. The 6^th ranked team in the BCS was going to visit the 3^rd ranked team, and ESPN's College Gameday was going to be on the scene. After Tech dominated BC, and Texas struggled for 30 minutes at Oklahoma State, there was talk that the Hokies would eventually pass the 2^nd ranked Texas Longhorns in the always controversial BCS standings. A resounding win over Miami would be the start of a late season run at the Rose Bowl. Most of the national media expected the game to be a close defensive struggle that Miami would ultimately lose. Tech was playing too strong this year – no one could beat the Hokies at home.

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While my productivity at work has decreased since the football season began, I was particularly distracted during the week leading up to the Miami game. Every day that week there was a new article or three talking up the Hokies. TechSideLine.com's football message board was a buzz with discussions about the upcoming game. All I could think of was Hokie football, especially after the previous 4-night weekend in Blacksburg. While I was confident the Hokies would prevail, I was still worried about the Hurricanes. I felt like Miami's only chance at victory was to come with a huge chip on their shoulder, knock us off our feet, and force us to make mistakes. That was a considerably tall order considering the game was in Blacksburg.

The week seemed to drag slower than any other week of my life. Not only was an absolutely huge game on the horizon, but I was going to hang out with three of my college buddies (John, Chris, & Kevin) and tailgate with countless other friends. Finally, Thursday afternoon came, and the weekend finally seemed near. Thursday night I did some laundry, ensuring my lucky Virginia Tech shirt was clean. I had worn the same orange t-shirt for every game this year, so why change what was working?

I couldn't sleep Thursday night. About an hour before I went to bed, I watched a highlight video of the Hokie's season to date, and it got me pumped up. I was looking forward to beating down the 'Canes.

The Friday work day went by uneventfully, and the clock finally struck 3 o'clock in the afternoon. It was time to hit the road! I left Reston, Virginia, and picked up John in Manassas. He had his iPod and played the weekend's themesong: Presidential by Youngbloodz. While I am by no means a fan of hip-hop, the song got me fired up for ensuing debauchery in Blacksburg. We departed Manassas and headed south on US-29 to Charlottesville, Virginia, to pick up Chris. We arrived in Charlottesville on schedule, and Chris was prepared for the road trip to Blacksburg. We made a pit stop at Wendy's, and three Spicey Chicken Sandwiches later we were on our way.

Instead of stopping at Kevin's house in Christiansburg, we went directly to Blacksburg. Downtown was extremely busy. You could already tell what the next day's game meant to Hokie Nation. People came out of the woodwork and flooded Blacksburg, and there were lines at nearly every bar. We met up with Kevin and his wife, Elizabeth, at Hokie House and the boozing started. I was the driver, so I limited my selections. Hokie House was followed by Champs. The bell rang for last call, and the night was pretty much over. Everyone piled into my truck and we went to Kevin's to rest up for the big day.

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ESPN's College Gameday had already been to Blacksburg this year when Georgia Tech visited Virginia Tech on September 24^th. Georgia Tech was ranked 15^th, and Virginia Tech was 4^th. Both were 4-0, and both were rolling. It was the first major Coastal Division clash for the ACC. The battle of Techs wasn't even close – Virginia Tech routed Georgia Tech 51-7. Kirk Herbstreit, one of the Gameday personalities, promised they would return on November 5^th if both Miami and Virginia Tech kept winning.

And winning they did. In between September 24^th and November 5^th, Miami had victories against South Florida, Duke, Temple, and North Carolina. The Tarheels gave the 'Canes a scare, but Miami pulled away in the second half. After Georgia Tech, the Hokies had a solid road victory against West Virginia - the Black Diamond Trophy would stay in Blacksburg indefinitely. They followed that with a second half trouncing of Marshall, a slightly ugly (yet still dominant) win at Maryland, and the aforementioned thumping of Boston College. With both teams posting nothing but victories in the month of October, ESPN kept their promise and broadcasted College Gameday from Alumni Mall, with the Torgy bridge as a backdrop.

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I woke up Saturday morning around 7:30 to the sound of Chris playing some rediculous video game. It was way too early to be getting up, and I nodded off for a few more hours of shuteye. Finally, at 9am, I got my lazy butt out of bed. I grabbed my turkey gobbler and gave it good shake to get the day started on the right foot.

John, Chris, Kevin, Elizabeth, and myself arrived on campus at 10:30am on Saturday morning, and we were a few minutes late for the start of Gameday. The crowd that had assembled on Alumni Mall was amazing. There were signs everywhere, the authors of which obviously hoping for a little TV time. Because of our late arrival, it was pointless to try to get close to the set. So, we threw the football around a little and sat in the shade during the first half of the show.

We made our way to the little football field on which Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard would do football analysis and demonstration. John and I were about 3 rows back from the crowd fence when Herbstreit and Howard did their thing. We bounced up and down when we thought we might be in camera shot and screamed our lungs off. I shook my gobbler constantly. There were a few times where I was sure we'd get on TV. Would any of our friends or family see us?

Following Gameday, we crammed into my truck to go Krogering for some tailgate supplies. We then headed over to the tailgate of our buddy Ben after we were stocked up.

For the last 3 years I have tailgated with Ben and his bunch, and we have had our share of lengendary tailgates. The Miami game of 2003 featured a pig roast. In those days we were in Lot 8 among some of the best tailgaters Hokie Nation has to offer. Unfortunately, due to the reseating of Lane Stadium, this year's parking pass for Ben and his brother is for the cage. The apartment Ben rents for football season is closer to the stadium than the cage, so all of the tailgating this year has occurred in the backyard. Needless to say, tailgating hasn't been the same this year.

The festivities on Saturday afternoon were the best of the season. The food was extra special, and the friends just kept rolling in. A number of us tossed the football around, imagining what it would be like to be on the playing field rather than in the stands. There were countless conversations recalling the memories of everyone's days in Blacksburg, as well as the endless inappropiate banter that is acceptable among friends. As expected, the upcoming game was discussed. This was the regular season game that everyone was looking forward to. The game was upon us, and we were ready.

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The afternoon of November 5^th seemed like a relatively normal Saturday for college football: most of the favorites took care of business and a few went down. The “ho-hum, that didn't surprise me” games included a Texas rout over Baylor, a solid Alabama victory at Mississippi State, and Notre Dame taking care of the reeling Volunteers. The Big 10 matchup of the day had Penn State pulling away from Wisconsin in the second half. The upsets were the Wolfpack of North Carolina State beating Florida State in Talahasse and North Carolina eeking one out over Boston College. After seeing that score, one had to wonder if the fits the Tarheels gave Hurricanes a week before were not fluke.

As the sun began to set on the mountains of southwestern Virginia, the day's late afternoon games were wrapping up and all eyes turned to Blacksburg for the weekend's biggest game. While it seemed like a typical college football Saturday, even with the few upsets, Saturday night would surely bring some fireworks.

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My goal was to be at The Walk before 5:30pm. Due to the fact that it's impossible get one's friends to all be ready to leave at the same time, we did not meet that goal. John, Chris, Kevin, and I arrived at top of Spring Road at approximately 5:40pm. We weren't exactly late, but we were most certainly not early. To say it was packed doesn't even begin to describe the scene. There were so many people that some tailgates in the coliseum lot were enveloped by those wishing to be apart of The Walk.

We waded our way through the crowd, darting in any available gap in hopes to get closer to Spring Road. At some point, past a row of port-o-johns, we could not move any closer. We couldn't see a thing, and we began to wonder if we were too late. A few minutes later, we heard the band marching and the crowd began to cheer. At last, the team was making its way up Spring Road.

None of us could see what was happening. Chris, being the tallest, attempted to snap a few pictures with my camera, but all you can see from those pictures are the tops of people's heads, with no way to discern players from fans.

While it was disappointing not being able to fully appreciate The Walk, I was satisfied. A week earlier, I had went to The Walk priro to the BC game, and The Walk for the Miami game was completely off the hook. I can't imagine what was going through recruits' minds when they accompanied the team up Spring Road. The throng of Hokies were there for the team. Before the game actually starts, most fans are pretty selfish. But to have that many people take time away from their revelry just to greet the team to the stadium is pretty unselfish.

After The Walk, we estimated we had about one hour to squeeze in more tailgating. Given the magnitude of the game, I wanted to be at the gates of Lane Stadium by 7pm. Chris, Kevin, and John went to the fabled Lot 8 to meet up with Chris' family, and I went to the Harper lot to meet up with a few friends (Meg and Steph) that I hadn't yet seen that weekend.

Forty-five minutes later I rendezvoused with the guys, and we made our way to the stadium on time - we made it to the gates at about 7pm. I was actually happy to see that most people had the same idea I did about arriving early – everyone appreciated the fact that this was a big time game, so the fans did not want to miss any action (including the entrance).

John and I made it to my seats about 30 minutes prior to kickoff.

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At approximately 7:30pm EST, all of the hype surrounding the game had reached a resounding crescendo. The atmosphere at Lane Stadium had a postseason feel to it. The electricity of the scene was enough to put goosebumps on the back of one's neck. ESPN featured a titillating intro to the game. They rhetorically asked, “Is it possible for one game to mean everything?” They referred to Lane Stadium as “the epicenter of college football” for that Saturday night.

The cheerleaders started the familiar cheer of “Let's Go!!! ... Hokies!!!” The crowd was deafening, and the players hadn't even taken the field.

Then it was played on the stadium PA system. The only Metallica song that every single Virginia Tech fan likes – Enter Sandman.

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This was it, the game of the season. The game everyone was looking forward to. The game where the Hokies could show the nation that we belonged in the Rose Bowl. John and I, along with every other Hokie, were going completely apeshit. Just as the intro of Enter Sandman had reached it peak, Metallica was silenced, the band started Tech Triumph, fireworks were set off, and the players took the field. I snapped a few photos, and then I soaked in the scene.

It was big time college football, and it was in my backyard. The only other times I saw so many camera flashes when the Hokies took the field were at Virginia Tech's bowl games. The Boston College game was big, but this game was gigantic. Our old familiar nemesis, the Miami Hurricanes, were visiting. I took pride in knowing that we are the one team that they haven't dominated year-in-year-out in the last decade. We had beat them 7 of the last 10 meetings, including the last 2. I was ready for 8 of 11.

There was no more waiting. Miami kicked off to us, and the game was underway.

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It was shocking to see such a disciplined team as Virginia Tech have so many mental breakdowns that night. The offense turned the ball over 6 times. Miami completely dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. While Miami only gained a pedestrian 304 total yards, they turned Virginia Tech's mistakes into points, and they were never in danger of losing the game.

If Saturday afternoon was typical for college football, Saturday night was not. Not only did Virginia Tech get their worst home loss in 10 years handed to them by Miami, but previously undefeated UCLA went down hard at unranked Arizona by a score of 52-17. Additionally, Vanderbilt took Florida to two overtimes in Gainesville.

By the end of the night, USC and Texas had obliterated their opponents by a combined score of 113-21. With the Hokies' dreams of Roses snuffed out by Hurricanes, USC and Texas were solidly set on a path to the national championship game. There would be no BCS controversy if both the Trojans and Longworns win out.

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Completely flabbergasted, I stood there, watching the Marching Virginians play the Hokie Pokie during the timeout between the 3^rd and 4^th quarters. I couldn't believe what was happening – Tech was losing 27-0 with no hope of making a comeback. Up until that point, I still had hope. However, once the final quarter started I knew we couldn't stage a comeback. Miami came in with a chip on their shoulder and knocked us over ... repeatedly.

The game wound down, and John and I left our seats with 1:20 left on the clock. I don't know how many times I said, “This sucks.” The last time I had felt that bad after a Virginia Tech loss was October 22^nd, 2003 – when Tech was ranked 3^rd and got humiliated in Morgantown by West Virginia. I couldn't remember the last time I had that feeling at Lane Stadium. The fact of the matter is that since I have been a Hokie (1997, my freshmen year) the Hokies had never been dominated like that at home.

Downtown was a disaster. Every place had a line, and everyone was grumpy. We only lasted about an hour before we hit the road to Christiansburg.

There was no partying when we got to Kevin's house. Everyone just dispersed and went to their respective beds. (With the exception of Chris, he played that rediculous PS2 game for about a half an hour before going to bed.)

Being so serious about Virginia Tech football is a lot of fun when the Hokies are winning, but it makes losing hurt that much worse. On Sunday, after dropping off John on my way home, I contemplated this. I'll never forget losing to Temple at home in 1998, as well as the loss to Virginia that year. Those were tough, disgusting home losses, but the beating Miami gave us on November 5^th is by far the worst home loss I have ever experienced as a Hokie. Yes, my dreams of an undefeated season and a shot at the national championship were dashed, but the manner of the loss made it particularly worse. My beloved Hokies committed 6 turnovers, and they gained a total of 167 yards on offense. They gave me nothing to cheer about.

Perhaps I have grown accustomed to Virginia Tech's winning ways. Many people remember when Tech was 2-8-1 and Frank Beamer was on the hotseat. As John said, you know you've got a good football program if you're complaining about the prospects of going 10-1.

The thing that bugs me is that in order for the Virginia Tech Hokies to be considered truly elite, we will need to handle the hype when we are favored and win those big games. Until that happens, we will be known as a perennial top 10 program who can't win the big one when they're supposed to.

We are a much better football team than we were 10 years ago, and I'm not taking that for granted. Virginia Tech is recognized as a tough football team all across the nation – that's pretty awesome. That said, I'm still not satisfied. I'll never forget when we took the lead over Florida State in the Sugar Bowl following the 1999 season. Hokies everywhere began to think that we would win the national championship. We all remember the Seminoles outplaying us in the 4^th quarter of that game, and it was they who won the national championship that year.

We also remember the taste of being so close to that ultimate victory.

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Page last updated: Wed Dec 27 16:39:10 2006