2011 Orange Bowl
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.
In the weeks before that game, media attention focused on both teams' turnarounds from historical difficulties and the performance of Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.
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.
[nb 2] 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.
[2] 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.
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.
[26] The Virginia Tech Hokies entered the 2010 season after a 2009 campaign that saw the team finish 10–3, including a season-ending win in the 2009 Chick-fil-A Bowl against the Tennessee Volunteers.
[32] 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.
[53][54] 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.
"[68] 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.
[69] 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.
[72] 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.
[55] On December 13, Luck finished second in the voting for the Heisman Trophy, the annual award given to the best player in college football that season.
[73] 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.
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.
[91] The Hokies played the Orange Bowl without starting linebacker Lyndell Gibson, who fractured his shoulder in the second quarter of the ACC Championship Game.
[99] 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.
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.
[103] 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.
[104] 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.
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.
[111] 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.
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.
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.
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.
[112] 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.
To replace the vacated offensive coordinator position, Shaw selected Stanford wide receivers coach Pep Hamilton.
[129] 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.
Two days after the Orange Bowl, Virginia Tech running back Darren Evans announced his intention to enter the NFL Draft.
[133] 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.
