Michael Vick led the Hokies to an 11–0 start, only the second perfect regular season in school history, and to the Bowl Championship Series national title game in the Sugar Bowl against Florida State. Although Virginia Tech lost 46–29, Vick was able to bring the team back from a 21-point deficit to take a 29–28 lead into the fourth quarter. During the season, Vick appeared on the cover of an ESPN The Magazine issue.
Vick led the NCAA in passing efficiency that year, setting a record for a freshman (180.4), which was also good enough for the third-highest all-time mark (Colt Brennan holds the record at 185.9 from his 2006 season at Hawaii). Vick was awarded an ESPY Award as the nation's top college player, and won the first-ever Archie Griffin Award as college football's most valuable player. He was invited to the 1999 Heisman Trophy presentation and finished third in the voting behind Ron Dayne and Joe Hamilton. Vick's third-place finish matched the highest finish ever by a freshman up to that point, first set by Herschel Walker in 1980 (Adrian Peterson later broke that mark, finishing second in 2004).
Freshman Michael Vick ran for three touchdowns in the first 22 minutes of the game, but left due to an injury after he somersaulted into the end zone on the third score. Playing in his first collegiate game, Vick had run for 54 yards, and thrown for 110 yards in leading the Hokies to a 24–0 lead that turned into a 47–0 win. Shyrone Stith led the Hokies on the ground with 122 yards on 18 carries. Andre Kendrick had 11 carries for 45 yards including a 2-yard touchdown that capped the scoring. Andre Davis scored on a 22-yard reverse and backup quarterback Dave Meyer had the other rushing touchdown for Tech. Shayne Graham kicked a 32-yard field goal. Corey Moore had a sack and two tackles for loss, including one that resulted in a JMU safety in the second quarter.
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Virginia Tech's defense set a school record, allowing only 63 yards of total offense, leading the Hokies over visiting University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB) 31-10. Tech played without starting quarterback Michael Vick, who was relieved by Dave Meyer. Meyer threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Emmitt Johnson on the first series of the game to give Tech the lead it would never relinquish. However, before halftime, he turned the ball over four times, three interceptions and a fumble. Those turnovers enabled the Blazers to stay in the game, and Tech led by 17-10 at halftime thanks to a 22-yard field goal by Shayne Graham and a one-yard touchdown by Shyrone Stith. The lead remained at seven points until early in the fourth quarter when tailback Andre Kendrick threw a 35-yard option touchdown pass to Andre Davis. Lee Suggs capped the scoring with a one-yard touchdown jaunt with 2:07 left in the game, one of only four carries he had on the day. Stith led the Hokies with 129 rushing yards and Kendrick added 44 yards rushing to his passing touchdown. Corey Moore had three sacks for 27 yards and two tackles for loss for another three yards.