2003 REVIEW Kevin Jones earned consensus All-America honors last season in helping Virginia Tech to an 8-5 record and its 11th-straight bowl bid INAUGURAL SEASON IN THE ACC VirginiaCharting Tech’s theAll-Americans Hokies • Senior center Jake Grove Infi nity-Tbecame the BI most white honored stroke, fi ll 60 percent, no caps offensive lineman in school 2003 history when he received the Rimington Trophy as Start Chart the nation’s top center and earned unanimous All-America Pos. Offense (starts) recognition. Grove became FL Justin Hamilton (6) the third Tech player to Richard Johnson (3) receive unanimous All- Chris Shreve (4) America honors, joining Jim LT Jimmy Martin (13) Pyne, who was also a center, LG Will Montgomery (10) and defensive end Corey Jacob Gibson (3) Moore. Grove played over C Jake Grove (13) 700 snaps during the 2003 RG Jacob Gibson (7) season and graded out over James Miller (6) 91 percent for the Hokies’ 13 RT Jon Dunn (12) games. Jacob Gibson (1) TE Keith Willis (11) • Tech fi nished in a tie Jeff King (2) with Miami and North Carolina QB Bryan Randall (13) State for the Division I-A lead FB Doug Easlick (13) in scores by return during TB Kevin Jones (13) the regular season with 10. SE Ernest Wilford (13) The Hokies were the only one of the three schools to also DeAngelo Hall fi nished the season ranked fi fth in the NCAA in Pos. Defense (starts) score on a return during their punt return average and helped the Hokies tie for best in the E Nathaniel Adibi (11) bowl game, bringing their nation in scores by return with 10. Darryl Tapp (2) overall total to 11. T Kevin Lewis (10) • Tailback Kevin Jones Tim Sandidge (3) established new school single- T Jonathan Lewis (13) Tech in the season records for rushing yards E Cols Colas (11) and 100-yard rushing games on Darryl Tapp (2) NCAA Rankings the way to consensus All-America OLB Brandon Manning (12) (Top 25 only) honors. Jones ran for 1,647 Aaron Rouse (1) yards, breaking the old season ILB Mikal Baaqee (12) mark of 1,403 set by Cyrus Jordan Trott (1) Individual Statistics Lawrence in 1981. The Tech ILB Vegas Robinson (13) Kickoff Returns Avg. junior also posted nine 100-yard BC DeAngelo Hall (12) 3. Mike Imoh ..................................... 30.50 rushing games, surpassing the Vincent Fuller (1) Punt Returns Avg. old mark of six shared by Roscoe FS Jimmy Williams (13) 5. DeAngelo Hall ................................ 14.76 Coles, Lawrence and Lee Suggs. ROV Michael Crawford (13) Scoring Pts. Per Game FC Garnell Wilds (6) 6. Kevin Jones ..................................... 9.69 • The 2003 season marked Eric Green (5) Rushing Yds. Per Game the fi rst time on record that a Vincent Fuller (2) 8. Kevin Jones ..................................126.69 Tech team produced fi ve different players with more than 100 REVIEW All-Purpose Runners Yds. Per Game 20. Kevin Jones ..................................139.08 tackles in the same year. Rover Michael Crawford led the way with 131 tackles, followed by safety Jimmy Williams (114) and linebackers Mikal Team Statistics Baaqee (109), Brandon Manning (104) and Vegas Robinson (101). Punt Return Yards Avg. 5. Virginia Tech ................................. 14.92 • Receiver Ernest Wilford broke his own single-season school record Scoring Offense Avg. for pass receptions with 55 during the 2003 season. His total helped T-12. Virginia Tech ................................. 35.38 him set a new Tech career mark for receptions with a fi nal total of 126. Rushing Yards Yds. Per Game 17. Virginia Tech ................................209.31 • Virginia Tech fi nished the 2003 season with two of the top return Kickoff Return Yards Avg. men in the Division I-A ranks. Sophomore Mike Imoh was ranked third 22. Virginia Tech ................................. 22.97 nationally in kickoff returns with an average of 30.5 yards per return. Junior DeAngelo Hall fi nished fi fth overall in punt returns with 14.76 For the second year in a row, the NCAA counted bowl yards a return. Hall returned three punts for touchdowns during the statistics. These rankings include bowl games. season, giving him a school career record of fi ve touchdowns on punt 2003 returns. 166 2004 VIRGINIA TECH FOOTBALL 2003 Season in Review Hokies cap season with fi rst visit to Insight Bowl Virginia Tech entered the whichwhich accountedaccounted forfor a schoolschool 2003 football season with high recordrecord 5,223 total offensiveoffensive yardsyards expectations, and although the on thethe backs ofof quarterbacksquarterbacks Hokies fell short of several of Bryan RandallRandall andand MarcusMarcus Vick.Vick. their goals, they still produced The defensive unit eight wins in their 12 regular- contributedcontributed six touchdowns.touchdowns. season games and extended a SpecialSpecial teamsteams remainedremained a force,force, bowl streak that makes them one notchingnotching thethe fi rst kickkick returnreturn forfor of only seven Division I-A teams a touchdowntouchdown in 12 years andand a to have gone to a bowl each of record-settingrecord-setting performanceperformance by the last 11 seasons. DeAngeloDeAngelo Hall,Hall, whowho returnedreturned two Tech had several gaps to fi ll puntspunts forfor touchdownstouchdowns in a singlesingle following a victory in the 2002 game. Diamond Walnut San Francisco TheThe HokiesHokies openedopened thethe 2003 Bowl. None was bigger than season on Aug.Aug. 31 with a homehome NCAA record-breaking tailback datedate againstagainst CentralCentral FloridaFlorida in Lee Suggs. But where Suggs left frontfront ofof a LaneLane Stadium-recordStadium-record a hole, in stepped junior phenom 65,115 fans.fans. Tech,Tech, rankedranked ninthninth Kevin Jones. Likewise, a new face in thethe nation,nation, scoredscored on its fi rst stepped in at each of the other fourfour possessionspossessions en routeroute to fi ve starting spots that were a solidsolid 49-28 victoryvictory over thethe SEASON REVIEW vacated, as the 2003 version of GoldenGolden Knights.Knights. RandallRandall andand VickVick the Hokies proved that reloading, combinedcombined to complete 29-of-3829-of-38 not rebuilding, was their plan for passes forfor 380 yardsyards andand fourfour the season. touchdowns,touchdowns, connectingconnecting with 11 The Hokies started the year differentdifferent receivers.receivers. TheThe HokiesHokies winning their fi rst six games addedadded 185 yardsyards on thethe groundground and climbed as high as third in to dominatedominate thethe GoldenGolden KnightKnight the national polls before giving defense.defense. Hall,Hall, playingplaying offenseoffense up their fi rst loss. Tech bounced forfor thethe fi rst timetime in additionaddition back to stun No. 2 Miami, 31- to his defensivedefensive andand specialspecial 7, breaking the Hurricanes’ teamsteams duties,duties, scoredscored his fi rst regular-season winning streak offensiveoffensive touchdowntouchdown on a 29- of 39-consecutive victories. The yardyard reception.reception. JasonJason Lallis also win was one of Tech’s best ever, addedadded pointspoints to thethe boardboard with but the Hokies were unable to his 45-yard45-yard interceptioninterception returnreturn sustain their momentum. Slowed for a touchdown. by inconsistent play and missed TheThe HokiesHokies returnedreturned to LaneLane 2003 opportunities during their last fi ve Stadium thethe followingfollowing week Michael Crawford led games, the Hokies fi nished 8-5 forfor a match-upmatch-up versus in-state the Hokies with 131 on the season, winning seven or foefoe JamesJames Madison.Madison. TheThe HokiesHokies tackles last season. more games for the 11th straight sufferedsuffered a scarescare whenwhen JonesJones was year. Along the way, records were sidelinedsidelined by a late hit early in shattered and All-Americans were thethe secondsecond quarterquarter andand missed SEASON REVIEW born en route to the Insight Bowl thethe restrest ofof thethe game.game. CedricCedric and the Hokies’ 17th overall post- Humes,Humes, seeingseeing increasedincreased playingplaying scores of their own. Tech’s 35-19 defensive score of the season. The season appearance. timetime duedue to thethe injury to Jones,Jones, win marked its second straight scoring barrage wasn’t over, as Jones and senior center Jake scoredscored threethree touchdownstouchdowns on thethe victoryvictory over thethe Aggies.Aggies. tailback MikeMike ImohImoh returnedreturned thethe Grove became consensus All- way to Tech’s 43-0 win over the In the fi nal contest of a second half kickoff 91 yards for a Americans, with Grove nabbing Dukes. four-game homestand, the touchdown, marking Tech’s fi rst unanimous honors. The season After a week off, Jones and Hokies dominated the visiting kickoff return for a touchdown saw JonesJones breakbreak long-standinglong-standing thethe HokiesHokies werewere back at homehome forfor ConnecticutConnecticut Huskies,Huskies, scoringscoring sincesince 1992. Four minutesminutes later,later, records, both for most rushing a Thursday night contest versus on offense, defense and special receiver Chris Clifton returned yards in a game and most yards the visiting Aggies of Texas teams on their way to a 47-13 a blocked punt 16 yards for a in a season. Grove won the A&M. Hurricane Isabel was not win. On offense, Jones, Humes touchdown, marking the seventh prestigious Dave Rimington Trophy enough to dissuade Tech fans, and senior receiver Ernest Wilford different way the Hokies scored as the nation’s best center, while as the team played in front of each saw the end zone once, with points on the day. Jones was one of three fi nalists a sell-out crowd and a national place-kicker Carter Warley adding Next, the Hokies traveled to for the Doak Walker Award for the ESPN audience. Jones ran for two fi eld goals. Eric Green’s 84- Rutgers for their fi rst road game nation’s top running back. The 188 yards on 30 carries and yard interception return for a and fi rst BIG EAST Conference success of Jones and Grove was a three touchdowns while Randall touchdown was the fi rst of his match-up of the season.