Winston-Salem Journal from Winston-Salem, North Carolina • 21

fJ PAGE C5 COLLEGE OOTBALL WINSTON SALEM JOURNAL Wednesday January 5 2000 rnu i SU's Peter Warrick is pulled down by Virginia Tech's Nick Sorenson after a 33 yard reception si '3k A jW fl Jd jIm BA ilR 'r tl JmKKBHr jgfr qHHB I r' AP PHOTO SU made it interesting but fold Unlike big bowls of past Seminoles caught breaks while opponent faltered By Joey Johnston MEDIA GENERAL NEWS SERVICE NEW ORLEANS Bobby Bowden had the right idea On Sugar Bowl eve as his lorida State Sem inoles prepared for yet another run at the national championship he mentioned that time honored phrase The phrase: win games you lose ootball coaches understand You cel ebrate the big victories for only a short time but forever haunted by the big losses And no college football pro gram in modem history has found more creative ways to lose than SU That finally changed last night This time it was different This time SU found a way to win It was exhilarating and exasperating all at the same time Sure enough method by the book But it was good enough The 46 29 victory against the Virginia Tech Hokies was nearly marked by a monumental SU collapse something that might have trumped all the well documented trage dies Up by three touchdowns in the first half SU had taken the steam out of Virginia team and its fans The rest of the game seemed like a formality Things began to change The Hokies rallied Michael Vick the slippery fresh man quarterback was leading a big time comeback When the Hokies surged ahead 29 28 in the third quarter the place was roaring like an airport runway Not to worry It was the Swamp Redux Just like showdown at lori da in a deafening do or die atmosphere quarterback Chris Weinke took his team on an 85 yard touchdown drive Quietly and efficiently SU re claimed its advantage for good Of course the Seminoles just had to make it interesting They just had to make it a nail biter This program knows no other way Peter Warrick the MVP Not a bad ending It was a nervous win but a win none theless You forget about style points when talking national champion ship This will work fine or so many years SU get the breaks or the bounces Remember the failed two point conversion attempt against Miami? Wide Right? Both of them? The win against lorida then the crushing Sugar Bowl loss in an unfortu nately timed rematch? The helpless hopeless Marcus Outzen in last iesta Bowl loss to Tennessee? Last night briefly brought back memo ries of those episodes This time the bounces went way Over time few people will recall that Virginia Tech very easily could have taken a 14 0 lead Why it happen? Good fortune finally smiled on SU Virginia Shyrone Stith would have scored on an opening drive 52 yard run had he not collided downfield with his offensive guard Matt Lehr The Hokies could have taken a 3 0 lead had Coach rank Beamer opted for a field goal attempt on fourth and 1 from the SU 3 yard line Instead Vick was met in the backfield by Derrick Gib son who stripped the ball and inadver tently kicked it into the end zone It rolled into the waiting arms of Corey Simon who beat Virginia Andre Kendrick for the recovery and the touchback Vick took the Hokies to the SU 29 on their next drive but a batted down pass and a sack forced a punt When the Hokies punted again it was blocked and returned for a TD It was an absolute blizzard of mistakes for Virginia Tech While Vick was looking like a fresh man SU was looking like a national champion Of course it wasn't that easy To Virginia credit the Hokies rallied like crazy It a championship loss inally it was a championship victory It was vindication for Warrick and satisfaction for Bowden In short one to remember i Johnston is a staff writer at The Tampa Tribune VW Play of the game irst quarter scoring ourth quarter scoring Second quarter scoring TEAM STATISTICS INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS 2 0 7 59 23:35 irst downs Rushes yards Passing Comp Att Int Return Yards Punts Avg umbles Lost Penalties Yards Time of Possession Virginia Tech 7 7 15 0 29 lorida State 14 14 0 18 46 lorida State: Janikowski 32 Drive: 5 plays 19 yards 1:32 Key plays: fumble after a 12 yard run was recovered by SU safety Sean Key at 35 Chaney ran for 27 yards on the next play before the drive stalled SU 39 Virginia Tech 29 (1026) lorida State: Dugans 14 pass from Weinke (Warrick pass from Weinke) Drive: 11 plays 85 yards 4:14 Key plays: On third and7 from his 18 Weinke found Marvin Minnis open over the middle for 19 yards and on fourth and a foot from 46 Travis Minor picked up 16 yards on a pitchout Jamel Smith hit Minor out of bounds adding 15 yards to the gain SU 36 Virginia Tech 29 (12:59) Virginia Tech: Andre Davis 49 pass from Michael Vick (Shayne Graham kick) Drive 3 plays 80 yards 1:44 Key play: 7 penalties against SU helped Tech pick up two first downs then Vick hit Davis in stride on a fly pattern down the left side Davis who three plays earlier appeared to lose a pass in the lights while open on a similar pattern beat SU cor nerback ClevanThomas SU 14 Virginia Tech 7 (0 30) lorida State: Warrick 59 punt return (Janikowski kick) Key play: On fourth and 22 punt went off the side of his foot Warrick collected it on one bounce at his 41 faked out a defender and went untouched up the right sideline SU 28 Virginia Tech 7 (11 40) ll' Virginia Tech: Vick 3 run kick) Drive: 7 plays 80 yards 3:16 Key play: On a second and 9 from the Tech BOn the second play of the fourth rs quarter lorida State trailing 29 28 faced fourth down and a foot at its 46 Backup quarterback Marcus Outzen was called to run the option and he pitched to tailback Travis Minor on the left side Mi nor broke free for 16 yards then was hit of bounds by linebacker Jamel Smithpf Tech The penalty putthe ball on 23 and SU scored the go ahead touch down four plays later VaT SU 24 15 52 278 23 30 225" '329 15 29 0 20 34 1 88 "80 6 293 7 44 3 3 3 6 65 36:25 lorida State: Dugans 63 pass from Weinke (Janikowski kick) Drive: 5 plays 80 yards 1:45 Key play: On third and 3 from his 37 Weinke hit Dugans on a short square ln pattern Tech cornerback Ike Charlton tried to knock down the pass but missed and Dugans raced to the end zone SU 21 Virginia Tech 7 (13:45) (pass failed) Drive 3 plays 36 yards 0:55 Key play: This time the punt went over head but he retreated to his 18 to catch it and broke a return 46 yards up the right side On third and 3 Kendrick took a pitch from Vick on an option to the left and split two SU de fenders A two point conversion pass was incomplete SU 28 Virginia Tech 23 (5 57) Virginia Tech: Kendrick 6 run (pass failed) Drive: 7 plays 59 yards 3:14 Key plays: Vick hit Hawkins on another throw back pass for 23 yards scrambled for 15 yards and after being sacked ran for another 22 yards to set up Kendrick's touchdown The two point conversion pass was batted down Virginia Tech 29 SU 28 (2:13) lorida State: Warrick 43 pass from Weinke (Janikowski kick) Drive: 1 play 43 yards 0:10 Key play: SU took over after a Tech fake punt came up 3 yards i short of a first down Weinke then found Warrick behind Ronyell Whitaker who was i called for pass Interference Warrick Jug gled the pass but came down with the ball in the end zone SU 46 Virginia Tech 29 (7:42) ft 4 sugar Bowl Scoring Summary tt lorida State: Peter Warrick 64 pass wsfrom Chris Weinke (Sebastian Janikowski kick) Drive: 4 plays 80 yards 0:32 Key 3 play: SU picked up a first down on third and 10 from its 20 on a 16 yard pass '( from Weinke to Ron Dugans On the next play Weinke pump faked and Warrick beat Tech cornerback Anthony Midget on a post pattern SU 7 Virginia Tech 0 (3:22 left in quarter) lorida State: Jeff Chaney 6 yard re of blocked punt (Janikowski kick) Key play: After penalties set Tech back to Its 11 SU linebacker Tommy Polley broke through the middle and blocked Jimmy Kibble's punt Chaney recovered along the right sideline and dived into the end zone SU 14 Virginia Tech 0 2: 14 38 a SU lineman was in the backfield before the ball was snapped But Vick eluded the lineman with a spin move received two good downfield blocks and picked up 43 yards on the scramble be being forced out of bounds at the SU '19 SU 28 Virginia Tech 14 (037) Third quarter scoring Virginia Tech: Graham 23 field goal i it Drive: 5 plays 34 yards 1:44 Key plays: i returned a line drive punt 23 yards to the SU 41 On the next play Vick rolled left and threw back across the a wide open Cullen Hawkins Hawkins Hrwas pushed out of bounds at the SU 15 SU 28 Virginia Tech 17 (7:54) i Virginia Tech: Andre Kendrick 29 run Virginia Tech RUSHING Vick 23 97 Kendrick 12 69 Stith 11 68 Davis 1 16 Johnson 12 Sorensen 1 7 erguson 1 5 Hawkins '1 4 Graham 1 0 PASSING Vick 15 29 0 225 RECEIVING Davis 7 108 Hawkins 2 49 Kendrick 2 27 Johnson 1 23 Wynn 1 7 erguson 1 6 Carter 1 5 MISSED IELD GOALS None lorida State RUSHING Chaney 4 43 Minor 9 35 team 3 (minus 7) Weinke 7 (minus 41) PASSING Weinke 20 34 1 329 I RECEIVING Warrick 6 163 Dugans 5 99 Minnis 2 25 Minor 2 23 Morgan 2 10 Chaney 2 5 Boldin 1 4 MISSED IELD GOALS None 1 5 7 SHOWCASE: Vick dazzling in defeat THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW ORLEANS Michael Vick was dazzling He just enough Vick Virginia freshman quarterback used spin moves to leave lorida State defenders sprawled on the carpet and speed to leave them grabbing at air last night in the national championship game And even though his fumble in territory with 11:58 left gave lorida State the chance to build a cushion on its way to a 46 29 victory Vick still turned the Sugar Bowl into his own showcase with his biggest and best game of the season knew he was Coach Bobby Bowden of SU said refer ring to Vick I know he was that By the time last night had rolled into this morning Vick also had land words for Bowden one of the finest coaches AP PHOTO Virginia Tech's Michael Vick (7) runs 15 yards in the third quarter 1 in the Vick said to Coach Beamer I think he has a lot of respect for me too I know his players Vick a 19 year old left hander did most of Iris damage with his feet repeatedly sidestepping drool ing defenders as they closed in for the kill then using his 433 second speed to burst into the open field and pick up huge chunks of yard age Vick gained 97 yards on 23 car ries and had a remarkable 42 yard run that started when he spun away from a lineman who seemed to have a free shot at him our plays later 3 yard touchdown run cut lead to 28 14 capping a seven play 80 yard drive to give the Hokies hope just 37 seconds before halftime Later with the Hokies dominat ing the third quarter Vick pitched to Andre Kendrick out of the op tion and Kendrick went 29 yards for a touchdown to make it 28 23 Vick also had runs of 15 and 22 yards on the next series which Kendrick ended with a 6 yard scor ing run that gave the Hokies their first lead 29 28 But it just the big gainers that dazzled Vick frequently found a space where there appeared to be none leaving even the fans gasping with disbelief as he moved around the backfield trying to find a way to make a play He was still trying to make some thing happen when linebacker Bob by Rhodes hit him after a 12 yard gam in the final quarter and jarred the ball loose The Hokies trailed 36 29 at the time and when Sean Key recovered and lorida State added a field goal five plays later the Hokies were in trouble It was only seventh fumble of the season but his second of the game He also lost the ball on the Ho kies' first series when Beamer chose to go for a touchdown on 4th and goal from the 1 On that play Vick was swarmed in the backfield Vick finished 15 for 29 for 225 yards and threw a 49 yard scoring pass to Andre Davis He threw behind several receiv ers but he also was victimized by several drops and was almost al ways throwing while in an all out sprint SUGAR BOWL Continued rom Page Cl up another touchdown on a punt return Tech also tried a fake field goal and a fake punt neither of which worked But comeback was helped by the third quarter punt returns of Ike Charlton who was filling in for the injured Ricky Hall Charlton first took a line drive punt back 23 yards to start a drive that led to a Shayne Graham field goal cutting the score to 28 17 After next drive stalled Charlton carried a punt back 46 yards setting Tech up at the 36 Tailback Andre Kendrick filling in for an injured Shyrone Stith scored on a 29 yard run on an option pitchout Anthony Midget then intercepted a Chris Weinke pass and Tech drove 59 yards in seven plays to take a 29 28 lead on a 3 yard run by Vick But for the second straight time two point conversion failed lorida State began its next drive at its 15 but converted a third and 7 on a pass to a wide open Marvin Minnis On fourth and one from the 46 Travis Minor picked up 16 yards on an option play and 15 yards were tacked on when Minor was hit out of bounds by Jamel Smith our plays later Weinke found Ron Dugans wide open up the middle for a 14 yard touch down and the lead The game attracted 79280 fans to the Louisi ana Superdome the largest crowd ever for a football game in the Superdome and the third largest crowd ever for a Sugar Bowl Cheers for both teams were deafening an hour before game time when the lorida State band led fans in their famed war chant for the first time Virginia Tech dominated the first half every where but on the scoreboard The Hokies had 12 first downs and 264 total yards to lorida 6 first downs and 193 yards Tech held the ball for 21:17 of the first 30 minutes But Tech was unable to score on two first quarter drives into Seminoles territory and four big plays gave lorida State early control On its first possession Tech drove 76 yards on nine plays to the lorida State 4 where the drive stalled On fourth and less than a yard Beamer opted to go for the first down Vick rolled right was hit by SU rover Derrick Gib son and fumbled into the end zone where the Corey Simon recovered A second long drive in the first quarter ended at the SU 38 after Vick was sacked by Jamal Reynolds lorida State then needed only four plays to take the lead On first down from his 36 Warrick got past Midget on a pump fake by Weinke caught the pass from Weinke and out raced Nick Sorensen to the end zone An intentional grounding penalty on next possession left the Hokies deep in its terri tory and Jimmy Kibble had to punt from his end zone Tommy Polley broke through the middle of line to block the punt and Jeff Chaney scooped up the loose ball and dived into the endzone to put the Seminoles up by two TDs Tech needed less than two minutes to respond with a big play of its own when Vick hit Andre Davis on a fly pattern for a touchdown late in the first quarter After first touchdown SU faced a third and 3 at its 37 Weinke found Dugans open on a short square in pattern and Charlton tried to knock the ball down Charlton missed and Dugans raced for a touchdown and a 21 7 lead The punting game hurt Tech again on its next possession kick went off the side of his foot and Warrick fielded it at his 41 Warrick faked out one Tech defender and ran untouched into the end zone It was the longest punt return given up by the Hokies in the Beamer era and the first punt returned for a TD against Tech since 1988 Potter is a staff writer at The Richmond Times Dispatch RAWLINGS Continued rom Page Cl The surge continued all the way to the 4 yard line but SU smoth ered Stith on third down leaving Coach rank Beamer his first testy decision Beamer prescient in his intuition about a high scoring game left the field goal unit on the sideline Instead of hammering away at the defense "Vick spun around in the backfield and tried to scramble his way out oftrouble Derrick Gibson slapped the ball away and it rolled into the end zone barely eluding Tech fin gers before Corey Simon pounced on it 1 The Hokies frittered away anoth er scoring chance on their secondpossession After moving to the SU 30 Vick was sacked on third down taking Tech out of field goal range vvnue lieamer wincea ana ms constituents shook their heads the Seminoles delivered their first lightning strike Chris Weinke com pleted a snappy pass to Warrick who ran away from the Hokies for a 64 yard touchdown Minutes later SU struck again With the Hokies punting from their end zone a 6 5 linebacker Tommy Polley rose above the crowd and blocked Jimmy kick Jeff Chaney the backup tailback hauled the bounding ball back for a touchdown Virginia Tech its psychological edge blunted could have folded right there Certainly the Hokies could have wilted in the second quarter when SU answered 49 yard touchdown pass with two quick scores the second on War 59 yard punt return Trailing 28 7 late in the half though Vick led an 80 yard drive and scored from 3 yards out keep ing hope alive and further tiring the SU defense The Hokies con trolled the ball for more than 21 of 30 minutes in the first half and trailed by 14 but at least they left a mark in tiiat odd intangibles cate gory of oxygen deprivation Or so it seemed in the third quar ter as Virginia Tech scored a field goal and two touchdowns for a 29 28 lead Then the Hokie magic disap peared and the sweet music faded into blues Eventually the dream evaporated It all revolved around what Bow den called a moment of truth the sequence when SU seized momen tum from the excited Hokies Warrick had loads to do with the outcome but the pivotal play in volved other characters Right after Virginia Tech surged ahead SU faced a fourth and at its 45 yard line Bowden called a timeout and rather than make the conventional punt substituted Marcus Outzen for Weinke at quarterback and took the gamble The 70 year old coach hit the daily double Travis Minor scam pering left with a pitch ran for 16 yards and a first down Several steps after he crossed the sideline Virginia Jamel Smith slung him to the ground a 15 yard penal ty for unsportsmanlike conduct That opened the door and subsequent 14 yard touchdown pass to Ron Dugans opened the floodgates Nothing the Hokies did after that turned out right Vick fumbled setting up a Seminoles field goal A fake punt failed and mystery runner Nick Sorensen got hurt on the play Warrick's third touchdown he scored 20 points including a two point conversion sealed the deal with a flourish wasn't going to go out there and try to do too Warrick said when you get in trou The Seminoles got in trouble in the third quarter but Warrick helped getthem out of it naturally 22 SPORTS lSTOXSllM JOUliNAL sees them 727 7462 or or Home Delivery Call I 800 642 0925 ext 7462 13 Thee Gentleman Club Vrekfliiv Buflil New Hours Mon lues 3pin 2nnr Wed I I Sut 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