November 27, 2004

#3's Last Stand

This afternoon in Lane Stadium, Bryan Randall will touch the Hokie Stone and emerge from the tunnel for the last time, leading his Hokies against the Virginia Cavaliers (1 PM, ABC regional/XM 181) with a share of the ACC championship on the line. Two years ago he was a streaky, occasionally overmatched proto-star; last year he had to fight for his job in a stardom-obsessed locker room and fan base; this year he's become an unquestioned leader and one of the most-loved players in Hokie history. How that happened is worth a look back on this day.

When Bryan Randall entered Virginia Tech in the fall of 2001, Hokie fans weren't just looking for a quarterback -- after the untimely departure of Michael Vick to NFL riches as just a sophomore, they wanted a savior, and they were already sure junior QB Grant Noel wasn't it. Two incoming players, they thought, just might fit that bill: national #1 recruit RB Kevin Jones from Pennsylvania, and the first state #1 in over a decade to sign with the Hokies, the QB (and point guard) from Bruton High in Williamsburg. The only dissonant note came from South Bend, where Notre Dame's highly-regarded offensive coordinator and QB coach Kevin Rogers, previously the architect of Donovan McNabb's reign at Syracuse, had recruited Randall... as a safety, reportedly because of concern over his arm strength.

A savior he wouldn't be, though the coaching staff awarded the true freshman wearing #14 the backup job rather than a redshirt. His classmate who had brashly claimed Vick's #7 was doing better on that front, taking over after a season-ending injury to Lee Suggs in Game 1 against Connecticut. Randall showed the occasional flash of brilliance in mop-up time, but Grant Noel had the ball anytime it was close despite more-than-occasional clunkers (Miami '01, a 26-24 loss despite a 4-for-20, 4 INT day).

The coaches reached their limit with Noel early in 2002, sending now-#3 Randall in after a Noel knee tweak in Game 2 against LSU; Randall earned the right to stay with wins vs. Marshall and at Texas A&M. The rest of the way had peaks and valleys; he set VT and Big East single-game offensive records in a 3OT loss at Syracuse, but otherwise seemed to implode (not using his legs to get out of trouble) or simply disappear (aided by a pass-phobic coaching staff) in tough games, before pulling out wins over UVa and Air Force to salvage the season. There was talent there, but lacking confidence, and behind him was a fast train.

In 2003, Marcus Vick took off the redshirt. By objective standards, Randall's biggest sin was simply not being Michael Vick; he'd done well in '02 as a sophomore QB piloting an offense that was becoming very familiar to Big East coaching staffs. But now on the sidelines stood MV's brother, reputed to be smarter on the field and a better touch passer than the now-Falcon. Add the star power of Kevin Jones and 3-way threat DeAngelo Hall, and there was a celebrity conflict brewing. As Vick developed in practice and VT fell out of the national championship race following a 28-7 drubbing at West Virginia, the coaches made a final, fatal error: they tried a two-QB system. It worked against Miami in one of VT's most emotional games ever, but as factions developed in the locker room the defense collapsed and the season spiraled downhill. The Hokies dropped four of their last 5, including the first loss to Virginia in 5 years; the lone win was in overtime at Temple on a missed extra point, and it was obvious the team needed to go one way or the other next season. A battle royal appeared in the offing.

Meanwhile, Randall approached Tech's new basketball coach Seth Greenberg, entering Big East play with a young team very light on guards. In his junior year of high school, point guard Randall had been selected Virginia Group AA basketball Player of the Year, and was recruited in both sports by Tech. But when he arrived in Blacksburg, it was strongly suggested that he focus his physical training on football, and he complied. Two years later, the about-to-graduate Randall saw an opportunity and was welcomed by Greenberg; coach Beamer's acquiescence caused some to wonder if perhaps Beamer wouldn't mind a basketball injury making his fall QB decision easier (though he certainly didn't hope for it). Fortunately, that didn't happen; Randall, ironically wearing his football rival's #5 on the court, instead provided a steadying voice and occasional quality minutes to a team that finallly made some noise in the Big East conference they'd leave at season's end, reaching the tournament for the first time and winning their first-rounder before falling to 1-seed Pitt. Later in the semester, Randall claimed his sociology degree after just three years of studies.

The decision was eventually made for Beamer, though, by Marcus Vick and the Virginia legal system. Vick's various transgressions led to a suspension from the university for the fall 2004 semester. The celebrity exits had left the team looking for a respectable leader, and fresh off an Athletes in Action mission project to inner-city Los Angeles, Bryan Randall was ready for that role. With the coaches unable to talk to freshmen Cory Holt and Sean Glennon until workouts officially began in August, new grad student Randall became quarterbacks coach Randall, giving the frosh (one of whom would have to back him up) a leg up on the VT offense. And who was he subbing for in that role? His one-time doubter Rogers, hired by Frank Beamer in 2002 partially to convince Marcus Vick to sign up, now his biggest backer, touting Randall's hard work in the weight room and field smarts to leverage his talent.

And then came the season. After three years of late-season chokes, the Hokies suddenly became a fourth-quarter team. Against WVU, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and North Carolina, tight games didn't faze the Hokies; instead, they roared back behind a confident QB and a rejuvenated defense. Unranked and given up for dead at the beginning of the season, they quietly held on as their new ACC companions all stumbled. On November 18, they needed to prove their worthiness for the conference's top spot against an often-tough Maryland club; 55-6 later, the talking heads were finally noticing "the team everyone's forgotten about," led by a senior QB who is unquestionably the most valuable player to his team in the ACC.

Now the arch-rival is here, the championship of the new conference is on the line, and Bryan Randall will lead his club out onto Worsham Field one last time. These are the games in which legends are sealed, but no matter the outcome, Hokie Nation will not soon forget Bryan Randall.