Go Tech Go: The Inside Story Behind the Rise of Virginia Tech Football, Part 1

How does a college football program reinvent itself? How does it go from a middling regional independent – a school without a bowl victory until 1986 – to a national title contender?

How does that happen?

In 1973, Virginia Tech lost to legendary Bear Bryant and Alabama by a score of 77-6, giving up a mind-blowing 828 total yards, 743 of them on the ground. The Hokies were as non-competitive in a single game as any football team has ever been in college football history.

But just 26 years later, Virginia Tech found itself on the edge of glory, just one quarter short of winning a national college football championship.

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