2003 Insight Bowl The 2003 Insight Bowl was a post - season American college football bowl game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the California Bears at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix , Arizona on December 26 , 2003 . The game was the final contest of the 2003 NCAA Division I - A football season for both teams , and ended in a 52 – 49 victory for California . Cal and Virginia Tech combined for 101 points ; only the 2001 GMAC Bowl saw more points scored by two teams in a bowl game without overtime . During the 2003 college football season , Virginia Tech accumulated an 8 – 4 regular - season record that included four losses in the Hokies ' final six regular - season games . As the third - place team in the Big East Conference , Tech accepted a bid to the 2003 Insight Bowl . Facing the Hokies were the California Golden Bears , who went 7 – 6 during the regular season , tying for third place in the Pacific - 10 ( Pac - 10 ) . The 2003 Insight Bowl kicked off at 8 : 30 p . m . EST on December 26 , 2003 . From the beginning of the game , it was a quick - paced , high - scoring contest . In the first quarter , Virginia Tech jumped out to a 21 – 7 lead courtesy of the Tech passing game , which was coordinated by quarterback Bryan Randall , who threw four touchdown s during the game . In the second quarter , California recovered from its 14 - point first - quarter deficit by scoring two touchdowns . Tech , meanwhile , scored another , and took a 28 – 21 lead into halftime . The offensive onslaught continued in the second half , though it was California who took the advantage at first . Bolstered by an improved defensive effort that held the Hokies scoreless throughout the third quarter , California and quarterback Aaron Rodgers scored 21 unanswered points to take a 42 – 28 lead into the fourth quarter . In that quarter , the Hokies clawed back into competition . Tech scored a touchdown to begin the quarter , but Cal answered with one of its own , making the score 49 – 35 . The Hokies evened the score at 49 – 49 after an 80 - yard touchdown drive that took less than two minutes and a punt return by DeAngelo Hall for a touchdown . The post - score Tech kickoff went out of bounds , giving the Bears possession at their 35 - yard line . With time running out , Cal began to drive for a game - winning score . Cal needed just seven plays to advance 47 yards and set up a field goal attempt . As time expired , kicker Tyler Fredrickson kicked a 35 - yard field goal to give California the 52 – 49 win . Team selection . In 2003 , the Insight Bowl contracted with the Big East conference and Pacific - 10 conference to select teams for participation in its annual game . Big East champion Miami was awarded an automatic Bowl Championship Series berth , and second - place Pittsburgh accepted a bid to the Continental Tire Bowl in Charlotte , North Carolina . Continental Tire Bowl officials considered inviting Virginia Tech to participate in the game , but were required to invite Virginia due to the Continental Tire Bowl ' s contract with the Atlantic Coast Conference . Rather than selecting two teams that faced each other in the final game of the regular season , Continental Bowl officials chose another team . The other possibility for the Hokies was the San Francisco Bowl , whose managers also held a contract with the Big East , but because Tech played in the previous year ' s San Francisco Bowl , the bowl ' s organizing committee decided against a second invitation . California ' s route to the Insight Bowl was less roundabout . In the Pac - 10 , first - place Southern California was awarded the conference ' s Bowl Championship Series bid . Second - place Washington State was selected by the Holiday Bowl , and Oregon , tied for third place with California , received a bid to the Sun Bowl . Oregon had a better overall record than California and also won the teams ' head - to - head matchup . Virginia Tech . Virginia Tech entered the 2003 college football season having gone 10 – 4 the previous season , including a season - ending victory over Air Force in the inaugural San Francisco Bowl . During the offseason , the Hokies were extended an invitation to join the Atlantic Coast Conference and accepted , making the 2003 season their final year in the Big East . In the annual preseason poll of reporters covering Big East football , Virginia Tech was picked to finish third in the conference , behind the previous year ' s champion , Miami , and Pittsburgh . Virginia Tech ' s first game of the season was at home against Central Florida on August 31 . In a game that saw the debut of quarterback Marcus Vick , brother of former star Hokie Michael Vick , 10th - ranked Virginia Tech pulled out to an early lead before Central Florida fought back in the second half . Tech recovered , however , and won the game , 48 – 29 . Virginia Tech followed the victory with five others . On October 11 , a fourth - ranked Hokie squad easily won against Syracuse University , 51 – 7 , giving Virginia Tech a 6 – 0 record . In its seventh game , Tech suffered its first loss . Traveling to Morgantown , West Virginia , home of West Virginia University , the third - ranked Hokies lost 28 – 7 to the No . 23 Mountaineers . The loss was Tech ' s worst since November 2001 , and knocked the previously undefeated Hokies out of contention for the national championship . The Hokies returned home to face another high - ranking opponent , No . 2 Miami . Recovering from the loss against West Virginia , the Hokies delivered one of the highest - profile wins in school history , defeating the second - ranked Hurricanes 31 – 7 . The game ended a 39 - game regular - season winning streak by Miami and was Tech ' s first victory over a top - eight team in 34 games . Tech ' s fortunes declined dramatically following the victory over Miami . The week after that win , Tech lost 31 – 28 to Pittsburgh , then escaped with a one - point win in overtime against Temple University , which had just one win that season . Tech ' s win against Temple was its last in the regular season . The Hokies lost their final two regular - season games , dropping their overall record to 8 – 4 . To some Virginia Tech fans , the Insight Bowl invitation accepted on December 1 was a disappointment after a season that began with hopes of participation in the national championship game . California . The California Golden Bears earned a 7 – 5 record in 2002 , a year that culminated with a 30 – 7 victory over traditional rival Stanford in the Big Game . It was California ' s first winning season since 1993 , and came on the heels of a 1 – 10 season in 2001 . New head coach Jeff Tedford was praised for turning the program around so quickly , and expectations were high heading into the 2003 season . Tedford was awarded a new five - year contract in the offseason , and in the annual preseason poll of media covering the Pac - 10 conference , Cal was picked to finish eighth in the 10 - team organization . In the Bears ' first game of the season , California traveled to Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City , Missouri to face No . 10 Kansas State for the 2003 BCA Classic . There , California lost 42 – 28 in the season opener for both teams . California recovered from the loss in its next game , outscoring the visiting Southern Miss Golden Eagles 34 – 2 . Despite the Bears ' success against Southern Miss , they struggled in their next two games , losing to both Colorado State and Utah . Traveling to the Midwest to face Big 10 opponent Illinois , California debuted a new quarterback : Aaron Rodgers . Rodgers had success late in California ' s game against Utah , but did not earn the win . Against Illinois , however , he orchestrated a California offense that emerged victorious , 31 – 24 . The week after the Illinois game , California faced its toughest opponent of the season : third - ranked Southern California . The USC Trojans were undefeated heading into their game against the Bears and on an 11 - game winning streak , but California maintained a lead throughout the game . During the fourth quarter , however , USC rallied to tie California and force overtime , then second and third overtimes when the score remained tied . At the end of the third overtime , California kicker Tyler Fredrickson ' s 38 - yard field goal kick was successful , and the Bears earned a 34 – 31 victory . It was California ' s first home victory over a top five team since 1975 , and turned out to be USC ' s only loss of the season . California lost its next two games , but then won four of its final five , completing the regular season with a record of 7 – 6 and earning a spot in the Insight Bowl . California head coach Jeff Tedford said , " Playing in a bowl game was one of our primary goals this year , so today ' s announcement represents a milestone for this team and the Cal football program . " The Insight Bowl would be California ' s first bowl game appearance since 1996 . Pregame buildup . In the weeks leading up to the game , media coverage focused on Virginia Tech ' s lack of motivation heading into the game . The Hokies were ranked among the top five teams in the country earlier in the season , and had higher expectations than the Insight Bowl , a factor some commentators speculated could cause a distraction . The game was Virginia Tech ' s first in the state of Arizona , and its first against a Pac - 10 team . California played in the 1990 Copper Bowl , the name of the Insight Bowl before a name change in the mid - 1990s . Offensive matchups . Virginia Tech offense . Virginia Tech running back Kevin Jones drew media attention one day after Virginia Tech ' s selection for the Insight Bowl by announcing that he would be foregoing his final year of school in favor of entering the NFL Draft . Jones was an All - America selection and broke a Virginia Tech single - season record by rushing for 1 , 494 yards during the regular season . Speculation immediately turned to the fact that Jones could be the top running back taken in that year ' s draft . Assisting Jones ' success was a strong offensive line , led by Associated Press first - team All - America center Jake Grove . Grove was the only first - team All - America player for the Hokies that season and earned the Dave Rimington Trophy , given annually to the best college center in the United States . As with Jones , Grove announced his intention to enter the NFL Draft following the Insight Bowl . Virginia Tech quarterback Bryan Randall also benefited from the Hokies ' strong offensive line . Randall finished the regular season having passed for 1 , 598 yards and 11 touchdowns . He also rushed for 412 yards on the ground , and was the Hokies ' second - leading rusher . Wide receiver Ernest Wilford was the Hokies ' leading receiver , finishing the regular season with 776 receiving yards and three touchdowns . California offense . Running back Adimchinobe Echemandu was named California ' s regular - season most valuable player by ESPN . com writer Ted Miller , who pointed to Echemandu ' s 1 , 161 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground despite missing one game and most of another due to injury . He was picked ahead of Bears quarterback Aaron Rodgers , who finished the season with 2 , 509 passing yards and 17 touchdowns despite starting the season as the team ' s backup player in that position . He outplayed original starting quarterback Reggie Robertson and replaced him during most of the second half of the season . Rodgers ' favorite passing target was wide receiver Geoff McArthur , who was the Bears ' leading receiver during the regular season , catching 85 passes for a school - record 1 , 504 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns . In one of the Bears ' final practices before the Insight Bowl , however , McArthur fractured his right forearm and was unable to play . McArthur recorded the third - highest receiving total for a Pac - 10 player and had the second - highest average receiving yards per game in the country during the regular season . He set California single - game records for receiving yards and receptions . Junior receiver Chase Lyman was picked to start the Insight Bowl in McArthur ' s place . Lyman caught just seven passes for 107 yards during the season . During practice before the game , California kicker Tyler Fredrickson practiced kicking the ball high to avoid what was expected to be a difficult Virginia Tech kick - blocking attack . During the regular season , Fredrickson had five kicks blocked and successfully converted just 14 of 29 field goal attempts . Virginia Tech , meanwhile , blocked 102 kicks in the 200 games previous to the Insight Bowl . Defensive matchups . Virginia Tech defense . Virginia Tech ' s defense , which performed well in the beginning of the season and against No . 3 Miami , faltered in the final games of the regular season , allowing 123 points and over 1 , 800 yards to opponents ' offenses . Despite a poor performance when compared with previous seasons ' accomplishments , Virginia Tech still ranked second in the Big East conference in total defense , scoring defense , and quarterback sacks . Leading that defense was cornerback DeAngelo Hall , a second - team All - America selection and first - team All - Big East selection who was also a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award , given annually to the best defensive back in college football . Hall finished the regular season with 54 tackles and 1 interception . Hall was also a threat returning kicks . During the regular season , he returned 30 punts for 434 yards and 2 touchdowns . California defense . The California defense was led by defensive back Donnie McCleskey , an All Pac - 10 selection who accumulated 99 tackles — the most on the team — and 2 interceptions during the regular season . The 99 tackles were enough to tie him for 14th place on California ' s all - time single - season tackle leaders list . Lineman Ryan Riddle drew attention by accumulating 5 . 5 sacks and 6 . 5 tackles for loss despite playing only three games for the Bears . Riddle had not played football for two years while he focused on academics . He eventually signed up with a junior college team , then transferred to California when the Bears expressed interest in having him play on their team . Linebacker Brendan Tremblay , who finished the season with 31 tackles , was scheduled to miss the game due to a knee injury that required surgery . Game summary . The 2003 Insight Bowl kicked off at 8 : 30 p . m . EST on December 26 , 2003 at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix , Arizona . Though normally a baseball stadium , Bank One Ballpark hosted the Insight Bowl from 2000 to 2005 with seating reconfigured from the standard used during baseball games . 42 , 364 people attended the game , which was just 511 short of a sellout and was the largest crowd to attend an Insight Bowl game since the game moved to Bank One Ballpark in 2000 . In exchange for participating in the game , each team received $ 750 , 000 . On December 24 , two days before the game , spread bettors favored Virginia Tech to win by three points . An estimated 2 . 7 million people watched the game on ESPN ' s television broadcast , which was commentated by Mark Malone , Mike Golic , and Rob Stone . The audience was large enough to earn the game a Nielsen rating of 3 . 08 , making it the 13th most - viewed bowl game that season and the fourth - highest television rating of the 20 bowl games broadcast on ESPN that season . At kickoff , the weather was clear with an air temperature of . Owing to the cool temperatures , the roof of Bank One Ballpark ( which is retractable ) was closed after fireworks were shot off during the opening ceremony . First quarter . After the ceremonial pre - game coin toss , California chose to receive the ball to begin the game . James Bethea returned the opening kickoff to the California 21 - yard line . On the game ' s first play from scrimmage , California quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed a 19 - yard pass to wide receiver Burl Toler , presaging the game ' s offensive nature . Rodgers completed another pass , and the Bears were aided by a penalty against Virginia Tech . Running back Adimchinobe Echemandu ran the ball twice for short gains each time , and Rodgers continued to make long passes for first downs to keep the Golden Bears ' offensive drive going . Deep inside Virginia Tech territory , Rodgers ran the ball twice , picking up short gains and the game ' s first touchdown . The extra point kick by kicker Tyler Fredrickson was good , and with 9 : 43 remaining in the quarter , California took a 7 – 0 lead . Virginia Tech ' s Mike Imoh fielded the post - touchdown kickoff , returning it 52 yards and setting up the Virginia Tech offense inside California territory to begin Tech ' s first offensive possession of the game . Although Tech quarterback Bryan Randall was sacked for a loss of nine yards on his first play , he recovered to complete all four passes he attempted during the Tech drive , and after pushing the Hokies deep into California territory , scoring on a two - yard touchdown run . The drive took just two and a half minutes off the clock , and the touchdown and subsequent extra point evened the score at 7 – 7 with 7 : 13 remaining in the quarter . After receiving Virginia Tech ' s kickoff , the California offense returned to the field . The Bears were unable to repeat the success of their first drive and went three and out , punting the ball back to Virginia Tech . The Hokies recovered the ball at their 43 - yard line and moved quickly . Bryan Randall completed a 53 - yard pass to receiver Chris Shreve . Two plays later , Randall completed a three - yard touchdown pass that gave the Hokies a 14 – 7 lead with 2 : 40 remaining in the quarter . California received the ball after the touchdown , but again went three and out . As before , the Hokies struck quickly . After starting from the California 49 - yard line , it took one play for Virginia Tech to score . Randall completed a long pass to quarterback Marcus Vick , who came into the game as a wide receiver . The score and extra point made the game 21 – 7 with 50 seconds left in the quarter . California received the kickoff and ran three quick plays before the end of the quarter . As time expired , California faced a fourth down and nine yards from their 36 - yard line and was preparing to punt . With one quarter elapsed , Virginia Tech led , 21 – 7 . Second quarter . The second quarter began with a California punt . Virginia Tech recovered at its 15 - yard line and began the first offensive series of the second quarter . On the first full play of the quarter , Virginia Tech running back Kevin Jones broke free of the California defense for a 42 - yard gain . On the next play , Bryan Randall completed an 11 - yard pass to receiver Ernest Wilford . Jones returned to action with a nine - yard run , driving the Hokies to the California 22 - yard line , but there the Hokie offense stalled . Tech faced a second down and needed just two yards for a first down , but could not gain the required yardage in two attempts . Tech kicker Carter Warley was sent in to attempt a 40 - yard field goal , but his kick missed and California took over on offense at its 23 - yard line . In their first drive of the second quarter , the Golden Bears found success that was missing since their first drive of the game . Quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed a short pass , then scrambled for 24 yards and a first down . California ran the ball three times for another first down , then Rodgers connected with Chase Lyman on a 33 - yard touchdown toss . The score was California ' s first since the opening drive of the game and cut Virginia Tech ' s lead to 21 – 14 with 9 : 10 remaining before halftime . The Hokies recovered the post - touchdown kickoff at their 20 - yard line and began a scoring drive of their own . At first , the Hokies moved slowly , spending six plays to move just 14 yards , gaining a first down in the process . Then , facing a third down and seven , Randall completed a 25 - yard pass to Richard Johnson . This was followed by another long pass — this one a 31 - yarder — to Marcus Vick . On the play immediately following , Kevin Jones ran for seven yards and a Virginia Tech touchdown . The Tech score made the game 28 – 14 with 5 : 09 remaining in the quarter . California began its next drive at its 29 - yard line after a short kickoff return . At first , the Bears struggled to move the ball , but were helped by a 15 - yard personal foul penalty against Virginia Tech . This advanced the ball near midfield and gave California a first down . Aaron Rodgers then completed a series of passes to drive California into the Virginia Tech side of the field and into the end zone . On a 13 - yard pass to J . J . Arrington , Rodgers cut Virginia Tech ' s lead to 28 – 21 with 30 seconds remaining . Virginia Tech took over after the kickoff at its 31 - yard line . Kevin Jones ran for 15 yards and Bryan Randall completed a 30 - yard pass to drive Tech into California territory . Tech was unable to advance the ball further , but kicker Carter Warley was sent in to attempt a 45 - yard field goal . As time expired in the first half , Warley ' s kick missed , denying the Hokies a chance to extend their lead . At the end of the first half , Virginia Tech still held a 28 – 21 lead . Third quarter . Because California received the ball to begin the game , Virginia Tech received the ball to begin the second half . Virginia Tech ' s Mike Imoh fielded the ball at the goal line and returned it 40 yards . Bryan Randall got off to a good start , completing two passes for 26 yards , and Kevin Jones ran the ball another 16 yards . After pushing inside the California red zone , however , the California defense stiffened and Tech was prevented from gaining another first down . Kicker Carter Warley attempted his third field goal of the game — this one a 28 - yard kick — but as before , the kick was no good . After the missed kick , California took over at its 12 - yard line . Aaron Rodgers completed three passes for 58 yards and J . J . Arrington added 15 yards on an end - around run . It took California 2 : 44 in game time to advance 88 yards for a touchdown . The score tied the game at 28 – 28 with 10 : 12 to go in the quarter . Tech received the post - touchdown kickoff and gained two quick first downs , but after advancing the ball beyond its own 40 - yard line , was forced to punt it back to California . With the momentum shifting in the Golden Bears ' favor and a chance to take the lead , it took California three plays to earn a touchdown from its 34 - yard line . Rodgers completed a 42 - yard pass , then a 14 - yard pass , and Adimchinobe Echemandu ran the ball in to the end zone from the Virginia Tech 10 - yard line . The score gave California its first lead since the first drive of the game , and with 5 : 52 remaining in the quarter , the scoreboard read 35 – 28 , California . Following the touchdown , Virginia Tech received the ball and had its first three and out of the game . Tech was forced to punt after running three plays for four yards . California received the ball at its 41 - yard line and used the good field position to its advantage . After two short - gain plays , Rodgers completed a 16 - yard pass and a 24 - yard toss to drive the Bears inside the Virginia Tech 20 - yard line . Echemandu rushed the ball twice for seven total yards , then Rodgers ran it himself the remaining nine yards for another California touchdown . The touchdown and extra point gave California a 42 – 28 lead , its largest in the game . Virginia Tech received the ball with 41 seconds remaining in the quarter , and ran four quick plays . After Bryan Randall threw two incompletions , he connected with Ernest Wilford on a long 23 - yard pass , and Kevin Jones rushed up the middle of the field for another 12 yards . As time expired in the quarter , Tech was inside California territory for the first time since the beginning of the quarter and had a first down . At the end of the third quarter , California held a 42 – 28 lead . Fourth quarter . Virginia Tech opened the fourth quarter in possession of the ball , facing a first down at the California 45 - yard line . Two short plays resulted in seven yards , then Kevin Jones rushed for a 15 - yard gain . On the next play , Bryan Randall completed a 22 - yard toss to receiver Keith Willis for a touchdown . The score and extra point cut California ' s lead to 42 – 35 , and there were 13 minutes and 35 seconds remaining in the game . California received the ball at its 35 - yard line following the post - touchdown kickoff and a short return . The Bears began to run out the clock , rushing the ball more than passing it , as had been the trend throughout the game . Though Aaron Rodgers completed four passes during the drive for 38 yards , J . J . Arrington and Vincent Strang rushed the ball a total of eight times during the possession . California ran 7 : 09 off the clock before Vincent Strang broke free for a 13 - yard rush that resulted in a touchdown . The score restored California ' s 14 - point lead , making the game 49 – 35 with 6 : 26 remaining . Needing to score quickly , Virginia Tech ' s subsequent drive consisted primarily of pass plays . Marcus Vick quarterbacked the first play of the drive , but his pass fell incomplete and he was replaced by Bryan Randall on subsequent plays . Randall completed his first three passes of the drive for 46 yards , pushing the Hokies into California territory . Kevin Jones picked up another first down on two rushes , then Randall completed a 28 - yard pass to Chris Shreve for a touchdown that cut California ' s lead to 49 – 42 . The drive took just two minutes off the clock , leaving 4 : 26 remaining in the game . California received the post - touchdown kickoff and went three and out , leaving plenty of time for a potential game - tying Virginia Tech drive . This turned out to be unnecessary , however , as Tyler Fredrickson ' s punt was returned 52 yards by Virginia Tech ' s DeAngelo Hall for a touchdown . Hall ' s return tied the game at 49 – 49 , and with 3 : 11 remaining in the game , California took over on offense . On his first play after receiving Virginia Tech ' s post - touchdown kickoff , Aaron Rodgers was sacked by the Virginia Tech defense and fumbled the ball . The Bears ' Chris Murphy jumped on the ball , preventing what otherwise might have been a game - losing turnover . Rodgers recovered from the fumble by completing three straight passes : first to J . J . Arrington for 11 yards , then to Brandon Hall for 18 yards and a first down , then to Burl Toler for 22 yards and another first down . The last play took California deep into Virginia Tech territory . At the Tech 20 - yard line , Rodgers rushed for a five - yard gain , then prepared the offense for a potential game - winning field goal kick . With two seconds remaining on the clock , California called timeout and sent in kicker Tyler Fredrickson . Despite an attempt by Virginia Tech to ice the kicker by calling its final timeout , Fredrickson was undeterred by the pressure and his 35 - yard field goal sailed through the goalposts as time expired . The kick gave California three points and the 52 – 49 victory . Final statistics . For his performance in the 2003 Insight Bowl , California quarterback Aaron Rodgers was named the offensive player of the game . Rodgers completed 27 of his 35 passes for 394 yards and two touchdowns in the winning effort . Rodgers ' performance tied Cal ' s bowl records for most completions , most touchdowns , and most rushing touchdowns , and was the third - highest offensive output by a single player in California history . The victory was California ' s first bowl win since a victory over Iowa in the 1993 Alamo Bowl . California kicker Tyler Fredrickson ' s game - winning score was his only field goal kick during the game , but he also had seven extra - point kicks for seven points . In addition , he served as California ' s punter , kicking the ball 4 times for 159 total punting yards . He set school records for most extra points in a season and most extra points attempted . Virginia Tech kicker Carter Warley missed three field goals : a 40 - yarder , 45 - yarder , and a 28 - yarder . He successfully kicked four extra points for four points . Virginia Tech quarterback Bryan Randall finished the game having completed 24 of his 34 pass attempts for 398 yards and four touchdowns . On the ground , Virginia Tech running back Kevin Jones led all rushers with 16 carries for 153 yards and a touchdown . He finished the game having set school records for most rushing yards in a season , most 100 - yard rushing games in a season , and most yards averaged per carry in a career . Leading the Golden Bears on the ground was J . J . Arrington , who finished the game with 11 carries for 34 yards . Two other California players — Adimchinobe Echemandu and quarterback Aaron Rodgers — also had more than 30 yards rushing . Echemandu had one rushing touchdown , and Rodgers earned two . Virginia Tech receiver Ernest Wilford caught 8 passes for 110 yards , setting school records for career pass receptions with 126 , most receptions in a bowl game , and most receptions in a season ( 56 ) . Tech ' s Marcus Vick , normally a quarterback , was put into the game several times as a wide receiver . He caught four passes for 82 yards and a touchdown . California wide receiver Chase Lyman led all receivers statistically , finishing with five receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown . Burl Toler had the most California receptions , catching six passes for 84 yards . Lyman ' s total was a career high for him and a California bowl game record . Virginia Tech ' s offense broke or tied 14 school bowl records , either individually or as a team . In addition to the ones already noted , the Hokies ' 18 first downs by passing , 398 yards passing , 551 yards of total offense , 24 passes completed , 49 points scored and four passing touchdowns were also new school bowl records . Tech ' s 26 rushing plays were the fewest in a Virginia Tech bowl game . California ' s offense set school bowl records for most points ( 52 ) , total yards ( 530 ) , passing yards ( 394 ) , completion percentage ( 77 . 1 % , 27 - of - 35 ) , touchdowns ( seven ) , and rushing touchdowns ( five ) . On defense , California ' s Ryan Gutierrez was named the defensive player of the game . He led all defensive players with 12 tackles in the game . Postgame effects . California ' s win raised it to a final record of 8 – 6 , while Virginia Tech ' s loss dropped it to a final record of 8 – 5 . The Hokies ' five losses represented their worst season since 1997 , when they went 7 – 5 . Virginia Tech and California ' s combined score — 101 points — represented the second - highest scoring bowl game without an overtime period in NCAA history , behind only the 2001 GMAC Bowl . Several players from each team were selected in the 2004 NFL Draft . California ' s Mark Wilson and Adimchinobe Echemandu were selected in the fifth and seventh rounds , respectively . Virginia Tech had five players selected : DeAngelo Hall and Kevin Jones were both taken in the first round , Jake Grove was selected in the second , Ernest Wilford in the fourth , and Nathaniel Adibi in the fifth . One day before the Insight Bowl , Virginia Tech was selected as a participant in the 2004 Black Coaches Association Classic , which traditionally was the first college football game of the season . Virginia Tech ' s opponent in that game was Southern California , whom the Hokies ' Insight Bowl opponents , California , defeated during the 2003 regular season .