The following post was written by Robert Miller.
BLACKSBURG, Va. — A stunning turn of events at the end of the game…and I missed it!
My two and half year old daughter and I attended our first Virginia Tech home game today. What’s more, it was her first college football game so I wanted to make sure it was a positive experience. We took a shuttle bus from our apartment to the game. I had predetermined that we would leave the game once it was uncompetitive so that we would not be stuck in a long line to get on the returning shuttle bus. This line of thinking was based on numerous experiences at Notre Dame where the post-game shuttle bus lines are so long that walking two miles back is faster than waiting for the shuttle.
Prior to today, my college football experience consisted of 20+ Notre Dame games in South Bend including a Nebraska overtime loss, two ND games at the Big House in Michigan, one ND game at Giants Stadium, and a Navy game at Boston College.
Without question, Lane Stadium today was the most energized stadium I had ever experienced at the opening of a game. The following video was taken prior to the teams taking the field and includes Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” blaring on the loud speakers. Needless to say, Hokie fans were jacked up.
Virginia Tech started with a bang by taking the kickoff deep into Nebraska territory and then quickly scoring a TD to make it 7-0. Virginia Tech’s subsequent field goal in the second quarter came on a drive anchored by a 46 yard run by Ryan Williams. However, discount that big run by Williams and the Hokie offense was ineffective the entire game; that is until the end when it mattered most.
Despite the game-winning drive, the real story of the game was Virginia Tech’s defense. The Hokies held Nebraska to five field goals, keeping the Cornhuskers out of the endzone despite their two trips inside the ten yard line. The following picture was taken in the second quarter and shows how close Nebraska came to scoring before eventually settling for a field goal.
Virginia Tech’s defense was looking tired by the end of the third quarter. They let up some big plays but never let Nebraska into the end zone. Roy Helu Jr.’s 169 yards rushing were impressive but the Cornhuskers did not have a passing game to complement him. Quarterback Zac Lee’s inconsistent play — including numerous errant passes to wide open receivers — cost his team the game. Lee’s best pass was a TD toss that was called back on a holding penalty. The following picture was taken on that key drive in the third quarter where Tech’s defense held Nebraska to yet another field goal.
Fast forward to the end of the fourth quarter — with about two minutes to go Virginia Tech fails to convert on a fourth and nine. Despite Tech’s three remaining timeouts, I heavily weighted Tech’s stagnant offense and let visions of long shuttle bus lines cloud my judgment.
My daughter and I left the game with two minutes to go.
Subsequently, we spent thirty minutes looking for our shuttle bus only to discover that it was not going to leave until 15 minutes after the game. Meanwhile, I could hear the excitement in the stadium, including two thunderous explosions from the crowd — one after an 81-yard Tyrod Taylor pass to the Nebraska three yard line and another after an 11-yard TD pass to Dyrell Roberts — both of which took place directly in front our end zone seats!
My excitement for Tech quickly turned to frustration because instead of wandering aimlessly around the stadium, we could have been experiencing one of the greatest finishes ever!
Needless to say, I will not make the same mistake next week when Tech plays the U at home. My biggest disappointment is not capturing pictures and videos of the final moments to share with you on this blog.
Virginia Tech’s victory over a Nebraska team with a stout defense and a strong running game should boost the ACC’s standing amongst BCS conferences. In addition, Tech will be on the fast track to the ACC title game if it can beat Miami next weekend. Nebraska, on the other hand, is likely to regret all of the missed opportunities it had in the red zone but should experience success in the Big 12 North.
–Robert Miller
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