The game was the final contest of the 2000 NCAA Division I-A football season for both teams, and ended in a 41–20 victory for Virginia Tech.
Virginia Tech entered the game headed by star quarterback Michael Vick, who led the Hokies to a 10–1 regular-season record despite being injured for a part of the season.
Clemson entered the game with a regular-season record of 9–2 under the command of head coach Tommy Bowden, who was in the second year of his tenure.
Some pointed to Bowden's undefeated season in the second year after assuming the head coaching job at Tulane University as a sign of what to expect from Clemson.
[4][5] In the annual preseason poll of media who covered Atlantic Coast Conference football, Clemson tied for second with Georgia Tech.
2 ACC team assured, Clemson accepted a bid to the Gator Bowl on November 14, prior to its annual in-state rivalry game against South Carolina.
[19] In the offseason following the championship-game loss, Tech fans and pundits anticipated a possible repeat of the Hokies' undefeated regular season and national championship run.
Georgia Tech was picked as the opponent, but on the day of the game, severe lightning storms hit the Blacksburg, Virginia area.
ESPN commentator Lee Corso's rental car was struck by lightning, and the game was postponed due to severe weather.
[32] Virginia Tech star quarterback Michael Vick suffered a severely sprained ankle in the game against Pittsburgh, and strong-performing wide receiver André Davis was temporarily crippled by bursitis in his left foot.
Tech was considered a long shot due to the availability of Oregon State and Notre Dame, two teams with large followings that would attract greater television revenue and ticket sales.
A win in the game would have given the Tigers their first 10-win season since 1990, and the Gator Bowl appearance marked a continued improvement over its showing the previous year.
[55] Tech's situation was not reflected at Clemson, where offensive coordinator Rich Rodriguez announced that he was leaving the team for the head football coach job at West Virginia University, where he competed as a player in the 1980s.
[58] In an effort to prevent further defections, Clemson awarded head coach Tommy Bowden a seven-year contract extension worth $1.1 million annually plus incentives.
[59] Throughout the regular season, a constant question hanging over the Virginia Tech Hokies football team was whether or not star quarterback Michael Vick would return for another year at the school.
[64][65] Clemson's offense was led by quarterback Woodrow Dantzler, who finished the regular season having completed 58 percent of his passes for 1,691 yards, 10 touchdowns, and six interceptions.
[64][65] Virginia Tech's offense was led by quarterback Michael Vick, who carried the ball 104 times for 617 yards and eight touchdowns despite an ankle injury that limited his mobility in the final six games of the regular season.
On average, the Tigers allowed 238.6 yards per game through the air, making their pass defense the 97th best in division I-A football during the regular season.
Virginia Tech won the traditional pregame coin toss to determine first possession and elected to kick off to Clemson to begin the game.
A five-yard offsides penalty gave Tech a first down at the Clemson 35-yard line, then Vick completed a six-yard throw to wide receiver Emmett Johnson.
Two rushes by Kendrick failed to reach the five-yard line, then Vick ran six yards for Tech's second touchdown of the game.
On the first play of the drive, Dantzler completed a pass to wide receiver Rod Gardner, who ran for 25 yards and a first down at the 50-yard line.
Following the play, there was only eight seconds left on the clock, and coach Bowden ordered Hunt into the game to attempt a 41-yard field goal.
After the Tigers called a time out, Hunt completed a 27-yard field goal attempt and cut Virginia Tech's lead to 27–13 with 7:19 remaining in the quarter.
[78] With limited time remaining, Clemson attempted an onside kick in an effort to retain possession and have a chance to make up some of the scoring deficit.
Vick was again replaced by Meyer at the quarterback position, and running back Dwayne Ward ran up the middle of the field for a short gain.
[85] Immediately after the conclusion of the Gator Bowl, Vick was asked by an NBC broadcaster if he intended to return to Virginia Tech for another year of collegiate football.
That announcement sparked a fresh round of speculation from sports pundits and fans wondering if Vick would choose to return to school or enter the 2001 NFL draft.
Virginia Tech, through its football coaching staff, began an intensive lobbying campaign in an effort to convince Vick to stay.
[86] On January 11, 2001, Vick held a press conference to announce that he would be forgoing his final two years of collegiate eligibility to enter the NFL Draft.