Bowie State University entered the game as the 15th ranked team in the country and came away with an 84-78 home win over Goldey-Beacom College...Hokies Have a History in the Sugar Bowl
(BOWIE, Md. – December 30, 2011) Bowie State University entered the game as the 15th ranked team in the country and came away with an 84-78 home win over Goldey-Beacom College after a 12-day layoff. The victory improves Bowie State’s overall record to 8-1 while Goldey-Beacom drops to 5-5. The win was Bowie State’s fifth in a row and keeps their home streak alive at 14 since the end of the 2009 season. “I thought they (Goldey-Beacom) was sharper than we were … I thought we didn’t defend like we’re capable of for most of the game, but we’re happy to get the victory”, said third year BSU head coach Darrell Brooks. Playing for the first time in 12 days, Brooks said, “With these long gaps between games, we don’t have a game rhythm yet but I’m sure we’ll get that by mid-January.”
Bowie State started slow but took its first lead at 9-7 at the 14:55 mark of the first period on a 3-pointer by senior Darren Clark. Back-to-back layups by Goldey-Beacom’s Tariq Uqdah and Ido Yehudo shifted the advantage back over to the Lightning. Bowie State junior Byron Westmorland answered with a layup of his own to tie the game at 11-11 and a short jumper by junior Najee White put the Bulldogs back in front.
The lead would change hands three more times of the next 12 plus minutes before an Uqdah jumper sent Goldey-Beacom into halftime with a 38-36 lead.
Goldey-Beacom hit 13-of-25 field goals (52 percent) over the first 20 minutes, which included 4-of-8 beyond the 3-point line. The Lightning also made 8 of their 11 first half free throws.
Bowie State ended the first half with a 48 percent field goal percentage (13-of-27), which included 6-of15 triples.
The Lightning took their largest lead of the night at 42-36 until a Westmorland 3-pointer trimmed the BSU deficit to 44-43 by the 16:45 mark of the second half. Goldey-Beacom held off Bowie State until a thunderous dunk by Bulldogs senior Travis Hyman tied the game for the ninth time.
A twisting jumper in the paint by junior Bryan Wilson gave the advantage back to Bowie State for good at 66-64 with 6:39 left to play. The Bulldogs went on an 11-3 run over the next four minutes to take its largest lead of the contest at 77-67, with just over two minutes left to play.
Bowie State improved their shooting percentage in the second half, hitting 16-of-27 field goals (62 percent), including 4-of-5 behind the 3-point line. The Bulldogs won the battle of the boards, outrebounding the Lightning 36-28 and forced the guests into 19 turnovers.
Clark led the Bulldogs with 22 points and fellow senior Jay Gavin and junior Byron Westmorland added 16 points each for Bowie State. Hyman rounded out Bowie State’s double figure scorers with 11 points to go along with a game-high four blocked shots and seven rebounds.
As a team, Bowie State shot a season-low 55 percent from the free throw line (16-of-29), compared to 64 percent for Goldey-Beacom (18-of-28).
A.J. Picard paced the Lightning with team-highs of 21 points nine rebounds and Rich Flemming chipped in 18. Uqdah contributed 14 points and was second on the team in rebounds with five.
Bowie State opens (CIAA) conference play – Thursday, January 5th, hosting the Broncos of Fayetteville State University at 7:30 pm as part of a doubleheader with the Lady Bulldogs.
Hokies Have a History in the Sugar Bowl by Chris Coleman, TechSideline.com, TSLMail #517, December 30, 2011
The Hokies will make their fourth trip to New Orleans since 1995 when they take on the Michigan Wolverines in the Sugar Bowl on Tuesday night. Tech fans certainly have some bittersweet memories of past Sugar Bowls. There have been some great moments in the Superdome for Virginia Tech, as well as some oh-so-close moments.
1995 vs. Texas
Virginia Tech was a heavy underdog back in 1995 against the Texas Longhorns. The Hokies won the Big East, but they weren't respected on a national level. Texas was 10-1-1 and champions of the Southwestern Conference (SWC), in its last season of existence. Texas featured the vaunted "BMW" backfield of quarterback James Brown, tailback Shon Mitchell and fullback (and future Heisman Trophy winner) Ricky Williams.
Despite falling behind 10-0, a punt return for a touchdown before halftime by Bryan Still gave the Hokies new life, and Tech went on to outscore Texas 21-0 in the final two quarters. The "BMW" backfield was held to just 78 rushing yards and averaged only 2.4 yards per carry, mostly because James Brown was sacked five times.
Still was the MVP of the game, catching six passes for 119 yards and a touchdown to go along with his punt return. That game propelled him into the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft.
That game was, and remains to this day, the biggest bowl win in the history of the program. It's arguably the biggest overall win as well, only rivaled by the 1995 victory over the Miami Hurricanes, which propelled the Hokies to the Sugar Bowl. It was a great ending to the season, which had not looked promising after an 0-2 start.
Other game notes:
- Tech outgained Texas 371 to 226
- The Hokies gained only 105 yards on the ground, but threw for 266
- Tight end Bryan Jennings caught six passes for 77 yards
1999 vs. Florida State
Many of you left the Superdome on New Year's Eve in 1995 thinking that things would never get any better. If you did, you were wrong. Just four years later, Virginia Tech ran the table behind freshman phenom Michael Vick and faced #1 Florida State in the Sugar Bowl for the National Championship.
The game couldn't have started any worse for Virginia Tech. Vick turned the wrong way on an option at the FSU one yard line, and fumbled the ball away. The Noles went on to take a 28-7 lead, though the Hokies managed to make it a 28-14 game at halftime.
Though they were down, Virginia Tech was not out. The Hokies dominated the third quarter, taking a 29-28 lead into the final stanza. However, starting cornerbacks Anthony Midget and Ike Charlton missed the fourth quarter with injuries, and r-freshman Ronyell Whitaker and r-sophomore Larry Austin stood no chance against All-American wide receiver Peter Warrick and Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Chris Weinke. Tech lost 46-29.Other game notes:
- Tech outgained FSU 503 to 359
- Tech sacked Chris Weinke four times
- Shyrone Stith got hurt in the second quarter and never returned. He had 11 carries for 69 yards
- Florida State returned a punt for a TD and blocked a punt for a TD
2004 vs. Auburn
2004 was a special season, as the Hokies won the ACC in their first season in the league. Their reward was another Sugar Bowl trip and a meeting with undefeated Auburn, the #3 team in the country. They were left out of the National Championship Game because USC and Texas were also undefeated.
That was a very talented Auburn team that featured three first round draft picks on offense: quarterback Jason Campbell and tailbacks Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams. On defense, cornerback Carlos Rogers was a first round pick. That team also featured Jay Ratliff at defensive tackle, who has been a Pro Bowler for the Cowboys for the last four seasons.
The Hokies performed very well defensively, limiting Auburn to just 299 yards of total offense. The Tigers' outstanding backfield was held to only 110 rushing yards and 2.6 yards per carry. Unfortunately, the Tech offense dropped a touchdown pass and the Hokies missed a 23 yard field goal. That resulted in a 16-13 loss.
The Hokies played very well against Auburn, but in the end they shot themselves in the foot with missed opportunities.
Other game notes:
- Tech outgained Auburn 375 to 299
- Bryan Randall threw for 299 yards and also led the team with 45 rushing yards
- Tech had 10 tackles for loss as a team
- Jimmy Williams had 3.5 tackles for loss and an interception
Texas, Florida State, Auburn, and now Michigan. Every time the Hokies get a Sugar Bowl invite, they are matched up with a high-profile team. As a fan, it's fun. Virginia Tech has a great opportunity to knock off one of the most tradition-rich programs in the history of college football. It will be a major challenge, but if the Hokies succeed it will be remembered as one of the best wins in school history.
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