Monday: Sports feeding frenzy
MLB
-The Yankees take Game 1 of the ALDS in Baltimore with a five-run ninth inning. Game 2 is 8 p.m. today on TBS.
-The Nats rally to beat St. Louis 3-2 to take a 1-0 series lead. Game 2 is 4:30 p.m. today on TBS.
-Reds head back to Cincy up 2-0 on the Giants.
-Detroit takes a 2-0 series lead over the A’s as the series shifts to Oakland tomorrow.
HOKIES
-Andy serves up his five thoughts on Tech’s loss at UNC.
-The Hokies are a 9.5-point home favorite over Duke.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
-South Carolina moves up to No. 3 in the AP poll after its convincing win over Georgia. West Virginia is up to fifth after beating Texas. Alabama and Oregon hold the top two spots. Florida State falls to No. 12 after its loss to N.C. State and is the highest-ranked ACC team.
NFL
-Robert Griffin III suffers a concussion as the Redskins fall at home to Atlanta, which moves to 5-0.
-Andrew Luck throws for 362 yards as the Colts beat the Packers.
-Pittsburgh beats Philly with a field goal at the gun.
-Chiefs offense tackle Eric Winston rips fans who cheered Matt Cassel’s injury. “We are athletes. We are not gladiators,” Winston said. “This isn’t the Roman Coliseum. People pay their hard-earned money to come in here. I believe they can boo, they can cheer, they can do whatever they want … we’re lucky to play this game. It’s hard economic times, and they still pay the money to do this.
“But when somebody gets hurt … there are long-lasting ramifications to the game we play … I’ve already come to the understanding I probably won’t live as long because I play this game. And that’s OK. That’s the choice I’ve made. That’s the choice all of us made. But when you cheer somebody getting knocked out, I don’t care who it is, and it just so happened to be Matt Cassel, it’s sickening. It’s 100 percent sickening. I’ve been in some rough times on some rough teams. I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life to play football than at that moment right there.”
-The Saints beat the Chargers in the Sunday nighter for their first win in five games.
-Tonight’s game is Texans at Jets (8:30 p.m., ESPN).
NASCAR
-Matt Kenseth wins at Talladega, where a huge crash swallows up 10 of the 12 Chase contenders. “If this was what we did every week, I wouldn’t be doing it, let me put it to you like that,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. says. “If this was how we raced every week, I’d find another job.”
-Brad Keselowski remains your points leader, with Jimmie Johnson 14 points back in second.
NAME THAT TUNE
And so I cry sometimes when I’m lying in bed
Just to get it all out, what’s in my head
And I, I am feeling a little peculiar
And so I wake in the morning and I step outside
And I take deep breath and I get real high
And I scream from the top of my lungs…
October 8, 2012 - 9:04 AM
What’s Going On–4 Non Blondes
What’s Going On? The 4 Non Blondes.
Sort of an appropriate song for the Hokies this year.
At least the Tigers swept the home side of the ALDS to get the 2-0 lead going to the left coast. That was the best part of the weekend…aside from seeing NC State beat FSU.
As bad as the ACC is this year, the Big Ten may be a bit worse…ugly.
After watching the Hokies this weekend, Duke + 9.5 sounds like a lock to me if I was a betting man. We all keep waiting for them to turn it around but at this point in the season, with the schedule they have in front of them I don’t see it happening. Didn’t ever think I’d be worried about the Hokies losing to the likes of Duke, let alone worrying about the possibility of them getting blown out at home by the Blue Devils. Based on the way the Hokies’ defense has played and the way Duke plastered the Hoos, thats a very real possibility.
Biggest shocker of the weekend for me was the FSU loss. As strong and physical as the Seminoles had looked thus far, I figured that one as lambs to the slaughter, a FSU blowout. Another shining example of why I shy away from trying to pick the winners each week…never seen that one coming. NC State has now reduced the ACC to non existent in the BCS title race.
As a Hokie fan I hate to say this, but the team this weekend that impressed me the most was WVU. If their defense ever figures out how to stop someone they will be hoisting a NC trophy at the end of the season. And I believe defenses could put 14 guys out there against Gino and company and they would still find a way to score. Even after Smith fumbled the ball away twice, one in the end zone for a Texas TD, the guy just goes right back out there and calmly plays his game. Take notice Big 12, there’s a new sheriff in town and his name is Geno Smith.
What’s Going On – 4 Non Blondes
What’s going on it is. Nicely done.
Fans that cheered in KC when Cassel got injured are one sick bunch. Good football in the state of Virginia is hard to find this year. Duke looked legit so I wouldn’t be surprised if they beat VT too. No help to be had for the Cavs as they are just awful this year. I hate plate racing. That last lap was just ridiculous. Glad nobody got hurt or killed in that one. I still think Oregon may be the best team in the land this year.
Winners
The Carolinas. First, it was UNC monkey stomping Virginia Tech, and NC State dashing FSU’s and the ACC’s national title hope. Also, Clemson beat Georgia Tech (thankfully), and South Carolina steamrolled Georiga.
Losers
ACC National Title Hopes. See above.
The Commonwealth of Virginia. Enuff said.
Aaron,
What the heck is going on with the Fearless Forecasters?
This week there are 8 non D1 games on there. EIGHT!!!!!
Nobody gives a rat’s about SoVa/Brevard. Come on.
Poor slate of games this week. Poooooorrrr!
Tough year for us Hokies. Agree with Huntersdad all around.
And jeeez louise. Those Os.
Why is it that NC State beating FSU would attribute to the ACC being weak?
How come if the same exact thing happens in the SEC, it’s just good teams beating up on each other?
Don’t get me wrong, I agree that the top 1 or 2 in the SEC are usually heads and shoulders the best around. But after those top 1 or 2 teams, they’re always just another conference, like everyone else.
On the football front at Tech, one thing that I don’t understand. For several years now, after the recruiting is finished, we hear “one of the best recruiting classes ever”. What happened to those players? Did they transfer out, get hurt, thrown off the team, etc.. After 5 of the best recruiting classes ever, where did they go? We have to start recruiting positions instead of athletes. It does not matter if you are the fastest player on the field if you can’t hold on to the ball when it’s thrown to you. I watched a lot of college football this past Saturday and saw receivers on the top teams take hits that were a lot harder than ours and they held onto the ball. I’ve said many times, offensive linemen are a different breed. They enjoy anonymity, mud, hard hits, hard work. They continue to find people to block until the whistle blows. Unlike people who are moved to the OL and think one half-a** effort at a block is good enough. Defensive linemen also have a particular mindset, get rid of the blocker in front of you as fast as you can and hit somebody, anybody just to feel good. They also have to be content to close their space before they start chasing for the preess worthy tackle. I see no shedding of blocks and no closing your hole. You would think 2 defensive ends 270 lbs. and 4.4 speed would have at least 3 sacks a game each. Not there. As Beamer says get these young men in here and “coachem up”. 5 premier recruiting classes, it’s time to “coachem up” or start playing younger players and get ready for 2013.
#24
Apparently the pollsters have forgotten SC was lucky to have beaten Vandy on opening night, and a pass inteference non call saved their tails.
Spurrier and USC east are a hoax.
BCS championship game will be Alabama/WVU.
Tom, I don’t know if you saw this on Andy’s blog yesterday, but someone took the time to complie the recruiting classes from 2008-2011. It was very informative and telling.
Bob H, that is why I use Yahoo! Sports Pick because I think the FF sucks! Most of the choice on the FF roster I have never even heard of, and don’t care for them.
Concerning VT recruiting, the players and classes are over hyped, and the state of Virginia players that stay in state and go to VT or hooville are over rated. Plus, VT takes a lot of average talent from the Roanoke area, and only a small amount of them become good VT players. To compete with the ” big boys ” , the recruiting needs a BIG upgrade.
I have to agree with all the posters that have said coaching changes are needed as well as the AD position. Look back to the 2011 Orange Bowl when Stanford slapped us silly. It was due to superior coaching on Stanford’s side of the field. Harbough and several of his assistants had pro experience and it showed…our coaches looked like deer caught in headlights. With the exception of Luck as quarterback, the talent level of the players was about equal. So the Hokie coaches didn’t have a chance or a clue. I have seen this kind of season coming on for several years now…the reason we blow the big games is we are out-coached. The Hokies will never win the NC trophy until the powers at VT realize we have to make some tuff changes with the coaching staff and until so we will just be a good team in the ACC.
Some troubling stats I was looking at for the Hokies, particularly on defense. Through 6 games, 2 against really weak competition, they have amassed 8 total sacks. 8! That’s it, and good for 86th best in the nation. Against the run, this unit is terrible…ranking 101st in the country, giving up nearly 200 yards per game. For passing defense, they actually rank 27th in yards per game, also under 200 ypg, but they’ve played some run-heavy teams…and when good opponents have passed the ball, the defense has been torched. They’re 54th in passes defended, which is probably attributed to the young, inexperienced secondary. They rank 41st in interceptions with 6…1 per game. Scoring, they’re 43rd best. They still haven’t generated a score. It’s probably one of the worst VT defenses I’ve seen. It should get better, eventually, but it hasn’t this season so far.
On offense, the stats are even more murky. They’re 68th on 3rd down coversion rate, and 62nd in total first downs. But, they’re a paltry 2 for 9 on 4th down (good for 111th), which comes back on the lack of a running game…which ranks 92nd. Passing wise, they’re better at 52nd best. Add that up, they’re 87th in total yards per game and 61st in points for. Given the weakness and general inexperience with the O-line, it’s not unsurprising they’ve struggled with the running game. What is surprising is that Logan Thomas has regressed so badly. Perhaps he’s trying to make up for the lack of the run game, but his play is part of why the offense cannot find consistency. If his passing got more efficient, opposing defenses would have to defend the pass better, and that could open up the running game a bit, which, has been held under 100 yards 2 times, under 60 twice.
For the special teams, well, it’s honestly the best of the 3 units, punting and kick coverage aside…which are their weak spots. Punt average is 81st in the country for kick length, with 108th for net average…meaning the coverage team isn’t doing well (as demonstrated by the basically untouched kickoff return TD UNC got). But, the Hokies are 18th in punt return average with a TD…one of the few bright spots for the team in general. They’re also 25th in kickoff return average, with another TD. Journell has been good with his kicks, 7/8 on FG’s, 19/20 on PAT’s. If they can improve their kick coverage, their main weakness here, they’d be alright. Freshman punter will take some time, but I think he’ll be a good one.
So taking all that together, this is a remarkably average team whose 3-3 record is not the result of a couple missed plays or some bad luck. No, they’ve earned the 3-3 record fair and square. They are getting outplayed all over the field when they are facing equivalent competition. They have talent, but they’re not firing on all cylinders simultaneously. This is indeed a down year, and it was inevitable that one would happen. But I don’t think anyone saw it going this badly so quickly in the season. Sure, a lot of football remains, but generally the kind of play you have through the first half of a season is indicative of how the second half will go. Chances are, if you’re a 3-3 team throgh 6 games, you’re going to win 3 +/- 1 games in the next 6. Given the increasing toughness of the ACC schedule for VT and how they’ve played, that may be a goal that is difficult to attain. At this point, 7-5 and playing in a bowl, any bowl, would be a ‘successful’ conclusion to this season.
That should say under 100 yard 3 times, not 2…typo on my part.
I neglected to ask in my earlier post… just look at where Jim Harbough is today and does any Hokie fan think that a pro team would hire Frank Beamer or Stinespring? Not in a million years. The Hokies need some new blood in the coaching ranks, some coaches with a vision of something other than running the ball up the middle or an occasional long pass.
Hokie24, don’t know how you see it, but when the ACC’s perceived top program FSU drops a game against State, a team that gave up 44 points to Miami in a loss (who got hammered by a so-so ND team) and barely got by UConn (10-7), that makes FSU look pretty weak. Miami was thought to be on the way “back” but ND put that into perspective for everyone. Clemson made a good show of themselves against FSU earlier this season, but look at them both now. FSU lost a game on the road to a team they should have handled easily (at least to those who considered FSU “elite”) and Clemson could barely hang on against a GT team that got thumped a week earlier by Middle Tenn State. And the rest of the ACC…not even worth mentioning in the same breath as the ‘Bamas, Oregons and WVU’s of the college football world. Sad but true, the ACC is having a mediocre season at best.FSU could run the table from here on out, trouncing everyone in their path, and still not be in the NC discussion thanks to the black eye they got in Raleigh. A one loss FSU pales in comparison to a one loss ‘Bama, LSU or Oregon….maybe even a one loss USC east. Those facts make me look forward to the playoffs when at least the top four teams get a chance at redeeming themselves if they have a one game stumble along the way. The way the system works now there is little or no chance for any ACC team to do that this year.
I guess the dumpster fire that is the UVA football program spread to their new, still under-construction, practice facility…
http://www.roanoke.com/sports/breaking/wb/315092
Jokes aside, I hope no one is hurt or gets hurt, that’s a bad situation.
Huntersdad, outstanding post on the ACC’s perception. But the B1G is having it the worse. Not a single B1G team are in the top 25 in the coach poll.
The ACC is weak, and looking at the current standings, it tells the story. The only 3 undefeated teams in conference play (ok, it’s still early), are Maryland (3-2 overall, but they’re not good), Miami (4-2, maybe good but got drilled by 2 much better teams, and they have no defense), and Duke (5-1, but got destroyed by the only tough opponent they played). FSU and Clemson remain the 2 strongest programs in the league this year, both are 5-1, and have shown they are vulnerable. They’re also the only ranked teams the league has. Given the weakness of the Coastal, it’s still anyone’s race…even VT. GT is probably out due to losing to both Miami and VT. UVA should be 1-5.
But, as bad as it is for the ACC, the Big Ten is still worse. They have no ranked teams in the coaches poll (Ohio State can’t be ranked, otherwise they’d be the lone ranked team).
Thanks Trevor, what he’s pointing out is kinda what I’ve been saying all fall. I know the reason Telvion Clark was let go was a DUI charge. Seems minor compared to other Tech players charges that were kept in the program. I don’t know if he had other issues that weren’t released. I can’t remember where he went but I did notice last week that he was averaging 12-13 tackles a game where he is now. All the years I played, it was pride alone that kept me on top. I see no pride in the play of the defense. It just seems that they expect people to roll over and give up. So far, regardless what Foster and Beamer say, I don’t see players playing their a** off. I see players trying to occupy a space and not doing a good job of it at that.
Your explanation, Huntersdad, is exactly the perception that I don’t buy.
Yes, you could attach ACC schools to all sorts of loss-by-association types of comparisons, but you can do that with any school.
If the same thing happened to Bama, and a middle of the road SEC team beat them by 1 point, people would be saying “look how strong the SEC must be!”
And the statement, “…’Bamas, Oregons, and WVU’s of the college football world…”
WVU is not on the same level with Bama and Oregon. A Big East championship and 2-3 games of close wins in the Big 12 does not make you a Bama or Oregon.
Again… perception in college football is crazy! That’s all I was getting at.
I think the other Tony is very close to it. Players from the state are not up to speed on offense when they get to college ball. Most of the high schools in Texas or Florida run spread offenses. In this state a majority of schools still run some out dated offense like powerI or Wing T or something like that. Consequently their knowledge is limited on offense. Defense isn’t that bad. College football is evolving at a high rate of speed and some coaches are living 50 years in the past on offense. I think the recruiting many times is based on only physical tools when recruiters should want players not just with the tools but that have been in some kind of dynamic offense. Even my son’s little league team runs the spread at times. It sounds lame but in this case may be true It’s the schools fault these kids aren’t getting a good football education.
Wow, saw a retweet from Andy that Al Groh has been relieved of his DC duties. Blimney…
I am so sick of reading, “but the team is young” “there are no leaders” Come on! Look at what Alabama lost off their defense. Should have decimated them. But it hasn’t. they are still the class of the NCAA and could most likely beat the Browns. As far as leaders are concerned. when I played, I didn’t need a leader in the clubhouse to motivate me. My coach did that period! VT should be 2-4, and UVA should be 1-5. Both have leadership problems at the top. Frankie has never won the big game because he can’t. London is a defensive coordinator. But what big time coach can any of you think of that would really want to come to bburg or cville? Maybe a rich rod, but most of the really good coaches want to be in the SEC. thats where football is played
Bob — 8 does seem a little high. Doug picks the games each week; not sure what criteria he uses. SoVa at least is in our coverage area. Liberty, JMU, Richmond, Hampden-Sydney…they are expendable IMO.
The ball has started to roll. Groh is out at GT. So who is next? Any takers?
WV won’t beat Alabama, the Mounties are too thin and light on the defensive side. Lots of power on offense but can’t stay with the Tide. Alabama, SC and Oregon, the big three. Clemson will take the ACC if everyone remains healthy. If VT can finish with some big wins they will get another good bowl game. They are not that great but they are still a big ticket for TV. Money talks and that is what scheduling comes down to. Go Detroit Tigers!!!
FSU may not be the elite of the NCAA, but it sure is the “elite” in the ACC. FSU will win the ACC with Clemson giving them a hard run for their money. After that there is a big drop off. I look at the FSU loss to NCS a wake up call for them. They will be playing from now on to the finish like there is no tomorrow. Nothing will be taken for granted by those kids, unlike some other schools in the ACC.
Saw on Roanoke.com that GT fired Groh and started thinking…would Beamer ever fire a coach in mid-season? Heck no – he won’t even fire a bad OC after repeated poor seasons.
Loyalty is great but come on, VT offense needs some life to it.
I don’t buy the argument that the offensive players coming out of highschool from Virginia are limited. Landstown ran a spread when Percy Harvin was there. Oscar Smith, North Stafford, Osborne and Bethel (before this year) ran a spread too! Plaxico Burress, Percy Harvin, Eddie Royal, Michael/Marcus Vick, Tyrod Taylor, Tahj Boyd, Ernest Wilford, Allen Iverson, Ronald Curry, Marquis Hagens, Muffin Curry, Vic Hall, David Terrell, Justin Hunter, Tiki Barber, Thomas Jones, Ahmad Bradshaw, EJ Manual, B. Renner, Quinton Spain, Bobby Massie, Morgan Moses, Duane Brown, Elton Brown and the list can go on. That’s a over abundance of offensive firepower. Virginia doesn’t have a shortage of athletes. Never has.
The problem with the Hokies in the past and hitting it’s peak this year is coaching. The philosophy of this team is ball control. Which I prefer over the spread. In order to be a ball control football team you are gonna have to control the ball on offense, play for field position, punt and you had better have a dynamite defense. The fans want to know why Tech can’t take the next step, it’s the coaching. Beamers record against the top 25 speaks for itself. Coaching lost the national title game against FSU because someone on the sideline decided to continue to blitz Chris Weinke. Even Beamer himself said that he wished that he could have that game back and not blitz so much after FSU had figured it out and picked on Whitaker. I can’t remember what FSU ranked un rushing offense that year but Tech had shut that down. The defense, during the game should have been adjusted to play more defensive backs against FSU, they couldn’t run, and Weinke wasn’t going to beat them with his feet. Not happening. They kept blitzing, FSU burned them and the rest is history.
Against Alabama a few years back, Alabama was number one in the country and to me Virginia Tech was the most stacked that it had ever been. The 2009 Hokies were a national championship squad. They had a veteran o-line, a nasty, nice sized defense, an outstanding recruiting class ( 6-6, 240 lb, TE/WR Logan Thomas and burner David Wilson) and to me, a juggernaut of an offense. Especially if the coaches could have figured out a way to get Thomas or David Wilson “ready” to play in that game. Ryan Williams ran all over Bama that night. Bama was bent on shutting down the run and making Tyrod stay in the pocket to throw the ball. They knew that his scrambling ability would kill them. They weren’t worried about the wide receivers beating them. They isolated their corners on the Tech wide receivers, blitzed all night, spied Tyrod and played the run. They contained Tyrod, didn’t let him scramble, but Tech was able to run effectively. I waited all night for one of the coaches to send Logan Thomas out on that field as a wideout, alll 6-6, 240 lbs of him. It would have stunned the heck out of the Alabama coaching staff. They would have had to account for him. I just knew that Tech was going to prepare something really special for Bama. But nope. I remember how the coaches had even moved Nick Becton and Vinston Painter from the defensive line to the offensive line a week before that game. The Hokies could have used that depth on the defensive line. Alabama won that game because the Hokies defense was gassed. The Hokies shut Heisman trophy winner Trent Richardson down and Julio Jones. It was the 3rd string tailback Upchurch who killed the Hokies.
And when the game was slipping away and the Hokies needed to respond offensively, Stinespring kept calling bombs to receivers tight roping the sideline praying for a miracle. He hadn’t figured out all night how to attack the middle of the field against the Crimson Tide defense. He refused to shorten his pass routes all game, and the coaches didn’t have the vision to use 6-6 Logan Thomas as a possible mismatch or at the very least a decoy to make Bama do somthing else on defense. And the coaches sure as heck didn’t watch the Utah vs Alabama game to get a clue of how to attack the Alabama defense. Nope. Nothing.
The Georgia game, Kansas, Michigan, Boise State, etc.
The Hokies were good enough to win all these games!
Just watched William& Mary replay of their Saturday game. Compared to VT they really seemed to be “{getting after it – fire in their bellies – lots of want to, excitement, Etc. VT’s running plays seem to take way too long to develope while in other games over the weekend the RBs hit he holes much quicker.Hope the hokies can get it turned around before it’s too late. Oh well – maybe next year.