Wrapping things up: Hokies give Yellow Jackets the boot in 20-17 overtime win
Not the kind of deadline game you’d like to start a season. Here’s my game story on Virginia Tech’s 20-17 overtime win and Aaron McFarling‘s column.
Now for some more notes and quotes …
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** That was a big comeback win for Virginia Tech, and it obviously has huge implications in the Coastal Division. As has been mentioned many times, the winner of this game has won the division all seven years since the league went to a two-division format.
It was certainly not a thing of beauty, but head coach Frank Beamer thinks it had a galvanizing effect.
“I think our football team got closer together, and this is a close bunch,” Beamer said.
Virginia Tech made a couple of comebacks, taking a four-point lead after trailing 10-7 midway through the fourth quarter and rallying in the final 44 seconds to force overtime after the Yellow Jackets scored a touchdown to go ahead 17-14.
“There was no point after that touchdown that I thought we wouldn’t come back and win that game,” cornerback Kyle Fuller said. “That just shows how together our team was.”
** Virginia Tech has not played many overtime games in its history. But, going back to last season’s Sugar Bowl loss to Michigan, this makes two straight. Here are all of the Hokies’ overtime games:
- 1998 — 27-20 win at Miami, Sept. 19
- 2002 — 50-42 loss at Syracuse, Oct. 9
- 2003 — 24-23 win at Temple, Nov. 15
- 2012 — 23-20 loss vs. Michigan, Jan. 3, Sugar Bowl
- 2012 — 20-17 win vs. Georgia Tech, Sept. 3
** Kicker Cody Journell made a clutch 41-yard kick as time expired in regulation, making up for a missed 38-yarder earlier. Then he added the first game-winner of his career in overtime from 17 yards out.
His biggest kick prior to that was a long, game-tying field goal against Blacksburg High when he was at Giles, but that only forced overtime (where his team would win). It was the Hokies’ first game-winning field goal on the final play of the game since 1999, when Shayne Graham hit a 44-yarder to win at West Virginia.
Journell wasn’t reinstated to the team until this summer, facing a suspension for his arrest on a breaking and entering charge from last December. He pleaded to misdemeanor trespassing in the spring and did community service before being let back on the squad.
Afterward, Journell didn’t comment on his ordeal last winter, saying he already addressed it in a statement he issued at the start of camp apologizing to his teammates and coaches. He had a shot at redemption — on the field at least — after missing a 38-yarder earlier.
“Any time you get a chance to tie a game up with six seconds left and you kick a field goal in overtime, it’s always special,” he said. “My teammates and all my coaches let me know, hey, I’m probably going to have another kick. ‘We need you out there. If it comes down to it, we need your head in the game.’ I let everything go and did what I needed to do.”
** Not a particularly sharp day for quarterback Logan Thomas, who finished 21-for-38 for 230 yards and two touchdowns. He was erratic with his throws, though, missing high or wide a lot of the time.
He was hard on himself afterward.
“The offensive line played great, the running backs played great, the tight ends played great,” he said. “I was the one holding us back.”
He made some on-target throws late, though, throwing for 140 of his 230 yards in the fourth quarter. The 42-yard touchdown pass to Demitri Knowles was on the money, and he made clutch passes to Corey Fuller on the game-tying drive in regulation that went for 22 and 23 yards.
“When Logan needed to be on target, he was on target,” head coach Frank Beamer said.
For Knowles and Fuller, it was the most they’ve contributed to a game in their careers. A Bahamas native who had a limited football background at Liberty Christian Academy in Lynchburg, Knowles is the fastest player on the team. It was his first career catch.
“Words can’t even describe it,” he said.
Fuller stepped in as a receiving option after D.J. Coles injured his knee in the first half. He had five catches for 82 yards, surpassing his career totals in one night. He also jumped on a fumble by Marcus Davis that was an overlooked play.
“Honestly, I knew I had it in me,” Fuller said. “I just had to step up.”
** No news immediately afterward on the condition of Coles and Davis. Coles left in the first half after getting hit on his right knee. It was the same one he had PCL surgery on in the offseason, but the fact that he was held out was unrelated to that injury.
Davis left in the fourth quarter after his 35-yard catch brought some life to Virginia Tech’s offense. Corey Fuller replaced him on the Hokies’ game-tying drive at the end of regulation.
Davis had a big game before getting hurt, catching six passes for 82 yards, although he had a couple of drops.
** Offensive line watch: Michael Via started at right guard and played the whole game. Brent Benedict did not get in once, which is unusual, since coaches said the two would rotate.
The group has some work to do. Virginia Tech only ran for 96 yards, the first time it won a game when finishing with fewer than 100 rushing yards since the 2009 Nebraska game.
** Five true freshmen played: running back J.C. Coleman, safety Desmond Frye, punter A.J. Hughes, cornerback Donovan Riley and linebacker Deon Clarke.
** The defense effort kind of got lost in the furious finish, but there were plenty of standouts on that side of the ball. Jack Tyler, despite getting beat in coverage on the late touchdown pass, had 17 tackles. His previous career-high was 12, set last year against Georgia Tech.
Whip linebacker Jeron Gouveia-Winslow and defensive tackle Derrick Hopkins had 11 tackles apiece. Both were career highs. Virginia Tech had nine tackles for a loss and two sacks as a team.
Overall, it was one of the stronger defensive efforts the Hokies have had against Paul Johnson‘s spread option offense. The Yellow Jackets had 288 total yards and 192 rushing. In the four previous meetings, Georgia Tech’s teams have never had fewer than 340 total yards and 243 rushing. That happened last year in the Hokies’ 37-26 victory.
** I’ve seen few more ill-advised passes than the one Georgia Tech’s Tevin Washington threw in overtime while being pressured by linebacker Bruce Taylor. He had no receiver that was open and tossed it right to Kyle Fuller for an interception, eliminating any chance that the Yellow Jackets had of at least kicking a field goal. (Washington would say later that he was trying to throw it away.)
It was the only turnover of the game.
“We kind of gift-wrapped it for them in overtime,” Johnson said.
What was more puzzling about it was that Washington had a great game passing to that point. He was 10-for-15 for 96 yards and a touchdown, going 5-for-6 for 33 yards on the drive that gave the Yellow Jackets a late lead.
** Virginia Tech started a freshman at punter and it showed early. Hughes, who beat out fellow freshman Hunter Windmuller for the job in camp, dropped a snap in the first quarter, a major miscue. Georgia Tech took over deep in Hokies territory and capitalized with a 12-yard touchdown run by Robert Godhigh.
Before Journell redeemed himself late, he missed a 38-yard field goal in the fourth quarter that could have come back to bite the Hokies.
For a team that has seen its special teams go in decline in recent years, it’s a troubling start, although Beamer thinks it’ll be fine.
“I really believe that our kicking game and punting game are going to be OK,” Beamer said. “We had a malfunction there that really cost us. I think that it is going to be OK.
“It is kind of like what I told you guys at the start: we are not as good of a football team right now, but we have the potential to be a really good football team. I think that our challenge is to keep growing and to get better day-by-day.”
** An update to a stat from the useless information department: the Hokies improved to 6-0 when wearing Monday night’s uniform combination (maroon helmets, orange jerseys, white pants, black shoes/socks).
** Up next: Virginia Tech will try to avoid a James Madison-like letdown when it plays Austin Peay on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Fans can watch the game online on ESPN3.
September 4, 2012 - 12:07 AM
It wasnt pretty….but it really was!
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THE HOKIES SNATCHED VICTORY FROM THE JAWS OF DEFEAT BUT I WILL TAKE IT. ALTHOUGH LOGAN DIDNT HAVE A GOOD GAME, HE STEPPED UP AT THE END AND DID WHAT WAS NECESSARY TO GET THE WIN.HOW ABOUT THOSE LYNCHBURG BOYS. GO HOKIES.
JOHN WRIGHT
AMHERST, VA.
CLASS OF 63
I believe game balls should be given to the Fuller brothers. Made some of the biggest plays. Thought I saw Coles playing at the end of the game.
Virginia Tech deserved to win the game and that is the result that was fitting for the game.
This team will get better as the season move along.
A win is a win, and it is better than a loss, just remember that fact.
Let’s go Hokies !!!
I am going to let AM have it when he blogs again but here are my thoughts:
1. About a 10 point game, really. A muffed punt and missed FG made it much closer than it had to be.
2. GT dominated Time of Possession but they ran the ball 55 times.
3. When was the last time we gave up under 100 yards passing to a good team?
4. I don;t know who that Maddy guy is but I am sure glad he is on our side.
5. If the Fuller family put some DNA aside they could sure spawn a good football team. Wish they had more boys (after Kendall) to send us.
6. Kyle Fuller is a STUD !!!!
7. It says allot about Hokie Nation that we do not believe we can come back once things turn sour. You could even see it on Beamer’s face after the punt muff and bad kick. I could hear him rehearsing his interview lines… But now that we came back at Lane against Nebraska and then last night maybe, just maybe, we have learned something about never say die.
8. I saw no evidence of a weak, or inexperienced O-Line.
9. Some guys need catching practice. Thomas was not sharp, perhaps, but there were quite a few balls that should be caught.
10. I will hole my breath for the rest of the season with every punt and kick. Jeeeeeez.
I am really glad I am not the Austin-Peay QB.
How much Did AM pay to get his byline on national TV? I have NEVER EVER seen ESPN show a newspaper article like they did last night. Bet AM sold, oh, 4 or 5 more papers this am.
Clearly the O was not as proficient as I had hoped but probably not unexpected given all the new faces and the same old coaches. LT was off, having missed too many good opportunities. Hats off to the D for keeping them under 300 yds, especially the horses up front. There’s a lot of work to be done.
Anyone notice Chris Spielman’s comments on the INT? Said the receiver, Deon Hill, was wide open by 15 yds. and blamed Washington for a bad throw. I’ve watched that several times and Hill was never open by more than a few yds. and 3 VT defenders were near him when the ball arrived. Bad call be Spielman and excellent play by VT’s D, Taylor and Fuller in particular.
Special Teams are still hurting us. The snap on one punt cost us 7, the missed FG, and then towards the end of the game we didn’t field a GT punt at our 40 and it bounced to the 25 giving up 15 yards of field position.
The big question is how good is GT? If they turn out to be only an average team then this can only be an average performance. But, alot of teams this weekend struggled against lesser opponents (Wisconsin, Oklahoma, and Iowa come to mind).
BTW, what great teams the ACC is getting in the Cuse and Pittsburg. OUCH!
Spectacular Defense !
All the potential weaknesses that were fretted about before the season, no need to fret any longer, they are real. No pass defense, no offensive line, and Beamer Ball is DEAD. Fuller, the receiver, was a real bright spot and should start ahead of Davis, who looked like he was asleep most of the game, I’m also hoping Davis’ and Coles’ injuries are not bad and they’ll be back soon. Holmes looks like he will be a good back. I hope Thomas gets into a seasonal rhythm against the “high school” team they play Saturday.
I like our two young running backs. They need to touch the ball more. Coleman gained yards when given the chance and Holmes was very steady. Logan running is good in spots, but let the young guys carry the ball. Corey Fuller looks to be a “go to guy” in the passing game. Onward and upward!
Red Zone offense gets a C, offense gets a C-. Not taking advantage of spectacular field position after the 4th down play and some short punts really cost us in this game. Plus those 2 play calls on the last FG drive in regulation after the LT scramble were a complete waste of time. used up like 15 seconds and went for 2nd and 4 to 4th and 4. Scarily bad play calling.
Glad to have won, would have been happier to have won more convincingly. Once GT is behind by 2 scores they become a different team, and we should have accomplished that given the field position we had on several drives.
How many people are actually going to the AP game?
Barry…..oh Barry???????
I thought GT was going to win the game because I thought there was a chance that VT would be caught looking past them to Austin Peay!
The inexperience and weakness of the O-Line showed up last night. Look at rushing yards being below 100, and ypc well under 4.0 for proof. Even deducting the yds lost on the mishandled punt, the numbers are pretty close to the same.
Thomas carried the ball a lot because he’s going to have to carry the team, and again, because of the O-Line. Thomas will play better in the future, and the RBs will eventually learn their roles. The O-Line will be the normal weak O-Line that has become a hallmark of Hokie teams the last several years.
Marcus Davis remains as inconsistent and injury prone as always. For a guy who is supposed to be ‘an athletic beast’, he sure gets hurt a lot. Fuller needs to see more passes coming his way.
The defense carried the day. Same as always.
It wasn’t a pretty game, but it was a win. Next comes a scrimmage against Austin Peay, where everyone gets a chance to inflate their numbers. We’ll find out in October how good we really are.
Oh, yeah, almost forgot. Beamerball? Even the announcers know it is a joke these days. It will lose us a game this year, wait and see.
Bob H, do you to see the Hokies or who they play? If you love the Hokies you show up and cheer for them, even if they are playing a high school team. That’s what real fans do.
It was a hell of a game. I don’t think anybody in the stands sat down for a long time except timeouts and at halftime. From start to the very end, the fans were loud, and I almost think the fans willed the team to a win.
Corey Fuller appeared to be determined to be the next of the Fuller family playing in the NFL. His clutch performance with the game on the line was amazing. There were a lot of NFL brass watching the game….his stock had to rise substantially! Well done Mr. Fuller!! Well done!
Only reason I won’t be at the AP game is because my father’s family reunion is scheduled for Saturday (same weekend for the last umpteen years) and my grandmother is 91 – so family wins.
SPiginelli,
Not sure I understand your question as it was worded but I got home this morning at 1:45 after returning from the game. I have been a ST holder since 1992.
Sorry, but we should not be playing Austin Peay. Not now, not ever. You do not improve yourself as a team playing teams like that. Someone may get injured playing in a totally meaningless game.
VT should pay people to come wath something like this, not vice versa.
Bob H – Need to follow history. AP was NOT originally scheduled. After (I believe) Wisconsin wanted to delay their series because of new coaching staff we had to scramble at the last minute (when most schedules were set in stone) to find someone to fill that time slot. Thus, we ended up with AP. Not as bad for us as it will be for them!
George,
Our history is scheduling cupcakes, like Northeastern, Appy St, JMU, WKU, Furman, Bill & Marie, Kent State- I could go on here. You don’t get better playing these schools.
Sure, I understand everybody does it. But Austin Pee isn’t even a good level 2 team. I guess James River didn’t have an open date.
Austin Peay was added after the East Carolina series in 2012-13 was moved back two years to accommodate the Alabama game to open 2013.
It was a late addition and there weren’t many options.
I know Paul Johnson is revered for his offensive mind and his team performs well. But having seen his team play several times, I remain underwhelmed. No matter what the scheme, it is primarily a run oriented O and the passing game seems to be an afterthought. Both this year and last, when GT really needed to pass, it couldn’t. They always play VT well but Johnson since coming to GT is now 1-4 against VT. They are a good, well coached team, but they struggle to come from behind, to consistently make the big play at the right time.
Speaking of underwhelming, poor Al Groh just can’t seem to get VT’s number. The chess master was 1-8 against the Hokies as a HC at UVa and he’s now 0-3 against them as DC at GT. Perhaps he should try checkers?