2008 ACC Championship Game
The game, sponsored by Dr Pepper, was the final regular-season contest of the 2008 college football season for the Atlantic Coast Conference.
In the first decade of the 21st century, the league underwent an expansion to add three former Big East members: Miami[2] and Virginia Tech in 2004,[3] and Boston College in 2005.
[4] With the addition of a twelfth team, the ACC was allowed to hold a conference championship game under National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules.
[26] In the annual preseason poll of media covering the ACC, Boston College was picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic Division.
This happened on November 6, when fellow Atlantic Division team Maryland lost to Virginia Tech,[33] and the Eagles recovered from their losing streak with an out-of-conference win against Notre Dame.
[34] Notre Dame was the last out-of-conference opponent on Boston College's schedule, as the Eagles finished the season with three consecutive ACC games.
While Boston College won, 24–21,[36] starting quarterback Chris Crane suffered a season-ending injury, leaving backup Dominique Davis in charge of the Eagles' offense.
[37] Boston College's final game of the regular season was against Maryland and a victory against the Terrapins would push the Eagles to a tie with Florida State atop the Atlantic Division.
Since Boston College had won the head-to-head game against Florida State, according to the ACC's tie-breaking rules, the Eagles would win the division.
[39] The Virginia Tech Hokies entered the 2008 season having won the 2007 ACC Championship Game, finishing with an 11–3 overall record that included a postseason loss to the Kansas Jayhawks in the 2008 Orange Bowl.
[40] Despite winning the ACC for the second time in less than four years, Virginia Tech was anticipated to spend 2008 rebuilding a team that saw 12 starters graduate or enter the NFL Draft.
[13] Following that loss, Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer announced that backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who had previously been expected to sit out the season on redshirt status, would play in the Hokies' second game, against Furman.
[48] The final game of that four-game drop was a 16–13 loss to Coastal Division rival Miami, which then held a crucial tiebreaking win over the Hokies in the event of any head-to-head tie.
[49] During the last two games of the regular season, the Hokies managed two victories: a 14–3 win against last-place ACC team Duke,[50] and a 17–14 triumph over traditional rival Virginia.
[55] Virginia Tech, which had been unranked during the final week of the regular season, remained in the "Also Receiving Votes" category outside the top 25, except in the BCS Poll, where the Hokies rose to No.
[56][57] Almost immediately after the selection of Virginia Tech and Boston College, concerns about potential attendance at the 2008 ACC Championship Game arose.
[57] A key component of the offense was guard Cliff Ramsey, who was named a first-team All-ACC selection, signifying his status as the best player at his position in the conference.
[75] The game was televised in the United States by the American Broadcasting Company, and Brad Nessler, Bob Griese, Paul Maguire, and Todd Harris were the announcers.
The first of Oglesby's rushes resulted in a first down inside the Eagles' red zone, and Tech continued to advance the ball on the ground as Evans ran another five yards.
Eagles quarterback Dominique Davis completed his first pass of the game, a 19-yard catch by Brandon Robinson, who advanced the ball to the Boston College 47-yard line for a first down.
Harris regained the lost yardage and more with a six-yard run, but after Davis threw an incomplete pass on third down, the Eagles were forced to punt again.
[78] Virginia Tech's post-touchdown kickoff was returned to the Boston College 20-yard line, and the Eagles began their first full possession of the second quarter.
[78] The Eagles' post-touchdown kickoff was returned to the Tech 33-yard line, and on the first play after the kick, Boston College committed a personal foul penalty when Tyrod Taylor was hit out of bounds.
Boston College's first play was stopped for no gain, but the second was a 22-yard pass by Davis to Gunnell, giving the Eagles a first down inside the Tech 10-yard line.
Davis threw three incomplete passes before Boston College coach Jeff Jagodzinski sent kicker Steve Aponavicius into the game to attempt a 24-yard field goal.
[80] The post-touchdown kickoff was returned to the Tech 20-yard line, and the Hokies began an offensive drive hoping to run down the clock and preserve their two-touchdown lead.
The final Boston College play was a sack of Davis, and Virginia Tech proceeded to run out the clock by kneeling on the ball after taking the field on offense.
[80] In recognition of his winning performance during the ACC Championship, Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor was named the game's most valuable player.
On the opposite side of the ball, Boston College quarterback Dominique Davis was the game's leading passer, having completed 17 of his 43 pass attempts for 263 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.
[95] Boston College offensive coordinator Steve Logan, who was unhappy with the staff changes on the football team, resigned shortly after Spaziani's promotion.
