Michael Vick burst onto the scene with the Hokies in 1999
1 A SEASON TO REMEMBER MICHAEL VICK BECAME THE STORY OF THE VIRGINIA TECH SEASON IN 1999 HIS DYNAMIC RUNNING AND PASSING SKILLS MADE HIM THE FOCUS OF HIGHLIGHT SHOWS FROM COAST TO COAST BUT HE WAS STILL A MYSTERY TO MOST HOKIES FANS WHEN THE SEASON BEGAN Virginia Tech was ranked No 13 in the country when Vick made his collegiate debut in the season opener a 47 0 victory over James Madison The 19-year-old had already spent one year on campus in Blacksburg Virginia He was a redshirt That meant he could practice but not play in games The next fall Vick was eager to show what he had learned It didn’t take long for Vick to get people talking He rushed for three touchdowns against James Madison in the first half On the last one he did an eye-popping flip into the end zone He sprained an ankle and had to sit out the rest of the game But Hokies fans were excited about his potential
Vick rolls out to his left looking for an open receiver The injury kept Vick on the sidelines the next week as the Hokies beat Alabama-Birmingham He returned in time to help his teammates beat Clemson on a nationally televised Thursday night game In the next three weeks Vick and the Hokies knocked off Virginia Rutgers and Syracuse The offense posted an eye-popping 120 points over the latter two games Virginia Tech now stood at No 3 in the national poll and was starting to dream big
HOKIES I’m sold Virginia Tech receiver Ricky Hall said after the Hokies drubbed 16th-ranked Syracuse 62 0 I’m pretty sure we can go out there and play with anybody They remained at No 3 after beating Pittsburgh 30 17 That set up a battle with archrival West Virginia The Hokies were 7 0 when they traveled to Morgantown West Virginia But late in the game their perfect record was in jeopardy Tech trailed 20 19 when it took over on its own 15-yard line with just over a minute to play Vick took control The freshman quarterback completed two quick passes moving the ball to the Hokies 38-yard line with 35 seconds left Then Vick made the play that saved Virginia Tech’s season With precious seconds slipping away Vick avoided a heavy pass rush and rolled out to his right But he couldn’t find an open receiver He appeared to be running out of bounds at the Virginia Tech 40 But Vick fooled everyone especially the West Virginia defenders Instead of going out of bounds he darted down the sideline With the speed of an Olympic sprinter Vick raced 25 yards in the blink of an eye He was finally forced out of bounds at the West Virginia 36 One more completion for 9 yards put the ball on the West Virginia 27-yard line Senior kicker Shayne Graham trotted onto the field to attempt a game-winning 44-yard field goal The Virginia Tech sideline was tense Some teammates laid on their stomachs perhaps in prayer perhaps because they couldn’t bear to watch A SEASON TO REMEMBER
