RUSSELL ATHLETIC BOWL
RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS
vs.
VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES
Friday, Dec. 28 • 5:30 p.m.
Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium (65,438/Natural Grass)
Orlando, Fla.
Television - WATCH LIVE
ESPN
Joe Tessitore, Matt Millen and Maria Taylor
National Radio
ESPN Radio
Adam Amin, Tom Luginbill and Brett McMurphy
SiriusXM channel 84
Rutgers Radio
WOR-AM 710 (flagship)
THE GAME
The Russell Athletic Bowl began in the 1990 season as the Blockbuster Bowl and is one of two bowl games presented by Florida Citrus Sports (along with the Capital One Bowl) … The bowl was played in Miami from 1990-2000 before moving to Orlando for the 2001 game … The BIG EAST is 4-4 in the bowl with the last win coming in 2001, when Pittsburgh beat North Carolina State 34-19 … This year’s matchup will be the 15th meeting between Rutgers and Virginia Tech … The Hokies hold an 11-3 series lead … The teams met as BIG EAST rivals from 1992-2003, with Virginia Tech taking 11 of 12 conference games … Rutgers’ last win against the Hokies was a 50-49 decision in 1992.
RUSSELL ATHLETIC BOWL HISTORY
12-28-90 Florida State 24, Penn State 17
12-28-91 Alabama 30, Colorado 25
1-1-93 Stanford 24, Penn State 3
1-1-94 BOSTON COLLEGE 31, Virginia 13
1-2-95 South Carolina 24, WEST VIRGINIA 21
12-30-95 North Carolina 20, Arkansas 10
12-27-96 MIAMI 31, Virginia 21
12-29-97 Georgia Tech 35, WEST VIRGINIA 30
12-29-98 MIAMI 46, North Carolina State 23
12-30-99 Illinois 63, Virginia 21
12-28-00 North Carolina State 38, Minnesota 30
12-20-01 PITTSBURGH 34, North Carolina State 19
12-23-02 Texas Tech 55, Clemson 15
12-22-03 North Carolina State 56, Kansas 26
12-21-04 Georgia Tech 51, SYRACUSE 14
12-27-05 Clemson 19, Colorado 10
12-29-06 Maryland 24, Purdue 7
12-28-07 Boston College 24, Michigan State 21
12-27-08 Florida State 24, Wisconsin 13
12-29-09 Wisconsin 20, Miami 14
12-28-10 North Carolina State 23, WEST VIRGINIA 7
12-29-11 Florida State 18, Notre Dame 14
rv/rv RUTGERS (9-3)
Head Coach
Kyle Flood (Iona ’93)
9-3, first season
NOTES
Rutgers, which has been playing intercollegiate football since 1869, made history this season as the Scarlet Knights gained a share of the BIG EAST title for the first time … Rutgers is making its eighth appearance in a bowl game … The Scarlet Knights are 5-2 in their seven previous postseason appearances and have won five consecutive bowl games … Rutgers is playing a bowl game for the seventh time in eight years after making just one postseason appearance in the 136 years prior to the current stretch … Rutgers and Mississippi State are tied for the nation’s longest active bowl winning streak … A win against Virginia Tech would give Rutgers its third 10-win season in program history (1976, 2006) … Rutgers is one of the nation’s top defensive teams, with the Scarlet Knights among the national leaders in most statistical categories … Rutgers is fourth nationally in scoring defense (14.3 ppg), trailing only Notre Dame (10.3 ppg), Alabama (10.7 ppg) and Florida (12.9 ppg) … The Scarlet Knights are 11th in rushing defense (105.0 ypg), 14th in total defense (321.3 ypg) and 25th in pass efficiency defense (115.35) … The cornerstone of the defense is LB Khaseem Greene, the two-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year who has been named an AT&T ESPN All-America First Team choice … Greene is a Walter Camp Football Foundation second team All-America choice and was named to the Associated Press third team … Greene leads the BIG EAST with 125 tackles to go with 5.5 sacks, 10.5 tackles for loss and six forced fumbles … Greene joined DT Scott Vallone, CB Logan Ryan and S Duron Harmon as All-BIG EAST First Team choices from the Rutgers defense … OG Antwan Lowery was named to the first team on offense … RB Jawan Jamison, WR Brandon Coleman and OT Kaleb Johnson were All-BIG EAST Second Team selections.
2012 RESULTS
September
1 at Tulane W 24-12
8 Howard W 26-0
13 at USF W 23-13
22 at Arkansas W 35-26
October
6 CONNECTICUT W 19-3
13 SYRACUSE W 23-15
20 at TEMPLE W 35-10
27 Kent State L 23-35
November
10 Army W 28-7
17 at CINCINNATI W 10-3
24 at PITTSBURGH L 6-27
29 LOUISVILLE L 17-20
December
28 vs. Virginia Tech 5:30 p.m.
BIG EAST games in CAPS
VIRGINIA TECH (6-6)
Head Coach
Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech ’69)
215-104-2, 26th season at Virginia Tech
257-127-4, 32nd season as collegiate head coach
NOTES
Virginia Tech won its last two games of the regular season to secure a spot in the postseason for the 20th consecutive year … The 20-year streak is the third-longest active streak in college football (behind Florida State’s 31-year streak and Florida’s 22-year run)and it puts Virginia Tech in the company of Nebraska, Michigan, Florida State, Alabama and Florida as the only programs to reach 20 bowl games in 20 years … Head coach Frank Beamer will become just the fourth coach in college football history to coach in 20 straight bowl games, joining Tom Osborne, Bobby Bowden and Bear Bryant … The streak was in jeopardy when the 4-6 Hokies trailed Boston College 13-3 at halftime Nov. 17, but Virginia Tech rallied for a 30-23 overtime win and followed with a 17-14 victory against Virginia in the regular-season finale … The Hokies are playing in the Russel Athletic Bowl for the first time, but have made two previous regular-season appearances in the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium, falling to Florida State in 1991 (33-20) and beating UCF 44-21 in 2000 … Virginia Tech will make its 26th appearance in a bowl game …The Hokies are 9-16 in their previous postseason appearances … Virginia Tech snapped a string of back-to-back appearances in BCS games … QB Logan Thomas is the team’s leading passer and rusher … Thomas has thrown for 2,783 yards and 17 touchdowns and has rushed for 528 yards and nine TDs … The Hokies rank 24th nationally in total defense, allowing an average of 344.6 yards … Virginia Tech leads the ACC in tackles for loss (7.3 per game) … LB Jack Tyler, who has a team-high 112 tackles, was the only Virginia Tech player on the All-ACC First Team … DE James Gayle and CB Antone Exum were both All-ACC Second Team selections.
2012 RESULTS
September
3 GEORGIA TECH W ot 20-17
8 Austin Peay W 42-17
15 at Pittsburgh L 17-35
22 Bowling Green W 37-0
29 vs. Cincinnati L 24-27
October
6 at NORTH CAROLINA L 34-48
13 DUKE W 41-20
20 at CLEMSON L 17-38
November
1 at MIAMI (Fla.) L 12-30
8 FLORIDA STATE L 22-28
17 at BOSTON COLLEGE W ot 30-23
24 VIRGINIA W 17-14
December
28 vs. Rutgers 5:30 p.m.
Atlantic Coast Conference games in CAPS
