| 2009 Chick-fil-A Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| 42nd Peach Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 31, 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Georgia Dome | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Atlanta | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | RB Ryan Williams (Virginia Tech) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Virginia Tech by 5.5 | ||||||||||||||||||
| National anthem | Trumpeter Dan Oxley | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Ed Ardito (Conference USA) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 73,777 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Payout | US$3.01 million per team | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Sean McDonough Matt Millen Holly Rowe | ||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen ratings | 4.2 | ||||||||||||||||||
The 2009 Chick-fil-A Bowl was a college football bowl game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Tennessee Volunteers played on December 31, 2009, in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. With sponsorship from Chick-fil-A, it was the 42nd edition of the game known throughout most of its history as the Peach Bowl. Virginia Tech defeated Tennessee 37–14. The game was part of the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season and was the concluding game of the season for both teams. The game was televised in the United States on ESPN and the broadcast was seen by an estimated 4.87 million viewers.
Each participating team was selected by the bowl game's selection committee, which had paid contracts with the participating football conferences. The Chick-fil-A Bowl had the second pick of bowl-eligible teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference and the fifth pick from eligible teams in the Southeastern Conference. In picking Virginia Tech and Tennessee, the selection committee bypassed teams with better or similar records in order to create a matchup appealing to television audiences. Pregame media coverage focused on the close geographic rivalry between the two teams and the success of Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin in reversing his team's poor fortune from the previous season.
The game kicked off at 7:37 p.m. EST and Virginia Tech jumped to an early lead with a first-quarter touchdown. Tennessee replied in the second quarter with two touchdowns of their own, but Virginia Tech kept the lead by scoring 10 points in the quarter. At halftime, Tech led 17–14. In the second half, Virginia Tech pulled away from Tennessee, scoring 20 unanswered points to win the game 37–14.
In recognition of his performance during the game, Virginia Tech running back Ryan Williams was named the game's most valuable player. By the end of the game, he had set a school record for most rushing yards in a season and conference records for most rushing touchdowns and most total touchdowns. Following the game, Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin resigned to become head coach of the University of Southern California Trojans football team. Several players from each team participated in postseason all-star games and a handful were selected to play in the National Football League through the 2010 NFL draft.