2005 Virginia Tech Hokies football team The 2005 Virginia Tech Hokies football team represented Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University during the 2005 NCAA Division I - A football season . The team ' s head coach was Frank Beamer . Virginia Tech began the season ranked # 7 in the " USA Today " Coaches Poll and # 8 in the Associated Press Poll after going 10 - 3 ( 7 - 1 ACC ) in 2004 and winning the Atlantic Coast Conference title . The 2005 Hokies compiled a 11 - 2 overall record , including a 7 - 1 mark during the regular season in Atlantic Coast Conference . The lone regular season conference loss came at home in a 27 - 7 loss to Miami . Miami was upset late in the season by Georgia Tech , in a game that had previously been postponed due to Hurricane Wilma and so Virginia Tech won the Coastal Division of the ACC outright . Following the regular season , the Hokies faced Atlantic Division champion Florida State in the ACC football championship game . After a defensive struggle in the first half and a 3 - 3 halftime tie , Florida State broke the game open in the third quarter , piling up 24 unanswered points . A fourth quarter Tech rally fell short and the Hokies lost 27 - 22 . The Hokies concluded the season at the 2006 Gator Bowl against Louisville , scoring 22 unanswered fourth quarter points to defeat the # 16 Cardinals 35 - 24 . ESPN ' s College GameDay visited Blacksburg twice during the season - for the Georgia Tech game on September 24 , after Hurricane Rita forced the program to move from Baton Rouge , and for the Miami game on November 5 . Tech ' s defense began the season with question marks in the secondary , having lost three starters and one key backup to graduation . Depth became a critical issue when two backup cornerbacks were arrested in the spring Despite the question marks , Tech finished third nationally in pass defense ( 154 . 23 yards per game ) and first nationally in total defense ( 247 . 62 yards per game ) . Personnel . Marcus Vick . With the departure of three - year starting quarterback Bryan Randall , the Hokies found themselves with questions at the quarterback position . Marcus Vick , who had seen limited action in 2003 , before being suspended for the 2004 season for off - field transgressions , entered spring practice as the # 3 quarterback on the depth chart behind Sean Glennon and Cory Holt . In the spring game , Vick completed 9 of his 17 passes for 107 yards and he was named the starter the next day . After a rough first start against NC State , in which the offense managed just 232 yards , Vick showed improved poise and numbers through the next several games . During the West Virginia game , Vick made an obscene gesture towards the Mountaineer fans who had been chanting " rapist " and " child molester " at him . He later apologized for his conduct . Despite the incident , Vick was a near - perfect 15 of 17 passing against the Mountaineers and added 74 yards on the ground , including a 23 - yard scramble as part of a fourth - quarter touchdown drive that would put the game out of reach . Against Miami , Vick had the worst game of his career , turning the ball over six times and managing only one first half completion . Following the loss to Florida State in the ACC championship game , the Hokies earned a trip to the Gator Bowl to face Louisville . During the second quarter of the game , as players were returning to the huddle after a play , Vick stomped on the left calf of Louisville defensive end Elvis Dumervil . He later claimed that the stomp was accidental , though replays show Vick appearing to deliberately aim for the leg . Vick stated that he apologized to Dumervil after the game , though Dumervil denied that any apology had been offered . Steve Usecheck , the Big 12 Conference referee who headed the Gator Bowl officiating crew , stated that the officiating crew missed the stomp and would have ejected Vick if it had been seen . The following week , it was revealed that Vick had been cited for speeding and driving with a suspended license . University President Charles Steger decided to dismiss Vick from the team and Vick then decided to declare for the NFL draft . Game notes . North Carolina State . The eighth highest - rated broadcast in the history of ESPN2 , this game set a new record for the most - watched college football game in the history of ESPN2 . ( That mark was eclipsed later that month by a Monday - night broadcast of Tennessee @ LSU . ) Marcus Vick made his first start for the Hokies , completing 10 of 21 passes for 108 yards . Tech ' s offense managed only 232 yards of total offense ( State piled up 438 ) , but Nic Schmitt , in his debut game as starting punter , kept the Hokies in good field position , averaging 46 . 5 yards per punt . Special teams , penalties ( the Wolfpack were penalized 12 times for 105 yards ) , and turnovers ( State committed three turnovers while Tech committed none ) were the difference in the game . Leading 13 - 10 at halftime , the Wolfpack drove into Tech territory on their first possession of the second half , then pinned the Hokies at the 1 - yard - line . With third down and 3 yards to go from his own 8 , Vick threw an incomplete pass and the Hokies would have had to punt , but an NC State personal foul allowed the drive to continue . The Hokies went on to march 88 yards down the field , eating up the bulk of the time remaining in the third quarter , and capped the drive with a field goal from Brandon Pace . In the fourth quarter , after a 21 - yard punt return by Eddie Royal , Tech found itself starting at the NC State 20 and Marcus Vick hit David Clowney for the winning touchdown . Duke . In their second straight game in the Triangle , Hokie fans packed Wallace Wade Stadium and accounted for at least two - thirds of the 25 , 014 - strong crowd . The Hokies had little trouble defeating the Blue Devils , holding Duke to 35 yards of total offense - the fewest yards they have allowed in any game since before 1950 . Duke managed over five yards on only two drives and their deepest penetration was to Virginia Tech ' s 48 - yard line , whereas the Hokies started all but three drives at their own 43 or better . Marcus Vick threw for 172 yards and three touchdowns , going 12 - of - 19 ( three of his incomplete passes were dropped by receivers ) . Brandon Ore , who would become the Hokies ' featured tailback in 2006 , made his debut , rushing for 51 yards and one touchdown . Ohio . In the Hokies ' home opener and the inaugural game for the Lane Stadium expansion , the Hokie defense turned in its second straight shutout . Ohio ' s defense , which had scored two touchdowns the previous week in an upset win over Pitt , stifled the Hokies early , allowing only 158 first half yards and twice forcing three - and - out drives . In their only scoring threat of the first half , Ohio penetrated deep into Tech territory , but the drive stalled at the 20 and kicker Jonathon Greene missed a field goal . The Hokies scored two touchdowns off of turnovers and took a 17 - point lead into the locker room at halftime . In the second half , the Hokies scored touchdowns on four of their first five possessions , with drives of 65 , 80 , 56 , and 97 . Georgia Tech . On a day when ESPN ' s College GameDay visited Blacksburg , the Hokies dominated Georgia Tech in every phase of the game . The Hokies scored three non - offensive touchdowns , including D . J . Parker ' s return of a blocked field goal . The Hokies ' kicking game kept Georgia Tech bottled up with Nic Schmitt averaging 49 . 2 yards per punt - including a 61 - yarder that was downed at the one - yard - line - and with Jared Develli kicking touchbacks on four of his eight kickoffs . Georgia Tech quarterback Reggie Ball , who had missed the previous week ' s game against Connecticut due to viral meningitis was not 100 % . Ball completed only 11 of his 27 passes and threw two touchdowns . The lone score for the Yellow Jackets came on a third quarter 11 - yard touchdown pass from Ball to Calvin Johnson . West Virginia . The 2005 meeting between West Virginia and Virginia Tech was the final scheduled meeting between two teams that had met annually since 1973 . Since 1997 , the two teams had competed for the Black Diamond Trophy . Hokie quarterback Marcus Vick put on one of his best performances of the season against the Mountaineers - a near - perfect 15 of 17 passing against the Mountaineers . Vick added 74 yards on the ground , including a 23 - yard scramble as part of a fourth - quarter touchdown drive that would put the game out of reach . The Hokies held onto the ball , committing no turnovers to WVU ' s two , and ran 70 plays compared with only 48 for the Mountaineers . Tech ' s defense held serve , holding West Virginia without a first down on their first three possessions . After West Virginia starting quarterback was knocked out of the game , backup Pat White came in and threw two second - quarter touchdown passes , including a 46 - yarder to Dorrell Jalloh to cut the Hokies ' lead to three points , but the Mountaineers ' only score after that point was a field goal and Tech would go on to win 34 - 17 . Louisville . The 2006 Gator Bowl was played on January 2 , 2006 at 12 : 30 p . m . EST in Jacksonville , Florida . Louisville led for much of the game , beginning with an 11 - yard touchdown pass in the first quarter by backup quarterback Hunter Cantwell , who filled in for the injured Brohm . Tech was only able to answer with a field goal , and Louisville was able to add another touchdown before the end of the quarter . In the second quarter , Virginia Tech fought back and narrowed Louisville ' s lead to a single touchdown . At halftime , the score was 17 – 10 in Louisville ' s favor . In the second half , Virginia Tech ' s offense began to have success . Tech earned the only points of the third quarter — a 28 - yard field goal from kicker Brandon Pace — to narrow Louisville ' s lead to 17 – 13 . In the fourth quarter , however , the game fully turned in the Hokies ' favor . Though Louisville scored a touchdown early in the quarter , Virginia Tech scored 22 unanswered points in the final 13 minutes of the game to take a 35 – 24 lead and earn the win .