2011 Orange Bowl The 2011 Discover Orange Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Stanford Cardinal on Monday , January 3 , 2011 , at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens , Florida . Stanford defeated Virginia Tech 40 – 12 . The game was part of the 2010 – 2011 Bowl Championship Series of the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season and was the concluding game of the season for both teams . The game , the 77th edition of the Orange Bowl , was televised in the United States on ESPN and the broadcast was seen by an estimated 8 . 23 million viewers . Virginia Tech was selected to participate in the Orange Bowl after an 11 – 2 regular season that culminated with a 44 – 33 win in the 2010 ACC Championship Game . Stanford was picked as the other half of the matchup following an 11 – 1 campaign that included the school ' s best - ever regular - season record . That performance earned the Cardinal a No . 4 ranking in the BCS Poll and the automatic bid to a BCS game that accompanies a top - 4 ranking of a second school in a conference other than the champion . In the weeks before that game , media attention focused on both teams ' turnarounds from historical difficulties and the performance of Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck . The game also was the first Orange Bowl not sponsored by FedEx in 21 years , ending the longest - running title sponsorship deal among the major bowls . The game kicked off at 8 : 39 pm in warm weather , and Stanford scored first , a touchdown , with its third offensive possession . Virginia Tech briefly took the lead with a safety followed by a touchdown of its own , but Stanford restored a 13 – 12 advantage before halftime . In the second half , Stanford pulled away from Virginia Tech as it scored 13 points in the third quarter and 14 in the fourth while holding the Hokies scoreless . In recognition of his performance during the game , Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck was named the game ' s most valuable player . He set a Stanford bowl - game record for touchdowns , and threw three of those scores to tight end Coby Fleener , who set a Stanford and Orange Bowl record with 173 receiving yards . Both teams made coaching changes after the game , as Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh left the team to coach the National Football League ' s San Francisco 49ers and Virginia Tech replaced several assistant coaches . Players from each team were selected in the 2011 NFL Draft . Team selection . The Orange Bowl is one of five Bowl Championship Series ( BCS ) bowl game s that have been played at the conclusion of every college football season since 2006 . As defined by contract , the bowl matches the champion of the Atlantic Coast Conference ( ACC ) against an at - large pick chosen by a special committee . On December 4 , 2010 , the Virginia Tech Hokies defeated the Florida State Seminoles in the 2010 ACC Championship Game , thus winning an automatic bid to the 2011 Orange Bowl . The at - large spot in the Orange Bowl was filled via a round - robin selection procedure defined by the other Bowl Championship series games ( the Sugar , Fiesta , and Rose bowls ) and the automatic bids . If a game ' s automatic bid team is selected for the BCS National Championship Game , it is allowed to select a replacement team . In the 2010 season , teams otherwise designated for the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl were picked for the national championship game . Following the two compensatory selections are the at - large picks . The order of at - large selections rotates annually among the BCS bowls . For the January 2011 games , the Sugar Bowl selected first , followed by the Orange Bowl and Fiesta Bowl . The Sugar Bowl picked Ohio State , which left the Orange Bowl to decide between two teams contractually bound to appear in a BCS bowl game . These were Stanford , which was guaranteed a BCS bid by its No . 4 national ranking , and Connecticut , champion of the Big East Conference . Favoring Stanford ' s potential to draw a large television audience , the Orange Bowl selected the Cardinal , leaving Connecticut to the Fiesta Bowl . Stanford . The Stanford Cardinal began the 2010 season after going 8 – 5 in 2009 under freshman quarterback Andrew Luck . The 2009 season saw the Cardinal defeat eighth - ranked Oregon and No . 9 USC en route to breaking a seven - year bowl game drought with an appearance in the 2009 Sun Bowl against Oklahoma . Stanford changed several position coaches and its defensive strategy in the offseason , and though the Cardinal returned 17 of 24 possible players from the previous year ' s starting lineup , few believed the Cardinal would be among the best teams in the country . In the annual preseason poll of media members covering the Pacific - 10 , Stanford was picked to finish fourth in the 10 - team conference . Nationally , Stanford appeared in the " also receiving votes " categories of the preseason polls . In the AP Poll , the team was 27th ; in the coaches ' poll , the Cardinal was 32nd . The Cardinal opened the season by defeating Football Bowl Subdivision team Sacramento State , then beat conference opponent UCLA in the first Pacific - 10 game of the season . The win over Sacramento State pushed Stanford to No . 25 nationally , and the win over UCLA raised Stanford to No . 19 , the rank it held when it defeated Atlantic Coast Conference foe Wake Forest 68 – 24 on September 18 . The following week , Stanford defeated Notre Dame as the nation ' s No . 16 team , and the win raised the Cardinal to No . 9 . On October 2 , No . 9 Stanford played No . 4 Oregon . The game was touted as a matchup between two of the top offenses in college football and was nationally televised . Stanford led 21 – 3 after the first quarter and 31 – 24 at halftime , but the Cardinal allowed 28 unanswered points in the second half and lost to Oregon , 52 – 31 . Oregon later went on to play in the BCS National Championship game , and the defeat was Stanford ' s only one of the season . The loss dropped Stanford to No . 16 in the polls , but the team rebounded the following week to defeat USC on a last - second field goal , 37 – 35 . The victory over USC began a winning streak unprecedented in Stanford football history since the time of the Korean War . The week after beating USC , Stanford defeated Washington State , moving to a 6 – 1 record for the first time since 1970 . The Cardinal rose to No . 13 nationally and defeated the University of Washington on October 30 . Against No . 15 Arizona , Stanford matched its previous season ' s win total . On November 13 , Stanford defeated Arizona State in a closely fought 17 – 13 win that brought the Cardinal football team to 9 – 1 and its best record since 1951 . The following week , Stanford beat traditional rival California in The Big Game by a 48 – 14 score . It was the largest margin of victory in the rivalry since 1930 . Stanford ' s final regular - season game was against the Oregon State Beavers , and Stanford won the contest convincingly , 38 – 0 . The No . 4 and No . 5 nationally ranked teams had lost earlier the same day , lifting Stanford in the polls and in position for a Bowl Championship Series game berth . Virginia Tech . The Virginia Tech Hokies entered the 2010 season after a 2009 campaign that saw the team finish 10 – 3 , including a season - ending win in the 2009 Chick - fil - A Bowl against the Tennessee Volunteers . Because of that season - ending victory and the Hokies ' general good performance during the 2009 season , Virginia Tech was ranked No . 10 in preseason national polling . The Hokies ' first game of the season was a nationally televised contest against then - No . 3 Boise State at FedEx Field near Washington , D . C . . Because the game was the first of the season to feature two top - 10 teams , it received large amounts of media coverage . During the game , Virginia Tech fell behind 17 – 0 in the first quarter , but rallied to take a 21 – 20 lead early in the third quarter . The two teams traded the lead , alternating scoring drives until Boise State scored a touchdown with 1 : 06 remaining . Virginia Tech was unable to reply one final time , and Boise State earned a 33 – 30 victory . The close loss discouraged the Virginia Tech players , who then had only five days to prepare for their next opponent , lightly regarded James Madison University . At Lane Stadium , Virginia Tech ' s home field , James Madison upset the heavily favored Hokies , 21 – 16 . The loss was only the second time in college football history that a team ranked nationally was defeated by a team from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision . In the wake of the loss , Virginia Tech fell from No . 13 to out of the polls entirely . Following the loss , seniors on the football team held a players - only meeting in an effort to rally the team . Players later recalled that meeting as the turning point in the team ' s season . The next week , Virginia Tech earned its first win of the season , a 49 – 27 victory over East Carolina in Lane Stadium . The Hokies followed that by traveling to Boston College for a 19 – 0 win , their first shutout since 2006 . The two victories were the start of a winning streak that saw the Hokies complete the regular season without another loss . Following Boston College , they defeated No . 23 NC State in its home stadium , 41 – 30 . They defeated nonconference opponent Central Michigan , then beat conference opponent Wake Forest and re - entered the polls at No . 25 . Their position in the polls climbed with each opponent they defeated . They beat Duke as the No . 25 team , Georgia Tech as the No . 23 team , North Carolina as the No . 20 team and No . 23 Miami as the No . 16 team . The Miami victory clinched Tech the division championship and a slot in the ACC championship game , but the Hokies still won their final previously scheduled game , the annual Commonwealth Cup rivalry against Virginia . In the ACC Championship Game , Virginia Tech defeated Florida State 44 – 33 , clinching the ACC ' s automatic bid to the Orange Bowl . Sponsor change . In 2008 , sports channel ESPN won the right to broadcast Bowl Championship Series games between 2011 and 2014 . In compensation , it agreed to pay the BCS $ 125 million per year , more than a competing bid from Fox ( $ 100 million ) , which had been paying $ 82 . 5 million per year for the contract that ended in 2010 . To balance the higher cost of broadcasting the games , ESPN demanded more money for title sponsorship of each game . Shipping company FedEx , which had become the Orange Bowl ' s title sponsor in 1990 and was the longest continuous sponsor of any bowl game , balked at ESPN ' s increased demands — about $ 20 million per year and required advertising outside the Orange Bowl — and ended its sponsorship . Citi , the title sponsor of the Rose Bowl , likewise ended its sponsorship over the increased cost . ESPN immediately began pursuing an alternative title sponsor for each game . Candy manufacturer The Hershey Company was an early possibility for the Orange Bowl , and the company considered titling the game the Reese ' s Orange Bowl , but negotiations fell through . In August , ESPN reached a deal with credit card company Discover Financial to make the game the Discover Orange Bowl through 2014 . Pregame buildup . Pregame media coverage of the 2011 Orange Bowl focused on the manner in which the two teams involved had reversed their fortunes during the 2010 college football season . Stanford had its longest winning streak since 1991 its most wins in history , and was four years removed from a one - win season , while Virginia Tech became the first team in college football history to win 11 consecutive games in a season after losing its first two . The two teams had never played each other , but they shared a common 2010 opponent , Wake Forest . Before the Orange Bowl , Wake Forest head coach Jim Grobe said he didn ' t see much difference in quality . Another point of conversation was the poor performance of the ACC in nonconference games and Virginia Tech ' s poor past performance against teams ranked in the top 5 . The Hokies had won just one of 27 games against teams in that category . Partially because of this factor , spread bettors favored Stanford by three points when the first odds were released December 10 , a margin that various organizations either kept constant or raised to 3 . 5 points by the day of the game . It was the first time all season the Hokies were point spread underdogs . Two nights before the game , Virginia Tech running back David Wilson and safety Antone Exum missed a 1 am curfew . As punishment , Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer suspended the two players for the first quarter of the Orange Bowl . Ticket sales and tourism . Virginia Tech and Stanford each were allotted 17 , 500 tickets to sell through their school box offices , but each school had problems selling that amount . For Stanford , whose primary campus is in California , the distance fans were required to travel was a major obstacle . Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh said , " It will probably be more Hokie fans there than Stanford fans . That far away from home it probably could be a hostile environment for us . " Orange Bowl organizers predicted that Virginia Tech fans , who were located closer to the site of the game , would be attracted by its proximity and the warm weather offered by southern Florida . Delta Air Lines added more flights from Virginia to Florida in anticipation . To entice more fans to attend , tourism officials planned to step up their advertising in order to boost the economic impact of the event , estimated in 2009 at $ 200 million . The advertising campaign was a difficult sell because the game was scheduled for the first Monday after New Year ' s Day , the date when most American workers return to their jobs after the New Year . Partially because of this fact , ticket sales were slow . By December 23 , Tech had sold just 6 , 500 of its 17 , 500 - seat allotment , while Stanford fans had purchased 9 , 000 tickets from their allotment . These figures increased slightly as the game day approached , but the schools were hampered by several factors . The tickets assigned to the schools were in less - desirable seats , and many seats were available far more cheaply in the secondary market . In one example , an upper - deck ticket sold by Virginia Tech cost $ 65 , while a similar ticket was available for $ 12 through an online ticket seller . The two schools were forced to purchase the remaining unsold tickets , costing each several hundred thousand dollars . Stanford offense . Stanford ' s offense was commanded by redshirt sophomore quarterback Andrew Luck , who completed 70 percent of his pass attempts , gaining 3 , 051 yards , 28 touchdowns , and 7 interceptions . The touchdown mark was a Stanford single - season record . He also gained 438 yards running the ball , setting a Stanford record for rushing by a quarterback , and his combined rushing and passing total set a record at Stanford for total offense . On December 13 , Luck finished second in the voting for the Heisman Trophy , the annual award given to the best player in college football that season . NCAA rules allow a player three years removed from high school to enter the NFL Draft , and even though he was only a sophomore in 2010 , he met the three - year standard at the conclusion of the season . Before the Orange Bowl , media and fans speculated as to Luck ' s likely choice . Luck distributed his passes relatively evenly among his receivers . Doug Baldwin was the team ' s leading receiver , with 56 receptions for 824 yards and 9 touchdowns during the regular season . Wide receiver and kick returner Chris Owusu , who played in only six games because of a knee injury , underwent arthroscopic surgery and was expected to play in the Orange Bowl . He was the team ' s fourth - leading receiver in terms of yardage , catching 24 passes for 394 yards and 3 touchdowns . Stanford ' s running game was led statistically by sophomore running back Stepfan Taylor , who garnered 1 , 023 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns during the regular season . Before the game , Cardinal head coach Jim Harbaugh said he planned to give three other running backs — Tyler Gaffney , Jeremy Stewart , and Anthony Wilkerson — opportunities to carry the ball when Taylor was taken out of the game . Virginia Tech ' s success at blocking kicks during the 24 years of head coach Frank Beamer ' s tenure caused Stanford to spend extra time in pregame practices on kick protection . Because of his success in guiding Stanford ' s offense , head coach Harbaugh was mentioned as a candidate for the vacant head coaching positions of other universities and National Football League teams . In the leadup to the Orange Bowl , however , Harbaugh refused to comment on any of the possibilities and said he wanted to focus on guiding his team to victory . Stanford players echoed that line . " We ' ve invested too much to let something like that distract us , " linebacker Shayne Skov said December 30 . Virginia Tech offense . Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor was the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year and its championship game MVP . According to pregame media coverage , he presented a contrasting style to Stanford ' s Luck . Taylor gained threw for 2 , 521 yards and set a school record with 23 passing touchdowns , but was praised primarily for his physical mobility and ability to avoid defensive pressure , something Luck lacked . Taylor ' s presence was a contributing factor to Tech ' s offensive success in 2010 . Virginia Tech ' s offense was the most productive since offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring joined the team in 2001 . It set team records for points and total yards , and led the ACC in scoring and red - zone efficiency . In addition to Taylor ' s success passing the ball , the Hokies also had a successful running offense . Running back Ryan Williams , who was limited for much of the season because of injury , had 473 rushing yards . Fellow running back Darren Evans , who missed the 2008 season because of injury , gained 817 yards and 11 touchdowns . Sophomore running back David Wilson gained 616 yards . Combined with Taylor ' s rushing total , Virginia Tech gained 2 , 543 yards and 30 touchdowns on the ground . Stanford defense . In 2010 , Stanford ' s defense improved under new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio , who was given credit for much of the team ' s success in that department . At the end of the regular season , Stanford was first in the Pac - 10 and 11th of 120 teams nationally in scoring defense ( allowing an average of 17 . 83 points per game ) and 24th in total defense ( permitting 326 yards per game ) . In 2009 , Stanford was 69th in scoring defense ( 26 . 5 ) and 90th in total defense ( 403 yards per game ) . A prominent player on Stanford ' s defense was Owen Marecic , the only person in major league college football that season to play both offense and defense . On defense , Marecic accrued 45 tackles and 2 interceptions as a linebacker ; on offense , he gained 117 yards and 4 touchdowns as the team ' s fullback . Stanford ' s leading tackler was linebacker Shayne Skov , who accumulated 72 tackles despite missing the first two games of the season . Before the game , Skov said one of Stanford ' s priorities would be to contain the mobility of Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor . " We need to try to keep him in the pocket and ( apply ) pressure the same way we have all year , " Skov said . Virginia Tech defense . Virginia Tech ' s defense was led by coordinator Bud Foster , who was named a candidate in several teams ' searches for a new head coach , but decided to remain at Virginia Tech as the buildup to the Orange Bowl continued . Heading into the game , Tech ' s defense ranked 38th nationally in total yards allowed , its second - worst performance since 1993 . Tech ' s run defense was 58th , permitting an average 148 . 9 rushing yards per game . On the positive side of things , Tech ' s defense had the third - most interceptions ( 22 ) in the country , and its scoring defense was 16th ( 19 . 1 points per game ) . Tech ' s top performer on defense was sophomore cornerback Jayron Hosley , who had eight interceptions during the season — tied for most in the country — and was named a first - team Walter Camp All - American , a second - team Associated Press All - American , and a second - team Sports Illustrated All - American for that performance . Other top performers included linebackers Bruce Taylor and Stephen Friday , who had 15 . 5 and 15 tackles for loss , respectively . The Hokies played the Orange Bowl without starting linebacker Lyndell Gibson , who fractured his shoulder in the second quarter of the ACC Championship Game . Gibson was fourth on the team in tackles with 66 . Replacing Gibson was redshirt freshman Tariq Edwards , who played only a few times before the Orange Bowl . The Hokies also returned a player from injury for the Orange Bowl . Linebacker Barquell Rivers , who had been predicted to be Tech ' s starting middle linebacker , suffered a torn quadriceps tendon in offseason workouts , causing him to miss every game . Heading into the Orange Bowl , coaches were optimistic that he had healed enough to be able to play . Game summary . The 2011 Orange Bowl kicked off at 8 : 39 pm EST on January 3 , 2011 in Sun Life Stadium , Miami Gardens , Florida . Bowl officials said 65 , 463 tickets were sold for the game , but many went unused , and that official figure was more than 9 , 000 below stadium capacity . The game was televised on ESPN , and the announcers were Mike Tirico , Ron Jaworski , Jon Gruden and Michele Tafoya . An estimated 8 . 23 million viewers watched the broadcast , earning it a Nielsen rating of 7 . 1 . That figure was the second - lowest mark to date for a BCS game . For contributing teams to the Orange Bowl , the Atlantic Coast Conference and Pacific - 10 each received large amounts of money to be divided among their members . Because the Pac - 10 had two BCS teams , that conference received $ 27 . 2 million from the BCS . The ACC , which had only Virginia Tech in a BCS bowl , received $ 21 . 2 million . In the ACC , Virginia Tech received a somewhat larger share of the money as a reward for winning the conference : All other ACC teams received $ 1 . 1 million ; Tech got $ 1 . 7 million . Stanford received a similar amount , but the extra money was offset by the cost of sending 500 players , coaches , and staff to Miami . First quarter . Stanford returned the game ' s opening kickoff to its 24 - yard line , where the Cardinal offense began the game ' s first possession . On the game ' s first play , Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck ran 11 yards through the Virginia Tech defense for a first down . The success was short - lived , however , as Stanford ' s next three plays did not gain enough ground for another first down , and the team punted from its 37 - yard line . Virginia Tech ' s first possession was no more successful than Stanford ' s had been . The Hokies ' offense entered the game at its 31 - yard line after the punt , but went three - and - out after failing to gain a first down . Tech punted , and Stanford ' s offense returned to the field . The two teams traded possessions one more time , with Stanford turning the ball over on downs after a failed fourth - down conversion attempt , and Virginia Tech returning the ball with another punt . Following the kick , Stanford ' s offense began work from its 14 - yard line with 8 : 08 remaining in the quarter . Two plays gained five yards , then Luck completed a 21 - yard pass to wide receiver Doug Baldwin for just the second first down of the game . On the next play , Stanford running back Jeremy Stewart broke free of the Virginia Tech defense and ran down the field 60 yards for a touchdown . The score and subsequent extra point gave Stanford a 7 – 0 lead with 6 : 16 remaining in the quarter . Stanford ' s post - score kickoff was downed for a touchback , and Virginia Tech ' s offense began from its 20 - yard line . The Hokies gained their initial first down of the game when quarterback Tyrod Taylor completed a 19 - yard pass to wide receiver Danny Coale on the drive ' s third play , but Tech was unable to gain another . Tech punted from its 43 - yard line , and the kick was downed at the Stanford 5 - yard line , where the Cardinal offense started work . Two rushing plays were stopped for no gain , then Luck attempted a passing play on third down . Because the line of scrimmage was so close to the Stanford goal line , Luck had to move into his own end zone to attempt the pass . Under pressure from the Virginia Tech defense , he threw to Derek Hall , who caught the ball in the end zone and was tackled before getting out . The result of the play was a safety , a 2 - point defensive score for Virginia Tech . Trailing 7 – 2 with 59 seconds remaining in the quarter , Virginia Tech ' s offense received the ball at its 25 - yard line following Stanford ' s post - safety free kick . On the first play of the subsequent drive , Taylor ran through the Stanford defense for 22 yards and a first down at the Tech 47 - yard line . The second play of the drive , a 4 - yard run by running back Darren Evans , pushed Tech into Stanford ' s side of the field for the first time in the game , and was the final play of the quarter . With three quarters remaining , Stanford led Virginia Tech , 7 – 2 . Second quarter . The second quarter began with Virginia Tech in possession of the ball and facing second down on Stanford ' s 49 - yard line . On the first play of the quarter , Taylor completed a 10 - yard throw to wide receiver Marcus Davis for a first down . Tech ' s drive continued down the field , with running back Darren Evans receiving the ball on the majority of the plays . A 5 - yard false start penalty against Virginia Tech was offset by a pass interference penalty two plays later by Stanford . Tech penetrated to the Stanford 10 - yard line , but was stopped for no gain , then a loss , on two consecutive running plays . On third down , Taylor was pressured by the Stanford defense , scrambled out of the pocket , and threw an 11 - yard touchdown pass to running back David Wilson an instant before Taylor stepped out of bounds . The score and subsequent extra point gave Tech its only lead of the game , 9 – 7 , with 10 : 22 remaining before halftime . Virginia Tech ' s post - touchdown kickoff was returned to the Stanford 21 - yard line , where the Cardinal offense began its first drive of the second quarter . On the first play of the drive , Luck completed a 14 - yard pass to tight end Zach Ertz for a first down . Three consecutive short - yardage plays gained another first down , then running back Jeremy Stewart escaped the Virginia Tech defense for a 24 - yard gain , pushing the Cardinal into Virginia Tech territory . Three plays later , Luck again threw a long pass to Ertz , this time a 25 - yard toss for Stanford ' s second touchdown of the game . The subsequent extra point kick was blocked by Virginia Tech , but the touchdown ' s six points were enough for Stanford to regain the lead , 13 – 9 . Virginia Tech began its first full drive of the second quarter from its 25 - yard line , but the Hokies went three - and - out . Stanford ' s offense , beginning from its 33 - yard line after the Tech punt , had its drive cut short when Luck threw an interception to Virginia Tech ' s Jayron Hosley at the Tech 46 - yard line . The Hokies advanced to the Stanford 30 - yard line , but turned the ball over on downs after failing to gain one yard on fourth down . Stanford went three - and - out after the Hokies ' turnover and punted . Tech ' s offense returned to the field at its 20 - yard line with 49 seconds remaining until halftime . Using a hurry - up offense and strategically calling timeouts to stop the game clock , Tech advanced the ball down the field . Taylor rushed for 14 yards , threw a 32 - yard pass , and the Hokies were helped by a 10 - yard holding penalty against Stanford . They advanced to the Stanford 20 - yard line where , with time running out , they sent in kicker Chris Hazley . He completed a 37 - yard field goal in the final play from scrimmage in the first half , making the game a one - point affair , 13 – 12 . Halftime . For the game ' s halftime show , the Orange Bowl hosted American alternative rock band Goo Goo Dolls . Reviews criticized the performance for awkward staging and brevity , as the group performed only two songs . Middle school and high school dance squad s also participated in the halftime show , performaing on the field while the Goo Goo Dolls played . Pregame media coverage erroneously reported that Stanford ' s marching band , which had been scheduled to perform , was banned from the field . The band had never been scheduled to perform at halftime ; each team ' s marching band was allotted a six - minute pregame performance . Third quarter . Because Stanford received the ball to begin the game , Virginia Tech received it to begin the second half . After starting from their 21 - yard line , the Hokies went three - and - out . Following a Tech punt , Stanford ' s first drive of the second half began at its 41 - yard line . Two plays gained 13 yards and a first down , then Stanford began battering Virginia Tech with its passing offense . Luck threw four consecutive passes : the first was incomplete , but the next three went for 10 , 17 , and 18 yards , respectively . This gave Stanford a first down at the Tech one - yard line . Three plays later , Owen Marecic crossed the goal line on a running play . The subsequent extra point was missed , and Stanford extended its lead to 19 – 12 with 8 : 47 remaining . Virginia Tech ' s second drive of the half began at its 41 - yard line after a 31 - yard kickoff return by Wilson . On the first play of the drive , Taylor was sacked for a 13 - yard loss . He made good the lost yardage on the next play , however , completing a 42 - yard throw to Danny Coale . From the Stanford 40 - yard line , Taylor gained five yards on a running play , then attempted a long pass downfield . The throw was intercepted by Stanford ' s Delano Howell at the Cardinal 3 - yard line , returning Luck and the Stanford offense to the field . Luck needed only two plays to drive the length of the field and score a touchdown . A 56 - yard run by Stepfan Taylor was followed by a 41 - yard touchdown pass to Coby Fleener , and the following extra point kick was good , making the score 26 – 12 with 5 : 49 remaining . Virginia Tech ' s third drive of the quarter started from its 23 - yard line . The first two plays of the drive were stopped for negative gain , then Taylor completed a 17 - yard throw to Jarret Boykin for a first down . Tech couldn ' t gain another first down , however , and punted to Stanford , which started from its 13 - yard line . As in Virginia Tech ' s previous drive , the Stanford offense began with a play that lost yardage , but it made up the failure with a running play that gained six yards and a passing play from Luck to Fleener for a first down at the Stanford 32 - yard line . On the quarter ' s final play , running back Tyler Gaffney gained seven yards . With one quarter remaining , Stanford led 26 – 12 . Fourth quarter . The fourth quarter began with Stanford in possession of the ball and facing second down and three from its 39 - yard line . Two plays gained the Cardinal a first down , then Stanford committed a false - start penalty that pushed its offense back five yards . Two plays later , however , Luck completed a 58 - yard pass to Fleener , who made up the lost yardage and far more as he raced down the field for a touchdown . The following extra point granted Stanford a 33 – 12 lead with 12 : 28 remaining . Following Stanford ' s post - touchdown kickoff , Virginia Tech ' s offense took the field at its 25 - yard line and embarked upon one of its longest drives of the game in terms of the number of plays . In the first seven plays of the drive , quarterback Taylor was the key component . He threw six passes , completing 3 for 39 yards , and ran once , for no gain . On the eighth play of the drive , running back Ryan Williams gained one yard , then committed a 15 - yard personal foul penalty . Tech ' s drive faltered after the penalty : Taylor threw an incomplete pass , then was sacked for a 16 - yard loss , and the Hokies punted to the Stanford 28 - yard line . As it had in the third quarter , Stanford ' s offense scored quickly . In only three plays , the Cardinal advanced 72 yards . A 34 - yard run by Stepfan Taylor was followed by one stopped for no gain , then Luck completed a 38 - yard throw to Fleener for Stanford ' s second touchdown of the quarter . The score and extra point improved Stanford ' s lead to 40 – 12 with 6 : 05 remaining in the game . Tech ' s subsequent drive went three - and - out after Tyrod Taylor was sacked twice , and Stanford got the ball again at its 46 - yard line . With only 4 : 25 remaining and a lead well in hand , Stanford began running down the clock by executing running plays , which keep the game clock running as long as the ball carrier is downed in the field of play . Three rushes gained Stanford 16 yards , but the effectiveness of this strategy was undermined by a 15 - yard personal foul penalty against Stanford that prevented the Cardinal from gaining a first down . Stanford also accepted a delay of game penalty in order to squeeze as much time as possible from the clock before punting back to Virginia Tech . The final drive of the game began from the Tech 11 - yard line with 2 : 10 remaining , and quarterback Taylor controlled the ball on all of its five plays . Taylor completed a five - yard pass to Coale , then ran for 18 yards and a first down . He was then sacked for an 15 - yard loss , but gained much of that back with an 11 - yard run . On the game ' s final play , Taylor completed a 17 - yard first - down pass to Wilson , who was tackled as the last second ticked off the clock and Stanford clinched a 40 – 12 victory . Statistical summary . For his game - winning performance , Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck was named the game ' s Most Valuable Player . He completed 18 of his 23 pass attempts for 287 yards and 4 touchdowns . The four touchdowns was a Stanford bowl - game record , and three of Luck ' s touchdowns went to tight end Coby Fleener , who set a Stanford and Orange Bowl record with 173 receiving yards and tied a record with the three touchdown catches . In postgame analysis , Fleener ' s performance was touted as the factor " that turned a close game into a rout " . Despite those players ' performances , the game was decided in the running game and the performance of the two teams ' offensive and defensive lines . Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh was praised for adjusting his team ' s strategy at halftime , allowing it to succeed in the second half . Stanford ' s rushing offense accounted for 247 yards , while its defensive line limited Virginia Tech to just 67 yards rushing . The Stanford defense also sacked Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor eight times , denying him time to pass the ball accurately . Stanford ' s leading rusher was Stepfan Taylor , who accumulated 114 yards on 13 carries , including a 56 - yard sprint that was the second - longest run of his career . Stanford ' s No . 2 runner , Jeremy Stewart , had a career - high 99 rushing yards . His 60 - yard touchdown run in the first quarter is the longest touchdown run in Stanford bowl - game history and the seventh - longest in Orange Bowl history . Virginia Tech ' s leading rusher was Darren Evans , who had 12 carries for 37 yards . Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor was the team ' s No . 2 rusher , with 16 carries for 22 yards . He also completed 16 of 31 pass attempts for 222 yards and Tech ' s sole touchdown . On defense , Virginia Tech ' s Jayron Hosley tied the school record for interceptions ( 9 ) and had the most in the nation that season when he caught an Andrew Luck pass in the first half . Tech ' s defense also recorded its first safety since 2008 , and its blocked extra point was the first such block in Virginia Tech bowl - game history . The Hokies ' leading tackler was Eddie Whitley , who had seven stops , while Stanford ' s leading defensive performer was Shayne Skov , who had 12 tackles , including 3 quarterback sacks . Postgame effects . With the victory , Stanford improved to 12 – 1 , while the loss sent Virginia Tech to 11 – 3 . Stanford ' s 12 wins extended a school record for one season , and its eight - game winning streak tied for the third - longest in school history . Stanford ' s win was its first bowl game victory since the 1996 Sun Bowl against Michigan State , and San Francisco Chronicle football writer Tom FitzGerald declared one of the 10 all - time best Bay Area college football teams . In the final college football polls of the season , Stanford rose to No . 4 , while Virginia Tech dropped to 16th in the Associated Press Poll and 15th in the USA Today coaches ' poll . Stanford ' s victory in the Orange Bowl caused a massive jump in the number of season ticket sales at the school . By mid - February 2011 , the school reported having sold 1 , 400 new season tickets , as compared to just 458 in the first six months of 2010 . Following the game , some actions by Orange Bowl Committee officials came under fire as the Miami Herald revealed the nonprofit committee had spent millions of dollars on junket trips for college football administrators . The U . S . federal Internal Revenue Service subsequently began investigating the allegations . In its annual transition to new leadership , the Orange Bowl committee picked Goldman Sachs vice president Jeffrey T . Roberts to serve as its president for the 2012 game . Coaching changes . Both teams underwent changes in leadership following the Orange Bowl . Four days after beating Virginia Tech , Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh signed a contract as the new head coach of the National Football League ' s San Francisco 49ers . He was replaced as Stanford head coach by David Shaw , the team ' s offensive coordinator . Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio followed Harbaugh to the 49ers and was replaced by co - defensive coordinators Jason Tarver and Derek Mason , the latter also serving as associate head coach . To replaced the vacated offensive coordinator position , Shaw selected Stanford wide receivers coach Pep Hamilton . Virginia Tech ' s coaching changes came about a month after the Orange Bowl . On February 14 , the school announced that the son of head coach Frank Beamer , Shane Beamer , had been hired as running backs coach . He replaced Billy Hite , the longest - tenured assistant coach in the country , who took an administrative role with the team . Two days later , Tech replaced 62 - year - old linebackers coach Jim Cavanaugh with 35 - year - old Cornell Brown . On February 22 , Tech announced that offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring had been removed from play - calling duties and replaced by quarterbacks coach Mike O ' Cain . Stinespring , who also was the team ' s associate head coach , was replaced in that capacity by Shane Beamer . 2011 NFL Draft . For several players on each team , the Orange Bowl was their final collegiate contest before attempting to move into professional football . Two days after the Orange Bowl , Virginia Tech running back Darren Evans announced his intention to enter the NFL Draft . Three days later , fellow running back Ryan Williams made a similar move . Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck made news for not entering the draft , where he had been widely predicted to be the No . 1 selection . In interviews , he said he looked forward " to earning [ his ] degree in architectural design from Stanford University " and graduating in spring 2012 . The 2011 NFL Draft took place in late April , and several players from each Orange Bowl team were selected by professional squads seeking their talents . Virginia Tech ' s Ryan Williams was the first Orange Bowl participant selected , taken with the 38th overall pick . Tech ' s Rashad Carmichael ( 127th ) , and Tyrod Taylor ( 180th ) were also selected . Stanford had four players picked in the draft : Sione Fua ( 97th ) , Owen Marecic ( 124th ) , Richard Sherman ( 154th ) , and Ryan Whalen ( 157th ) .