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Air Force facing Virginia Tech in bowl game

12/27/02 - U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFPN) -- The Air Force Academy Falcons face Virginia Tech in the 2002 Diamond Walnut San Francisco Bowl on Dec. 31. The 18th-ranked Hokies will take on Air Force at 7:30 p.m. PST in Pacific Bell Park.

Virginia Tech and Air Force will meet for the first time since Air Force defeated the Hokies 23-7 in the 1984 Independence Bowl.

"We feel we have one of the best matchups in the 2002-03 bowl lineup," said Gary Cavalli, executive director of the bowl. "We have two of the premier programs in the country and two of the top coaches in the nation."

Virginia Tech finished the regular season 9-4 overall and 3-4 in the Big East. Air Force ended its regular season with an 8-4 overall mark and a 4-3 record in the Mountain West Conference.

"I have all the respect in the world for Virginia Tech and the job Frank Beamer has done there," said Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry. "We're very excited about the opportunity to play such a nationally respected program."

The game features two of the premier special-teams units in the country. Virginia Tech and Air Force rank first and second, respectively, in blocked kicks since 1990. The Hokies have blocked 85 while Air Force has 79.

The game also features the third- and fourth-longest tenured coaches in the nation. DeBerry has been at Air Force for 19 years while Beamer has been at Virginia Tech 16 years. Only Penn State's Joe Paterno (37 years) and Bobby Bowden (27 years) of Florida State have been at their schools longer.

The bowl game is the 17th in Air Force history and 12th in the DeBerry era. Air Force is 8-7-1 all-time in bowl games. DeBerry has led the Falcons to a 6-5 bowl record.