In the last ten years, one of the fiercest, most competitive, meanest rivalries in college football has blossomed between the Miami Hurricanes and the Virginia Tech Hokies. While it still flies under the radar when compared to rivalries like Ohio State-Michigan, Miami-Florida State, and Texas-Oklahoma, there's no doubt that in the last ten years, no matchup can beat VT-Miami for drama, excitement, and eye-gouging nastiness.

Going into the 1995 football season, the Canes had dominated the Hokies, winning all 12 of their matchups, including the 1966 Liberty Bowl and the 1981 Peach Bowl. In 1993 and 1994, Miami had defeated two pretty good Virginia Tech teams by a combined score of 45-5, and victory against the Canes appeared to be a prospect that was still far off in the distance. The Hokies opened the '95 season with losses to Boston College and Cincinnati at home, and with the Canes coming to town, things looked glum.

But remarkably, over the next ten years, the Hokies went 7-3 against the once-unbeatable Hurricanes, two more victories than any other team has notched against the Canes in that time frame (Florida State is 5-6 in the last ten years against Miami). In this two-part series, we'll relive all of the last ten VT-Miami games � yes, even the losses � revisiting the games, the best plays, and things you may have forgotten.

Part 1 begins with VT's five-game winning streak from 1995 to 1999.

The Game: VT had lost to Boston College and Cincinnati in the first two games of 1995, and the Hokies were staring down the barrel of an 0-3 start if they couldn't figure out a way to beat Miami. The Hurricanes had looked vulnerable in a season-opening 31-8 loss to UCLA and then had beaten Florida A&M 49-3 in week two. No one saw what was coming, except for VT offensive coordinator Rickey Bustle, who reportedly told his Hokie offense early that week that the Hokies were "going to run all over" the Hurricanes.

Bustle was true to his word. The Hokies simply took it to the physically overmatched Hurricanes, rushing 49 times for 300 yards (6.0 yards per carry). Of Miami's six defensive tackles, five were true or redshirt freshmen, and the Hokies exploited that youth, blowing huge holes in the middle of the Miami defensive line and running through them to daylight. VT senior tailback Dwayne Thomas rushed 24 times for 165 yards, and hotshot sophomore Ken Oxendine ran 9 times for 82 yards.

It was Butch Davis' first year coaching the Hurricanes, and it was becoming apparent that former coach Dennis Erickson had left Miami in bad shape. None of Miami's top 22 defenders were seniors, and only four seniors played for the 'Canes overall. VT's defense knocked Miami starting QB Ryan Collins out of the game in the second quarter with a strained shoulder and then blitzed his replacement, wet-behind-the-ears Ryan Clement, into submission in the second half.

A 47-yard play-action pass to Bryan Still set up a 1-yard run by Thomas for VT's only touchdown, and Atle Larsen kicked two field goals of 44 and 20 yards. The 20-yarder came in the fourth quarter, after VT had blocked a Miami punt and recovered it at the Canes' 9-yard line, only to be stopped at the 3.

The Play of the Game: With Miami trailing 13-7 and facing fourth down in Tech territory, Tech true freshman cornerback Loren Johnson, subbing for the injured Antonio Banks, knocked down a pass intended for Miami's Yatil Green at the Hokie 5-yard line with 17 seconds left. There was significant contact, but the Big East referees kept their flags in their pockets, and the Hokies had the win.

You May Have Forgotten: Larsen made two field goals, but he missed three others and had another one blocked, making him 2-of-6 on the day. Still also dropped a wide-open sure touchdown bomb from Druckenmiller deep in Miami territory. It was 13-7, but it could have been 32-7, had the Hokies converted their opportunities.

What Happened After That: the Hokies ran the table, finishing 9-2, 6-1 in the conference. Miami got whacked by FSU 41-17 the next week to fall to 1-3, then also ran the table to finish 8-3, 6-1 in the conference. It appeared that the Orange Bowl was going to select the 21st-ranked Hurricanes over the 13th-ranked Hokies, but then the NCAA handed down NCAA sanctions to Miami's program for infractions committed during Erickson's reign, and the Canes chose to take their one-year bowl probation immediately, making them ineligible for the Orange Bowl. The Hokies headed to the Sugar and beat the Texas Longhorns 28-10 in a landmark victory for the program.

The Game: The Hokies were outgained 450-322 by the Hurricanes but handed Miami their third straight loss in the Orange Bowl, an unthinkable statistic just a couple of years earlier, when the Hurricanes had amassed a 58-game home winning streak from 1985-1994.

For the second year in a row, the Hokies knocked out Miami's starting QB, this time Ryan Clement, late in the third quarter with an ankle injury. That didn't stop the Hurricanes from mounting a potential game-tying drive behind backup Scott Covington, taking the ball from their 27-yard line to the Hokie 8-yard line with about two minutes to go and VT leading 14-7.

Covington dropped back and fired to the middle of the end zone, where the waiting Carpenter picked it off � the pass hit him square in the belly � and raced down the left sideline for the clinching touchdown, a Tech-record 100-yard interception return.

The Play of the Game: Carpenter's 100-yard INT return, of course. It was the first interception of the sophomore's career. Carpenter was in the game only because freshman cornerback Anthony Midget, playing for the injured Antonio Banks, was struggling to cover Miami's tall, fast receivers. The Hokie coaches moved Torrian Gray from safety to corner to replace Midget, then brought in Carpenter to replace Gray. On Gray's return, VT defensive end Cornell Brown got away with a flagrant holding penalty. He can be seen on replays hooking a Miami player by the neck of his jersey and dragging him down from behind a few yards before Carpenter runs into the end zone.

You May Have Forgotten: Two plays before Carpenter's interception, Miami's Tony Gaiter dropped a sure TD pass from Covington. The ball hit the wide-open Gaiter in the hands at the Hokie 1-yard line, and he simply dropped it, setting the stage for Carpenter's heroics.

What Happened After That: The Hokies finished 10-1 (6-1 Big East), their only loss coming in a 52-21 wax job at Syracuse in September. Miami finished 8-3 (6-1) with losses to Florida State (34-16) and ECU (31-6). The Hokies got the Big East's Alliance Bowl bid, losing 42-21 to powerful Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. Miami went to the Carquest Bowl, where they defeated Virginia 31-21.

The Game: This one was wild and woolly. Miami went up 13-3 early. The Hokies scored 21 straight points to take a 24-13 lead into the fourth quarter, then held off a furious Miami rally to win 27-25. The victory was sealed when Tech's Pierson Prioleau intercepted a two-point conversion attempt by the Canes' Ryan Clement with 1:58 to go in a play eerily reminiscent of Keion Carpenter's interception return the year before.

The game featured a typically gutty performance from gimpy Tech QB Al Clark, who played his best and toughest against the Hurricanes. Coming back from an injury, Clark was obviously slowed, but he completed 10 of 12 passes for 153 yards and ran nine times for 37 yards. His only two incompletions were drops in the end zone, one by Marcus Gildersleeve on a pretty bomb and one by Ike Charlton, who was playing two ways (CB and WR) because of depth problems at wide receiver.

With VT leading 24-13, the Hokie defense started to collapse, missing assignments and tackles throughout the fourth quarter. Miami freshman running back James Jackson ran 9 times for 142 yards, most of it coming in the fourth, when he peeled off a 78-yard TD run to close it to 24-19, then had a 12-yard TD run to make it 27-25. Had the game gone on longer, the Hokies probably would have lost, because by the end the Hurricanes were scoring at will.

VT pounded the venerable Ken Oxendine into the line over and over and over, rushing him 36 times for 147 yards and riding him to victory. After the game, Hokie fans, who had shivered through typical November Blacksburg cold all night, were spent emotionally from the roller-coaster ride they had just seen...Virginia Tech's third-straight win over the Canes, who were now mired deep in probation.

The Play of the Game: In addition to Prioleau's interception, two plays stand out. One was a 45-yard run by Oxendine that wasn't really a run by Oxendine. On the play, Clark and Oxendine ran an option, and Clark kept the ball, gimping almost 40 yards downfield before finally pitching to the trailing Oxendine, who ran 8 more yards with it and got credit for the full run. The other great play was a 27-yard TD run by tailback Lamont Peques in which VT offensive linemen Gennaro DiNapoli and Brad Baylor destroyed the left side of the Miami Hurricanes� defensive front. It was a thing of beauty.

You May Have Forgotten: Frank Beamer violated one of the sacred rules of coaching by taking points off the board. With eight minutes to go, Shayne Graham booted a 45-yard field goal that put the Hokies up 27-19. Graham was roughed on the play, and in a gutsy move, Beamer took the points off the board, took possession on a first down, and continued to work the clock. The Hokies ground four more minutes off the clock and got down to the Miami 5-yard line, where the final result was the same: a Graham field goal and an eight-point lead, but this time with just four minutes remaining. Given how Miami was slicing and dicing the Hokie defense at the end of the game, that extra four minutes off the clock may have been the difference between a win and a loss.

What Happened After That: Though this game was a classic, neither the probation-ravaged (and Butch Davis coached) Hurricanes nor the young, injury-riddle Hokies were very good football teams. VT finished second in the Big East at 7-4 (5-2) almost by default, then got mauled by a powerful UNC team in the Gator Bowl, 42-3. Miami, boasting some talent but no depth, went 5-6 (3-4), including losses to Pittsburgh, WVU, Florida State, Arizona State, and Syracuse. The Canes went bowl-less for the second time in three years.

The Game: The two teams � and VT QB Al Clark � picked up where they left off, playing a back and forth slug fest that featured the jazzy, athletic Canes and the solid, steady Hokies.

This game was brutal. The Canes nearly tore Clark's leg off in a nasty tackle early in the game, but the gritty Clark played on through the pain (he would miss the next four games with an ankle injury) and made the Hurricanes pay. VT lost starting fullback Cullen Hawkins to a season-ending foot injury, paving the way for a young walk-on named Jarrett Ferguson. Offensive guard Josh Redding also went down with a knee injury.

The key to the game was five Miami turnovers, including turnovers on their first four possessions of the second half. Miami's other turnover was just as critical; with the Hurricanes up 13-3 late in the first half, QB Scott Covington fumbled a snap on the Miami 26-yard line, and the Hokies recovered and turned it into a 14-yard TD pass from Clark to Hawkins to make it 13-10.

The Hokie defense got stronger as the game went on, and the two teams were deadlocked at 20 and went into overtime. On VT's possession to open overtime, Clark threw a 24-yard TD pass to Ricky Hall in the corner of the end zone, where Hall outleaped a Miami defensive back for the score. Down 27-20, Miami took possession on their 25-yard line, where Corey Moore and John Engelberger promptly laid two straight sacks on Covington to push the Canes all the way back to the 46 yard line. Miami completed a 14-yard pass, then threw incomplete on 4th and 17, and the Hokies had their second straight victory at the Orange Bowl.

The Play of the Game: Hall's overtime catch is obviously the play of the game, but we'll have to give a nod to the opposition here, as well. Thanks to Miami's flurry of turnovers, VT had taken a 17-13 lead when the Canes roared back early in the fourth. From the Miami 16 yard line, Covington threw a sideline pattern to Reggie Wayne, who snatched the ball away from Anthony Midget and turned and pulled off a wild, spinning run that was as exciting as Michael Vick's 82-yard TD run against Boston College in 2000. Too bad it was by the opposition, but it really was a spectacular play.

You May Have Forgotten: The Hokies had a chance to win in regulation. Facing fourth and 1 from Miami's 45-yard line, the Hokies lined up for the safe play: a punt, with the score tied 20-20 and just 32 seconds left. But much as he had done in the 1997 game, Frank Beamer made a gutsy � some would say foolish � call, a fake punt. Nick Sorensen, the up-man, took the snap and optioned to speedy punter Jimmy Kibble, who raced for three yards and a first down. Inspired, the Hokies completed a pass to Reggie Samuel (whose career was later ended prematurely with a knee injury) to the Miami 19-yard line, where Beamer called upon Shayne Graham for a game-winning 35-yard kick with 12 seconds left. Graham pushed the kick wide right, and the Hokies had to win it in overtime, instead.

What Happened After That: VT lost two of their last three games to finish 8-3 (5-2 Big East). First the Hokies dropped the classic(ly painful) 28-26 game to Syracuse in the Carrier Dome, then they beat Rutgers 47-7, and then they gave up a 29-7 lead in losing to UVa 36-32 at home. VT regrouped and smashed Alabama 38-7 in the inaugural Music City Bowl, setting the stage for VT's great run at the national title in 1999. Miami finished 8-3 (5-2) as well, also dropping games to FSU (26-14) and to Syracuse (a 66-13 humiliation in Donovan McNabb's last year with the Orange). The Canes beat NC State 46-23 in the Micron PC bowl to go 9-3 overall, just like the Hokies.

The Game: By the time this game arrived between the second-ranked Hokies (8-0, 4-0 Big East) and Hurricanes (5-3, 3-0), the hype machine around the Hokies and Michael Vick was in full swing. ESPN's College Gameday had visited Blacksburg for VT's 62-0 annihilation of Syracuse earlier in the season, and they came back for this game, a night game played in front of 53,130 crazed Hokie fans.

Miami didn't fare much better than Syracuse had in Lane Stadium. The Canes jumped out to an early 10-0 lead, and the Hokies righted the ship and scratched and clawed back to a 20-10 lead going into the fourth quarter. Virginia Tech exploded from there, scoring 23 unanswered points in the final stanza to win going away. The Hokies forced six turnovers and got scores from the offense, defense, and special teams.

Previous games between the two teams had been hard-fought, but this one was just nasty. The Hurricanes woofed during pre-game warmups at VT fans seated low in the end zone, and Miami linebacker Nate Webster crossed the line several times, eye-gouging Tech's Shyrone Stith (causing Stith to don a face shield) and sucker punching Michael Vick, both times in clear view of TV cameras. One Miami player also kicked Vick on the UM sidelines after Vick ran out of bounds. The Hurricanes' efforts to intimidate the Hokies failed, as wild man Corey Moore led a Hokie defensive charge that finished off the Canes in the fourth quarter.

The Play of the Game: With the Hokies leading 20-10 early in the fourth quarter, Ricky Hall, hero of the 1998 overtime game, hauled in a punt and raced 64 yards for a touchdown that set off a wild celebration in the Lane Stadium stands. Hall went down the left sideline and then cut back across the field for the score with 13:39 left. The Canes were finished off just 24 seconds later when Moore tracked down Clinton Portis and knocked the ball loose from behind. Ike Charlton scooped it up and ran 51 yards for the score that put VT up 33-10 (the PAT failed), putting it out of reach.

You May Have Forgotten: Miami starting QB Kenny Kelly was supposed to be the Hurricanes' savior that year, the athletic QB who got them back into the national title hunt. But Kelly, who would quit the Canes after the 1999 season and concentrate on pro baseball instead (he made his Major League debut for the Reds this past weekend), didn't have the arm strength or talent. He was battered into submission by the Hokies and finally left the game with an ankle injury early in the fourth quarter, giving way to a young QB named Ken Dorsey. Dorsey would go on to be a very good college QB, but on this night, he was a deer in the headlights. He went 6-of-17 for 45 yards and an interception in roughly one quarter of play.

What Happened After That: Uh, let's see � (shuffling papers) � oh yeah, here it is: Tennessee lost that day, and the Hokies, who had been #3 in the BCS standings, moved up to #2 and stayed there. VT went 11-0 and played for the national championship, losing to Florida State 46-29. The Hurricanes (9-4, 6-1) finished second in the Big East and beat Georgia Tech 28-13 in the Gator Bowl to finish 9-4.

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