2006 Chick-fil-A Bowl
[17] Two days after the selections were announced, the game was declared sold out, the 10th consecutive sellout in the combined history of the Peach and Chick-fil-A Bowls.
Georgia struggled on offense for much of the season, resulting in a battle for the starting quarterback position between senior Joe Tereshinski and freshman Matthew Stafford.
Though Stafford was eventually given the starting role, he struggled in his first year, completing 126 of 235 passes (53.6%) for 1,620 yards, with six touchdowns and 12 interceptions heading into the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
Named the starting quarterback at the beginning of the 2006 season,[25] Glennon replaced Marcus Vick, who had been expelled from Virginia Tech at the end of the previous year.
While not as statistically successful as Marcus Vick, Glennon still managed to lead the Hokies to their third consecutive 10-win season, and had the edge over Stafford in terms of experience.
[27] Virginia Tech running back Branden Ore suffered an ankle injury in the Hokies' regular-season game against Wake Forest,[28] but still took the field in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
[24] With Ore still not fully recovered from his injury and two inexperienced players on the Georgia side, it appeared that the teams' passing offenses would have to take up the slack.
The Virginia Tech defense, led by junior linebackers Vince Hall and Xavier Adibi, was expected to present a challenge for the Georgia offense.
"They play kind of a different scheme than a lot of teams so it would be tough if you only had one week to try to prepare for these guys", Stafford said in an interview prior to the game.
[31] but the Virginia Tech fans, known for traveling well to their bowl appearances, quickly bought out their school's allotment of tickets and ensured a divided crowd.
[33] After taking possession on his own 16-yard line, Georgia quarterback and true freshman Matthew Stafford caused the first turning point of the game as he threw an interception to Brenden Hill of Virginia Tech.
A two-yard run by Virginia Tech tailback Branden Ore brought the ball closer to the goal line and ended the first quarter of play.
After two unsuccessful plays, Virginia Tech was finally able to reach the end zone on a Branden Ore one-yard rush in a fourth-and-one situation.
As a result of the excellent field position provided by the return, Virginia Tech was able to drive the remaining 30 yards to the end zone.
After a Georgia punt, Virginia Tech ran two rushing plays before attempting the same Royal pass that had gone for a touchdown earlier.
Surprised by the unexpected play, the Virginia Tech coverage team was unable to recover the ball, which was leapt upon by the kicker, Brian Mimbs.
Tech quarterback Sean Glennon connected on a 29-yard pass to Eddie Royal, driving the Hokies to the Bulldog 47-yard line as the clock hit zero.
On the third play of the quarter, however, Virginia Tech quarterback Sean Glennon threw an interception to Georgia's Tony Taylor.
Beginning on their own 35-yard line, Georgia capitalized on the mistake quickly, courtesy of a 15-yard personal foul penalty and a 41-yard completion from Stafford to Milner.
Due to the short time remaining, Virginia Tech was forced to attempt an onside kick in order to have another chance at offense.
The kick was recovered by Georgia, however, and the Bulldogs proceeded to rush the ball in three consecutive plays, forcing the Hokies to use their last timeout in order to conserve time for one final drive.
[37] Georgia's punt rolled into the end zone for a touchback, and with 1:28 remaining in the game, Virginia Tech began the final drive on its own 20-yard line.
* Completions/Attempts a Carries b Long play c Receptions Over a third of Georgia's 71 rushing yards came on a single 26-yard run in the first quarter by halfback Kregg Lumpkin.
The defensive play of Taylor, Oliver, and Johnson greatly affected the course of the game and is apparent in Georgia's time of possession and average starting position in each of the quarters.
The play on which Royal made his throw, a lateral WR pass, had been attempted once previously in the season during a 38–27 loss to Georgia Tech.
Tech's average starting field position in that quarter was the Georgia 48-yard line, allowing for easy scores even for a struggling offense.
[39] Pace's field goal helped to trigger a late-game rally by Virginia Tech, which had been stunned by a Georgia onside kick and several interceptions thrown by Glennon.
[41] The win over #14 Virginia Tech enabled the Bulldogs to break into the Top 25 rankings in the final college football poll of the season.
He cited concerns about unknown individuals watching Virginia Tech practice in Atlanta before the Hokies' loss to Georgia, potentially leading to the defeat.
[53] Virginia Tech, having won the 2007 ACC Championship Game, earned an automatic bid to the 2008 Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, losing 24–21 to the Kansas Jayhawks.
