The 2001 Gator Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game between the Clemson Tigers and the Virginia Tech Hokies at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida on January 1, 2001. The game was the final contest of the 2000 NCAA Division I-A football season for both teams, and ended in a 41–20 victory for Virginia Tech.
Virginia Tech entered the game headed by star quarterback Michael Vick, who led the Hokies to a 10–1 regular-season record despite being injured for a part of the season. Clemson entered the game with a regular-season record of 9–2 under the command of head coach Tommy Bowden, who was in the second year of his tenure. The contest featured two high-scoring offenses that emphasized different aspects of the game. These aspects were exemplified in the game, which saw Clemson pass for more yards than Virginia Tech, while the Hokies ran for more yards than the Tigers.
Virginia Tech jumped out to an early lead and maintained it throughout the game. Vick had a 23-yard touchdown run on the game's opening drive, then helped the Hokies expand their lead to 14–0 by the end of the first quarter. The Tigers narrowed Tech's lead to 14–10 in the second quarter, but the Hokies scored another touchdown before halftime and went into the second half with a 21–10 lead. Injuries knocked Clemson's two leading running backs out of the game, and starting Clemson quarterback Woodrow Dantzler was removed from the game after he proved ineffective against the Virginia Tech defense. Despite these changes, the Tigers were unable to reduce Virginia Tech's lead, which stood at 34–13 at the end of the third quarter. A late Clemson touchdown moved the Tigers within two touchdowns, but Virginia Tech answered with a touchdown of its own, making the final score 41–20.
In recognition of his performance in leading his team to a victory, Vick was named the game's most valuable player. It was his final collegiate game, and four months after the Gator Bowl, he was selected with the first overall selection in the 2001 NFL draft. A handful of other players who participated in the Gator Bowl also were selected in the draft.
Team selection For the 2000–01 college football season, the Gator Bowl had the right to select the No. 2 bowl-eligible team from both the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the Big East Conference.King, Randy. "Hokies still want a BCS bowl", The Roanoke Times. November 6, 2000. The bowl game's administrators also had a contract to include Notre Dame if that school met certain entry requirements. The conference champions of the ACC and Big East were guaranteed a spot in a Bowl Championship Series game, and there also was the possibility of an at-large BCS selection for any team in each conference if it finished high enough in the BCS Poll but did not win the conference championship.
Clemson
The Clemson Tigers entered the 2000–2001 college football season after a 6–6 season in 1999 under first-year head coach Tommy Bowden.Clemson Sports Information Department. "1999-00 Results", clemsontigers.cstv.com. Accessed June 23, 2009. Archived 2009-07-22. Fans and college football analysts predicted Bowden would continue Clemson's resurgence from a 3–8 season during the year before Bowden was hired. Some pointed to Bowden's undefeated season in the second year after assuming the head coaching job at Tulane University as a sign of what to expect from Clemson.Wojciechowski, Joe. "A look at the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll", ESPN.com. August 14, 2000. Most analysts, however, anticipated a more moderate improvement over the previous year.Doyel, Gregg. "Tigers should maul soft schedule", September 4, 2000. Accessed June 23, 2009.Wojciechowski, Joe. "Others are catching up, but FSU still No. 1", ESPN.com. July 6, 2000. Accessed June 23, 2009. In the annual preseason poll of media who covered Atlantic Coast Conference football, Clemson tied for second with Georgia Tech. Both teams were far behind perennial favorite Florida State, however. Nationally, Clemson debuted at No. 17 in the preseason AP Poll and No. 20 in the preseason coaches' poll.The Associated Press. "Seminoles won't go wire-to-wire again", ESPN.com. August 31, 2000. Accessed June 23, 2009.
The Tigers opened their season against Division I-AA opponent The Citadel, whom they beat handily, 38–0.The Associated Press. "Citadel only crosses midfield once", ESPN.com. September 2, 2000. Accessed June 23, 2009. That victory was followed by two blowout wins: 62–9 against Missouri and 55–7 against ACC opponent Wake Forest.The Associated Press. , Clemsontigers.cstv.com. September 9, 2000. Accessed June 23, 2009.The Associated Press. "Dislocated knee sidelines Wake QB Leak", ESPN.com. September 16, 2000. Accessed June 23, 2009. Those three games were typical of Clemson's first eight, which the Tigers won in succession. After the win against Wake Forest, Clemson beat Virginia,The Associated Press. "Record crowd in Virginia sees Clemson roll," ESPN.com. September 23, 2000. Accessed June 23, 2009. Duke,Droschak, David. , Clemsontigers.cstv.com. September 30, 2000. Accessed June 23, 2009. North Carolina State,Iacobelli, Pete. Clemsontigers.cstv.com. October 7, 2000. Accessed June 23, 2009. Maryland,The Associated Press. "Ardley's 3 INTs help muffle Maryland", ESPN.com. October 14, 2000. Accessed June 24, 2009. and North Carolina. In the final win of that streak, starting quarterback Woodrow Dantzler was replaced by backup Willie Simmons in the second quarter due to an injury to Dantzler.The Associated Press. "Simmons' four TD passes cap Tigers rally," ESPN.com. October 21, 2000. Accessed June 23, 2009.
With an 8–0 record and a No. 5 national ranking, Clemson hosted Georgia Tech. In the game, the Yellow Jackets posted a school-record offensive effort in an upset victory over the Tigers. Clemson took a 28–24 lead with 1:52 remaining in the game, but the Yellow Jackets drove 80 yards in 11 plays before ending with a one-handed catch for a touchdown, giving Clemson its first loss of the season. The defeat eliminated the Tigers from national championship contention, but they still had a chance to win the conference championship if they defeated Florida State the following week.Collins, Jeffrey. "Clemson loses to one-handed grab in final seconds, 31-28", Clemsontigers.cstv.com. October 28, 2000. Accessed June 24, 2009. Archived 2009-07-22.
The Florida State Seminoles are coached by Bobby Bowden, father of Tommy Bowden. Their 2000 matchup marked only the second time that a father and son had faced each other as opposing head football coaches. The only other meeting had been the previous year, when Tommy lost by three points to his father. In the 2000 meeting, No. 4 Florida State dominated No. 10 Clemson from the start of the game. In an effort to impress BCS voters, Florida State ran up the score and the game ended with the Seminoles on top, 54–7.The Associated Press. "Seminoles clinch ninth straight ACC title", ESPN.com. November 4, 2000. Accessed June 24, 2009. The Seminoles' win gave them the ACC football championship and dropped Clemson to a No. 16 ranking. With its spot as the No. 2 ACC team assured, Clemson accepted a bid to the Gator Bowl on November 14, prior to its annual in-state rivalry game against South Carolina.Tysiac, Ken. "Clemson accepts bid to Gator Bowl", The State. November 15, 2000. Page C1. In that game, South Carolina took a one-point lead with 59 seconds remaining, but Clemson drove the length of the field and kicked a field goal as time expired, giving the Tigers a 16–14 win to end the regular season.Iacobelli, Pete. , Clemsontigers.cstv.com. November 18, 2000. Accessed June 24, 2009.
Virginia Tech
During the 1999–2000 college football season, Virginia Tech went undefeated during the regular season but lost to Florida State in the 2000 BCS National Championship Game.Virginia Tech Athletics Communications Department. Virginia Tech Football Past Schedules: 1999-2000 Virginia Tech Athletics department, Hokiesports.com. Accessed 2009-06-21. Archived 2009-06-24. In the offseason following the championship-game loss, Tech fans and pundits anticipated a possible repeat of the Hokies' undefeated regular season and national championship run.Doherty, Bill. "Vick makes Hokies title contenders", ESPN.com. September 3, 2000. Accessed June 23, 2009. In the annual preseason poll of media members covering Big East Conference football, Virginia Tech was picked to finish second; Tech received nine first-place votes to Miami's 15.Virginia Tech Athletics Communications Department. "Miami selected to win BIG EAST football championship", Hokiesports.com. July 27, 2000. Accessed June 23, 2009. Archived 2009-07-22. In the preseason Associated Press college football poll, Virginia Tech was 11th.
When games for the 2000 college football season were scheduled, Virginia Tech was picked to host the annual Black Coaches & Administrators Classic, the opening game of the national Division I-A season. Georgia Tech was picked as the opponent, but on the day of the game, severe lightning storms hit the Blacksburg, Virginia area. ESPN commentator Lee Corso's rental car was struck by lightning, and the game was postponed due to severe weather.The Associated Press. "Hokies, Jackets trying to reschedule", ESPN.com. August 27, 2000. Accessed June 23, 2009. It was never rescheduled and eventually was canceled.The Associated Press. "Hokies decide they won't play either", ESPN.com. September 7, 2000. Accessed June 23, 2009.
After the BCA Classic was canceled, Virginia Tech opened the regular season with a 52–23 blowout win over Akron.The Associated Press. "Vick throws two, runs in two for Tech", ESPN.com. September 2, 2000. Accessed June 23, 2009. This was followed by a 45–28 win over East Carolina and a 49–0 shutout of Rutgers.The Associated Press. "Vick outgains Rutgers in first half", ESPN.com. September 16, 2000. Accessed June 23, 2009. The three wins typified the early part of Virginia Tech's schedule, which also featured wins against Boston College,Robertson, Jimmy. "Tech, Vick run away from BC" , October 1, 2000. Accessed June 24, 2009. Temple,The Associated Press. "Temple no match for undefeated Hokies", ESPN.com. October 7, 2000. Accessed June 23, 2009. West Virginia,The Associated Press. "Davis scores 3 TDs to spark Virginia Tech", ESPN.com. October 12, 2000. Accessed June 23, 2009. Syracuse,The Associated Press. "Hokies convert key turnovers for win", ESPN.com. October 21, 2000. Accessed June 23, 2009. and Pittsburgh.Robertson, Jimmy. "Unlikely heroes lead Hokies past Pitt" , Hokiesports.com. October 28, 2000. Accessed June 24, 2009. By virtue of winning its first eight games of the season, Tech rose to a No. 2 national ranking prior to facing No. 3 Miami on November 4.Virginia Tech Athletics Communications Department. "Vick practices with team at walk-through" , Hokiesports.com. November 3, 2000. Accessed June 24, 2009.