Independence Bowl: Virginia Tech Reigns Over Golden Hurricane

Virginia Tech played hard for their hall of fame coach Frank Beamer in his last game, beating Tulsa 55-52 in the Independence Bowl. 

Although Tulsa lost, the team's fight and this season's turnaround are things that won't be forgotten.

Game Synopsis

The Golden Hurricane started the game hot with a 48-yard touchdown run by D’Angelo Brewer to give TU a 7-0 lead.

Virginia Tech bounced back quick, answering with a 51-yard score from Travon McMillian to tie it up.

The game's lack of defense became very apparent when Tulsa's Zack Langer broke off a long run, leading to a two-yard score to put the Golden Hurricane up 14-7, followed by another VT score to tie it again just minutes in. The tying score tallied 1,000 receiving yards for Isaiah Ford, making him the first 1,000-yard receiver in Virginia Tech history.

At this point, the game was looking as if both teams would post 50+ points by the final. Both teams were dominating with the ground game, but neither team's defense was making tackles.

Total Yards (11:42, 1st Quarter)

Tulsa- 145

Virginia Tech- 138

The Hokies took their first lead with ten minutes left of the first quarter when Joey Slye nailed an easy 27-yard field goal, giving Tech a 17-14 edge.

The 31 combined points set an Independence Bowl record for most points in a single quarter.

Sam Rogers increased VT's lead 24-14 with a 14-yard run. But Tulsa stayed high tempo.

Josh Atkinson hauled in a 44-yard reception from Dane Evans to put TU right back in Tech territory. Atkinson's catch helped him record over 1,000 yards on the season and led to a nine-yard end zone connection from Dane Evans to Bishop Louie. This cut Tulsa's deficit 24-21.

By the end of quarter one, Evans had thrown for 117 yards on 7-10 passing; three of those were to Atkinson for 70 yards.

In just one quarter, Tulsa and VT combined for 463 yards and 45 points.

The Hokies opened the second half hype with a score from Bucky Hodges to put Virginia Tech up 31-21. Tech's 31 points marked the most ever in the first half of a bowl game.

VT quickly advanced its lead 45-21 with back to back scores from McMillian and Greg Stroman.

A 29 yarder by Redford Jones and another score from Brewer cut the Hokies lead 45-31 just before intermission.

Virginia Tech got the second half rolling with a score from Trey Edmunds that elevated them 52-31. The score recorded the most ever points in a bowl game. Ford also set an Indy Bowl record with 202 receiving yards midway through the third quarter.

Tulsa fought back to put more points on the board. A nine-yard rush up the middle from Evans made it 52-37 as the Hokies lead with 4:11 left in quarter three.

Later in the final quarter, Evans connected with Atkinson for the TD play, followed by a two-point conversion to Keyarris Garrett to make it a 10-point game (55-45). At this point, both teams combined for 1,045 yards (7:35 to play).

Tulsa continued to show heart, posting another score from Garrett to make it a three-point game.

In front of a crowd of 31,289 people, Virginia Tech went on to win the record-setting game, 55-52.