# 1999 Virginia Tech Hokies football team

The 1999 Virginia Tech Hokies football team represented Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the 1999 NCAA Division I-A football season. Virginia Tech competed as a member of the Big East Conference. The Hokies were led by Frank Beamer in his 13th year as head coach. Virginia Tech finished the season 11-1, the only blemish coming in a national championship game loss to the Florida State Seminoles. The team finished with a school-record 2nd-place ranking in the Associated Press poll.
Michael Vick led the Hokies to an 11–0 start, only the second perfect regular season in school history, and to the Bowl Championship Series national title game in the Sugar Bowl against Florida State. Although Virginia Tech lost 46–29, Vick was able to bring the team back from a 21-point deficit to take a 29–28 lead into the fourth quarter. During the season, Vick appeared on the cover of an ESPN The Magazine issue.
Vick led the NCAA in passing efficiency that year, setting a record for a freshman (180.4), which was also good enough for the third-highest all-time mark. Vick was awarded an ESPY Award as the nation's top college player, and won the first-ever Archie Griffin Award as college football's most valuable player. He was invited to the 1999 Heisman Trophy presentation and finished third in the voting behind Ron Dayne and Joe Hamilton. Vick's third-place finish matched the highest finish ever by a freshman up to that point, first set by Herschel Walker in 1980 (Adrian Peterson later broke that mark, finishing second in 2004).

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
| September 4 | 1:00 p.m. | James Madison* | No. 11 | Lane StadiumBlacksburg, VA | | W 47–0 | 51,907 | [1] [2] [3] |
| September 11 | 1:00 p.m. | UAB* | No. 11 | Lane StadiumBlacksburg, VA | | W 31–10 | 51,907 | [4] [5] [6] |
| September 23 | 8:00 p.m. | Clemson* | No. 8 | Lane StadiumBlacksburg, VA | ESPN | W 31–11 | 51,907 | [7] [8] [9] |
| October 2 | 6:00 p.m. | at No. 24 Virginia* | No. 8 | Scott StadiumCharlottesville, VA (Commonwealth Cup) | ESPN2 | W 31–7 | 51,800 | [10][11] [12] [13] |
| October 9 | 6:00 p.m. | at Rutgers | No. 6 | Rutgers StadiumPiscataway, NJ | | W 58–20 | 30,764 | [14] [15] [16] |
| October 16 | 6:00 p.m. | No. 16 Syracuse | No. 4 | Lane StadiumBlacksburg, VA (College GameDay) | ESPN | W 62–0 | 53,130 | [17] [18] [19] |
| October 30 | 7:00 p.m. | at Pittsburgh | No. 3 | Pitt StadiumPittsburgh, PA | ESPN2 | W 30–17 | 42,678 | [20] [21] [22] |
| November 6 | 3:30 p.m. | at West Virginia | No. 3 | Mountaineer FieldMorgantown, WV (Black Diamond Trophy) | CBS | W 22–20 | 56,906 | [23] [24] [25] |
| November 13 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 19 Miami (FL) | No. 2 | Lane StadiumBlacksburg, VA (rivalry) (College GameDay) | ESPN | W 43–10 | 53,130 | [26] [27] [28] |
| November 20 | 12:00 p.m. | at Temple | No. 2 | Veterans StadiumPhiladelphia, PA | ESPN2 | W 62–7 | 25,822 | [29] [30] |
| November 26 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 22 Boston College | No. 2 | Lane StadiumBlacksburg, VA (rivalry) | CBS | W 38–14 | 53,130 | [31] [32] [33] |
| January 4, 2000 | 8:00 p.m. | vs. No. 1 Florida State* | No. 2 | Louisiana SuperdomeNew Orleans, LA (Sugar Bowl BCS NCG) (College GameDay) | ABC | L 29–46 | 79,280 | [34] [35] [36] |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking ( ) = First-place votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Final |
| AP | 13 (1) | 11 (1) | 11 (1) | 10 (1) | 8 (1) | 8 (1) | 5 (1) | 4 (1) | 4 (2) | 3 (5) | 3 (6) | 2 (4) | 2 (6) | 2 (4) | 2 (6) | 2 (6) | 2 |
| Coaches | 14 | 14* | 11 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 (2) | 2 (1) | 2 (1) | 2 (2) | 2 (3) | 2 (3) | 3 |
| BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | Not released |

## Game summaries
### James Madison

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Dukes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • No. 11 Hokies | 14 | 12 | 14 | 7 | 47 |
Freshman Michael Vick ran for three touchdowns in the first 22 minutes of the game, but left due to an injury after he somersaulted into the end zone on the third score. Playing in his first collegiate game, Vick had run for 54 yards, and thrown for 110 yards in leading the Hokies to a 24–0 lead that turned into a 47–0 win. Shyrone Stith led the Hokies on the ground with 122 yards on 18 carries. Andre Kendrick had 11 carries for 45 yards including a 2-yard touchdown that capped the scoring. Andre Davis scored on a 22-yard reverse and backup quarterback Dave Meyer had the other rushing touchdown for Tech. Shayne Graham kicked a 32-yard field goal. Corey Moore had a sack and two tackles for loss, including one that resulted in a JMU safety in the second quarter.

### UAB

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Blazers | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| • No. 11 Hokies | 10 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 31 |
Virginia Tech's defense set a school record, allowing only 63 yards of total offense, leading the Hokies over visiting University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB) 31-10. Tech played without starting quarterback Michael Vick, who was relieved by Dave Meyer. Meyer threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Emmitt Johnson on the first series of the game to give Tech the lead it would never relinquish. However, before halftime, he turned the ball over four times, three interceptions and a fumble. Those turnovers enabled the Blazers to stay in the game, and Tech led by 17-10 at halftime thanks to a 22-yard field goal by Shayne Graham and a one-yard touchdown by Shyrone Stith. The lead remained at seven points until early in the fourth quarter when tailback Andre Kendrick threw a 35-yard option touchdown pass to Andre Davis. Lee Suggs capped the scoring with a one-yard touchdown jaunt with 2:07 left in the game, one of only four carries he had on the day. Stith led the Hokies with 129 rushing yards and Kendrick added 44 yards rushing to his passing touchdown. Corey Moore had three sacks for 27 yards and two tackles for loss for another three yards.

### Clemson

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tigers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 11 |
| • No. 8 Hokies | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 31 |
Virginia Tech led the entire way in this Thursday night ESPN contest, but needed two late scores by the defense to seal the win. The Hokies jumped out to a 14-0 lead during a two-minute span from the end of the first to the beginning of the second quarters when Shyrone Stith capped a drive with a three-yard run, putting them ahead 7-0 with 1:12 left in the first quarter. On their next possession, Virginia Tech quickly extended their lead. Freshman quarterback Michael Vick, playing for the first time since his first half injury against JMU, gained 31 yards on an option play, setting the stage for backup tailback Andre Kendrick to score on a 24-yard run. Clemson got on the board for the first time with a 27-yard field goal by Chris Campbell to make the half-time lead 14-3 Tech. The Tigers cut the Tech lead to a field goal when it ran a fake field goal from the Tech nine with place kicker Tony Lazzara passing to running back Vince Ciurciu. Clemson then converted a two-point attempt with a pass from quarterback Brandon Streeter to Jason LeMay, making the score 14-11. Shayne Graham gave the Hokie a six-point lead with five minutes left in the game before the country's top-ranked defense came through for the Hokies. First, Ike Charlton intercepted a pass and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown. Shortly afterward, All-American player Moore stripped the ball from the Clemson quarterback, recovered it, and ran 32 yards to score another touchdown, the first of his career. Tech piled up 285 rushing yards led by Stith's 162 yards and Vick's 60 yards. The Hokie "D" allowed only 221 yards, with only a net of 17 on the ground. Moore had two tackles for loss and two sacks while Jamel Smith led the team with 11 total tackles, including seven solo efforts.

### At Virginia

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 8 Hokies | 14 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 31 |
| Cavaliers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Michael Vick completed seven of nine passes for 222 yards and ran for another 40 yards to give the Hokies a dominating 31-7 win in their first away game of the season. It was the first time that Tech played UVA in game not the season finale since 1989. On its second possession, Vick threw 60-yards to Andre Davis to open the scoring. Shyrone Stith then scored on three one-yard runs before the end of the first half to put the Hokies up 28-7 at the break. In total he ran for 113 yards on 23 carries. The Tech defense held the 24th ranked Cavaliers to 51 net yards rushing including seven tackles for loss and six sacks. John Engelberger led the Hokies with two of each.

### At Rutgers

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 5 Hokies | 14 | 35 | 7 | 2 | 58 |
| Scarlet Knights | 14 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 20 |
The fifth-ranked Hokies put up 35 points in the second quarter to throttle the Scarlet Knights 58-20 in Piscataway, NJ. Vick was 11-12 through the air, including two touchdown passes to Andre Davis (74 and 13), and another two to Ricky Hall (36 and five). He had a total of 248 passing yards and also put up 68 rushing yards and a touchdown. Shryone Stith had 59 yards and a touchdown, Jarrett Ferguson had 40 yards and a ground score, and Andre Kendrick also hauled one into the end zone. Tech had six tackles for loss and five sacks. Ronyell Whitaker returned a blocked PAT for a two-point defensive extra point, capping the Hokies 58-point effort.

### No. 16 Syracuse

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 16 Orangemen | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • No. 4 Hokies | 14 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 62 |
Virginia Tech scored two touchdowns in every quarter, including three tallies by the defense in a stifling performance, beating the 16th ranked Syracuse Orange 62-0. At the time, it was the largest shutout defeat a ranked team had suffered. The Tech defense opened the scoring mid-way through the first quarter on a 26-yard fumble recovery returned for a touchdown by Cory Bird. The "D" had 12 tackles for loss and two sacks in holding the 'Cuse to 77 net yards rushing and allowed only six completed passes for a total of 43 yard, a total of 120 total yards. After running up a 48-0 lead at the end of the third quarter, Tech put in second string quarterback Dave Meyer and throttled down its offense. (Michael Vick was only 8-16 for 135 yards and an 8-yard touchdown to Ricky Hall). However, the defense kept up the pressure, scoring on two straight Syracuse possessions, once on a 46-yard pick-six by Phillip Summers and a then on a fumble by the Syracuse punter in the end zone by Tee Butler. On offense, Shyrone Stith ran for 140 yards and two touchdowns. Backfield mate Andre Kendrick had 65 yards and one touchdown. Andre Davis ran a reverse 28 yards for a score. Shayne Graham kicked two field goals.

### At Pittsburgh

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 3 Hokies | 10 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 30 |
| Panthers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 17 |

### At West Virginia

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 3 Hokies | 0 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 22 |
| Mountaineers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 20 |

### No. 19 Miami (FL)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 19 Hurricanes | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| • No. 2 Hokies | 7 | 7 | 6 | 23 | 43 |

### At Temple

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 2 Hokies | 10 | 17 | 21 | 14 | 62 |
| Owls | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |

### No. 22 Boston College

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 22 Eagles | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| • No. 2 Hokies | 7 | 17 | 0 | 14 | 38 |

### Vs. No. 1 Florida State (Sugar Bowl)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 2 Hokies | 7 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 29 |
| • No. 1 Seminoles | 14 | 14 | 0 | 18 | 46 |

## Players in the NFL

The following players were drafted into professional football following the season.
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | Franchise |
| John Engelberger | Defensive end | 2 | 35 | San Francisco 49ers |
| Ike Charlton | Defensive back | 2 | 52 | Seattle Seahawks |
| Corey Moore | Linebacker | 3 | 89 | Buffalo Bills |
| Anthony Midget | Defensive back | 5 | 134 | Atlanta Falcons |
| Shyrone Stith | Running back | 7 | 243 | Jacksonville Jaguars |

## Awards and honors

* Michael Vick – Big East Rookie of the Year, Big East Offensive Player of the Year, First-Team All-American, Archie Griffin Award, Heisman Trophy finalist (3rd)
* Corey Moore – Big East Defensive Player of the Year, Unanimous First-Team All-American, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Lombardi Award
* Shayne Graham – Big East Special Teams Player of the Year
* Frank Beamer – Big East Coach of the Year, AFCA Coach of the Year, AP Coach of the Year, Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award, Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, George Munger Award, Paul "Bear" Bryant Award, Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award