The 2000 Sugar Bowl: A National Championship Showdown

The 2000 Sugar Bowl served as the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) National Championship Game for the 1999 NCAA Division I-A football season. Played on January 4, 2000, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, the game pitted the Florida State Seminoles against the Virginia Tech Hokies.

Game Attendance and Viewership

An estimated 79,280 people attended the game in person. Approximately 18.4 million US viewers watched the game on ABC television. The resulting 17.5 television rating was the third-largest ever recorded for a BCS college football game.

Game Summary

Virginia Tech received the ball to begin the game. Florida State scored first, taking advantage of a blocked punt for a touchdown, giving the Seminoles a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Tech answered with a touchdown drive of its own before the end of the quarter, but Florida State scored two quick touchdowns to begin the second quarter. Virginia Tech scored a touchdown before halftime, but halfway through the game, Florida State held a 28-14 lead. In the third quarter, Virginia Tech's offense scored a field goal and two touchdowns. Tech failed to convert two two-point conversions, but held a 29-28 lead at the end of the third quarter. Florida State answered in the fourth quarter, however, taking a 36-29 lead with a touchdown and successful two-point conversion early in the quarter.

Florida State Victory

The Florida State Seminoles defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies by a score of 46-29.

Most Valuable Player

For his performance in the game, Florida State wide receiver Peter Warrick was named the game's most valuable player.

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Postseason Awards

Although Tech lost the game, several of its players won postseason awards-most notably Michael Vick, who earned an ESPY for his performance during the Sugar Bowl and the regular season.

BCS Selection Process

The top two teams in the BCS Poll at the conclusion of the regular season were invited to the BCS national championship game. In 2000, the BCS Poll was a combination of media and coaches' polls (Associated Press college football poll and USA Today Coaches' Poll), team records, a collection of eight different computer ranking systems, and a strength-of-schedule component based on opponent records.

BCS Bowl Games

Under the BCS, the site of the national championship game rotated every year. In 2000, there were four BCS bowl games: the Rose Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, the Orange Bowl, and the Fiesta Bowl. The national championship game rotated to a different location each year, and the other three games served as bowl games for lower-ranked teams. Later, in 2007, the BCS National Championship was created, adding a fifth BCS bowl.

Florida State Seminoles' Season

The Florida State Seminoles ended the 1998 college football season with a 23-16 loss to the Tennessee Volunteers in the 1999 Fiesta Bowl, which was the national championship game that year. The loss was only the second of the season for Florida State, which had entered the game ranked No. 2 and favored against the No. 1 ranked Volunteers. Florida State players and coaches entered the off-season hoping to improve upon their runner-up finish in the national championship game the year before and were voted the No.

Florida State lived up to its No. 1 ranking in its first game of the 1999 college football season, routing unranked Louisiana Tech, 41-7. The following week, in their ACC opener, the Seminoles had a closer contest against Georgia Tech but still earned a 41-35 victory. As the weeks went by, the wins continued to accumulate. FSU defeated North Carolina State, 42-11; North Carolina, 42-10; and Duke, 51-23. In the seventh week of the college football season, the Seminoles faced off against a traditional rival: the Miami Hurricanes.

The week after the Miami game, the Seminoles had an even closer call against the Clemson Tigers-their closest, in fact, of the entire season. Despite the return of Peter Warrick, who was cleared of charges in a Florida courtroom, Florida State fell behind the Tigers in the first half. Trailing in Clemson, South Carolina, 14-3 at halftime, Florida State cut the gap to 14-6 with a field goal midway through the third quarter, then tied the game at the end of the third quarter with a touchdown and two-point conversion. The Seminoles clinched the victory after a field goal late in the fourth quarter gave them a 17-14 lead and cemented the victory when a Clemson attempt to even the score with a field goal fell short.

Florida State earned easy wins with a 35-10 victory over Virginia and a 49-10 win over Maryland before facing the rival Florida Gators in the final game of the Seminoles' regular season. Florida State led throughout the game but had to fend off a last-minute Florida drive in order to clinch a 30-23 win and just the third perfect regular season in Florida State history. This season later was termed the "Wire to Wire" season as the Seminoles kept their No.

Virginia Tech Hokies' Season

Like Florida State, the Virginia Tech Hokies began the 1999 college football season with raised expectations. In 1998, the Hokies had gone 9-3 during the regular season and had posted a 5-2 record against fellow Big East Conference teams. The Hokies concluded that 1998 season-which was supposed to be a rebuilding year-in the 1998 Music City Bowl, where the Hokies defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide, 38-7. With the addition of redshirt freshman quarterback Michael Vick to a team that had allowed an average of just 12.9 points per game on defense, there was the possibility that Tech could improve upon its previous season's performance. Sports Illustrated, for example, predicted that the Hokies might challenge Miami for the Big East football championship, and the preseason Coaches' Poll ranked the Hokies No.

In their first game of the season, the Hokies lived up to expectations, shutting out James Madison University, 47-0. The game was the first time Tech had shut out an opponent in a season opener since 1953. The game was marred, however, by a leg injury to Michael Vick that caused him to leave the game. The following week, against the University of Alabama Birmingham, Vick did not play.

Following the win over Clemson, Tech faced traditional rival Virginia in the annual battle for the Commonwealth Cup. Despite the rivalry and the fact that Virginia was ranked the No. 24 team in the country, the Cavaliers put up even less of a struggle than Clemson. Virginia Tech won, 31-7. Now No. 5 in the country, Tech began to distance itself from other highly ranked teams with consecutive wins over Rutgers and Syracuse. Following a 30-17 victory at Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech traveled to Morgantown, West Virginia, to face the West Virginia Mountaineers in the annual battle for the Black Diamond Trophy. In West Virginia, Virginia Tech eked out a 22-20 victory with a last-second field goal from placekicker Shayne Graham.

Team Overviews

In the month prior to the Sugar Bowl, media attention focused on Virginia Tech's sudden rise to national prominence and Florida State's perennial appearance in the national championship game. Leading the Florida State offense was quarterback Chris Weinke, a former baseball player who, at 27 years old, was by far the oldest player on the Seminoles' team. Weinke's favorite target was wide receiver Peter Warrick, who led all Seminole receivers with 71 receptions and 931 yards in just nine games during the regular season. Five times, Warrick earned more than 100 receiving yards in a game. Florida State placekicker Sebastian Janikowski, who was born in Poland, also was a key component of the Seminoles' scoring offense. In his career at Florida State prior to the Sugar Bowl, Janikowski made 65 of 83 field goal attempts, including 33 of his previous 38 kicks of less than 50 yards. Janikowski also handled kickoffs, kicking the ball so hard that 57 of his 83 kickoffs were touchbacks.

During the regular season, Virginia Tech's offense outscored opponents by an average of 31 points per game. Tech averaged 254 yards rushing per game, the eighth-highest average in the nation. Important to that success was running back Shyrone Stith, who had 1,119 rushing yards during the regular season. Vick was recognized by multiple nationwide publications for his performance during the regular season. His passer rating was the highest of any quarterback in the country, and he completed 59.2 percent of his 152 passes for 1,840 yards, 12 touchdowns, and five interceptions. In addition, He rushed for 585 yards and eight touchdowns on 108 carries. Vick was named Big East Offensive Player of the Year and was the runner-up in voting for the Associated Press Player of the Year. A handful of days before the Sugar Bowl, Tech wide receiver Ricky Hall broke a bone in his foot during practice and was considered unlikely to play. Hall was Tech's second-leading receiver, having caught 25 passes for 398 yards and three touchdowns. Tech placekicker Shayne Graham won Big East Special Teams Player of the Year honors after scoring 107 points during the regular season. That mark set a Big East record, and Graham's 372 career points during his four years with the Hokies were an NCAA record at the time.

Defensive Matchups

The Florida State defense was considered key to reining in Tech quarterback Vick. The Seminoles allowed less than 100 rushing yards per game on average, and intercepted 22 passes during the regular season. The Seminoles were ranked 15th nationally in pass defense at the end of the regular season but had allowed increasing amounts of pass yardage in the latter games of the season. Despite that fact, the Florida State defense's main concern was Michael Vick's ability to run the football. Said Florida State defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews: "A guy like that usually gives us problems, considering the type of (4-3 gap) defense we run. The Seminole defense was led by nose guard Corey Simon, who accumulated 48 solo tackles, four sacks, and one interception. For his accomplishments during the regular season, Simon earned consensus first-team All-America honors. Despite his accomplishments, Simon was not the Seminoles' leading tackler. That honor went to linebacker Tommy Polley, who accumulated 67 tackles during the season.

In the important category of scoring defense, the Hokies were the top-ranked defense in the country, allowing only 10.5 points per game. The team was ranked No. 3 in the country in both total defense and rushing defense. On average, Tech allowed just 247.3 total yards and 75.9 rushing yards per game. Tech's pass defense was No. 7 in the country, allowing an average of 171.4 passing yards per game. Virginia Tech defensive end Corey Moore was the top performer on the Hokie defense. Moore accumulated 55 tackles and 17 sacks during the regular season, and was named Big East Defensive Player of the Year and to the Associated Press All-America team. In the first week of December, Moore was awarded the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, given to the best defensive college football player in the country. Tech's other defensive end was John Engelberger, who earned seven sacks, six other tackles for loss and 16 quarterback hurries.

Game Play-by-Play

EST on January 4, 2000, at the Louisiana Superdome, in New Orleans. The traditional pregame singing of the national anthem was performed by the Zion Harmonizers, a New Orleans gospel quartet. Steve Shaw was the referee. Actor John Goodman performed the ceremonial pre-game coin toss to determine first possession of the ball.

Virginia Tech received the game's opening kickoff in their end zone for a touchback, and the Tech offense began at its 20-yard line. On the game's first play, Tech committed a five-yard false start penalty. Running back Shyrone Stith was stopped for a loss on the first non-penalty play of the game, but Tech made up both that loss and the penalty when quarterback Michael Vick scrambled for 25 yards and a first down. Vick then ran for another nine yards, pushing the line of scrimmage near midfield. Tech executed an option run to Stith, who ran inside the Florida State 30-yard line. Tech picked up a few yards with a run up the middle, then Vick completed a pass to Davis, giving the Hokies a first down at the Florida State 13-yard line. Stith picked up seven yards on a rush to the six-yard line, but the Seminole defense stiffened, and Tech was unable to pick up the remaining three yards needed for a first down. Facing a fourth down and needing less than a yard to pick up another first down inside the Florida State three-yard line, Tech head coach Frank Beamer kept his offense on the field to attempt to gain the first down rather than kick a field goal. On the attempt, however, Vick fumbled the ball forward into the end zone, where Florida State recovered it for a touchback.

Starting at their 20-yard line after the touchback, Florida State's first play was a five-yard rush by running back Travis Minor. Quarterback Chris Weinke then completed a three-yard pass to wide receiver Peter Warrick, who was stopped short of the first down. After the next play failed to gain positive yardage, the Seminoles were forced to punt. Virginia Tech's offense began their second series after a short punt return to the 31-yard line. After an incomplete pass from Vick, Stith picked up a Tech first down with two running plays. From their 43-yard line, Tech executed an end-around for a first down. Florida State also committed a five-yard facemask penalty that pushed Tech to the Seminoles' 40-yard line. Tech was stopped for losses on subsequent plays and committed a five-yard false start penalty, but Vick completed an 18-yard pass to Davis for a first down, making up the losses. Tech was unable to make good the losses accumulated on the next three plays, when Vick was sacked after throwing two incomplete passes. Tech punted, the ball rolled into the end zone, and Florida State's offense began again at its 20-yard line. Weinke threw two incomplete passes before connecting on a first-down throw to wide receiver Ron Dugans. On the next play, Weinke connected on a 64-yard throw to Warrick for a Florida State touchdown and the first points of the game.

Following Florida State's post-touchdown kickoff, Virginia Tech's offense began its third possession of the game at the Tech 24-yard line after a short kick return. Running back Andre Kendrick ran for a short gain, but on the next play Vick was called for an intentional grounding penalty while attempting to avoid a sack. The Hokies were unable to make up the yardage lost by the penalty and punted after failing to gain a first down. Owing to the penalty, Tech punter Jimmy Kibble was forced to kick from his own end zone. Florida State was able to break through the Tech offensive line during the punt and blocked the kick. The ball was picked up by Florida State defender Jeff Chaney, who dashed into the end zone for Florida State's second touchdown of the game.

Championship Legacy

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops was in his second season as head coach, having been the defensive coordinator of Steve Spurrier's 1996 National Champion Florida Gators, and also having helped Bill Snyder turn the Kansas State Wildcats around in the early 1990s. Stoops erased a three-game losing streak against rival Texas by a score of 63-14, one of the worst defeats in Texas' football history. The BCS title game, held at the Orange Bowl that year, was not without controversy, as the system shut fourth-ranked Washington out of the championship game, despite being the only team who had beaten each No. 2 Miami and No. 5 Oregon State and having the same 10-1 record as No. 3 Florida State during the regular season. 10-1 Miami, who handed No.

Rule Changes

Offensive teams in the process of substituting or simulated substituting are prohibited from rushing to the line of scrimmage to snap the ball to give the defense a disadvantage.

Regular Season Standings

Nebraska was voted No. 1 in the preseason AP Poll, followed by defending national champion Florida State at No. 2. Alabama and Wisconsin, last year’s winners of the SEC and Big Ten, were third and fourth, with Big East runner-up Miami at No.

August 26: The only highly ranked team to play this week was No. 2 Florida State, who defeated Brigham Young 29-3 in the Pigskin Classic.

August 31-September 2: No. 1 Nebraska defeated San Jose State 49-13, and No. 2 Florida State was idle. No. 3 Alabama lost 35-24 at UCLA; the Crimson Tide turned out to be dramatically overrated to start the season, as they ended up finishing last in the SEC West with a 3-8 record. No. 4 Wisconsin beat Western Michigan 19-7, No. 5 Miami blasted McNeese State 61-14, and No. 6 Michigan won 42-7 over Bowling Green. The next poll featured No. 1 Nebraska, No. 2 Florida State, No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 Miami, and No.

September 9: No. 1 Nebraska held a 14-point second-half lead over No. 23 Notre Dame, but the Irish responded with a 100-yard kickoff return and an 83-yard punt return to force overtime. After a Notre Dame field goal, Eric Crouch ran for his third touchdown of the game to seal a 27-24 Cornhuskers win. No. 2 Florida State needed a fourth-quarter comeback of their own to beat Georgia Tech 26-21. No. 3 Michigan defeated Rice 38-7, but No. 4 Miami fell 34-29 at No. 15 Washington. Michael Bennett ran for 290 yards and led No. 5 Wisconsin to a 27-23 victory over Oregon, while No. 6 Texas overwhelmed Louisiana-Lafayette 52-10. The next poll featured No. 1 Nebraska, No. 2 Florida State, No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 Wisconsin, and No.

September 16: No. 1 Nebraska was idle. No. 2 Florida State blew out North Carolina 63-14. No. 3 Michigan fell 23-20 to No. 14 UCLA, the Bruins’ second win in three weeks over a third-ranked team. With five starters suspended for receiving unauthorized shoe store discounts, No. 4 Wisconsin barely escaped Cincinnati in a 28-25 overtime win; the Badgers fell out of the top five in the next poll. No. 5 Texas lost 27-24 to Stanford when a late Cardinal touchdown drive erased a fourth-quarter Longhorns comeback. No. 6 Florida’s game against No. 11 Tennessee ended in controversy when a pass was knocked out of Gators receiver Jabar Gaffney’s hands in the end zone with time running out. The referees ruled that Gaffney had possession long enough for the touchdown to count, giving Florida a 27-23 win. No. 7 Kansas State shut out Ball State 76-0, and No. 8 Virginia Tech blanked Rutgers 49-0. The next poll featured No. 1 Nebraska, No. 2 Florida State, No. 3 Florida, No. 4 Kansas State, and No.

September 23: No. 1 Nebraska defeated Iowa 42-13, No. 2 Florida State shut out Louisville 31-0, and No. 3 Florida beat Kentucky 59-31. No. 4 Kansas State won 55-10 over North Texas, but the Wildcats still switched places with idle No. 5 Virginia Tech in the next poll: No. 1 Nebraska, No. 2 Florida State, No. 3 Florida, No. 4 Virginia Tech, and No.

September 28-30: No. 1 Nebraska beat Missouri 42-24, but the AP voters were more impressed by No. 2 Florida State’s 59-7 blowout of Maryland. No. 3 Florida accumulated 494 passing yards and negative 78 rushing yards in a 47-35 loss to Mississippi State. No. 4 Virginia Tech won 48-34 at Boston College, while No. 5 Kansas State was a 44-21 victor at Colorado. No. 7 Clemson beat Duke 52-22 to move up in the next AP Poll: No. 1 Florida State, No. 2 Nebraska, No. 3 Virginia Tech, No. 4 Kansas State, and No. 5 Clemson.

October 7: No. 1 Florida State’s 27-24 loss to No. 7 Miami was a case of deja vu, as the Seminoles again missed a potential game-tying field goal at the end of a game with national championship implications. “Wide Right III” brought back memories of similar Florida State-Miami finishes in 1991 and 1992. No. 2 Nebraska won 49-27 at Iowa State, No. 3 Virginia Tech beat Temple 35-13, No. 4 Kansas State beat Kansas 52-13, and No. 5 Clemson held off North Carolina State 34-27. Nebraska returned to the No. 1 spot in both polls, and they were followed in the AP rankings by No. 2 Kansas State, No. 3 Virginia Tech, No. 4 Miami, and No.

October 12-14: No. 1 Nebraska dominated Texas Tech 56-3. No. 2 Kansas State fell 41-31 to No. 8 Oklahoma, whose head coach was former Wildcats assistant Bob Stoops. No. 3 Virginia Tech beat West Virginia 48-20, No. 4 Miami was idle, and No. 5 Clemson defeated Maryland 35-14. The next poll featured No. 1 Nebraska, No. 2 Virginia Tech, No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 4 Miami, and No.

October 21: No. 1 Nebraska shut out Baylor 59-0. No. 2 Virginia Tech spotted Syracuse a two-touchdown lead in the first quarter but came back to win 22-14. No. 3 Oklahoma was idle. No. 4 Miami won 45-17 at Temple, and No. 5 Clemson visited North Carolina for a 38-24 victory.

October 28: No. 1 Nebraska visited No. 3 Oklahoma for what was expected to be a tight struggle. Instead, the game turned into a rout as the Sooners ran away with a 31-14 victory. No. 2 Virginia Tech lost star quarterback Michael Vick to an ankle injury and needed a last-minute field goal to escape Pittsburgh 37-34. No. 4 Miami, the Hokies’ Big East rival, looked sloppy in a 42-31 win over a 2-7 Louisiana Tech squad. No. 5 Clemson allowed an 80-yard game-ending touchdown drive and fell 31-28 to Georgia Tech. No. 6 Florida State won 58-14 at No. 21 North Carolina State. The next AP Poll featured No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 Virginia Tech, No. 3 Miami, No. 4 Florida State, and No. 5 Nebraska.

November 4: No. 1 Oklahoma blasted Baylor 56-7. With Michael Vick still hobbled by his injured ankle, No. 2 Virginia Tech was no match for No. 3 Miami. The Hokies’ 41-21 loss left Oklahoma as the only undefeated team in the nation. In a father vs. son coaching matchup, Bobby Bowden’s No. 4 Florida State crushed Tommy Bowden’s No. 10 Clemson 54-7. No. 5 Nebraska bounced back with a 56-17 victory over Kansas, and No. 6 Florida won 43-21 at Vanderbilt. The next AP Poll featured No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 Miami, No. 3 Florida State, No. 4 Nebraska, and No.

November 11: No. 1 Oklahoma trailed by 10 points in the fourth quarter, but an interception return for a touchdown allowed the Sooners to come back and beat No. 23 Texas A&M 35-31 before a Kyle Field record crowd of 87,188 fans. No. 2 Miami defeated Pittsburgh 35-7. No. 3 Florida State won 35-6 at Wake Forest. No. 4 Nebraska visited No. 16 Kansas State hoping to clinch a spot in the Big 12 title game. Instead, the Wildcats took over the division lead by winning a 29-28 nailbiter in a snowstorm. No. 5 Florida faced No. 21 South Carolina for the SEC East title, and the Gators won 41-21. No. 6 Oregon, the surprise first-place team of the Pac-10, beat California 25-17. The next AP Poll featured No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 Miami, No. 3 Florida State, No. 4 Florida, and No. 5 Oregon. The BCS had the same top four but picked Washington at No.

November 18: No. 1 Oklahoma clinched a spot in the Big 12 title game with a 27-13 victory over Texas Tech. No. 2 Miami shut out Syracuse 26-0. No. 3 Florida State overwhelmed No. 4 Florida 30-7. No. 5 Oregon and No. 8 Oregon State were both contenders for the Pac-10 title, and for the first time in 36 years the game between the two rivals would help decide the conference’s Rose Bowl representative. The Ducks had the opportunity to clinch the outright title, but Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington threw five interceptions in a 23-13 loss to the Beavers. No. 6 Washington blew out Washington State 51-3 to climb into a three-way tie for the conference lead, and the Huskies (who had beaten Oregon State in October) earned a trip to Pasadena. The next AP Poll featured No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 Miami, No. 3 Florida State, No. 4 Washington, and No. 5 Oregon State.

November 25: Undefeated No. 1 Oklahoma had a tough time with 3-7 Oklahoma State, but the Sooners finally pulled out a 12-7 victory. No. 2 Miami beat Boston College 52-6. No. 3 Florida State, No. 4 Washington, and No.

December 2: No. 1 Oklahoma faced No. 8 Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship Game, hoping to preserve their undefeated record and earn a spot in the national title game. The game was tied at 17 going into the fourth quarter, but the Sooners scored a touchdown and kicked a 46-yard field goal to go ahead for good. Undefeated No. 1 Oklahoma was guaranteed a spot in the Orange Bowl to play for the national championship, but the BCS caused a controversy by selecting AP No. 3 Florida State rather than No. 2 Miami or No. 4 Washington as the Sooners’ opponent. All three teams had been defeated only once, but Florida State’s loss was to Miami whose loss was to Washington. Miami would go to the Sugar Bowl against No. 7 Florida (who had easily beaten No. 18 Auburn in the SEC Championship Game), while Washington would play No. 14 Purdue in the Rose Bowl’s Pac-10 vs. Big Ten matchup. The BCS bowls were rounded out by two at-large teams, No. 5 Oregon State and No.

Bowl Game Results

Rankings reflect the AP Poll. Rankings for Week 9 and beyond will list BCS Rankings first and AP Poll second.

Orange Bowl: No. 1 Oklahoma (BCS No. 1) 13, No. 3 Florida State (BCS No.
Rose Bowl: No. 4 Washington (Pac 10 co-champ) 34, No.
Fiesta Bowl: No. 5 Oregon State (At Large [Pac 10 co-champ]) 41, No.
Sugar Bowl: No. 2 Miami (Big East Champ) 37, No.
Cotton Bowl Classic: No. 11 Kansas State (Big 12 runner-up) 35, No.
Florida Citrus Bowl: No. 17 Michigan (Big Ten co-champ) 31, No.
Gator Bowl: No. 6 Virginia Tech 41, No.
Outback Bowl: South Carolina 24, No.
Holiday Bowl: No. 8 Oregon (Pac 10 co-champ) 35, No.
Peach Bowl: LSU 28, No.
Alamo Bowl: No. 9 Nebraska 66, No.
Liberty Bowl: No. 23 Colorado State (MWC champ) 22, No.
Oahu Bowl: No.
Mobile Alabama Bowl: Southern Miss 28, No.

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