Despite losing the national title game, the Hokies made their supporters proud.

	Hokies fans at the Superdome tried to mask their dejection.

"I think that Virginia Tech gave it a championship effort," Glenn Hamlin, 37, of Blacksburg, Va., said at Poor Billy's, a downtown Blacksburg bar and grill. "Just a few plays here or there, and the game could have gone Virginia Tech's way."

"I'm disappointed but happy they made it that far," said Patrick Cosgriff, 21, of Blacksburg. "Michael Vick is only a freshman, and he did a very good job. He has some time to improve and get things done."

Many fans said they were confident that Tech would be a national contender again.

"This year, we got things rolling and showed what Virginia Tech can do," said Chad Martin, 21, a Tech junior. "Things can only get better from here."

"If nothing else, we brought a lot of attention to Blacksburg. ... We played well. It wasn't a blowout like everybody expected," said Dan Whaling, 24, of Blacksburg. "No matter what, we're going to cheer them on."

Leading up to the game, the mood was more upbeat.

"If you can't be in New Orleans, this is the place to be," said Scott Shearer, part owner and manager of Gobbler Town, a popular nightspot in nearby Christiansburg. Shearer added several Cajun dishes to the menu Tuesday night.

		I would not go for two (points) as early in the game as Virginia Tech did, because there are a number of situations that can occur that allow the points to come out more evenly, and I felt that Virginia Tech was premature in assuming the game would end at 30 or 31 points. In a high scoring game like this, take your points and then if you have to go for two in the end, then you do it.

Some fans who couldn't make the trip to New Orleans arrived before dark to get a good table near one of the business' 17 television sets.

"We've been partying all day, getting pumped up for this," said Blane Bush, 29, of Blacksburg. "The regular holidays were nothing. This is what we've been getting ready for."

In Blacksburg, Tech's campus was almost deserted, since the school is still on break for the Christmas and New Year's holidays. But yard signs and posters were scattered throughout the town supporting the Hokies.

Lee Terry, headed into Big Al's restaurant downtown just off the campus, said he wouldn't miss the game for the world.

"I've been waiting to see something like this for a long time," said Terry. "If -- pardon me -- I mean when Tech wins, Blacksburg is going to burn down."