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.
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.
Friday, December 3, 2010
A Duck + A Beaver=...A Platypus?
On Saturday the number one team in the nation, the Oregon Ducks, will travel to Corvallis to take on their arch-rivals the Oregon State Beavers in what is known to college football as "The Civil War."
The first Civil War rivalry game between the University of Oregon and Oregon Agricultural College (present-day Oregon State) was played in 1894, making it the fourth-oldest rivalry in Division 1 College Football and the seventh-oldest rivalry in all of College Football.
The rivalry's name,"The Civil War," couldn't be more appropriate for the annual showdown, as the game has proven to be just that...a war. Plenty of green/yellow and black/orange blood has been spilt on and off the field between these two universities. Fans pelting opposing fans with vegetables, brawls between the two sides, and even students "capturing" a student from the opposing school and parading them around their campus has been common ground in this war.
While the rivalry between Oregon and Oregon State is bitter, the reward to the winner of the annual game is sweet...really sweet.
Beginning in 1959, the winning team would receive a trophy for its victory on the battlefield. Not just any trophy, but one of the best rivalry trophies in college football and definitely the one that makes the most sense.
It's name: The Platypus Trophy. It's a 2-foot wide, 1.5-foot tall platypus sculpted out of pure maple wood. The Platypus was selected for the trophy because it contains features from each of the teams mascots. It has the bill of a Duck, and the tail of a Beaver. Pure genius is all I can say.
Oregon State won the inaugural trophy and took it to Corvallis with them in '59. The 1960 game ended in a tie, but Oregon students stole the trophy and took it with them to Eugene. Oregon State won the trophy back in 1961, and took it back to Corvallis...only to have it stolen back from those pesky U of O students again.
The trophy then disappeared in Eugene...until 1986. The Platypus was found in a trophy case at the University of Oregon's pool complex. It was being used as a trophy between the two schools' water polo teams. Talk about falling from grace. The trophy disappeared once again when the pool facility was ruled outdated, and demolished in 2000.
Four years later a sportswriter in Oregon wrote an article that sparked a search for the mysterious missing maple Platypus. The search proved a success. The old platty was found in a utility closet at the University of Oregon's basketball arena, McArthur Court (better known as "The Pit").
In 2007 the Alumni Associations of each school decided to take over the exchanging of the wooden masterpiece, as the trophy had a strange habit of going missing when the two football teams performed the exchange. So since '07 the winning school's Alumni Associations gets the fine pleasure of displaying the slippery souvenir.
This year the Ducks have a lot more riding on line than just the enchanting Platypus Trophy. If Oregon can defeat their unranked underdog rivals, they'll play in the National Championship game for the first time in school history.
Now this may sound like an easy task since the Ducks are the top-ranked team in the land, while the 5 and 6 Beavs are no where to be found in the polls. But I must say not so fast. In the past thirteen UO/OSU meetings, the home team has won 11 of those 13 games. Did I mention the game is in Corvallis this year?
The Ducks have the all-time lead in the series with a 57-46 record, with 10 ties between the two teams. We'll see if the Quack Attack can win their third straight over the Beavs, and more importantly make it to the National Championship Game and play for a crystal football to go with their wooden platypus.
The first Civil War rivalry game between the University of Oregon and Oregon Agricultural College (present-day Oregon State) was played in 1894, making it the fourth-oldest rivalry in Division 1 College Football and the seventh-oldest rivalry in all of College Football.
The rivalry's name,"The Civil War," couldn't be more appropriate for the annual showdown, as the game has proven to be just that...a war. Plenty of green/yellow and black/orange blood has been spilt on and off the field between these two universities. Fans pelting opposing fans with vegetables, brawls between the two sides, and even students "capturing" a student from the opposing school and parading them around their campus has been common ground in this war.
While the rivalry between Oregon and Oregon State is bitter, the reward to the winner of the annual game is sweet...really sweet.
Beginning in 1959, the winning team would receive a trophy for its victory on the battlefield. Not just any trophy, but one of the best rivalry trophies in college football and definitely the one that makes the most sense.
It's name: The Platypus Trophy. It's a 2-foot wide, 1.5-foot tall platypus sculpted out of pure maple wood. The Platypus was selected for the trophy because it contains features from each of the teams mascots. It has the bill of a Duck, and the tail of a Beaver. Pure genius is all I can say.
Oregon State won the inaugural trophy and took it to Corvallis with them in '59. The 1960 game ended in a tie, but Oregon students stole the trophy and took it with them to Eugene. Oregon State won the trophy back in 1961, and took it back to Corvallis...only to have it stolen back from those pesky U of O students again.
The trophy then disappeared in Eugene...until 1986. The Platypus was found in a trophy case at the University of Oregon's pool complex. It was being used as a trophy between the two schools' water polo teams. Talk about falling from grace. The trophy disappeared once again when the pool facility was ruled outdated, and demolished in 2000.
Four years later a sportswriter in Oregon wrote an article that sparked a search for the mysterious missing maple Platypus. The search proved a success. The old platty was found in a utility closet at the University of Oregon's basketball arena, McArthur Court (better known as "The Pit").
In 2007 the Alumni Associations of each school decided to take over the exchanging of the wooden masterpiece, as the trophy had a strange habit of going missing when the two football teams performed the exchange. So since '07 the winning school's Alumni Associations gets the fine pleasure of displaying the slippery souvenir.
This year the Ducks have a lot more riding on line than just the enchanting Platypus Trophy. If Oregon can defeat their unranked underdog rivals, they'll play in the National Championship game for the first time in school history.
Now this may sound like an easy task since the Ducks are the top-ranked team in the land, while the 5 and 6 Beavs are no where to be found in the polls. But I must say not so fast. In the past thirteen UO/OSU meetings, the home team has won 11 of those 13 games. Did I mention the game is in Corvallis this year?
The Ducks have the all-time lead in the series with a 57-46 record, with 10 ties between the two teams. We'll see if the Quack Attack can win their third straight over the Beavs, and more importantly make it to the National Championship Game and play for a crystal football to go with their wooden platypus.
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.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
InVickable
On Monday night, Philadelphia Eagles' starting quarterback Michael Vick had the best game of his career, and possibly the best single-game performance that the NFL has ever seen.
The Eagles took on NFC East rivals the Washing Redskins in a Monday Night Football showdown, which matched Vick up against the man who basically recruited him back into football, Donovan McNabb.
McNabb, who was ousted by Philly and replaced by Kevin Kolb and ultimately Michael Vick, got revenge on his former franchise in the two teams first meeting in October. But on Monday night McNabb just had a ticket to the Michael Vick show like everyone else in attendance.
Vick was unstoppable, incredible, and though it might sound a bit cliche...Invinceable.
You could tell he was going to have a stellar game from the start. How you may ask? Well it could have been the glimmer in his visor that gave it away, or perhaps it was the 88-yard touchdown pass to Desean Jackson on the first play from scrimmage. You be the judge.
Vick led the Eagles to touchdowns on every one of their possessions in the first quarter. That's right I said the first quarter. No one could believe what they were watching. It was 28-0 Philadelphia in the first quarter. But hey, teams have had some pretty phenomenal quarters before right? Maybe it was just luck? Nope.
First play in the second quarter Vick drops back to pass, looks right, and fires a bomb to Jeremy Maclin. It's a 48-yard touchdown pass. The Eagles are now up 35-0 with 3 quarters left to be played. That's right Vick gets almost 3 more full quarters to pad his stats.
He finished the game with unthinkable statistics. He completed 20 of 28 passes for 333 yards, 4 touchdowns, and no interceptions. That's a passer rating of 150.7, can you say MVP? It's hard to believe Vick put up those numbers passing isn't it? He's supposed to be known for his running. Well he did some of that too. He racked up 80 yards on 8 carries, and added 2 more touchdowns on the ground. That's 6 touchdowns total in the game. That's ridiculous...ridiculously awesome. The kind of awesome that sets and breaks records.
With the performance, Vick became the first player in NFL history to have 300 plus passing yards, 50 plus rushing yards, 4 passing TD's, and 2 rushing TD's in a single game. He also surpassed Steve Young (who just happened to be commentating this game) for second place on the All-time Quarterback Rushing Yards list. He now trails only Randall Cunningham, who was considered the first "Ultimate Weapon" quarterback, and who ironically enough also played for the Philadelphia Eagles. We definitely know who the "Ultimate Weapon" is now.
The NFL Hall of Fame requested Vick's jersey from him after the game, which will be put on display in Canton. Talk about foreshadowing. If Vick keeps up this level of play, he'll certainly join his jersey in the Hall one day. He's got plenty of time left before that though, with plenty of records to break (along with defenders' ankles).
One things for sure though, it'll be hard for him to surpass the night he had against the Redskins. Then again, he is Michael Vick. He makes the impossible possible.
The Eagles took on NFC East rivals the Washing Redskins in a Monday Night Football showdown, which matched Vick up against the man who basically recruited him back into football, Donovan McNabb.
McNabb, who was ousted by Philly and replaced by Kevin Kolb and ultimately Michael Vick, got revenge on his former franchise in the two teams first meeting in October. But on Monday night McNabb just had a ticket to the Michael Vick show like everyone else in attendance.
Vick was unstoppable, incredible, and though it might sound a bit cliche...Invinceable.
You could tell he was going to have a stellar game from the start. How you may ask? Well it could have been the glimmer in his visor that gave it away, or perhaps it was the 88-yard touchdown pass to Desean Jackson on the first play from scrimmage. You be the judge.
Vick led the Eagles to touchdowns on every one of their possessions in the first quarter. That's right I said the first quarter. No one could believe what they were watching. It was 28-0 Philadelphia in the first quarter. But hey, teams have had some pretty phenomenal quarters before right? Maybe it was just luck? Nope.
First play in the second quarter Vick drops back to pass, looks right, and fires a bomb to Jeremy Maclin. It's a 48-yard touchdown pass. The Eagles are now up 35-0 with 3 quarters left to be played. That's right Vick gets almost 3 more full quarters to pad his stats.
He finished the game with unthinkable statistics. He completed 20 of 28 passes for 333 yards, 4 touchdowns, and no interceptions. That's a passer rating of 150.7, can you say MVP? It's hard to believe Vick put up those numbers passing isn't it? He's supposed to be known for his running. Well he did some of that too. He racked up 80 yards on 8 carries, and added 2 more touchdowns on the ground. That's 6 touchdowns total in the game. That's ridiculous...ridiculously awesome. The kind of awesome that sets and breaks records.
With the performance, Vick became the first player in NFL history to have 300 plus passing yards, 50 plus rushing yards, 4 passing TD's, and 2 rushing TD's in a single game. He also surpassed Steve Young (who just happened to be commentating this game) for second place on the All-time Quarterback Rushing Yards list. He now trails only Randall Cunningham, who was considered the first "Ultimate Weapon" quarterback, and who ironically enough also played for the Philadelphia Eagles. We definitely know who the "Ultimate Weapon" is now.
The NFL Hall of Fame requested Vick's jersey from him after the game, which will be put on display in Canton. Talk about foreshadowing. If Vick keeps up this level of play, he'll certainly join his jersey in the Hall one day. He's got plenty of time left before that though, with plenty of records to break (along with defenders' ankles).
One things for sure though, it'll be hard for him to surpass the night he had against the Redskins. Then again, he is Michael Vick. He makes the impossible possible.
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.
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