With 6:39 left in the second quarter down in the Bayou, the Tyrod era began. Down 24-0 to LSU, Tyrod Taylor got his first shot at running the Virginia Tech offense.
He didn't have the luxury of debuting against a schedule padding bottom feeder at home. Instead he was thrown into the mix at Tiger Stadium, nicknamed "Death Valley" for its reputation as a place where opponents come to perish.
With the most people ever watching a Tech football game (and LSU home game for that matter), he didn't do too bad for a kid who graduated high school just four months ago.
He wasn't mind-blowingly spectacular, but he showed aptitude, leading Tech down the field with his 23 yard scamper, and thinking on his feet with an underhand shovel pass to junior tailback Branden Ore that gained another 19 yards. That drive resulted in the Hokies sole score of the night.
Watching him warm up on the sidelines, I was never concerned that he would lose his composure, leaving head coach Frank Beamer to answer as to why he let a prize prospect be subject to the irreversible psychological damage that could come along with playing a ferocious defense in one of college football's most intimidating environments.
I didn't worry because a couple years earlier I had seen all I needed to see that this was a kid who had it.
"It" being the moxie and cojones to carry a team on his back in times when the stakes are the greatest and everyone's watching.
Home on break during the fall of my freshman year, I decided to catch the Hampton High School-Phoebus High School playoff game on a Saturday afternoon, mostly to see what all the hype was about regarding Hampton's Tyrod Taylor, who was a junior at the time and uncommitted to a college.
Over 10,000 people were expected to fill the stands and the local paper had dedicated a full spread to the game.
A little background on those two schools would probably help explain why the game was so big and it was such a good indication of Taylor's makeup.
Phoebus has won three of the six last Virginia AAA titles. Xavier Adibi and D.J. Parker, current Tech starters, and Elan Lewis (out with an ACL injury) are among its recent alumni.
Hampton is the holder of 17 state titles and where Ronald Curry destroyed countless opponents with his arm and legs on the way to being named the National Player of the Year by nearly every major publication his senior year in 1998.
Phoebus was undefeated coming into the game, and Hampton's lone blemish was at the hands of Phoebus, losing 12-6 during the regular season.
Taylor wasn't the only attraction of the game. Phoebus had a pair of stars on their sideline as well. There was the flashy Brent Vinson, who now lines up at wide receiver for Tennessee, and Matt Wright, now a redshirt freshman linebacker at Tech.
Leading up to the game I watched as both teams got ready for the battle. Watching Taylor left me awestruck.
As his teammates gathered in a circle and started chanting and jumping up and down, Taylor paced outside that circle, quietly bouncing up and down and bobbing his head.
Suddenly, in one swift move he ripped off his helmet by the facemask and threw it down, letting out a primal yell toward the sky as he did so.
Then he leapt (in full pads no less) onto the center of the circle on top of the mosh pit and crowd surfed his players.
In terms of talking the talk, here was a guy who looked ready to score major revenge. Then he walked the walk, rising to the occasion in the biggest game of his high school career.
In his shot at redemption, he dominated every aspect, shredding a vaunted Phoebus defense with his arm and legs and almost single-handedly willing Hampton to a 29-7 victory. He even tormented the Phantoms on defense, making a demoralizing interception that helped clinch the win while playing on defense.
I left through the gates of the stadium badly wanting Taylor to play for Tech. Thousands of people had just watched this guy rip his archrival's heart out. I was a believer.
Taylor piloted the Crabbers to that 17th state championship, leading the Crabbers to a 15-8 victory over Stone Bridge High School in the final with a 51-yard touchdown run.
Yes, there will be rough spots. The defense, despite this recent blemish, should be good enough to allow him to make the requisite freshman mistakes during the rest of the year.
Usually if true freshmen ever play it's not at a position as scrutinized as quarterback, and not on a team that was predicted to win its conference. Taylor will not only have the weight of teammates' expectations on his shoulders, but those of an entire fan base craving an ACC title and a BCS bowl.
He's not going to be perfect, but if the recent past is any indication of the future, it's going to be a bright one.