List of Virginia Tech Hokies Bowl Games - Game Capsules - 1996 Orange Bowl

A year after earning a bid to its first Bowl Coalition game, Tech again earned the honor of participating in an upper-tier bowl game. Under the newly-renamed Bowl Alliance, Virginia Tech was selected to play in the 1996 Orange Bowl. The No. 10 Hokies finished 10–1 in the regular season, en route to their second consecutive Big East Conference championship. Facing the Hokies were the No. 6 Nebraska Cornhuskers, who had finished 10–2 during the 1996-1997 season, including a loss to Texas in the Big 12 Conference championship game.

The 1996 Orange Bowl kicked off on December 31, 1996, exactly one year after the Hokies' previous bowl game. Instead of New Orleans, however, the Hokies were playing in stormy Miami, Florida at Pro Player Stadium. Neither team scored until late in the first quarter when Tech quarterback Jim Druckenmiller put Virginia Tech on the board with a 19-yard touchdown pass. The Hokies' 7–0 lead at the end of the first quarter didn't last long, however. Nebraska scored a field goal early in the second quarter and tacked on a touchdown to take a 10–7 lead halfway through the second quarter. Then Nebraska got its biggest play of the game as Tech's Druckenmiller fumbled the ball. A Nebraska player scooped up the ball, returning it 31 yards for a touchdown. Tech was able to score a touchdown before halftime, but Nebraska still held a 17–14 lead as the second half began.

Nebraska widened its lead with a 33-yard touchdown run six minutes into the second half, but Tech answered right back with a 33-yard touchdown pass on its subsequent possession. The score cut Nebraska's lead to 24–21. Unfortunately for the Hokies, that score was the closest they would get to a lead as Nebraska's offense began to wear down the Tech defense. Nebraska scored another touchdown in the fourth quarter, then racked up 10 points in the fourth quarter to secure the victory. Nebraska won, 41–21.