Season Would Be Hokie-Dokey With Sugar on Top

Virginia Tech’s first unbeaten regular season in 81 years ended on a sweet note Friday, but was it sweet enough to be Sugar?

Virginia Tech Coach Frank Beamer certainly thinks so.

Walking into the interview room nearly an hour after Virginia Tech--the Associated Press’ second-ranked team--defeated No. 22 Boston College, 38-14, Beamer suddenly stopped.

“You don’t mind if I put my hat on, do you?” he asked to no one in particular as he looked at the “Big East Champions” cap he was holding, then put it on. “I’ll tell you what. If I had a Sugar Bowl hat, I’d put that on.”

In their last chance to show they deserve a chance to play for the national championship in the Jan. 4 Sugar Bowl, the Hokies did what they’ve done at every opportunity--pound a ranked team.

“You look at the ranked teams that we played this year, and we’ve taken all of them to the woodshed,” defensive end Corey Moore said. “I firmly believe and I’m confident that we’ll be in New Orleans.”

Virginia Tech, 11-0 overall and 7-0 in the Big East, got three long touchdown passes from freshman quarterback Michael Vick and another big effort from its nationally ranked defense against Boston College (8-3, 4-3). The Hokies’ last unbeaten regular season was with a 7-0 record in 1918.

Virginia Tech outscored four ranked teams (Virginia, Syracuse, Miami and Boston College) by 174-31, but the strength of those victories doesn’t guarantee a Sugar Bowl berth.

No. 3 Nebraska and Virginia Tech are left under consideration in the bowl championship series format for the right to play No. 1 Florida State in the Sugar Bowl. Nebraska defeated Colorado in overtime, 33-30, Friday and plays Texas in the Big 12 championship game next Saturday.

Other than a school-record 97-yard pass play from Tim Hasselbeck to Dedrick Dewalt in the third quarter, Boston College managed very little against a defense ranked fourth overall nationally. The Eagles were outgained, 555 yards to 319.

Vick completed 11 of 13 passes for 290 yards and accounted for an additional 76 yards in 16 carries.