The 2003 Virginia Tech Hokies football team represented the Virginia Tech in the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team's head coach was Frank Beamer. They played their home games at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia and participated as members of the Big East Conference. The Hokies finished the 2003 season with a record of 8–5 (4–3 Big East) under head coach Frank Beamer."2003 Virginia Tech Hokies". College Football at . Retrieved October 27, 2025. Virginia Tech opened the year with six straight wins, including dominant performances over Texas A&M and Syracuse, and climbed as high as No. 3 in the AP Poll."2003 Virginia Tech Hokies Schedule and Results". . Retrieved October 27, 2025. The offense was led by quarterback Bryan Randall, who threw for 1,996 yards and 15 touchdowns, and tailback Kevin Jones, who rushed for 1,647 yards and 21 touchdowns — the second-highest single-season rushing total in school history."2003 Season Statistics". . Virginia Tech Athletics. Retrieved October 27, 2025. Wide receiver Ernest Wilford added 887 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. Defensively, the Hokies were anchored by linebacker Mikal Baaqee and cornerback DeAngelo Hall, who also contributed as a return specialist. Virginia Tech averaged 35.4 points per game while allowing 23.0, finishing 13th nationally in scoring offense. However, the team faltered down the stretch, losing four of its final six games, including a 52–49 shootout against California in the Insight Bowl. The Hokies played their home games at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia.
This was the Hokies last season as a member of the Big East Conference. With them moving to the Atlantic Coast Conference the following year.
Schedule
Game summaries
August 31 – vs. UCF
Virginia Tech opened the 2003 season with a 49–28 victory over UCF at Lane Stadium. The Hokies came out smoking, scoring on their first 4 drives while holding UCF to only 4 yards on their first 3. The Knights came to life, scoring 2 touchdowns to close out the half. In the 4th, the Knights reverse-Beamer-balled the usually exceptional special teams play of the Hokies by blocking Carter Warley's 21-yard field goal attempt. Despite this, the game was never in question. Bryan Randall had a dominant performance, going 22-28 with 3 touchdowns and zero interceptions. This game also marked the well-anticipated debut of disgraced quarterback Marcus Vick, who completed 7 of 10 passes with a touchdown to freshman David Clowney.
September 6 – vs. James Madison
The Hokies defeated James Madison 43–0 on a temperate September afternoon. The dominant performance allowed the Hokies the opportunity to rest their starters, with scout team QB Lance Goff completing a 31-yard pass, the only pass attempt of his career. Cedric Humes scored 3 of the Hokies' 5 rushing touchdowns, and backup fullback John Candelas scored another on 49 yards carried.
September 18 – vs. Texas A&M In a nationally televised Thursday night matchup, Virginia Tech defeated Texas A&M 35–19. The Hokies emphasized their ground game, with Kevin Jones rushing 30 times for 188 yards and 3 touchdowns. Bryan Randall had all of the Hokies' pass attempts, completing 9 of 13. The Hokies jumped out to an early 14-3 lead, but The Aggies turned it into a 2 point game early in the 4th quarter. Virginia Tech closed out strong with 2 unanswered touchdowns.
September 27 – vs. Connecticut Virginia Tech rolled to a 47–13 win over Connecticut in Lane Stadium, improving to 4–0.
October 4 – at Rutgers The Hokies remained unbeaten with a 48–22 road win over Rutgers in Piscataway.
October 11 – vs. Syracuse In a series where the Home team dominates, Virginia Tech continued that tradition defeating Syracuse 51-7 at Lane Stadium.
October 22 – at West Virginia Virginia Tech suffered its first loss of the season in a 28–7 defeat at West Virginia."2003 Season Statistics". HokieSports.com. Virginia Tech Athletics. Retrieved October 27, 2025.
November 1 – vs. No. 2 Miami (FL)
Virginia Tech rebounded in dramatic fashion with a 31–7 upset of No. 2 Miami in Blacksburg, snapping the Hurricanes’ 18-game road winning streak, 23-game conference winning streak, and 39-game regular season winning streak. Kevin Jones rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown, but it was the defense, with 3 interceptions, including 1 for a touchdown, and a fumble recovery for a touchdown, that provided the dominating victory. The Hokies led 10–0 at halftime and 31-0 into the 4th quarter before Miami finally scored. In the second half, the Hurricanes' offensive struggles contributed to them losing all composure, as evidenced by 14 penalties for 117 yards. The victory against #2 broke Virginia Tech's 0-19 steak against Top 5 teams.
November 8 – at No. 25 Pittsburgh Virginia Tech fell 31–28 in a back-and-forth battle at Heinz Field, despite a career-best performance from Kevin Jones. The junior tailback rushed for 241 yards and four touchdowns, including scoring runs of 1, 11, 13, and 80 yards. The Hokies led 28–24 late in the fourth quarter, but Pittsburgh’s Lousaka Polite ran for a 2-yard touchdown with under two minutes remaining to give the Panthers the win. Bryan Randall and Marcus Vick split time at quarterback, but Vick's 2 Interceptions stalled the Hokie offense. On defense, Mikal Baaqee intercepted Rod Rutherford, and Vincent Fuller recovered a fumble.
November 15 – at Temple Virginia Tech narrowly escaped Philadelphia with a 24–23 win over Temple, surviving a late rally and a missed field goal by the Owls in the final minute. Carter Warley opened the scoring with a 26-yard field goal, and Kevin Jones followed with a 9-yard touchdown run. Bryan Randall's 28-yard touchdown pass to Ernest Wilford gave the Hokies a 17–0 lead. Temple responded with 17 unanswered points, taking the game into overtime. Jones finished with 150 rushing yards a touchdown, while Randall threw for 127 yards and a score.
November 22 – vs. Boston College Virginia Tech fell 34–27 to Boston College in a back-and-forth contest in Blacksburg. Kevin Jones rushed for 165 yards and 3 touchdowns and Bryan Randall recorded no interceptions in 23 attempts, passing for 176 yards. Doug Easlick led the team with 4 receptions while also providing excellent blocking at fullback. Defensively, Mikal Baaqee led the team with 15 tackles, and the Hokies recorded three sacks but struggled to contain Derrick Knight, who rushed for 197 yards.
November 29 – at Virginia Virginia Tech's 4-game winning streak against their in-state rivals ended on a windy November afternoon. The Hokies lost possession of the Commonwealth Cup, 35-21, having held it since October 2, 1999. The Hokies took a 14-7 lead into the half, but the Wahoos scored 21 unanswered points to start the second half. Tech put together an 18 play, 91 yard drive resulting in a 2 yard touchdown run by Kevin Jones to make it a one score game. Virginia responded with a 4:30 drive ending in a 19 yard rushing touchdown, putting the game away.
December 26 – vs. California (Insight Bowl) Virginia Tech closed the season with a 52–49 loss to California in the Insight Bowl, a wild shootout in Phoenix that featured over 1,000 yards of combined offense and a breakout performance from Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Tech's offense exploded with Bryan Randall completing 24 of 34 passes for 398 yards with 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, and Kevin Jones rushing 16 times for 153 yards and a score. Despite the offensive success, 3 missed field goals represented the difference between victory and defeat.
Rankings
References