Story line: The inaugural game at Pacific Bell Park, which started too late for this edition, pitted old friends Frank Beamer, coach of Virginia Tech, against Fisher DeBerry. Both were assistant coach in the Southern Conference in the 1970s. Beamer was an assistant at the Citadel and DeBerry was at Appalachian State.
Records: Air Force 8-4. Tech 9-4.
Keys to the game: Both teams feature a run-oriented attack. Air Force’s option offense was the best in the nation at 314.5 yards per game). Lee Suggs, who gained 1,255 yards and has a NCAA-record streak of 25 straight games with a TD, led Tech to its 221.0 average per game, 15th in the nation.
Quote: “There’s a friendship and a bond between us, because we both started in the same place, essentially. These are two programs that believe in the same things. When you play a team that you have great respect for . . . the bowl experience is even more special.”–Beamer.
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Only Bobby Bowden and Joe Paterno have been with their schools longer than Beamer, in his 16th season in Blacksburg, and DeBerry, who’s been in Colorado Springs for 19 years.
