Virginia Tech-James Madison in-game blog
[update 10:40 p.m.] Hokies lose to JMU 21-16. You may have noticed that the blog updates just sort of…stopped. My apologies for this. I thought my heart had stopped. That last drive anatomy was interrupted by my own anatomy getting out of whack — lost circulation in extremities, arms started throbbing, room started spinning, chest started pounding. I was quite sure I was going to die.
I saw a lot of glum faces in the Lane Stadium concourse as I rolled through strapped to a gurney.
Anyway, I’ve been released from the emergency room — blood tests and EKG and such came out OK, thankfully — and will have more tests done this week to find out what the heck happened. Your jokes on the timing of this are welcome, UVa fans.
Thanks to Tech’s press box and emergency staff and the folks at Montgomery Regional. You guys were awesome. Also thanks to Randy King for coming to check on me until my wife got there, even as the biggest story in college football today was in its final chapter. Means a lot.
In the meantime, you guys have done a lot of the work I couldn’t do — pointing out the deficiencies of the O-line, the devastation of the turnovers, the failures of the staff to prepare this team properly for this game and the overall shock of this event. I wasn’t around for the famous Temple upset, but I can’t imagine it was any more stunning than this. As JMU coach Mickey Matthews pointed out earlier this week, almost all of his players are guys Tech did not want. So in that vein, a word of congratulations to JMU. This is something those guys will never forget.
As for Tech…yikes. The ACC was ransacked this weekend, and this was the center of the carnage. More on this game in the coming days — and likely weeks. Thanks for checking in on the blog during the game, guys. Next time, we’ll go four quarters.
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[IN GAME POSTS IN REVERSE-CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER]
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VT drive anatomy: Starts at VT 33. Williams runs middle for 5. Taylor scrambles left, then turns upfield for gain of 22, first down at JMU 40.
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JMU goes three-and-out. Tech takes over at its own 33 tailing 21-16 with 8:07 left in the fourth.
Drive anatomy: Starts at JMU 18. Long runs right for 6. Sullivan runs up middle for no gain. Dudzik throws incomplete. Punt.
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No faith in offensive line shown there as they elected to pass on fourth down.
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Tech turns it over on downs at the JMU 18. With 9:41 left in the fourth, it’s 21-16 JMU.
VT drive anatomy: Starts at VT 35. Holding on Tech’s Andrew Lanier, backs Tech up 10 yards. Taylor dumps off to Williams in flat for gain of 19. Williams runs up middle for 4, first down at VT 48. Taylor rolls right, decides to keep for 12, personal foul facemask on Vidal Nelson tacked on, first down at JMU 25. Evans runs right, fights for extra yardage for 4 (William Byrd alum Tyler Snow on the tackle). Evans runs middle for 1. Taylor drops back, runs up middle for 3, brings up fourth-and-2. Taylor throws over middle intended for Boykin near the goal line, broken up by Leavander Jones. JMU takes over at its own 18.
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This is surreal.
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JMU takes a 21-16 lead on a 12-yard touchdown run by Dudzik with 13:45 remaining in the fourth quarter. Drive: Eight plays, 62 yards, 4:03.
JMU drive anatomy: Starts at JMU 38. Long run left for 6, 15-yard personal foul on VT’s Morgan tacked on for tackling him late, first down at VT 41. Sullivan runs for 4. Sullivan runs up middle for 1. Dudzik hits wide open Barlow for 12, first down at VT 24. Sullivan spurts through big hole off left guard for 8. THIRD QUARTER ENDS WITH TECH CLINGING TO 16-14 LEAD. Sullivan runs up middle for loss of 1 (B. Taylor got him). Sullivan goes up middle bowls over Whitley for 5, first down at VT 12. Dudzik fakes to the back and runs around left end — nobody there — touchdown, JMU, untouched. PAT is good.
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Turnover by the Hokies. JMU takes over at its own 38 trailing 16-14.
VT drive anatomy: Starts at VT 36. Taylor scrambles right for 3. Williams starts up middle, hesitates, finds a cut and gains 20, first down at JMU 44. Taylor pass intercepted by Jonathan Williams, pass was underthrown to left sideline, Williams just cut in front and returned it 9 yards to the JMU 38.
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Who’s more upset right now: Tech fans or Boise State?
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Panic time in Blacksburg, as Dudzik runs one in from 7 yards out, it’s now 16-14 Hokies with 4:06 left in the third quarter. Drive: 14 plays, 66 yards, 7:17.
JMU drive anatomy: Starts at JMU 34. Sullivan up middle for 1. Dunzig takes a deep shot down the middle that deflects off the helmet of Eddie Whitley, incomplete. Dudzig rolls left, throws complete to Quintin Hunter about 5 yards downfield, who slips a tackle from Gouveia-Winslow and picks up 16, first down at VT 49. Dudzik drops back, then scrambles up middle (not designed) for 7. Sullivan up middle for 2. Sullivan takes pitch left for 3, first down at VT 37. Sloppy exchange by Dudzik to Sullivan, fumble, Dudzik falls on it for loss of 2. Dudzik fires complete over middle to Johnathan Sharp — who found a hole in the secondary and sat — for 17 yards, first down at VT 22. Sullivan runs through big hole up middle for 8. Sullivan runs up middle for 6, first down at VT 8. False start, JMU. Dudzik keeps left (designed) for loss of 2, B. Taylor wrapped him up. Dudzik rolls right, nobody open, throws it away. Dudzik throws over middle intended for Barlow BUT huge defensive holding call on B. Taylor, automatic first down at VT 7. Sullivan runs up middle for no gain. Dudzik keeps left, big hole around left end, nobody touches him, touchdown JMU, 7 yards. PAT is good.
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Looks like at least 20 percent of the crowd went home at halftime. Hard to blame them.
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The Hokies extend their lead to 16-7 on a 28-yard field goal from Hazley with 11:32 remaining in the third quarter. Drive: Seven plays, 50 yards, 3:28.
VT drive anatomy: Starts at VT 40. Taylor play action pass complete to wide open Coale deep over the middle for 36, first down at JMU 29. Williams runs off left tackle 4. Williams runs off left tackle for 8, first down at JMU 17. Williams runs up middle for 3. Williams runs right for 3. Williams runs middle for 1, comes up 3 yards short of first down. Hazley boots 28 yard field goal.
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First-half notes:
With his 101 yards of total offense in the first half, Taylor moved into second place on Tech’s career list with 6,171, passing Maurice DeShazo.
JMU’s TD was its first against the Hokies since 1992. In between, Tech had outscored the Dukes 90-0.
Tech hadn’t given up a pass of 77 yards or longer since 2003.
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Halftime stats:
Total yards: Tech 198, JMU 91
Taylor 8 carries for 43 yards
Williams 12 carries for 43 yards
Wilson 3 carries for 23 yards
Evans 3 carries for 20 yards
Stephon Robertson has eight tackles for JMU
So JMU has 14 total yards outside of the screen pass that went for a touchdown.
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Not what Tech fans were looking for in the first half, as the Hokies go to the locker room with only a 13-7 lead. Missed tackles on the touchdown, porous pass protection from the O-line that’s forced Taylor to constantly be on the run, no real traction in the running game. The Taylor scramble has been Tech’s biggest offensive weapon thus far. I’ll have some stats for you in a bit.
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JMU drive anatomy: Starts at JMU 27. Dudzik kneels for loss of 1. Halftime.
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Tech takes a 13-7 lead with a 41-yard field goal by Hazley with 19 seconds left in the second quarter. Drive: Eight plays, 34 yards, 4:26.
VT drive anatomy: Starts at VT 42. Taylor has time, nobody open, scrambles for 1. Williams runs left for no gain. Taylor drops back, scrambles up middle for 14 yards (not designed), first down at JMU 43. Williams up middle, pushes pile forward for 10, first down at JMU 33. Williams run right for 1. Taylor keeps left for 3 (designed run). Taylor short pass complete to Coale on the left side for 5, a yard shy of the first down, fans boo as FG unit comes on field. JMU calls timeout, :25 on clock. Hazley kicks 41-yard field goal is good.
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JMU strikes for a 77-yard touchdown reception by Sullivan on a screen. It’s now 10-7 Tech with 4:53 left in the second quarter. Five missed tackles by Tech on the play. Drive: Three plays, 70 yards, 2:03.
JMU drive anatomy: Starts at JMU 30. Dudzik keeps left for 4. Dudzik escapes one sack attempt but can’t elude Steven Friday, loses 6. False start penalty on JMU, 5 yards. Dudzik dumps it off to Sullivan near the left sideline, he appears to be bottled up after a short gain but escapes tackle attempts by Jeron Gouveia-Winslow, Friday, Taylor, Hosley and Davon Morgan, tiptoes down along the sideline, then races 77 yards for a touchdown. Kick is good.
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Tech’s O-line has not impressed thus far today.
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Hokies go up 10-0 with a 30-yard field goal by Hazley with 7:03 left in the second quarter. Drive: 10 plays, 55 yards, 3:59.
VT drive anatomy: Starts at VT 32. Dyrell Roberts takes an end around for 11, first down at VT 43. Evans runs left for 4. Taylor scrambles, tries to hit Smith about 10 yards downfield but it’s incomplete. Taylor under pressure yet again, throws on the run incomplete, BUT personal foul late hit on on Chase Williams, first down at JMU 38. David Wilson gets his first carry of the night, takes it around left end for 4. Wilson hits big hole off right guard, dashes into secondary for 17, first down at JMU 17. Wilson stutter-steps at line, goes up middle for 2. Taylor throws complete to Younger in the flat for 2. Taylor throws in flat for Evans, high incomplete (pressure from JMU’s D-line on play). Hazley attempts 30-yard FG, it’s good.
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JMU goes three-and-out again.
JMU drive anatomy: Starts at JMU 35. Sullivan runs middle for 3. JMU penalized 5 for illegal formation. Dudzik keeps left for 4. Dudzik sacked by Antoine Hopkins for loss of 9. Punt.
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Injury report: Battle has left knee sprain, will not return. Not good at a position with little depth to begin with.
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Hokies turn it over. JMU takes over at its own 35.
VT drive anatomy: Starts at VT 21. Taylor scrambles for 2. Taylor sacked by by D.J. Bryant BUT Bryant is called for a personal-foul face mask penalty, first down by penalty at VT 38. Evans run off left tackle for 12, first down at midfield. End of first quarter: Tech leads 7-0. Williams run middle for 5. Williams picks his way up middle for 10, first down at JMU 35. Taylor fumbles as he’s scrambling, JMU’s Chase Williams recovers. Might have been slick ball — nobody hit him.
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JMU goes three and out.
JMU drive anatomy: Starts at JMU 32. Jamal Sullivan runs up middle for no gain. Drew Dudzik keeps left for 1. DT Kwamaine Battle shaken up. Dudzik short pass complete to Brian Barlow for loss of one, wrapped up by LB Bruce Taylor. Punt.
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Rain is really coming down now.
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Hokies strike first on a 9-yard TD pass from Taylor to Boykin. With 3:24 left in the first, it’s 7-0 Hokies. Drive: 17 plays, 94 yards, 8:48.
VT drive anatomy: Starts at VT 6. Ryan Williams up middle for 1. Tyrod Taylor dumps it off to Kenny Younger for 10, first down at VT 17. Williams takes pitch, jukes a tackler and picks up 9. Williams runs left for no gain. Darren Evans takes handoff up middle and hurdles pile for 4, first down at VT 30. Taylor deep pass intended for Danny Coale knocked away by cornerback Mike Allen, incomplete. Taylor designed run right, collared after 3-yard gain. Taylor dumps off to Evans in flat for 8, first down at VT 41. Williams run right for 1. Taylor quick pass to tight end Andre Smith for 8. Taylor QB sneak for 2, first down at JMU 48. Williams run middle for 2. Williams run off left tackle for 2. Taylor scrambles for 18, first down at JMU 26. Taylor rolls right, throws complete to Coale for 16, first down at JMU 11. Williams run right for 2. Taylor has plenty of time, throws over the middle in the end zone complete to Jarrett Boykin, touchdown, Tech, 9 yards. Kick good.
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This Noble kid was suspended for JMU’s last game, so that’s why he wasn’t on your JMU two-deep roster in your morning paper.
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JMU gets one first down then must punt.
JMU drive anatomy: Starts at JMU 22. Scott Noble gashes up the middle for 14, first down at JMU 36. Noble up middle for no gain. Noble up middle for 3, fumbles, recovered by JMU. Time out, JMU. Kerby Long runs right, gets upended by Jayron Hosley after a gain of 2. Nice stop there by Hosley. Punt takes a big JMU roll to the VT 6. 53-yard punt.
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Tech wins toss and defers. JMU to get the ball first.
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Game time temperature:59 degrees.
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Rain has started to fall here at Lane Stadium about 10 minutes away from kickoff.
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Gotta love the honesty of JMU coach Mickey Matthews: “We have 60 guys on our busses — 60 guys they didn’t want — so it’s kinda comical to think we can go down there and beat them.” Actually, there is one guy on the team that Tech wanted: nickelback Peter Rose, who led the Dukes in tackles last week. He’s also listed as a backup safety. If you’re unfamiliar with his story, here’s a great piece by Nathan Warters from the Lynchburg News & Advance.
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Tech redshirt freshman J.R. Collins is making his first career start at defensive end today in place of the injured Chris Drager.
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The closest of six previous meetings in this series was a 27-6 victory by the Hokies in 1988.
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The Hokies have won 32 straight nonconference home games.
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Greetings from Blacksburg, where we’re about an hour away from kickoff of Virginia Tech against JMU. Overcast day but very comfortable — football weather.
Virginia Tech is listed as a 31.5-point favorite.
September 11, 2010 - 12:24 PM
JMU ran well last week, and the Hokies had trouble against Boise St. Any chance JMU finds success today?
Al Groh’s defense is not looking like much in the early going against KU.
Go Hokies. Speaking of defense, anybody know what happened to Duke and Wake’s? 35-35 at half
After losing to North Dakota State and scoring all of 3 points last week, Kansas takes a 20 to 17 lead over Georgia Tech.
The VT O-Line was overwhelmed last week as well. What is the deal here? Is Becton THAT important?
Deep TD pass. Looks like we still need to worry about the D
What is the deal with the white uniforms at home?
Maybe trying to reverse the all black mojo from last week
Some observations…I think our D-line is looking far better at disrupting JMU’s O-line, but that was a blown coverage when JMU ran for that TD. I think Ryan Williams need to quit dancing around, lower his shoulder, and run like he did last season. Darren Evans is looking good. David Wilson is probably the guy I will call more often. Tyrod needs to spread the ball around, involve our receivers more (especially getting the ball into Boykin’s hand more often). I don’t blame the fans for booing the FG unit…we need to be building leads, not being too conservative, which is the problem with VT over the years. That was the mistake Stinespring made in the Boise State game…with 5 minutes left, he decided to run more than play action, and that may have been pivotal in helping Boise State mount a winning drive.
Wake leading Duke 41-38. Looks like Stachitas has been able to answer some questions at QB for Wake.
Love living in FloriDUH. ESPN is carrying the FIU game on two channels
At least we can beat GT. Al Groh’s D has surrendered 28 to the KU team held to 3 by North Dakota State last week.
If Kansas beat GT, we need to study their film and see how they were able to contain the triple-option spread that GT runs.
Another TD pass for Wake
Good open space tackling on the edges for KU
GT having to pass more with 8:55 left.
Aaron, what’s your thought on VT’s offensive line? Why aren’t they creating holes for our “stable” of running backs to get those yardages we are so used to seeing?
GT receivers can’t catch and they don’t have an uptempo offense. Two of the reasons most schools abandoned the triple option in the 70′s.
Then as I type, Nesbitt throws a 40 TD to Hill. KU DB looked lost
Wake looks smaller than Duke, but they hit hard
Randy, the triple-option is old school, but it still works.
We had better hope that JMU has a super D, because it looks like we are having trouble
Trevor–Just flat out getting beat physically, particularly on the left side.
The O-line isn’t creating holes big enough for Williams to do his magic…so frustrating.
Aaron, wasn’t that the biggest concern everyone had at the left side?
GT just got a big bonus from a KU bone head play – tackled the punt returner before the ball got there.
Hopefully we are a poor rain team. Maybe we are losing some of our speed to a sloppy field?
Wake driving to finish off Duke. GT trying to take the lead. Hokies, come on
Distinctly unimpressive VT performance. Defense allowing a long drive–not one of the freak missed tackle things like the screen pass and the 71 yd td run on Monday.
KU just stopped GT’s last drive and with 1 minute left, that is a big loss for the ACC.
Wake just took complete control of their game. Our D must be looking horrible
Boise State takes a big hit if we lose this. I wanted us to stop all that talk, but not this way
Good grief, a good D play turned into a penalty.
This should help in-state recruiting
Our D is just plain awful. Our linebackers are having trouble adjusting and stopping the run. If they keep playing like this, we can forget about winning the ACC. I think Georgia Tech is going to win the ACC again.
We just got featured on ESPNU! Yuck
I think the ACC gets it’s FSU/UM matchup unless they look worse than we do. The Duke game gets really scary now
I think I can say that Tech fans are the more upset–especially after the interception.
We are now featured on College Overdrive. Upset of the day
I think VT plays much better when they are NOT ranked at all.
Big emotional test for the Hokies
Man, we cannot tackle
I guess Bud will taking some of the heat from Bryan now.
All JMU VT on College overdrive now.
Say goodbye to the top 25 if we lose. We are wishing we didn’t play on Labor Day now. Boise probably wishes the same
It’s not tackling that’s the problem, it’s the linebacker not adjusting on the fly. They are reacting, not anticipating, and that’s what Aaron wrote a few weeks ago.
Anybody remember the game against Nebraska? It’s starting to look like it.
The defense is looking like a jv high school team. Untouched from the eleven? Where are the linebackers and safeties?
Forget Monday–this game really shows the quality or lack thereof of the VT team.
The O line can give Williams no chance at all
With holding, no less.
Well, I won’t be watching this game anymore because the Flash plug-in keeps crashing on me. I’ll check on the score later.
O-line – standing straight up. my pee-wee coach would be ticked
Tyrod Taylor is willing us to win. Evans is fighting as well. Hope we don’t have to settle for another FG
give me a break. this is disgusting. let the coach firings begin!
fourth and two, and they throw–once again, Taylor underthrows an open receiver. Just like the BSU game.
Oklahoma is up on FSU. Could the ACC lose every game out of conference today? Well Clemson has Presbyterian
there is just no reason for this…. a letdown maybe … even a couple big plays to their side but not to be outplayed by a AA school for 3 quarters straght…. I am barfing
hey Aaron, this is really ZUM KOTZEN !!!!!!!!!!!
Anyone think VT will cover the 31.5 point spread?
National Championship hopes? good god ……
We are in line for the upset of the year, so far, per ESPN
I wish VT didn’t give Beamer that extension. Stiney got to go. he is being too [expletive] conservative.
great coverage on overdrive. FUMBLE! GEEEEEZ
Evans fumbles when it looked like we were making an emotional statement. 5:21 left. Holy Cow
fire the coaches. take away the player’s apartments, cars and girlfriends! send them to class. fold the team. @#%$%^^!#^&(*&*(
Having an attack of Touret’s (with apologiesto anyone who has this illness aong their friends or family).
This is awful….
Tech has not punted, have they? Three turnovers, no takeaways.
Now I am wondering why on Media Day everyone pick VT to win the ACC. Explosive offense? Please, they look like a bunch of pee-wee football players trying to get something.
good for Madison. They are kicking our ass. They’re working hard and deserve to be rewarded.
I just can’t believe it. WTF – OVER?
East Carolina are going to kill us next week. I wouldn’t be surprise if Beamer gets a lot of hate call during his radio shows.
By the way, Aaron, you have misspelled “blog.”
1998 Temple game?
Well take that Boise! Shows how good you are!.
What an order. We STINK!!!! WHO WAS Kidding who pe-season?
I mis-spelled “ODOR”. WE STINK !!!!!!!!!!!!
garry, angry, aren’t we?
I just told my best friend that I think that VT is a program on the decline. God, I miss Bryant Randall, at least he could beat anybody with his arms or legs. And, I wish we had Vince Hall and Xavier Aibdi reincarnated…
Back to the drawing board. What happens when we play a real team?
Roughing the punter. Classic ending, VT.
One roughing per week. Worst D and Special teams for us in forever
That’s why I think college football needs scrimmage games against OTHER team before the season kicksoff.
Isn’t there a better way to get back at Boise than this?
I have a prediction for y’all…we will go 0-10 this year for the first time ever.
I think we lost Aaron…. I don’t really think that a scrimage would help us. Miami leading OSU and FSU still has no D Adios fellow Hokies. Reminds me of the 70′s when I was in school and the stadium was empty.
LOL…. I am laughing so hard it hurts!!!! Way to go JMU!!!…or should I say Va Tech!!! I told you Techies that you were in for a heck of a season..!!!GO HOOS!!!!!..anb tell Beamer to run down to the bike store and buy some tube patches,,, you have a few holes to fix…LOL..
JMU is a quality team
Tech still has a chance at a national championship. LSU lost 2 games and went on to win.
That TT as ACC player of the year prediction looks to be in serious jeopardy.
as long as Tech makes it back to a bowl game…that’s all that matters
Well, oooops! I wrote before the season that the road to the much vaunted Hokie Nat’l Championship would run through Atlanta and Chapel Hill. Uh..I sure missed Boise and HARRISONBURG.
But, gee Hokums, Real Tech lost to Kansas today. We just have to stop reading our own clippings and drinking our own bath water. It will be sorta interesting to see who the winner of the ACC tech toilet bowlwill be.
Go rest of the ACC. A Tech of any stripe is overrated big time! But, I would say VT wins that particular banner for now.
national championship? are you delusional? vpi is finished. weak offense and weaker defense.
Jason! Are you biting your tongue or thinking about a Cross country Nat’l Championship?
Jason:
Toilet Bowla.k.a Humanitarian Bowl, maybe
Jason is trying to find some hope in Blacksburg…Jason look in a bar..your best bet will be there….
Priceless!! Lol.
Hey I just saw an interview with Weaver and he said Tech really wanted to play the JMU game in November but agreed to play it today for the ACC and the internet contract!
Defense doesn’t learn. TB ride QB keep should work once, not every time. Poor tackling on D, poor execution on offense. But as always Tech’s halftime adjustments suck! We always get out maneuvered in the second half by opposing coaches. It will take a monumental coaching effort to get this team back on the right track. This could be a .500 year.
.500 ya’ll hope! I see as always that it’s poor everything by VT. Give us all a break. You weren’t playing cardboard cutouts. Why not just tip your hat to a team that came into about a tough a place to play as any, and they ate the contents of your lunch bx.
uh oh, another week of listening to EXCUSES..
So, Coach Beamer, what happaned today to cause you to lose to an FCS school in Lane? ‘Sniff, sniff… Well, they were really flying around out there… sniff, sniff… and getting after the ball… We’re gonna improve, and we can still come back and have a ten win season. You know, only two teams have had ten win seasons the last six years, sniff sniff… And we’re one of them. So that just goes to show ya… sniff, sniff’
I saw Drew Dudzik, the quarterback for James Madison U., play in high school, and I thought he was good enough to walk on for an ACC school. James Madison might be good enough to beat quite a few ACC schools! These things happen. But personally, as a UVa fan, I’m hoping this enables UVa sway the minds of some in-state recruits.
Virginia Tech’s loss was more than just an upset. Teams are going to force Virginia Tech to prove they can throw the ball. Tech has three fantastic running backs.
Can Virginia Tech’s quarterback for next year throw the ball? Sure, he’s 6-6 and 250 pounds and a great athlete. But can he pass the ball at the college level? I saw him play and I think at the right school, he’d be a great passer. But I don’t see any indication that Tech has the right offensive co-ordinator to teach him the passing game.
Man, I didn’t realize there were so many fair weather Hokie fans out there. I just set in the rain for 4 hours and watched one of the worst loses ever suffered in B’burg. But, I’ll be there again next week cheering on the Hokies and hoping for improvement. The Hokies got outplayed today. Okay, it’s over with, let’s move on. Support your team or move on.
Justafan, Is it possible that not everyone is a hokie fan?
If Mike London can pull off a couple of upsets this year he may be able to close the gap between VT football and UVA football significantly over the next three years. Today was merely further evidence that the old saying “what goes up must come down” has application to college football.
Justafan, my husband and I were there today, tho we left in the 3rd because I was cold and wet (hole in the poncho!!). We listened to the rest of the game on the radio on the drive home. It was horrible, to say the least. One of the worst losses I’ve seen.
That being said, I’ll be in my seat at Lane Stadium again next week for Orange Effect, screaming “Let’s Go Hokies” at the top of my lungs.
Watchdog, there are no excuses. Tech got outplayed, plain and simple.
I couldn’t have stated it better than my friend at firebrianstinespring.com:
I just stood in the rain for 3+ hours for that.
I’m done.
Not another dollar. Not another moment. Not one more iota of my time or effort.
Until Jim Weaver and Frank Beamer are willing to make a change, I’m not willing to donate another dollar or moment of myself to Virginia Tech football. If you’re not going to give me your best, you won’t see [bleep] from me.
It’s raining. We’re playing a 1AA (or FBS or non-AQ or whatever the [bleep] you want to call it). Let’s run shotgun, all day.
Goodbye.
I was at the Boise game. I was at the OB against cinci. I go whenever I can afford it. I have been following them since 1996. (my wife to be was a student there) I love VT. I would like to have gone there myself. I know the fashion is to howl for stiney’s head. I have done that. I have been doing deeper thinking. The unit that is poor year in and out regardless of talent is the line. I think I am going to howl for Newsome’s head. As for the post game interview, what is Frank going to say? Gee we really got our rears kicked…we suck? Yes, let’s insure a crap season by having the coaches publicly condemn the players and each other. Bud Foster will get the tackling issue resolved. I believe him wholeheartedly on that. If not, it is going to be a year in he’ll for the defense. He will make it that way. He warned that he was having this issue up front. On the other hand……Stiney, Newsome……where is that offense you promised? Someone lied to us about that offense. Tyrod’s feet are our team right now. The best tailbacks will not help a team whose OL cannot open a lane. I am not a fair weather fan, but I do want it fixed. I don’t want Frank or Bud gone, but the offense coaches are game. Bud gets a stay because he produces and he dramatically improves. If he goes for ten years without having a good unit, then maybe he can go. I wonder if last years offense simply exceeded their coaches.
Everybody is talking about offensive issues…Tech didn’t punt a single time, right? They moved the ball, even though they still have an issue with line play. Three turnovers in plus territory were killers. Also, TT has not been accurate on his throws–he seems to be looping the ball up, and is definitely underthrowing open receivers, as on the 4th down plan.
The defense is the real issue. Giving up 21 to an FCS school is not going to get it done. When they need, absolutely need, a stop, they haven’t been able to get one. Two scores (one each week) of over 70 yards with broken tackles and then a breakout. Then, long multi-play drives. The touchdown run from the 11 was embarassing for a supposedly top rank defensive organization–everybody crashing in trying to be a hero, rather than maintaining their positions on an option. Aaron himself could have trotted that one in.
So, should everyone be fired? Of course not–but this team has considerably more concerns than Hokie fans would prefer. As for the Hoo fans who are living the schadenfreude life–it’s easy to laugh now, but the season still has many weeks to go.
For my Hokie friends:
BRIAN’S LIMERICK
The alumni and fans from Vatek
Were prideful and arrogant as heck
And now they’re all mad
Cause their offense is bad
And their season’s been left in a wreck
Well, maybe The Roanoke Times will now give JMU more than two inches of column on Sunday.
Ken, the defense does have tackling issues. As I said, Foster will get that fixed…or it is going to be a season in hell for the defense during practice. If the offense had been that which was promised, then those drives would have been touchdowns. Maybe JMU still scores 21, but VT scores 49. You are falling into the same trap as Beamer. You are thinking…defense wins games. Again true, but with a great offense you win games big, and your defense can have an off week or two and you can cover. Right now, and for the past decade, if the defense has a bad day, we lose. The offense doesn’t have the firepower to simply outscore the opponent. Until the coaches actually put together a complete team, we will not go any further than we have. Where we have gone has been impressive if you consider we haven’t had a good offense since the days of Bryan Randall. That was no thanks to the offense coaches. I think that was due to Bryan Randall’s leadership qualities. Coach Beamer simply believes in all defense all day. That works….if your defense is perfect all day every day.
I’m suprised no one on here has mentioned anything about the scheduling yet. Three out of the past four years Tech as opened with a named or highly ranked team. Most of the other big boys do not do this because there is nothing to gain and everything to lose. Tech moved (with a push from TV of course)the Boise game from Oct 2 until labor day. Then moved JMU from Nov to today and it cost Tech both games. Look at what Oklahoma did- scheduled Utah St then a quality opp in FSU and now they are off and running. With the way Beamer schedules it is hard to get any momentum early in the season. He needs to rethink the way he schedules early in the season. His way is not working at all!
No need to panic everyone. The Hokies are in a rebuilding year. I’ve known Bryan for many years. He’s very dedicated to finding solutions. At the end of the day players need to execute.
Glad you are ok Aaron. I am sure many fans were sure they were suffering from symptoms. The way you left off did it just fine….it was surreal.
Jason, tell Bryan that he has maybe a couple of minor issues. He needs to execute.
I think we have all gotten a little spoiled by 10 win seasons. You can’t expect us to play for a national championship every year.
The Hokies are in a rebuilding year? On offense? Jason who are you trying to kid. The scheme sucks and the exec ution sucks. The talent is there.
It is being grossly misused. The blocking schemes are terrible. The play calling is unimaginative and incosistent. Its coaching.
You can’t expect 10 win seasons every year but with the talent we are suppose to have this year, expectations were high. Other top 10 schools play and win with true freshmen, Tech redshirts virtually all of their true freshmen. So the youth excuse is lame. They have a year to develop them mentally and physically. There is an element in pre-game prepartion that is missing. Their bowl prep was horrible for years. After the embarrassment of the Kansas game, he changed the way he prepares for bowl games.He needs to change his pre-season preparation. Right now he needs to take the first team offense and defense and scrimmage them until they drop. They need to hit and be hit to learn the ins and outs of blocking and tackling. In the previous games not only did they miss tackles but I saw our offensive linemen knocked straight back on their butt. Also just one time I would like to see Beamer pull a mistake prone player over and just chew his a** off instead of walking up and down the sideline with that sh** eaten grin on his face.
No one needs to worry about where Tech will be ranked this week in the polls because the coaching staff will worry about trying to get that first win before October. 2nd game in a row that Bud Foster said we can fix this. What will he say next week? ( we tried to fix this but we don’t have the right tools!) By the way the HOOS lost 17 to 14 to USC. Its a sad day in the ACC when the only school that won today was DUKE. I’m switching conferences!!!
Duke lost to Wake Forest, right, 54-48?!
Poor Boise State ,,they get screwed again. It will be said at the end of the season…”no quality games on their 2010 schedule, kept them out of contention for a chance to play in the National Championship Game”
Jason, you are in denial. One thing is for certain..the Hokie coaching staff has done their job with this boy!! He is a true brain washed beliver. Now will Jason blame the loss on poor weather conditions or something like they the game meal was bad….NO more excuse’s Jason.
David F–I strongly disagree regarding the defense/offense discussion you bring up.
You are right that 16 points isn’t much to hang your hat on. What would you suggest? They didn’t punt, so I wouldn’t say their schemes were not working. The interception was terrible execution, the fumbles were poor execution. The fourth down pass was poor execution. So, is the answer working them “harder” to improve execution?
I still say that giving up three long touchdown drives to JMU is the type of performance which is truly uncharacteristic. They looked confused on the field, and are allowing dozens of yards after contact. The games that VT has played in recent years against “less strong” teams (Ohio U, Marshall, Furman, W&M) scored no more than
Oops–hit the wrong key-scored no more than 10 points each.
Fine start for the ACC–the signature win for the non conference season is UVA’s three point loss at USC and Maryland’s win over Navy (and Morgan State).
Hey Aaron – I read your blog almost every day but don’t often do blog comments – just want to say that I am very glad that you are all right. I wondered what had happened to you when your blogging stopped so abruptly, but thought it was the post-game press conferences, etc. Your experience sounds frightening – wishing you all the best.
P.S. NOT happy about VT’s loss, but congratulations to JMU. I know how great it feels to pull off a major upset like that.
I appreciate the productive feedback. The truth is every team has a rough patch. Perhaps the media built up this team more than they should have. I don’t know how the coaches can be blamed for a dropped pass in the endzone and a fumble on the closing drive. Poor execution by the players not the coaches. The offensive coaches put this team in a position to win the game 2 different times and they did not get it done.
Also want to wish Aaron the best–I had thought that he may have lost his internet connection….I guess in a way he did.
Well, this year, we can safely say that UVA may be the best team in Virginia. If there’s anytime that UVA needs to jump back up in the recruiting battle it would be this year, a year that VT is definately losing control of a destiny it was in control of. No one spoke of VT’s offensive line that is way too young…same running backs, different line. It just shows you that you have to be a complete team to some capacity to really be a championship caliber team. Tech will not win the ACC this year (obviously) and it’s pretty safe to say that they will lose at the least two more games. UVA didn’t look too bad (at USC) and Miami looks as if they will handle business at home vs VT later in the season. These two VT losses will hurt their recruiting in a state where there’s not a lot of super high talented players in contrast to the teams filling out the top 10 or even 15 schools. That’s why VT has been the only Virginia team in the top 25 for a while (a long while). You will see more Percey Harvin players doing what he did and going out of state to get exposure and championships. VT is hurting their school more down the road than even right now.
Good Luck Frank Beamer and by all means, don’t get too comfortable with your job.
Aaron, glad the blood tests and EKG was ok. Hope the other tests determine it was only a minor glitch. Sounds like the same thing that happened to my uncle many years ago; he’s been doing fine ever since. I would not have thought either the Hokies or Cavs games would have turned out like they did (but,and); it’s early in the season!
Thanks very much for the kind words, guys. Much appreciated. Think everything’s going to be fine health-wise. I’m working on a column for tomorrow.
Aaron: I am glad you are okay. Like you, and like everyone else on this page, I love football, but sometimes we forget how unimportant this little college boys’ game really is…. Your health is most important; here’s wishing continued good health for you….
Ok people, don’t get too overboard. If we are playing this badly two weeks from now, then we will talk about UVA. UVA lost in spite of numerous opportunities in USC territory. I have to say, London has that team looking much better, which confirms that Groh simply did not fit as UVA’s head coach. We played Boise like crap and still was one play from a win there. We played JMU even worse and was a single play from a win. We are two plays and nine points from being undefeated. Would we deserve being undefeated—-not at all. We have what we deserve. Yes, Foster will fix the tackling. You talk like they had all the time in the world. They did Boise on Monday. They likely did not do crap on Tuesday…..remember they have to get classwork done too. They had weds and thurs. I expect a huge improvement for the ECU game. If our performance makes ECU overconfident….good. What we won’t see a huge improvement on is the offensive line…if past years are any indicator.
The problem with VT is that Beamer recruits athletes and fottball players but not guys with character. When the going gets tought, his players fold, they never win the really important games, thus the Chokies moniker. Start recruiting guys who can play AND have character then VT will become a true elite team. Until then, VT will always be overrated underachievers because that’s what Beamer recruits. No character, just a band of thugs.
The good news is we haven’t lost an ACC game yet. After the Boise State loss, the next goal was to win the ACC. That can still be accomplished. Even if we lose next week. What really matters is winning in our conference. I know Bud and especially Bryan will get this corrected in time for Boston College.
Jason, are you Coach Beamer ? Your post sounds familiar.
DISASTER. Utter and complete disaster. No silver lining. No good news. No “perspective”. No possible recovery. The ACC is awful this year and we are the poster children of that awfulness. The may be reasons but no acceptable excuse. For those who have long ACC memories, this is the moral equivalent of “Black Friday” from NCAA Hoops Tourney 30 years ago.
If the ACC rep wins the Orange Bowl then the other team either didn’t belong in the game or didn’t care because they missed the BCS Championship shot. If the other side wins then it confirms the ACC sucks.
Aaron, I am glad you are OK and kudos to Randy King. If we meet, we can swap stories. I believe the correct medical term for what happened is “just one of those things”.
Jason you would be correct in your statement if indeed Tech did play for a national title every year. The fact is, they only played for one and got blown out. Get over it.
Aaron glad you’re OK. Wondered what happened to you. Now lay off those turkey legs when you cover the Tech games.
We have to remember that these players are 19 year olds. They are going to make mistakes. I applaud Beamer and his staff for doing so well over the years.
We still have a chance to make this a great season. Support the Hokies and their coaching staff. You’re either for the Hokies and their coaches or you’re against them. You choose.
Jason–I’m sorry, but I don’t believe it’s either “for” or “against”. The third option is being more objective and analytical about the team, even if one roots for them, as I do. Also, I, personally, don’t have any chance whatsoever of making it a great season–I’m not part of the “we” even if I want them to win. I believe the same is likely to be true of virtually everyone who participates on this blog–unless, as other Tony asked, you are actually Coach Beamer. The ability to make it a great season is up to the team, its coaches and players.
Fans sometimes get very frustrated with media because they report non favorable items about their teams, thus earning “against” status. The fact that it is unpleasant doesn’t make it untrue–talk to UNC, USC, Tennessee, etc.
I wonder how many whiners on this blog actually have played a down in football. Frank is the second-winningest active coach (tied with Jim Tressel) behind Joe Paterno. How quickly we are to forget. During his tenure, the Hokies have evolved from independent status to a member of the Big East Conference to a member of the ACC. His teams have won three Big East Championships and three ACC Championships. Under Frank, Tech football has enjoyed unprecedented success with 17 consecutive bowl appearances. The fact is…winning the ACC is probably as good as it’s ever going to get with the talent that Tech is able to recruit.
Aaron, I’m glad to know you are okay. I was wondering what happened when you stop posting…now I know why. That was surely a frightening experience, and be thankful you got a clean bill of health. I look forward to your column tomorrow.
My last thought on the game…I think it all boils down to coaching the players, making adjustments, and tweaking with the line up if necessary. I think that Beamer made the mistake of not having enough tackling practice until the final two weeks of summer camp, and obviously showed. The coaching staff were so concerns about injuries, they didn’t do much contact drills, and I think the team is paying for that. If they didn’t want to deal with injury, then it’s time to examine the coaching staff, and see if a shake up is in order.
It was truly a bad weekend for any ACC teams to play…at least next year, Tech will be opening their season by playing Appalachian State.
Aaron, glad to hear that you’re feeling better. I can’t imagine the fear of yesterday. Relax and take care of yourself!
Wow. I wondered what had happened to the blog. Glad it wasn’t as bad as it might have seemed at the time.
PS…Tech should NEVER wear white at home again…especially after Labor Day!
Maybe it was a good thing I was on vacation and away from TV’s and radios this week and missed both losses. Yuck. Maybe it was because I spent the week in Hoo country…who knows.
Glad to hear you’re ok, Aaron, hopefully it won’t turn out to be anything when you have that further looking done.
Again youth is not an excuse. We redshirt virtually all freshmen which means they have a year in the system before they ever play a college down. This means we should be reloading, not rebuilding. Maybe the talent we recruit is not as advertised. Or maybe our coaching staff is not as advertised in the development of said players. That being said, we still don’t have the problems of USC, TENN, UNC,etc..
One of my Tiger friends said that James Madison was on top of Tech like…well, like they were Dolly!
Get well soon AM.
Nappy may have dosed you so he could get out of writing about this dog.
Did Nappy have a Bud on the way to the ER?
Congrats Dukes!
Aaron – glad to hear that you’re ok!!
Aaron,
I’m glad to hear that you are doing better. I enjoy your writing, and look forward to your blog. No jokes from this U.Va. alum, just hoping for your quick recovery.
Aaron, Glad you’re better. Take care. Like your columns and blogs.
Jason i’m going to call you out. Sorry dude. Stop with the Pollyanna routine.
I could be wrong but I believe Tech has put more kids into the NFL in the last 4 or 5 years than any school but USC. Our talent is first rate. We are not, in fact, greatly behind any other school in talent. It is true that Beamer specialized in recruiting the talent that other schools overlooked at one time, but that changed with the Vick era. The kids at Tech are not your buddies who hung out after school and tossed a ball around. These are kids who all want to hit the big time and are dedicating themselves to that end. it ain’t for nothing that VT hosts a “pro day” eery year and the NFL scouts show up.
There are less than half a dozen states that regularly produce more Division 1 scholorhship level football athletes per year than there are Division 1 scholorships avaialble. Florida, Texas, California and Virginia come immediately to mind. Schools in these state enjoy great success with their in-state kids. Every other school has to recruit regionally or nationally. As a state, Texas has so many athlets that its Division 1 program expands in 2011 with the addition of UTSA (under Larry Coker -remember him?). The sheer volume helps explain why the Longhorns are so good year in and year out.
And if you don’t know, our facilities are second to none. And the money the program generates is enormous. That money supports every other non-revenue sport. It ain’t your tax dollars that are delivering thse other great athletes we have in wrestling, soccer and track.
But it isn’t just raw material, money or facilities. Its what you do with it. The fellow at Madison clearly said he was doing it with “60 kids that Tech didn’t want”. It wasn’t some enormous state university that came to Lane and kicked our butts. It was 60 kids tech didn’t want. Do you get that? We were outplayed, outcoached and outscored by kids we didn’t want.
I understand that young people play these games and we old guys get way too wound up and invested in the outcome. My frustration with the VT program is that we suffer the same misfortunes year after year. We are in the big leagues not double A.
Losing to Madison is akin to the Yankees, with starters, losing to the VT baseball team. Possible, but not likely. it also would cause the Yankees to go back to the drawing board.
Dig?
Garry I think you are way off on the number of players Tech has put in the NFL. According to ESPN there are currently 20 Tech players playing in the NFL. UVA has 21 playing in the NFL. In the last 5 years 14 of Tech’s 21 entered the NFL as compared to UVA’s 13 of 21.
To disprove your point further I selected another “power” school at random and chose Arizona St. They put 13 players in the NFL in the last 5 years.
As for other ACC schools, Clemson put 15 players in the league the last 5 years and my beloved UNC has 11 players in the last 5 year.
Tech has had some talented players but not really as many as you think when it comes to competing with the big boys on a national level.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/college
Okay, Jason you sound more like a concerned parent, than a real football fan. You questioned if us bloggers ever played football…well, sorta bro. I was at Tech for two years in the mid 90′s. I was there when we really got things rockin and rollin in Blacksburg. Watch who and what you question. Just calm down and take it easy! No one is questioning your manhood or anything.
I heared someone say coach Beamer is one of the winningest coaches of all time. Well, that is the truth 100%, but what you fail to realize that not only has the game evolved so much since his earlier years. Up until the last 10 to 15 years he has not played the level of competition that Joe Pa or Bowden (even the WV Bowden). So you could argue the early quality of wins and level of competition.
Okay Gary Z, here we are with you. First of 70 to 75% of the players that VT sends to the NFL are from the east coast of VA. Getting there is one thing, actually being productive is another. You want to talk about D-1 recruits? Do you know how many D-1 schools are out there? Hundreds!! Virginia does not put out a lot of talent in the TOP schools. Heck! Georgetown and Miami,Ohio have D-1 programs. Temple has a D-1 program. Come on now. There’s not enough talent in VA point blank; on a high D-1 level. You mentioned Florida, California, Texas. Well, you know those states often have had multiple teams in the 25 or even top 15. We are on the verge of not even having one this year. There are by name only two BCS caliber schools in VA, one VT and two UVA. That’s it PERIOD! Both have to have super years and basically run the table to get in the conversation. UVA still may not even if they go undefeated. LOL. You are right there is a lot of talent in the commonwealth, but not many can expect to go to a school (in state) and win a National Championship. If they choose to go out of state, they most likely will be facing competition from those kids from FLA, TEX, and Cal who could not play in their own state and even they are better than the tops who come out of VA.
It was not about talent last saturday. It was VA kids playing against VA kids…okay, or the Tidewater area vs the rest of the commonwealth for the most part. A team came to play as a team and they won. They never gave up or doubted themselves. People talk about how VT was so close to winning two games..okay, first week they started out down almost 17 points. I was Boise’s mistake for thinking the game was over and they got lazy. That was how the game even got interesting. JMU should have never been within 2 touchdowns at any point of the game. They spotted us 7 points and still won! we struck first! with so much talent that hokie nation claims we have, we should have never lost the lead AT HOME.
Thaaaank you GREG! I am not anti-Hokie or (anti) any team, but you have to be real with it all. It doesn’t start at VT, it starts in the High Schools. Since VA is so full of super talent, how many national championships can the state of VA lay claim to? If the commonwealth is in the top 5 states in regards to talent where are the NCAA championships? on a football level, or even Basketball. Arguably the top two sports in the country on any level. You could throw in baseball for the sake of dialogue. I will begin my recruiting venture for the state of VA and you know, I am not going into any home and selling wolf tickets. The athlete and their family will get the truth, straight forward. I will keep you guys posted on how things are progressing. If I find some diamonds in the rough I will shoot you their names Gary Z.
Fair weather Tech fans always start blaming the coaches when things go bad. Maybe it’s time to realize the players play the game. The players fail to make big plays. The players lose discipline and make stupid penalties and mistakes at crucial times. Maybe the players think they know it all and don’t listen to the coaches like they should. Maybe the players lack some character. Maybe the players just aren’t good enough.
@152 – I disagree Jeff. Looking to the coaches to fix a team’s problems is in no way the result of being a fair-weather fan. It’s the coaches’ responsibility to lead the team, right?
If you watched the game on Saturday, did VT look like a prepared team to you? Who’s job is it to get the team prepared to play?
While it may be the players who “fail to make big plays…” it’s also the coaches who need to give the players the opportunities with their play calling to make those big plays.
You don’t think Coach Beamer prepared them? He cannot get inside every players head and control what they do. Do you think the coaches simply set up lawn chairs and let the players play hopscotch during practice? The players figured they shoulda beat the #3 team in Boise State so it must be a given that they can roll a FCS team like JMU. No matter how hard a coach tries to get that notion out of their heads, it is up to the players to get their heads on straight. Now I will say that sometimes things may get stale and a coach needs to find a different approach but ultimately it’s the players that need to listen and play. I put this last game solely on the players. No excuses, the ones that play the game need to take responsibility. Now I will blame Beamer for recruiting guys who lack character and the will to win. I do think Beamer had more success as the underdog, his players can’t handle being expected to win.
Exactly, I don’t think the players were prepared on Saturday, and it was very easy to see.
I saw a lack of tackling and blocking and too many fumbles and those things cost us the game. Yes, that’s a lack of execution. But it’s also a huge lack of preparation. How do you best practice and prepare for the contact that you’ll experience in a game? It was made very public that VT didn’t do a lot of full-contact practice last week. Even the players were quoted by the media as saying that they were hoping for more full contact tackling practice after Boise State, and they didn’t get it. As a coach yourself… I’m sure you tell your players that “you play the way you practice…”
Regarding players vs coaching…think about this: if one player or a couple players aren’t playing up to their ability…I think you can safely say the individual player is at fault for not getting prepared. When the WHOLE TEAM shows a lack of discipline, execution, and a general laziness on the field…that’s on the coaches for not leading the team in a manner that would result in a victory. The players are 18-22 year old kids who have less than 4 years of experience playing college football, and most likely less than 10 years playing any level of organized football. The coaches have decades of experience to their credit at this level and should be able to get their players fully prepared and ready to beat a team from a lower division of football.
VT got outplayed, out-coached, and out-classed in just about every respect on Saturday, and that’s inexcusable. And sadly, it’s not the only time this has happened at VT lately. They’ve dropped major bombs in bowl games, against top-tier teams, and every so often they drop a steamer like the JMU game to a team that has no business having a chance to win, let alone actually winning a game in Lane Stadium.
The ECU game all of a sudden got very interesting.
Found another site you guys might like.
http://www.drafthistory.com/colleges.html
This site shows you a schools draft history by year. Keep in mind this is just players who got drafted and a lot of them are not playing in the NFL now. Also some players (kickers) that don’t get drafted still make it in the NFL.
I did some looking around and found these numbers pretty interesting. Just looking at the first 6 rounds there is a huge dispairity in first round pick caliber players at Tech vs. other schools.
Players Drafted by Round:
VT: 1)1 2)5 3)4 4)3 5)7 6)3
UVA: 1)5 2)2 3)2 4)3 5)2 6)6
FLA: 1)7 2)4 3)4 4)5 5)2 6)2
CAL: 1)5 2)2 3)4 4)3 5)1 6)3
USC: 1)9 2)15 3)5 4)5 5)5 6)4
I think we’ll find out who the real Tech fans are this season. I suspect most on this blog probably jumped on the bandwagon in 1999.
Jason, what makes you assume that the posters on this blog are VT fans. The ones who are usually make it pretty clear. But there are plenty of others who don’t profess to be VT fans. Personally, I’m a college
football fan. I try to look objectively at whoever is playing. Being from
Va., I pull for Tech when they play most out of state schools. WWhen they
play in state schools, all of whom they should always beat except for
UVA, i pull for the underdogs. I find it refreshing when a school that is
not a football factory and has inferior talent can come up with a game plan and outcoach and outplay one of the big boys. Especially when they
can do it while maintaining academic excellence and without selling
their souls to the big time football business. Be a fan. Be loyal
to your school. But don’t be so dogmatic that you can never recognize
their shortcomings and be objective about it.
Fair enough, I was unaware of the light practice. I don’t follow every piece of news to come out of VT. Regardless of the short week, you are very right you practice like you play. I guess it was the coaches taking JMU too lightly. That being said, I don’t know how you suddenly forget to tackle or execute. I can understand some lack of sharpness but it still takes a certain amount of character and will to win to overcome. The only other possibility is VT has been horribly overrated. We shall see what happens next, if they can still salvage this season.