David Teel: Metallica joins pantheon of Lane Stadium’s greatest hits

Pomp and Circumstance will be the song du jour Friday at Lane Stadium as Virginia Tech stages its spring commencement.

Heres betting it wont be as loud, memorable or downright epic as Metallicas live performance of Enter Sandman at the same venue Wednesday.Capping an appearance 25 years in the making, the band played the anthem that has accompanied the football teams entrance into the stadium since 2000.

The 15-song concert instantly entered the pantheon of Lanes greatest hits, and to mark the occasion, here are 15 other indelible moments witnessed at the stadium.Rather than undertake the impossible task of ranking them, lets proceed in chronological order.Virginia Tech fans set off the richter scale when @Metallica played "Enter Sandman" in Lane Stadium (via @hokiesports) pic.twitter.com/fTo203oyLe ACC Network (@accnetwork) May 8, 2025Nov.

24, 1990: His program handicapped by scholarship reductions levied against the Bill Dooley regime, Techs Frank Beamer was 0-3 against Virginia, the defeats by a combined 14 points.Ranked No.

1 nationally just a month earlier, George Welshs Cavaliers were reeling from two recent losses and a thumb injury to All-America quarterback Shawn Moore.The game wasnt close.

The Hokies forced six turnovers, two via Tyronne Drakeford interceptions, and Will Furrer threw three touchdown passes in a 38-13 rout.I never dreamed it could be this good, Tech defensive end Jimmy Whitten said that day.Just as no one could have envisioned that Beamer and Welsh would lift their respective programs, and this rivalry, to new heights on their way to College Football Hall of Fame enshrinement.Sept.

22, 1994: Lane Stadiums status as a leading college football destination can be traced not to Enter Sandman, but to ESPNs Thursday night telecasts, and the first one in Blacksburg came against another bitter rival: West Virginia.No question about it, all of the other college players, coaches, pro players and coaches will probably be watching, Beamer said in the days before the clash.

Youve got the audience, and its a great opportunity, not only for our football program, but Virginia Tech if we take advantage of it, fill the stadium, have an enthusiastic crowd and play well.Check, check, check and check.Hokies 34, Mountaineers 6.Tech has subsequently played dozens of Thursday prime-time games, most recently last season at Lane against Boston College.

The Hokies are 25-12 in those contests.Sept.

23, 1995: Blanked the week prior at home by Cincinnati, saddled with an 0-2 record for the season and an 0-12 mark all-time against its next opponent, Tech had little reason for optimism entering a visit from Miami.But courtesy of Dwayne Thomas 165 yards rushing, Torrian Grays 11 solo tackles and J.C.

Prices four sacks, the Hokies prevailed 13-7.I really think we found our Virginia Tech football team today, Beamer said.Indeed, the victory ignited a 10-game winning streak that produced a Big East championship, Sugar Bowl upset of Texas and No.

10 final national ranking.Oct.

16, 1999: ESPN brought another network staple to Blacksburg for the first time in 1999 College GameDay.

Suffice to say, fourth-ranked Tech impressed.With Shyrone Stith (Western Branch) rushing for more yards (140) than No.

16 Syracuse managed in total offense (120), the Hokies authored a 62-0 demolition.

The carnage was so complete that ESPN bailed during the fourth quarter and sent viewers to the Auburn-Florida telecast.Weve got a really good football team, Syracuse guard Mark Baniewicz said, and they did that to us.Virginia Tech President Paul Torgersen gets a victory ride on the shoulders of two players after the Hokies' 38-14 win over No.

22 Boston College at Lane Stadium capped a perfect regular season and clinched a berth in the Sugar Bowl national title game.

(Steve Helber/AP)Nov.

26, 1999: Riding a three-game winning streak that included road conquests of Syracuse and Notre Dame, No.

22 Boston College presented a considerable closing hurdle to Techs perfect regular season and a berth in the Sugar Bowl national title game in New Orleans.But as was often the case during this magical run, the Hokies dominated as Michael Vick passed for 290 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 76 yards and another score.

Following the 38-14 victory, sugar cubes rained from the stands, fans tore down the goalposts, and Beamer addressed the faithful.Those hard-hitting Hokies are going to Bourbon Street, linebacker Jamel Smith said.Sept.

18, 2003: As Hurricane Isabel ravaged much of the state, Tech endured steady rain and wind gusts of 37 mph to throttle Texas A&M 35-19.Kevin Jones rushed for 188 yards and three touchdowns in front of a crowd that nearly filled Lane, despite the conditions.Wasnt that amazing? Beamer said of the fans.

For them to hang in there and be the way they were ...

A lot of people across the state have a lot of issues and problems tonight.

Our thoughts and prayers are with them.Nov.

1, 2003: Miami had won 39 consecutive regular-season games, the second-longest streak in the sports history.

Tech was a week removed from an embarrassing 28-7 loss at unranked West Virginia.Not exactly the standard recipe for a programs first victory over a top-five opponent.But sparked by Deep Creek grad DeAngelo Halls 28-yard return of a Roscoe Coles fumble for touchdown, the Hokies crushed the No.

2 Hurricanes 31-7.You find out a lot of things when (you) have (your) backs to the wall and people arent saying nice things about you, people trash you a bit on TV, Beamer said.Sept.

18, 2004: The wait for Metallica paled to the half-century in which Tech pined for ACC membership.

That hope was realized in 2003 and manifested a year later when the Hokies made their ACC football debut with a 41-17 thumping of Duke.League commissioner John Swofford tossed a commemorative coin at midfield to start the festivities, and Techs Richard Johnson caught a touchdown pass from Bryan Randall and threw for another score to Josh Hyman.We wanted to let people know we belong, defensive end Darryl Tapp (Deep Creek) said after his 212-sack afternoon.And belong they did.

Two-plus months later, in the regular-season finale, the Hokies clinched the ACC championship with a 16-10 victory at Miami.Sept.

1, 2007: There was no Enter Sandman on this solemn afternoon.

Instead, Tech and East Carolina ran into the stadium simultaneously for the Hokies first football game since Aprils campus shootings claimed 32 innocent lives.GameDay was on hand to chronicle the healing, aided by a 17-7 Tech win.Some people are looking for closure, said 1977 VT graduate Jim McDonald, who traveled from Phoenix for the weekend.

Then you go over to the memorial and think of the families, and theyll never have closure.Oct.

25, 2007: Coming back from this ones going to be tough, Beamer said after one of the most gutting defeats in program history.Stifled by the No.

8 Hokies and a driving rain for much of the night, Matt Ryan passed for 157 yards and two touchdowns in the final 2:11, the scores separated by a recovered onside kick, to give second-ranked Boston College a 14-10 victory.But per Beamers challenge, Tech rebounded with a vengeance.

Led by defensive linchpins Xavier Adibi (Phoebus) and Chris Ellis (Bethel), the Hokies won their next five outings, including a 30-16 decision over the Eagles in an ACC championship game rematch.Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor talks to ESPN's Holly Rowe as fans swarm the field after the Hokies defeated Nebraska 16-15 on Sept.

19, 2009, at Lane Stadium.

(Steve Helber/AP)Sept.

19, 2009: Trailing Nebraska by five points with 1:44 remaining, Tech was 88 yards away from the go-ahead score.

Ndamukong Suh and the Cornhuskers defense had yielded 58 yards combined on the Hokies six previous drives.But Tyrod Taylors 81-yard connection to Danny Coale put Tech in scoring position, and three plays later, Taylor (Hampton) threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Dyrell Roberts (Smithfield) to give the Hokies a 16-15 win.Tyrod did it, Mikey! Tech Hall of Fame radio voice Bill Roth said to partner Mike Burnop on the air.

Tyrod did it!Nov.

21, 2015: The Hokies darn near conjured another miracle in Beamers final home game as coach.

Michael Brewers two touchdown passes in the final three minutes of regulation, both on fourth down, erased a 14-point North Carolina lead and forced overtime.But the Tar Heels prevailed 30-27.Tech players trudged toward their locker room, but their devastation was short-lived.

They returned to the field, where seniors J.C.

Coleman and Donovan Riley hoisted Beamer onto their shoulders and carried him off.I saw a lot of signs there that said something about appreciating me, Beamer said, but I appreciate them.

I really think about it.

Ill be honest with you, its not so much this is the last game here in Lane Stadium, even though that makes you sad.

But I really think about the 29 years Ive been able to coach and the other years that I played here at Lane Stadium.

Virginia Tech has been great to me.A large crowd greets Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer as he makes his last walk to the stadium prior to the start of an NCAA college football game between North Carolina and Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., Saturday, Nov.

21, 2015.

It was the last home game for Beamer.

(AP Photo/Steve Helber)Oct.

19, 2019: With starting quarterback Hendon Hooker injured and backup Ryan Willis benched for ineffectiveness, third-stringer Quincy Patterson took over Techs offense, and his 53-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter knotted the score against North Carolina.Playing by new overtime rules that mandated dueling two-point attempts if four conventional possessions for each team didnt resolve matters, the Hokies survived 43-41 on Pattersons conversion run in the sixth OT.That, Tech receiver Tre Turner said, was definitely one for the ages.Nov.

23, 2019: Bud Foster was a defensive coordinator for the ages, and the Hokies made his Lane Stadium farewell a party with a 28-0 smothering of Pitt that included a 7-yard Norell Pollard scoop-and-score.The season prior in the Steel City, the Panthers ravaged Fosters group for a mind-bending 13.9 yards per play, 654 total, in a 52-14 blowout.

The numbers on this rainy afternoon: 3.2 yards per snap, 177 total.You couldnt have scripted it any better, Foster said.Virginia Tech's Ty Eller, left, and Jalen Hampton celebrate with members of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets during a Sept.

3, 2021, game against No.

10 North Carolina at Lane Stadium.

The Hokies won 17-10.

(Matt Gentry/The Roanoke Times via AP)Sept.

3, 2021: Returning to Lane en masse for the first time since the pandemic, fans were itching to cut loose, and Tech gave them every reason to in a Friday night opener against No.

10 preseason North Carolina.Sparked by TyJuan Garbutt, Chamarri Conner, Jermaine Waller and Dax Hollifield, the Hokies sacked Sam Howell six times and intercepted three of his passes in a 17-10 upset.Obviously, now the shines off and the rating sure doesnt matter tonight, Tar Heels coach Mack Brown said.

We were overrated with the way we played.Few, if any, were saying the same Wednesday about Metallica.David Teel: [email protected]; @ByDavidTeel.

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