Rutgers aims for a rare 10th victory

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ORLANDO, FLA. — A lot has changed since the last time Rutgers and Virginia Tech met on a football field.

The Hokies dominated the Scarlet Knights during their time as Big East Conference rivals before Virginia Tech left for the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2004.

But as they prepare for their 15th all-time meeting in Friday's Russell Athletic Bowl, Rutgers is no longer anybody's whipping boy, while Virginia Tech is the team with something to prove following a disappointing season.

The Scarlet Knights (9-4 are in a bowl game for the seventh time in eight years and are looking to win their sixth straight bowl game after just missing out on a Bowl Championship Series berth following in loss in their regular-season finale.

Friday is an opportunity for them to not only win 10 games for the first time since 2006, but go into their final Big East season next year with momentum after announcing plans to join the Big Ten in 2014.

"I think 10-win seasons in college football are the standard for elite programs," first-year coach Kyle Flood said. "I think that puts you in an elite status, and certainly at a university where it's only been done twice in the past, I think you better take those things very seriously. These opportunities have not come around as often for us as maybe for Virginia Tech, but this is an opportunity for us to do that."

For Virginia Tech, 10-win seasons were pretty much the norm. The Hokies had eight straight before and 11 in the past 13 years this season.

To say the Hokies (6-6 have had a disappointing season is an understatement a year after appearing in the Sugar Bowl. They stumbled out of the gate losing three of their first seven, and dropped three straight conference games before winning their final two.

It's a tumble that coach Frank Beamer said isn't lost on his players, and particularly a senior group that is trying to avoid Tech's first losing season since 1992 as it makes its 20th straight bowl appearance.

"They're very aware of that," Beamer said. "I'm really proud of this football team because we've lost some games in tough ways, we've had some unusual things happen, we haven't always played great or as well as we need to play. And had some disappointments, had some setbacks, had adversity.

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