2009 Chick - fil - A Bowl The 2009 Chick - fil - A Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Tennessee Volunteers on December 31 , 2009 , in the Georgia Dome , Atlanta , Georgia . Virginia Tech defeated Tennessee 37 – 14 . The game was part of the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season and was the concluding game of the season for both teams . The game , the 42nd edition of the Chick - fil - A Bowl — called the Peach Bowl for much of its existence — was televised in the United States on ESPN and the broadcast was seen by an estimated 4 . 87 million viewers . Each participating team was selected by the bowl game ' s selection committee , which had paid contracts with the participating football conferences . The Chick - fil - A Bowl had the second pick of bowl - eligible teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference and the fifth pick from eligible teams in the Southeastern Conference . In picking Virginia Tech and Tennessee , the selection committee bypassed teams with better or similar records in order to create a matchup appealing to television audiences . Pregame media coverage focused on the close geographic rivalry between the two teams and the success of Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin in reversing his team ' s poor fortune from the previous season . The game kicked off at 7 : 37 p . m . EST and Virginia Tech jumped to an early lead with a first - quarter touchdown . Tennessee replied in the second quarter with two touchdowns of their own , but Virginia Tech kept the lead by scoring 10 points in the quarter . At halftime , Tech led 17 - 14 . In the second half , Virginia Tech pulled away from Tennessee , scoring 20 unanswered points to win the game 37 - 14 . In recognition of his performance during the game , Virginia Tech running back Ryan Williams was named the game ' s most valuable player . By the end of the game , he had set a school record for most rushing yards in a season and conference records for most rushing touchdowns and most total touchdowns . Following the game , Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin resigned to become head coach of the University of Southern California Trojans football team . Several players from each team participated in postseason all - star games and a handful were selected to play in the National Football League through the 2010 NFL Draft . Team selection . Beginning with the 2006 game , the Chick - fil - A Bowl purchased the right to select the highest - ranked Atlantic Coast Conference team after representatives from the Bowl Championship Series made their selection . The contract was renewed in 2009 , extending that right through 2013 . According to the official selection rules used in the 2009 - 10 season , the team chosen to represent the ACC in the Chick - fil - A Bowl had to be within one conference victory of the remaining highest - ranked conference team or ranked more than five spaces ahead of the ACC team with the best conference record available in the final BCS standings . Following the conclusion of the 2009 college football regular season , the Chick - fil - A Bowl selection committee bypassed the ACC Championship Game loser , Clemson , in order to pick Virginia Tech , which had the same conference record . The committee believed a game featuring Virginia Tech would draw more television viewers and in - person attendance than Clemson , even though the Chick - fil - A Bowl was the third time that season Virginia Tech played a game in Atlanta . In choosing the SEC opponent , the Chick - fil - A Bowl selection committee had the right to select the first SEC school after the Bowl Championship Series , Cotton Bowl Classic , Capital One Bowl , and Outback Bowl made their selections . Just as in the ACC , the selection committee could not select an SEC team with two fewer losses than the highest available team . After the 2009 regular season ended , SEC champion Alabama was selected for the national championship game , and SEC runner - up Florida was picked by the Sugar Bowl to fill the SEC ' s BCS tie - in . The Cotton Bowl selected Ole Miss , the Capital One Bowl picked LSU , and the Outback Bowl took Auburn . For its pick , the Chick - fil - A Bowl bypassed local team Georgia ( No . 2 in the SEC ' s eastern division ) for Tennessee ( No . 3 in the division ) in order to set up a game against two geographic rivals and because Tennessee had defeated Georgia in a head - to - head matchup . The bowl earned the right to select these teams via its multimillion - dollar payout system , which guarantees a certain amount of money to the participating conferences . Before 2006 , the Chick - fil - A Bowl ( then known as the Peach Bowl ) matched the No . 5 team in the SEC versus the No . 3 team in the ACC . After the bowl increased its payout to $ 2 . 8 million per squad , it then was given the second pick from the ACC , with the Gator Bowl dropping to third . After 2006 , the Chick - fil - A Bowl has steadily increased its payouts in order to keep pace with the trend across college football . In the 2009 game , the ACC and SEC split a payout of $ 6 . 02 million , with the ACC receiving more because it offered an earlier selection . Virginia Tech . The Hokies went 10 - 4 in 2008 , concluding the season with a 20 - 7 win in the 2009 Orange Bowl . Before the 2009 season started , Virginia Tech accepted an invitation to play Alabama in the 2009 Chick - fil - A College Kickoff , a game organized by the Chick - fil - A Bowl to pit two high - profile teams against each other to create a bowl game - like atmosphere in the Georgia Dome at the start of the season . Virginia Tech was ranked No . 7 in the preseason polls , while Alabama was No . 5 ; the game was forecast as a competition between two possible national championship contenders . Alabama defeated Virginia Tech 34 - 24 and ultimately went on to win the national championship . Tech recovered from the loss by winning its next five games , including a last - second victory over 19th - ranked Nebraska and a 31 - 7 blowout victory over No . 9 Miami . The victories brought Tech to a 5 - 1 record and a No . 4 national ranking . On October 17 , Virginia Tech traveled to Atlanta for the second time that season , this time to play 19th - ranked Georgia Tech . For the first time since 1962 , Georgia Tech defeated a top - five team , beating Virginia Tech 28 - 23 . Georgia Tech ' s win gave it a tiebreaker against Virginia Tech in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings , but Virginia Tech made the tiebreaker moot by losing its next game , an ACC contest against North Carolina . Georgia Tech lost only one ACC game all season , a record that won it the ACC ' s Coastal Division and the accompanying spot in the ACC Championship Game ahead of Virginia Tech , which was No . 2 in the division . Virginia Tech broke its two - game losing streak by defeating non - conference foe East Carolina on November 5 . The victory was the start of a four - game win streak that brought Virginia Tech to the end of the regular season and restored its national ranking to No . 12 after falling to No . 23 following the North Carolina loss . Tennessee . The Tennessee Volunteers entered the 2009 season following a 2008 campaign that ended with a bowl - ineligible 5 - 7 record . After the 2008 season ended , Tennessee fired head coach Phillip Fulmer and replaced him with Lane Kiffin , who promised to turn the program around . Kiffin made an offseason splash by breaking the social norms among SEC head football coaches and violating a handful of NCAA rules . In a season - opening win over Western Kentucky , Kiffin appeared to have made a difference for Tennessee , as the Volunteers had their largest margin of victory in nine years . That victory was followed by consecutive losses , however , against UCLA and No . 1 - ranked Florida . Tennessee ended its losing streak with a win against Ohio , then began alternating wins and losses . The victory against Ohio was followed by a loss to Auburn . A win against Georgia preceded a loss to No . 2 Alabama on a last - second blocked field goal and a win against No . 22 South Carolina . After South Carolina , Tennessee beat Memphis to create its first winning streak of the season . That streak abruptly ended the following week , when Tennessee lost to Mississippi . The Volunteers won their last two games of the regular season — against Vanderbilt and Kentucky — bringing them to a record of 7 - 5 . At no time during the season was Tennessee ranked in the national top - 25 polls , and Tennessee was never in consideration to play in the SEC Championship Game because of its early loss to Florida . Pregame buildup . In the weeks before the game , media coverage focused on the geographic rivalry between the two teams , the controversies surrounding Lane Kiffin , and the performances of the players on each team . Virginia Tech played in the Chick - fil - A Bowl in 2006 , losing to Georgia 31 - 24 , and the 2009 game was its fourth appearance in the game . It was Tennessee ' s fifth appearance in the game , and the Volunteers had most recently lost to Clemson in the 2004 contest , 27 - 14 . Entering the Chick - fil - A Bowl , Virginia Tech was 0 - 2 in games held in Atlanta during 2010 , it had lost four consecutive games to SEC foes , and it had never won back - to - back bowl games ( Tech won the 2009 Orange Bowl ) . Despite those factors , Virginia Tech was an early 4 . 5 - point favorite and was listed as a 5 . 5 - point favorite by spread bettors on the day before the game . Geographic rivalry . The University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech are separated by only by road , and no major university lies between the two , creating an intense geographical rivalry in that region of the Appalachian Mountains . As Virginia Tech linebacker Cody Grimm said before the game , " ( In ) Southwest Virginia , you are either a Tennessee fan or a Tech fan . Now we actually get a chance to play them . " Despite the proximity of the two schools , the 2009 Chick - fil - A Bowl was only their eighth football meeting . Tennessee held a 5 - 2 advantage in the series , but before 1994 , the last meeting between them was in 1937 . The 1994 meeting was in the 1994 Gator Bowl , which the Volunteers won 45 - 23 . Each school rapidly sold its allotment of 17 , 000 tickets , and publicly available tickets were sold out before the matchup was announced . This gave the Chick - fil - A Bowl its 13th consecutive sellout . Tennessee coaching turmoil . In the weeks leading up to the Chick - fil - A Bowl , the number of controversies surrounding Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin continued to grow . Throughout the regular season , he was linked to violations of NCAA rules and actions that appeared to fall outside the norm for SEC coaches . He was mentioned in a rap song by Lil Wayne , and his combative attitude toward opposing coaches caused friction within the SEC . In the second week of December , he was connected to an ongoing scandal in which Tennessee hostesses allegedly helped lure recruits to Tennessee , violating NCAA rules . Despite these problems , he was a successful recruiter , and gained commitments from sought - after recruits in the leadup to the Chick - fil - A Bowl . In addition to the off - the - field issues , Tennessee underwent a pair of coaching changes in the weeks before the Chick - fil - A Bowl . Wide receivers coach Frank Wilson and running backs coach Eddie Gran each decided in the first days of December to leave Tennessee for other SEC teams . In interviews , Kiffin said the coaching changes and stories surrounding him were not a distraction from his team ' s bowl preparation . Virginia Tech offense . During the 2009 season , Virginia Tech was 28th nationally in scoring offense ( number of points scored ) and 55th in total offense . Most of the Hokies ' success came on the ground : Tech was 16th nationally in rushing offense but 98th in passing offense . A large reason for Virginia Tech ' s offensive success was running back Ryan Williams , who broke Virginia Tech ' s single - season rushing record that year . Entering the Chick - fil - A Bowl , he had 1 , 538 yards , only 110 short of the record . Tech running back Darren Evans , who tore his left anterior cruciate ligament before the season began , was held out of the Chick - fil - A Bowl , even though his recovery had progressed to the point that he could have participated . Virginia Tech also was rated higher than Tennessee in every major special teams category . The Hokies were in the top 25 in both kickoff return yardage defense and kickoff returns and were No . 16 nationally in turnover margin . Tennessee offense . At the conclusion of the 2009 regular season , Tennessee ' s offense was the 32nd most successful squad in the nation , scoring an average of 30 . 58 points per game . In terms of yardage gained , Tennessee was 48th . There wasn ' t much difference between the success of the rushing offense ( 43rd ) and the passing offense ( 47th ) . Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton , after struggling in 2008 , improved significantly in 2009 , when he passed for 2 , 565 yards and 26 touchdowns . In 2008 , the Volunteers were 11th in the SEC in offense , averaging 145 . 8 yards per game . In 2009 , they were third , averaging 225 . 6 yards per game . In addition to Crompton , running back Montario Hardesty also improved his performance from 2008 to 2009 . In the season leading up to the Chick - fil - A Bowl , he had 1 , 306 rushing yards , just 158 short of the single - season Tennessee record , and 12 touchdowns . Entering the Chick - fil - A Bowl , Hardesty hoped to match the team ' s rushing record , but doubted he would be able to because of past knee injuries that made it difficult to run on artificial turf . Volunteers tight end Luke Stocker , who caught 27 passes for 370 yards and six touchdowns in 2009 , was a player Virginia Tech ' s defense focused on in pregame preparation . Because Tennessee ' s placekicking had been erratic during the regular season , Tennessee ' s head coach held an open competition among his three kickers to compete for the starting placekicking job in the Chick - fil - A Bowl . Virginia Tech defense . In 2009 , Virginia Tech was ranked 14th in total defense , sixth in passing defense , and 52nd in rushing defense . In scoring defense , the Hokies were 11th nationally , permitting an average of 15 . 75 points per game . The top individual performer on the defense was linebacker Cody Grimm , who tied for the most forced fumbles in college football during the regular season , with seven . In recognition of the achievement , he earned the Dudley Award , given annually to the top Division I football player in Virginia , and was named a first - team All - ACC and third - team All - America player . Cornerback Stephen Virgil , a starter for the Hokies in 10 of their regular - season games , was declared ineligible for the Chick - fil - A Bowl because of poor grades . Defensive coordinator Bud Foster was wooed by several other teams between the conclusion of the regular season and the Chick - fil - A Bowl , but Foster remained at Tech after the school created an annuity for Foster , granted if he remained with the team for five more years . Tennessee defense . Tennessee ' s defense was prized for its success against opponents ' passing game . In 2009 , the Volunteers were 10th nationally against the pass , permitting an average of 165 . 92 yards per game . Against the run , they were 58th . When both facets were combined , the defense was 16th , permitting an average of 308 . 83 yards per game . Much of the reason for Tennessee ' s success against the pass was star safety Eric Berry , only the second player in Tennessee history to be named a unanimous All - American twice . He won the Jim Thorpe Award , given each year to the best defensive back in the nation . Joining Berry in the defensive secondary was Janzen Jackson , who returned to the field following three missed games caused by his alleged involvement in an armed robbery . Countering Jackson ' s return , Tennessee lost defensive back Brent Vinson , who was dismissed from the team for reasons unrevealed at the time . Two months after the Chick - fil - A Bowl , Vinson was charged with tampering with evidence related to a murder investigation . Tennessee defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin , interviewed 10 days before the game , said Virginia Tech ' s offensive strength presented problems for Tennessee . Game summary . The 2009 Chick - fil - A Bowl kicked off at 7 : 37 p . m . EST on December 31 , 2009 , in the Georgia Dome , Atlanta , Georgia . Bowl officials announced 73 , 777 people attended the game , but that figure was based on the number of tickets sold rather than actual turnstile attendance . That attendance figure was the fourth - largest in Chick - fil - A Bowl history , including when the game was known as the Peach Bowl , and it was the 13th consecutive sellout for the game . The game was broadcast in the United States by ESPN , and was watched by an estimated 4 . 87 million people , earning it a Nielsen Rating of 4 . 2 . That figure was the 10th highest among bowl games that season , and was a 36 percent increase from the previous year ' s rating . The sportscaster s for the broadcast were Sean McDonough , Matt Millen , and Holly Rowe . Because the game was played indoors , weather was not a factor . The ceremonial playing of the national anthem was performed by trumpeter Dan Oxley . The game ' s referee was Ed Ardito , its umpire was Greg Adams , and its linesman was Jim Laborde , all of Conference USA . A military veteran from each school was invited to the ceremonial pregame coin toss to determine first possession . First quarter . Tennessee won that ceremonial coin toss and chose to kick off to begin the game , ensuring the Volunteers received the ball to begin the second half . Tennessee placekicker Chad Cunningham delivered the ball from the tee , and Virginia Tech ' s Dyrell Roberts returned it to the Tech 26 - yard line , where Virginia Tech began the game ' s first offensive drive . Two running plays by Tech ' s Ryan Williams gained 4 yards , then Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor completed a seven - yard pass for the game ' s initial first down . Tech advanced as far as its 43 - yard line , but a five - yard false - start penalty prevented the Hokies from gaining another first down . They punted the ball to Tennessee , which began its first drive of the game from its 11 - yard line . Two running plays gained 11 yards and a first down , then Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton began throwing the ball . His first pass the game fell incomplete , and his second was intercepted by Virginia Tech defender Rashad Carmichael , who ran it back to the Tennessee 44 - yard line . Tech ' s second drive of the game thus began in Tennessee ' s defensive half . The first play of the drive was a 20 - yard throw from Taylor to wide receiver Jarrett Boykin . That completed pass was the longest play of the drive , which continued through short rushes and passes . On the seventh play after the interception , Williams ran the ball forward one yard , crossing the goal line for the game ' s first touchdown . Tech placekicker Matt Waldron successfully converted the extra point , and with 6 : 56 remaining in the first quarter , Tech led 7 - 0 . Virginia Tech ' s post - score kickoff was returned to the Tennessee 25 - yard line , but the Volunteers failed to gain a first down on their second drive of the game , going three - and - out . They punted , returning the ball to Virginia Tech at the Hokies ' 31 - yard line . Taylor completed a 14 - yard pass to Roberts and a 10 - yard throw to Marcus Davis for two first downs , advancing the Hokies into Tennessee ' s half of the field , but Virginia Tech ' s drive petered out after Williams was tackled for a three - yard loss and the Hokies were unable to regain the lost yardage . Tech punted to the Tennessee 10 - yard line , where the Volunteers took over on offense with 1 : 16 remaining in the quarter . Crompton completed a passing play that lost three yards , then Tennessee regained two of those yards with a running play as time expired in the quarter with Tech leading , 7 - 0 . Second quarter . The second quarter began with Tennessee facing third down and 11 from its 9 - yard line . The first play of the quarter ended in a two - yard loss for Tennessee , and the Volunteers punted after their second consecutive three - and - out . Starting at Tennessee ' s 46 - yard line after the punt , Tech quarterback Taylor completed a 42 - yard pass to Danny Coale on the Hokies ' first play of the quarter , giving Virginia Tech a first down at the Tennessee 4 - yard line . There , however , Tennessee ' s defense stiffened . Tech was stopped for no gain on consecutive plays , but on third down the Volunteers committed a facemask penalty , giving Virginia Tech a first down at the 1 - yard line . Even then , it took Ryan Williams two plays to gain the momentum needed to cross the goal line for Virginia Tech ' s second touchdown . The score and subsequent extra point gave the Hokies a 14 - 0 lead with 11 : 56 remaining before halftime . Virginia Tech ' s kickoff was downed for a touchback , and Tennessee started its drive from its 20 - yard line . On the second play of the possession , Crompton completed a 40 - yard pass to wide receiver Denarius Moore . The play gave Tennessee its first plays inside Virginia Tech territory , and the Volunteers capitalized on the field position . After two rushing plays were stymied for no gain or losses , Crompton completed a 15 - yard pass to wide receiver Gerald Jones . Crompton was sacked on the next play , but two plays later completed a 20 - yard throw to Jones , who ran out of bounds at the Tech 4 - yard line , giving Tennessee another first down . Two plays later , running back Montario Hardesty ran forward four yards into the end zone , halving Virginia Tech ' s lead . After the extra point , Virginia Tech still led , 14 - 7 , with 6 : 43 remaining in the first half . Following Tennessee ' s score , the two teams traded possessions as each offense went three - and - out . Virginia Tech ' s offense then began a drive from its 40 - yard line with 3 : 21 remaining in the half . Williams gained a first down with a pair of five - yard running plays , and Taylor gained 21 yards on another running play . Tech advanced to the Tennessee 31 - yard line , where Taylor was sacked for a loss of nine yards . In an effort to recover the lost field position , Taylor threw a pass downfield , but the ball was intercepted by Tennessee ' s Janzen Jackson , who returned it to the Tech 48 - yard line . Tennessee ' s offense entered the field of play with 1 : 11 remaining in the quarter , and it moved quickly . On the first play of the drive , a Crompton pass was caught by Hardesty for a 47 - yard gain . Two plays later , Crompton completed a two - yard toss to Moore for a touchdown . The extra point tied the game at 14 with 18 seconds remaining before halftime . Tennessee ' s post - touchdown kickoff was returned to the Tech 33 - yard line , but Virginia Tech decided to not run an inconsequential play to drain the final seconds from the clock and enter halftime . On the first play after the kickoff , Taylor threw a surprise pass downfield to Boykin , who was tackled at the Tennessee four - yard line . Instant replay revealed there were two seconds remaining on the game clock after the play , and Virginia Tech placekicker Matt Waldron came onto the field to complete a 21 - yard field goal as time expired . The Hokies thus regained a 17 - 14 lead at halftime . Third quarter . Because Virginia Tech received the ball to begin the game , Tennessee received the ball to begin the second half . After a short return , Tennessee ' s offense started the half from its 30 - yard line . Crompton completed passes of 11 and 8 yards , then Virginia Tech ' s defense halted the Tennessee advance and forced a punt . Virginia Tech ' s offense began its first drive of the second half at its 26 - yard line , with 13 : 02 remaining in the quarter . From the 26 , Tech began an eight - play drive that saw Ryan Williams carry the ball on seven consecutive plays . Only the final play of the drive , a one - yard touchdown run by Tyrod Taylor , didn ' t feature the Tech running back . Williams opened the drive with a 21 - yard sprint and had a 32 - yard run during the possession that ended with Taylor ' s touchdown at the 8 : 42 mark in the quarter . The touchdown and extra point extended Tech ' s lead to 24 - 14 . Tennessee attempted to answer Tech ' s score in its following possession . The Hokies ' kickoff resulted in a touchback , so the Volunteers began from their 20 - yard line . Montario Hardesty gained a first down with a 10 - yard run , then Crompton gained another first down with an 11 - yard pass . Tennessee continued to advance on running plays and a 14 - yard pass by Crompton , pushing the ball inside the Tech 30 - yard line . Once there , however , the Hokies rallied by sacking Crompton for a seven - yard loss . A two - yard run and an incomplete pass kept Tennessee from gaining another first down , setting up a fourth down . Rather than try an offensive play and possibly gain a first down or turn the ball over on downs , Tennessee punted , forcing Virginia Tech ' s offense to start from its 11 - yard line . Building on the rushing success of its previous drive , Virginia Tech used fullback Josh Oglesby in tandem with Williams , who also figured prominently in the team ' s second possession of the half . The two men combined for 19 yards on the first three plays of the drive , then Williams exited the game because of an injury . After play resumed , Taylor gained 10 yards on a rushing play and completed a 23 - yard pass before Oglesby carried the ball again . When the third quarter ended , Virginia Tech faced second down at the Tennessee 30 - yard line , still leading 24 - 14 . Fourth quarter . Virginia Tech began the quarter in possession of the ball in Tennessee territory , attempting to capitalize upon a drive begun in the third quarter . Tennessee ' s defense , however , allowed only one yard on the first two plays of the quarter , and Tech placekicker Waldron returned to the field to convert a 46 - yard field goal , extending Virginia Tech ' s lead to 27 - 14 with 13 : 33 left in the game . After Virginia Tech ' s post - score kickoff and a short return , Tennessee ' s offense started from its 31 - yard line . A five - yard penalty against Virginia Tech was followed by a five - yard first - down run by Hardesty . Tennessee attempted to move its offense quickly in order to maximize the chances of closing Virginia Tech ' s lead by scoring fast . Crompton completed an 18 - yard pass , advancing the Volunteers into Tech territory , but he was sacked by the Tech defense and Tennessee committed a five - yard false start penalty , forcing the Volunteers to punt . The kick rolled into the end zone for a touchback , and Tech ' s offense returned to the field at its 20 - yard line . As in the previous two drives , Virginia Tech relied upon its rushing offense : The first five plays of the drive were runs by David Wilson , who gained 26 yards . The Hokies then switched gears , surprising Tennessee , whose defense allowed a 30 - yard pass completion from Taylor to Boykin . Tech reverted to running plays , but Tennessee again allowed a long gain , as Roberts advanced 21 yards on a run , then Wilson ran three yards into the end zone . The touchdown and extra point gave Virginia Tech a 34 - 14 lead with 5 : 14 remaining in the game . Tech ' s kickoff was returned to the Tennessee 25 - yard line , but on the first play of the Volunteers ' drive , Crompton was sacked by Jason Worilds and fumble d the ball . The loose ball was recovered by Virginia Tech ' s John Graves at the Tennessee 13 - yard line . The Hokies ' offense returned to the field and began running out the clock with running plays , which keep the game clock ticking as long as the ball carrier is tackled in the field of play . Three rushing plays failed to gain a first down , but they drained more than two minutes from the game clock , and Tech ' s Waldron extended the Hokies ' lead to 37 - 14 with a 22 - yard field goal . Tennessee had one final opportunity to score after receiving Virginia Tech ' s kickoff with 2 : 38 remaining . Jonathan Crompton threw several passes downfield , completing throws of 9 , 9 , 8 , and 26 yards , advancing the Volunteers toward the end zone . Inside the Virginia Tech red zone , however , the Volunteers found less success . They committed a false start penalty , advanced the ball with a five - yard run , then Crompton threw two incomplete passes . On fourth down , Crompton was sacked for a 14 - yard loss , the Volunteers ' final play of the game . Virginia Tech knelt on the ball to run the final seconds off the clock and clinch the 37 - 14 victory . Statistical summary . In recognition of his performance , Virginia Tech running back Ryan Williams was named the game ' s most valuable player . On 25 carries , Williams accumulated 117 rushing yards and two touchdowns . Williams also caught two passes : one that gained six yards and one that lost six yards . Williams ' performance , coupled with success early in the season , allowed him to set Tech ’ s single - season rushing record with 1 , 655 yards . The game was Williams ' 10th of at least 100 yards that season . Williams also set two ACC records : His touchdowns gave him 21 rushing touchdowns on the season and 22 total touchdowns . Alone , Williams had more rushing yards than all of Tennessee ' s players combined . Tennessee ' s leading rusher was Montario Hardesty , who carried the ball 18 times for 39 yards and a touchdown . Hardesty had 1 , 345 rushing yards on the season , the fourth - highest season total for any player in Tennessee ' s history . Tennessee ' s No . 2 rusher was Tauren Poole , who gained 15 yards on 3 carries . Collectively , Tennessee had just five yards net rushing , the second - least ever in a Tennessee bowl game and the least allowed by Virginia Tech in a bowl game . Most of Tennessee ' s rushing gains were negated when quarterback Jonathan Crompton was sacked six times , losing 55 yards . Though ineffective on the ground , Crompton outperformed Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor in the passing game . Crompton completed 15 of 26 pass attempts for 235 yards , one touchdown , and one interception . Crompton finished the season with 27 touchdown passes , third - most in school history , and had the fourth - most pass attempts , ninth - most completions , and eighth - most yards for a Tennessee season . Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor completed 10 of 17 passes for 209 yards and one interception . Tennessee ' s Herman Lathers led all defenders with 12 total tackles , including 2 tackles for loss , both career highs . The game ' s No . 2 tackler was Tennessee ' s Dan Williams , who tied a career high by recording nine tackles , including half a sack . Virginia Tech ' s leading tackler was Lyndell Gibson , who had eight tackles , including half a tackle for loss . Virginia Tech ' s John Graves , participating in his first game of the season , had two tackles for loss , including a sack , and forced a fumble . Virginia Tech ' s other forced turnover was an interception caught by cornerback Rashad Carmichael . Tennessee ' s Janzen Jackson had the Volunteers ' only interception . Virginia Tech kicker Matt Waldron set a school record for most field goals in a bowl game ( 3 ) and tied the school record for the longest bowl - game field goal with his 46 - yard kick . Postgame effects . Virginia Tech ' s victory gave the team its sixth consecutive 10 - win season and brought the Hokies to a final 2009 record of 10 - 3 . It was the first time in school history that Tech won bowl games in consecutive years . Tennessee ' s loss dropped it to 7 - 6 , and the Volunteers remained unranked in the final college football polls of the year . Virginia Tech was credited for its bowl - game win and rose to 10th in both the Associated Press and coaches ' polls . Visiting fans generated an estimated $ 31 . 2 million in business for the Atlanta area . Several players from each team participated in all - star games following the Chick - fil - A Bowl . Virginia Tech ’ s Kam Chancellor , Sergio Render and Stephan Virgil played in the 2010 East - West Shrine Game . Tennessee ' s Morgan Cox , Chris Scott and Dan Williams played in the Senior Bowl , while Jonathan Crompton and Vladimir Richard participated in the Texas vs . The Nation contest . These all - star games were a chance for graduating players to highlight their skills before the 2010 NFL Draft , which took place in April . A handful of players from each team were selected through the draft to play for National Football League teams . Tennessee had six players selected , including two in the first round : safety Eric Berry was the fifth selection overall , followed by Dan Williams ( 26 ) , Montario Hardesty ( 59 ) , Jacques McClendon ( 129 ) , Chris Scott ( 151 ) , and Jonathan Crompton ( 168 ) . Virginia Tech had five players selected : Jason Worilds was picked 52nd overall , followed by Kam Chancellor ( 133 ) , Ed Wang ( 140 ) , Brent Bowden ( 172 ) , and Cody Grimm ( 210 ) . In addition to player changes , Tennessee saw coaching changes . Two weeks after the Chick - fil - A Bowl defeat , Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin announced he was leaving the team to become the new head coach of the University of Southern California football team . The decision shocked Tennessee administrators and fans , who believed Kiffin would stay longer than one season . To replace Kiffin , Tennessee hired Derek Dooley , who had been coaching football at Louisiana Tech . Defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin and assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron also left with Kiffin . They were replaced by Justin Wilcox and Chuck Smith , respectively . Dooley also changed position coaches , naming Terry Joseph defensive backs coach and Eric Russell special teams coach . To coach quarterbacks , he brought in Darin Hinshaw of Memphis . He hired Charlie Baggett to coach wide receivers and serve as assistant head coach , and added assistant coach Harry Hiestand and strength and conditioning coach Bennie Wylie . He retained offensive coordinator Jim Chaney from Kiffin ' s staff .