Odds and ends from Frank Beamer’s teleconference
Frank Beamer had his weekly teleconference today. Here are a few notes and quotes …
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** Beamer said Matt Arkema will get some work at center this week behind Michael Via with Andrew Miller out for the year with a fractured ankle and Caleb Farris still on the mend with an ankle injury.
“That’s a tough loss for us,” Beamer said of Miller. “Such a great kid, a tough kid. Really excellent player and an excellent leader in our football program.”
The Hokies have had rotten injury luck on the interior line. Starting left guard David Wang has been hampered by knee/ankle issues all year. Miller, a two-year starter, is done for the season. And Farris, considered a top backup at center and guard, missed last week and will probably miss one or two more games.
“It’s just been a tough situation,” Beamer said.
** Beamer thinks the success of Virginia Tech’s running game against Duke, when J.C. Coleman ran for 183 yards, is simple: “We had some great blocking and he did some great running. It’s no secret to how you get it done.”
Asked if Coleman will consistently get more carries going forward, Beamer didn’t necessarily answer the question, mentioning that Coleman stepped up and Tony Gregory gave the team some speed when he was in.
“I think you’re always looking for a guy that’s hot in the ballgame,” he said.
Beamer said Michael Holmes didn’t do anything wrong to be demoted on the depth chart.
“I still think he’s going to be a terrific player,” he said. “We were just looking for somebody to give us a lift, and J.C. I think did that.”
** Clemson, as everyone well remembers, manhandled the Hokies twice last year, winning 23-3 in Blacksburg and a 38-10 in the ACC championship game in Charlotte. Beamer said this game doesn’t have more meaning because of last year’s losses.
“We don’t think in the past very much around here,” Beamer said. “We understand that this a terrific football team and that we’ve got a tremendous challenge. We’ve got to make a great preparation. … I think what’s here this week is what you look at.”
** The Hokies fell behind Duke 20-0 in the first quarter last Saturday, then pulled off the biggest comeback of the Beamer era. He knows that’s not a recipe for success against Clemson, given its explosive offense.
“You don’t want to get down against these guys, because they can keep going,” Beamer said. “They’re very talented. … Across the board, they’ve got threats. That’s what makes it tough.”
“We’ve got to play what we play and what we know,” Beamer said. “I don’t think you go changing stuff here in the middle of the season.”
** The Hokies had three players earn ACC Player of the Week honors after the Duke game –Marcus Davis (wide receiver of the week), James Gayle (defensive lineman) and Coleman (rookie).
Davis had five catches for 144 yards and two touchdowns against the Blue Devils. Gayle had nine tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss and a sack.
Coleman, who supplanted Holmes as the No. 1 tailback, ran 13 times for 183 yards, the most ever by a true freshman under Beamer. He scored on runs of 45 and 86 yards.
** Forgot to mention this before, but the Clemson game will be shown on ABC with a reverse mirror on ESPN2, which means it will be shown locally/regionally on ABC and on ESPN2 outside the coverage area. Kickoff is noon.
** Saturday will be Military Appreciation Day at Clemson. Walk-on Daniel Rodriguez, an Army vet who considered Virginia Tech last season, will carry the American flag down the hill in the pre-game. Hard to think of a better choice.
October 15, 2012 - 12:27 PM
Clemson is going to be very tough. We can win it if we play up to potential with no mental mistakes. The way to beat Clemson is to keep their offense off the field and yours on the field. I see that as very doable against Clemson’s defense. Our offense has to be ready to play with everything they have. Our defense needs to limit clemson to as many 3 and outs as possible. We have to do to Boyd, psychologically, what we did to Renfree.
I still think Logan Thomas is better than Matt Barkely and I don’t like it that you insist on mentioning Daniel Rodriguez in a Hokie blog. We did not want him and the media needs to get over it.
Congrats to Daniel Rodriguez, for finding an FBS school that wanted him. It’s nice to see that Dabo Swinney took the small bit of extra time to see Rodriguez’s academic paperwork got filed accordingly. The JC Coleman sized Bronze Star/Purple Heart veteran may not be an All ACC caliber player, but I’d bet he certainly provides a lot of maturity & motivation to the defending ACC Champion Clemson Tigers.
Such a shame that Frank Beamer & staff essentially ignored Daniel Rodriguez once Dan Rather’s cameras stopped filming. It definitely worked out better for Daniel Rodriguez, though. That’s the thing about karma…
@HokiesTud – may want to get your facts about Rodriguez, he did not want to do the extra work to get into VT so he went to Clemson. VT did want him if he could do the work necessary to get in FWIW
Want to know why a lot of Tech fans and supporters are irritated with the direction things are heading right now? Just look at the quotes from Frank from his teleconference:
Frank: “We don’t think in the past very much around here”
That’s both true and false. He and others love to bring up the 10 win seasons when anyone brings legitimate criticism to the table, yet it’s so true because as coaches they won’t even equate what happened last year against Clemson to better themselves and learn from it. Which leads to the next typical quote:
Frank: “We’ve got to play what we play and what we know,I don’t think you go changing stuff here in the middle of the season.”
Yes because what they have done this year has worked so well. As did what they did last year against Clemson worked so well too. So in other words we are going to see a lot of the same mess and bad football. Thanks Frank.
This is why Tech football has become stale and outdated. Fans and supporters have every right to be irritated with this season and beyond. These quotes and sort of status quo attitude basically tell the story.
I have a feeliong Saturday’s game down there will be painfully predictible.
David in Salem is right on the money. It will be a difficult chore for the Hokies due to the wild Clemson crowd, somewhere Clemson is going to have to make some big mistakes in this game for the Hokies to come away with the win. There will be lots of comments this week about this game but it will come down to who is physically ready for the blocking and tackling grinder. Especially the tackling aspect.
The football program at Virginia Tech has reached the highest point that it will achieve with the present philosophy and the present staff, headed by Frank Beamer.
The program is on a down hill slope, and it has been headed that way for several years.
The philosophy and the entire program is boring, stale, stagnant, out dated, and completely out of touch with the way the game is played today.
Other programs have passed by Tech and left Tech in the dust, South Carolina is an example of that type of program.
Tech could likely have a losing season this year. The hollow bragging point of the TEN WIN seasons is gone, and it was cheap to begin with.
Tech plays Alabama next season, that will be another loss on national television that will only reinforce the opinions that many have of
Virginia Tech football.
I am a fan of Virginia Tech football for almost 50 years, and will continue to be a fan in the future. I also live in the real world of reality, that is why these statements have been made here.
Changes are needed at Virginia Tech, and that is just the way that it is in the bigger scheme of things.
52-17 Clemson! Beamer is still in denial about this sorry ass staff, what a joke that old geezer is.
h22, you couldn’t be more wrong about Rodriguez. He wanted to come to VT, but was slow pedalled by the coaching staff almost instantly after the Dan Rather report aired. Vt coaches & administrators were very unwilling to do exactly what Clemson was willing to do – walk him through the academic maze. They stalled on responding to him about his requirements, they refused to seek NCAA adjutication.
Bottom line? Frank Beamer didn’t want him, and VT did extremely little to help him. Clemson & Dabo Swinney saw the benefit of having a decorated war veteran on the team as a non-scholarship walk-on. Frank beamer & company did not. He could have played at Tech if Beamer had wanted him. Beamer did not, thus he is bringing positive media to Clemson.
Are you really a Hokie for life? Doesn’t sound like it. I wouldn’t change anything we did quarters 2-4 against Duke…yes it’s Duke but this year Duke is a decent conference team that VT just pounded 41-0 from the 4 min mark of the 1st qtr on. This was a team that had just beaten UVA 42-17….that at least shows how capable this Duke team is. The question remains can VT take that energy and put it forth for an entire game on the road and not have to feed off the home crowd.
I really hate to see the statements about present staff and philosophy.I can
recall a UVA fan friend of mine making the same statements about George Welsh and look where UVA is 9 years later.I agree that there does seem to
some kind of problem with the coaching philosophy with regards to the offense, and I am equally frustrated but just not sure this is the appropriate way to get it changed. A win at Clemson would be really cool
and take some of the heat off. Go Hokies!!!
Frank Beamer is one of the better coaches in college football. All of you who want change, who is it you want?
I think VT will win 6 games but wouldn’t wager much beyond that. UVA is a win but think Tech will lose all of the “away” games and probably the game at home against FSU, although, that could be a win, based on N C State’s ability to conquer the Seminoles at home. 6 wins keeps them in the bowl picture, probably Champs Bowl.
I haven’t been completely happy with the football team for the last few years. But how many teams would gladly trade with how we have done during that time? Frank Beamer has brought us a long way, but it could have been better. But I agree with Gardner and Kitts — Who do we want for our next coach? Will he do better? How long will he stay until somebody ‘buys’ him away? Will he run a clean program? UVA (and others) have done real good, haven’t they?
I’m still in favor of some coaching changes on the offensive side.
Most “fans and supporters” don’t know jack snot about coaching football that’s why they spout off about change, if they really knew anything about coaching they would be doing it.
I’m glad for Daniel but he didn’t have the academics to get in at Tech that’s why he’s at Clem$on where they don’t mind breaking rules.
OK, put up or shut up. Those who want Beamer gone, and for the record I think you’re crazy, who do you want?
Hey JarHead, how did Clemson break the rules with SGT Rodriguez when they filled out the necessary paperwork with the NCAA to get him enrolled? The fact is that VT capitalized initially in the Rodriguez story but dropped the bomb with regards to assisting him with the admissions process.
crooked road, if tech needed ‘media hype’ they could have had it. Hats off to ‘Sweeny/Clemson’ for a real feel good/that-a-boy story. Only in hollywood will will this effect the game.
How did Marcus Vick make it in to VT? Did he try Clemson first?
Rodriguez was a non-qualifier out of high schoool, not even a partial qualifier. According to the NCAA the non-qualifier can go to a lower divison school, go to a two year college and graduate (which VT suggested), or find a school that takes non-qualifiers and have them ask the NCAA for a waiver. Maybe Clemson takes non-qualifiers?
Frank
so you’re a ‘Tech’ fan. Wow. That means you’ve struggled through games with SYRACUSE, FLODIDA STATE, ALABAMA, USC, VMI, NC STATE and the like…..well, my socks are off to you. Before M. Vick, before the media hype/money to be made at VPI it was once known (the football, that is) as a ‘tough sell’. That is to say you came into Miles/Lane stadium and expected the unexpected. There was a day when Tech had never beaten Clemson. There was a time when Tech had never equalled Florida State. That ‘Tech’ now has a ‘fighting’ chance against such teams is a testiment to “Old Frank” and where he’s taken the program. Beat ‘TEXAS’ in there heyday? Bust the ‘Miami’ curse? Make fools of powerful Clemson on national TV?? Unheard of…..
You’re correct, though. Tech is having a ‘down year’ (ie no TEN WIN) But it would only take even the most avid ‘Tech Fan’ to,not write it off, but look forward to ….2013….and what the team, fans, and coaches have learned from a 3-3 record. I say we kick some Clemson ass….
Crooked Road, I’m not a real big fan of yours, but ….you’re exactly right. Good deal.
I ‘resemble’ that comment I just made. I just don’t like Crooked Road no more.
Rich, yes I am a Hokie for life. But I’m also not a homer and excuse maker. You are the one on here rationalizing that the Duke win was a good win because they pounded UVA.
I like Frank a lot as a man and what he has done for the program. Total admiration and respect. But he also has many flaws as an actual coach and those flaws are getting exposed more and more each year. Its becoming obvious in games with our overall philosophy, lack of attention to detail, inconsistant play, and worst of all lack of intensity and fire. You see it, I see it, every honest fan can see it.
Fire Beamer, make Foster the head coach and the hire Bobby Petrino to bring the offense into the 21st century. Petrino wont stay long but he could mold a future O.C. I would like to see Jeff King get into coaching some day.
Andy, I appreciate you mentioning Daniel Rodriguez and his role this weekend. Wish I could be there! I am glad he spends no time reading any of the silliness about him in these comments- I did speak with him back in late 2010 / early 2011 and he is a good guy. I also spent time in E. AFG generally near COP Keating and know he’s an exceptional guy given his service and sacrifice, whether he starts or he is 3rd string. Congrats to him for playing D-1, and I’m confident our coaches did the best they could to help him qualify if he was eligible. How about we focus on the game now?
RLTW!
“Swinney offered Rodriguez a spot as a preferred walk-on, and worked to gain an NCAA waiver for Rodriguez, who was one credit short of his associate degree. “- This per a NYTimes story on 9/21/12
Basically, Clemson did the small amount of extra work to contact the NCAA, fill out a few forms and got a waiver for a war hero while Virginia Tech talked the talk but did not walk the walk. Considering that according to US News, both VT and Clemson share very similar numbers in terms of entrance requirements (GPA and ACT/SAT) so its hard to use the excuse that Clemson is just “easier”. The only thing that was easy were the forms that Dabo filled out.
Rodriguez himself commented that the interest from VT fell dramatically just after the Dan Rather report issued. He talked about how VT officials wouldn’t return his phone calls, and essentially told him to navigate his admission on his own.
As to those uninformed who said VT ‘advised’ Rodriguez to attend a two year school in order to qualify? Rodriguez was ALREADY in a two year college, so don’t try that phony spin.
Frank Beamer ignored Rodriguez, bottom line. Spin doesn’t change that.