Monday: After UVa’s surprise, can Hokies do the same? J.J. Redick off to fast start
SATURDAY’S UVA-N.C. STATE GAME DID A NICE JOB OF REMINDING US THAT YOU JUST NEVER KNOW. The Cavs, a 10-point underdog, dominated that 33-6 victory from start to finish. The Wolfpack finished with season lows for rushing yards and passing yards. It was a stunning dismantling that featured six UVa sacks and five State turnovers.
I’ve yet to see the Cavs lose this season. They’re 3-0 in the games I’ve been to, so it’s easy for me to forget that they’d been inept for six straight games before this one. But what this game showed was the potential they have when they put it all together, and you can bet it’s the film the coaches at Miami, North Carolina and Virginia Tech will be showing their players over the next three weeks when preparing to face UVa.
THE HOKIES HAVE YET TO ENJOY ONE OF THOSE put-it-all-together games, and they’ll need one if they hope to beat Florida State on Thursday night as a 13.5-point underdog. That spread’s actually higher than I thought it would be, perhaps because I’ve seen Tech come up with some pretty impressive performances just when you’re ready to count them out completely.
Logan Thomas took the Miami loss particularly hard but says he’s ready to move on.
Tech’s defense, meanwhile, is focusing on what it can control and not worrying about what the offense does or doesn’t produce.
As Andy notes in that blog post: Forcing turnovers would help. The Hokies had none last week and have only 14 this year, ranking 10th in the ACC. Scoring points on defense used to be a hallmark of Virginia Tech football but the Hokies haven’t had a defensive touchdown since the last time they played the Seminoles in the 2010 ACC title game. Linebacker Jeron Gouveia-Winslow picked off EJ Manuel in the first quarter and took it back 24 yards for a score.
You want to see a struggling team suddenly look strong? That’s the answer. It was for UVa on Saturday.
MORE COLLEGE FOOTBALL
-Oregon leapfrogs Notre Dame to move into third place in the BCS standings. Alabama and Kansas State remain Nos. 1 and 2, respectively. The interesting thing is that the computers rank the Irish second, but both polls used in the formula have them fourth.
-Kentucky fires coach Joker Phillips after a 1-9 start. He’ll finish the season.
-UVa’s home game against Miami on Saturday will be a noon kick. I wonder if the win over N.C. State will give attendance a little boost this weekend. The Cavs drew a season-low 41,167 for Wake Forest in their most recent home game on Oct. 20.
J.J. REDICK
-Cave Spring grad J.J. Redick scores 24 points to help Orlando rally past Phoenix. J.J. scored 21 in the opener against Denver. Those are two of the league’s worst teams, and Redick’s 64-percent FG percentage isn’t sustainable, but perhaps Redick is poised for a career-high in scoring this year. His previous high was 11.6 points per game last year.
NFL
-That “must-win” game for the Redskins turns out to be a loss, 21-13 to Carolina, as Washington commits 13 penalties.
-Atlanta moves to 8-0 by beating the Cowboys in the Sunday nighter.
-The Steelers outscore the Giants 14-0 in the fourth quarter to win, 24-20.
-Houston and Chicago improve to 7-1 with victories.
-Andrew Luck sets a rookie record with 433 passing yards to lead Indy over Miami, 23-20.
-Tonight’s game is Eagles at Saints (8:30 p.m., ESPN).
NASCAR
-Jimmie Johnson outduels Brad Keselowski in the closing laps to win at Texas. Keselowski finishes second but sees his points deficit grow from 2 to 7 behind the five-time champ. Shaping up as a fun finish between these two in the final two races. The next closest driver is Clint Bowyer, who is 36 points back.
NAME THAT TUNE
Does she walk? Does she talk?
Does she come complete?
My homeroom homeroom angel
Always pulled me from my seat
She was pure like snowflakes
No one could ever stain
The memory of my angel
Could never cause me pain…
November 5, 2012 - 8:19 AM
Seeing JJ Redick mentioned reminded me – what is the NBA policy on testing for marijuana? I know it’s extremely lax, if not absent, because so many NBA players like to toke heavily, and never seem to get penalized.
So, if Jimmie Johnson wins his 6th championship in 7 years, when will NASCAR-philes start admitting he might be the best ever? I know the King & the Intimidator each have seven, spread over several years. But 6 out of 7 years? When he’s still probably got ten years left? Does he have to officially get to eight championships before the Petty crowds admits it, or will they stick to the 200 win deal? We all know the Earnhardt crowd wouldn’t admit it if Johnson got to 15 championships, as disconnected as they are with reality. But rational observers, when will they begin to say that Johnson is the best ever?
Lyrics are from another old song I hate, but refuse to mention…
Is Logan Thomas only ready to move on if it doesn’t involve speaking publicly to the media? As captain of the team last game, what model of leadership did he provide for the remainder of the season? So, if the Hokies are crushed again by F$U, I guess we’ll have to wait until after the BC game to learn how he’s feeling.
I’ve still not determined if he just cannot handle the pressure of being a team leader & well known QB, or if he’s just not that good. I know his mechanics are horrible this season, but I don’t know if he just abandoned them in panic, or if he never learned them that well in the 2nd half of last season. He didn’t have good mechanics to begin last season, but seemed to improve. Perhaps we just ignored his lack of mechanics last half-season because of the win streak.
Centerfold – J geils band
Centerfold J Geils Band.
Maybe I am just dating myself but this one was easy. J. Geils Band Centerfold.
Of course my focus is usually on football this time of the year, not this year.
What? No comment about the Redskins Rule? I’m shocked!
Centerfold by The J. Geils Band.
Angel in a Centerfold I think
J Geils Band if that is thename of the song.
BTW, Skins lost 21-13 not 21-3.
If Tech keeps the game within 2 touchdowns by the half, I’ll be surprised. I think it’s a blowout victory for the Seminoles, but then again, you just never know. But FSU did manage to find a way to lose on the road to NC State, who appears to be just another middling program despite some earlier success that made them look halfway decent. The ACC is a 2-team league between FSU and Clemson, everyone else is several steps behind.
The way UVA crushed the Wolfpack though, gives me concern over the season-ender with VT. The Hokies could very well go 0-3 to close the year, or if they manage to put together a solid gameplan for FSU, go 3-0. Neither result, or anything in-between, would surprise me at this point. But more likely, they go 2-1 to finish 6-6, or stub their toe in one of the last 2 games to go along with an FSU loss and finish 5-7.
The Lions scored a nice win on the road against the Jaguars yesterday, putting in a complete performance after losing 2 games due to special teams debacles earlier this year. It still grates on me that if they just give up 1 less TD return in each of 2 games (they gave up 2 to both the Titans and Vikings, they’d be sitting either 5-3 or 6-2 right now.
Pistons are abysmal again, off to a solid 0-3 start. So this late fall and winter look to suck sports-wise. No hockey. Lions probably out of the playoff hunt for the NFC, Hokies stink, NC State isn’t much better, and Hokie hoops don’t look too promising. I guess I’ll don my NC State Red and White for hoops season (started college there, so I’m a fan), the Wolfpack look to be incredibly good there…I hope.
Centerfold
Oh, and the song…Centerfold, J. Geils Band.
If Tech can find a way to pressure Manuel I believe they could create some of those pick six turnovers that they could desperately use…the offense could surely use the help with scoring. But if FSU’s QB is allowed to stand back there all night he’s gonna pick them apart…no doubt in my mind. And if the defense can produce a few three and outs like they did against Miami the offense has got to find a way to score when they are handed the opportunity….field goals arent gonna keep them in the game agaist the Seminoles.
Jay Giles Band….Centerfold
Centerfold / J. Geils Band
Centerfold it is. Amazing how many got it during just one short walk of my dogs.
Petty did his work in a totally different era…kind of like trying to compare Babe Ruth to Albert Pujols…you really can’t. Petty was the best of the older Nascar era for sure, and I’d say Dale was the next…now it’s Johnson. Best ever? I think you can make cases for all 3. But of the 3, I liked Dale’s driving style better…but neither Petty nor Earnhardt enjoyed the level of dominance that Johnson has put on the sport, that is simply unprecedented. JJ is certainly doing everything right, and I believe that by the time his driving career ends, he will be the most accomplished driver of the modern era. No one will ever touch Petty’s 200 wins, expecially when 50-60 races are no longer run. Heck, Petty has 2 wins scored at Langley Speedway in Hampton…the old-school Nascar drove practically anywhere there was an oval…
2,249 tickets left to the VT vs. FSU game on stubhub !! Buy a ticket show your support. If your happy with the coaching buy a ticket and enjoy the game. If your not happy with the coaching buy a ticket and wear a paper bag over your head.
UVA learned that when the opponents QB has the last name of Glennon, you always have a chance to win.
I wonder if the VT coaches will design some plays that the players can execute since they cannot execute the ones the coaches devise.
But FB is right, it is all the player’s fault. Al Groh felt the same way.
How delightful! Four top teams in the BCS are undefeated, and if they win out, there will be howl of cricticism and the perfect storm of controversy. It is exactly why the BCS is choking itself to death.
Delightful, delightful.
So, when Jimmie Johnson gets to eight-plus championships, what is the mantra? Everyone sticks with their old favorite, evidently. Not too unexpected, as it is sports, and that’s what fans do.
Interesting how quiet it is on here. It seems the record Frank Beamer’s guys have posted has turned everyone off of sports discussion in general. Taking a tangent, anyone visited the restaurant he licensed his name to in Roanoke yet? Just wondering how it is, and the mood there as well. This is the 5th iteration, so it will be interesting to see if it lasts.
Pretty sweet weekend of football for me. My son’s team won the Sandlot Superbowl finishing off a perfect season and made the highlights on the local news and UVA finally won again. It doesn’t get any better.
Unbelievable!!!!!…………..Was that the same UVA team that whacked NC State on Saturday that has sloshed thru the year on a six-game losing streak???……….As different as night and day!!!
Kentucky is an effing joke. The AD write a long, heartfelt letter to fans and post it on their athetlics department’s website, and fired the coach in the 9th paragraph. But, here’s the kicker, the coach gets to coach out the season, and then he’s fired.
What a joke! That puts a whole new spin on, “Dead Coach Walking.”
It also serves as a warning that the head coach should not be allowed to hand pick their successor. Joker Phillips was hand picked by Rich Brooks to succeed him, and look at what happened.
So what else is new than a Coach finishing? Other dead coaches walking include Andy Reid, The Titans guy, Norv Turner and a whole bunch more. ESPN is firing Jason Garrett and hiring Sean Peyton.
What a world. At least the election occurs tomorrow so we can forget about that for a week (when the campaign for 2016 starts)
Speaking of which: Obama is 2-to-7 Vegas favorite to win presidency; Romney 5-to-2. The best part is it says “Odds on others available upon request.” I’d love to know if any were made. I think saying, “Yeah, what can I get on Gary Johnson?” might indicate a slight — just slight, now — gambling problem.
Great piece by Steve Rushin in SI this week noting the similarities in TV coverage between election night and the NFL. Can’t find a link (I think you have to subscribe anyway to read online content there now) but if you get SI check it out.
I think FSU comes out firing immediately to set the tone against the Hokies. They will want to suck the crowd energy right out of Lane as quick as they can, and they have the ability to do it. I expect FSU to have at least a 1-score lead by the end of the first quarter, and double-digits by the half. I think they get held a little below their typical scoring average, but I don’t see the Hokie offense producing a whole lot of points this week. FSU will win, 41-17, though…I’d love to be wrong.
I didn’t realize how badly the VHSL had screwed up the HS football playoffs until I looked at the pairings. If you only win 2,3,or 4 games, you should be watching, not playing. A .500 record is pushing it. I guess they are incorporating the everybody’s a winner philosophy. Ridiculous.
Agreed, Tom. Awful. The baseline should be .500, and if you get in with that, you had better have played some monster teams and beaten at least one of them. Instead 2-8, 3-7 — we’ve even had a 1-9 in the past! — is sufficient.
I thought high school sports were about life lessons? If that’s the case, the lesson ought to be: Get better, and then you’ll punch your postseason ticket. But not until then.
Lesson now is: Gotta make a buck on those parents who’ll pay admission.
Life lessons. Ah yes, I remember having to teach some of those in a class I was a teaching assistant at VT. Some student sgriped and complained about their grades, when they clearly failed to follow instructions and do what was asked of them. It was a senior-level design class. I explained to them, quite bluntly, that they didn’t have such luxury of letting things slide to barely pass once they got into their professional careers. I told them that if they exerted similar efforts for the firms they would eventually be hired into, that they’d likely find themselves quickly looking for another job after being fired. They didn;t like the sound of that, but it was the truth.
I think all too often, the truth is sugar-coated and win-or-go-home attitudes are set aside for helping people to feel good about their efforts, and demphasizing the importance of winning. It’s prevalent in all levels of sports for kids, and schools, and it’s a shame. None of it prepares them for the real world, where life doesn’t care about your feelings, and it certainly doesn’t give you a trophy simply because you showed up.
one of the best cruising songs of all time! wildewood shopping center knows it!
I totally agree on the High School playoffs! It’s ridiculous that the only reason a 2-8 Tazewell team got into the playoffs is because they were tied for the last spot with a 1-9 Martinsville team.
As for VT, BobH I don’t think the entire season is the coaches fault unless you talk about the lack of talent they have brought in during this time period. They have a lot of young players that I think are going to be really good but what they don’t have is a bunch of players that are good right now. It takes these guys a couple of years to become really good and right now they are not. Just look at Logan Thomas. He’s not supposed to be a QB. If Tech had been successful recruiting a top tier QB to take over for Tyrod, then Logan would still be a TE. But whether or not he should or shouldn’t be a QB, the coaches can’t hand him the ball inside the 5 and they can’t stop him from throwing the ball short inside the 20. Both of those Logan Thomas mistakes against Miami cost them the game and the coaches had nothing to do with that except for not recruiting a better QB.
Oh and to follow up to my last comment, can you imagine if Tech had a more experienced QB right now with a TE target like Logan Thomas to throw to? That would be scary. Again, I’m not trying to ding LT as some of you will take it. I’m just saying it’s only his second year starting and all of the talent around him is young and inexperienced. A veteran TE with his size would have been a huge help to the offense. Look at Ebron at UNC. That guy has been a huge part of the success and a huge help to Bryn Renner.
Geez, Aaron, why doesn’t that logic apply to the BCS and the ridiculous amount of bowl games there are?
Yes, the Hokies may find a few pick 6 interceptions off of the FSU quarterback but the real problem for VT is for their offense to score any points. We are still back to FSU 45 – Tech 10.
OJ gets the comment of the week, heck maybe even the year. “None of it prepares them for the real world, where life doesn’t care about your feelings, and it certainly doesn’t give you a trophy simply because you showed up.”
So the ACC is still a hot mess huh? The fact that every team can be tied to another team via a loss is what makes the ACC a mess. It may be that way in other conferences but I don’t think it’s as obvious as it is in the ACC. For example, UVA beat NCSU who beat FSU, who beat Clemson who beat Virgina Tech who beat Duke who beat UNC who beat Miami who beat Georgia Tech who beat Boston College who beat Maryland who beat Wake Forest. That is parity and not the kind I think you’re looking for in football.
The Magic need J.J. Redick to have a career high in scoring this season. With so much (much needed) change from last season, Redick is now one of the primary options for this team on offense.
Has the VHSL gone simply CRAZY!!……..Has anyone seen the new “playoff” format!……How in the world can you justify a 2-8 or a 1-9 team participating in the playoffs!!…….Especially, the Division 1 and 2 formats with “SIXTEEN” (16) TEAMS IN EACH DIVISION!!……over half with LOSING records!!!…….I would love to see the VHSL justfify this IDIOTIC move!!!………..Absolutely R-I-D-I-U-L-O-U-S!!!!!
Oooops!!………I was so upset, I spelled “RIDICULOUS” wrong……….please, forgive me……..I wish the VHSL would admit they made a mistake!!
AM — Given your record, I’m surprised UVA hasn’t lobbied for you to replace DD as the beat writer.
For all of you complaining about mediocre and worse records getting one into the VHSL football tourney, get used to it. Tourney is expanding next year. Also, the redistricting is going to force smaller schools to play larger ones more often. That can lead to a lot of losses for smaller schools. Even now, I’d guess you need a better record in Divisions 6, 4, and 2 than in 5, 3, and 1. Look locally and you can see it in Regions 3 and 4 and in the DIV 2 and 1 playoffs.
Come on crooked road. you make the most annoying comments I have ever read. Why take a shot at JJ Redick? All he has done is work his rear end off to make himself a very good NBA player. Is there anybody or any team you could ever toss a compliment to? And to pretend you knew that was J. Geils band? You are a sad excuse. Get a life!
Alas! LSU wins the stats. Tide rolls at the end. There’s always next year.
Go Bayou Bengals!
The real test for JJ Redick is how he will perform against elite competition.
Yeah, OG…the ACC is a real mess…I hadn’t even realized you could run a round-robin on who beat who! I certainly hope hoops season turns out a lot more compelling and competitive, and nationally-relevant.
And, I grew up playing sports, more or less. I played soccer for 3 years, but didn’t really like it enough to keep playing. I then played a lot of pick-up hoops, and broke my arm in the process. I also played golf for my high school. I didn’t win any trophies though, the soccer teams I was on stunk, and I was pretty awful at golf at the time…which is, as fate would have it, about as good as I am now…which is to say, I’m pretty stoked when I can play an entire round with the same golf ball!
Hey Original Greg, Logan is the QB at Tech because the coaching staff wanted him to be QB. His Dad wanted him to play tight end. I don’t really understand why he would even consider tight end at VT because they havent thrown a ball to a tight end in 5 years. You can say what you want, it all comes down to coaching or the lack there of!!! And recruting which will get harder and harder with this coaching staff.
If JJ’s not proven how he performs against elite competition by now, I doubt he ever will. JJ’s been slotted his whole career as a reserve 3 pt shooter, which is what his DNA pretty much encapsulates. He’s been in the NBA for 7-8 years now. Thanks to the familial relationships with the RT, we’re treated to the sporadic updates when he has the occasional good game or two. That’s all.
Ouch, JJ Redick came down off his high. His two games scoring in the 20′s, I mean. Back to earth, he scored his usual 10 points as a reserve in a loss to the Bulls. While double figures, it’s not exactly all that & a bag of Doritos.
Go ahead Crooked Road. Take your shots at Redick. Continue to show the readers the lack of class you have. If I remember correctly JJ Redick came to Roanoke this past summer and previous summers to host a benefit golf tournament which raised a lot of money for local charities. He also hosted a basketball clinic for local kids here in Roanoke. He’s done the same in the Orlando community. But yet you want to throw jabs his way? And by the way Mr. Crooke Road, since when is a 10 point game in the NBA a bad night?
Mr. Crooked Road-Change your profile name to Classless and Clueless. That’s really what you are.
danny, you must be a relative, you’re so sensitive about it. I didn’t insult Redick, I just merely reported his stat sheet. He’s been in the league for 8 years now, I found it interesting a couple of days ago the RT rushed to again tell us of his box score after all these years. I see that you’re uber-interested in defending him. Perhaps you could discuss the reasoning behind his flukish 20 point games and his stats over the last eight seasons. I’m open to that, but we both know you’re not.
As I said about his performance last night – ‘Ouch, JJ Redick came down off his high. His two games scoring in the 20′s, I mean. Back to earth, he scored his usual 10 points as a reserve in a loss to the Bulls. While double figures, it’s not exactly all that & a bag of Doritos.’
What, I should have said – Cheetos? Or a 7/11 burrito?
No, I’m not a relative. I just appreciate the fact that a local kid has worked hard, made it to the big stage and is doing quite well for himself. I watched the game last night on TV and Redick had 7 or 8 assists and played great defense. It’s not always about points is it? Your refence to the marijuana is nothing more than a cheap shot towards him. Just like most of your posted comments,you are very cynical of everyone involved. That includes the Beamers, Stinespring, and most of the Hokie program. Redick and VT football have been good for Roanoke and Southwest Va. Why be 100% negative in everything you post? It’s makes no sense to me.
All I said is that hearing JJ Redick’s name reminded about the NBA marijuana policy, and I asked about the policy, which nobody ever answered. You took that as a slam on JJ Redick because of the mention of marijuana usage.
If I’d wanted to have slammed him, I’d have mentioned his DUI, but I didn’t bring that up. It certainly seems to me like you’re paranoid about JJ’s marijuana use. Uhh… alleged… of course. The NBA’s not reported any positive tests on him. Of course, the NBA players’ agreement prohibits players being tested for marijuana. That was a key sticking point by the union. But since you think it involves a Duke player from Roanoke, I guess we shouldn’t discuss that. It was just an innocent question. It’s not like I called him the Tommy Chong of the Orlando Magic or anything.