2011 Orange Bowl
Encyclopedia
The 2011 Discover Orange Bowl
was a postseason college football
bowl game
between the Virginia Tech Hokies
and the Stanford Cardinal
on Monday, January 3, 2011, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens
, Florida. Stanford defeated Virginia Tech 40–12. The game was part of the 2010–2011 Bowl Championship Series
of the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season
and was the concluding game of the season for both teams. The game, the 77th edition of the Orange Bowl, was televised in the United States on ESPN
and the broadcast was seen by an estimated 8.23 million viewers.
Virginia Tech was selected to participate in the Orange Bowl after an 11–2 regular season that culminated with a 44–33 win in the 2010 ACC Championship Game
. Stanford was picked as the other half of the matchup following an 11–1 campaign that included the school's best-ever regular-season record. That performance earned the Cardinal a No. 4 ranking in the BCS Poll and the automatic bid to a BCS game that accompanies a top-4 ranking of a second school in a conference other than the champion. In the weeks before that game, media attention focused on both teams' turnarounds from historical difficulties and the performance of Stanford quarterback
Andrew Luck
. The game also was the first Orange Bowl not sponsored by FedEx
in 21 years, ending the longest-running title sponsorship deal among the major bowls.
The game kicked off
at 8:39 pm in warm weather, and Stanford scored first, a touchdown
, with its third offensive possession. Virginia Tech briefly took the lead with a safety followed by a touchdown of its own, but Stanford restored a 13–12 advantage before halftime
. In the second half, Stanford pulled away from Virginia Tech as it scored 13 points in the third quarter and 14 in the fourth while holding the Hokies scoreless.
In recognition of his performance during the game, Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck was named the game's most valuable player
. He set a Stanford bowl-game record for touchdowns, and threw three of those scores to tight end Coby Fleener, who set a Stanford and Orange Bowl record with 173 receiving yards. Both teams made coaching changes after the game, as Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh
left the team to coach the National Football League
's San Francisco 49ers
and Virginia Tech replaced several assistant coaches. Players from each team were selected in the 2011 NFL Draft
.
(BCS) bowl game
s that have been played at the conclusion of every college football season since 2006.Between 1998 and 2006, there were four BCS games. As defined by contract, the bowl matches the champion of the Atlantic Coast Conference
(ACC) against an at-large pick chosen by a special committee. On December 4, 2010, the Virginia Tech Hokies
defeated the Florida State Seminoles
in the 2010 ACC Championship Game
, thus winning an automatic bid to the 2011 Orange Bowl.
The at-large spot in the Orange Bowl was filled via a round-robin
selection procedure defined by the other Bowl Championship series games (the Sugar
, Fiesta
, and Rose bowls) and the automatic bids. If a game's automatic bid team is selected for the BCS National Championship Game
, it is allowed to select a replacement team. In the 2010 season, teams otherwise designated for the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl were picked for the national championship game. Following the two compensatory selections are the at-large picks. The order of at-large selections rotates annually among the BCS bowls.
For the January 2011 games, the Sugar Bowl
selected first, followed by the Orange Bowl and Fiesta Bowl
. The Sugar Bowl picked Ohio State
, which left the Orange Bowl to decide between two teams contractually bound to appear in a BCS bowl game. These were Stanford, which was guaranteed a BCS bid by its No. 4 national ranking, and Connecticut
, champion of the Big East Conference
. Favoring Stanford's potential to draw a large television audience, the Orange Bowl selected the Cardinal, leaving Connecticut to the Fiesta Bowl.
under freshman quarterback Andrew Luck. The 2009 season saw the Cardinal defeat eighth-ranked Oregon
and No. 9 USC
en route to breaking a seven-year bowl game drought with an appearance in the 2009 Sun Bowl
against Oklahoma
. Stanford changed several position coaches and its defensive strategy in the offseason, and though the Cardinal returned 17 of 24 possible players from the previous year's starting lineup, few believed the Cardinal would be among the best teams in the country. In the annual preseason poll of media members covering the Pacific 10, Stanford was picked to finish fourth in the 10-team conference. Nationally, Stanford appeared in the "also receiving votes" categories of the preseason polls. In the AP Poll
, the team was 27th; in the coaches' poll, the Cardinal was 32nd.
The Cardinal opened the season by defeating Football Bowl Subdivision team Sacramento State, then beat conference opponent UCLA
in the first Pacific 10 game of the season. The win over Sacramento State pushed Stanford to No. 25 nationally, and the win over UCLA raised Stanford to No. 19, the rank it held when it defeated Atlantic Coast Conference foe Wake Forest
68–24 on September 18. The following week, Stanford defeated Notre Dame
as the nation's No. 16 team, and the win raised the Cardinal to No. 9.
On October 2, No. 9 Stanford played No. 4 Oregon
. The game was touted as a matchup between two of the top offenses in college football and was nationally televised. Stanford led 21–3 after the first quarter and 31–24 at halftime, but the Cardinal allowed 28 unanswered points in the second half and lost to Oregon, 52–31. Oregon later went on to play in the BCS National Championship game, and the defeat was Stanford's only one of the season. The loss dropped Stanford to No. 16 in the polls, but the team rebounded the following week to defeat USC
on a last-second field goal, 37–35.
The victory over USC began a winning streak unprecedented in Stanford football history since the time of the Korean War
. The week after beating USC, Stanford defeated Washington State
, moving to a 6–1 record for the first time since 1970. The Cardinal rose to No. 13 nationally and defeated the University of Washington
on October 30. Against No. 15 Arizona
, Stanford matched its previous season's win total. On November 13, Stanford defeated Arizona State
in a closely fought 17–13 win that brought the Cardinal football team to 9–1 and its best record since 1951. The following week, Stanford beat traditional rival California
in The Big Game
by a 48–14 score. It was the largest margin of victory in the rivalry since 1930. Stanford's final regular-season game was against the Oregon State Beavers
, and Stanford won the contest convincingly, 38–0. The No. 4 and No. 5 nationally ranked teams had lost earlier the same day, lifting Stanford in the polls and in position for a Bowl Championship Series game berth.
that saw the team finish 10–3, including a season-ending win in the 2009 Chick-fil-A Bowl
against the Tennessee Volunteers
. Because of that season-ending victory and the Hokies' general good performance during the 2009 season, Virginia Tech was ranked No. 10 in preseason national polling. The Hokies' first game of the season was a nationally televised contest against then-No. 3 Boise State
at FedEx Field near Washington, D.C.. Because the game was the first of the season to feature two top-10 teams, it received large amounts of media coverage. During the game, Virginia Tech fell behind 17–0 in the first quarter, but rallied to take a 21–20 lead early in the third quarter. The two teams traded the lead, alternating scoring drives until Boise State scored a touchdown with 1:06 remaining. Virginia Tech was unable to reply one final time, and Boise State earned a 33–30 victory.
The close loss discouraged the Virginia Tech players, who then had only five days to prepare for their next opponent, lightly regarded James Madison University
. At Lane Stadium
, Virginia Tech's home field, James Madison upset the heavily favored Hokies, 21–16. The loss was only the second time in college football history that a team ranked nationally was defeated by a team from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision. In the wake of the loss, Virginia Tech fell from No. 13 to out of the polls entirely.
Following the loss, seniors on the football team held a players-only meeting in an effort to rally the team. Players later recalled that meeting as the turning point in the team's season. The next week, Virginia Tech earned its first win of the season, a 49–27 victory over East Carolina
in Lane Stadium. The Hokies followed that by traveling to Boston College
for a 19–0 win, their first shutout since 2006.
The two victories were the start of a winning streak that saw the Hokies complete the regular season without another loss. Following Boston College, they defeated No. 23 NC State in its home stadium, 41–30. They defeated nonconference opponent Central Michigan, then beat conference opponent Wake Forest
and re-entered the polls at No. 25. Their position in the polls climbed with each opponent they defeated. They beat Duke
as the No. 25 team, Georgia Tech
as the No. 23 team, North Carolina
as the No. 20 team and No. 23 Miami
as the No. 16 team. The Miami victory clinched Tech the division championship and a slot in the ACC championship game, but the Hokies still won their final previously scheduled game, the annual Commonwealth Cup
rivalry against Virginia
. In the ACC Championship Game, Virginia Tech defeated Florida State 44–33, clinching the ACC's automatic bid to the Orange Bowl.
won the right to broadcast Bowl Championship Series games between 2011 and 2014. In compensation, it agreed to pay the BCS $125 million per year, more than a competing bid from Fox ($100 million), which had been paying $82.5 million per year for the contract that ended in 2010. To balance the higher cost of broadcasting the games, ESPN demanded more money for title sponsorship of each game. Shipping company FedEx
, which had become the Orange Bowl's title sponsor in 1990 and was the longest continuous sponsor of any bowl game, balked at ESPN's increased demands—about $20 million per year and required advertising outside the Orange Bowl—and ended its sponsorship.
Citi, the title sponsor of the Rose Bowl, likewise ended its sponsorship over the increased cost. ESPN immediately began pursuing an alternative title sponsor for each game. Candy manufacturer The Hershey Company
was an early possibility for the Orange Bowl, and the company considered titling the game the Reese's Orange Bowl, but negotiations fell through. In August, ESPN reached a deal with credit card company Discover Financial
to make the game the Discover Orange Bowl through 2014.
said he didn't see much difference in quality. Another point of conversation was the poor performance of the ACC in nonconference games and Virginia Tech's poor past performance against teams ranked in the top 5. The Hokies had won just one of 27 games against teams in that category. Partially because of this factor, spread bettors
favored Stanford by three points when the first odds were released December 10, a margin that various organizations either kept constant or raised to 3.5 points by the day of the game. It was the first time all season the Hokies were point spread underdogs.
Two nights before the game, Virginia Tech running back David Wilson and safety Antone Exum missed a 1 am curfew. As punishment, Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer suspended the two players for the first quarter of the Orange Bowl.
said, "It will probably be more Hokie fans there than Stanford fans. That far away from home it probably could be a hostile environment for us."
Orange Bowl organizers predicted that Virginia Tech fans, who were located closer to the site of the game, would be attracted by its proximity and the warm weather offered by southern Florida. Delta Air Lines
added more flights from Virginia to Florida in anticipation. To entice more fans to attend, tourism officials planned to step up their advertising in order to boost the economic impact of the event, estimated in 2009 at $200 million. The advertising campaign was a difficult sell because the game was scheduled for the first Monday after New Year's Day, the date when most American workers return to their jobs after the New Year.
Partially because of this fact, ticket sales were slow. By December 23, Tech had sold just 6,500 of its 17,500-seat allotment, while Stanford fans had purchased 9,000 tickets from their allotment. These figures increased slightly as the game day approached, but the schools were hampered by several factors. The tickets assigned to the schools were in less-desirable seats, and many seats were available far more cheaply in the secondary market. In one example, an upper-deck ticket sold by Virginia Tech cost $65, while a similar ticket was available for $12 through an online ticket seller. The two schools were forced to purchase the remaining unsold tickets, costing each several hundred thousand dollars.
, the annual award given to the best player in college football that season. NCAA rules allow a player three years removed from high school to enter the NFL Draft
, and even though he was only a sophomore in 2010, he met the three-year standard at the conclusion of the season. Before the Orange Bowl, media and fans speculated as to Luck's likely choice.
Luck distributed his passes relatively evenly among his receivers. Doug Baldwin was the team's leading receiver, with 56 receptions for 824 yards and 9 touchdowns during the regular season. Wide receiver and kick returner Chris Owusu, who played in only six games because of a knee injury, underwent arthroscopic surgery and was expected to play in the Orange Bowl. He was the team's fourth-leading receiver in terms of yardage, catching 24 passes for 394 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Stanford's running game was led statistically by sophomore running back Stepfan Taylor, who garnered 1,023 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns during the regular season. Before the game, Cardinal head coach Jim Harbaugh said he planned to give three other running backs—Tyler Gaffney, Jeremy Stewart, and Anthony Wilkerson—opportunities to carry the ball when Taylor was taken out of the game.
Virginia Tech's success at blocking kicks during the 24 years of head coach Frank Beamer's tenure caused Stanford to spend extra time in pregame practices on kick protection.
Because of his success in guiding Stanford's offense, head coach Harbaugh was mentioned as a candidate for the vacant head coaching positions of other universities and National Football League
teams. In the leadup to the Orange Bowl, however, Harbaugh refused to comment on any of the possibilities and said he wanted to focus on guiding his team to victory. Stanford players echoed that line. "We've invested too much to let something like that distract us," linebacker Shayne Skov said December 30.
Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor was the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year and its championship game MVP. According to pregame media coverage, he presented a contrasting style to Stanford's Luck. Taylor gained threw for 2,521 yards and set a school record with 23 passing touchdowns, but was praised primarily for his physical mobility and ability to avoid defensive pressure, something Luck lacked. Taylor's presence was a contributing factor to Tech's offensive success in 2010. Virginia Tech's offense was the most productive since offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring
joined the team in 2001. It set team records for points and total yards, and led the ACC in scoring and red-zone efficiency.
In addition to Taylor's success passing the ball, the Hokies also had a successful running offense. Running back Ryan Williams, who was limited for much of the season because of injury, had 473 rushing yards. Fellow running back Darren Evans, who missed the 2008 season because of injury, gained 817 yards and 11 touchdowns. Sophomore running back David Wilson gained 616 yards. Combined with Taylor's rushing total, Virginia Tech gained 2,543 yards and 30 touchdowns on the ground.
, who was given credit for much of the team's success in that department. At the end of the regular season, Stanford was first in the Pac-10 and 11th of 120 teams nationally in scoring defense (allowing an average of 17.83 points per game) and 24th in total defense (permitting 326 yards per game). In 2009, Stanford was 69th in scoring defense (26.5) and 90th in total defense (403 yards per game). A prominent player on Stanford's defense was Owen Marecic, the only person in major league college football that season to play both offense and defense. On defense, Marecic accrued 45 tackles and 2 interceptions as a linebacker; on offense, he gained 117 yards and 4 touchdowns as the team's fullback.
Stanford's leading tackler was linebacker Shayne Skov, who accumulated 72 tackles despite missing the first two games of the season. Before the game, Skov said one of Stanford's priorities would be to contain the mobility of Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor. "We need to try to keep him in the pocket and (apply) pressure the same way we have all year," Skov said.
, who was named a candidate in several teams' searches for a new head coach, but decided to remain at Virginia Tech as the buildup to the Orange Bowl continued. Heading into the game, Tech's defense ranked 38th nationally in total yards allowed, its second-worst performance since 1993. Tech's run defense was 58th, permitting an average 148.9 rushing yards per game. On the positive side of things, Tech's defense had the third-most interceptions (22) in the country, and its scoring defense was 16th (19.1 points per game).
Tech's top performer on defense was sophomore cornerback Jayron Hosley, who had eight interceptions during the season—tied for most in the country—and was named a first-team Walter Camp All-American, a second-team Associated Press All-American, and a second-team Sports Illustrated All-American for that performance. Other top performers included linebackers Bruce Taylor and Stephen Friday, who had 15.5 and 15 tackles for loss, respectively.
The Hokies played the Orange Bowl without starting linebacker Lyndell Gibson, who fractured his shoulder in the second quarter of the ACC Championship Game. Gibson was fourth on the team in tackles with 66. Replacing Gibson was redshirt freshman Tariq Edwards, who played only a few times before the Orange Bowl. The Hokies also returned a player from injury for the Orange Bowl. Linebacker Barquell Rivers, who had been predicted to be Tech's starting middle linebacker, suffered a torn quadriceps tendon
in offseason workouts, causing him to miss every game. Heading into the Orange Bowl, coaches were optimistic that he had healed enough to be able to play.
at 8:39 pm EST
on January 3, 2011 in Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
. Bowl officials said 65,463 tickets were sold for the game, but many went unused, and that official figure was more than 9,000 below stadium capacity. The game was televised on ESPN
, and the announcers
were Mike Tirico
, Ron Jaworski
, Jon Gruden
and Michele Tafoya
. An estimated 8.23 million viewers watched the broadcast, earning it a Nielsen rating
of 7.1. That figure was the second-lowest mark to date for a BCS game. For contributing teams to the Orange Bowl, the Atlantic Coast Conference and Pacific 10 each received large amounts of money to be divided among their members. Because the Pac-10 had two BCS teams, that conference received $27.2 million from the BCS. The ACC, which had only Virginia Tech in a BCS bowl, received $21.2 million. In the ACC, Virginia Tech received a somewhat larger share of the money as a reward for winning the conference: All other ACC teams received $1.1 million; Tech got $1.7 million. Stanford received a similar amount, but the extra money was offset by the cost of sending 500 players, coaches, and staff to Miami.
Tech punted, and Stanford's offense returned to the field. The two teams traded possessions one more time, with Stanford turning the ball over on downs
after a failed fourth-down conversion attempt, and Virginia Tech returning the ball with another punt. Following the kick, Stanford's offense began work from its 14-yard line with 8:08 remaining in the quarter. Two plays gained five yards, then Luck completed a 21-yard pass to wide receiver Doug Baldwin for just the second first down of the game. On the next play, Stanford running back Jeremy Stewart broke free of the Virginia Tech defense and ran down the field 60 yards for a touchdown. The score and subsequent extra point gave Stanford a 7–0 lead with 6:16 remaining in the quarter.
Stanford's post-score kickoff was downed for a touchback
, and Virginia Tech's offense began from its 20-yard line. The Hokies gained their initial first down of the game when quarterback Tyrod Taylor completed a 19-yard pass to wide receiver Danny Coale on the drive's third play, but Tech was unable to gain another. Tech punted from its 43-yard line, and the kick was downed at the Stanford 5-yard line, where the Cardinal offense started work. Two rushing plays were stopped for no gain, then Luck attempted a passing play on third down. Because the line of scrimmage was so close to the Stanford goal line, Luck had to move into his own end zone to attempt the pass. Under pressure from the Virginia Tech defense, he threw to Derek Hall, who caught the ball in the end zone and was tackled before getting out. The result of the play was a safety, a 2-point defensive score for Virginia Tech.
Trailing 7–2 with 59 seconds remaining in the quarter, Virginia Tech's offense received the ball at its 25-yard line following Stanford's post-safety free kick. On the first play of the subsequent drive, Taylor ran through the Stanford defense for 22 yards and a first down at the Tech 47-yard line. The second play of the drive, a 4-yard run by running back Darren Evans, pushed Tech into Stanford's side of the field for the first time in the game, and was the final play of the quarter. With three quarters remaining, Stanford led Virginia Tech, 7–2.
Virginia Tech's post-touchdown kickoff was returned to the Stanford 21-yard line, where the Cardinal offense began its first drive of the second quarter. On the first play of the drive, Luck completed a 14-yard pass to tight end Zach Ertz for a first down. Three consecutive short-yardage plays gained another first down, then running back Jeremy Stewart escaped the Virginia Tech defense for a 24-yard gain, pushing the Cardinal into Virginia Tech territory. Three plays later, Luck again threw a long pass to Ertz, this time a 25-yard toss for Stanford's second touchdown of the game. The subsequent extra point kick was blocked by Virginia Tech, but the touchdown's six points were enough for Stanford to regain the lead, 13–9.
Virginia Tech began its first full drive of the second quarter from its 25-yard line, but the Hokies went three-and-out. Stanford's offense, beginning from its 33-yard line after the Tech punt, had its drive cut short when Luck threw an interception to Virginia Tech's Jayron Hosley at the Tech 46-yard line. The Hokies advanced to the Stanford 30-yard line, but turned the ball over on downs after failing to gain one yard on fourth down. Stanford went three-and-out after the Hokies' turnover and punted. Tech's offense returned to the field at its 20-yard line with 49 seconds remaining until halftime. Using a hurry-up offense and strategically calling timeouts to stop the game clock, Tech advanced the ball down the field. Taylor rushed for 14 yards, threw a 32-yard pass, and the Hokies were helped by a 10-yard holding penalty against Stanford. They advanced to the Stanford 20-yard line where, with time running out, they sent in kicker Chris Hazley. He completed a 37-yard field goal in the final play from scrimmage in the first half, making the game a one-point affair, 13–12.
band Goo Goo Dolls
. Reviews criticized the performance for awkward staging and brevity, as the group performed only two songs. Middle school and high school dance squads also participated in the halftime show, performaing on the field while the Goo Goo Dolls played. Pregame media coverage erroneously reported that Stanford's marching band
, which had been scheduled to perform, was banned from the field. The band had never been scheduled to perform at halftime; each team's marching band was allotted a six-minute pregame performance.
Virginia Tech's second drive of the half began at its 41-yard line after a 31-yard kickoff return by Wilson. On the first play of the drive, Taylor was sacked for a 13-yard loss. He made good the lost yardage on the next play, however, completing a 42-yard throw to Danny Coale. From the Stanford 40-yard line, Taylor gained five yards on a running play, then attempted a long pass downfield. The throw was intercepted by Stanford's Delano Howell at the Cardinal 3-yard line, returning Luck and the Stanford offense to the field. Luck needed only two plays to drive the length of the field and score a touchdown. A 56-yard run by Stepfan Taylor was followed by a 41-yard touchdown pass to Coby Fleener, and the following extra point kick was good, making the score 26–12 with 5:49 remaining.
Virginia Tech's third drive of the quarter started from its 23-yard line. The first two plays of the drive were stopped for negative gain, then Taylor completed a 17-yard throw to Jarret Boykin for a first down. Tech couldn't gain another first down, however, and punted to Stanford, which started from its 13-yard line. As in Virginia Tech's previous drive, the Stanford offense began with a play that lost yardage, but it made up the failure with a running play that gained six yards and a passing play from Luck to Fleener for a first down at the Stanford 32-yard line. On the quarter's final play, running back Tyler Gaffney gained seven yards. With one quarter remaining, Stanford led 26–12.
Following Stanford's post-touchdown kickoff, Virginia Tech's offense took the field at its 25-yard line and embarked upon one of its longest drives of the game in terms of the number of plays. In the first seven plays of the drive, quarterback Taylor was the key component. He threw six passes, completing 3 for 39 yards, and ran once, for no gain. On the eighth play of the drive, running back Ryan Williams gained one yard, then committed a 15-yard personal foul penalty. Tech's drive faltered after the penalty: Taylor threw an incomplete pass, then was sacked for a 16-yard loss, and the Hokies punted to the Stanford 28-yard line.
As it had in the third quarter, Stanford's offense scored quickly. In only three plays, the Cardinal advanced 72 yards. A 34-yard run by Stepfan Taylor was followed by one stopped for no gain, then Luck completed a 38-yard throw to Fleener for Stanford's second touchdown of the quarter. The score and extra point improved Stanford's lead to 40–12 with 6:05 remaining in the game. Tech's subsequent drive went three-and-out after Tyrod Taylor was sacked twice, and Stanford got the ball again at its 46-yard line.
With only 4:25 remaining and a lead well in hand, Stanford began running down the clock
by executing running plays, which keep the game clock running as long as the ball carrier is downed in the field of play. Three rushes gained Stanford 16 yards, but the effectiveness of this strategy was undermined by a 15-yard personal foul penalty against Stanford that prevented the Cardinal from gaining a first down. Stanford also accepted a delay of game penalty in order to squeeze as much time as possible from the clock before punting back to Virginia Tech. The final drive of the game began from the Tech 11-yard line with 2:10 remaining, and quarterback Taylor controlled the ball on all of its five plays. Taylor completed a five-yard pass to Coale, then ran for 18 yards and a first down. He was then sacked for an 15-yard loss, but gained much of that back with an 11-yard run. On the game's final play, Taylor completed a 17-yard first-down pass to Wilson, who was tackled as the last second ticked off the clock and Stanford clinched a 40–12 victory.
. He completed 18 of his 23 pass attempts for 287 yards and 4 touchdowns. The four touchdowns was a Stanford bowl-game record, and three of Luck's touchdowns went to tight end Coby Fleener, who set a Stanford and Orange Bowl record with 173 receiving yards and tied a record with the three touchdown catches. In postgame analysis, Fleener's performance was touted as the factor "that turned a close game into a rout".
Despite those players' performances, the game was decided in the running game and the performance of the two teams' offensive and defensive lines. Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh was praised for adjusting his team's strategy at halftime, allowing it to succeed in the second half. Stanford's rushing offense accounted for 247 yards, while its defensive line limited Virginia Tech to just 67 yards rushing. The Stanford defense also sacked Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor eight times, denying him time to pass the ball accurately.
Stanford's leading rusher was Stepfan Taylor, who accumulated 114 yards on 13 carries, including a 56-yard sprint that was the second-longest run of his career. Stanford's No. 2 runner, Jeremy Stewart, had a career-high 99 rushing yards. His 60-yard touchdown run in the first quarter is the longest touchdown run in Stanford bowl-game history and the seventh-longest in Orange Bowl history. Virginia Tech's leading rusher was Darren Evans, who had 12 carries for 37 yards. Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor was the team's No. 2 rusher, with 16 carries for 22 yards. He also completed 16 of 31 pass attempts for 222 yards and Tech's sole touchdown.
On defense, Virginia Tech's Jayron Hosley tied the school record for interceptions (9) and had the most in the nation that season when he caught an Andrew Luck pass in the first half. Tech's defense also recorded its first safety since 2008, and its blocked extra point was the first such block in Virginia Tech bowl-game history. The Hokies' leading tackler was Eddie Whitley, who had seven stops, while Stanford's leading defensive performer was Shayne Skov, who had 12 tackles, including 3 quarterback sacks.
against Michigan State
, and San Francisco Chronicle
football writer Tom FitzGerald declared one of the 10 all-time best Bay Area college football teams. In the final college football polls of the season, Stanford rose to No. 4, while Virginia Tech dropped to 16th in the Associated Press Poll and 15th in the USA Today coaches' poll.
Stanford's victory in the Orange Bowl caused a massive jump in the number of season ticket sales at the school. By mid-February 2011, the school reported having sold 1,400 new season tickets, as compared to just 458 in the first six months of 2010.
Following the game, some actions by Orange Bowl Committee officials came under fire as the Miami Herald revealed the nonprofit committee had spent millions of dollars on junket trips for college football administrators. The U.S. federal Internal Revenue Service
subsequently began investigating the allegations. In its annual transition to new leadership, the Orange Bowl committee picked Goldman Sachs
vice president Jeffrey T. Roberts to serve as its president for the 2012 game.
's San Francisco 49ers
. He was replaced as Stanford head coach by David Shaw
, the team's offensive coordinator. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio followed Harbaugh to the 49ers and was replaced by co-defensive coordinators Jason Tarver
and Derek Mason
, the latter also serving as associate head coach. To replaced the vacated offensive coordinator position, Shaw selected Stanford wide receivers coach Pep Hamilton
.
Virginia Tech's coaching changes came about a month after the Orange Bowl. On February 14, the school announced that the son of head coach Frank Beamer, Shane Beamer
, had been hired as running backs coach. He replaced Billy Hite, the longest-tenured assistant coach in the country, who took an administrative role with the team. Two days later, Tech replaced 62-year-old linebackers coach Jim Cavanaugh with 35-year-old Cornell Brown
. On February 22, Tech announced that offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring
had been removed from play-calling duties and replaced by quarterbacks coach Mike O'Cain
. Stinespring, who also was the team's associate head coach, was replaced in that capacity by Shane Beamer.
The 2011 NFL Draft took place in late April, and several players from each Orange Bowl team were selected by professional squads seeking their talents. Virginia Tech's Ryan Williams was the first Orange Bowl participant selected, taken with the 38th overall pick. Tech's Rashad Carmichael (127th), and Tyrod Taylor (180th) were also selected. Stanford had four players picked in the draft: Sione Fua (97th), Owen Marecic (124th), Richard Sherman (154th), and Ryan Whalen (157th).
Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935 and celebrated its 75th playing on January 1, 2009...
was a postseason college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
between the Virginia Tech Hokies
2010 Virginia Tech Hokies football team
The 2010 Virginia Tech Hokies football team represented Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS college football season. The Hokies were led by 24th-year head coach Frank Beamer and played their home games at Lane Stadium...
and the Stanford Cardinal
2010 Stanford Cardinal football team
The 2010 Stanford Cardinal football team represented Stanford University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS college football season. The Cardinal were led by head coach Jim Harbaugh, who was in his 4th and final season before leaving to become head coach of the San Francisco 49ers...
on Monday, January 3, 2011, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens
Miami Gardens, Florida
Miami Gardens is a Miami suburban city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city name comes from one of the major roadways through the area, Miami Gardens Drive. According to the 2010 U.S...
, Florida. Stanford defeated Virginia Tech 40–12. The game was part of the 2010–2011 Bowl Championship Series
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
of the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season
2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on Thursday, September 2, 2010. The season progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game on Monday, January 10, 2011.-Rule changes for...
and was the concluding game of the season for both teams. The game, the 77th edition of the Orange Bowl, was televised in the United States on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and the broadcast was seen by an estimated 8.23 million viewers.
Virginia Tech was selected to participate in the Orange Bowl after an 11–2 regular season that culminated with a 44–33 win in the 2010 ACC Championship Game
2010 ACC Championship Game
The 2010 ACC Championship Game was a college football game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Florida State Seminoles. The game, sponsored by Dr. Pepper, was the final regular-season contest of the 2010 college football season for the Atlantic Coast Conference...
. Stanford was picked as the other half of the matchup following an 11–1 campaign that included the school's best-ever regular-season record. That performance earned the Cardinal a No. 4 ranking in the BCS Poll and the automatic bid to a BCS game that accompanies a top-4 ranking of a second school in a conference other than the champion. In the weeks before that game, media attention focused on both teams' turnarounds from historical difficulties and the performance of Stanford quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Andrew Luck
Andrew Luck
Andrew Austen Luck is an American football quarterback for Stanford University. He was the runner-up for the 2010 Heisman Trophy, and is considered a leading contender for the 2011 Heisman Trophy. He was a finalist for the Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp Award, the Davey O'Brien Award and the...
. The game also was the first Orange Bowl not sponsored by FedEx
FedEx
FedEx Corporation , originally known as FDX Corporation, is a logistics services company, based in the United States with headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee...
in 21 years, ending the longest-running title sponsorship deal among the major bowls.
The game kicked off
Kickoff (American football)
A kickoff is a method of starting a drive in American football and Canadian football. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicking team" – kicking the ball to the opposing team – the "receiving team"...
at 8:39 pm in warm weather, and Stanford scored first, a touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
, with its third offensive possession. Virginia Tech briefly took the lead with a safety followed by a touchdown of its own, but Stanford restored a 13–12 advantage before halftime
Half-time
In some team sports such as association football and rugby, matches are played in two halves. Half-time is the name given to the interval between the two halves of the match...
. In the second half, Stanford pulled away from Virginia Tech as it scored 13 points in the third quarter and 14 in the fourth while holding the Hokies scoreless.
In recognition of his performance during the game, Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck was named the game's most valuable player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
. He set a Stanford bowl-game record for touchdowns, and threw three of those scores to tight end Coby Fleener, who set a Stanford and Orange Bowl record with 173 receiving yards. Both teams made coaching changes after the game, as Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh
Jim Harbaugh
James Joseph "Jim" Harbaugh is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. Harbaugh agreed to a five-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers on January 7, 2011. Previously, he was the head coach at...
left the team to coach the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
's San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
and Virginia Tech replaced several assistant coaches. Players from each team were selected in the 2011 NFL Draft
2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players...
.
Team selection
The Orange Bowl is one of five Bowl Championship SeriesBowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
(BCS) bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
s that have been played at the conclusion of every college football season since 2006.Between 1998 and 2006, there were four BCS games. As defined by contract, the bowl matches the champion of the Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
(ACC) against an at-large pick chosen by a special committee. On December 4, 2010, the Virginia Tech Hokies
2010 Virginia Tech Hokies football team
The 2010 Virginia Tech Hokies football team represented Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS college football season. The Hokies were led by 24th-year head coach Frank Beamer and played their home games at Lane Stadium...
defeated the Florida State Seminoles
2010 Florida State Seminoles football team
The 2010 Florida State Seminoles football team represented Florida State University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS college football season. The Seminoles were led by 1st year head coach Jimbo Fisher and played their home games at Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium. They were members of...
in the 2010 ACC Championship Game
2010 ACC Championship Game
The 2010 ACC Championship Game was a college football game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Florida State Seminoles. The game, sponsored by Dr. Pepper, was the final regular-season contest of the 2010 college football season for the Atlantic Coast Conference...
, thus winning an automatic bid to the 2011 Orange Bowl.
The at-large spot in the Orange Bowl was filled via a round-robin
Round-robin
The term round-robin was originally used to describe a document signed by multiple parties in a circle to make it more difficult to determine the order in which it was signed, thus preventing a ringleader from being identified...
selection procedure defined by the other Bowl Championship series games (the Sugar
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
, Fiesta
Fiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Frito-Lay and named with their Tostitos brand, is a United States college football bowl game played annually at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Between its origination in 1971 and 2006, the game was hosted in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil...
, and Rose bowls) and the automatic bids. If a game's automatic bid team is selected for the BCS National Championship Game
BCS National Championship Game
The BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, is the final bowl game of the annual Bowl Championship Series and is intended by the organizers of the BCS to determine the U.S. national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision...
, it is allowed to select a replacement team. In the 2010 season, teams otherwise designated for the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl were picked for the national championship game. Following the two compensatory selections are the at-large picks. The order of at-large selections rotates annually among the BCS bowls.
For the January 2011 games, the Sugar Bowl
2011 Sugar Bowl
The 2011 Sugar Bowl Game was an American college football bowl game that was part of the Bowl Championship Series for the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season and was the 77th Sugar Bowl. The contest took place on January 4, 2011, in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The...
selected first, followed by the Orange Bowl and Fiesta Bowl
2011 Fiesta Bowl
The 2011 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game played as part of the 2011 Bowl Championship Series of the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season...
. The Sugar Bowl picked Ohio State
2010 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
The 2010 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented The Ohio State University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Buckeyes were coached by Jim Tressel and played their home games in Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. They were members of the Big Ten Conference...
, which left the Orange Bowl to decide between two teams contractually bound to appear in a BCS bowl game. These were Stanford, which was guaranteed a BCS bid by its No. 4 national ranking, and Connecticut
2010 Connecticut Huskies football team
The 2010 Connecticut Huskies football team represented the University of Connecticut in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season as a member of the Big East Conference. The team was coached by Randy Edsall and played its home games at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut...
, champion of the Big East Conference
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
. Favoring Stanford's potential to draw a large television audience, the Orange Bowl selected the Cardinal, leaving Connecticut to the Fiesta Bowl.
Stanford
The Stanford Cardinal began the 2010 season after going 8–5 in 20092009 Stanford Cardinal football team
The 2009 Stanford Cardinal football team represented Stanford University during the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cardinal was coached by third-year coach Jim Harbaugh and played their home games at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California....
under freshman quarterback Andrew Luck. The 2009 season saw the Cardinal defeat eighth-ranked Oregon
2009 Oregon Ducks football team
The 2009 Oregon Ducks football team represented the University of Oregon in the college football season of 2009. The team was led by head coach Chip Kelly in his first season as a head coach at the Division I FBS level. Kelly was only the third Ducks head coach since 1977 and led the Ducks to a...
and No. 9 USC
2009 USC Trojans football team
The 2009 University of Southern California Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California during the college football season of 2009–2010. The team played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and was coached by Pete Carroll, who was in his ninth and final...
en route to breaking a seven-year bowl game drought with an appearance in the 2009 Sun Bowl
2009 Sun Bowl
The 2009 Brut Sun Bowl game was the 76th edition of the annual college football bowl game known as the Sun Bowl. The Oklahoma Sooners defeated the Stanford Cardinal 31–27 on December 31, 2009. It was the two teams' fifth meeting...
against Oklahoma
2009 Oklahoma Sooners football team
The 2009 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football season of 2009-2010. It was the 115th year of season play for the Sooners. The team was led by head coach Bob Stoops, a two-time Walter Camp Coach of the Year award winner, who has a contract...
. Stanford changed several position coaches and its defensive strategy in the offseason, and though the Cardinal returned 17 of 24 possible players from the previous year's starting lineup, few believed the Cardinal would be among the best teams in the country. In the annual preseason poll of media members covering the Pacific 10, Stanford was picked to finish fourth in the 10-team conference. Nationally, Stanford appeared in the "also receiving votes" categories of the preseason polls. In the AP Poll
AP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
, the team was 27th; in the coaches' poll, the Cardinal was 32nd.
The Cardinal opened the season by defeating Football Bowl Subdivision team Sacramento State, then beat conference opponent UCLA
2010 UCLA Bruins football team
The 2010 UCLA Bruins football team, coached by third year head coach Rick Neuheisel, opened the season on the road against the Kansas State Wildcats on September 4, 2010. The next three games would be against ranked opponents, and after a road win at #7 Texas, expectations for the Bruins dampened...
in the first Pacific 10 game of the season. The win over Sacramento State pushed Stanford to No. 25 nationally, and the win over UCLA raised Stanford to No. 19, the rank it held when it defeated Atlantic Coast Conference foe Wake Forest
2010 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team
The 2010 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team represented Wake Forest University during the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Jim Grobe, who was coaching his tenth season at the school, and played its home games at BB&T Field. Wake Forest competes in the...
68–24 on September 18. The following week, Stanford defeated Notre Dame
2010 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
The 2010 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 2010 college football season. The team's head football coach was Brian Kelly. The Irish played their home games at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana...
as the nation's No. 16 team, and the win raised the Cardinal to No. 9.
On October 2, No. 9 Stanford played No. 4 Oregon
2010 Oregon Ducks football team
The 2010 Oregon Ducks football team represented the University of Oregon in the 2010 college football season. The team was led by Chip Kelly in his second season as a head coach. The Ducks played their home games at Autzen Stadium for the 44th straight year....
. The game was touted as a matchup between two of the top offenses in college football and was nationally televised. Stanford led 21–3 after the first quarter and 31–24 at halftime, but the Cardinal allowed 28 unanswered points in the second half and lost to Oregon, 52–31. Oregon later went on to play in the BCS National Championship game, and the defeat was Stanford's only one of the season. The loss dropped Stanford to No. 16 in the polls, but the team rebounded the following week to defeat USC
2010 USC Trojans football team
The 2010 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS college football season. The Trojans were led by head coach Lane Kiffin, who was in his 1st season...
on a last-second field goal, 37–35.
The victory over USC began a winning streak unprecedented in Stanford football history since the time of the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. The week after beating USC, Stanford defeated Washington State
2010 Washington State Cougars football team
The 2010 Washington State Cougars football team represented Washington State University in the college football season of 2010. The team's head coach was Paul Wulff and they were members of the Pacific 10 Conference...
, moving to a 6–1 record for the first time since 1970. The Cardinal rose to No. 13 nationally and defeated the University of Washington
2010 Washington Huskies football team
The 2010 Washington Huskies football team represented the University of Washington in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's head coach was Steve Sarkisian. The Huskies played their home games at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington, and were members of the Pacific 10 Conference...
on October 30. Against No. 15 Arizona
2010 Arizona Wildcats football team
The 2010 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona in the college football season of 2010. The team's head coach was Mike Stoops. The Wildcats played their home games at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona...
, Stanford matched its previous season's win total. On November 13, Stanford defeated Arizona State
2010 Arizona State Sun Devils football team
The 2010 Arizona State Sun Devils football team represented Arizona State University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Sun Devils were led by head coach Dennis Erickson in his 4th season. They played their home games at Sun Devil Stadium and are members of the Pacific-10...
in a closely fought 17–13 win that brought the Cardinal football team to 9–1 and its best record since 1951. The following week, Stanford beat traditional rival California
2010 California Golden Bears football team
The 2010 California Golden Bears football team represented the University of California, Berkeley in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision competition in the 2010 season...
in The Big Game
Big Game (football)
The Big Game is an American college football rivalry game played by the California Golden Bears football team of the University of California, Berkeley and the Stanford Cardinal football team of Stanford University. It is typically played in late November or early December...
by a 48–14 score. It was the largest margin of victory in the rivalry since 1930. Stanford's final regular-season game was against the Oregon State Beavers
2010 Oregon State Beavers football team
The 2010 Oregon State Beavers football team represented Oregon State University during the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's head coach, in his second stint with the Beavers, was Mike Riley who was in his seventh straight season and ninth overall. Home games were played at Reser...
, and Stanford won the contest convincingly, 38–0. The No. 4 and No. 5 nationally ranked teams had lost earlier the same day, lifting Stanford in the polls and in position for a Bowl Championship Series game berth.
Virginia Tech
The Virginia Tech Hokies entered the 2010 season after a 2009 campaign2009 Virginia Tech Hokies football team
The 2009 Virginia Tech Hokies football team represented Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University during the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's head coach was Frank Beamer...
that saw the team finish 10–3, including a season-ending win in the 2009 Chick-fil-A Bowl
2009 Chick-fil-A Bowl
The 2009 Chick-fil-A Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Tennessee Volunteers on December 31, 2009, in the Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia. Virginia Tech defeated Tennessee 40–12. The game was part of the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season...
against the Tennessee Volunteers
2009 Tennessee Volunteers football team
The 2009 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2009 college football season. The team was coached by Lane Kiffin. The 2009 season would be his 1st and only at Tennessee – leaving to take the head coaching job at the University of Southern Cal on January...
. Because of that season-ending victory and the Hokies' general good performance during the 2009 season, Virginia Tech was ranked No. 10 in preseason national polling. The Hokies' first game of the season was a nationally televised contest against then-No. 3 Boise State
2010 Boise State Broncos football team
The 2010 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Broncos were led by fifth-year head coach Chris Petersen and played their home games at Bronco Stadium. They entered the 2010 season with winning streaks of 14 games...
at FedEx Field near Washington, D.C.. Because the game was the first of the season to feature two top-10 teams, it received large amounts of media coverage. During the game, Virginia Tech fell behind 17–0 in the first quarter, but rallied to take a 21–20 lead early in the third quarter. The two teams traded the lead, alternating scoring drives until Boise State scored a touchdown with 1:06 remaining. Virginia Tech was unable to reply one final time, and Boise State earned a 33–30 victory.
The close loss discouraged the Virginia Tech players, who then had only five days to prepare for their next opponent, lightly regarded James Madison University
James Madison Dukes football
The James Madison Dukes football team, founded in 1972, plays at Bridgeforth Stadium. Originally called JMU Stadium, it was renamed for William E. Bridgeforth in 1990. The JMU football team was rarely the centerpiece of JMU sports until the hiring of Mickey Matthews in 1999...
. At Lane Stadium
Lane Stadium
Lane Stadium/Worsham Field is a stadium located in Blacksburg, Virginia. It is the home field of the Virginia Tech Hokies. It was rated the number one home field advantage in all of college football in 2005 by Rivals.com...
, Virginia Tech's home field, James Madison upset the heavily favored Hokies, 21–16. The loss was only the second time in college football history that a team ranked nationally was defeated by a team from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision. In the wake of the loss, Virginia Tech fell from No. 13 to out of the polls entirely.
Following the loss, seniors on the football team held a players-only meeting in an effort to rally the team. Players later recalled that meeting as the turning point in the team's season. The next week, Virginia Tech earned its first win of the season, a 49–27 victory over East Carolina
2010 East Carolina Pirates football team
The 2010 East Carolina Pirates football team represented East Carolina University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Pirates played their home games in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium and were led by head coach Ruffin McNeill, a former Pirate football player and former Texas Tech defensive...
in Lane Stadium. The Hokies followed that by traveling to Boston College
2010 Boston College Eagles football team
The 2010 Boston College Eagles football team represented Boston College in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Eagles were led by second year head coach Frank Spaziani and played their home games at Alumni Stadium. They were members of the Atlantic Coast Conference in the Atlantic...
for a 19–0 win, their first shutout since 2006.
The two victories were the start of a winning streak that saw the Hokies complete the regular season without another loss. Following Boston College, they defeated No. 23 NC State in its home stadium, 41–30. They defeated nonconference opponent Central Michigan, then beat conference opponent Wake Forest
2010 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team
The 2010 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team represented Wake Forest University during the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Jim Grobe, who was coaching his tenth season at the school, and played its home games at BB&T Field. Wake Forest competes in the...
and re-entered the polls at No. 25. Their position in the polls climbed with each opponent they defeated. They beat Duke
2010 Duke Blue Devils football team
The 2010 Duke Blue Devils football team represented Duke University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Blue Devils were led by 3rd year head coach David Cutcliffe and played their home games at Wallace Wade Stadium. They are members of the Atlantic Coast Conference in the Coastal...
as the No. 25 team, Georgia Tech
2010 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team
The 2010 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represented the Georgia Institute of Technology in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Yellow Jackets were led by 3rd year head coach Paul Johnson and played their home games at Bobby Dodd Stadium. They are members of the Atlantic...
as the No. 23 team, North Carolina
2010 North Carolina Tar Heels football team
The 2010 North Carolina Tar Heels football team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the 2010 college football season. The team was led by fourth year coach Butch Davis and played their home games at Kenan Memorial Stadium. They are members of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
as the No. 20 team and No. 23 Miami
2010 Miami Hurricanes football team
The 2010 Miami Hurricanes football team represented the University of Miami during the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hurricanes were coached by Randy Shannon during the regular season, then coached by Jeff Stoutland during their bowl game and played their home games at Sun Life...
as the No. 16 team. The Miami victory clinched Tech the division championship and a slot in the ACC championship game, but the Hokies still won their final previously scheduled game, the annual Commonwealth Cup
Commonwealth Cup
The Commonwealth Cup is an American college football rivalry game played between the Virginia Cavaliers football team of the University of Virginia and the Virginia Tech Hokies football team of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Typically, this series is played on a Saturday...
rivalry against Virginia
2010 Virginia Cavaliers football team
The 2010 Virginia Cavaliers football team represented the University of Virginia in the 2010 season as a member of the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Cavaliers, led by first year head coach Mike London, played their home games at Scott Stadium and are members of the Coastal...
. In the ACC Championship Game, Virginia Tech defeated Florida State 44–33, clinching the ACC's automatic bid to the Orange Bowl.
Sponsor change
In 2008, sports channel ESPNESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
won the right to broadcast Bowl Championship Series games between 2011 and 2014. In compensation, it agreed to pay the BCS $125 million per year, more than a competing bid from Fox ($100 million), which had been paying $82.5 million per year for the contract that ended in 2010. To balance the higher cost of broadcasting the games, ESPN demanded more money for title sponsorship of each game. Shipping company FedEx
FedEx
FedEx Corporation , originally known as FDX Corporation, is a logistics services company, based in the United States with headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee...
, which had become the Orange Bowl's title sponsor in 1990 and was the longest continuous sponsor of any bowl game, balked at ESPN's increased demands—about $20 million per year and required advertising outside the Orange Bowl—and ended its sponsorship.
Citi, the title sponsor of the Rose Bowl, likewise ended its sponsorship over the increased cost. ESPN immediately began pursuing an alternative title sponsor for each game. Candy manufacturer The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company, known until April 2005 as the Hershey Foods Corporation and commonly called Hershey's, is the largest chocolate manufacturer in North America. Its headquarters are in Hershey, Pennsylvania, which is also home to Hershey's Chocolate World. It was founded by Milton S...
was an early possibility for the Orange Bowl, and the company considered titling the game the Reese's Orange Bowl, but negotiations fell through. In August, ESPN reached a deal with credit card company Discover Financial
Discover Financial
Discover Financial Services is an American financial services company, which issues the Discover Card and operates the Discover and Pulse networks...
to make the game the Discover Orange Bowl through 2014.
Pregame buildup
Pregame media coverage of the 2011 Orange Bowl focused on the manner in which the two teams involved had reversed their fortunes during the 2010 college football season. Stanford had its longest winning streak since 1991 its most wins in history, and was four years removed from a one-win season, while Virginia Tech became the first team in college football history to win 11 consecutive games in a season after losing its first two. The two teams had never played each other, but they shared a common 2010 opponent, Wake Forest. Before the Orange Bowl, Wake Forest head coach Jim GrobeJim Grobe
Jim Grobe is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach at Wake Forest University, a position he has held since the 2001 season. From 1995 to 2000, Grobe served as the head coach at Ohio University...
said he didn't see much difference in quality. Another point of conversation was the poor performance of the ACC in nonconference games and Virginia Tech's poor past performance against teams ranked in the top 5. The Hokies had won just one of 27 games against teams in that category. Partially because of this factor, spread bettors
Spread betting
Spread betting is any of various types of wagering on the outcome of an event, where the pay-off is based on the accuracy of the wager, rather than a simple "win or lose" outcome, such as fixed-odds betting or parimutuel betting. A spread is a range of outcomes and the bet is whether the outcome...
favored Stanford by three points when the first odds were released December 10, a margin that various organizations either kept constant or raised to 3.5 points by the day of the game. It was the first time all season the Hokies were point spread underdogs.
Two nights before the game, Virginia Tech running back David Wilson and safety Antone Exum missed a 1 am curfew. As punishment, Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer suspended the two players for the first quarter of the Orange Bowl.
Ticket sales and tourism
Virginia Tech and Stanford each were allotted 17,500 tickets to sell through their school box offices, but each school had problems selling that amount. For Stanford, whose primary campus is in California, the distance fans were required to travel was a major obstacle. Stanford head coach Jim HarbaughJim Harbaugh
James Joseph "Jim" Harbaugh is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. Harbaugh agreed to a five-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers on January 7, 2011. Previously, he was the head coach at...
said, "It will probably be more Hokie fans there than Stanford fans. That far away from home it probably could be a hostile environment for us."
Orange Bowl organizers predicted that Virginia Tech fans, who were located closer to the site of the game, would be attracted by its proximity and the warm weather offered by southern Florida. Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
added more flights from Virginia to Florida in anticipation. To entice more fans to attend, tourism officials planned to step up their advertising in order to boost the economic impact of the event, estimated in 2009 at $200 million. The advertising campaign was a difficult sell because the game was scheduled for the first Monday after New Year's Day, the date when most American workers return to their jobs after the New Year.
Partially because of this fact, ticket sales were slow. By December 23, Tech had sold just 6,500 of its 17,500-seat allotment, while Stanford fans had purchased 9,000 tickets from their allotment. These figures increased slightly as the game day approached, but the schools were hampered by several factors. The tickets assigned to the schools were in less-desirable seats, and many seats were available far more cheaply in the secondary market. In one example, an upper-deck ticket sold by Virginia Tech cost $65, while a similar ticket was available for $12 through an online ticket seller. The two schools were forced to purchase the remaining unsold tickets, costing each several hundred thousand dollars.
Stanford offense
Stanford's offense was commanded by redshirt sophomore quarterback Andrew Luck, who completed 70 percent of his pass attempts, gaining 3,051 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. The touchdown mark was a Stanford single-season record. He also gained 438 yards running the ball, setting a Stanford record for rushing by a quarterback, and his combined rushing and passing total set a record at Stanford for total offense. On December 13, Luck finished second in the voting for the Heisman TrophyHeisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
, the annual award given to the best player in college football that season. NCAA rules allow a player three years removed from high school to enter the NFL Draft
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
, and even though he was only a sophomore in 2010, he met the three-year standard at the conclusion of the season. Before the Orange Bowl, media and fans speculated as to Luck's likely choice.
Luck distributed his passes relatively evenly among his receivers. Doug Baldwin was the team's leading receiver, with 56 receptions for 824 yards and 9 touchdowns during the regular season. Wide receiver and kick returner Chris Owusu, who played in only six games because of a knee injury, underwent arthroscopic surgery and was expected to play in the Orange Bowl. He was the team's fourth-leading receiver in terms of yardage, catching 24 passes for 394 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Stanford's running game was led statistically by sophomore running back Stepfan Taylor, who garnered 1,023 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns during the regular season. Before the game, Cardinal head coach Jim Harbaugh said he planned to give three other running backs—Tyler Gaffney, Jeremy Stewart, and Anthony Wilkerson—opportunities to carry the ball when Taylor was taken out of the game.
Virginia Tech's success at blocking kicks during the 24 years of head coach Frank Beamer's tenure caused Stanford to spend extra time in pregame practices on kick protection.
Because of his success in guiding Stanford's offense, head coach Harbaugh was mentioned as a candidate for the vacant head coaching positions of other universities and National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
teams. In the leadup to the Orange Bowl, however, Harbaugh refused to comment on any of the possibilities and said he wanted to focus on guiding his team to victory. Stanford players echoed that line. "We've invested too much to let something like that distract us," linebacker Shayne Skov said December 30.
Virginia Tech offense
Bryan Stinespring
Bryan Stinespring is the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach for the Virginia Tech Hokies football team in Blacksburg, Virginia. Stinespring replaced Rickey Bustle as offensive coordinator and has been relieved of his play calling duties on February, 21 2011...
joined the team in 2001. It set team records for points and total yards, and led the ACC in scoring and red-zone efficiency.
In addition to Taylor's success passing the ball, the Hokies also had a successful running offense. Running back Ryan Williams, who was limited for much of the season because of injury, had 473 rushing yards. Fellow running back Darren Evans, who missed the 2008 season because of injury, gained 817 yards and 11 touchdowns. Sophomore running back David Wilson gained 616 yards. Combined with Taylor's rushing total, Virginia Tech gained 2,543 yards and 30 touchdowns on the ground.
Stanford defense
In 2010, Stanford's defense improved under new defensive coordinator Vic FangioVic Fangio
Vic Fangio is an American football coach. He is the current defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers. Prior to being named the 49ers Defensive Coordinator, Fangio was defensive coordinator for the Stanford Cardinal, linebackers coach for the Baltimore Ravens and defensive coordinator for...
, who was given credit for much of the team's success in that department. At the end of the regular season, Stanford was first in the Pac-10 and 11th of 120 teams nationally in scoring defense (allowing an average of 17.83 points per game) and 24th in total defense (permitting 326 yards per game). In 2009, Stanford was 69th in scoring defense (26.5) and 90th in total defense (403 yards per game). A prominent player on Stanford's defense was Owen Marecic, the only person in major league college football that season to play both offense and defense. On defense, Marecic accrued 45 tackles and 2 interceptions as a linebacker; on offense, he gained 117 yards and 4 touchdowns as the team's fullback.
Stanford's leading tackler was linebacker Shayne Skov, who accumulated 72 tackles despite missing the first two games of the season. Before the game, Skov said one of Stanford's priorities would be to contain the mobility of Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor. "We need to try to keep him in the pocket and (apply) pressure the same way we have all year," Skov said.
Virginia Tech defense
Virginia Tech's defense was led by coordinator Bud FosterBud Foster
Bud Foster is a college football assistant coach. He went to high school in Nokomis, Illinois. He is the current defensive coordinator for the Virginia Tech Hokies football team. Following the 2006 season, he received the Frank Broyles Award, which is annually given to the top assistant coach in...
, who was named a candidate in several teams' searches for a new head coach, but decided to remain at Virginia Tech as the buildup to the Orange Bowl continued. Heading into the game, Tech's defense ranked 38th nationally in total yards allowed, its second-worst performance since 1993. Tech's run defense was 58th, permitting an average 148.9 rushing yards per game. On the positive side of things, Tech's defense had the third-most interceptions (22) in the country, and its scoring defense was 16th (19.1 points per game).
Tech's top performer on defense was sophomore cornerback Jayron Hosley, who had eight interceptions during the season—tied for most in the country—and was named a first-team Walter Camp All-American, a second-team Associated Press All-American, and a second-team Sports Illustrated All-American for that performance. Other top performers included linebackers Bruce Taylor and Stephen Friday, who had 15.5 and 15 tackles for loss, respectively.
The Hokies played the Orange Bowl without starting linebacker Lyndell Gibson, who fractured his shoulder in the second quarter of the ACC Championship Game. Gibson was fourth on the team in tackles with 66. Replacing Gibson was redshirt freshman Tariq Edwards, who played only a few times before the Orange Bowl. The Hokies also returned a player from injury for the Orange Bowl. Linebacker Barquell Rivers, who had been predicted to be Tech's starting middle linebacker, suffered a torn quadriceps tendon
Quadriceps tendon
In human anatomy, the quadriceps tendon connects the quadriceps femoris muscles to the superior aspects of the patella on the anterior of the thigh and controls knee flexion and extension.It can rupture resulting in quadriceps tendon rupture....
in offseason workouts, causing him to miss every game. Heading into the Orange Bowl, coaches were optimistic that he had healed enough to be able to play.
Game summary
The 2011 Orange Bowl kicked offKickoff (American football)
A kickoff is a method of starting a drive in American football and Canadian football. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicking team" – kicking the ball to the opposing team – the "receiving team"...
at 8:39 pm EST
Eastern Standard Time
Eastern Standard Time may refer to:*North American Eastern Time Zone, UTC-5*Australian Eastern Standard Time, UTC+10*An album by Hip Hop group Kooley High...
on January 3, 2011 in Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Miami Gardens, Florida
Miami Gardens is a Miami suburban city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city name comes from one of the major roadways through the area, Miami Gardens Drive. According to the 2010 U.S...
. Bowl officials said 65,463 tickets were sold for the game, but many went unused, and that official figure was more than 9,000 below stadium capacity. The game was televised on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, and the announcers
Sportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
were Mike Tirico
Mike Tirico
Michael Todd Tirico is an announcer for ESPN's presentation of Monday Night Football, and second lead broadcaster for ESPN's presentation of the NBA. In addition, Tirico hosts a multitude of programming on ESPN/ABC. He was the host of ABC's golf coverage from 1996 to 2007, and continues in that...
, Ron Jaworski
Ron Jaworski
Ronald Vincent "Ron" Jaworski is a former American football quarterback and currently an NFL analyst on ESPN. He is also CEO of Ron Jaworski Golf Management, Inc., based out of Blackwood, New Jersey, and manages golf courses in southern New Jersey, northeast Pennsylvania, and West Virginia...
, Jon Gruden
Jon Gruden
Jon David Gruden is an American football analyst and former head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for seven seasons and prior to that the Oakland Raiders for four seasons. In his first year as the head coach of Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers won Super Bowl XXXVII, defeating the Raiders whom he had...
and Michele Tafoya
Michele Tafoya
Michele Tafoya is an American sportscaster.-Early life and career:Tafoya received a B.A...
. An estimated 8.23 million viewers watched the broadcast, earning it a Nielsen rating
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
of 7.1. That figure was the second-lowest mark to date for a BCS game. For contributing teams to the Orange Bowl, the Atlantic Coast Conference and Pacific 10 each received large amounts of money to be divided among their members. Because the Pac-10 had two BCS teams, that conference received $27.2 million from the BCS. The ACC, which had only Virginia Tech in a BCS bowl, received $21.2 million. In the ACC, Virginia Tech received a somewhat larger share of the money as a reward for winning the conference: All other ACC teams received $1.1 million; Tech got $1.7 million. Stanford received a similar amount, but the extra money was offset by the cost of sending 500 players, coaches, and staff to Miami.
First quarter
Stanford returned the game's opening kickoff to its 24-yard line, where the Cardinal offense began the game's first possession. On the game's first play, Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck ran 11 yards through the Virginia Tech defense for a first down. The success was short-lived, however, as Stanford's next three plays did not gain enough ground for another first down, and the team punted from its 37-yard line. Virginia Tech's first possession was no more successful than Stanford's had been. The Hokies' offense entered the game at its 31-yard line after the punt, but went three-and-out after failing to gain a first down.Tech punted, and Stanford's offense returned to the field. The two teams traded possessions one more time, with Stanford turning the ball over on downs
Turnover on downs
In American football, a turnover on downs occurs when a team fails to convert a fourth down into a first down by gaining the required yardage.A team has four chances to gain ten yards or to score. Any ground gained during one down short of these ten yards is kept for the next chance...
after a failed fourth-down conversion attempt, and Virginia Tech returning the ball with another punt. Following the kick, Stanford's offense began work from its 14-yard line with 8:08 remaining in the quarter. Two plays gained five yards, then Luck completed a 21-yard pass to wide receiver Doug Baldwin for just the second first down of the game. On the next play, Stanford running back Jeremy Stewart broke free of the Virginia Tech defense and ran down the field 60 yards for a touchdown. The score and subsequent extra point gave Stanford a 7–0 lead with 6:16 remaining in the quarter.
Stanford's post-score kickoff was downed for a touchback
Touchback
In American football, a touchback is a ruling which is made and signaled by an official when the ball becomes dead behind or above a goal line and the team who is attacking that goal line is responsible for the ball being there. Responsibility is determined by which team gave the ball the impetus...
, and Virginia Tech's offense began from its 20-yard line. The Hokies gained their initial first down of the game when quarterback Tyrod Taylor completed a 19-yard pass to wide receiver Danny Coale on the drive's third play, but Tech was unable to gain another. Tech punted from its 43-yard line, and the kick was downed at the Stanford 5-yard line, where the Cardinal offense started work. Two rushing plays were stopped for no gain, then Luck attempted a passing play on third down. Because the line of scrimmage was so close to the Stanford goal line, Luck had to move into his own end zone to attempt the pass. Under pressure from the Virginia Tech defense, he threw to Derek Hall, who caught the ball in the end zone and was tackled before getting out. The result of the play was a safety, a 2-point defensive score for Virginia Tech.
Trailing 7–2 with 59 seconds remaining in the quarter, Virginia Tech's offense received the ball at its 25-yard line following Stanford's post-safety free kick. On the first play of the subsequent drive, Taylor ran through the Stanford defense for 22 yards and a first down at the Tech 47-yard line. The second play of the drive, a 4-yard run by running back Darren Evans, pushed Tech into Stanford's side of the field for the first time in the game, and was the final play of the quarter. With three quarters remaining, Stanford led Virginia Tech, 7–2.
Second quarter
The second quarter began with Virginia Tech in possession of the ball and facing second down on Stanford's 49-yard line. On the first play of the quarter, Taylor completed a 10-yard throw to wide receiver Marcus Davis for a first down. Tech's drive continued down the field, with running back Darren Evans receiving the ball on the majority of the plays. A 5-yard false start penalty against Virginia Tech was offset by a pass interference penalty two plays later by Stanford. Tech penetrated to the Stanford 10-yard line, but was stopped for no gain, then a loss, on two consecutive running plays. On third down, Taylor was pressured by the Stanford defense, scrambled out of the pocket, and threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to running back David Wilson an instant before Taylor stepped out of bounds. The score and subsequent extra point gave Tech its only lead of the game, 9–7, with 10:22 remaining before halftime.Virginia Tech's post-touchdown kickoff was returned to the Stanford 21-yard line, where the Cardinal offense began its first drive of the second quarter. On the first play of the drive, Luck completed a 14-yard pass to tight end Zach Ertz for a first down. Three consecutive short-yardage plays gained another first down, then running back Jeremy Stewart escaped the Virginia Tech defense for a 24-yard gain, pushing the Cardinal into Virginia Tech territory. Three plays later, Luck again threw a long pass to Ertz, this time a 25-yard toss for Stanford's second touchdown of the game. The subsequent extra point kick was blocked by Virginia Tech, but the touchdown's six points were enough for Stanford to regain the lead, 13–9.
Virginia Tech began its first full drive of the second quarter from its 25-yard line, but the Hokies went three-and-out. Stanford's offense, beginning from its 33-yard line after the Tech punt, had its drive cut short when Luck threw an interception to Virginia Tech's Jayron Hosley at the Tech 46-yard line. The Hokies advanced to the Stanford 30-yard line, but turned the ball over on downs after failing to gain one yard on fourth down. Stanford went three-and-out after the Hokies' turnover and punted. Tech's offense returned to the field at its 20-yard line with 49 seconds remaining until halftime. Using a hurry-up offense and strategically calling timeouts to stop the game clock, Tech advanced the ball down the field. Taylor rushed for 14 yards, threw a 32-yard pass, and the Hokies were helped by a 10-yard holding penalty against Stanford. They advanced to the Stanford 20-yard line where, with time running out, they sent in kicker Chris Hazley. He completed a 37-yard field goal in the final play from scrimmage in the first half, making the game a one-point affair, 13–12.
Halftime
For the game's halftime show, the Orange Bowl hosted American alternative rockAlternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Goo Goo Dolls
Goo Goo Dolls
The Goo Goo Dolls are a Grammy-nominated American rock band formed in 1986 in Buffalo, New York, by vocalist and guitarist John Rzeznik and vocalist and bass guitarist Robby Takac. Since the end of 1994, Mike Malinin has been the band's drummer, a position previously held by George Tutuska...
. Reviews criticized the performance for awkward staging and brevity, as the group performed only two songs. Middle school and high school dance squads also participated in the halftime show, performaing on the field while the Goo Goo Dolls played. Pregame media coverage erroneously reported that Stanford's marching band
Stanford Band
The Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band is the student marching band of Stanford University. Billing itself as "The World's Largest Rock and Roll Band", the Stanford Band performs at sporting events, student activities, and other functions...
, which had been scheduled to perform, was banned from the field. The band had never been scheduled to perform at halftime; each team's marching band was allotted a six-minute pregame performance.
Third quarter
Because Stanford received the ball to begin the game, Virginia Tech received it to begin the second half. After starting from their 21-yard line, the Hokies went three-and-out. Following a Tech punt, Stanford's first drive of the second half began at its 41-yard line. Two plays gained 13 yards and a first down, then Stanford began battering Virginia Tech with its passing offense. Luck threw four consecutive passes: the first was incomplete, but the next three went for 10, 17, and 18 yards, respectively. This gave Stanford a first down at the Tech one-yard line. Three plays later, Owen Marecic crossed the goal line on a running play. The subsequent extra point was missed, and Stanford extended its lead to 19–12 with 8:47 remaining.Virginia Tech's second drive of the half began at its 41-yard line after a 31-yard kickoff return by Wilson. On the first play of the drive, Taylor was sacked for a 13-yard loss. He made good the lost yardage on the next play, however, completing a 42-yard throw to Danny Coale. From the Stanford 40-yard line, Taylor gained five yards on a running play, then attempted a long pass downfield. The throw was intercepted by Stanford's Delano Howell at the Cardinal 3-yard line, returning Luck and the Stanford offense to the field. Luck needed only two plays to drive the length of the field and score a touchdown. A 56-yard run by Stepfan Taylor was followed by a 41-yard touchdown pass to Coby Fleener, and the following extra point kick was good, making the score 26–12 with 5:49 remaining.
Virginia Tech's third drive of the quarter started from its 23-yard line. The first two plays of the drive were stopped for negative gain, then Taylor completed a 17-yard throw to Jarret Boykin for a first down. Tech couldn't gain another first down, however, and punted to Stanford, which started from its 13-yard line. As in Virginia Tech's previous drive, the Stanford offense began with a play that lost yardage, but it made up the failure with a running play that gained six yards and a passing play from Luck to Fleener for a first down at the Stanford 32-yard line. On the quarter's final play, running back Tyler Gaffney gained seven yards. With one quarter remaining, Stanford led 26–12.
Fourth quarter
The fourth quarter began with Stanford in possession of the ball and facing second down and three from its 39-yard line. Two plays gained the Cardinal a first down, then Stanford committed a false-start penalty that pushed its offense back five yards. Two plays later, however, Luck completed a 58-yard pass to Fleener, who made up the lost yardage and far more as he raced down the field for a touchdown. The following extra point granted Stanford a 33–12 lead with 12:28 remaining.Following Stanford's post-touchdown kickoff, Virginia Tech's offense took the field at its 25-yard line and embarked upon one of its longest drives of the game in terms of the number of plays. In the first seven plays of the drive, quarterback Taylor was the key component. He threw six passes, completing 3 for 39 yards, and ran once, for no gain. On the eighth play of the drive, running back Ryan Williams gained one yard, then committed a 15-yard personal foul penalty. Tech's drive faltered after the penalty: Taylor threw an incomplete pass, then was sacked for a 16-yard loss, and the Hokies punted to the Stanford 28-yard line.
As it had in the third quarter, Stanford's offense scored quickly. In only three plays, the Cardinal advanced 72 yards. A 34-yard run by Stepfan Taylor was followed by one stopped for no gain, then Luck completed a 38-yard throw to Fleener for Stanford's second touchdown of the quarter. The score and extra point improved Stanford's lead to 40–12 with 6:05 remaining in the game. Tech's subsequent drive went three-and-out after Tyrod Taylor was sacked twice, and Stanford got the ball again at its 46-yard line.
With only 4:25 remaining and a lead well in hand, Stanford began running down the clock
Running out the clock
In sports, running out the clock refers to the practice of a winning team allowing the clock to expire through a series of pre-selected plays, either to preserve a lead or hasten the end of a one-sided contest.- American football :...
by executing running plays, which keep the game clock running as long as the ball carrier is downed in the field of play. Three rushes gained Stanford 16 yards, but the effectiveness of this strategy was undermined by a 15-yard personal foul penalty against Stanford that prevented the Cardinal from gaining a first down. Stanford also accepted a delay of game penalty in order to squeeze as much time as possible from the clock before punting back to Virginia Tech. The final drive of the game began from the Tech 11-yard line with 2:10 remaining, and quarterback Taylor controlled the ball on all of its five plays. Taylor completed a five-yard pass to Coale, then ran for 18 yards and a first down. He was then sacked for an 15-yard loss, but gained much of that back with an 11-yard run. On the game's final play, Taylor completed a 17-yard first-down pass to Wilson, who was tackled as the last second ticked off the clock and Stanford clinched a 40–12 victory.
Scoring summary
Statistical summary
For his game-winning performance, Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck was named the game's Most Valuable PlayerMost Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
. He completed 18 of his 23 pass attempts for 287 yards and 4 touchdowns. The four touchdowns was a Stanford bowl-game record, and three of Luck's touchdowns went to tight end Coby Fleener, who set a Stanford and Orange Bowl record with 173 receiving yards and tied a record with the three touchdown catches. In postgame analysis, Fleener's performance was touted as the factor "that turned a close game into a rout".
Despite those players' performances, the game was decided in the running game and the performance of the two teams' offensive and defensive lines. Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh was praised for adjusting his team's strategy at halftime, allowing it to succeed in the second half. Stanford's rushing offense accounted for 247 yards, while its defensive line limited Virginia Tech to just 67 yards rushing. The Stanford defense also sacked Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor eight times, denying him time to pass the ball accurately.
Stanford's leading rusher was Stepfan Taylor, who accumulated 114 yards on 13 carries, including a 56-yard sprint that was the second-longest run of his career. Stanford's No. 2 runner, Jeremy Stewart, had a career-high 99 rushing yards. His 60-yard touchdown run in the first quarter is the longest touchdown run in Stanford bowl-game history and the seventh-longest in Orange Bowl history. Virginia Tech's leading rusher was Darren Evans, who had 12 carries for 37 yards. Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor was the team's No. 2 rusher, with 16 carries for 22 yards. He also completed 16 of 31 pass attempts for 222 yards and Tech's sole touchdown.
On defense, Virginia Tech's Jayron Hosley tied the school record for interceptions (9) and had the most in the nation that season when he caught an Andrew Luck pass in the first half. Tech's defense also recorded its first safety since 2008, and its blocked extra point was the first such block in Virginia Tech bowl-game history. The Hokies' leading tackler was Eddie Whitley, who had seven stops, while Stanford's leading defensive performer was Shayne Skov, who had 12 tackles, including 3 quarterback sacks.
Postgame effects
With the victory, Stanford improved to 12–1, while the loss sent Virginia Tech to 11–3. Stanford's 12 wins extended a school record for one season, and its eight-game winning streak tied for the third-longest in school history. Stanford's win was its first bowl game victory since the 1996 Sun Bowl1996 Sun Bowl
The 1996 Norwest Sun Bowl, played on December 31, 1996, featured the and the Michigan State Spartans.Stanford scored first following a lateral from running back Josh Madsen to Leroy Pruitt. The 78 yard play went for a touchdown, and set the day for a Stanford rout. In the second quarter,...
against Michigan State
1996 Michigan State Spartans football team
The 1996 Michigan State Spartans football team competed on behalf of Michigan State University in the Big Ten Conference during the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. Head coach Nick Saban was in his second season with the Spartans. Michigan State played their home games at Spartan Stadium in...
, and San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
football writer Tom FitzGerald declared one of the 10 all-time best Bay Area college football teams. In the final college football polls of the season, Stanford rose to No. 4, while Virginia Tech dropped to 16th in the Associated Press Poll and 15th in the USA Today coaches' poll.
Stanford's victory in the Orange Bowl caused a massive jump in the number of season ticket sales at the school. By mid-February 2011, the school reported having sold 1,400 new season tickets, as compared to just 458 in the first six months of 2010.
Following the game, some actions by Orange Bowl Committee officials came under fire as the Miami Herald revealed the nonprofit committee had spent millions of dollars on junket trips for college football administrators. The U.S. federal Internal Revenue Service
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
subsequently began investigating the allegations. In its annual transition to new leadership, the Orange Bowl committee picked Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational bulge bracket investment banking and securities firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients...
vice president Jeffrey T. Roberts to serve as its president for the 2012 game.
Coaching changes
Both teams underwent changes in leadership following the Orange Bowl. Four days after beating Virginia Tech, Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh signed a contract as the new head coach of the National Football LeagueNational Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
's San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
. He was replaced as Stanford head coach by David Shaw
David Shaw (American football)
-References:...
, the team's offensive coordinator. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio followed Harbaugh to the 49ers and was replaced by co-defensive coordinators Jason Tarver
Jason Tarver
Jason Tarver is an American football former player who is the co-defensive coordinator and inside linebacker coach for the Stanford Cardinal football team.-Early life and playing career:...
and Derek Mason
Derek Mason
Derek Mason is an American football coach and former player who is the associate head coach, co-defensive coordinator, and defensive backs coach for the Stanford Cardinal football team.-Early life and playing career:...
, the latter also serving as associate head coach. To replaced the vacated offensive coordinator position, Shaw selected Stanford wide receivers coach Pep Hamilton
Pep Hamilton
Pep Hamilton is the current offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach of the Stanford Cardinal football team.-College career:Hamilton played quarterback from 1993-1996 at Howard University...
.
Virginia Tech's coaching changes came about a month after the Orange Bowl. On February 14, the school announced that the son of head coach Frank Beamer, Shane Beamer
Shane Beamer
Shane Beamer is the associate head coach and running backs coach for the Virginia Tech Hokies football team and the son of long-time Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer.-College playing career:...
, had been hired as running backs coach. He replaced Billy Hite, the longest-tenured assistant coach in the country, who took an administrative role with the team. Two days later, Tech replaced 62-year-old linebackers coach Jim Cavanaugh with 35-year-old Cornell Brown
Cornell Brown
Cornell Desmond Brown is the outside linebackers and assistant defensive line coach for Virginia Tech, and a former American football linebacker who played for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League from 1997-2004...
. On February 22, Tech announced that offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring
Bryan Stinespring
Bryan Stinespring is the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach for the Virginia Tech Hokies football team in Blacksburg, Virginia. Stinespring replaced Rickey Bustle as offensive coordinator and has been relieved of his play calling duties on February, 21 2011...
had been removed from play-calling duties and replaced by quarterbacks coach Mike O'Cain
Mike O'Cain
-External links:* *...
. Stinespring, who also was the team's associate head coach, was replaced in that capacity by Shane Beamer.
2011 NFL Draft
For several players on each team, the Orange Bowl was their final collegiate contest before attempting to move into professional football. Two days after the Orange Bowl, Virginia Tech running back Darren Evans announced his intention to enter the NFL Draft. Three days later, fellow running back Ryan Williams made a similar move. Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck made news for not entering the draft, where he had been widely predicted to be the No. 1 selection. In interviews, he said he looked forward "to earning [his] degree in architectural design from Stanford University" and graduating in spring 2012.The 2011 NFL Draft took place in late April, and several players from each Orange Bowl team were selected by professional squads seeking their talents. Virginia Tech's Ryan Williams was the first Orange Bowl participant selected, taken with the 38th overall pick. Tech's Rashad Carmichael (127th), and Tyrod Taylor (180th) were also selected. Stanford had four players picked in the draft: Sione Fua (97th), Owen Marecic (124th), Richard Sherman (154th), and Ryan Whalen (157th).