The Pepsi Guy:  the Syracuse Game
-- by the Pepsi Guy
-- posted 10/21/99

Thoughts from the Pepsi Guy, Installment 4:  "Orange Juice, Anyone?"

The 62-0 drubbing the Hokies laid upon the Orangemen no doubt rates as one of the best ever games played by Virginia Tech, if not perhaps the greatest in history. But this past Homecoming weekend was more than just the three and a half hours of football played from 6 to 9:30 Saturday night, a lot more, though the game was the icing on the cake. So I've decided to do something a bit different and recap some of this weekend’s events, which together have to rank as the greatest weekend in the history of Tech athletics, bar none.

With the hype surrounding the game growing each day as the 6 p.m. kickoff neared, I knew this weekend had the makings of being something very special for Tech athletics. And I was not disappointed.

Midnight Madness

This Hokie weekend started at 10:15 Friday night when the Pepsi Guy drove to the Cassell Coliseum parking lot to take in Midnight Madness. As I walked into Cassell I wondered how many other Tech fans would show up to support the basketball teams. But before I could find out, I had to grab all the free items that I could get my hands on. The only thing better than watching the Tech football team win (and, well, selling a Pepsi, dancing with a gorgeous blonde, or maybe twenty or so other things) is getting a bunch of free stuff. And usually Midnight Madness provides the opportunity to get lots of free stuff.

First I looked into a box and pulled out a Chemical Brothers CD courtesy of 100.7 the Buzz. I'm not sure if I'm a Chemical Brothers fan, but like I said before, it was free, so what's there not to like?

Then I commandeered a Tech basketball poster featuring Rolan Roberts on the front dunking against the Cavaliers, and on the back is a picture displaying Amy Wetzel. But the one item I couldn't get was the official Midnight Madness T-shirt. I have a couple of T-shirts from past midnight madness nights, but this year I unfortunately arrived too late and couldn't get my hands on a voucher, which was needed to exchange for a T-shirt.

But that doesn't mean I didn't try. I tried to sweet talk the ladies handing out the shirts, but they weren't about to give into my weak pleas and cries. Then the Pepsi Guy tried a bit of trickery. I had noticed that the back of the pocket schedules slightly resembled the vouchers for the shirts. As I handed an event staffer my "voucher" (really a pocket schedule) she began to hand me my coveted T-shirt. I was about to walk away with my prize, but, being the alert Hokie that she is, she quickly noticed I was trying to pull a fast one and immediately took the shirt back from me. Hey, you can't blame a guy for trying. So this should serve as a lesson to all: if you want a Midnight Madness T-shirt, make sure you arrive at least an hour in advance and you won't be disappointed.

After grabbing all the freebies I could find, I got in line to meet the players. One of the first players I talked with was Keith Willis. Willis, Tech's two-sport star, was very accommodating, as were all the players. I asked him when he started working out with the basketball team, and he informed me that Friday night was the first time. He also told me that tight end is still his position on the football squad.

Next, talking to Brendan Dunlop and Jermaine Kimbrough, I asked if, we as fans, could expect an up-tempo game. They both said yes and smiles came across their faces when asked if they would enjoy opening up the offense a little more this season.

The Smith brothers were the next players I visited. OK, they're not really brothers, but both of them are from West Virginia. First I talked to Jon Smith and asked him, if he really took out a backboard in high school, he grinned and said he did. Then I talked to Drew Smith (he's a walk-on), and after speaking to him I learned that he was a very good shooter and helped his team go to the state playoffs a number of times in his high school career. I also thanked both of the Smith's for choosing to attend Virginia Tech. Again it was time to move on.

I went to Dennis Mims's table. He sat the practice out, but he was still there to sign autographs and sit with the team. I thanked him for staying with the Hokies and said I was really happy that he didn't transfer. He laughed and said he was happy too. I talked to a few other players and as I said before, all were very nice. Coach Stokes and his assistants walked by the tables throughout the autograph signing to make sure everything was running smoothly, as it was. Just from my first up close look at Coach Stokes, I really got the impression, as he talked to players and fans, that he is a very approachable guy who truly enjoys what he is doing and gets complete respect from his players. But it was time to move on to the women. No offense to the guys, but I prefer talking to the women. I wonder why?

First I talked to Nicole Jones and asked her if the team was planning on winning the preseason NIT tournament. She said they hoped to, and I told her I hoped the same atmosphere that was there for the NCAA games last season would return for the tournament. Nicole agreed. I then approached the table of Katrina Williams. Williams is a newcomer to the team and from Glenvar, also home of Brandon Semones. I told her I had seen her many times in the papers and wished her luck in her first season at Tech. Then I realized the Pepsi Guy had made a blunder. Although I was going the correct way in the men's line, I noticed the women's line was going the opposite direction, so in essence I was going backwards. Noticing the long line of people, who were going the proper way, I decided it was time for me to go and sit down.

I sat down and looked at the crowd gathered in Cassell and I estimated there were between 3,000 to 5,000 spectators. Not bad, but not great either, but hey we're in the middle of perhaps the greatest Tech football season in history so you can't blame someone for having football on the mind. Besides with celebrities like Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit hanging out in downtown Blacksburg, there's a lot of competition for people's attention.

Soon after I sat down, Bill Roth started the night's events. The evening opened with a few select fans trying to shoot for prizes from various spots on the court. Unfortunately, the Pepsi Guy never gets selected for these opportunities, but maybe that is for the best, because although he possesses a mean jump shot, he usually falters under pressure, which happened to be the case for many of the college students selected to shoot.

The best shot of the night, the men's and women's teams included, had to come from a girl of about 11 years old. She lined up for a shot for a CD player, which happened to be the top prize of the night and also the farthest away from the basket. The young lady banked the shot off the backboard for her prize and got a loud roar from the crowd. One question though, does a prize won in a contest at a Virginia Tech event count as a recruiting violation? Hope not, because in a couple of years that girl might be suiting up for Bonnie Henrickson.

Not only were recruits in the stands, including newest Hokie Carlos Dixon, who is very tall from the Pepsi Guy's vantage point and also very polite, but former Tech basketball players Lisa Witherspoon, Ace Custis, Shawn Good and David Jackson were in attendance as well. A few more former players were introduced, but the Pepsi Guy can't remember all the names.

After the fan shoot-out, time ran down, and eventually the teams came out and opened up their 1999-2000 seasons. The men dunked a bunch of times, as the ladies shot solid fundamental basketball. I really miss the dunk competition, especially with Andre Ray, but dunking in warm-ups is better than no dunks at all, I guess.

Next, it was time for practice. The women started off by playing for six minutes and were followed with a 10-minute session by the men. The teams took a break and the format was repeated.

In the women's session, freshmen Katrina Williams looked pretty good, hitting a couple of midrange and long range jumpers. Sarah Hicks showed no signs of injury after sitting out last season with an injured shoulder. Hicks looked really good from the outside as well. Tere Williams was her reliable self, and Kim Seaver scored a couple of baskets on the inside. Nicole Jones also had quality minutes.

As for the men, Andre Ray led all scorers as he shot the ball from outside and inside. In the final session for the men, Andre padded his stats using cherry picking as his offensive weapon of choice, to the delight of the Andre Ray fan club sitting below me.

David Whaley provided spark hustling after every loose ball, grabbing rebounds and hitting buckets. Rolan Roberts was another offensive juggernaut, scoring from the foul line, and with lay-ups and dunks. Roberts also hit a few mid-range jumpers.

As far as the freshmen, Keith Willis hit a couple of shots, including a three-pointer, and Drew Smith showed a lot of basketball savvy. Most of the players looked thin, but one thing is for sure, this is a team that is capable of running up and down the floor in a hurry. All and all, there isn't much to say, but what did you expect -- this was the first full team practice of the season, and it was another enjoyable Midnight Madness at Tech.

As I slowly walked out of Cassell and down the stairs, Frank Beamer's voice popped into my head, saying, "Pace yourself, pace yourself."

After finding out the time, I thought it was a good time to get a preview of the ESPN GameDay setup. I found a security guard and asked if there was any way that I could possibly catch a glimpse of the set. He said, "Sorry, I wish I could." I told him thanks anyway and that I would be back tomorrow anyway live and in person.

He gave me the thumbs up and with that I figured it was time to head home to get a few hours of rest before the big day. But as I was walking towards my car, I noticed two brave Tech fans. Now the Pepsi Guy considers himself a huge Tech fan, but these two individuals leave me in the dust. Outside the gates of Lane, these two fellows had laid down a tarp and some blankets and were planning on camping out until Game Day started the following morning. Talk about dedication.

Arriving home at 2 a.m. I quickly went to sleep with dreams of a Hokie victory and a GameDay record crowd.

ESPN's GameDay

My alarm sounded and with that, I threw on as much maroon as I could find. I grabbed a Tech pom-pom and headed out the door. Wow, it was 8:30 in the morning and I was heading back to Lane Stadium for the second time in less than seven hours. If only my professors knew I could wake up this early!

After grabbing a quick bite to eat, I headed into Lane Stadium for the first ever appearance of the GameDay set on our campus. As I walked into the Terror Dome, 5,000 people had already occupied their places in the stands. I found my spot and then looked up into the crowd. Having seen a few wrestling shows, I soon realized they had nothing on our fans. Our signs were more creative, better looking, and most importantly, there were more of them. And to top it off it was only 9:30 in the morning, meaning there was still another hour and half for people to pour in Lane and break the record.

The fans in attendance weren't sure what they were supposed to do. The practice session hadn't started, but the excitement could be seen in their eyes. A few cheers broke out in various sections of the stadium, but we were without a leader, without a leader to unify all the Hokie faithful as one.

Then our leader arrived; it was none other than the Hokie Man. He jumped on the field and started various Hokie chants such as "Let's go, Hokies" and "H-O-K-I-E-S, Hokies". Now the crowd was ready, and the practice session hadn't even began. More and more maroon poured into the stadium as the anticipation for GameDay grew as the seconds ticked away.

With some time on my hand, I decided to check out some of the signs and people on display. One of the most amusing individuals was a student dressed in a prison outfit, with Peter Warrick's name draped across the front of his shirt. Someone also created a sign along the same idea, which read, "Virginia Tech players buy their own clothes." Other signs that made the Pepsi Guy laugh were "In order to score, you have to have a big Vick" and "Lee Corso is my biological father."

Then there were those that bordered on the strange and bizarre. There was an individual who dressed up in a Tigger outfit (the tiger from Winnie the Pooh) and held a sign that read, "I bounce for Tech". Also there were two individuals who appeared to be dressed in only signs. One of the funniest, yet strangest individuals, was a fellow with one of those cat-in-the-hat Tech hats pulled over his face with eye holes cut out. He was a combination of the guy from Fat Albert and Chris Farley all rolled into one, but he made it on GameDay and I didn't, so my hat's off to him. Even the Orangemen got in on the act though they evoked many boos from the pro-Hokie crowd. Also Ohio State had a contingency at the game -- I'm not sure why, but the Buckeyes were represented in Lane Stadium, drawing many puzzled looks from our fans.

But the best sign of the day had to be the student carrying the Hokie Bird that crushed the Orangemen’s head. Not only did it look cool, but the sign actually had motion. The student, who had to be an engineering major, would push a lever and control the Hokie Bird’s hands making them squeeze the Orangemen’s head over and over to the delight of the crowd. What was so amazing was that as soon as the guy entered the stadium he had the entire Lane Stadium audience was in awe. Everyone turned around and marveled at his creation. The student entered GameDay kind of late and had to sit near the top of the stands, but his sign was so marvelous that he was immediately escorted to a lower section near the field so his creation would have a better chance of making it on national television. See, if you spend enough time on something, it can really pay off.

Then it happened, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Chris Fowler walked out to GameDay stage and the crowd erupted. I looked up in the stands and maroon appeared everywhere I glanced -- a Red Sea, if you will. Now the west stands were packed from top to bottom from the end zone nearest the GameDay set to 60 yards down the field. And the stands were half full from the 40 yard line to the 20.

These spectators, combined with the ones in the bleachers and the ones standing on the grass outside the stadium, make the Pepsi Guy estimate that the crowd ranged from 14,000 to 16,000 fans for a new GameDay crowd record. This is impressive, especially when you consider that the game wasn't to begin for another seven hours. Chris Fowler addressed the crowd, but it was so loud that I could barely hear his words. But from what I did hear, he thanked the crowd for showing up and said we had indeed broken the record set by Kansas State. With that statement, the crowd broke into another deafening roar.

For the rest of GameDay the crowd was intense. Although very few people could actually hear what was said by the commentators, it was a given that if you heard the rest of the crowd yelling "Corso, Corso" or "Fowler, Fowler" you were to do the same. And on the other hand, if you heard boos, then you were to boo as well. No matter if you understood why. These were just the rules.

Every time ESPN featured a Tech player or coach, the crowd erupted, and every time it wasn't a Tech player the crowd booed or chanted "overrated." The biggest such boo was drawn by Brent Musberger when he stated that the GameDay crew should really be in Happy Valley covering Penn State and Ohio State. We Hokie fans took it personally and booed and screamed unpleasantries towards Musberger. But Fowler came right back and said the GameDay crew was very happy where they were. And the boo's soon turned to "Folwer, Fowler" and everyone was happy once again.

It seems as if Kirk Herbstreit was given the role of Syracuse backer. At first some of his comments on the Orangemen's defense brought some criticism from the Hokie faithful in the form of boo's, but by the time the show ended Herbstreit was back on board the Tech bandwagon. Lee Corso has been there since the beginning of the season, and he didn't change on Saturday. He garnered the most cheers and support from the Tech fans. But the support and cheers came to a climax when Mr. Corso put on the Hokie bird head and showed his Virginia Tech lined sports coat. Fans were jumping up and down and pointing at the GameDay set. Many shouted, "I can't believe Corso just did that! That's too cool!" After the excitement caused by Corso, the fans slowly emptied the stadium.

Knowing I had six hours until game time and had only had about six hours of sleep, I knew I needed to get home and rest before walking up and down the steps of Lane. I started hearing Beamer's words again. "Pace yourself, pace yourself."

But before I did, I wanted to see if I could catch an up close glimpse of the three ESPN personalities. I ran to the fence where the players enter and exit Lane Stadium. Much to my surprise Lee Corso and Chris Fowler walked by at that moment. They continued to walk closer and approached the fence where I was standing. A security guard opened a gate and they walked into the crowd. Fowler thanked us again for coming out to the show and for being loud, and before he left, the Pepsi Guy shook his hand and thanked him for coming to Tech.

Then Corso appeared, and boy does he have fans in Blacksburg these days. A small contingent of Hokies surrounded him and he calmly stated, "Folks, it's OK, I'm not going anywhere. Let's just relax and I'll sign and pose for pictures as long as people want me to."

That brought a cheer from the crowd as Lee started to sign and pose for pictures. As he was signing, Lee said this was not only the best crowd and the biggest crowd that GameDay has ever had, but also the most well behaved and polite crowd. He thanked us all for showing up. Someone asked Lee if he really thought we could go to the national championship game and Lee said, "I don't see why not. You have as good as chance as anyone else." And with that, the small crowd cheered again. But I was running out of time, so I posed for a picture with Lee Corso (The Pepsi Guy and Lee Corso, wow!), thanked him for his thoughts on Tech, and headed to the parking lot to go home and "pace myself."

But as I was walking to my car, I noticed hordes of people holding their hands in the air with a various number of fingers extended. It was as if they were in some trance, not aware of what they were doing. No, actually, they were all looking for tickets, and this was six hours before the game.

I asked one guy if he had had any luck. He said, "I can't even find someone to turn them down for their outrageous ticket prices." But he did tell me one guy walked by him and told him someone tried to sell him a ticket for $125. And the crazy thing is I'm sure there were many people at the game looking for tickets, who wouldn't have thought twice about paying that much. Virginia Tech football has come a long, long way.

Virginia Tech 62, Syracuse 0

After I woke up from my short nap, I jumped in my car and made my way back to Lane Stadium for the third time in less than 24 hours. Everything else had gone well, now if only the game could match up. I walked to Lane, and I saw many people still holding their fingers up looking for tickets. There's no doubt in my mind that we could have filled a 60,000-seat stadium Saturday night. Then I grabbed my Pepsi tray and began selling.

After the first tray, I knew I would be seeing very little game action. I was literally being mobbed by fans in search of the Pepsi taste, just as Hokie Brad had warned. The cannon sounded and the game began, but I was so busy selling Pepsi that I hardly noticed. I was able to catch a quick glimpse of the game when Midget caused the fumble, and I watched Cory Bird run into the end zone for Tech's first score. Fans everywhere went wild. Everywhere, that is except for where the Syracuse supporters were sitting.

Apparently the Hokies continued to score, and I got the pleasure of seeing a few bone crushing hits by our secondary. Lorenzo Ward has apparently taught those guys to punish the opposing receivers. Forget smack talking, our guys play with smack. But before I knew it, it was half time and Tech had a very impressive, if not shocking, 31-0 lead.

As I went underneath the stands at half time selling drinks, I asked quite a few fans if they ever imagined the Hokies would be so dominant. There wasn't one among them that could say they had. As one guy said, "I didn't think in my wildest dreams they would lead 31-0, but (with a smile on his face) I'll take it." I agreed.

Half time ended, and soon after, the third quarter did as well. The Pepsi people were so tired of filling drinks that as soon as the fourth quarter started, we hung up our straps and trays for the night. Usually this would bother me, but I was satisfied where I was standing financially for a day's work and I wanted to watch some of the game even if it was only mop up duty.

I quickly found a seat and watched the second and third string defense battle the Cuse. What was more impressive than the performance of our back-up team was the fact that the stadium was still full and loud. We were up 48-0, yet no one was leaving. Talk about the greatest fans in football!

The guy behind me kept on rooting for the Hokies defense to score. He wouldn't stop. It seemed as if 48 points weren't enough for him. He kept yelling, "C'mon Hokies smell the end zone, get in there one more time." And his statements proved to be prophetic, as Phillip Summers intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown after a fancy spin move. The gentlemen went wild and shouted, "I told you Tech, I told you!"

Now with the score 55-0, I figured the crowd would began to file out very quickly, but it wasn't to be. Our second and third string defense was again on the field and the crowd was again very loud. Walk-on Steven Hunt, from Blacksburg, stood out and made a bunch of very nice solo tackles. Dan Wilkinson responded as well with a sack, which was only our second of the game, showing the extraordinary depth on our sideline.

But, the gentleman above me was still not satisfied. I began to wonder what the Orangemen had done to him to make him so vindictive. As they lined up for a punt, he yelled, "Block the punt Hokies, score again!" Again his statement proved to be prophetic, as the Syracuse punter bobbled the snap, and quickly the Hokies wrapped him up as he dropped the ball in the end zone for Tech's final touchdown of the night, ending the greatest weekend in Hokie sports.

What else can I say? Umm… how 'bout 62-0 and number four in the country. Any questions?

Take care everyone, see ya November 13^th against the Canes,

-- The Pepsi Guy

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