Tech Sports Blog

FYI – Don’t be alarmed by the passwords I’m using to protect new posts. Posts are only protected for a few days after they’re published on HokieHaven.com.

[The following post was published at HokieHaven.com on October 29, 2007.]

The build-up to Thursday night’s game was palpable during the week and a half following the Hokies victory over Duke. Boston College had reached #2 in the rankings, and the Hokie Nation was ready to knock them off in a Thursday night game on ESPN. A quiet confidence seemed to permeate the fans, the coaches, and the players. Although we were banged up, we knew we could beat Boston College, and Thursday didn’t seem to arrive quick enough. During the wait, Boston College head coach Jeff Jagodzinski got sick of hearing about how tough it was to play in Lane Stadium on a Thursday night. He bristled at the suggestion that the crowd would affect the game. “They have lights,” Jagodzinski had stated, suggesting that’s all they needed for a night game. Virginia Tech fans took his comments as a lack of respect for the hostile environment for which they were responsible. Messages boards buzzed, Facebook groups were created, and Hokie Nation was hellbent on making Lane Stadium roar with the ferocity of past seasons

When Thursday night finally arrived with cool weather and lots of rain, the fans were not deterred, and I got to experience one of the most entertaining 55 minutes of football I’ve ever seen in Lane Stadium. Virginia Tech’s offense made few mistakes, they even had some success running the ball, the defense absolutely stifled Matt Ryan’s high powered passing attack, and the Hokie crowd was as raucous as I’ve ever seen. The driving rain seemed to stir the fans’ spirits and make us yell even louder. The cool air could not penetrate our determination to do whatever we could to positively affect the outcome of the game.

For virtually the entire game, we felt like we were succeeding.

Then it happened. I cannot pinpoint exactly when or what it was, but I realized “it” happened when it was too late. We took our collective foot off the gas. Was it when Vince Hall was whoopin’ it up on the Virginia Tech sideline during a late-game interview? Was it the faked field goal attempt where we pooched a punt inside BC’s 10 yard line? Was it during the ensuing BC drive that resulted in their first points?

When Matt Ryan completed pass after pass during the Eagles’ first scoring drive, my good friend Kevin Jones experienced a familiar feeling set in.

Kevin (not the football player) writes, “As a high school athlete, I had been in that same position so many times before. Obviously I’ve never been in a spotlight as large as the one in which the Hokies were on Thursday night, but I’ve had that same feeling none the less. The Hokies played such a heartfelt battle, and they dominated the number 2 team in the country for 55 excruciating minutes of soaking wet football. However with 4:16 left to play, they were no longer playing to win the game, they were trying not to lose. This mode of play is so hard to avoid in games that you were unsure of to begin with. You are surprised at the way you have played so far, and you try so hard just to make it to the end of the game. Once playing not to lose, it is almost inevitable that you will. You get the “dang, this can’t be happening!” feeling, and you try to stop the bleeding. Then what can go wrong, does go wrong, and the game that was once in hand turns into defeat.”

While we watched the game clock tick down towards what seemed like inevitable victory, that exact scenario played out. Matt Ryan brought Boston College back from the dead. Lane Stadium went quiet.

It was probably one of the toughest losses I’ve experienced as a Hokie. There are a few from ’98 that hurt, the letdown of 2003 was embarrassing, and last season’s Chick-fil-A Bowl loss was particularly bitter. This one is in a different category. It’s in the “snatching defeat from the jaws of victory” category. We had the game won, and we blew it.

Many Virginia Tech fans are debating the causes of the loss. Was it the lack of pressure on Matt Ryan during Boston College’s last two drives that caused the loss? Maybe it was because special teams weren’t so special? Or the offensive play calling? The injuries? Maybe if it had continued to rain we would’ve won because Ryan wouldn’t have had a good grip on the football at the end.

I just can’t play that game of “what if.” As a Cleveland sports fan, I have experienced this kind of loss many times before, and there are some defeats that just seem to be inexplainable. This is not to say that we are without flaws and that the loss on Thursday night was a fluke. I know our team has their shortcomings, and I know that it will be difficult to win 4 in a row to finish the year at 10-2. I just don’t want to get into a debate to try to explain a loss where it is impossible to pinpoint the exact cause of the defeat. I’d rather try to put the game behind me, and look towards the future.

The future is still bright for Hokie football, and there a number of positive things that came from this past weekend.

• Our anemic offense actually moved the ball on the ground. Brandon Ore had his best outing of the year and finished with 97 yards on 20 carries.
• Even with Vince Hall on the sidelines, our defense held Boston College to 32 yards rushing the ball. This is by far the lowest output of the year. The Eagles are averaging 131 rushing yards per game.
• Our two losses have come to two teams that were ranked #2 at the time of the games. One could argue that the Hokies are the best two-loss team in the nation because of this. (I wouldn’t make that argument.) Hold your head up high, Hokie Nation, those aren’t bad losses in the grand scheme of things.
• The Hokies still control their own destiny in getting to the ACC Championship Game. Before Virginia’s loss to N.C. State, Virginia Tech needed to win out to get there. With UVA losing, the margin of error has increased. A single loss to Georgia Tech or Florida State will not prevent them from playing in Jacksonville on December 1st.

My only advice for the Hokies is to cheer up. The loss was tough, but it’s not the end of the world. There is lots of football left to play, and we are still in the hunt for an ACC Championship.

[The following post was published at HokieHaven.com on October 24, 2007.]

With week 8 now in the books, we are now just over halfway through the college football regular season, and what a half season of college football we have seen! It seems like every week there have been monumental upsets, and the top 10 of the rankings have essentially been a revolving door of teams. The Hokies are back in top 10 as well, right where we thought they’d be at 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the ACC, but the road to this point has been bumpy with some unforeseen twists and turns.

Instead of rolling through our early opponents and playing LSU tough, the Hokies have had issues moving the ball on offense in those early games, and they were completely dominated in Baton Rouge. Our defense didn’t look stellar the first few weeks, our offense had a non-existent running game, a true freshman was taking snaps, and doubts crept into the minds of the Hokie Nation. After a lackluster homecoming win over North Carolina, a nervous Hokie Nation wondered if things were going to get worse before they got better.

After a nice win on the road at Clemson and during the clobbering of Duke that led toTech’s 4 straight win, a funny thing happened in Durham: the Hokies, players and fans alike, got their swagger back.

While everyone reminds themselves that it was “just Duke”, it was still the kind of lopsided win that we hadn’t seen in awhile, and it renewed our hopes of a possible ACC championship. The offense began to move the ball with ease, the defense gave Duke no room to breath, and special teams finally blocked a kick. The players were having fun, and the fans now feel a sense of genuine excitement for the upcoming stretch of games that will make or break this season for the Virginia Tech Hokies.

What stretch of games the Hokies have left on their schedule! Boston College on Thursday night for a top 10 match-up; on the road to Atlanta for another Thursday night game versus Georgia Tech; the familiar foe in the Miami Hurricanes; the much anticipated in-conference visit by Florida State; and a trip to Charlottesville to take on UVA in a game that may decide the division.

(more…)

[The following post was published at HokieHaven.com on October 5, 2007.]

What a difference a month makes. Before the season started, we expected to see the same ol’ Hokie defense, a much improved offense, and a possibly shaky kicking game. Instead, we have watched our defense play solidly, but not better than last year, we have seen our offense struggle, and we have watched our kickers excel. After five weeks of the season, one would think the questions about our offense would have been answered by now. Instead, we head to Clemson with an uncertainty hanging over our heads.

Clemson was supposed to be a road test, but an expected win, on our way to the ACC Championship Game. Everyone and their mother picked us to win the ACC this year. While that championship is very much within reach, there is much more doubt that we can achieve it. We are presently 5.5 point underdogs at Clemson, and we wonder when we will see consistent output by our offense. I have to admit, immediately after the win over North Carolina, I was expecting another Tiger-sized beatdown during our visit to another Death Valley. Clemson was looking like one of the top teams of the ACC, and we had an ugly win over a not-so-good UNC team.

However, Clemson didn’t look so hot when Georgia Tech rebounded from their loss to Virginia and beat the Tigers Saturday night. The Yellow Jackets held Clemson to 34 rushing yards on 32 attempts. That’s barely over 1 yard per carry. The more I think about it, the more I expect to see the bruising defensive struggle everyone expected to see on September 8th. Not necessarily because both teams feature good defenses, but because both teams have struggling offenses. The team that comes away the victor will have won in spite of their offense, not because of their offense. In short, it will be a typical ACC game.

What can I say about this year’s ACC? Once again, it’s a defensive-minded conference with subpar offenses, and no standout team. As a whole, the conference had a solid weekend last week. With out of conference wins over then #10 Rutgers, #22 Alabama, and Pittsburgh, the ACC did not look as bad as everyone thinks they are. However, with Clemson’s loss and Boston College’s lackluster 24-14 win over Massachusetts, there don’t appear to be clear favorites for the conference championship game. Boston College is the only unbeaten ACC team, is the only ACC team in the top 10, and they are the only team in the Atlantic division without a loss. They are 3-0 in conference play, and they appear to be in the driver’s seat for that division. However, they have a difficult conference schedule with trips to Virginia Tech, Maryland, and Clemson, and visits from Florida State and Miami. Clemson’s only loss was outside the division, so they control their own destiny in the Atlantic. Wake Forest, Florida State, and Maryland all have 1 loss in conference play, and still have most of their conference schedule remaining.

Virginia is the other ACC team with a 3-0 conference record, and they sit at the top of the Coastal division. They appear to have a favorable conference schedule with road games at Maryland, NC State, and Miami, and home games against Wake Forest and Virginia Tech. The Cavaliers haven’t proven themselves on the road just yet, and it’s quite possible they lose at Maryland and Miami. Miami and Virginia Tech are 1-0 in conference play behind UVA in the Coastal. The key road trips for the Hurricanes appear to be at Florida State, Virginia Tech, and Boston College, and their key home games are against Georgia Tech and Virginia. The Hokies remaining schedule is probably the most difficult in the division, with trips to Clemson, Georgia Tech, and Virginia, and key home games against Boston College, Florida State, and Miami.

With Georgia Tech, Duke, and UNC each with 2 losses in ACC play, you have to think that the Coastal is the a three horse race between UVA, Virginia, and Miami. On the flip side, the Atlantic division looks wide open to me. Boston College presently looks like the top team in the division and the conference, but that can change in a hurry. If I had to guess right now, I’d probably pick the Hokies to play Boston College for the conference championship. UVA needs to win some games on the road before they earn the right to be the favorite in the Coastal, and Miami’s only quality win so far was against an overrated Texas A&M squad. Our Hokies haven’t exactly proved anything either, so it’s quite possible that the Coastal division champion has 2 losses in conference.

The good news for the Hokies, if you can say that, is that the real meat of our schedule starts three weeks from now on October 25th, when Boston College comes to town. After the Clemson game, we visit Duke and then have our bye week. This gives us more time to get our problems on offense ironed out before we run the gauntlet in November. Also, Clemson is a game outside of our division. Even if we lose on Saturday night, we still own our destiny within the division: win out after Clemson and we’re in the ACC Championship Game. Yes, that’s a tall order, but there is plenty of time to right the ship.

Before I conclude this week’s post, I wanted to give a quick shout-out to South Florida. Following their upset win over West Virginia, and their rise to the top 10, I can’t help but feel excited for them and their fans. They’re experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime rise to the top of big-time college football.

I know many college football fans are scoffing at their #6 ranking in the AP Poll, and they believe Bulls don’t deserve it. Personally, I have no idea if they’re the 6th best team in the nation at this point. It’s still somewhat early in the season, and they kind of slid into their #6 ranking thanks to the carnage of the top 10. That said, give South Florida credit. They went to Auburn in week 2 and beat them. In week 3, they did what a top team is supposed to do, and they beat up North Carolina 37-10. Then they took out a national championship contender in last weekend’s Friday night game. I know there is no transitive property of college football, but consider that Auburn just knocked off Florida and we only beat UNC 17-10. South Florida has some quality wins at this point. Great job Bulls!