WATCH: Virginia Tech entrance, college football is officially back
Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia, is one of the toughest places to play in college football. It’s home to the Virginia Tech Hokies and some of the rowdiest and loudest fans in college football.
Their entrance with the “Enter Sandman” by Metallica music blaring in the background is one of the more famous entrances in college football.
Watch as the Hokies take the field before their nationally televised showdown with the No. 10 North Carolina Tarheels tonight.
The beginning of “Enter Sandman”
The tradition began when Virginia Tech added a new scoreboard in Lane Stadium in 2000. The team subsequently began using the scoreboard for an entrance video. After considering “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns N’ Roses and “Sirius” by the Alan Parsons Project for the pregame hype video, they chose to go with “Enter Sandman.“ If you want to read more about Virginia Tech and the history of “Enter Sandman”, you can read this write-up by Michael Parsons of Sports Illustrated.
The song was first used by Virginia Tech on Aug. 27, 2000, when the Hokies were scheduled to face Georgia Tech. Thunderstorms postponed the game and now that game is most famous for the time that lightning struck Lee Corso’s car in a parking lot near the stadium.
UNC blasted “Enter Sandman” to prepare for Virginia Tech
UNC was doing everything possible to prepare for the matchup. They even blared “Enter Sandman” during the 4th quarter of a training camp to prepare for the matchup. If you want to read more about that you can read the write-up from On3’s Sean Labar. Here is the video below.
Heisman Trophy Candidate Sam Howell
The Tarheels enter the game as the No. 10 overall team in America and are headlined by signal-caller Sam Howell. Howell has thrown for over 3,500 yards in the past two seasons for the Tarheels and tossed in 30 touchdowns or more each year. Last season, he completed over 68% of his passes. He’s one of the top Heisman Trophy candidates in the country and he spins a gorgeous spiral.
Another player Virginia Tech will have to lookout for
One of his favorite targets is expected to be sophomore receiver Josh Downs, a 5-foot-10 inch, 180-pound wide receiver. Downs was rated as a four-star and a top 60 overall recruit coming out of high school. He hauled in 187 catches for 3,019 receiving yards and 32 touchdowns in his final three seasons at North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Georgia). He chose the Tarheels over offers from Penn State, Appalachian State, Arkansas, and Boston College.
College football is officially back in Blacksburg, Virginia.