A Bowl History Lesson: Alabama

We sit here today with 61 more days to wait for the 2009 season opener where our ACC Champion Hokies have been paired up against last year’s SEC runner-up, the Alabama Crimson Tide. While it’s still a little early to do a full-on season preview (eh, it’s never too early), I thought it might be fun to take a quick look back at the last time we came across our SEC buddies: The 1998 Music City Bowl. I was only 13 years old at the time, but I figure I can give a good recap for you Hokies that didn’t know Beamer’s Boys pre-Mike Vick. Luckily I silently fell in love with the Hokies during the 1995 Sugar Bowl (much to the chagrin of my WVU-loving family years later), so I do (albeit vaguely) remember this game.

Virginia Tech entered the 1998 season with relatively low expectations. While a taste for success had been established during the Big East Championship Seasons of 1995 and 1996, Tech fans had suffered through the 1997 season unranked (7-5) and their Hokies had been sorely beaten in the Gator Bowl by a score of 42-3 (by #7 UNC). They were picked to finish fourth in the Big East (with WVU being the favorite) for the ’98 season. Led by senior QB Al Clark, junior HB Shyrone Stith and promising first-year starting DE Corey Moore, the Hokies started out the season scorching hot. Tech won its first five games including big wins over then-out-of-conference foe Clemson (37-0) and conference rivals Miami (27-20 OT), Pitt (27-7) and Boston College (17-0). Early that season, you could see the Hokies flex some defensive muscle, and this was rewarded by their #10 ranking heading into week six. Tech was favored by 35 points against oft-maligned Temple at home (homecoming that year), but managed to struggle and lose to the Owls 28-24. Tech’s only other big regular season win after that point was over #21 West Virginia. After suffering two more losses against eventual conference champion Syracuse (led by Donovan McNabb), and (vomit) #16 UVA in a 36-32 choke job, the Hokies finished the regular season at 8-3 (5-2). Tech managed to blow a 22-point first half lead in that game, and UVA fans consider it to be the biggest comeback in school history. However, Tech felt that their season could have finished 11-0, after close losses, but they had to await their bowl fate. We’ll get to that soon.

Alabama also came into 1998 with relatively low expectations. The 1997 season marked their first losing season since 1998 in Mike DuBose’s first season as head coach. They were led by eventual NFL MVP Shaun Alexander at HB, Freshman QB Andrew Zow and were picked to finish sixth in the SEC. The Tide faced a milder SEC schedule that season, only facing ranked opponents twice: losing to #8 Florida at home and to #4 (and eventual national champion) Tennessee on the road. Their only blowout loss came against Arkansas in their third game, but they also handled rivals Auburn and LSU quite easily. After all was said and done, ‘Bama navigated their schedule to a 7-4 record earned a bid to the inaugural Music City Bowl in Nashville, TN.

After hearing their bowl fate, our beloved Hokies were mad (but excited). They were about to face a program that they hadn’t beaten in 10 meetings, in a “neutral” location in freezing rain. They were favored by five points, which wasn’t out of the ordinary with Alabama coming off of NCCA sanctions, but they had to make up for consecutive bowl losses and a lost season in their minds. The Hokies finished the season ranked nationally in scoring defense (#4), rushing defense (#11), and total defense (#7). Beamer’s special teams managed to block 10 kicks that year as well. Paired with the chip on their shoulder was a little in-program confidence. The Hokies got a boost of confidence when Beamer publically turned down interest from Clemson and South Carolina, who both had head coach vacancies at the time.

Let’s get to the game. Foster’s defense and Beamer’s special teams set the tone in a slow starting contest. Al Clark scored on a 43-yard touchdown run on the game’s fourth play and gave way to the defense. Keion Carpenter blocked Daniel Pope’s first punt of the game and Ryan Smith intercepted Zow on ‘Bama’s second possession. However, the Tech offense only managed to score one touchdown and walked into halftime leading 10-7.

In the second half, the Hokies turned to their All-American Corey Moore to lead them to victory. Moore forced Zow into an errant throw that led to an interception, and blocked another punt later in the quarter. Both turnovers led to touchdowns and a 24-7 lead. After another fumble recovery (leading to another touchdown) early in the fourth, Anthony Midget picked off Zow (his third interception of the night) for a 27-yard, game capping touchdown. Zow had only been intercepted twice over his last four games, but was exploited and demoralized by the Hokie defense that night. The loss was the worst for Alabama since the 1972 Orange Bowl (against Nebraska), and Tech’s biggest (score-wise) victory in a bowl game to that date.

So what was the significance of that game and why does in matter for the 2009 matchup? Looking at both programs, Alabama has had a few flirtations with the national spotlight, the closest being last season, but they’ve been very up and down since that date. They’ve had major NCAA sanctions placed on them and suffered through some tough years as a result. Nick Saban has managed to resurrect them from the deal, but they still have not grown to become the program that they were up until the early 1990s. While the Music City Bowl loss was not the beginning of the tough times, it clearly marked two programs going in different directions. Since that game, Virginia Tech has won four conference titles, played in one national championship game and three other BCS bowls. They have earned victories over nationally prominent programs and earned a reputation for tenacious defense and special teams. Beamer’s loyalty (first really tested by other schools during that ’98-’99 bowl season) was reaffirmed and rewarded with a new contract through 2005. The team that won that bowl returned 14 starters to the 1999 team, and with the help of Michael Vick became one of the scariest national runners-up in history. Now the two programs both find themselves in the top-10 (or so we expect). How much will the journey from 1998 to now matter come September? This guy thinks it will mean a hell of a lot.

Poll of the Week

Image Courtesy of Daylife

I've decided to add a new poll of the week section to the blog, so this week we'll try and get our holiday weekend kicked off right. It's now July, so it's almost time for training camp buzz to begin. How do you all think the second-year receivers will fare with a little better knowledge of Jim Zorn's offense? Will they mesh and all have a large impact this season or will one step up as a viable weapon opposite Santana Moss? Will they be all bust just like last season? Please vote and comment on how you think their seasons will go! Happy 4th of July (and sorry for the funhouse mirror fonts, but we're housesitting and I'm not on my computer)!

Another Nugget from HD

Heather Dinich, everyone's favorite ACC Blogger over at The Ocho has another analytical gem for us today. Dinich has been running a series called "Hope and Concern" about each ACC team heading into next season. As if each fan base (outside of Duke, who could care less about what goes on outside of Cameron Indoor) doesn’t know its team’s most obvious strength and weakness going into the season. Dinich leads with startling news that the Hokies have a stacked backfield with Taylor, Evans, Oglesby...yada, yada, yada. After stating the obvious for most of the conference, Heather decided to throw a little curveball into second half of the Hokies edition today. By curveball, I mean to say that she pulled out a dead horse (circa 2003) to abuse with a Sammy Sosa corked bat (howdja like THAT 2003 reference HD?). Quoting the ACC Blog:

Biggest reason for concern -- Soaring expectations

There's national title talk. There's preseason rankings. There's uber-hype over the Alabama game. There's everything Clemson faced last season before its season unraveled. If Virginia Tech is going to finish the season where it likely will start -- in the preseason top five -- then the players have to breathe deep and take it one quarter at a time. Virginia Tech is the kind of program that tends to be at its best when the chatter is at a minimum. They were under the radar when Michael Vick got there as a freshman, and seem to struggle when ranked high. Last year, though, when the adversity was at a premium, the coaching staff was at its best.

I never realized you were a Pitt fan Heather! A guy in my old office from Pittsburgh liked to throw out the ol’ “Chokies” reference too…until his team lost 3-0 in the Sun Bowl. The early 2000s are gone, and the new Hokies are a team that has exceeded expectations. While 2005 was a blip on the radar (with the Miami and FSU games), Tech has seemingly performed as well as anyone could ask since joining the ACC, especially with heavy expectations thrown upon them year after year from a demanding fan base. After announcing their conference switch, people expected the ACC to be dominated by FSU/Miami year in, year out. It hasn’t been the case, has it? Tech started ’04 and ’08 slowly and improved throughout those seasons en route to ACC titles (They started 2-2 and 1-1 respectively in those seasons). The 2007 Championship team bounced back form an early loss at LSU (which few expected them to win) to finish the regular season at #3 in the BCS. The 2006 edition beat the eventual ACC Champs (Wake) handily in their own house late in the season. Every Tech team has finished with at least 10 wins for the past five years. How is that not handling high expectations? I understand that Dinich doesn’t directly reference the Hokies’ past in this post until of her second-to-last sentence, but it doesn't need to be said at all anymore. It’s been a pretty common argument echoed by our old Big East buddies, and it should have died a while ago with their respectability.

On top of that point, someone should let her know that we're not Clemson. Frank Beamer is not Tommy Bowden (and to a lesser effect Dabo Swinney). That comparison between the 2008 Tigers and 2009 Hokies is ridiculous because of the significant disparity in the stability of these two programs. Virginia Tech is coming off of back-to-back ACC titles and an Orange Bowl victory. Clemson hadn't (and still hasn't) won a conference title since 1991. Even before last season, Clemson had crumpled under expectations quite often, especially against Papa Bowden and big bad FSU. They fell while ranked #11 (and favored) at the hands of our Hokies on a Thursday night in Lane in 2006 (where I lifted Sean Glennon onto my left shoulder after I rushed the field...seemed like a good idea at the time). The next year when they had a shot at revenge, we beat them with our special teams and defensive scoring ALONE (29-23). They are not and have not been in the Hokies' class since joining the ACC. In other words Heather, if you're looking for a point, that's not the tree to go barking up. It's been thrown out there quite often and proven wrong many times over the last several seasons. If you're going to beat a dead horse HD, at least throw some venom at Stinespring for us. That will keep the "pitchfork and torch" carriers behind you. Do us all a favor and get a new shtick…the blogging community, and Sammy’s bat will thank you.

Quick Wednesday Thoughts

Image Courtesy of Tim Shaffer

Yesterday was an unexpected big day for the Caps in free agency, with the signing of ex-Flyer Mike Knuble. Knuble brings exactly what the organization was looking for in a first line winger with size (6’3”, 230) and a nose for the net. He has a penchant for posting up in front of goalies and banging home rebounds, which will be huge playing alongside shot machine Alex Ovechkin and deft passer Nicklas Backstrom. He contributes on the PP and PK and has a killer instinct. It’s big to take a top-six guy like this away from a big rival. As it was brought up on EITM on DC 101 this morning, he’s been part of more than one Caps broken heart, between his 2OT winner in Game 4 of the 2008 Stanley Cup First Round and his membership on the 1998 Detroit Red Wings Stanley Cup Winner (Over the Caps in 4). BUT if you watch his GWG in that fateful Game 4, he shows exactly why we signed him (and for reasonable money and term at that). He wins a tough battle on the boards behind the net, gets in front, takes a shot, doesn’t give up and then bangs in a rebound. That’s just what we missed (and Sidney Crosby accomplished) in the Pittsburgh series back in May. Watching that clip is like getting a shot. You know it hurts, but you know how you're benefiting from the contents in the end.

Secondly, Brash gets signed by the Rags to come and protect the brittle Marian Gaborik. There’s no way the Caps could afford Brash at $1.4M, but fans will miss his presence in the community and the team will miss him in the locker room.

Lastly, Tony Romo gets some brownie points (via the Bog) for showing some class in not trashing Skins fans yesterday. In a related story, there should have been another “You’re From Fair-fax” chant for the fans that showed up to Congressional in #9 Jerseys yesterday. C’mon Redskins fans!

Look at for an upcoming post from me on FBS…I’ll let you all know as soon as it’s up.