When Keeping It Hokie Goes Wrong: The Heel Flop

(Dear Hokies: Relax. It's a joke.)

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On Thursday October 29th, 2009, Virginia Tech hosted their annual Thursday night home game. The opponent: North Carolina.

The Hokies were coming off of a deflating loss to Georgia Tech in Atlanta, but were still in the hunt for another ACC title. The offense was "capable," as they were blessed with great playmakers (e.g. Ryan Williams), but were unfortunately coached by Bryan "The Human Bubble Screen" Stinespring. As usual, the Hokies counted on a dominant defense (led by Bud Foster and 4 future NFL draft picks) to win games. VT had only lost to Georgia Tech, and to the eventual national champion Alabama.

UNC came into the season with much hype, ranked #20 in a preseason poll. However, they had failed to live up to expectations. They had squeaked past UConn by 2 points, lost handily to Georgia Tech, and scored only 3 points in a home loss to a terrible UVA team. One week before this game, they lost a home heartbreaker to Florida State.


Lane Stadium had a reputation as one of the toughest places for opponents to play on the east coast. Blacksburg was especially raucous on Thursday nights. The Hokies carried an impressive 8-2 record in Thursday home games. Their most recent Thursday home loss was two years earlier: a narrow defeat to Boston College, who at that time was ranked #2 in the country.

The stage was set. ESPN went live. "Enter Sandman" played. The fans were ready to rock. Unfortunately, their team was not.

UNC's defense keyed onto Ryan Williams, holding him under 100 yards rushing for only the second time that year. Tyrod Taylor's poor passing (11 for 23) and Bryan Stinespring's "See-'N-Say" playcalling led to a frustrating game for VT's offense. It was a night filled with punts, turnovers, and failed 4th down conversions.

The defense did what they could, keeping UNC punchless until well into the 2nd quarter. One of the Hokies' 2 touchdowns resulted from an interception that gave VT possession deep in UNC territory. However, even when blessed with near-perfect field position (1st and Goal at the 5), a Hokie offense loaded with talent needed 3 plays and a close call to score.


In the end, a late Ryan Williams fumble gave UNC the ball at VT's 25 yard line. UNC drove inside the 5 yard line, then kicked the winning field goal as time expired. In Blacksburg, on a night when Hokie fans were at their rowdiest, VT was eliminated (for all intents and purposes) from the ACC title race.


UNC would go on to lose to Pitt in something called the "Meineke Car Care Bowl." Less than 2 years later, Butch Davis was fired for cheating.

Two months after that fateful game, VT defeated Lane Kiffin's Tennessee Volunteers in the Chik-Fil-A Bowl. Hokie fans rejoiced, as they finished yet another season with 10 wins. Nobody outside of Blacksburg gave a shit.

In a showcase game on national television, VT's defense dominated their opposition. Unfortunately, when the Hokie offense desperately needed to score points, they were generous with the ball and couldn't remember which end zone was theirs. Showing once again what happens...

...when Keeping It Hokie... Goes Wrong.