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11/06/99 - 9:38PM ET - Click reload often for latest version

Virginia Tech vs. West Virginia

Extended Box  Game Story 
Nov 06, 1999

NCAAF FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL --- --- --- --- ----- VIRGINIA TECH (3) 0 7 5 10 22 WEST VIRGINIA 0 7 0 13 20 FINAL

SCORING SUMMARY

1ST QTR: NONE 2ND QTR: VTCH - TD, ANDRE KENDRICK 46 YD RUN (SHAYNE GRAHAM KICK), 7:55 WVA - TD, KHORI IVY 6 YD PASS FROM MARC BULGER (JAY TAYLOR KICK), 14:11 3RD QTR: VTCH - FG, SHAYNE GRAHAM 20 YD, 4:09 VTCH - SAFETY, BRAD LEWIS TACKLED BY CHRIS CYRUS IN END ZONE, 14:12 4TH QTR: VTCH - TD, SHYRONE STITH 6 YD RUN (SHAYNE GRAHAM KICK), 10:01 WVA - TD, JERRY PORTER 4 YD PASS FROM BRAD LEWIS (JAY TAYLOR KICK), 11:45 WVA - TD, KHORI IVY 18 YD PASS FROM BRAD LEWIS (TWO-POINT CONVERSION FAILED), 13:45 VTCH - FG, SHAYNE GRAHAM 44 YD, 15:00

ATT: 56,906


Extended Box

NCAAF 1 2 3 4 F - - - - -- Virginia Tech (3) 0 7 5 10 22 West Virginia 0 7 0 13 20 FINAL

Virginia Tech-Kendrick 46 run (Graham kick) West Virginia-Ivy 6 pass from Bulger (Ja Taylor kick) Virginia Tech-FG Graham 20 Virginia Tech-Safety, B Lewis tackled in end zone Virginia Tech-Stith 6 run (Graham kick) West Virginia-Porter 4 pass from B Lewis (Ja Taylor kick) West Virginia-Ivy 18 pass from B Lewis (two-point conversion failed) Virginia Tech-FG Graham 44

Virginia Tech West Virginia First downs 17 18 Rushed-yards 39-214 40-107 Passing yards 255 192 Sacked-yards lost 1-10 6-45 Return yards 16 1 Passes 14-31-0 19-38-0 Punts 8-37.8 9-47.0 Fumbles-lost 1-1 2-0 Penalties-yards 6-50 9-63 Time of possession 30:11 29:49

Individual Statistics RUSHING: Virginia Tech-Stith 21-84, Kendrick 6-71, Vick 9-50, Ferguson 2-8, C Hawkins 1-1. West Virginia-Cobourne 27-133, Rego 2-10, B Lewis 8-minus 15, Bulger 3-minus 21.

PASSING: Virginia Tech-Vick 14-30-0-255, Team 0-1-0-0. West Virginia-Bulger 10-21-0-94, B Lewis 9-16-0-98, Team 0-1-0-0.

RECEIVING: Virginia Tech-And Davis 5-138, Hall 4-50, Ferguson 2-12, Wynn 1-29, Parham 1-14, Johnson 1-12. West Virginia-Ivy 7-79, Becht 3-43, Cobourne 3-24, Porter 3-24, Sh Terry 1-8, Rego 1-8, Abraham 1-6.

Att: 56,906


Game Story

MORGANTOWN, West Virginia (Ticker) -- Not even Bourbon Street can host a party like the one that was set off in Blacksburg.

Third-ranked Virginia Tech recorded one of the biggest victories in school history, defeating West Virginia, 22-20, as Shayne Graham ended a classic Big East Conference game with a 44-yard field goal at the final gun.

At 8-0 for the first time since 1905, the Blacksburg-based Hokies (4-0 Big East) remained in line to play for the national championship in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on January 4. Earlier in the day, those title hopes brightened considerably when No. 2 Penn State was upset by Minnesota.

Did Penn State's setback affect the mental state of the Hokies?

"I don't think it was us getting nervous as much as West Virginia playing well," said Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer.

Graham, a senior from Dublin, Virginia and the Big East's career scoring leader, kept alive those title aspirations by calmly splitting the uprights from the right hashmarks. He completed a furious last-minute drive perfectly engineered by freshman quarterback Michael Vick.

"Were there some big plays or what?" Beamer asked. "Thank goodness we have some guys who hung in there. Shayne Graham ... just a great field goal."

"Our kids really played their hearts out," said West Virginia coach Don Nehlen, whose team rallied from a 12-point deficit. "I really feel bad for them. They really bled for this game. I've got a lot of sick guys in that locker room."

Graham was a hero but will have to share the role with Vick. Trailing 20-19, the Hokies began the game-winning drive on their 16-yard line as Vick completed a 13-yard pass to freshman Terrell Parham and hit Ricky Hall for a nine-yard gain.

On 2nd-and-1, Vick rolled right and, without an open receiver, took off down the sideline. He could have stepped out of bounds after picking up the first down but instead eluded several tacklers and wound up with a 31-yard gain to the West Virginia 36.

Vick's next pass over the middle was hauled in by Hall, who was tackled one yard short of the first down. Vick was forced to hurry the Hokies to the line of scrimmage and spike the ball with five seconds to play.

"I was over there on the sidelines praying," Beamer said of Graham's game-winning attempt. "He's been around enough and he does what he wants to, he's a heck of a kicker."

Graham then stepped up and won the game.

"For Shayne Graham and that field goal team to step up and knock it right down the middle ... some seasons it's like this when things happen right and players make it happen right," Beamer added. "We've got a football team that will battle you."

It appeared the Hokies had control with just over 10 minutes to play in the third quarter. After a 51-yard completion from Vick to Andre Davis, Shyrone Stith went up the middle for a six-yard touchdown that made it 19-7.

Vick completed 14-of-30 passes for 255 yards and carried nine times for 50 yards. Stith led the Hokies on the ground with 84 yards on 21 carries. Davis totaled 138 yards on five catches.

A long kickoff return, coupled with a personal foul against the Hokies, set up the Mountaineers at the Virginia Tech 24. Backup quarterback Brad Lewis hit Jerry Porter in the right corner of the end zone to make it 19-14 with 3:15 left.

Lewis was in for Marc Bulger, who suffered a bruised right thumb early in the second half. He was 9-of-16 for 98 yards and two touchdown passes.

Beamer decided to turn the game over to Stith, who carried twice for 18 yards before a jarring hit from West Virginia linebacker Barrett Green knocked the ball loose. Defensive back Boo Sensabaugh recovered at the Virginia Tech 32.

Four plays later, Lewis' toss over the middle was hauled in by Khori Ivy, who eluded a defender before going in for a 16-yard touchdown that gave the Mountaineers a 20-19 advantage. Ivy caught seven passes for 79 yards.

Ivy also caught a six-yard second-quarter TD pass from Bulger that tied it 7-7. Andre Kendrick's 46-yard scoring run midway through the period had opened the scoring.

Bulger was 10-of-21 for 94 yards before departing.

"I felt our football team, in the last month, has played pretty well," said Nehlen. "We won two of them, and the two we lost we had a chance to win against top 20 teams."

The Hokies scored the only five points of the second half on Graham's 20-yard field goal and a safety when Lewis fumbled in the end zone before recovering his own miscue.

Freshman Avon Cobourne had a big day for West Virginia, carrying 27 times for 133 yards. He was especially strong early, when the Mountaineers were still trying to find their confidence.

"The No. 1 thing we wanted to do was play with the same emotion as Virginia Tech," added Beamer. "Our kids busted their butts and that's all you can ask for."