Virginia Tech (ACC ) 2021

Team:      Virginia Tech Hokies

Year:       2021

Game:     Notre Dame 32 Virginia Tech 29

Rating:    8
Cost Index:  Mid

Stadium: Lane Stadium

If you want to make it part of a larger trip:  DC and Baltimore are each about 4 hours away.  JMU is a couple of hours.  Charlottesville is in range
Don't Miss:   Enter Sandman

Avoid:  Angry folk at the tailgate

Attendees:  Bones, Clyde

Overview:   After almost two years on the bench I'm back out there.   I was targeting the Lane Kiffin return game to Tennessee, which happens on the 16th.  When I saw that ND was playing at VT the week before I checked with my friend who lives relatively close by and he was a go. 

Pre-game:  We got into Blacksburg around 2PM for a 7:30 kick.  I had been to Blacksburg previously but missed the downtown area.  We landed downtown and after getting the lay of the land we ended up at the Coop.  We hung out there for a while because the early games were extremely compelling.  Arkansas and Ole Miss came down to a two point conversion (52-51) while at the exact same time Texas and Oklahoma were having a drunken 55-48 Texas choke job.  Factor that in with the fact that we had a table in full view of three TVs and the place wasn't overly crowded and there was no reason to leave.

I didn't get the feeling that Blacksburg has a crazy pre-game.  People weren't visibly wasted like I've seen at other spots.  The downtown bar area had a pretty small footprint.  

We ended up giving up our free downtown parking so we could pay 40 dollars to park in someone's yard. We ended up having a few twisted teas and watching some dude freak out and almost fight some guy playing bags.  It's interesting how quickly people fly off the handle these days. 

Game Experience:  We got there about 40 minutes before kick off.  VT definitely has a military culture to it so the place was pretty full when we got in.  We got up to our seats in section 35 and watched the pre-game festivities.  VT has a pretty large ROTC or something along those lines as there were a ton of cadets on the field pre-game.  Enter Sandman was fine, nothing too special in my book but it's their thing and they love it.  

After the game started we grabbed a couple of beers and meandered down to the lower level.  Honestly, we missed most of the first quarter just catching up and evidently Jack Coan (NDs QB) played so badly he was benched.  The game was very close throughout.  Virginia Tech took control in the fourth and it looked like they would hold Notre Dame off.  However, late in the fourth quarter Brian Kelly put Coan back in and he engineered 11 points in the final couple of minutes and pulled out the win.  The crown was very good. Into the game and loud until the end.

Post Game:  We had to get moving as we were staying pretty far away so we didn't get any taste of the post game night life. 

Stadium: Lane stadium. The stadium and the surrounding complex are very nice.  Very utilitarian.  

Summary:  VT is a good, not great, college football experience.  They don't quite let loose like some other places. 

Game Summary:  https://www.espn.com/college-football/game/_/gameId/401282656