On Monday, the fourth-ranked Stanford Cardinal axed the twelfth-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies by a final score of 40 to 12 in the 2011 Orange Bowl.
It truly was Revenge of the Nerds for Stanford, who has been recognized purely as an academic school...until now.
The Cardinal wins their first BCS Bowl game in just their second try, while finishing the season with the most wins in school history at 12 and 1.
The loss snaps Tech's magical 11-game win streak that started after back-to-back losses at the start of the season. The Hokies finish the season as ACC Champions with an 11 and 3 record, but with the bitter taste of soured oranges in their mouths.
The first half of the Orange Bowl was every bit of the close barn-burner game that everyone expected. The Tech defense applied good pressure on Stanford's all-star quarterback Andrew Luck, and subsequently stopped the Tree offense. Tyrod Taylor made one of the most spectacular plays (if not the most) that I've ever seen on an 11-yard touchdown pass to David Wilson. We were on a roll. If Tech would have kicked a field goal instead of failing on a fourth and one, the Hokies would have carried a 15-13 lead into halftime. Nonetheless, it was close at the half with Stanford hanging on to a one point lead.
The second half of the Orange Bowl was one of the worst halves of football ever played by a Frank Beamer team, and one of the best ever played by a Stanford team. In my opinion, the turning point in this game was a pick 6 that didn't happen. On Stanford's first drive of the second half, the Hokies pressured Luck who threw a pass directly into the hands of Tech's best cornerback Jayron Hosley...but he dropped it. There were no Cardinal players between Jayron and the endzone, so if he would have held on it would have been a touchdown to give the Hokies a 17-13 lead. Instead it was a 14-point swing, as Stanford scored to extend their lead to 19-12. On the Hokies ensuing drive, Tyrod through a rare interception. Two plays later the Trees were planted in the endzone, and the game was over...or we wish it was. Things only got much much worse for Tech. I'm talkin' worse than Tech's first ever Orange Bowl appearance in 1996, which was a 41-21 loss to Nebraska.
It turned out to be a head-scratcher of a game for the Hokies. The one question that resonated in my mind following this game was "what happened?" Why did this Tech team, which was maybe the most resilient in school history, just fall apart in the second half of this game? It just doesn't make sense. Personally, I think the team took a nap at halftime and never woke up.
Besides the initial questions mentioned above, this game left a string of "What If?" questions in the minds of Tech players, coaches, and fans. Such as: What if we would have kicked a field goal instead of going for it on fourth down in the first half?, What if Jayron Hosley would have gotten the pick 6 on Stanford's first drive of the second half?, What if Tyrod's interception would have been a touchdown?, What if we had an offensive coordinator?, What if Metallica would have played at halftime instead of the Goo Goo Dolls?, What if the HokieBird would have chased the Stanford Tree with a chainsaw? They're all questions we'd like to know the answers to, but never will.
My advice to Hokie Fans: Don't let this game get you down. This season could have been so much worse than it was. Frank Beamer did possibly the best coaching job of his career, as he guided his team from an 0 and 2 start to an 11 and 3 conference championship season. The Hokies did what no team in FBS history had done before, they won 11 straight games after losing their first 2. Way to go Tech.
As for this Orange Bowl, The Hokies may have lost, but they went down in style. The orange helmets looked amazing out there, and I can only hope that we'll use them again. And even after a crushing loss like this one, I'm so thankful to be a Hokie. It's just so much better than being a darker shade of Red.
Showing posts with label Virginia Tech Football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Virginia Tech Football. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Fourth Time's A Charm
On Saturday the eleventh-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies scalped the twentieth-ranked Florida State Seminoles by a final score of 44 to 33 in Charlotte to win the ACC Championship.
The Hokies have now won 4 ACC Championships out of the 7 years that they have been in the conference. That's right, Tech has won over half (57%) of the ACC Football Championships since joining the conference in 2004. I guess you could say we like being in the ACC.
This game was a re-match of the inaugural ACC Championship in 2005, where a lowly 7 and 4 Florida State team upset the 5th-ranked Hokies by a final of 27 to 22. The Noles have always been a thorn in Tech's side, especially in the last decade. They dashed our hopes in the 2000 National Championship game, they beat us in the '02 Gator Bowl, they undeservedly upset us in the '05 ACC Championship, they handed us a road loss in '08, they have the most annoying chant in all of college football. All I can say is REVENGE IS SWEET.
The Hokies came into this one with a decade of motivation on their mind, and they smacked the war paint right off the Noles' faces. I'm talking they beat the spots off of FSU's dalmation horse.
Jeron Gouveia-Winslow started the beating when he picked off an E.J. Manuel pass, and took it to the house for six. It gave Tech an early 7 to 3 lead at the 8:05 mark in the first quarter, and it was a lead that the Hokies wouldn't relinquish. They just added some style points.
No one broke more spears (or ankles) in this game than...Tyrod Taylor. The Senior QB showed the Noles exactly why he was voted the ACC Player of the Year. Early on in the game Tyrod found a hole in the FSU defense's tee pee, and he ripped it right open. He finished the game 18 of 28 for 263 yards, and 3 touchdowns. Can you say torched defense? Taylor threw long passes, short passes, bullet passes, and even a high-arching rainbow pass to David Wilson for a TD, and the Noles couldn't stop any of them. He also did some damage on the ground, as he had the FSU defense running in circles...literally. Tyrod rushed for 24 yards and a TD off of 11 carries. His rushing touchdown was so embarrassing to FSU that it made Jimbo Fisher wish that Bobby Bowden was still the head coach, and that's pretty dad-gum bad. Tyrod looked like a magician on the play. He rolled out to the right, cut it back (thus leaving a defender on the ground), then he put on an invisibility cloak and danced across the nose of two more defenders into the endzone.
Once again, the Tech passing attack was Coale-powered...Danny Coale that is. He had a fantastic day receiving. Coale led all receivers in the game, as he reeled in 6 catches for 143 yards and a touchdown. The Noles defense couldn't cover him...heck they couldn't even find him. Time and time again Danny would go into stealth mode, run his traditional crossing pattern, and find himself wide open for a huge gain. It reminds me of the miraculous Nebraska come-back every time. I always have this sigh of relief when I see the ball going through the air, and Coale is the guy waiting at the other end for it. I just know he's going to catch it every time, and he does. It's a thing of beauty. He's our Mr. Reliable.
Tech's Three-Headed Monster rushing attack had the Noles' defense doing a rain dance in hopes that it would slow up the ground-gaining Gobblers. Too bad for them, the only rain in this game was their tears.
Darren Evans ",The Punisher," led all-rushers in the game. He finished with 69 yards and a touchdown off of just 6 carries. That's a staggering 11.5 yards-per-carry average. The Punisher got loose on a 51 yard ramble that set up Tech at the FSU 9 yardline. One play later he was in the endzone celebrating his lone touchdown of the night.
David Wilson continued his role as a dual threat. He rushed for 43 yards off of 14 carries, while racking up 42 yards and a touchdown receiving. Wilson has the speed and big-play potential to become a Reggie Bush/C.J. Spiller type player.
Ryan Williams rounded out the attack. He rushed for 45 yards off of 11 carries, and picked up a 5 yard grab on a pass from Tyrod. His contribution brought the trio's total to 157 yards and 2 TD's on the day.
The only flubs for Tech in this game was letting the Noles block an extra point and return it for 2 points, and of course they let them score a TD late in the fourth quarter. It kills me when the Hokies slack up late in the game, and let the other team add on a late score. It depreciates the magnitude of the whooping, and makes the game look closer than it actually was. So don't be fooled by the 11 point margin, this game wasn't close. Tech should have won by 21.
I really can't complain though. I'll take a win over the Noles any time, anywhere, and any way that I can get it. Whether it be by 1 point or 100, but just know that I would prefer it be by 100. I'll tell you what, it never gets old hearing another teams' fans mock the Seminole chant/chap. It's a thousand times better when those fans are Hokie fans, and that was the case on Saturday.
One final jab, I would just like to point out that Florida State's Seminole logo is screaming because he has hot bacon on his face.
Now not to be overlooked, this win marked Tech's 11th straight win after starting 0 and 2. It's a miraculous turn-around, and a huge accomplishment for Frank Beamer. Some teams would have laid down and died after having such high hopes and losing the first two games of the season. Frank made sure that his didn't. His team won 11 straight games, and their conference's championship. I think he is more than deserving of the coach of the year award.
The Hokies will now take on the 4th-ranked Stanford Cardinal in the Orange Bowl. Tech will have a whole lot more than just a silver bowl of oranges riding on the line. The Hokies will have the chance to do what no other team in Tech history has done before...win 12 games in a season. Tech's match-up with Stanford is also the first meeting between an ACC school and a Pac-10 school in the Orange Bowl. Here's to hoping the ACC goes up 1-0 in the series. In other news, the Hokies are looking for a big Christmas tree to put up in the Merryman Center. What's Stanford's mascot again? How convenient.
The Hokies have now won 4 ACC Championships out of the 7 years that they have been in the conference. That's right, Tech has won over half (57%) of the ACC Football Championships since joining the conference in 2004. I guess you could say we like being in the ACC.
This game was a re-match of the inaugural ACC Championship in 2005, where a lowly 7 and 4 Florida State team upset the 5th-ranked Hokies by a final of 27 to 22. The Noles have always been a thorn in Tech's side, especially in the last decade. They dashed our hopes in the 2000 National Championship game, they beat us in the '02 Gator Bowl, they undeservedly upset us in the '05 ACC Championship, they handed us a road loss in '08, they have the most annoying chant in all of college football. All I can say is REVENGE IS SWEET.
The Hokies came into this one with a decade of motivation on their mind, and they smacked the war paint right off the Noles' faces. I'm talking they beat the spots off of FSU's dalmation horse.
Jeron Gouveia-Winslow started the beating when he picked off an E.J. Manuel pass, and took it to the house for six. It gave Tech an early 7 to 3 lead at the 8:05 mark in the first quarter, and it was a lead that the Hokies wouldn't relinquish. They just added some style points.
No one broke more spears (or ankles) in this game than...Tyrod Taylor. The Senior QB showed the Noles exactly why he was voted the ACC Player of the Year. Early on in the game Tyrod found a hole in the FSU defense's tee pee, and he ripped it right open. He finished the game 18 of 28 for 263 yards, and 3 touchdowns. Can you say torched defense? Taylor threw long passes, short passes, bullet passes, and even a high-arching rainbow pass to David Wilson for a TD, and the Noles couldn't stop any of them. He also did some damage on the ground, as he had the FSU defense running in circles...literally. Tyrod rushed for 24 yards and a TD off of 11 carries. His rushing touchdown was so embarrassing to FSU that it made Jimbo Fisher wish that Bobby Bowden was still the head coach, and that's pretty dad-gum bad. Tyrod looked like a magician on the play. He rolled out to the right, cut it back (thus leaving a defender on the ground), then he put on an invisibility cloak and danced across the nose of two more defenders into the endzone.
Once again, the Tech passing attack was Coale-powered...Danny Coale that is. He had a fantastic day receiving. Coale led all receivers in the game, as he reeled in 6 catches for 143 yards and a touchdown. The Noles defense couldn't cover him...heck they couldn't even find him. Time and time again Danny would go into stealth mode, run his traditional crossing pattern, and find himself wide open for a huge gain. It reminds me of the miraculous Nebraska come-back every time. I always have this sigh of relief when I see the ball going through the air, and Coale is the guy waiting at the other end for it. I just know he's going to catch it every time, and he does. It's a thing of beauty. He's our Mr. Reliable.
Tech's Three-Headed Monster rushing attack had the Noles' defense doing a rain dance in hopes that it would slow up the ground-gaining Gobblers. Too bad for them, the only rain in this game was their tears.
Darren Evans ",The Punisher," led all-rushers in the game. He finished with 69 yards and a touchdown off of just 6 carries. That's a staggering 11.5 yards-per-carry average. The Punisher got loose on a 51 yard ramble that set up Tech at the FSU 9 yardline. One play later he was in the endzone celebrating his lone touchdown of the night.
David Wilson continued his role as a dual threat. He rushed for 43 yards off of 14 carries, while racking up 42 yards and a touchdown receiving. Wilson has the speed and big-play potential to become a Reggie Bush/C.J. Spiller type player.
Ryan Williams rounded out the attack. He rushed for 45 yards off of 11 carries, and picked up a 5 yard grab on a pass from Tyrod. His contribution brought the trio's total to 157 yards and 2 TD's on the day.
The only flubs for Tech in this game was letting the Noles block an extra point and return it for 2 points, and of course they let them score a TD late in the fourth quarter. It kills me when the Hokies slack up late in the game, and let the other team add on a late score. It depreciates the magnitude of the whooping, and makes the game look closer than it actually was. So don't be fooled by the 11 point margin, this game wasn't close. Tech should have won by 21.
I really can't complain though. I'll take a win over the Noles any time, anywhere, and any way that I can get it. Whether it be by 1 point or 100, but just know that I would prefer it be by 100. I'll tell you what, it never gets old hearing another teams' fans mock the Seminole chant/chap. It's a thousand times better when those fans are Hokie fans, and that was the case on Saturday.
One final jab, I would just like to point out that Florida State's Seminole logo is screaming because he has hot bacon on his face.
Now not to be overlooked, this win marked Tech's 11th straight win after starting 0 and 2. It's a miraculous turn-around, and a huge accomplishment for Frank Beamer. Some teams would have laid down and died after having such high hopes and losing the first two games of the season. Frank made sure that his didn't. His team won 11 straight games, and their conference's championship. I think he is more than deserving of the coach of the year award.
The Hokies will now take on the 4th-ranked Stanford Cardinal in the Orange Bowl. Tech will have a whole lot more than just a silver bowl of oranges riding on the line. The Hokies will have the chance to do what no other team in Tech history has done before...win 12 games in a season. Tech's match-up with Stanford is also the first meeting between an ACC school and a Pac-10 school in the Orange Bowl. Here's to hoping the ACC goes up 1-0 in the series. In other news, the Hokies are looking for a big Christmas tree to put up in the Merryman Center. What's Stanford's mascot again? How convenient.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Cheese To Go With That Wine
In Spanish the word uva means grape, and it's very appropriate because every year Virginia Tech crushes UVA as if they were grapes. Wine anyone?
On Saturday, the thirteenth-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies pummeled the Virginia Cavaliers by a final score of 37 to 7 in Blacksburg.
With the win, Tech caps off a season turn-around of epic proportions. After starting 0 and 2 the Hokies finished the regular season undefeated, as they won 10 straight games to clinch the Coastal Division title of the ACC. This marks the first time since 2000 that an ACC team has gone undefeated in conference play in the regular season, and the very first time since the league expanded to 12 teams. Tech now owns the NCAA record for most consecutive 10-win seasons with this season being their seventh.
From a Commonwealth perspective the win marks the Hokies' seventh consecutive win over UVA, and extends the Commonwealth Cup's stay in Blacksburg for another year. Tech has now held continuous possession of the Commonwealth Cup for 2,193 straight days.
The traditional rivalry game against the Wahoos has now turned into a traditional win for the Hokies, and that's just fine with me. It's so nice not having to worry about my team losing to its arch-rival. I can't even remember what it feels like to lose to the French, and I would probably go in shock if we lost to them any time in the near future. I don't think we've got anything to worry about for a good while. The Hoos have a new coach, but he uses the same approach. Before the game every year, Virginia replaces their players' names on the back of their jerseys with "Kick Me," and Tech follows the directions.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Hokies commenced the annual kicking. Scrutinized Virginia quarterback Mark Verica gave the French faithful a reason to throw tomatoes at him. On a 2nd and 17 from the UVA 8 yardline, Verica completed a pass to Eddie Whitley...who of course plays for the Hokies. One play later Ryan Williams was in the endzone, and the rout was on. Sacre Bleu!
Tech's three-headed monster rushing attack showed its full potential, as the trio ran amok on the Virginia "Laissez-faire" defense. Laissez-faire translated from French means "let do," and Williams, Evans, and Wilson did exactly what they wanted to do on Saturday...run and score.
The three backs combined for 177 yards and 5 touchdowns on the day.
David Wilson led the attack, as he racked up 83 yards and a touchdown off of 13 carries. Wilson also caught a screen pass and took it 20 yards to the house to put the Hokies up 14 to zip. His maroon #4 jersey in the endzone looks a million times better than a redshirt on the sideline would.
Darren Evans bullied the Cavalier defenders all day long. On one play Evans treaded over a defender like it was roadkill. Talk about getting thrown under the bus. Evans finished the game with 70 yards and a touchdown off of 13 carries.
Ryan Williams started Tech's scorefest, and he finished with the most rushing touchdowns with 2. His second touchdown was truly Predator worthy. He took the handoff, ravaged through the defense, and reached the ball over the goal line with about 5 UVA defenders hanging off of him. He finished the day with 24 yards and the 2 TDs off of 7 carries.
Senior quarterback Tyrod Taylor went out in style on Senior Day. He went 13 for 23 passing for 176 yards and a touchdown. On the ground he matched Ryan Williams with 24 yards on seven carries, just minus the two touchdowns. He left Worsham Field with more records than any other quarterback in Tech history. He holds the records for the most career passing yards, career rushing yards, career rushing touchdowns, and career total offense by a quarterback. He also holds the records for most wins by a quarterback with 33. Today Tyrod was named the first team All-ACC quarterback selection. He certainly deserves it.
Bud Foster's defense pitched a shut-out up until there was just three minutes left in the ballgame. Of course by then the game was all but over, and second and third-stringers were cutting their teeth on the Frenchmen. The defense gave up 291 yards, but held the Hoos to just 70 yards rushing and the one late touchdown. The Tech D sacked Mark Verica 4 times, and forced the game's only turnover (Verica's interception to Whitley). Bud Foster's crew defended the Lane against our arch-rivals, and inched closer to Lunch Pail status. We'll see if they can make it official in the ACC Championship and the bowl game.
Once again it was another impressive win against UVA. It was like deja vu, and for a good reason. We've done it seven times in a row, but it never gets old. I love seeing the Tech players hoist the Commonwealth Cup high in the air. This year the Seniors actually filled the Cup with water and drank from it. What a way to go out.
A final farewell goes out to the Frenchmen, or should I say Au Revoir.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Who Are U?
On Saturday the fourteenth-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies calmed the twenty-fourth ranked Miami Hurricanes by a final score of 31 to 17 in Miami.
It was truly a game of Jekyll and Hyde, with both teams taking the role of Hyde...at least when it came to uniforms.
When I first saw the two teams, I didn't recognize either one of them. Each team came out disguised in uniforms that were different than their usual uniforms.
The Hokies broke out the tainted all-white uni's from this year's devastating "White Out" game. Tech added a band-aid to the uniform to patch up the scars from that unthinkable loss, as they plastered a stripe on the center of the helmet. The stripe featured an orange stripe surrounded by two maroon stripes, which perfectly matched the stripes on Tech's white jerseys. The stripe was cut off a few inches short of the back of the helmet, and the two maroon stripes were tailored with diagonal cuts that faced each other like so \__/ giving it a "techy" look. I liked it a lot. It was a good look for the Hokies. Also added to the helmet was an orange crown with a white number 9 placed in the center of it. (My only guess for the reasons behind the crowns is that this win would mark Tech's ninth straight win, and give the Hokies the ACC Coastal crown. That's the best guess I can give you.)
The Hurricanes donned a uniform that they've never unleashed before. They came out in orange jerseys with matching orange pants. Both featured dark green accents, and dark green socks. The Canes also broke out some new helmets...helmets that they should have left in the equipment room. They were all green with no stripes, with a matching green facemask, and the iconic "U" logo on the sides. It was yUck. Now green is my favorite color, but this wasn't just any color green...it was much uglier. It was pond scum green, or maybe old slimy alligator green. It didn't match their jerseys, and it sure didn't look good. You know it must have been pretty gross for a green lover like myself to dislike it so much.
Miami is definitely not the the team that they used to be. They're not the same caliber team that put "The U" on the map, so I can understand them cloaking themselves in unidentifiable clothing. They didn't look like the "U," and they certainly didn't play like the "U."
The Hokies, on the other hand, were their same old selves. The same old Hokies who had won 10 of the last 15 versus Miami. The same old Hokies who destroyed the tenth-ranked Hurricanes in a monsoon in Blacksburg last year. The same old Hokies who just won their ninth-straight ballgame.
Tech started out this game with their usual tactic, which entails letting the other team score first and then acting offensively challenged on the first possession. The Hokies and Canes went tic for tac with each other for three quarters. The box score read 7-3-7 for both teams after the third quarter (meaning each team had 17 points). This is when Tech became their same old selves.
Ryan Williams busted the game wide open on his first carry of the fourth quarter, which was also Tech's first offensive play of the fourth quarter. He took the hand-off and exploded up the middle of the field for an 84-yard touchdown run, obliterating everything in his path. The traditionally speedy Miami defense got left in the dust by the Predator.
Not to be outdone by Mr. Williams, the Tech defense held as strong as iron. They forced three interceptions from Miami's second-stringer Stephen Morris, who was filling in for the injured Jacory Harris. Jayron Hoseley lapped up the first pick of the quarter at the Tech 43, and returned it 23 yards to the Miami 25 yardline. It was Hoseley's eighth pick of the season, and he leads the nation in interceptions. Davon Morgan halted the Cane's best chance to score in the quarter, as he intercepted Morris at the Tech 19 yardline. Tariq Edwards recorded his first career interception, as he scooped the final pick of the game from Morris to seal the deal.
Ryan Williams is back. Just ask the Miami defense, who got a good look at his back during this game. He looked 100% healthy to me. The strength, speed, and power are all back to Predator status. He led the Hokies in rushing, as he racked up 142 yards and 2 touchdowns on 14 carries. That includes the 84-yard bottle rocket that he set off in the Canes' faces in the fourth quarter.
Tyrod Taylor once again had a solid game as the Hokies' field general. He finished the game 7 of 14 for 94 yards and a touchdown, and added another score on the ground. Tyrod was uncharacteristically sacked 5 times though, but I don't blame him for that. That's on the O-line. At least he didn't turn the ball over.
Danny Coale went from being the sneaky receiver who catches a pass every now and then to being the sneaky receiver who led the team in receiving. To put it briefly, you could just say that our passing attack was Coale powered on Saturday. He finished with 83 yards and a touchdown off of 4 catches. His touchdown was a thrilling 43-yarder. He was running his traditional route across the middle of the field, and being the sneaky guy that he is he got wide open...as usual. He made the catch, turned upfield, and took it all the way to the house. He left the Canes' defense scratching their heads, and wondering "who was that?"
Once again the Hokies defeat the Hurricanes, and once again they score 31 points en route. This marked the third time in the series that Tech had scored 31 points in wins against the Canes. The Hokies defeated Miami by final scores of 31-7 both in 2009 (last year) and in 2003.
With the win, Tech clinches the Coastal Division title of the ACC and can pack their bags for Charlotte for the conference championship. The Hokies have rattled off 9 straight wins after starting with a dismal 0 and 2 record. Tech will have a chance to win their 10th game for the seventh consecutive season, as they take on arch-rival Virginia in the Battle for the Commonwealth Cup on Saturday. The Hokies have won 10 of the last 11 match-ups against the Wahoos, including the last 6 in a row. As Tech Sideline points out, today marks day 2,187 of Tech's continuous possession of the Commonwealth cup. It'll be 2,191 by Saturday. Take that Frenchmen.
It was truly a game of Jekyll and Hyde, with both teams taking the role of Hyde...at least when it came to uniforms.
When I first saw the two teams, I didn't recognize either one of them. Each team came out disguised in uniforms that were different than their usual uniforms.
The Hokies broke out the tainted all-white uni's from this year's devastating "White Out" game. Tech added a band-aid to the uniform to patch up the scars from that unthinkable loss, as they plastered a stripe on the center of the helmet. The stripe featured an orange stripe surrounded by two maroon stripes, which perfectly matched the stripes on Tech's white jerseys. The stripe was cut off a few inches short of the back of the helmet, and the two maroon stripes were tailored with diagonal cuts that faced each other like so \__/ giving it a "techy" look. I liked it a lot. It was a good look for the Hokies. Also added to the helmet was an orange crown with a white number 9 placed in the center of it. (My only guess for the reasons behind the crowns is that this win would mark Tech's ninth straight win, and give the Hokies the ACC Coastal crown. That's the best guess I can give you.)
The Hurricanes donned a uniform that they've never unleashed before. They came out in orange jerseys with matching orange pants. Both featured dark green accents, and dark green socks. The Canes also broke out some new helmets...helmets that they should have left in the equipment room. They were all green with no stripes, with a matching green facemask, and the iconic "U" logo on the sides. It was yUck. Now green is my favorite color, but this wasn't just any color green...it was much uglier. It was pond scum green, or maybe old slimy alligator green. It didn't match their jerseys, and it sure didn't look good. You know it must have been pretty gross for a green lover like myself to dislike it so much.
Miami is definitely not the the team that they used to be. They're not the same caliber team that put "The U" on the map, so I can understand them cloaking themselves in unidentifiable clothing. They didn't look like the "U," and they certainly didn't play like the "U."
The Hokies, on the other hand, were their same old selves. The same old Hokies who had won 10 of the last 15 versus Miami. The same old Hokies who destroyed the tenth-ranked Hurricanes in a monsoon in Blacksburg last year. The same old Hokies who just won their ninth-straight ballgame.
Tech started out this game with their usual tactic, which entails letting the other team score first and then acting offensively challenged on the first possession. The Hokies and Canes went tic for tac with each other for three quarters. The box score read 7-3-7 for both teams after the third quarter (meaning each team had 17 points). This is when Tech became their same old selves.
Ryan Williams busted the game wide open on his first carry of the fourth quarter, which was also Tech's first offensive play of the fourth quarter. He took the hand-off and exploded up the middle of the field for an 84-yard touchdown run, obliterating everything in his path. The traditionally speedy Miami defense got left in the dust by the Predator.
Not to be outdone by Mr. Williams, the Tech defense held as strong as iron. They forced three interceptions from Miami's second-stringer Stephen Morris, who was filling in for the injured Jacory Harris. Jayron Hoseley lapped up the first pick of the quarter at the Tech 43, and returned it 23 yards to the Miami 25 yardline. It was Hoseley's eighth pick of the season, and he leads the nation in interceptions. Davon Morgan halted the Cane's best chance to score in the quarter, as he intercepted Morris at the Tech 19 yardline. Tariq Edwards recorded his first career interception, as he scooped the final pick of the game from Morris to seal the deal.
Ryan Williams is back. Just ask the Miami defense, who got a good look at his back during this game. He looked 100% healthy to me. The strength, speed, and power are all back to Predator status. He led the Hokies in rushing, as he racked up 142 yards and 2 touchdowns on 14 carries. That includes the 84-yard bottle rocket that he set off in the Canes' faces in the fourth quarter.
Tyrod Taylor once again had a solid game as the Hokies' field general. He finished the game 7 of 14 for 94 yards and a touchdown, and added another score on the ground. Tyrod was uncharacteristically sacked 5 times though, but I don't blame him for that. That's on the O-line. At least he didn't turn the ball over.
Danny Coale went from being the sneaky receiver who catches a pass every now and then to being the sneaky receiver who led the team in receiving. To put it briefly, you could just say that our passing attack was Coale powered on Saturday. He finished with 83 yards and a touchdown off of 4 catches. His touchdown was a thrilling 43-yarder. He was running his traditional route across the middle of the field, and being the sneaky guy that he is he got wide open...as usual. He made the catch, turned upfield, and took it all the way to the house. He left the Canes' defense scratching their heads, and wondering "who was that?"
Once again the Hokies defeat the Hurricanes, and once again they score 31 points en route. This marked the third time in the series that Tech had scored 31 points in wins against the Canes. The Hokies defeated Miami by final scores of 31-7 both in 2009 (last year) and in 2003.
With the win, Tech clinches the Coastal Division title of the ACC and can pack their bags for Charlotte for the conference championship. The Hokies have rattled off 9 straight wins after starting with a dismal 0 and 2 record. Tech will have a chance to win their 10th game for the seventh consecutive season, as they take on arch-rival Virginia in the Battle for the Commonwealth Cup on Saturday. The Hokies have won 10 of the last 11 match-ups against the Wahoos, including the last 6 in a row. As Tech Sideline points out, today marks day 2,187 of Tech's continuous possession of the Commonwealth cup. It'll be 2,191 by Saturday. Take that Frenchmen.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Above The Tar Heel State
On Saturday the sixteenth-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies stumped the North Carolina Tar Heels by a final score of 26 to 10 in Chapel Hill.
Virginia Tech is above the Tar Heel State in a geographic sense, and more importantly in a football sense.
With the win, the Hokies have now defeated all five FBS schools from the Tar Heel State this season. East Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest, Duke, and most recently North Carolina have all fallen victim to the Hokies. You can honestly say that Tech has single-handedly whipped the state of North Carolina, and in just one season.
The Hokies' success against the Tar Heel State reaches far beyond just this season though. Since joining the ACC in 2004, Tech is 22 and 3 against the Division 1 schools from North Carolina. The three losses came in 2004 at home against NC State, in 2008 in Charlotte against East Carolina, and last year (2009) at home against North Carolina. Wake Forest and Duke have yet to beat the Hokies, while the other three teams have failed to defend their own stadiums against Tech. That's right the Hokies have won every away game in the state of North Carolina since 2004, including the one on Saturday against UNC.
The first half of this game looked almost as bad as last year's lackadaisical 20-17 loss at home to the Tar Heels. The most exciting thing that happened in that game was when Tech students launched paper airplanes from the stands onto Worsham Field. The most exciting thing about Saturday's game was the second half...at least for the Hokies.
North Carolina carried a 10-9 lead into halftime, as the fans took a nap. The Tar Heels scored the only touchdown of the first half on the first drive of the game. The rest of the half was a soccer match between Tech's Chris Hazley and UNC's Casey Barth, which Hazley won by a count of 3 to 1.
I don't know what Frank Beamer said at halftime, but it woke the Hokies up. In the second half Tech's offense put up 17 unanswered points, as Bud Foster's defense pitched a shut-out.
Tyrod Taylor and T.J. Yates entered the game in a battle for the ACC's best passing efficiency. Without a doubt, Tyrod won that battle. Taylor went 13 of 28 for 249 yards, and two touchdowns, while Yates finished 18 of 33 for 197 yards, and 4 interceptions. So at the end of the day, Tyrod Taylor > T.J. Yates. There's just no contest. Unless it's a Tony Romo look alike contest, then Yates has the advantage.
Tech's defense may have helped out Tyrod a little bit in that battle. They sacked Yates 4 times, while forcing him to throw 4 picks to the Tech secondary. Jayron Hoseley racked up 2 of those picks. Both of his interceptions were dangerous deep balls that would have set the Tar Heels up for scores. On the second pick Hoseley looked like the receiver on the play. He's got 8 interceptions on the season, maybe we should try him out on offense?
Eddie Whitley had the best face-guarding interception that I have ever seen, and in the endzone no less. I mean I really really hate face-guarding, but Whitley made me hate it a little less for a moment with that pick. He mirrored the receiver, saw where his hands were set up, and grabbed the ball away from him when it got there. It was textbook face-guarding. It was an incredible catch. It was nerve-racking. Next time do me a big favor and turn around Mr. Whitley, unless you can do that every time. Then you can face-guard all you want.
Davon Morgan had the other interception of the day, as he picked it off at the 12 and ran it back to the 37 yard-line. Morgan has a nice collection of interceptions on the season. He's broken quarterbacks' hearts...and arms...literally.
Tech's defense also racked up some huge stops on the day. The biggest stop of the day came in the last quarter of the game on the Hokies' last yard of defense. It was first and goal North Carolina from the VT one yard-line. UNC tailback Anthony Elzy takes the hand-off and dives for the endzone. Jeron Gouveia-Winslow has a big name, and he makes a big play. He smashes into Elzy and dis-lodges the ball. That slippery pigskin eludes multiple Tech defenders, and squirts out of the endzone. It doesn't matter though, it's a touchback for the Hokies! First down...Hokies! (in Lane Stadium announcer voice)
With Dyrell Roberts injured, Marcus Davis got the chance to start and he had a career day. He really stepped it up for the receiving corps. Davis was instrumental in Tech's offensive production, and the win. He was on the receiving end of both of Tech's touchdowns. Davis also led Tech in receiving with 4 catches for 81 yards. It's good to see that we have another solid receiver that we can count on and go to when our other receivers are having a bad day.
Speaking of receivers having a bad day, how about Jarrett Boykin? Boykin is usually Tech's go to guy, but in this game it seemed like every ball that went to him went to the ground. He dropped three catchable passes from Tyrod, and each one would have given the Hokies a first down. Boykin did somewhat redeem himself with a long 43-yard catch, and he did gain more yards than any other Tech receiver with 85. Everyone has a bad day, and I guess Boykin's really wasn't that bad. It was just unexpected. Luckily Marcus Davis had an unexpectedly good day to make up for it.
The David Wilson-less rushing duo of Ryan Williams and Darren Evans carried the load for Tech. Their stats were almost identical. Evans hammered away at the Tar Heel defense, forcing 5 UNC defenders to take him down on one play. He finished with 90 yards off of 14 carries with his longest run being 33 yards. A solid performance. Almost equally solid was Ryan Williams. He rushed 15 times for 83 yards with his longest run being 31 yards. Talk about a balanced rushing attack.
From a Beamerball perspective, things couldn't have been much better (well maybe with a blocked kick). Senior kicker Chris Hazley made all 4 of his field goal attempts, including a career long 52-yarder. He also converted on kicks from 38, 26, and 23 yards out. Punter Brian Saunders averaged 44.6 yards off of 5 punts. His longest was a 65 yard boomer. And to top things off. The punt team recovered a fumble from UNC's punt returner. The returner signaled for the fair catch, he muffed it, and the ball bounced right to a Tech gunner. It was one of those trademark Beamerball plays. We'll see that on a highlight video one day.
The Hokies won this game fair and square, but at one point it looked like the officials tried to slow things up. The referees called a pretty fair game, as they flagged 8 penalties on UNC and 9 penalties on Tech. On paper it looks fair, but on tape it looked bizarre. A colleague of mine, a certain Mr. Whitesell, alerted me to the strangeness of three of Tech's penalties. Between the two of us we had never seen any of these calls before, or at least not in the context in which we saw them called on Saturday. The first was an illegal fair catch signal by Jayron Hoseley. I've seen plenty of times when a guy called for a fair catch and then tried to run, but Hoseley just called for the fair catch and caught it. The refs said his signal just wasn't good enough. The second was offensive encroachment on tight end Andre Smith. Offensive Encroachment? I thought encroachment was only for the defense. I've seen an overabundance of false starts and a fair share of lining up in the neutral zone calls, but never an offensive encroachment. The third was a sideline interference call on Frank Beamer. The refs said he was on the field, and hence interfering with the play. Beamer may have barely been on the field, but he was over 20 yards away from where the play was taking place. It was a ridiculous call. It forced a patented "Who Farted?" look from Beamer, and it was much deserved.
But not even bogus calls could stop Virginia Tech's magical momentum. The Hokies have now won their eighth-straight game, and are undefeated in conference play with a 6 and 0 record. Tech only needs to win one of their last two games to win the Coastal Division, and punch their ticket to Charlotte for the ACC Championship. I expect them to win both, and the ACC Championship.
Virginia Tech is above the Tar Heel State in a geographic sense, and more importantly in a football sense.
With the win, the Hokies have now defeated all five FBS schools from the Tar Heel State this season. East Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest, Duke, and most recently North Carolina have all fallen victim to the Hokies. You can honestly say that Tech has single-handedly whipped the state of North Carolina, and in just one season.
The Hokies' success against the Tar Heel State reaches far beyond just this season though. Since joining the ACC in 2004, Tech is 22 and 3 against the Division 1 schools from North Carolina. The three losses came in 2004 at home against NC State, in 2008 in Charlotte against East Carolina, and last year (2009) at home against North Carolina. Wake Forest and Duke have yet to beat the Hokies, while the other three teams have failed to defend their own stadiums against Tech. That's right the Hokies have won every away game in the state of North Carolina since 2004, including the one on Saturday against UNC.
The first half of this game looked almost as bad as last year's lackadaisical 20-17 loss at home to the Tar Heels. The most exciting thing that happened in that game was when Tech students launched paper airplanes from the stands onto Worsham Field. The most exciting thing about Saturday's game was the second half...at least for the Hokies.
North Carolina carried a 10-9 lead into halftime, as the fans took a nap. The Tar Heels scored the only touchdown of the first half on the first drive of the game. The rest of the half was a soccer match between Tech's Chris Hazley and UNC's Casey Barth, which Hazley won by a count of 3 to 1.
I don't know what Frank Beamer said at halftime, but it woke the Hokies up. In the second half Tech's offense put up 17 unanswered points, as Bud Foster's defense pitched a shut-out.
Tyrod Taylor and T.J. Yates entered the game in a battle for the ACC's best passing efficiency. Without a doubt, Tyrod won that battle. Taylor went 13 of 28 for 249 yards, and two touchdowns, while Yates finished 18 of 33 for 197 yards, and 4 interceptions. So at the end of the day, Tyrod Taylor > T.J. Yates. There's just no contest. Unless it's a Tony Romo look alike contest, then Yates has the advantage.
Tech's defense may have helped out Tyrod a little bit in that battle. They sacked Yates 4 times, while forcing him to throw 4 picks to the Tech secondary. Jayron Hoseley racked up 2 of those picks. Both of his interceptions were dangerous deep balls that would have set the Tar Heels up for scores. On the second pick Hoseley looked like the receiver on the play. He's got 8 interceptions on the season, maybe we should try him out on offense?
Eddie Whitley had the best face-guarding interception that I have ever seen, and in the endzone no less. I mean I really really hate face-guarding, but Whitley made me hate it a little less for a moment with that pick. He mirrored the receiver, saw where his hands were set up, and grabbed the ball away from him when it got there. It was textbook face-guarding. It was an incredible catch. It was nerve-racking. Next time do me a big favor and turn around Mr. Whitley, unless you can do that every time. Then you can face-guard all you want.
Davon Morgan had the other interception of the day, as he picked it off at the 12 and ran it back to the 37 yard-line. Morgan has a nice collection of interceptions on the season. He's broken quarterbacks' hearts...and arms...literally.
Tech's defense also racked up some huge stops on the day. The biggest stop of the day came in the last quarter of the game on the Hokies' last yard of defense. It was first and goal North Carolina from the VT one yard-line. UNC tailback Anthony Elzy takes the hand-off and dives for the endzone. Jeron Gouveia-Winslow has a big name, and he makes a big play. He smashes into Elzy and dis-lodges the ball. That slippery pigskin eludes multiple Tech defenders, and squirts out of the endzone. It doesn't matter though, it's a touchback for the Hokies! First down...Hokies! (in Lane Stadium announcer voice)
With Dyrell Roberts injured, Marcus Davis got the chance to start and he had a career day. He really stepped it up for the receiving corps. Davis was instrumental in Tech's offensive production, and the win. He was on the receiving end of both of Tech's touchdowns. Davis also led Tech in receiving with 4 catches for 81 yards. It's good to see that we have another solid receiver that we can count on and go to when our other receivers are having a bad day.
Speaking of receivers having a bad day, how about Jarrett Boykin? Boykin is usually Tech's go to guy, but in this game it seemed like every ball that went to him went to the ground. He dropped three catchable passes from Tyrod, and each one would have given the Hokies a first down. Boykin did somewhat redeem himself with a long 43-yard catch, and he did gain more yards than any other Tech receiver with 85. Everyone has a bad day, and I guess Boykin's really wasn't that bad. It was just unexpected. Luckily Marcus Davis had an unexpectedly good day to make up for it.
The David Wilson-less rushing duo of Ryan Williams and Darren Evans carried the load for Tech. Their stats were almost identical. Evans hammered away at the Tar Heel defense, forcing 5 UNC defenders to take him down on one play. He finished with 90 yards off of 14 carries with his longest run being 33 yards. A solid performance. Almost equally solid was Ryan Williams. He rushed 15 times for 83 yards with his longest run being 31 yards. Talk about a balanced rushing attack.
From a Beamerball perspective, things couldn't have been much better (well maybe with a blocked kick). Senior kicker Chris Hazley made all 4 of his field goal attempts, including a career long 52-yarder. He also converted on kicks from 38, 26, and 23 yards out. Punter Brian Saunders averaged 44.6 yards off of 5 punts. His longest was a 65 yard boomer. And to top things off. The punt team recovered a fumble from UNC's punt returner. The returner signaled for the fair catch, he muffed it, and the ball bounced right to a Tech gunner. It was one of those trademark Beamerball plays. We'll see that on a highlight video one day.
The Hokies won this game fair and square, but at one point it looked like the officials tried to slow things up. The referees called a pretty fair game, as they flagged 8 penalties on UNC and 9 penalties on Tech. On paper it looks fair, but on tape it looked bizarre. A colleague of mine, a certain Mr. Whitesell, alerted me to the strangeness of three of Tech's penalties. Between the two of us we had never seen any of these calls before, or at least not in the context in which we saw them called on Saturday. The first was an illegal fair catch signal by Jayron Hoseley. I've seen plenty of times when a guy called for a fair catch and then tried to run, but Hoseley just called for the fair catch and caught it. The refs said his signal just wasn't good enough. The second was offensive encroachment on tight end Andre Smith. Offensive Encroachment? I thought encroachment was only for the defense. I've seen an overabundance of false starts and a fair share of lining up in the neutral zone calls, but never an offensive encroachment. The third was a sideline interference call on Frank Beamer. The refs said he was on the field, and hence interfering with the play. Beamer may have barely been on the field, but he was over 20 yards away from where the play was taking place. It was a ridiculous call. It forced a patented "Who Farted?" look from Beamer, and it was much deserved.
But not even bogus calls could stop Virginia Tech's magical momentum. The Hokies have now won their eighth-straight game, and are undefeated in conference play with a 6 and 0 record. Tech only needs to win one of their last two games to win the Coastal Division, and punch their ticket to Charlotte for the ACC Championship. I expect them to win both, and the ACC Championship.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Battle Of The Techs
Last Thursday, the twentieth-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies stung the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets by a final score of 28-21 in Lane Stadium.
In my opinion, "The Battle Of The Techs" has become the Hokies' biggest rivalry game. Unlike VPI's traditional rivalry with UVA, the Va. Tech/Ga. Tech match-up is always competitive...and it actually means something. When the Gobblers take on the Ramblin' Wreck, it's a war. It's a war that determines not only who the best "Tech" is, but also who's the best team in the Coastal Division. Since the inception of the ACC Championship Game in 2005, the winner of the annual VT/GT match-up has gone on to represent the Coastal Division in the conference title game. The Hokies defeated the Jackets in 2005, 2007, and 2008 to advance to the ACC Championship in each of those years. Georgia Tech won in 2006 and last year (2009) to head to the conference title game. With the way things are shaping up, this year will be no different.
With the latest win over the Jackets, the Hokies gain a commanding two-game lead in the Coastal Division and control the road to Charlotte. Va Tech also picks up their seventh straight win, and garner the best record in the ACC at 5 and 0. Now to the game...
We've seen some amazing games between the two Techs since the Hokies joined the ACC in 2004. Whether it be Bryan Randall leading the Hokies to a comeback win in 04, or Calvin Johnson putting on a wide receiver clinic to give the Jackets a win in 06...they've all been exciting. This year's game followed suit.
Georgia Tech jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead thanks to quarterback Josh Nesbitt. Nesbitt, who scored 3 TD's in last year's 28-23 GT win, looked to be on pace to dominate the Tech defense again. Things looked dismal. It appeared that Bud Foster had yet again failed to figure out a way to stop the Jackets' triple-option attack. The Hokies' offense was halted and forced to punt on their first possession, but no one gave up.
On the Hokies' second possession Tyrod Taylor and Ryan Williams led the offense downfield on a 77-yard scoring drive. Williams capped off the drive with a 4-yard TD run, and Tech was back in business. Bud figured out how to slow up the GT rushing attack, and forced a 3-and-out. Tyrod paired up with David Wilson this time to march down the field. The Hokie offense made it all the way down to the GT 8 yardline. On third down Tyrod drops back to pass. The Jackets only rush three, he has all day to throw, eleven seconds to be exact. It's like a backyard football game, he just has to wait for someone to get open. He finds his target, fires it into the endzone, and it's...picked off by the Jackets. Talk about a Buzzkill.
Bud's defense comes back out and stimey's Ga Tech. It's another 3-and-out. The Jackets punt it away to the always dangerous Jayron Hoseley, but it turned out to just be dangerous for the Hokies. Hoseley fumbles it away to the Jackets, and in VT territory no less. The Ramblin' Wreck is set up at the Tech 47, and ready to drive up the score. Second play of the drive, GT tailback Anthony Allen breaks off a huge 33-yard run. The Jackets have a first and goal from the VT 10 yardline. Tech's defense holds on first and second down. It brings up a crucial third down for both teams. Then the Hokies get their biggest break of the game.
Nesbitt drops back to pass, he rolls left, he fires to the front corner of the endzone, and he's...picked off by Davon Morgan. Morgan flies out of the endzone and down the sideline. Nesbitt tries to make the tackle, Morgan jukes him and runs through Nesbitt's arm before he's tackled. Nesbitt's still down. The impact of the blow broke his right forearm. He's out. It's a huge break for the Hokies, and an unfortunate one for the Jackets. The first half expires. Georgia Tech takes a 14-7 lead into halftime, but the damage is done.
A stalemate ensues in the third quarter. The GT offense clearly misses their starting playcaller, while the VT offense is smothered by the "straight-Jacket" defense. The Hokies finally find a rythm, as David Wilson jets for a 15-yard score to tie the game. Bud stumps Paul Johnson's offense again for another 3-and-out, and the Tech offense comes to life. Darren Evans bruises his way down the field. Evans carries the ball five consecutive times, and drives the Hokies all the way down to the GT one yardline. On third and goal Tyrod fakes the handoff and hits tight end Andre Smith for the score. It's 21-14, and Tech takes their first lead of the game with around six and a half minutes in the ballgame.
The Jackets won't go away quietly though. They ramble all the way down the field, and Orwin Smith scrambles 9 yards for a touchdown. The game is all tied up at 21 with just two and a half minutes remaining. The Tech offense will have a chance to put this one away...or will they?
Georgia Tech kicks off, but it's a short kick. David Wilson grabs it at the ten, and proceeds to do what he does best...run fast. He flies past the Yellow Jackets' special teamers, and cuts it up the sideline all the way to the house. It's a 90 yard kickoff return touchdown to put the Hokies back up immediately. It's 28-21 Va Tech.
That should do it right? Case closed? Nope, not quite yet. The pesky Yellow Jackets keep buzzing around. Georgia Tech magically finds a passing attack through back-up QB Tevin Washington. Since it is Georgia Tech, the passing attack was just one pass but it was a big one. Washington dials in a 38 yard pass to Kevin Cone to bring the Jackets down to the VT 37. The clock is just ticking away. Paul Johnson haphazardly sandbags all three of his timeouts, as the clock goes down under a minute. Washington rushes down to the Tech 16 yardline. Fourteen seconds left. Timeout GT. The Jackets have two chances at the most to get in the endzone. Washington drops back, he's got a man open. He fires to the corner of the endzone...and it's intercepted by Rashad Carmichael. Game over. Hokies WIN! It's the fly-swatter for the Jackets.
This is by far the most resilient Virginia Tech team I've ever seen. Not only have the Hokies bounced back from an 0 and 2 start, they've also come from behind to win games. That's something Tech just hasn't been able to do in the past. In the opener against Boise State, the Hokies came back from being down 17 to take a lead until the final minute of the game. Against East Carolina, Tech trailed by 10 points twice in the game, and then bounced back to win 49-27. Once again Tech fell behind by 17, this time against 25th-ranked NC State. The Hokies rallied back for a 41-30 win in Raleigh. And of course in this game Tech was down 14-0, but battled back to win 28-21. This team just won't give up. Resiliency is a hard trait to obtain, but it's a great trait to have. It sure makes me sleep a lot better at night. But with that being said...
The beginning of this game was scary. I was like, "here we go again." Luckily Bud figured out how to slow up the triple option attack just enough to where our offense could outscore them. Davon Morgan helped him out a bunch when he crushed Nesbitt's forearm. Bottom Line: Bud's got to figure out a better way to stop that rag tag triple option attack, for my sake at least. I hate watching those jobbers rattle off huge runs against us. It's bad for our reputation. We need to tighten up the defense overall, as we have a habit of giving up huge plays this season. I'm not too worried though, Bud will get it done.
The offense also scared me. Seven points in the first half doesn't cut it for me. Not when we have the athletes that we have. With that being said, the three-headed running back scheme is working out well. We've been spreading the wealth, and everyone's been sharing the load. Evans, Williams, and Wilson each had a distinctive drive of their own in this game that resulted in a touchdown. If we keep triple-wielding with the runningbacks, we may keep all of them for 4 years because they want have the stats to go pro. It's a good situation to be in. Our receivers need to step it up to keep our offense balanced. Other than Jarrett Boykin, no one is really doing much.
Not red-shirting David Wilson is the best decision of the year. He came through and won this game for us with the big kick-off return TD. It was a big relief for Tyrod and the offense, and a big relief for me when he ran that puppy back. I'm assured that we would'nt have won that game if it made it to overtime. They had momentum. They could score once they reached the red-zone, and we were slowing up. Thanks Frank for not red-shirting David Wilson, and thanks David for winning the game for us.
Once again history repeats itself with another Va Tech/Ga Tech thriller. Hopefully history will also repeat itself when it comes to the winner of this battle going on to the ACC Championship. One thing's for sure though, it's up to the Hokies to decide.
In my opinion, "The Battle Of The Techs" has become the Hokies' biggest rivalry game. Unlike VPI's traditional rivalry with UVA, the Va. Tech/Ga. Tech match-up is always competitive...and it actually means something. When the Gobblers take on the Ramblin' Wreck, it's a war. It's a war that determines not only who the best "Tech" is, but also who's the best team in the Coastal Division. Since the inception of the ACC Championship Game in 2005, the winner of the annual VT/GT match-up has gone on to represent the Coastal Division in the conference title game. The Hokies defeated the Jackets in 2005, 2007, and 2008 to advance to the ACC Championship in each of those years. Georgia Tech won in 2006 and last year (2009) to head to the conference title game. With the way things are shaping up, this year will be no different.
With the latest win over the Jackets, the Hokies gain a commanding two-game lead in the Coastal Division and control the road to Charlotte. Va Tech also picks up their seventh straight win, and garner the best record in the ACC at 5 and 0. Now to the game...
We've seen some amazing games between the two Techs since the Hokies joined the ACC in 2004. Whether it be Bryan Randall leading the Hokies to a comeback win in 04, or Calvin Johnson putting on a wide receiver clinic to give the Jackets a win in 06...they've all been exciting. This year's game followed suit.
Georgia Tech jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead thanks to quarterback Josh Nesbitt. Nesbitt, who scored 3 TD's in last year's 28-23 GT win, looked to be on pace to dominate the Tech defense again. Things looked dismal. It appeared that Bud Foster had yet again failed to figure out a way to stop the Jackets' triple-option attack. The Hokies' offense was halted and forced to punt on their first possession, but no one gave up.
On the Hokies' second possession Tyrod Taylor and Ryan Williams led the offense downfield on a 77-yard scoring drive. Williams capped off the drive with a 4-yard TD run, and Tech was back in business. Bud figured out how to slow up the GT rushing attack, and forced a 3-and-out. Tyrod paired up with David Wilson this time to march down the field. The Hokie offense made it all the way down to the GT 8 yardline. On third down Tyrod drops back to pass. The Jackets only rush three, he has all day to throw, eleven seconds to be exact. It's like a backyard football game, he just has to wait for someone to get open. He finds his target, fires it into the endzone, and it's...picked off by the Jackets. Talk about a Buzzkill.
Bud's defense comes back out and stimey's Ga Tech. It's another 3-and-out. The Jackets punt it away to the always dangerous Jayron Hoseley, but it turned out to just be dangerous for the Hokies. Hoseley fumbles it away to the Jackets, and in VT territory no less. The Ramblin' Wreck is set up at the Tech 47, and ready to drive up the score. Second play of the drive, GT tailback Anthony Allen breaks off a huge 33-yard run. The Jackets have a first and goal from the VT 10 yardline. Tech's defense holds on first and second down. It brings up a crucial third down for both teams. Then the Hokies get their biggest break of the game.
Nesbitt drops back to pass, he rolls left, he fires to the front corner of the endzone, and he's...picked off by Davon Morgan. Morgan flies out of the endzone and down the sideline. Nesbitt tries to make the tackle, Morgan jukes him and runs through Nesbitt's arm before he's tackled. Nesbitt's still down. The impact of the blow broke his right forearm. He's out. It's a huge break for the Hokies, and an unfortunate one for the Jackets. The first half expires. Georgia Tech takes a 14-7 lead into halftime, but the damage is done.
A stalemate ensues in the third quarter. The GT offense clearly misses their starting playcaller, while the VT offense is smothered by the "straight-Jacket" defense. The Hokies finally find a rythm, as David Wilson jets for a 15-yard score to tie the game. Bud stumps Paul Johnson's offense again for another 3-and-out, and the Tech offense comes to life. Darren Evans bruises his way down the field. Evans carries the ball five consecutive times, and drives the Hokies all the way down to the GT one yardline. On third and goal Tyrod fakes the handoff and hits tight end Andre Smith for the score. It's 21-14, and Tech takes their first lead of the game with around six and a half minutes in the ballgame.
The Jackets won't go away quietly though. They ramble all the way down the field, and Orwin Smith scrambles 9 yards for a touchdown. The game is all tied up at 21 with just two and a half minutes remaining. The Tech offense will have a chance to put this one away...or will they?
Georgia Tech kicks off, but it's a short kick. David Wilson grabs it at the ten, and proceeds to do what he does best...run fast. He flies past the Yellow Jackets' special teamers, and cuts it up the sideline all the way to the house. It's a 90 yard kickoff return touchdown to put the Hokies back up immediately. It's 28-21 Va Tech.
That should do it right? Case closed? Nope, not quite yet. The pesky Yellow Jackets keep buzzing around. Georgia Tech magically finds a passing attack through back-up QB Tevin Washington. Since it is Georgia Tech, the passing attack was just one pass but it was a big one. Washington dials in a 38 yard pass to Kevin Cone to bring the Jackets down to the VT 37. The clock is just ticking away. Paul Johnson haphazardly sandbags all three of his timeouts, as the clock goes down under a minute. Washington rushes down to the Tech 16 yardline. Fourteen seconds left. Timeout GT. The Jackets have two chances at the most to get in the endzone. Washington drops back, he's got a man open. He fires to the corner of the endzone...and it's intercepted by Rashad Carmichael. Game over. Hokies WIN! It's the fly-swatter for the Jackets.
This is by far the most resilient Virginia Tech team I've ever seen. Not only have the Hokies bounced back from an 0 and 2 start, they've also come from behind to win games. That's something Tech just hasn't been able to do in the past. In the opener against Boise State, the Hokies came back from being down 17 to take a lead until the final minute of the game. Against East Carolina, Tech trailed by 10 points twice in the game, and then bounced back to win 49-27. Once again Tech fell behind by 17, this time against 25th-ranked NC State. The Hokies rallied back for a 41-30 win in Raleigh. And of course in this game Tech was down 14-0, but battled back to win 28-21. This team just won't give up. Resiliency is a hard trait to obtain, but it's a great trait to have. It sure makes me sleep a lot better at night. But with that being said...
The beginning of this game was scary. I was like, "here we go again." Luckily Bud figured out how to slow up the triple option attack just enough to where our offense could outscore them. Davon Morgan helped him out a bunch when he crushed Nesbitt's forearm. Bottom Line: Bud's got to figure out a better way to stop that rag tag triple option attack, for my sake at least. I hate watching those jobbers rattle off huge runs against us. It's bad for our reputation. We need to tighten up the defense overall, as we have a habit of giving up huge plays this season. I'm not too worried though, Bud will get it done.
The offense also scared me. Seven points in the first half doesn't cut it for me. Not when we have the athletes that we have. With that being said, the three-headed running back scheme is working out well. We've been spreading the wealth, and everyone's been sharing the load. Evans, Williams, and Wilson each had a distinctive drive of their own in this game that resulted in a touchdown. If we keep triple-wielding with the runningbacks, we may keep all of them for 4 years because they want have the stats to go pro. It's a good situation to be in. Our receivers need to step it up to keep our offense balanced. Other than Jarrett Boykin, no one is really doing much.
Not red-shirting David Wilson is the best decision of the year. He came through and won this game for us with the big kick-off return TD. It was a big relief for Tyrod and the offense, and a big relief for me when he ran that puppy back. I'm assured that we would'nt have won that game if it made it to overtime. They had momentum. They could score once they reached the red-zone, and we were slowing up. Thanks Frank for not red-shirting David Wilson, and thanks David for winning the game for us.
Once again history repeats itself with another Va Tech/Ga Tech thriller. Hopefully history will also repeat itself when it comes to the winner of this battle going on to the ACC Championship. One thing's for sure though, it's up to the Hokies to decide.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Welcome Back To The Terrordome
On Saturday the Virginia Tech Hokies retired the jersey of one of the best football players to ever pass through the tunnel into Lane Stadium. The jersey= #56, The player= a quarterback's worst nightmare, Corey Moore.
Moore played defensive end for the Hokies from 1997 through the magical season that was 1999, and he was a force to be reckoned with to say the least. In 1999, Moore racked up 17 sacks, 62 tackles, 25 quarterback hurries, 4 forced fumbles, and he returned a fumble for a touchdown (against Clemson). He was the fearless leader of the best Lunch Pail defense to ever patrol Worsham Field. What Michael Vick was to the offense, Corey Moore was to the defense...and maybe even a little more. Moore was the difference between having a National Championship caliber team and not having one, just ask the 2000 Hokies who came one game short of making it back to the big game.
Moore's accomplishments from the 1999 season alone won him more awards than any other player in Virginia Tech history. Corey was a unanimous All-American selection at the Defensive End position. He won the Bronko Nagurski Award, which is awarded to the nation's best defensive player. He won the Lombardi Award, which goes to the nation's best lineman. He was voted the defensive player of the year for the Big East Conference. And to top things off he won the Dudley Award, which is awarded to the best football player in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
His career statistics are staggering. He finished his illustrious tenure at Tech with 172 tackles, 58 quarterback hurries, 37 sacks, 3 recovered fumbles (1 returned for a TD vs. Clemson), 8 forced fumbles, and 4 blocked kicks (got to get the Beamerball in there). As you can see, he deserved every one of the awards he received. He was the best D-lineman since Bruce Smith, and that speaks for itself.
As a player, he was undersized for his position. At 6 foot 225 pounds, He had the size of a linebacker but the speed of a runningback. He was dangerous. He was a head-hunter. At the snap of the ball he would dip his shoulder and come barreling off the corner like a stampede of bulls. No one could dip the shoulder like Corey Moore. He would get so low, but yet still be moving so fast. It was textbook football at its best.
Like his last name, he was MORE than just an outstanding player. He was a character. Corey Moore had possibly the most colorful personality of any player to ever wear the Maroon and Orange. He was always excited. He stayed wired up. He was amped...all day, every day. One look inside his helmet would tell you that. He had crazy eyes. They were as wide open as any eyes could be, and they moved feverishly back and forth. They were like the headlights of a Mack truck. They were the last thing that quarterbacks saw before they were face to face with grass. After each sack or tackle, he would celebrate. Maybe a chest bump with a fellow defender, maybe a yell in someone's face, maybe a dance. He celebrated without reprocussion. The refs were too scared to throw the flag on him, but can you blame them? When he had his helmet off he resembled Sinbad, but believe me he was never joking around. Corey Moore even un-officially re-named Lane Stadium. He called it "the Terrordome," and he couldn't have picked a more suitable name. He made it just that for opposing teams, a Terrordome.
I really can't capture the aura of Corey Moore in words, so with Halloween just a few days away I have a little treat for you. It's a highlight reel of Mr. Moore...from one game. And not just any game. It's a Thursday night game. And it's not just any Thursday night game. It's the 1999 Thursday nighter against Clemson, which was the first game I ever watched in Lane Stadium. If you've ever wondered why I'm a Hokie...well this is why.
Here's a few things to look for in this video:
Look at Tech's awesome endzones. They were sweet. Way better than the lackluster Arial font "VIRGINIA TECH" that we have now.
@ :50 The announcers saying Corey Moore is a man
@ 2:08 He hyperextends his back trying to block a pass, look at that hustle. How many D-Ends can get up like that?
@ 3:02 The crazy eyes. Look at the eyes!
@ 4:44 Moore forces the qb to throw a pic 6 to "Iceman" Ike Charlton. Watch Moore beat Ike to the endzone. Always hustlin.
@ 7:47 The hallmark Corey Moore play. He smashes the qb, picks up the ball and takes it to the house. Lane Stadium went bonkers. I remember this play more vividly than anything else that happened in this game. I'll never forget this play
@ 8:47 Corey Moore talking smack. (can you see the Sinbad resemblance, or is it just me?)
@ 9:39 Welcome to the Terrordome: the legendary statement
@ 10:25 Moore Exits Sandman into the stands
@ 10:35 Collage of Moore's highlights on the night
I hope you enjoyed this educational, instructional, and highly entertaining video. It showcases the Legend that is Corey Moore. I'm overjoyed to have him in Tech's Hall Of Fame, and to see his jersey number at the top of the North Endzone. That's where Corey Moore belongs...at the top of the Terrordome.
Moore played defensive end for the Hokies from 1997 through the magical season that was 1999, and he was a force to be reckoned with to say the least. In 1999, Moore racked up 17 sacks, 62 tackles, 25 quarterback hurries, 4 forced fumbles, and he returned a fumble for a touchdown (against Clemson). He was the fearless leader of the best Lunch Pail defense to ever patrol Worsham Field. What Michael Vick was to the offense, Corey Moore was to the defense...and maybe even a little more. Moore was the difference between having a National Championship caliber team and not having one, just ask the 2000 Hokies who came one game short of making it back to the big game.
Moore's accomplishments from the 1999 season alone won him more awards than any other player in Virginia Tech history. Corey was a unanimous All-American selection at the Defensive End position. He won the Bronko Nagurski Award, which is awarded to the nation's best defensive player. He won the Lombardi Award, which goes to the nation's best lineman. He was voted the defensive player of the year for the Big East Conference. And to top things off he won the Dudley Award, which is awarded to the best football player in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
His career statistics are staggering. He finished his illustrious tenure at Tech with 172 tackles, 58 quarterback hurries, 37 sacks, 3 recovered fumbles (1 returned for a TD vs. Clemson), 8 forced fumbles, and 4 blocked kicks (got to get the Beamerball in there). As you can see, he deserved every one of the awards he received. He was the best D-lineman since Bruce Smith, and that speaks for itself.
As a player, he was undersized for his position. At 6 foot 225 pounds, He had the size of a linebacker but the speed of a runningback. He was dangerous. He was a head-hunter. At the snap of the ball he would dip his shoulder and come barreling off the corner like a stampede of bulls. No one could dip the shoulder like Corey Moore. He would get so low, but yet still be moving so fast. It was textbook football at its best.
Like his last name, he was MORE than just an outstanding player. He was a character. Corey Moore had possibly the most colorful personality of any player to ever wear the Maroon and Orange. He was always excited. He stayed wired up. He was amped...all day, every day. One look inside his helmet would tell you that. He had crazy eyes. They were as wide open as any eyes could be, and they moved feverishly back and forth. They were like the headlights of a Mack truck. They were the last thing that quarterbacks saw before they were face to face with grass. After each sack or tackle, he would celebrate. Maybe a chest bump with a fellow defender, maybe a yell in someone's face, maybe a dance. He celebrated without reprocussion. The refs were too scared to throw the flag on him, but can you blame them? When he had his helmet off he resembled Sinbad, but believe me he was never joking around. Corey Moore even un-officially re-named Lane Stadium. He called it "the Terrordome," and he couldn't have picked a more suitable name. He made it just that for opposing teams, a Terrordome.
I really can't capture the aura of Corey Moore in words, so with Halloween just a few days away I have a little treat for you. It's a highlight reel of Mr. Moore...from one game. And not just any game. It's a Thursday night game. And it's not just any Thursday night game. It's the 1999 Thursday nighter against Clemson, which was the first game I ever watched in Lane Stadium. If you've ever wondered why I'm a Hokie...well this is why.
Here's a few things to look for in this video:
Look at Tech's awesome endzones. They were sweet. Way better than the lackluster Arial font "VIRGINIA TECH" that we have now.
@ :50 The announcers saying Corey Moore is a man
@ 2:08 He hyperextends his back trying to block a pass, look at that hustle. How many D-Ends can get up like that?
@ 3:02 The crazy eyes. Look at the eyes!
@ 4:44 Moore forces the qb to throw a pic 6 to "Iceman" Ike Charlton. Watch Moore beat Ike to the endzone. Always hustlin.
@ 7:47 The hallmark Corey Moore play. He smashes the qb, picks up the ball and takes it to the house. Lane Stadium went bonkers. I remember this play more vividly than anything else that happened in this game. I'll never forget this play
@ 8:47 Corey Moore talking smack. (can you see the Sinbad resemblance, or is it just me?)
@ 9:39 Welcome to the Terrordome: the legendary statement
@ 10:25 Moore Exits Sandman into the stands
@ 10:35 Collage of Moore's highlights on the night
I hope you enjoyed this educational, instructional, and highly entertaining video. It showcases the Legend that is Corey Moore. I'm overjoyed to have him in Tech's Hall Of Fame, and to see his jersey number at the top of the North Endzone. That's where Corey Moore belongs...at the top of the Terrordome.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Hokies Beat 'em Black and Blue
On Saturday the twenty-third ranked Virginia Tech Hokies torched the Duke Blue Devils by a final score of 44-7 in Lane Stadium.
Saturday was deja vu. It was last week all over again. While it was a different high class, private ACC university from North Carolina, the result was the same...a big Tech victory.
As expected, the Hokies came out and dominated this game from the start. They beat Duke black and blue (pun intended) on all facets of the game.
Tyrod Taylor was almost flawless. He led the Hokies in both passing and rushing. He went 13 of 17 for 280 yards and 3 touchdowns through the air, while adding 54 yards on the ground. (I would like to point out that no Tech tailback had more than 9 carries, but Tyrod still had the highest yard-per-carry average with 7.8). Needless to say, the senior QB had a stellar day. He made it look easy too. If you didn't know better, you would think it was just day at practice for number five.
While it may look like Tyrod's just going for a stroll in the park, he's actually doing some serious work. Tyrod is quietly creeping up in the record books of both Virginia Tech and the ACC. He currently has the most rushing yards by any Tech quarterback, and is tied with the great Bob Schweickert for Most Rushing TD's by a QB and Career 100-yard rushing games by a QB. Taylor is second in Career Total Offense only to Bryan Randall, and he's less than 100 yards from owning that record. He sits fifth on the all-time passing list, but he's still got some throwing to do. From an ACC standpoint, Tyrod is third on the all-time list for rushing yards by a quarterback behind Georgia Tech's Jonathan Nesbitt and Clemson's Woodrow Dantzler. Taylor currently leads the conference in passing efficiency as well. The way Tyrod is playing, he's going to be the proud owner of multiple records when he leaves VPI. Not bad for a guy who was once Sean Glennon's back-up (insert uncontrollable sarcastic laughter here).
Back to the game. Darren Evans was his usual Punisher self. He rumbled for 36 yards and a score off of 8 carries. In this game, Evans put his own spin on a popular Van Halen Song. Instead of "Running With the Devil," He ran over the Devils. His hallmark from this game was when he almost completely hurdled a Duke defender. Wow deja vu again...Deron Washington anyone?
It was good to see Ryan Williams back on the field after taking a few games off to rehab his hamstring. He was a little rusty, but who wouldn't be? He came through when it counted though...in the red zone. He scored on a 1-yard run to ease back into his old self. He'll be back to Predator status in no time.
Logan Thomas got some much needed reps in on Saturday. He had a shaky start, but was looking good by the end of the game. He went 6 for 14 for 52 yards, but he could have had a lot more. Thomas threw two lasers that his receivers couldn't hang onto. The first was to back-up tight end Randall Dunn, who could only get one paw on the ball. The other was to Xavier Boyce, who dropped it after a defender wrapped him up. You can't really blame the receivers though. Thomas' passes have a little more pepper on them than the average pass does. He's got a cannon. He's got potential. The force is strong in this one.
Bud Foster's defense played lights out. The Blue Devils were averaging almost 400 yards a game coming into this one. Tech's D held them to just 208 yards. The secondary was swarming around back there. Both starting corners got interceptions. Jayron Hoseley picked off one and returned it 17 yards, while Rashad Carmichael scooped one and returned it 19 yards. The Hokies are starting to get more and more pressure, and that's a good thing. The D is getting closer to looking like a real Lunch Pail Defense, but look who we were playing. We'll see how they stack up against those pesky Yellow Jackets next Thursday.
You've got to give the Dukies credit though. They played tough, and pulled out all the stops trying to beat us. Going for it on fourth down on their opening drive was a stupid but brave move, and I commend them for that. They knew if they were going to have a chance that it was then. The onside kick to start the second half was a clever ruse, but it just ticked Frank off. I knew that when the cameras showed Beamer and he had his patented "Who Farted?" look on his face that Duke had made a grave mistake. Two Tech passing touchdowns later, the Blue Devils knew it too. Stick a (pitch)fork in 'em, they're done.
In closing I'll give Duke one valuable piece of advice: Athletes beat Mathletes every time.
Charlie Daniels says the Devil plays a mean violin...but that doesn't mean much when it comes to pigskin.
Saturday was deja vu. It was last week all over again. While it was a different high class, private ACC university from North Carolina, the result was the same...a big Tech victory.
As expected, the Hokies came out and dominated this game from the start. They beat Duke black and blue (pun intended) on all facets of the game.
Tyrod Taylor was almost flawless. He led the Hokies in both passing and rushing. He went 13 of 17 for 280 yards and 3 touchdowns through the air, while adding 54 yards on the ground. (I would like to point out that no Tech tailback had more than 9 carries, but Tyrod still had the highest yard-per-carry average with 7.8). Needless to say, the senior QB had a stellar day. He made it look easy too. If you didn't know better, you would think it was just day at practice for number five.
While it may look like Tyrod's just going for a stroll in the park, he's actually doing some serious work. Tyrod is quietly creeping up in the record books of both Virginia Tech and the ACC. He currently has the most rushing yards by any Tech quarterback, and is tied with the great Bob Schweickert for Most Rushing TD's by a QB and Career 100-yard rushing games by a QB. Taylor is second in Career Total Offense only to Bryan Randall, and he's less than 100 yards from owning that record. He sits fifth on the all-time passing list, but he's still got some throwing to do. From an ACC standpoint, Tyrod is third on the all-time list for rushing yards by a quarterback behind Georgia Tech's Jonathan Nesbitt and Clemson's Woodrow Dantzler. Taylor currently leads the conference in passing efficiency as well. The way Tyrod is playing, he's going to be the proud owner of multiple records when he leaves VPI. Not bad for a guy who was once Sean Glennon's back-up (insert uncontrollable sarcastic laughter here).
Back to the game. Darren Evans was his usual Punisher self. He rumbled for 36 yards and a score off of 8 carries. In this game, Evans put his own spin on a popular Van Halen Song. Instead of "Running With the Devil," He ran over the Devils. His hallmark from this game was when he almost completely hurdled a Duke defender. Wow deja vu again...Deron Washington anyone?
It was good to see Ryan Williams back on the field after taking a few games off to rehab his hamstring. He was a little rusty, but who wouldn't be? He came through when it counted though...in the red zone. He scored on a 1-yard run to ease back into his old self. He'll be back to Predator status in no time.
Logan Thomas got some much needed reps in on Saturday. He had a shaky start, but was looking good by the end of the game. He went 6 for 14 for 52 yards, but he could have had a lot more. Thomas threw two lasers that his receivers couldn't hang onto. The first was to back-up tight end Randall Dunn, who could only get one paw on the ball. The other was to Xavier Boyce, who dropped it after a defender wrapped him up. You can't really blame the receivers though. Thomas' passes have a little more pepper on them than the average pass does. He's got a cannon. He's got potential. The force is strong in this one.
Bud Foster's defense played lights out. The Blue Devils were averaging almost 400 yards a game coming into this one. Tech's D held them to just 208 yards. The secondary was swarming around back there. Both starting corners got interceptions. Jayron Hoseley picked off one and returned it 17 yards, while Rashad Carmichael scooped one and returned it 19 yards. The Hokies are starting to get more and more pressure, and that's a good thing. The D is getting closer to looking like a real Lunch Pail Defense, but look who we were playing. We'll see how they stack up against those pesky Yellow Jackets next Thursday.
You've got to give the Dukies credit though. They played tough, and pulled out all the stops trying to beat us. Going for it on fourth down on their opening drive was a stupid but brave move, and I commend them for that. They knew if they were going to have a chance that it was then. The onside kick to start the second half was a clever ruse, but it just ticked Frank off. I knew that when the cameras showed Beamer and he had his patented "Who Farted?" look on his face that Duke had made a grave mistake. Two Tech passing touchdowns later, the Blue Devils knew it too. Stick a (pitch)fork in 'em, they're done.
The Hokies have now won six straight games since the devastating 0 and 2 start, and have finally crept their way back into the polls.
Tech has been a focused and determined team ever since the second half of the East Carolina game. This game marks the fourth game in a row that the Hokies have put up 40 or more points.
The Hokies have now beaten Duke 10 consecutive times. The Blue Devils were formidable opponents in the past two contests, as the Hokies won by scores of 34-26 last year and 14-3 in 2008. They sure didn't have a chance in this one.
In closing I'll give Duke one valuable piece of advice: Athletes beat Mathletes every time.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Havoc Reekin' On The Deacons
On Saturday the Virginia Tech Hokies blasted the Wake Forest Demon Deacons by a final score of 52-21 for a big Homecoming victory in Lane Stadium.
This brings both good news and bad news for VPI...
The Bad News: Environmental Police from the state of North Carolina have charged Virginia Tech with deforestation, after the Hokies burnt down Wake Forest on Saturday.
The Good News: Tech picked up their fifth straight win, and sit alone atop the ACC Coastal Division with a clean 3-0 conference record. More good news: the Hokies play Duke this week, which should equal a continuance of Tech's offensive explosion.
I've got to say I was very happy with the win. The only bad part about it was who we destroyed. I wish it could have been Miami, Florida State, or the French who we hung half a century on. I hate that it was Wake who we thrashed, bashed, and left floating helplessly in our...wake. I really respect the Deacs, they are a classy bunch. Winston Salem is a great city. You can go from strolling in the countryside to staring up at skyscrapers in a matter of a few minutes drive. Wake's fans aren't jerks, they have class. They don't really care if they win or lose, but I think that's just because they know they're richer than everyone else. Their mascot the Demon Deacon just looks dapper with that top hat/bow tie combo. Jim Grobe, Wake's head coach, is a classy guy who reminds me a lot of our coach Frank Beamer. He's very respectful, he never gets too worked up over bad calls, and he never speaks badly about other teams. The only bad thing (and surprising thing) about Grobe is his Alma Mater...Virginia. Like Beamer, Grobe has turned around a once dismal program and made them competitive. He guided the Deacs to their best season in school history in 2006. Wake went 11-3 that year, and won the ACC Championship. The Demon Deacons have steadily went downhill since that season though. Can you tell?
The Hokies had an offensive field day, which was very much welcomed. This is how we should have been playing from the start of this season. We knew all along that we had phenomenal players on offense. It was great to see them put to use for once.
Tech scored touchdowns on all but one drive in the first half. From a numerical standpoint that's 7 of 8, which means 7 touchdowns. Seven touchdowns equals 49 points. Forty-nine points in THE FIRST HALF. That's unbelievable. That's unheard of. That's what we've all been waiting for.
The last Tech team to score 49 points in a half...the 1999 Hokies, who happened to make it to a certain big game called the National Championship. In 1999 Tech put 49 points up on Rutgers in the first half, which included five consecutive TD's in the second quarter. The then fifth-ranked Hokies would cruise to a 58-20 victory. Fun Fact: Rutgers was a pretty bad program until current coach Greg Schiano took the reigns. ESPN's abbreviation on the in-game scoreboard and bottom line for the Scarlet Knights was RUTS, which to Hokie fans meant Run Up The Score.
Back to the game. Tyrod Taylor keeps getting better by each game. He went 19 of 27 for 292 yards, and 3 TD's through the air. On the ground, he added 39 yards and a touchdown off of just 7 carries. Tyrod has found a rythm, and continues to be the leader of this now productive offense. He's balanced out all aspects of his game for a fine, well-tuned finished product. In this game, we saw a lot of what we saw in the waning minutes of last season's thrilling win over Nebraska. That consists of Tyrod evading pressure, escaping from the pocket, creating a new pocket, and then drilling wide open receivers. That's when Tyrod's at his best. Is it too late to rule Tyrod out of the Heisman race? Not if he keeps this up.
Dyrell Roberts quietly had a career day receiving. It seems like he's been flying under the radar all season, until this game. You definitely notice it when he catches a pass though, as he's usually pretty amped up and shows it. He had a lot to be amped about on Saturday. He hauled in 6 passes for 134 yards, which included a 42 yard bomb. Way to go One One.
The Ryan Williams-less runningback stable once again looked unstoppable. David Wilson is freaky fast. He had the Wake defense chasing him around like a jack rabbit all game. Speaking of jack rabbits and freaky fast, Wilson chased down and caught a live rabbit that got loose on Tech's practice field this week. That's what legends are made of (like Rocky Balboa catching a chicken in Rocky 2). He also dropped a shoulder on a couple of unfortunate Deacs. Wilson finished the day with a team high 105 yards off of 15 carries. Darren Evans rounded out the rushing attack, as he pounded his way through the Deacon defense. He rumbled for 57 yards and 3 touchdowns off of 12 carries. He's not the guy you want to see in the red zone if your on the opposing team's defense. Over the past few weeks, Evans has inspired me to give him a new nickname...The Punisher.
And how about that forgotten runningback from a year ago. The one we converted to a fullback. What was his name? Yes Josh Oglesby. He had a fantastic outing. He racked up 44 yards on just 4 carries. That's a more than healthy 11 yard-per-carry average. He's always came through for us when we've called on him. Maybe now we won't forget that we have him, and actually use him. Let's line up Tyrod, Oglesby, Evans, and Wilson in the Maryland I Formation and ruin an opposing defensive coordinator's life. Al Groh in a week and a half. Sounds like a plan.
Jayron Hosley had a sweet 58 yard punt return to set up Tech's first TD. He then proceeded to muff every other return on the day. What was up with that? I was scared to death. We've got to get him back on the right track. I guess that's why he plays defense. He made up for it though in the secondary. He's got a 4-day long date with the Jegs machine coming up in practice this week.
Once again the defense did their job of keeping the other team out of the endzone. They held the Deacs to just 92 yards passing. It was the Sneaky Deac rushing attack that caught the Hokies on their heels. Wake Forest runningback Josh Harris reeled off big run after big run on the Tech defense. He tore off 247 yards and two touchdowns in the game. That includes an 87 yard TD scamper. A big reason for this was the alignment of our defense. We had 8 or 9 guys stacked in the box, so if Harris could break through the first line of defenders...it was the open road for him. We've got to tighten up on that. We've been giving up big plays to every team we've played this year. This is extremely alarming with Georgia Tech bringing their triple-option attack to Blacksburg in a week and a half. Let's just hope and pray that Bud has learned how to stop the option.
It was a very honorable move by Beamer to call off the dogs at halftime. The game was well over with, the Deacs looked bleak. The Beam showed them some mercy, well done. This is why Frank is one of the most respected coaches in the country. Like I said before, I would love to hang a hundred on a few selected teams...just not Wake Forest. The Deacs are very good to us. They always reek havoc on the Atlantic side of the conference. It's always fun to see them knock off teams like Florida State and Clemson. They've also got good colors, a cool mascot, and most importantly...they never beat us. I mean it's hard to dislike a team when we always beat them. We've beaten them all three time we've played them since joining the ACC. They even let us beat them in basketball when they were ranked number 1 in the nation back in 2009. The Deacs are such good sports. They've got a friend in me...at least until they beat the Hokies.
This brings both good news and bad news for VPI...
The Bad News: Environmental Police from the state of North Carolina have charged Virginia Tech with deforestation, after the Hokies burnt down Wake Forest on Saturday.
The Good News: Tech picked up their fifth straight win, and sit alone atop the ACC Coastal Division with a clean 3-0 conference record. More good news: the Hokies play Duke this week, which should equal a continuance of Tech's offensive explosion.
I've got to say I was very happy with the win. The only bad part about it was who we destroyed. I wish it could have been Miami, Florida State, or the French who we hung half a century on. I hate that it was Wake who we thrashed, bashed, and left floating helplessly in our...wake. I really respect the Deacs, they are a classy bunch. Winston Salem is a great city. You can go from strolling in the countryside to staring up at skyscrapers in a matter of a few minutes drive. Wake's fans aren't jerks, they have class. They don't really care if they win or lose, but I think that's just because they know they're richer than everyone else. Their mascot the Demon Deacon just looks dapper with that top hat/bow tie combo. Jim Grobe, Wake's head coach, is a classy guy who reminds me a lot of our coach Frank Beamer. He's very respectful, he never gets too worked up over bad calls, and he never speaks badly about other teams. The only bad thing (and surprising thing) about Grobe is his Alma Mater...Virginia. Like Beamer, Grobe has turned around a once dismal program and made them competitive. He guided the Deacs to their best season in school history in 2006. Wake went 11-3 that year, and won the ACC Championship. The Demon Deacons have steadily went downhill since that season though. Can you tell?
The Hokies had an offensive field day, which was very much welcomed. This is how we should have been playing from the start of this season. We knew all along that we had phenomenal players on offense. It was great to see them put to use for once.
Tech scored touchdowns on all but one drive in the first half. From a numerical standpoint that's 7 of 8, which means 7 touchdowns. Seven touchdowns equals 49 points. Forty-nine points in THE FIRST HALF. That's unbelievable. That's unheard of. That's what we've all been waiting for.
The last Tech team to score 49 points in a half...the 1999 Hokies, who happened to make it to a certain big game called the National Championship. In 1999 Tech put 49 points up on Rutgers in the first half, which included five consecutive TD's in the second quarter. The then fifth-ranked Hokies would cruise to a 58-20 victory. Fun Fact: Rutgers was a pretty bad program until current coach Greg Schiano took the reigns. ESPN's abbreviation on the in-game scoreboard and bottom line for the Scarlet Knights was RUTS, which to Hokie fans meant Run Up The Score.
Back to the game. Tyrod Taylor keeps getting better by each game. He went 19 of 27 for 292 yards, and 3 TD's through the air. On the ground, he added 39 yards and a touchdown off of just 7 carries. Tyrod has found a rythm, and continues to be the leader of this now productive offense. He's balanced out all aspects of his game for a fine, well-tuned finished product. In this game, we saw a lot of what we saw in the waning minutes of last season's thrilling win over Nebraska. That consists of Tyrod evading pressure, escaping from the pocket, creating a new pocket, and then drilling wide open receivers. That's when Tyrod's at his best. Is it too late to rule Tyrod out of the Heisman race? Not if he keeps this up.
Dyrell Roberts quietly had a career day receiving. It seems like he's been flying under the radar all season, until this game. You definitely notice it when he catches a pass though, as he's usually pretty amped up and shows it. He had a lot to be amped about on Saturday. He hauled in 6 passes for 134 yards, which included a 42 yard bomb. Way to go One One.
The Ryan Williams-less runningback stable once again looked unstoppable. David Wilson is freaky fast. He had the Wake defense chasing him around like a jack rabbit all game. Speaking of jack rabbits and freaky fast, Wilson chased down and caught a live rabbit that got loose on Tech's practice field this week. That's what legends are made of (like Rocky Balboa catching a chicken in Rocky 2). He also dropped a shoulder on a couple of unfortunate Deacs. Wilson finished the day with a team high 105 yards off of 15 carries. Darren Evans rounded out the rushing attack, as he pounded his way through the Deacon defense. He rumbled for 57 yards and 3 touchdowns off of 12 carries. He's not the guy you want to see in the red zone if your on the opposing team's defense. Over the past few weeks, Evans has inspired me to give him a new nickname...The Punisher.
And how about that forgotten runningback from a year ago. The one we converted to a fullback. What was his name? Yes Josh Oglesby. He had a fantastic outing. He racked up 44 yards on just 4 carries. That's a more than healthy 11 yard-per-carry average. He's always came through for us when we've called on him. Maybe now we won't forget that we have him, and actually use him. Let's line up Tyrod, Oglesby, Evans, and Wilson in the Maryland I Formation and ruin an opposing defensive coordinator's life. Al Groh in a week and a half. Sounds like a plan.
Jayron Hosley had a sweet 58 yard punt return to set up Tech's first TD. He then proceeded to muff every other return on the day. What was up with that? I was scared to death. We've got to get him back on the right track. I guess that's why he plays defense. He made up for it though in the secondary. He's got a 4-day long date with the Jegs machine coming up in practice this week.
Once again the defense did their job of keeping the other team out of the endzone. They held the Deacs to just 92 yards passing. It was the Sneaky Deac rushing attack that caught the Hokies on their heels. Wake Forest runningback Josh Harris reeled off big run after big run on the Tech defense. He tore off 247 yards and two touchdowns in the game. That includes an 87 yard TD scamper. A big reason for this was the alignment of our defense. We had 8 or 9 guys stacked in the box, so if Harris could break through the first line of defenders...it was the open road for him. We've got to tighten up on that. We've been giving up big plays to every team we've played this year. This is extremely alarming with Georgia Tech bringing their triple-option attack to Blacksburg in a week and a half. Let's just hope and pray that Bud has learned how to stop the option.
It was a very honorable move by Beamer to call off the dogs at halftime. The game was well over with, the Deacs looked bleak. The Beam showed them some mercy, well done. This is why Frank is one of the most respected coaches in the country. Like I said before, I would love to hang a hundred on a few selected teams...just not Wake Forest. The Deacs are very good to us. They always reek havoc on the Atlantic side of the conference. It's always fun to see them knock off teams like Florida State and Clemson. They've also got good colors, a cool mascot, and most importantly...they never beat us. I mean it's hard to dislike a team when we always beat them. We've beaten them all three time we've played them since joining the ACC. They even let us beat them in basketball when they were ranked number 1 in the nation back in 2009. The Deacs are such good sports. They've got a friend in me...at least until they beat the Hokies.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Hokies Tomahawk the Chippewas
On Saturday the Virginia Tech Hokies smoked the Central Michigan Chippewas by a final score of 45-21.
For the first time this season the Hokies did exactly what they were expected to do. They came out, handled business, and didn't allow the jobbers to stick around. This 24-point scalping was more than expected by everyone in the stadium, including the visiting Chippewas.
I bet you're wondering what a Chippewa is. It always makes think of a chipmunk, but in reality a Chippewa is an Indian tribe. Central Michigan chose the Chippewas as their mascot because of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, which happens to be neighbors to the university.
The Chippewas had their best football season in school history last year, as they posted a 12-2 record. They won the MAC Championship with an unbeaten conference record of 8-0, and defeated Troy by a final score of 44-41 in overtime of the GMAC bowl. In contrast Central Michigan entered this game with an even 2-2 record, and left with their third loss of the season. How (pun intended) could they have went downhill so fast after last season? That's an easy one. The Chips lost their best spear-chunker, Dan LeFevour, to the NFL Draft. LeFevour was a fifth-year senior last year, and his experience made him one of the best passers in the nation. He finished his illustrious career with 12,905 passing yards, and 102 touchdowns. He was the best quarterback to ever play for CMU, and he was irreplaceable. That my friends is why the Chippewas are up a creek in their canoe without a paddle this season. They knew they were bringing tomahawks to a gunfight on Saturday, but they fought bravely to the end.
The Chippewas came out with war drums thumping and smoke signals blazing, as they scored on the first drive of the ballgame. The Hokies would soon extinguish their flames though. The Tech defense held the CMU offense scoreless from that point up until the fourth quarter when the second-teamers started filtering in. I will give credit where credit is due though. The Chippers are one of the rare teams in the country who have a contract with Adidas. They play with Adidas footballs with their flying C logo etched on it. Everyone knows I'm a Nike guy, but I'd sure like to have one of those rare Adidas footballs. And while this is irrelevant and has no impact on CMU's athletic performance, they do get some cool points from me. Back to the game.
On the Hokies first possession, Tyrod Taylor scored on a 72 yard option keeper on just the second play of the drive. The rout was on. Five different Hokies scored touchdowns, as Tech put a John Wayne whoopin' on the Chippers. Tyrod Taylor played like a man possessed. He picked up just where he left off against NC State last week. Taylor finished 12 of 23 with 161 yards and a touchdown. He also led the team in rushing with 130 yards and two TD's on the ground. It was a pretty complete performance from Tyrod. He had a little bit of trouble connecting with his deep passes, but he scored 3 TD's on the day. I can't complain.
David Wilson had a great game as well. He finished with 86 yards off of just 7 attempts. That's a 12 yard average per carry. That's ballin'. He also had a touchdown, which came from a 68 yard dash to the endzone. I love having a trackstar as a tailback. Way to go Running Man.
Darren Evans added a solid performance to round out Tech's rushing attack. He tallied up 36 yards on 7 carries, and added a 6 yard TD. He looks stronger every week. With his strong bursts, tough running, and absence of a knee brace...you would never guess that he had a knee injury. Alright STOP...HAMMERTIME.
Jayron "To Tha House" Hoseley was back in a big way. He ran a punt back 80 yards To Tha House. It was glorious, reminded me of the good ole' days. Jayron looked just like DeAneglo Hall, as he trotted effortlessly to the endzone behind a wave of Tech blockers. He wasn't even running full speed. I quote the great Frank Beamer when I say, "This guy's a special player."
Speaking of John Wayne, Tech has their own man who's tougher than nails. That being offensive guard Greg Nosal. Nosal had the tip of his pinkie finger ripped off early in the game...and he kept playing. His finger got caught in a D-lineman's facemask, and it took the tip of it right off. Nosal said when he took his glove off, he could see bone poking out. You could say he was getting an early jump on Halloween. The team surgeon found his fingertip in his glove and said it could be reattached. Nosal told them to tape up his hand, and he headed back on the field. Once the game was in hand (no pun intended), Nosal came off the field and had his fingertip stitched back on. Now that's tough. That's built Ford tough. (To read Heather Dinich's story on Nosal's incident, click here)
Tech got it done on the ground, through the air, and on...punt returns. It was so refreshing to see the Hokies score through multiple facets again. However, there were some not-so-hot moments. For instance, Tech failed to convert on a single 3rd down in the game. We finished 0 of 8 on 3rd down conversions. On multiple occasions the Tech O-line failed to win the line of scrimmage, leaving our tailbacks with no where to go. And as I stated earlier, Tyrod couldn't buy a long pass. That stemmed a lot from Stiney wanting to throw the ball a mile downfield on third downs. Our offense still has a lot of work to do before they play a decent defense. Wake and Duke should give us enough time to get the kinks out.
Bud Foster's defense did its job. The Hokies kept the Chippewa offense out of the zone, until it was too late to matter. Central Michigan had two late scores in the fourth quarter to soften up the score deficit. Don't you hate it when that happens? I know I can't stand it when we let up or put fresh kids in the game to get experience, while letting the other team score and make the game look closer than it really was. Like the Marshall game in 2002. The Hokies were running the 24th-ranked Herd out of the stadium. It was 33-0 in the fourth quarter. The highly potent Byron Leftwich offense was stopped dead...until the second stringers came in. Leftwich picked on the new guys, scoring 3 TD's in the last quarter. The final score was 47-21, but it would have been 47-0 if we just left the starters in. Back to Saturday's game. The defense bended, but it didn't break. The Chippewas racked up 401 yards of offense, which was 7 yards more than the Hokies. To the defense's defense, the Chippers had the ball a lot longer than Tech. This was thanks to the quick scoring by the Hokie offense. Tech had some lucky breaks too, as CMU missed two field goals. At least there was no threat of a loss in this one. The defense has a long way to go though before I consider them a legitimate Lunch Pail defense.
At the end of the day, it was a good team win for the Hokies. Everyone pitched in and did their job. They looked snazzy getting the job done too. The all white helmets with the throwback jerseys and white pants was a very classy combo. I'd like to see some maroon or orange pants thrown in the mix, but hey we look good. The Hokies are on a roll, and the poor Chippewas are off to see the Medicine Man.
For the first time this season the Hokies did exactly what they were expected to do. They came out, handled business, and didn't allow the jobbers to stick around. This 24-point scalping was more than expected by everyone in the stadium, including the visiting Chippewas.
I bet you're wondering what a Chippewa is. It always makes think of a chipmunk, but in reality a Chippewa is an Indian tribe. Central Michigan chose the Chippewas as their mascot because of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, which happens to be neighbors to the university.
The Chippewas had their best football season in school history last year, as they posted a 12-2 record. They won the MAC Championship with an unbeaten conference record of 8-0, and defeated Troy by a final score of 44-41 in overtime of the GMAC bowl. In contrast Central Michigan entered this game with an even 2-2 record, and left with their third loss of the season. How (pun intended) could they have went downhill so fast after last season? That's an easy one. The Chips lost their best spear-chunker, Dan LeFevour, to the NFL Draft. LeFevour was a fifth-year senior last year, and his experience made him one of the best passers in the nation. He finished his illustrious career with 12,905 passing yards, and 102 touchdowns. He was the best quarterback to ever play for CMU, and he was irreplaceable. That my friends is why the Chippewas are up a creek in their canoe without a paddle this season. They knew they were bringing tomahawks to a gunfight on Saturday, but they fought bravely to the end.
The Chippewas came out with war drums thumping and smoke signals blazing, as they scored on the first drive of the ballgame. The Hokies would soon extinguish their flames though. The Tech defense held the CMU offense scoreless from that point up until the fourth quarter when the second-teamers started filtering in. I will give credit where credit is due though. The Chippers are one of the rare teams in the country who have a contract with Adidas. They play with Adidas footballs with their flying C logo etched on it. Everyone knows I'm a Nike guy, but I'd sure like to have one of those rare Adidas footballs. And while this is irrelevant and has no impact on CMU's athletic performance, they do get some cool points from me. Back to the game.
On the Hokies first possession, Tyrod Taylor scored on a 72 yard option keeper on just the second play of the drive. The rout was on. Five different Hokies scored touchdowns, as Tech put a John Wayne whoopin' on the Chippers. Tyrod Taylor played like a man possessed. He picked up just where he left off against NC State last week. Taylor finished 12 of 23 with 161 yards and a touchdown. He also led the team in rushing with 130 yards and two TD's on the ground. It was a pretty complete performance from Tyrod. He had a little bit of trouble connecting with his deep passes, but he scored 3 TD's on the day. I can't complain.
David Wilson had a great game as well. He finished with 86 yards off of just 7 attempts. That's a 12 yard average per carry. That's ballin'. He also had a touchdown, which came from a 68 yard dash to the endzone. I love having a trackstar as a tailback. Way to go Running Man.
Darren Evans added a solid performance to round out Tech's rushing attack. He tallied up 36 yards on 7 carries, and added a 6 yard TD. He looks stronger every week. With his strong bursts, tough running, and absence of a knee brace...you would never guess that he had a knee injury. Alright STOP...HAMMERTIME.
Jayron "To Tha House" Hoseley was back in a big way. He ran a punt back 80 yards To Tha House. It was glorious, reminded me of the good ole' days. Jayron looked just like DeAneglo Hall, as he trotted effortlessly to the endzone behind a wave of Tech blockers. He wasn't even running full speed. I quote the great Frank Beamer when I say, "This guy's a special player."
Speaking of John Wayne, Tech has their own man who's tougher than nails. That being offensive guard Greg Nosal. Nosal had the tip of his pinkie finger ripped off early in the game...and he kept playing. His finger got caught in a D-lineman's facemask, and it took the tip of it right off. Nosal said when he took his glove off, he could see bone poking out. You could say he was getting an early jump on Halloween. The team surgeon found his fingertip in his glove and said it could be reattached. Nosal told them to tape up his hand, and he headed back on the field. Once the game was in hand (no pun intended), Nosal came off the field and had his fingertip stitched back on. Now that's tough. That's built Ford tough. (To read Heather Dinich's story on Nosal's incident, click here)
Tech got it done on the ground, through the air, and on...punt returns. It was so refreshing to see the Hokies score through multiple facets again. However, there were some not-so-hot moments. For instance, Tech failed to convert on a single 3rd down in the game. We finished 0 of 8 on 3rd down conversions. On multiple occasions the Tech O-line failed to win the line of scrimmage, leaving our tailbacks with no where to go. And as I stated earlier, Tyrod couldn't buy a long pass. That stemmed a lot from Stiney wanting to throw the ball a mile downfield on third downs. Our offense still has a lot of work to do before they play a decent defense. Wake and Duke should give us enough time to get the kinks out.
Bud Foster's defense did its job. The Hokies kept the Chippewa offense out of the zone, until it was too late to matter. Central Michigan had two late scores in the fourth quarter to soften up the score deficit. Don't you hate it when that happens? I know I can't stand it when we let up or put fresh kids in the game to get experience, while letting the other team score and make the game look closer than it really was. Like the Marshall game in 2002. The Hokies were running the 24th-ranked Herd out of the stadium. It was 33-0 in the fourth quarter. The highly potent Byron Leftwich offense was stopped dead...until the second stringers came in. Leftwich picked on the new guys, scoring 3 TD's in the last quarter. The final score was 47-21, but it would have been 47-0 if we just left the starters in. Back to Saturday's game. The defense bended, but it didn't break. The Chippewas racked up 401 yards of offense, which was 7 yards more than the Hokies. To the defense's defense, the Chippers had the ball a lot longer than Tech. This was thanks to the quick scoring by the Hokie offense. Tech had some lucky breaks too, as CMU missed two field goals. At least there was no threat of a loss in this one. The defense has a long way to go though before I consider them a legitimate Lunch Pail defense.
At the end of the day, it was a good team win for the Hokies. Everyone pitched in and did their job. They looked snazzy getting the job done too. The all white helmets with the throwback jerseys and white pants was a very classy combo. I'd like to see some maroon or orange pants thrown in the mix, but hey we look good. The Hokies are on a roll, and the poor Chippewas are off to see the Medicine Man.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Running With The Pack
On Saturday the Virginia Tech Hokies traveled to Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina to take on the twenty-third ranked and undefeated NC State Wolfpack. It was a match-up of folkloric proportions.
To begin this story, we travel through the briars and thickets of the North Carolina Triangle's backwoods. We make our way to a raging wolf's den, and it's not just any ole wolf's den. It's the treacherous den of the Big Bad Wolf. Inside we find a heroic Fighting Gobbler who has come to slay the sly, villainous Wolf. The two skirmish, and at first things go in favor of the Wolf (as they do in all fables). The Wolf thinks he has the Gobbler just where he wants him, but the Gobbler is much too strong and smart for the haired one's trickery. The wily Gobbler plays dead like a possum, and the Wolf takes the bait. He strolls leisurely deeper into his cave to prepare his stew-pot for his feathered foe. The Gobbler sees his chance, and he takes it. He springs back to life, and he huffs, and puffs, and blows down the house of the Big Bad Wolf. The fabulous fowl stands victorious on the rubble that was once the wolf's den, and gobbles gleefully. It was a tiring battle, and it leaves our protagonist hungry like the Wolf. The scene fades out. Now we find our heroic Gobbler resting comfortably in his warm burrow located in a cozy Burg of Southwest Virginia. There's a soft glow from the fireplace mixed with the chalky gleam of a full Fall moon. No wolves will be howling at this moon tonight though. The Gobbler chuckles as he rubs his full belly, and rests his feet on a brand new Wolf rug.
Now to the game. The Hokies started this game just like they did in the opener against Boise State...down by 17 points. It was an ugly first quarter to say the least. The Wolfpack looked like the undefeated team that they were, as they scored 14 seemingly easy points in the first quarter. It was sickening to watch Russell Wilson complete a play-action pass for a touchdown to the running back that he FAKED THE HAND-OFF TO. I mean really defense? The guy who's supposed to be the decoy not only fakes you out, but then catches the touchdown pass too. That's unacceptable. The Tech offense struggled out of the gates, as they performed their trademark "3-and-out on the opening drive," on their first possession. Andre Smith gift-wrapped an interception for NC State that led to their second TD. The O-line couldn't do anything right. During the first quarter, the Wolfpack D-line spent more time in the backfield than any of Tech's tailbacks. I mean we do sub our running-backs in and out a lot, but come on that's ridiculous. Things looked dismal, but they would get better...better than Mama Bear's porridge.
The Wolfpack started the second quarter off with a field goal to go up 17-0, but at least the defense kept them out of the endzone. That sparked some much needed confidence, and the team came to life. It was like the light bulb flickered on for our defense. They started blitzing and pressuring Russell Wilson. At first he looked un-phased, but he eventually came unraveled. Before the game, ESPN announcers Ed Cunningham and Ron Franklin made a bold diagnosis that Russell Wilson was "allergic to interceptions." All I can say is Wilson must have done a lot of sneezing after this game. Tech's defense forced him to throw three interceptions, all to the same man...Jayron Hoseley. Two of those interceptions were critical to the outcome of the game. The first was when Hoseley picked off Wilson in the endzone, as the Wolfpack were set up at the VT 15 yard-line. The second was the game-sealer. NC State had the ball with 1:19 left in the game. Wilson drops back to pass, the pressure comes at him, he looks long and throws up the cheese...and Hoseley picks him off and runs it all the way down to the NC State 6 yardline. That drove a silver bullet into the heart of the Wolfpack.
Ed and Ron had it wrong all along. Wilson isn't allergic to interceptions, he's allergic to Jayron Hoseley. One final thought from our (possible) final encounter with Wilson. It's actually a question. A question I've wondered ever since I've heard of Mr. Wilson. Is his middle name Spalding? or maybe Starter? I mean his first and last names represent second-tier athletic companies (Russell, Wilson), so why wouldn't his middle name follow suit? We definitely know one brand that it couldn't be...Champion.
Back to the Defense. Ever since Jayron Hoseley's first punt return TD, we knew he was going to be a phenomenal player. His efforts earned him ACC defensive back of the week. Aside from Hoseley, another young defender really caught my attention in this game. That being red-shirt freshman Antone Exum. Exum came in off the bench at the Free Safety position, and really played well. He had two horrible pass interference calls on him, but what I liked was that he was looking for the ball on both (bogus) penalties. He showed great coverage all game long, and finished with a tackle, two assists, and four pass break-ups (tied for game high with Hoseley). Exum has good size and speed, and most impressively great awareness in the pass coverage. He looks a lot like the old number one who used to be so good in the secondary...Victor "Macho" Harris. I'm not going to compare them too much because Exum has A LOT to prove if he wants to be considered in that comparison. I do think Exum can end up in the same place as Macho...the pro's, but once again it's really early to be saying that.
Our offense really stepped it up as well. The O-line improved by leaps andbounds blocks. Tyrod shunned his early game jitters, and started throwing more confidently. He finished 12 of 24 for 123 yards, and 3 TD's (with 1 pick). He really made the difference in this game with his legs. He had some big runs including a huge 71 yarder that set up Tech's first TD. I've also got to give a rare shout-out to Bryan Stinespring for his play call that gave the Hokies their first lead in the game. He lined up offensive tackle Andrew Lanier as a receiver, but as the up-receiver on the line. This allowed Andre Smith to line up looking like a tackle, while still being an eligible receiver. Tyrod takes the snap, Smith releases and sneaks into the endzone, then Tyrod hits him for the easy pass-and-catch for six. It fooled the Wolfpack defense, and surprised me. Way to go Stiney. Also, check out our offensive production by quarter. We climb right up the latter. Seven points in the second quarter, 14 in the third quarter, and a whopping 20 points in the fourth quarter. That's what I'm talking about. Darren Evans was a beast all game long. He punished the NC State defense. He was the hammer, they were the nail. He finished with 2 touchdowns and a 10.7 yard-per-carry average (and no fumbles). What a bruiser. His last TD run with 28 seconds to go was icing on the cake.
We also saw the return of Beamerball in this game. David Wilson's 92 yard kick-off return for a touchdown was the igniting point that woke up our team. It was the flip of the switch that took our team from OFF to ON. The decision not to red-shirt him looks better and better every week. Also, we almost blocked two kicks. Almost doesn't cut the mustard, but we're getting closer boys.
The Bottom Line is that on Saturday, we saw a Virginia Tech team that we've never seen before. The Hokies fought back from being down by 17 points to WIN the game. That's the largest deficit that Tech has overcome to win during the Frank Beamer era. That's huge. This team does not quit. No matter what, they don't quit. We've seen the Hokies battle back from a 17-0 deficit twice this year. They ultimately lost in the opener, but they won this one...and in Fairy Tale fashion. Just ask the Big Bad Wolf.
To begin this story, we travel through the briars and thickets of the North Carolina Triangle's backwoods. We make our way to a raging wolf's den, and it's not just any ole wolf's den. It's the treacherous den of the Big Bad Wolf. Inside we find a heroic Fighting Gobbler who has come to slay the sly, villainous Wolf. The two skirmish, and at first things go in favor of the Wolf (as they do in all fables). The Wolf thinks he has the Gobbler just where he wants him, but the Gobbler is much too strong and smart for the haired one's trickery. The wily Gobbler plays dead like a possum, and the Wolf takes the bait. He strolls leisurely deeper into his cave to prepare his stew-pot for his feathered foe. The Gobbler sees his chance, and he takes it. He springs back to life, and he huffs, and puffs, and blows down the house of the Big Bad Wolf. The fabulous fowl stands victorious on the rubble that was once the wolf's den, and gobbles gleefully. It was a tiring battle, and it leaves our protagonist hungry like the Wolf. The scene fades out. Now we find our heroic Gobbler resting comfortably in his warm burrow located in a cozy Burg of Southwest Virginia. There's a soft glow from the fireplace mixed with the chalky gleam of a full Fall moon. No wolves will be howling at this moon tonight though. The Gobbler chuckles as he rubs his full belly, and rests his feet on a brand new Wolf rug.
Now to the game. The Hokies started this game just like they did in the opener against Boise State...down by 17 points. It was an ugly first quarter to say the least. The Wolfpack looked like the undefeated team that they were, as they scored 14 seemingly easy points in the first quarter. It was sickening to watch Russell Wilson complete a play-action pass for a touchdown to the running back that he FAKED THE HAND-OFF TO. I mean really defense? The guy who's supposed to be the decoy not only fakes you out, but then catches the touchdown pass too. That's unacceptable. The Tech offense struggled out of the gates, as they performed their trademark "3-and-out on the opening drive," on their first possession. Andre Smith gift-wrapped an interception for NC State that led to their second TD. The O-line couldn't do anything right. During the first quarter, the Wolfpack D-line spent more time in the backfield than any of Tech's tailbacks. I mean we do sub our running-backs in and out a lot, but come on that's ridiculous. Things looked dismal, but they would get better...better than Mama Bear's porridge.
The Wolfpack started the second quarter off with a field goal to go up 17-0, but at least the defense kept them out of the endzone. That sparked some much needed confidence, and the team came to life. It was like the light bulb flickered on for our defense. They started blitzing and pressuring Russell Wilson. At first he looked un-phased, but he eventually came unraveled. Before the game, ESPN announcers Ed Cunningham and Ron Franklin made a bold diagnosis that Russell Wilson was "allergic to interceptions." All I can say is Wilson must have done a lot of sneezing after this game. Tech's defense forced him to throw three interceptions, all to the same man...Jayron Hoseley. Two of those interceptions were critical to the outcome of the game. The first was when Hoseley picked off Wilson in the endzone, as the Wolfpack were set up at the VT 15 yard-line. The second was the game-sealer. NC State had the ball with 1:19 left in the game. Wilson drops back to pass, the pressure comes at him, he looks long and throws up the cheese...and Hoseley picks him off and runs it all the way down to the NC State 6 yardline. That drove a silver bullet into the heart of the Wolfpack.
Ed and Ron had it wrong all along. Wilson isn't allergic to interceptions, he's allergic to Jayron Hoseley. One final thought from our (possible) final encounter with Wilson. It's actually a question. A question I've wondered ever since I've heard of Mr. Wilson. Is his middle name Spalding? or maybe Starter? I mean his first and last names represent second-tier athletic companies (Russell, Wilson), so why wouldn't his middle name follow suit? We definitely know one brand that it couldn't be...Champion.
Back to the Defense. Ever since Jayron Hoseley's first punt return TD, we knew he was going to be a phenomenal player. His efforts earned him ACC defensive back of the week. Aside from Hoseley, another young defender really caught my attention in this game. That being red-shirt freshman Antone Exum. Exum came in off the bench at the Free Safety position, and really played well. He had two horrible pass interference calls on him, but what I liked was that he was looking for the ball on both (bogus) penalties. He showed great coverage all game long, and finished with a tackle, two assists, and four pass break-ups (tied for game high with Hoseley). Exum has good size and speed, and most impressively great awareness in the pass coverage. He looks a lot like the old number one who used to be so good in the secondary...Victor "Macho" Harris. I'm not going to compare them too much because Exum has A LOT to prove if he wants to be considered in that comparison. I do think Exum can end up in the same place as Macho...the pro's, but once again it's really early to be saying that.
Our offense really stepped it up as well. The O-line improved by leaps and
We also saw the return of Beamerball in this game. David Wilson's 92 yard kick-off return for a touchdown was the igniting point that woke up our team. It was the flip of the switch that took our team from OFF to ON. The decision not to red-shirt him looks better and better every week. Also, we almost blocked two kicks. Almost doesn't cut the mustard, but we're getting closer boys.
The Bottom Line is that on Saturday, we saw a Virginia Tech team that we've never seen before. The Hokies fought back from being down by 17 points to WIN the game. That's the largest deficit that Tech has overcome to win during the Frank Beamer era. That's huge. This team does not quit. No matter what, they don't quit. We've seen the Hokies battle back from a 17-0 deficit twice this year. They ultimately lost in the opener, but they won this one...and in Fairy Tale fashion. Just ask the Big Bad Wolf.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Hokies Kick Eagles
On Saturday the Virginia Tech Hokies blanked Boston College by a final score of 19-0 in Chestnut Hill.
With the win, Tech picks up their first ACC Conference win and their first road win of the 2010 season. It was also the first win for the Hokies in Beantown since 2002. That year Tech, led by the stellar tailback duo of Kevin Jones and Lee Suggs (better known as "The Untouchables"), ran past the Eagles by a final score of 28-23. To put things in a timeline perspective for you, the Hokies starting quarterback was a scrappy sophomore named Bryan Randall. Needless to say, it had been a while since we had won in Boston.
The big story from Saturday's game...the Defense. Bud Foster's crew held the Eagles to 250 total yards of offense, and most importantly allowed NO POINTS. It was the first shut-out for Tech since 2006, when they stumped Virginia 17-0 in that year's battle for the Commonwealth Cup. The Lunchpailers, led by linebackers Vince Hall and Xavier Adibi, held the Frenchmen to 112 yards of offense...and of course NO POINTS. (I don't mean to brag, but Vince Hall autographed my game ticket after that game and proceeded to take a gangster pic with me and my friend Keith...what up).
Back to the present. Tech's defense looked the best that it has all year. The new guys are starting to mesh with the veterans, and it's starting to show. The blitzes really looked a lot better, and in-turn produced 6 sacks. Bruce Taylor and Steven Friday had David Shinskie (BC's version of Chris Weinke) wishing he was back playing Minor League baseball. Shinskie definitely had more hits on Saturday than he ever did in the minors, but they were all on him. That's what a Virginia Tech defense is supposed to do...rough up the quarterback. Chris Drager was a monster up front all afternoon. His forced/then recovered fumble play reminded me of former Tech-great John Engelberger, and that's an outstanding compliment to say the least. The pass coverage was great compared to the first 3 games. Jayron Hosley made a sweet interception in the end zone, which prevented the Eagles from getting any points from their best drive of the day. Linebacker Jeron Gouveia-Winslow made a spectacular read and athletic catch to jump a BC receiver's route, and get a pick of his own. It was also nice to see Rashad Carmichael do a pro-wrestling style standing back-drop on Montel Harris. Roc flipped him like a half-cooked burger. Would you like fries with that?
When it came to scoring, it was a Boston Three Party for the Hokies. Place-kicker Chris Hazley had a career day, as he single-footedly kicked the Eagles in the tailfeathers. Hazley made all four of his attempts, which accounted for 12 of the Hokies 19 points. You could say he was the player of the game...but he's the kicker and that would be lame. Punter Brian Saunders could also be in the convo for player of the game, as he pinned the Eagles deep all afternoon. Once again, that's just lame. It's a huge hint to our offense that they need to step it up. I do have to say that it sure was nice to be on the other side of a kickfest. I thought I was going to pull my hair out in last year's Nebraska game, as it looked like they would beat us with 5 field goals. Luckily they didn't. It's just so demoralizing when you're sitting there watching the other team's smallest, wimpiest player tally up 3-pointers on you, and there's nothing you can do about it. Sorry about that BC, but it couldn't have happened to a nicer bunch.
The punt block/return team was a catastrophe yet again. How does 7 return yards and 4 fair catches sound? Pretty whack-o in my book. My main man Zach Luckett got a 15-yard roughing the kicker penalty, but it should have only been the 5-yard running into the kicker penalty. He almost got the block. I'll give him a free pass on this one because he's been our special teams assassin for the past couple of years. What I didn't like was how Beamer stopped trying to block at all after the penalty. I mean I can understand why he did (because we get a penalty every time we try to block something), but come on Frank let's get one. For the good ole days. For Beamerball. For goodness' sake.
All griping aside, I can't complain. It's a win, and not just any win...a SHUTOUT! I mean those things are harder to come by than decent offensive coordinators...well not quite. At halftime, ACC Network Reporter Mike Hogewood remarked to BC Head Coach Frank Spaziani that he must be happy with his offense's progress. It was fun to hear Spaziani reply, "with all do respect, we're not happy," before trudging to the locker room. I guess you could say the Eagles were "soar" losers.
With the win, Tech picks up their first ACC Conference win and their first road win of the 2010 season. It was also the first win for the Hokies in Beantown since 2002. That year Tech, led by the stellar tailback duo of Kevin Jones and Lee Suggs (better known as "The Untouchables"), ran past the Eagles by a final score of 28-23. To put things in a timeline perspective for you, the Hokies starting quarterback was a scrappy sophomore named Bryan Randall. Needless to say, it had been a while since we had won in Boston.
The big story from Saturday's game...the Defense. Bud Foster's crew held the Eagles to 250 total yards of offense, and most importantly allowed NO POINTS. It was the first shut-out for Tech since 2006, when they stumped Virginia 17-0 in that year's battle for the Commonwealth Cup. The Lunchpailers, led by linebackers Vince Hall and Xavier Adibi, held the Frenchmen to 112 yards of offense...and of course NO POINTS. (I don't mean to brag, but Vince Hall autographed my game ticket after that game and proceeded to take a gangster pic with me and my friend Keith...what up).
Back to the present. Tech's defense looked the best that it has all year. The new guys are starting to mesh with the veterans, and it's starting to show. The blitzes really looked a lot better, and in-turn produced 6 sacks. Bruce Taylor and Steven Friday had David Shinskie (BC's version of Chris Weinke) wishing he was back playing Minor League baseball. Shinskie definitely had more hits on Saturday than he ever did in the minors, but they were all on him. That's what a Virginia Tech defense is supposed to do...rough up the quarterback. Chris Drager was a monster up front all afternoon. His forced/then recovered fumble play reminded me of former Tech-great John Engelberger, and that's an outstanding compliment to say the least. The pass coverage was great compared to the first 3 games. Jayron Hosley made a sweet interception in the end zone, which prevented the Eagles from getting any points from their best drive of the day. Linebacker Jeron Gouveia-Winslow made a spectacular read and athletic catch to jump a BC receiver's route, and get a pick of his own. It was also nice to see Rashad Carmichael do a pro-wrestling style standing back-drop on Montel Harris. Roc flipped him like a half-cooked burger. Would you like fries with that?
When it came to scoring, it was a Boston Three Party for the Hokies. Place-kicker Chris Hazley had a career day, as he single-footedly kicked the Eagles in the tailfeathers. Hazley made all four of his attempts, which accounted for 12 of the Hokies 19 points. You could say he was the player of the game...but he's the kicker and that would be lame. Punter Brian Saunders could also be in the convo for player of the game, as he pinned the Eagles deep all afternoon. Once again, that's just lame. It's a huge hint to our offense that they need to step it up. I do have to say that it sure was nice to be on the other side of a kickfest. I thought I was going to pull my hair out in last year's Nebraska game, as it looked like they would beat us with 5 field goals. Luckily they didn't. It's just so demoralizing when you're sitting there watching the other team's smallest, wimpiest player tally up 3-pointers on you, and there's nothing you can do about it. Sorry about that BC, but it couldn't have happened to a nicer bunch.
The punt block/return team was a catastrophe yet again. How does 7 return yards and 4 fair catches sound? Pretty whack-o in my book. My main man Zach Luckett got a 15-yard roughing the kicker penalty, but it should have only been the 5-yard running into the kicker penalty. He almost got the block. I'll give him a free pass on this one because he's been our special teams assassin for the past couple of years. What I didn't like was how Beamer stopped trying to block at all after the penalty. I mean I can understand why he did (because we get a penalty every time we try to block something), but come on Frank let's get one. For the good ole days. For Beamerball. For goodness' sake.
All griping aside, I can't complain. It's a win, and not just any win...a SHUTOUT! I mean those things are harder to come by than decent offensive coordinators...well not quite. At halftime, ACC Network Reporter Mike Hogewood remarked to BC Head Coach Frank Spaziani that he must be happy with his offense's progress. It was fun to hear Spaziani reply, "with all do respect, we're not happy," before trudging to the locker room. I guess you could say the Eagles were "soar" losers.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Yo Ho(kies)! Blow The Man Down!
On Saturday the Virginia Tech Hokies pillaged the East Carolina Pirates by a final score of 49 to 27, and claimed their first win of the season.
In the beginning of the game it was tough sailing for the Hokies. The Pirates, who are always a pesky hoard of scallywags, came out blastin'.
The scurvy crew drove down the field effortlessly on their first two possessions to take a quick 10 to nothing lead over the Hokies. Once again the Tech defense looked as porous as a sea sponge, and the offense looked like a bunch of landlubbers. Just then the Techmen fired back. Tech's star tailback Ryan Williams capped off a 70 yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run, and the bloodfest was underway. Midway into the second quarter, the Hokies receive a ghastly sight. Ryan Williams being carried off the field. He was out for the rest of the game with a hamstring injury. Darren Evans entered the ballgame, and picked up the slack. Evans scored on a 7-yard touchdown run (his first touchdown since returning to the team). After exchanging cannon fire for two quarters, the Hokies garnered a 21-17 lead. But the Pirates, being the scallywags that they are, scored a touchdown with only 26 seconds remaining in the second quarter to take a 24-21 lead into halftime. Shiver me timbers.
The Hokies find themselves in the third game of the season trailing to ECU, and looking anything but shipshape. But the tide would turn.
Sophomore David Wilson entered the ballgame and gave Tech the speed, determination, and confidence the Hokies have been lacking so far this season. Wilson scored two touchdowns in the third quarter to pull the Techmen ahead of the Pirates 35 to 27. Trailing by just 8 points, ECU still had high hopes heading into the fourth quarter. Those hopes would soon be dashed. The Pirates started driving into Tech territory. It's first and ten ECU from the VT 36-yardline. East Carolina quarterback Dominique Davis drops back to pass, throws, and...it's picked off by Rashad Carmichael. Roc takes it 68 yards to the house, and drives a cutlass into the Pirates' black hearts. "ARRrrrrrggh," they cry. Tyrod Taylor finished off the Pirates with one final blow, as he connected with Jarrett Boykin for a 69-yard touchdown bomb to add some insurance doubloons on the win. It's the plank for the Pirates. They're shark bait.
Staying with the Pirate theme, this game was eerily reminiscent to an infamous moment in seafaring history. That of course being "Blackbeard's Last Fight." Blackbeard the Pirate was quite the bad dude. His real name was Edward Teach, but his nickname Blackbeard definitely fitted him better. He had a gangly, black beard braided in pig tails that went all the way down to his belt buckle. He wore a banister with three guns attached to it. He hung lit canon fuses from his hat during battle to scare opponents. Like I said, he was a bad dude. Anyways the Virginia Government (ironic I know) wanted to get rid of this scallywag for good. They sent out Lieutenant Robert Maynard of the Royal Navy to extinguish Blackbeard. When Maynard's ship approached Blackbeard's ship, he wasted no time throwing the first punch (like ECU on Saturday). Blackbeard fired all 8 of his cannons, which took out a number of Maynard's men. The band of pirates saw that almost all on deck had been blasted, and boarded the ship to pillage it. Little did they know that Maynard was sandbagging (just like the Hokies were sandbagging). He had twice as many men as the pirates hiding below deck. He had tricked the pirates. The swashbucklers fought angrily, but there's power in numbers. Blackbeard went right after Maynard, and used his mighty cutlass to break Maynard's sword off at the handle. He had him right where he wanted him. Blackbeard reached back for the kill shot, but just then a member of Maynard's crew crept up and sliced his throat (like Rashad Carmichael's interception). Blackbeard continued to fight, yelling curses at the Navymen as blood sprayed from his neck. Maynard's men bumrushed him (like the defense rushed ECU's quarterback), and after 5 gunshots and 20 cuts Blackbeard was dead. Just to make sure he was dead, Maynard beheaded Blackbeard and hung his head on the front of the ship. They threw the body overboard. Much to their surprise Blackbeard's head yelled,"Come on, Edward," and his body swam three laps around the boat before sinking to Davy Jones' Locker. (I wish I could say that the HokieBird beheaded the ECU Pirate mascot and his body ran three laps around Lane Stadium, but instead the Bird just did the Hokie Pokie with him).
Back to the game. It wasn't the prettiest win I've ever seen (that's to be expected when pirates are involved), but it's a win nonetheless. It's a very much needed win to get the Hokies back on course for any chance of a decent season. This was just the turnaround that Tech needed. At the beginning of the game, they looked like the Hokies who had lost their first two games...maybe even worse. The defense couldn't wrap up a Christmas present. The cornerbacks wouldn't turn around and look for the ball even if their helmets were on backwards. I'm actually looking into petitioning the NCAA to ask for special side mirrors to put on our cornerbacks' helmets so that they'll actually look for the ball. For the past two games Darren Evans has been a big pinata. If you hit him hard enough, the candy comes flying out and other kids scoop it up. He fumbled on the drive that would have beaten JMU, and he fumbled another one to the Bucko's in this one. I'm also positive that Dyrell Roberts had horse blinders on during kickoff returns. He had huge holes on almost every return, but insisted on running sideways like a crab into the ECU blockades. Luckily the Hokies put the Busch League-ness behind them at halftime. It was like a whole different team in the second half. The defense started tackling. Cornerbacks started turning around, and in-turn got interceptions. Evans didn't fumble (but once). David Wilson outran his underperforming offensive line along with the Pirates defense. Roberts took the blinders off and caught TD passes. And most importantly the Hokies scored 7 touchdowns in the game, and no field goals. That's right SEVEN touchdowns, no weak field goals. That's what wins ball games. That's what I'm talking about. It was like old times. It was Virginia Tech Football for the first time this year.
In the beginning of the game it was tough sailing for the Hokies. The Pirates, who are always a pesky hoard of scallywags, came out blastin'.
The scurvy crew drove down the field effortlessly on their first two possessions to take a quick 10 to nothing lead over the Hokies. Once again the Tech defense looked as porous as a sea sponge, and the offense looked like a bunch of landlubbers. Just then the Techmen fired back. Tech's star tailback Ryan Williams capped off a 70 yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run, and the bloodfest was underway. Midway into the second quarter, the Hokies receive a ghastly sight. Ryan Williams being carried off the field. He was out for the rest of the game with a hamstring injury. Darren Evans entered the ballgame, and picked up the slack. Evans scored on a 7-yard touchdown run (his first touchdown since returning to the team). After exchanging cannon fire for two quarters, the Hokies garnered a 21-17 lead. But the Pirates, being the scallywags that they are, scored a touchdown with only 26 seconds remaining in the second quarter to take a 24-21 lead into halftime. Shiver me timbers.
The Hokies find themselves in the third game of the season trailing to ECU, and looking anything but shipshape. But the tide would turn.
Sophomore David Wilson entered the ballgame and gave Tech the speed, determination, and confidence the Hokies have been lacking so far this season. Wilson scored two touchdowns in the third quarter to pull the Techmen ahead of the Pirates 35 to 27. Trailing by just 8 points, ECU still had high hopes heading into the fourth quarter. Those hopes would soon be dashed. The Pirates started driving into Tech territory. It's first and ten ECU from the VT 36-yardline. East Carolina quarterback Dominique Davis drops back to pass, throws, and...it's picked off by Rashad Carmichael. Roc takes it 68 yards to the house, and drives a cutlass into the Pirates' black hearts. "ARRrrrrrggh," they cry. Tyrod Taylor finished off the Pirates with one final blow, as he connected with Jarrett Boykin for a 69-yard touchdown bomb to add some insurance doubloons on the win. It's the plank for the Pirates. They're shark bait.
Staying with the Pirate theme, this game was eerily reminiscent to an infamous moment in seafaring history. That of course being "Blackbeard's Last Fight." Blackbeard the Pirate was quite the bad dude. His real name was Edward Teach, but his nickname Blackbeard definitely fitted him better. He had a gangly, black beard braided in pig tails that went all the way down to his belt buckle. He wore a banister with three guns attached to it. He hung lit canon fuses from his hat during battle to scare opponents. Like I said, he was a bad dude. Anyways the Virginia Government (ironic I know) wanted to get rid of this scallywag for good. They sent out Lieutenant Robert Maynard of the Royal Navy to extinguish Blackbeard. When Maynard's ship approached Blackbeard's ship, he wasted no time throwing the first punch (like ECU on Saturday). Blackbeard fired all 8 of his cannons, which took out a number of Maynard's men. The band of pirates saw that almost all on deck had been blasted, and boarded the ship to pillage it. Little did they know that Maynard was sandbagging (just like the Hokies were sandbagging). He had twice as many men as the pirates hiding below deck. He had tricked the pirates. The swashbucklers fought angrily, but there's power in numbers. Blackbeard went right after Maynard, and used his mighty cutlass to break Maynard's sword off at the handle. He had him right where he wanted him. Blackbeard reached back for the kill shot, but just then a member of Maynard's crew crept up and sliced his throat (like Rashad Carmichael's interception). Blackbeard continued to fight, yelling curses at the Navymen as blood sprayed from his neck. Maynard's men bumrushed him (like the defense rushed ECU's quarterback), and after 5 gunshots and 20 cuts Blackbeard was dead. Just to make sure he was dead, Maynard beheaded Blackbeard and hung his head on the front of the ship. They threw the body overboard. Much to their surprise Blackbeard's head yelled,"Come on, Edward," and his body swam three laps around the boat before sinking to Davy Jones' Locker. (I wish I could say that the HokieBird beheaded the ECU Pirate mascot and his body ran three laps around Lane Stadium, but instead the Bird just did the Hokie Pokie with him).
Back to the game. It wasn't the prettiest win I've ever seen (that's to be expected when pirates are involved), but it's a win nonetheless. It's a very much needed win to get the Hokies back on course for any chance of a decent season. This was just the turnaround that Tech needed. At the beginning of the game, they looked like the Hokies who had lost their first two games...maybe even worse. The defense couldn't wrap up a Christmas present. The cornerbacks wouldn't turn around and look for the ball even if their helmets were on backwards. I'm actually looking into petitioning the NCAA to ask for special side mirrors to put on our cornerbacks' helmets so that they'll actually look for the ball. For the past two games Darren Evans has been a big pinata. If you hit him hard enough, the candy comes flying out and other kids scoop it up. He fumbled on the drive that would have beaten JMU, and he fumbled another one to the Bucko's in this one. I'm also positive that Dyrell Roberts had horse blinders on during kickoff returns. He had huge holes on almost every return, but insisted on running sideways like a crab into the ECU blockades. Luckily the Hokies put the Busch League-ness behind them at halftime. It was like a whole different team in the second half. The defense started tackling. Cornerbacks started turning around, and in-turn got interceptions. Evans didn't fumble (but once). David Wilson outran his underperforming offensive line along with the Pirates defense. Roberts took the blinders off and caught TD passes. And most importantly the Hokies scored 7 touchdowns in the game, and no field goals. That's right SEVEN touchdowns, no weak field goals. That's what wins ball games. That's what I'm talking about. It was like old times. It was Virginia Tech Football for the first time this year.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
You Get What You Ask For
Well it happened...again. The third-ranked smurf-turfers give the Hokies the blues with a game-winning two minute drill touchdown. The Hokies lose another heartbreaking opener...but we should have expected this. I know I did. We asked for it.
If you stand on a railroad track in front of a train, and the train runs you over. You got what you deserved, you asked for it. No surprise there. Well same difference for last night's game. If you sign up to play the third-ranked team in the country, who went undefeated a year ago and won a BCS bowl game, and has 19 starters coming back...you're asking for a loss. And we got what we asked for.
We should have learned our lesson last year, but I guess we didn't. It didn't take a stern warning from Admiral Ackbar quoting his famous line of "It's a Trap!," for Beamer, Weaver, or anyone else to realize what we were getting ourselves into. A quick glance at Boise State's statistics from last season and their roster should have been enough to tell us to STAY AWAY. If the 14 and 0 with a win in the Fiesta Bowl didn't give it away, the number of returning players should have given us the heads up. A quick tip for whoever scheduled this game on our part. The little Jr., So., and Fr. letters beside the Boise State players' names on last year's roster meant that they would be returning THIS YEAR you twerps. This was more than just "a very good football team (in Beamer's voice)" we were playing last night. Also it doesn't take a genius to figure out that our defense would be inexperienced, as we lost 7 starters off of last year's non-stellar defense. To me it's a big "No Duh!" that we lost.
I know Bud Foster is the best defensive coach in the country, and I have tremendous faith in him. We ask way too much of him year-in and year-out. He did the best he could possibly do with what he had. It was pleasantly surprising how good his greenhorns played last night, and I can't give him enough credit for that. However, he did make some bad calls in the fourth quarter though. He stopped blitzing and rushed only 3-4 guys during the Broncos final (winning) drive. That's when we needed to bring the house the most. I mean that defense should have turned into one of Santa's reindeer...Blitzen. It was blatantly obvious that the Broncos offense was completely timing-based, and when we put the pressure on it disrupted the whole operation. I wish I knew why Bud didn't bring the heat on that last drive. But once again I don't blame Bud. He did great. He did his job, and exceeded it. He should have never been in that situation to begin with. That's right folks I'm pointing the finger right back at the perennial scapegoat Bryan Stinespring.
I thought with this year's offense that no one could hold us back or slow us up...not even Bryan Stinespring. I guess I was wrong. He sure showed me. Now I'll give him credit where the credit is due. He called a pretty amazing game, until the end where he got scared. The Boise defense crushed us early, but ole' Stiney found a nice rhythm of running and passing to keep the Bronco defense off balance. He made some great calls that resulted in first downs, and most importantly touchdowns. Like the fourth and five touchdown play that gave us the lead. I would have called the exact same play as Mr. Stinespring on that one, pure genius. But when it came down to it, he went right back to what he always does. He plays to punt and hopes the defense will hold (and bail him out). In past years it has worked out alright because Bud has had an experienced lunch-pail defense. In recent years not so much. Go back and look at when we played East Carolina in the 2008 opener. That's what playing to punt will get you...a loss. And that's what we got last night. When the pressure came on, Stinespring abandoned his good offensive scheme to "play it safe." He was playing not to lose instead of playing to win. He chose to hide in his shell instead of going for the throat, and we all payed for it. The predictable two running plays then mid-level passing play to pick up the first down scheme came out. Boise recognized it, shut it down, and got the ball back (with the win coming shortly thereafter). How long can we put up with this passiveness, prudence, and complacency? I know Stinespring is Beamer's friend, and Beamer can't fire him. I'm not asking him to fire him...just demote him. Make him the punt team coach or the victory formation coach because he enjoys giving the other team the ball, and knows how to take a knee. I would even replace Bryan Stinespring with Bruce Springsteen because Baby We Were Born To Run!
The bottom line is history repeats itself. The Hokies are now 0 and 22 against Top 10 teams away from Lane Stadium (my goodness I LOVE that stadium, that's where we do work son...not neutral site pro stadium opening game classic rip offs). Last night was oh too sickeningly familiar as Tech took a one-point lead into the fourth quarter, just as it did last year against Bama (17-16) and in the National Championship against Florida State (29-28). It truly is a recurring bad dream for the Hokies, myself, and the rest of the Hokie Nation. I have this false feeling of hope that we could actually win one of these games, while at the same time having this horrible stomach-ache of knowing that we're going to blow it...and we always blow it. That's why Boise State opted to fly thousands of miles to come play us. They hunted us. They selected us for termination. They sat back and said,"hmm...who can we play that will be easy to beat while increasing our BCS stock? Who's the easiest perennial top-ten team to beat?" I'm sure it didn't take them long to come up with Virginia Tech. They know we're not scared to LOSE to anybody. We've been a quality, easy win on many commemorative National Championship soda bottles...just not our own (except for our 1999-2000 runner up RC Cola bottles). Just look at how many National Champions we've played and lost to over the last decade: in 2000 we lost to Florida State in the National Championship game, in 2001 we lost to Miami who beat Nebraska for that year's title, in 2004 we lost the season opener at Fed Ex Field (sounds familiar) to USC who would beat Oklahoma for the title, also in 2004 we lost the Sugar Bowl to Auburn (who finished the season undefeated and could be retro National Champs pending the USC scandal), in 2007 we got destroyed by eventual champ LSU in the second game of the season, and finally last season (2009) we lost the opener in the Georgia Dome against the Alabama Crimson Tide...the latest National Champions. Wow that's a lot. Hard to believe isn't it? We'll be able to add another team to that list now...2010's Boise State. It sucks. When will we finally get our slice of the pie? When can we finally put a crystal football in the trophy case that sits empty in the Hall of Legends inside the Merryman Center? Hopefully soon, possibly never.
If you stand on a railroad track in front of a train, and the train runs you over. You got what you deserved, you asked for it. No surprise there. Well same difference for last night's game. If you sign up to play the third-ranked team in the country, who went undefeated a year ago and won a BCS bowl game, and has 19 starters coming back...you're asking for a loss. And we got what we asked for.
We should have learned our lesson last year, but I guess we didn't. It didn't take a stern warning from Admiral Ackbar quoting his famous line of "It's a Trap!," for Beamer, Weaver, or anyone else to realize what we were getting ourselves into. A quick glance at Boise State's statistics from last season and their roster should have been enough to tell us to STAY AWAY. If the 14 and 0 with a win in the Fiesta Bowl didn't give it away, the number of returning players should have given us the heads up. A quick tip for whoever scheduled this game on our part. The little Jr., So., and Fr. letters beside the Boise State players' names on last year's roster meant that they would be returning THIS YEAR you twerps. This was more than just "a very good football team (in Beamer's voice)" we were playing last night. Also it doesn't take a genius to figure out that our defense would be inexperienced, as we lost 7 starters off of last year's non-stellar defense. To me it's a big "No Duh!" that we lost.
I know Bud Foster is the best defensive coach in the country, and I have tremendous faith in him. We ask way too much of him year-in and year-out. He did the best he could possibly do with what he had. It was pleasantly surprising how good his greenhorns played last night, and I can't give him enough credit for that. However, he did make some bad calls in the fourth quarter though. He stopped blitzing and rushed only 3-4 guys during the Broncos final (winning) drive. That's when we needed to bring the house the most. I mean that defense should have turned into one of Santa's reindeer...Blitzen. It was blatantly obvious that the Broncos offense was completely timing-based, and when we put the pressure on it disrupted the whole operation. I wish I knew why Bud didn't bring the heat on that last drive. But once again I don't blame Bud. He did great. He did his job, and exceeded it. He should have never been in that situation to begin with. That's right folks I'm pointing the finger right back at the perennial scapegoat Bryan Stinespring.
I thought with this year's offense that no one could hold us back or slow us up...not even Bryan Stinespring. I guess I was wrong. He sure showed me. Now I'll give him credit where the credit is due. He called a pretty amazing game, until the end where he got scared. The Boise defense crushed us early, but ole' Stiney found a nice rhythm of running and passing to keep the Bronco defense off balance. He made some great calls that resulted in first downs, and most importantly touchdowns. Like the fourth and five touchdown play that gave us the lead. I would have called the exact same play as Mr. Stinespring on that one, pure genius. But when it came down to it, he went right back to what he always does. He plays to punt and hopes the defense will hold (and bail him out). In past years it has worked out alright because Bud has had an experienced lunch-pail defense. In recent years not so much. Go back and look at when we played East Carolina in the 2008 opener. That's what playing to punt will get you...a loss. And that's what we got last night. When the pressure came on, Stinespring abandoned his good offensive scheme to "play it safe." He was playing not to lose instead of playing to win. He chose to hide in his shell instead of going for the throat, and we all payed for it. The predictable two running plays then mid-level passing play to pick up the first down scheme came out. Boise recognized it, shut it down, and got the ball back (with the win coming shortly thereafter). How long can we put up with this passiveness, prudence, and complacency? I know Stinespring is Beamer's friend, and Beamer can't fire him. I'm not asking him to fire him...just demote him. Make him the punt team coach or the victory formation coach because he enjoys giving the other team the ball, and knows how to take a knee. I would even replace Bryan Stinespring with Bruce Springsteen because Baby We Were Born To Run!
The bottom line is history repeats itself. The Hokies are now 0 and 22 against Top 10 teams away from Lane Stadium (my goodness I LOVE that stadium, that's where we do work son...not neutral site pro stadium opening game classic rip offs). Last night was oh too sickeningly familiar as Tech took a one-point lead into the fourth quarter, just as it did last year against Bama (17-16) and in the National Championship against Florida State (29-28). It truly is a recurring bad dream for the Hokies, myself, and the rest of the Hokie Nation. I have this false feeling of hope that we could actually win one of these games, while at the same time having this horrible stomach-ache of knowing that we're going to blow it...and we always blow it. That's why Boise State opted to fly thousands of miles to come play us. They hunted us. They selected us for termination. They sat back and said,"hmm...who can we play that will be easy to beat while increasing our BCS stock? Who's the easiest perennial top-ten team to beat?" I'm sure it didn't take them long to come up with Virginia Tech. They know we're not scared to LOSE to anybody. We've been a quality, easy win on many commemorative National Championship soda bottles...just not our own (except for our 1999-2000 runner up RC Cola bottles). Just look at how many National Champions we've played and lost to over the last decade: in 2000 we lost to Florida State in the National Championship game, in 2001 we lost to Miami who beat Nebraska for that year's title, in 2004 we lost the season opener at Fed Ex Field (sounds familiar) to USC who would beat Oklahoma for the title, also in 2004 we lost the Sugar Bowl to Auburn (who finished the season undefeated and could be retro National Champs pending the USC scandal), in 2007 we got destroyed by eventual champ LSU in the second game of the season, and finally last season (2009) we lost the opener in the Georgia Dome against the Alabama Crimson Tide...the latest National Champions. Wow that's a lot. Hard to believe isn't it? We'll be able to add another team to that list now...2010's Boise State. It sucks. When will we finally get our slice of the pie? When can we finally put a crystal football in the trophy case that sits empty in the Hall of Legends inside the Merryman Center? Hopefully soon, possibly never.
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