2010 ACC Championship Game

The ACC Championship Game matches the winners of the Coastal and Atlantic divisions of the Atlantic Coast Conference. In the early 2000s, the league underwent an expansion to add three former Big East members: Miami and Virginia Tech in 2004, and Boston College in 2005. With the addition of a twelfth team, the ACC was allowed to hold a conference championship game under National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules. The inaugural 2005 game featured a Florida State win over Virginia Tech, 27–22. In 2006, two different teams made their first appearances in the game, which was held in Jacksonville, Florida. Wake Forest defeated Georgia Tech, 9–6. 2007 featured one championship-game veteran and one team new to the championship as Virginia Tech faced off against Boston College. The game resulted in a 30–16 Virginia Tech victory. The 2008 game saw a rematch of the previous year, as Virginia Tech again defeated Boston College, 30–12. In 2009, Georgia Tech defeated newcomer Clemson, 39–34. Site selection , site of the 2010 ACC Championship Game Before the 2007 game, cities other than Jacksonville (site of the 2007 ACC Championship Game) presented their plans to be the site of the 2008 ACC Championship Game. After poor attendance in the ACC Championship Game at Jacksonville for the second straight year, ACC officials and representatives of the conference's member schools elected not to extend the Gator Bowl Association's contract to manage and host the game for another year. On December 12, less than two weeks after Jacksonville had hosted the 2007 ACC Championship Game, the ACC announced that Tampa, Florida would host the game in 2008 and 2009 and Charlotte, North Carolina would host the game in 2010 and 2011. Team selection Before the beginning of the 2010 college football season, the annual poll by media members who cover ACC football predicted Florida State would win the Atlantic Division and Virginia Tech would win the Coastal Division. Florida State received 78 of a possible 98 first-place votes in its division, while Virginia Tech received 62. In a vote to predict the ACC champion, Virginia Tech received 50 votes from 98 possible. Florida State received 26 votes, and all other teams received a combined 20. Immediately after the preseason poll, however, speculation began as to whether regular-season parity would render the prediction irrelevant. Before the 2010 season, the poll had predicted the ACC winner correctly only once in the championship game era. In the Coastal Division, this speculation was groundless, as Virginia Tech's undefeated season rendered any other winner impossible. In the Atlantic Division, the situation was much different. As late as the second week of November, four of the six division teams were in contention for the division title. These candidates were whittled to three with two weeks remaining in the regular season, then to two in the final week. During that week, NC State traveled to Maryland. If NC State had won, it would have been the Atlantic Division winner by virtue of a tie-breaking win against Florida State. Virginia Tech The Virginia Tech Hokies entered the 2010 season after a 2009 campaign that saw the team finish 10–3, including a season-ending win in the 2009 Chick-fil-A Bowl against the Tennessee Volunteers. Because of that season-ending victory and the Hokies' general good performance during the 2009 season, Virginia Tech was ranked No. 10 in preseason national polling. The Hokies' first game of the season was a nationally televised contest against then-No. 3 Boise State at FedExField near Washington, D.C. Because the game was the first of the season to feature two top-10 teams, it received large amounts of media coverage. During the game, Virginia Tech fell behind 17–0 in the first quarter, but rallied to take a 21–20 lead early in the third quarter. The two teams traded the lead, alternating scoring drives until Boise State scored a touchdown with 1:06 remaining. Virginia Tech was unable to reply one final time, and Boise State earned a 33–30 victory. The close loss discouraged the Virginia Tech players, who then had only five days to prepare for their next opponent, lightly regarded James Madison University. At Lane Stadium, Virginia Tech's home field, James Madison upset the heavily favored Hokies, 21–16. The loss was only the second time in college football history that a team ranked nationally was defeated by a team from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision. Following the loss, seniors on the football team held a players-only meeting in an effort to rally the team. Players later recalled that meeting as the turning point in the team's season. The next week, Virginia Tech earned its first win of the season, a 49–27 victory over East Carolina in Lane Stadium. The Hokies followed that by traveling to Boston College for a 19–0 win, their first shutout since 2006. The two victories were the start of a winning streak that saw the Hokies complete the regular season without another loss. Following Boston College, they defeated No. 23 NC State in its home stadium, 41–30. They defeated nonconference opponent Central Michigan, then beat conference opponent Wake Forest and re-entered the polls at No. 25. Their position in the polls climbed with each opponent they defeated. They beat Duke as the No. 25 team, Georgia Tech as the No. 23 team, North Carolina as the No. 20 team and No. 23 Miami as the No. 16 team. The Miami victory clinched Tech the division championship and a slot in the ACC championship game, Florida State Florida State began 2010 after a 7–6 record in 2009 that ended with a 33–21 win against West Virginia in the 2010 Gator Bowl. Florida State also began the year under a new head coach. Bobby Bowden, who retired after 57 years as a head coach, 34 at Florida State and 33 consecutive winning seasons, was replaced by Jimbo Fisher. For its opening game, Florida State faced the lightly regarded Samford Bulldogs and defeated them 59–6. In its second game, No. 17 Florida State faced a tougher challenge as it traveled to Norman, Oklahoma to play the No. 10-ranked Oklahoma Sooners. The Seminoles were defeated 47–17, in their third-worst loss since 1991. Florida State rebounded from the loss to defeat Brigham Young University, 34–10, then opened the ACC season by defeating Wake Forest, Virginia, in-state rival Miami and Boston College in succession. On October 28, Florida State traveled to Raleigh, North Carolina to play NC State. Despite leading 21–7 at halftime, Florida State allowed NC State to rally and win the game, 28–24. NC State's win gave it a one-game lead and a tiebreaker against the Seminoles in the Atlantic Division . The following week, Florida State again lost, this time to North Carolina, a Coastal Division opponent. The same week, NC State lost to Clemson, bringing Florida State even with NC State in the divisional standings. NC State still held the tiebreaker, however. With three weeks remaining in the regular season and two other Atlantic Division teams also with one loss, there were 120 possible scenarios for the four tied teams. The following week, Florida State defeated Maryland, 30–16, eliminating another contender. The divisional championship came down to the final week. Because Florida State was playing nonconference rival Florida, the division was decided by the matchup between NC State and Maryland. Hours after Florida State defeated Florida 31–7, NC State lost to Maryland, giving Florida State the Atlantic Division championship and a bid to the ACC Championship Game. == Pregame buildup ==

Following the last week of regularly scheduled conference games, both teams moved up in the national college football polls. Florida State, which had been ranked No. 22 in the BCS Poll, No. 22 in the AP Poll, and No. 21 in the Coaches' Poll, rose to No. 21 in the BCS, No. 20 in the AP Poll, and No. 20 in the Coaches' Poll. Virginia Tech, which had been ranked 16th in the BCS, 13th in the AP Poll and 14th in the Coaches' Poll before the final week of the regular season, The matchup was a repeat of the inaugural ACC Championship game, and according to observers, the Seminoles' presence appeared to mark a resurgence for Florida State, which performed below expectations in the final years of Bowden's tenure. For Virginia Tech, there were hopes of breaking a trend of losing to Florida State. Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer was 1–8 against Florida State, and the Hokies overall were 11–22–1 against the Seminoles. That hypothesis was borne out as early public sales approached 28,000 tickets before the participating teams were officially announced. After the announcement, each school sold its allotment of 10,000 tickets, and the more than 50,000 publicly available tickets were purchased at a rapid pace. ACC officials and Charlotte boosters each said they were satisfied with the pace and quantity of ticket sales. Florida State offense During the 2010 season, Florida State senior quarterback Christian Ponder completed 62.2 percent of his passes for a total of 2,038 yards, and Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher called him "one of the great Florida State quarterbacks of all time." The issue remained in doubt until the day of the ACC Championship, when coach Fisher announced that sophomore quarterback E. J. Manuel, who had led the Seminoles against Clemson was given the start. Protecting both quarterbacks was a strong offensive line anchored by All-American guard Rodney Hudson, a two-time winner of the Jacobs Blocking Trophy, a four-time recipient of all-conference honors and a finalist for the Outland Trophy. Hudson and the offensive line also protected Florida State's running backs. Foremost among these was sophomore Chris Thompson, who led the team with 687 rushing yards. Thompson was predicted to start the ACC Championship game because of his performance in the regular season and because fellow running backs Ty Jones and Jermaine Thomas were injured. Taken together, Florida State's offense was 52nd in total offense, accumulating 391 yards per game. Virginia Tech offense Virginia Tech's offense was centered on quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who was named ACC Player of the Year on December 1. Taylor threw 20 touchdown passes, had only four interceptions and completed 60.2 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 613 yards, a figure that included several "game-changing" runs. Alongside Taylor, the Hokies boasted three strong running backs: David Wilson, Ryan Williams and Darren Evans. Wilson had 573 rushing yards, 509 return yards, 165 receiving yards and nine touchdowns despite being an underclassman. The Hokies led the ACC in scoring, averaging 34.8 points per game, In total, Florida State's defense was No. 1 in college football in terms of sacks (43) and 15th in tackles for loss (7.2 per game). Florida State placed a priority on containing Tyrod Taylor and preventing him from scrambling for extra yardage. The Seminoles were 39th nationally in total defense, allowing an average of 341 yards per game. led the nation in interceptions with eight, while Davon Morgan and Rashad Carmichael each had four. Tech's defense ranked 10th in the red zone, seven spots ahead of the Seminoles' defense in that respect. == Game summary ==

The 2010 ACC Championship Game kicked off on December 4, 2010, at 7:52 pm EST at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. At kickoff, the weather was overcast with light rain and a temperature of , The wind was from the east at . The game was televised in the United States by ESPN, and Sean McDonough, Matt Millen and Heather Cox were the announcers. The game also appeared on ESPN 3D, and was broadcast on that channel by Joe Tessitore, Tim Brown and Ray Bentley. Approximately 3.047 million people watched the game, earning the broadcast a Nielsen rating of 1.8. That figure was the second-lowest ever for an ACC Championship Game, but 13% more than the previous year's rating of 1.6, the record low. Virginia Tech's first possession began at its 20-yard line after a touchback. The Hokies advanced the ball into Florida State with a series of rushing plays, then lost yardage and punted from their 47-yard line. Florida State recovered the kick at its 15-yard line and began its second possession. On the second play of the drive, Seminoles quarterback attempted a pass, but the ball was intercepted by Virginia Tech defender Jeron Gouveia-Winslow, who ran it 24 yards into the end zone for Virginia Tech's first touchdown. The score gave Tech a 7–3 lead with 8:54 remaining in the quarter. Following the touchdown, Virginia Tech kicked the ball off to Florida State, and after a short return, the Seminoles' offense took the field at their 22-yard line. Florida State then embarked upon a 10-play, 78-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown with 5:40 remaining in the quarter. During the drive, Florida State converted two third downs and Manuel completed passes of 12 yards, 14 yards and 25 yards. After the kickoff, Florida State went three-and-out and punted back to Virginia Tech. The Hokies began their second possession of the quarter at their 39-yard line and started the drive with five consecutive running plays, advancing 28 yards in the process. Tech then switched to its passing offense, throwing four consecutive passes. Three were complete, and the final one, a 21-yard toss from Taylor to Wilson, ended with the running back carrying the ball into the end zone. The score capped a nine-play, 61-yard drive that grew the Hokies' advantage to 18 points, 35–17. The conversion brought the score to 41–26 with 11:29 remaining in the game. Florida State received the post-touchdown kickoff, then benefited from a 10-yard holding penalty against Virginia Tech. Three subsequent plays failed to gain another first down, however, and on fourth down, a pass by Manuel was intercepted by Virginia Tech's Davon Morgan and returned to the Florida State 34-yard line. With 9:29 remaining, Virginia Tech's offense entered the game. The Hokies went three-and-out, but capitalized on the good starting field position by kicking a 43-yard field goal that increased their lead to 44–26. Florida State's offense began work from its 36-yard line, but ran four plays without gaining a first down and turned the ball over on downs. Virginia Tech, whose offense began at the Florida State 45-yard line, proceeded to run down the clock. In eight plays, Tech advanced 21 yards and drained 3:22, then turned the ball over on downs at the Seminole 26-yard line. Florida State's offense entered the game one final time and conducted a 12-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 20-yard pass from Manuel to running back Chris Thompson for a touchdown. The score and subsequent extra point made the score 44–33, but only seven seconds remained in the game. The Seminoles attempted an onside kick in an attempt to have another opportunity for offense, but the Hokies recovered the kick and proceeded to run out the final seconds, earning a 44–33 victory. == Statistical summary ==

In recognition of his performance as the game's winning quarterback, Tyrod Taylor was named the game's most valuable player. The three touchdowns gave him 23 for the season, setting a Virginia Tech single-season mark. The three touchdowns also tied the record for the most in an ACC Championship Game. On the opposite side of the ball, Florida State quarterback E. J. Manuel had a better completion percentage, completing 23 of his 31 passes for 288 yards and one touchdown. He also ran the ball 11 times for nine yards. Virginia Tech's leading defensive player was safety Eddie Whitley, who had nine tackles and two pass breakups. Tech's Davon Morgan and Jeron Gouveia-Winslow were responsible for the only turnovers in the game; each had one interception. Gouveia-Winslow's 24-yard interception return for a touchdown was the second such score in an ACC Championship Game. On the opposite side of the ball, Nigel Bradham's defensive two-point conversion was only the fifth in all of college football during the 2010 season. Florida State received no penalties during the game, and Virginia Tech received only four. The four penalties were the fewest in an ACC Championship Game. == Postgame effects ==

Virginia Tech's win in the ACC Championship Game, its first against Florida State in postseason play, brought it to an 11–2 record, while Florida State's loss dropped it to a 9–4 record. Virginia Tech became the first team in college football history to win 11 consecutive games after losing its first two of the season, As a reward for winning the ACC Championship, the Hokies received a position in the 2011 Orange Bowl, a Bowl Championship Series game. Virginia Tech's opponent in that game was the Stanford Cardinal, from the Pac-12 Conference. In that game, a blowout in favor of the Cardinal, Stanford defeated Virginia Tech 40–12. Florida State, meanwhile, was selected to participate in the 2010 Chick-fil-A Bowl against South Carolina. In that game, held New Year's Eve, the Seminoles defeated South Carolina, 26–17. Several players from each team participated in all-star games following their teams' respective bowl games. Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor and center Beau Warren played in the East–West Shrine Game, Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder and offensive lineman Rodney Hudson played in the 2011 Senior Bowl. In that game, Ponder, who had been held out of the ACC Championship Game and underwent elbow surgery, guided the South team to victory by throwing two touchdown passes. The two games were a final chance to impress National Football League scouts before the 2011 NFL draft, which began April 28. Florida State had three players selected in the draft, including Ponder, who was taken with the 12th overall selection, making him the first participant from the 2010 ACC Championship Game to be picked. Florida State's two other selections were offensive lineman Rodney Hudson (55th overall) and defensive end Markus White (224th). Virginia Tech likewise had three players selected: Ryan Williams (38th), Rashad Carmichael (127th), and Tyrod Taylor (180th). == References ==