2008 Virginia Tech Hokies football team The 2008 Virginia Tech Hokies football team represented Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The team ' s head coach was Frank Beamer . Prior to the season , the Hokies were expected to be in a rebuilding mode , recovering after the graduation of several key players . Despite that fact , Tech was picked to win the Atlantic Coast Conference ' s Coastal Division in the annual preseason poll of media covering the ACC . The Hokies were ranked the No . 15 team in the country at the start of the season , but suffered an upset loss to East Carolina in their first game . Tech recovered , however , and won five consecutive games following the loss . Schedule . Source : ACC Preseason . During the 2007 college football season , Virginia Tech accumulated a 11 – 3 record that ended with a 21 – 24 loss to the Kansas Jayhawks in the 2008 Orange Bowl . The Hokies also won the 2007 ACC football championship , but were not predicted to repeat that success in 2008 . In the annual preseason football poll of media covering ACC football , Tech was picked second in the conference , behind the Clemson Tigers . The Hokies were picked to finish first in the ACC ' s Coastal Division , but lose to Clemson in the ACC Championship Game . The reason for that second - place prediction was the loss of several key players from Tech ' s ACC - champion 2007 team . Virginia Tech lost its top four receivers , its leading rusher , and seven starters from a defense that ranked fourth nationally in total defense . Eight players from the 2007 team were taken in the 2008 NFL Draft , and Tech ' s 2008 team featured just 10 players who started during the previous season . Making matters more difficult for Virginia Tech , the Hokies suffered several preseason injuries and multiple players were kicked off the team for disciplinary reasons . On August 26 , Tech head coach Frank Beamer announced his intention to redshirt backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor , keeping him in reserve for the 2008 season . Following Virginia Tech ' s loss to East Carolina in the first game of the season , however , Beamer removed the redshirt and Taylor played in Tech ' s second game in the season . After he proved successful in that game , Taylor was named the team ' s starting quarterback for the remainder of the season , supplanting first - game starter Sean Glennon . Game notes . East Carolina . The Virginia Tech Hokies ' first game of the season also was its first loss of the season . In a neutral - site game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte , North Carolina , Tech was upset 27 – 22 by the East Carolina Pirates . East Carolina , members of Conference USA , became the first team from that conference to win a game against a Bowl Championship Series member school since 2002 . The game got off to a slow start , as neither team scored in the first quarter . With 12 : 19 remaining before halftime , however , Virginia Tech scored the first points of the game with a 30 - yard fumble return by defender Stephan Virgil . Four minutes later , Virginia Tech ' s offense also scored , extending the Hokies ' lead to 14 – 0 . East Carolina answered with a touchdown before halftime , but Virginia Tech led 14 – 7 at the beginning of the second half . The Pirates ' offense scored another touchdown with 10 : 05 remaining in the third quarter , but the extra point kick was blocked and returned for a defensive score by Tech ' s Stephan Virgil . If the extra point had been successful , the teams would have been tied at 14 points apiece . Instead , Virginia Tech kept a 16 – 13 lead , which it retained through the third quarter . Early in the fourth quarter , Tech ' s offense extended the Hokies ' lead to 22 – 13 with a touchdown . The extra point kick was missed . Both teams were held scoreless for the next ten minutes before East Carolina ' s Patrick Pinkney ran three yards for a touchdown . The score and extra point cut the Hokies ' lead to 22 – 20 with less than four minutes remaining in the game . Tech attempted to run out the clock , but East Carolina ' s defense forced the Hokies to punt . The kick was blocked , however , and East Carolina ' s T . J . Lee returned the loose ball for a game - winning touchdown . With the limited time remaining in the game , Tech was unable to answer the touchdown , and East Carolina clinched a 27 – 22 victory . Furman . Virginia Tech ' s second game of the season came against the Football Championship Subdivision ( formerly Division I - AA ) Furman Paladins at Virginia Tech ' s home stadium , Lane Stadium , in Blacksburg , Virginia . Despite the loss to East Carolina , Tech came into its home opener heavily favored and lived up to that expectation by beating the Paladins , 24 – 7 . For the game , Virginia Tech wore a throwback uniform honoring former Tech coaches Jerry Claiborne , Charlie Coffey , Jimmy Sharpe and Bill Dooley . The Hokies used backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor alongside starter Sean Glennon beginning with the fifth play of the game . Despite that change in offensive strategy , the Hokies were held scoreless in the first quarter . Tech ' s defense also held firm , and kept Furman from scoring in the first quarter as well . In the second quarter , both teams were again held scoreless until just 29 seconds before halftime , when Virginia Tech placekicker Dustin Keys kicked a field goal for the Hokies , giving them a 3 – 0 lead at halftime . In the third quarter , Virginia Tech ' s offense finally hit its stride . With 8 : 41 remaining in the quarter , Sean Glennon completed a 10 - yard touchdown pass to running back Kenny Lewis , Jr . , giving the Hokies a 10 – 0 lead after the extra point . Tech added two more touchdowns before the end of the quarter , making the game 24 – 0 with one quarter remaining . The Paladins scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter , closing the gap to 24 – 7 and avoiding a shutout , but were unable to further catch up to the Hokies . Tech earned its first win of the season , bringing its overall season record to 1 – 1 . Georgia Tech . The Hokies ' third game of the season also was their first Atlantic Coast Conference game of the season as Virginia Tech faced Georgia Tech at Lane Stadium . Tyrod Taylor , who had been the Hokies ' backup quarterback at the beginning of the season , started the game and did not relinquish his position . Tech fell behind 3 – 0 in the first quarter , but took a lead in the second quarter that they did not relinquish through the rest of the game , winning 20 – 17 . In the game ' s first quarter , Virginia Tech was held scoreless while Georgia Tech took a 3 – 0 lead with a 32 - yard field goal by kicker Scott Blair . Early in the second quarter , Tech answered the score by taking the lead with an eight - yard touchdown run by freshman tailback Darren Evans , who finished the game with 19 carries for 94 yards and the lone touchdown . Georgia Tech answered with a touchdown that came from a 41 - yard pass to Roddy Jones . The extra point was blocked , but the Yellow Jackets still held a 9 – 7 lead with 3 : 44 remaining in the first half . Virginia Tech ' s offense answered quickly , however , mounting a drive that resulted in a Tyrod Taylor rushing touchdown with just 10 seconds before halftime . The Hokies entered the second half with a 14 – 9 lead and maintained that margin through the third quarter . Early in the fourth quarter , Tech extended its lead to 17 – 9 with a field goal by Dustin Keys . Four minutes of game time later , Georgia Tech ' s Josh Nesbitt ran 18 yards for a touchdown . Instead of kicking an extra point , the Yellow Jackets attempted a two - point conversion and were successful , tying the game at 17 – 17 with 9 : 28 remaining . From that point , both teams ' defenses dominated the course of play , and only Virginia Tech , with a 21 - yard field goal from Keys , was able to score . That field goal was the margin of victory , and the Hokies edged the Yellow Jackets , 20 – 17 .