1997 Virginia Tech Hokies football team

At Rutgers

Virginia Tech opened the 1997 season on the road at Rutgers Stadium, its first game following consecutive 10-win seasons and back-to-back major bowl appearances. The Hokies scored on eight possessions and added two defensive touchdowns in a 59–19 rout, with junior quarterback Al Clark accounting for 268 yards from scrimmage, including an 81-yard touchdown run to open the third quarter and an 80-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Gildersleeve on the first play of the second.^[2]

Ken Oxendine's one-yard run capped a 60-yard opening drive, and Carl Bradley scored on a fumble return later in the first quarter for a 14–0 lead. Clark hit Gildersleeve for the 80-yard score on the Hokies' next possession, and Marcus Parker's 13-yard run made it 28–0 before Rutgers got on the board late in the second quarter on a one-yard Gary Fauntleroy run. Clark's 81-yard run and a 43-yard fumble-return touchdown by Pierson Prioleau opened a 42-point third quarter, followed by a 33-yard Clark-to-Angelo Harrison touchdown pass and a 24-yard Shayne Graham field goal for a 52–7 lead. Andre Kendrick added a two-yard fourth-quarter touchdown run, with punter Jimmy Kibble kicking the extra point.^[2]

Clark completed 7 of 10 passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns and led Hokie rushers with 119 yards on seven carries. Parker added 104 rushing yards on six carries, and Gildersleeve finished with two catches for 85 yards. The Hokie defense sacked Rutgers quarterbacks three times, forced three fumbles and recovered four, and intercepted two passes — one apiece by John Engelberger and Ike Charlton. Steve Tate led the defense with six tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.^[2]

No. 22 Syracuse

No. 22 Virginia Tech defeated Syracuse 31–3 at Lane Stadium, holding Orangemen quarterback Donovan McNabb to 14 rushing yards and 198 passing yards while sacking him four times. The Hokie defense recorded six sacks for 46 yards and two interceptions, and held Syracuse to 35 net rushing yards on 31 carries — 1.1 yards per attempt. Ken Oxendine rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries.^[3]

A scoreless first quarter gave way to a 13-play, 69-yard drive that consumed nearly seven minutes and ended on a 22-yard Al Clark touchdown pass to Shawn Scales with 14:26 remaining in the second quarter. The 7–0 halftime lead grew to 14–0 on Oxendine's four-yard third-quarter touchdown, and Syracuse managed its only points on a 32-yard Nathan Trout field goal early in the fourth. Virginia Tech answered with a 38-yard Graham field goal and then added two short Oxendine and Lamont Pegues touchdown runs set up by a Pierson Prioleau interception and a subsequent Larry Green pick of a Keith Downing pass deep in Orangemen territory.^[3]

Clark completed 5 of 11 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown. Scales finished with 73 receiving yards on two catches and added 44 punt-return yards. On defense, Pierson Prioleau led Virginia Tech with eight tackles and a 73-yard interception return that set up a second-quarter possession, and John Engelberger added eight tackles with two tackles for loss. Steve Tate recorded two sacks for 19 yards, and Corey Moore added two more for 11 yards. Jimmy Kibble averaged 42.7 yards on six punts with five placed inside the Syracuse 20.^[3]

At No. 18 Temple

No. 18 Virginia Tech survived a scare at Veterans Stadium in front of an announced crowd of 12,056, defeating Temple 23–13 in a game the Hokies trailed 10–7 in the second quarter. Ken Oxendine rushed for 160 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries, and Shayne Graham made three field goals — including a 44-yarder and an 18-yarder that set the final margin with 48 seconds remaining.^[4]

Virginia Tech opened the scoring with a one-yard Oxendine touchdown run after taking over on downs at the Temple 18, and Dave Nicholl answered with a 34-yard field goal for the Owls. Temple went ahead 10–7 early in the second quarter when Elmarko Jackson broke a 55-yard touchdown run on a three-play, 70-yard drive. The Hokies responded with an 18-play, 62-yard drive that consumed 8:31 and ended on a 35-yard Graham field goal just before halftime. Oxendine's 30-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second half put Virginia Tech ahead 17–10, and Graham's 44-yarder made it 20–13 in the third after a Nicholl field goal had trimmed the lead to four.^[4]

Al Clark completed 8 of 16 passes for 99 yards, and Shawn Scales led the receivers with four catches for 49 yards while adding 79 kickoff-return yards and a 16-yard punt return. The Hokie defense sacked Temple quarterback Kevin Harvey three times for 24 yards and forced two fumbles, both recovered — one by Kerwin Hairston and another by Keion Carpenter. Chris Cyrus and Hairston each finished with 10 tackles, and Cory Bird added a sack. Jimmy Kibble punted only twice, averaging 42 yards.^[4]

No. 14 Arkansas State

No. 14 Virginia Tech shut out Arkansas State 50–0 at Lane Stadium, outgaining the Indians 498–168 and holding them to minus-28 net rushing yards on 29 carries. The Hokies scored on seven consecutive possessions spanning the first three quarters and added a Lorenzo Ferguson 84-yard interception return in the fourth quarter to complete the scoring.^[5]

Al Clark opened the scoring with a 47-yard touchdown pass to Shawn Scales on the Hokies' second possession and followed with an 11-play drive capped by a one-yard Ken Oxendine run. Clark connected with Angelo Harrison on a five-yard touchdown pass just before halftime to make it 28–0, and Lamont Pegues added two short touchdown runs — the second after a blocked Arkansas State field goal attempt by Carl Bradley — to push the lead to 37–0. Freshman quarterback Nick Sorensen entered in the fourth quarter and threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Gildersleeve, and Ferguson intercepted Arkansas State quarterback Cleo Lemon on the next Indians possession and returned it 84 yards for the final score.^[5]

Clark completed 11 of 14 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns; Pegues led the ground game with 94 rushing yards and two scores on 15 carries, and Andre Kendrick added 48 yards and Oxendine 45. Scales finished with two catches for 63 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, the Hokies recorded six sacks for 42 yards, 9.0 tackles for loss for 26 yards, and two interceptions. Corey Moore led the pass rush with three tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries, and Keion Carpenter added a 32-yard interception return to set up a third-quarter field goal. Steve Tate led the team with eight tackles, and Sean Ruffing, Pierson Prioleau, and Jamel Smith each added seven.^[5]

No. 14 Miami (OH)

In its homecoming game and as a 19-point favorite, No. 14 Virginia Tech lost 24–17 to Miami (OH), ending the Hokies' 12-game home winning streak. The RedHawks, who had upset Northwestern earlier in the season, scored all three second-quarter touchdowns within a span of seven minutes — including one on a blocked punt and another on a legal variation of the fumblerooski executed on a fake field goal.^[1][6]

Virginia Tech opened with a 14-play, 71-yard drive capped by a one-yard Ken Oxendine touchdown run, and Shayne Graham added a 44-yard field goal on the next possession following a Trevor Gaylor fumble at the Miami 31 for a 10–0 lead. The RedHawks answered early in the second quarter when a Jimmy Kibble punt was blocked deep in Tech territory and Dustin Cohen returned it three yards for a touchdown. On fourth-and-10 from the Tech 32, Miami lined up for a 49-yard field goal with three players in the backfield — the holder, kicker, and running back Travis Prentice. Instead of kicking, the holder placed the ball on the ground at Prentice's feet and ran left; after holding for a beat, Prentice picked up the ball and ran 32 yards untouched down the right side for a touchdown and a 14–10 Miami lead. Oxendine's three-yard run with 7:16 remaining in the half put Virginia Tech back ahead 17–14. Miami blocked a second Kibble punt in the third quarter, though it did not lead to points.^[1]

The Hokies lost the lead in the third quarter when Oxendine fumbled in Tech territory, setting up an eight-yard Prentice touchdown run for a 21–17 RedHawks lead; Oxendine lost his second fumble of the half in the fourth quarter, and a 36-yard John Scott field goal after the ensuing drive extended Miami's lead to 24–17. Those were Oxendine's first and only lost fumbles of the 1997 season. Graham missed a 40-yard field goal attempt with just over seven minutes remaining, and the Miami offense ran out the clock.^[1]

Oxendine rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries, but the two fumbles swung the game. Al Clark was 14-of-24 for 172 yards, with Shawn Scales catching three passes for 81 yards including a 53-yard gain. Anthony Midget led the Hokie defense with 11 tackles, and Steve Tate added 10, but Miami converted four of its seven second-half possessions into points.^[6]

No. 23 Boston College

No. 23 Virginia Tech rebounded from the Miami (OH) loss with a 17–7 win over Boston College at Lane Stadium. Al Clark threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Angelo Harrison in the second quarter and added a 42-yard touchdown run in the fourth that provided the final margin. The Hokies held Boston College to a single first-quarter touchdown and outgained the Eagles 382–276 while controlling possession for more than 36 minutes.^[1][7]

Boston College took a 7–0 lead on a one-yard Mike Hemmert run late in the first quarter after a 65-yard drive, but Virginia Tech answered with a 97-yard, nine-play drive early in the second quarter that tied the game on the Clark-to-Harrison score. A Graham 20-yard field goal capped an 11-play, 64-yard drive later in the quarter, and the Hokies took a 10–7 lead into halftime. After a scoreless third quarter, Clark broke off the 42-yard scoring run on a five-play, 54-yard drive to open the fourth.^[1]

Ken Oxendine rushed for 122 yards on 33 carries. Clark added 46 rushing yards and went 7-of-12 passing for 125 yards with a touchdown. The Hokie defense did not record a sack but forced Boston College into 3-of-13 on third down, held the Eagles to 10 first downs, and intercepted a pass — a 20-yard return by Keion Carpenter. Steve Tate led all tacklers with 15, and Danny Wheel and Jamel Smith each added 11.^[7]

At No. 21 West Virginia

No. 19 Virginia Tech lost 30–17 to No. 21 West Virginia at Mountaineer Field, with the Mountaineers scoring 24 points in a seven-minute span of the second quarter to end a three-game Hokie winning streak in the series. Entering the game 4–0 in the Big East, Virginia Tech was outgained 391–195 and sacked five times for 35 yards.^[1][8]

After a 44-yard Jay Taylor field goal gave West Virginia a 3–0 lead in the first quarter, Virginia Tech responded with an 11-yard Al Clark touchdown pass to Ken Handy early in the second quarter for a 7–3 advantage. The lead lasted one minute and 21 seconds: on the ensuing possession, Marc Bulger hit Shawn Foreman on a 46-yard touchdown pass to put West Virginia back ahead. Clark fumbled on the first play of Tech's next possession, and Bulger capped a three-play, 21-yard drive with a one-yard quarterback sneak. A 13-yard Jimmy Kibble punt gave the Mountaineers the ball near midfield, and Amos Zereoué broke a 42-yard run before scoring from the three two plays later. Taylor added a 20-yard field goal with 10 seconds left in the half to make it 27–7.^[8]

A third-quarter Graham 33-yard field goal was sandwiched between a Tech goal-line stand and another Taylor field goal, pushing the lead to 30–10. Virginia Tech trailed by 20 heading into the fourth quarter but closed the game with an 18-play, 85-yard drive lasting 4:47 that ended on a one-yard Clark touchdown pass to Sean Sullivan with 1:04 remaining. The Hokies converted four of six fourth-down attempts in the game, all in the second half.^[8]

Tech rushed for only 66 net yards on 37 carries — 29 of those yards coming on a single fake-punt run by Jimmy Kibble on fourth down in the fourth-quarter drive — and Clark completed 14 of 34 passes for 129 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception while being sacked five times for a loss of 35 rushing yards. Ken Oxendine had 31 rushing yards on 14 carries. Ken Handy led the receiving corps with three catches for 43 yards and a touchdown. On defense, Steve Tate recorded 13 tackles and two tackles for loss, Jamel Smith added 12 tackles, and Pierson Prioleau had 11. Ike Charlton intercepted Bulger for a 28-yard return that set up one of the second-half scoring drives, and Phillip Summers blocked a West Virginia punt.^[8]

No. 23 UAB

No. 23 Virginia Tech rebounded from the West Virginia loss with a 37–0 shutout of UAB at Lane Stadium, outgaining the Blazers 396–65 and holding them to 17 net rushing yards on 42 carries. The Hokie defense recorded eight sacks for 69 yards and kept UAB from reaching Tech territory on 13 of the Blazers' 14 possessions.^[9]

Virginia Tech scored on its second possession when Marcus Parker ran in from two yards out to cap a 10-play, 71-yard drive, and Shayne Graham added a 46-yard field goal later in the first quarter for a 10–0 lead. Parker scored again on a one-yard run in the second quarter, and a 19-yard Graham field goal as time expired made it 20–0 at the half. Lamont Pegues opened the third-quarter scoring with a two-yard touchdown run, Graham added a 30-yard field goal, and freshman quarterback Nick Sorensen — making his second appearance of the season in relief — connected with Marcus Gildersleeve on a 22-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to set the final margin.^[9]

Pegues led Virginia Tech with 100 rushing yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, Ken Oxendine added 80 yards on 18 attempts, and Sorensen gained 65 rushing yards on eight carries while completing 7 of 15 passes for 84 yards. Jimmy Kibble averaged 51.3 yards on four punts, including a long of 61, and Larry Green returned four punts for 74 yards with a long of 46. On defense, John Engelberger recorded three sacks for 28 yards and 13 tackles, and Corey Moore added two sacks for 16 yards. Michael Hawkes, Jamel Smith, and Pierson Prioleau each posted eight tackles.^[9]

No. 20 Miami (FL)

No. 20 Virginia Tech rallied from a 13–3 deficit with 21 unanswered points and held off Miami 27–25 at Lane Stadium, preserving the win when Pierson Prioleau intercepted a two-point conversion attempt with 1:48 remaining and returned it 61 yards before being pushed out of bounds. The victory improved Virginia Tech to 7–2 and 5–1 in the Big East and extended the Hokies' winning streak over Miami to three games.^[1][10]

Miami scored on its first two possessions — a six-yard Ryan Clement run and a four-yard Edgerrin James run — to take a 13–3 lead, with Virginia Tech's only first-quarter points coming on a 22-yard Shayne Graham field goal. A blocked Miami extra point by Carl Bradley on the second touchdown shifted momentum. On third-and-three from the Tech 47, Al Clark ran a designed option to the right, froze three Miami defenders focused on Ken Oxendine, and raced 30 yards before pitching to a trailing Oxendine at the Tech 20; Oxendine gained 13 more yards to the Miami 7. Marcus Parker scored on the next play from seven yards out to cut the lead to 13–10 at halftime.^[1]

The Hokies scored on both of their third-quarter possessions to take control. A 14-play, 68-yard drive ended on a 14-yard Cullen Hawkins touchdown run with 8:17 remaining in the quarter, and a seven-play, 75-yard drive capped by a 27-yard Lamont Pegues scoring run with five seconds left in the third quarter made it 24–13 — 21 unanswered points. Miami answered early in the fourth quarter with a 78-yard James Jackson touchdown run on the first play after an exchange of punts, then failed on the two-point conversion. Virginia Tech answered with a 13-play, 75-yard drive that consumed 7:01 and ended on a 22-yard Graham field goal set up by a 47-yard Clark-to-Marcus Gildersleeve completion, extending the lead to 27–19.^[1]

With 3:58 remaining, Miami drove 66 yards in six plays, and Jackson scored again from 12 yards out to make it 27–25. Miami elected to attempt a two-point conversion; the Hurricanes sent three receivers into the right side of the end zone on a pick play, but Prioleau stayed at home, intercepted the pass in front of the receivers, and returned it 61 yards before being pushed out of bounds at the Miami 39. Miami recovered its onside kick attempt, but the Hokies forced a stop, and Oxendine's four-yard run on third-and-three with time running out clinched the win.^[1]

Oxendine rushed for 147 yards on 36 carries, and Clark completed 10 of 12 passes for 153 yards without a sack or interception. Pegues added 37 rushing yards and a touchdown, and Hawkins and Parker each scored on short runs. Gildersleeve's 47-yard reception was the Hokies' longest play. Steve Tate led the defense with 11 tackles, and Prioleau added seven plus the game-saving interception. John Engelberger recorded a sack. Virginia Tech held the ball for 33:58 and converted 8 of 14 third downs.^[10]

At No. 19 Pittsburgh

No. 19 Virginia Tech lost 30–23 at Pitt Stadium to 5-5 Pittsburgh, eliminating the Hokies from Big East title contention and a possible third consecutive Bowl Alliance appearance. Panthers quarterback Pete Gonzalez threw for 314 yards and four touchdowns, including the 56-yard fourth-quarter strike to Kevan Barlow that put Pittsburgh ahead by 14 with just over five minutes to play.^[1][11]

Virginia Tech took a 6–0 lead on Shayne Graham field goals of 48 and 35 yards on two of its first three possessions. Pittsburgh answered with a 38-yard Chris Ferencik field goal and, following a 95-yard drive, an 18-yard Gonzalez touchdown pass to Terry Murphy for a 9–6 halftime lead. A 40-yard Gonzalez touchdown pass to Andy Molinaro in the third quarter extended the lead to nine, but Phillip Summers stripped Murphy on the ensuing Pittsburgh possession and Anthony Midget returned the fumble 22 yards for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 15–13.^[11]

Gonzalez threw his third touchdown of the game — a 35-yard score to Juan Williams — on the first Pittsburgh possession of the fourth quarter to reopen a 22–13 lead. Virginia Tech answered with a 15-play, 68-yard drive that used 7:10 and ended on a 27-yard Graham field goal, but Gonzalez connected with Barlow on the 56-yard touchdown pass with 5:15 remaining to put Pittsburgh up 30–16 after a two-point conversion pass. Al Clark scored on a two-yard run with 3:00 left to close the gap to seven, but Pittsburgh ran out the clock.^[11]

Clark completed 22 of 32 passes for 183 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions while being sacked four times. Ken Oxendine rushed for 43 yards, and Marcus Parker led the receivers with seven catches for 54 yards. Marcus Gildersleeve added seven receptions for 73 yards. Graham missed a 57-yard field goal attempt as time expired in the second quarter. John Engelberger recorded two sacks for 13 yards, Jamel Smith had 10 tackles and two tackles for loss, and Keion Carpenter recovered a fumble and intercepted a Barlow pass. Jimmy Kibble averaged 50.7 yards on six punts with a long of 75 and three 50-plus-yard boots, but the Panthers' passing attack generated big plays on a 93-percent humid, rainy afternoon.^[11]

At Virginia

Virginia Tech lost 34–20 to rival Virginia at Scott Stadium, closing the regular season with its third loss in four games. Cavaliers quarterback Aaron Brooks completed 23 of 34 passes for 390 yards and four touchdowns, and Thomas Jones rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, helping Virginia amass 502 yards of total offense. It was the first time Virginia Tech had allowed 500 or more yards of offense since a 52–28 win over Maryland in 1993.^[1][12]

A 12-play, 57-yard Virginia Tech drive ended on a 35-yard Shayne Graham field goal just before the end of the first quarter for a 3–0 lead. Virginia then scored 20 unanswered second-quarter points: a four-yard Brooks touchdown pass to Germane Crowell, a 60-yard Thomas Jones touchdown run on a four-play, 70-yard drive, and a 55-yard Brooks touchdown pass to Anthony Southern on a one-play possession that lasted 10 seconds. A five-yard Brooks touchdown pass to Jones opened the third quarter to make it 27–3.^[12]

Virginia Tech answered with a 47-yard touchdown pass from Al Clark to Lamont Pegues on a two-play, 64-yard drive and added a 22-yard Graham field goal to trim the lead to 27–13 after three quarters. A 25-yard Brooks touchdown pass to Crowell — his ninth reception of the game for 162 yards — extended the Virginia lead to 34–13 with just over three minutes remaining, and Clark closed the scoring with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Ken Handy on a seven-play drive that consumed 1:55.^[12]

Virginia Tech outrushed the Cavaliers 133–112 but was outpassed 390–187 and finished with 320 yards of total offense. Clark completed 12 of 27 passes for 187 yards with two touchdowns and an interception — his first pick since the Boston College game. Ken Oxendine rushed for 59 yards, and the Hokies lost two fumbles. Virginia held Tech to 2-of-5 red-zone touchdowns but missed three field goals and had a fourth blocked, ultimately scoring touchdowns on its final four red-zone trips. John Engelberger led the Hokie defense with 12 tackles and a sack, Steve Tate added 13 tackles, and Keion Carpenter had 11. Virginia Tech finished the regular season 7–4 and 5–2 in the Big East, alone in second place, but Syracuse's win over Miami the same day secured the conference's Bowl Alliance bid.^[12][1]

No. 7 North Carolina (Gator Bowl)

Virginia Tech lost 42–3 to No. 7 North Carolina in the 1998 Gator Bowl at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. North Carolina scored 16 points in the first quarter and 22 by halftime, and the Hokies never got closer than 25 points. Virginia Tech received the invitation over West Virginia and Pittsburgh after athletic director Jim Weaver guaranteed the sale of 17,000 tickets, and the game marked the program's first appearance in a January 1 bowl game since the 1947 Sun Bowl.^[1][13]

North Carolina opened the scoring on an eight-play, 69-yard drive that ended with a 29-yard Josh McGee field goal. On the Tar Heels' next possession, Chris Keldorf found Octavus Barnes on a 62-yard touchdown pass to make it 10–0, and North Carolina recovered a blocked Jimmy Kibble punt in the end zone later in the first quarter — Dré Bly returned it six yards for a score and a 16–0 lead. Greg Ellis returned a fumble for a touchdown early in the second quarter to make it 22–0 at halftime. Jonathan Linton's one-yard touchdown run opened the third-quarter scoring, and a 40-yard Shayne Graham field goal on an 11-play, 54-yard drive accounted for Virginia Tech's only points. Keldorf threw two more touchdown passes in the fourth quarter — a 14-yard score to Barnes and a four-yard score to Alge Carrick — to set the final margin.^[13]

Virginia Tech was outgained 427–185, allowed five sacks for 40 yards, and lost three of six fumbles. Ken Oxendine rushed for 39 yards on 10 carries, and Shawn Scales — activated for the bowl game after an injury-shortened season — added a 29-yard run. Al Clark completed 9 of 17 passes for 66 yards before giving way to Nick Sorensen, who finished 4 of 8 for 24 yards; the Hokies had no passing touchdowns and were held to 90 net passing yards. Corey Moore recorded a sack and Pierson Prioleau added two tackles for loss on a defense that faced a North Carolina offense scoring on six of its first 10 possessions. Virginia Tech finished 7–5, its lowest win total since 1992; the program would not match that low again until 2012.^[1][13]