...Advertisement...

...Advertisement...

Press Box

with our sports staff

Orange Bowl: Monday stuff

Posted Dec31, 2007 at 10:08 PM

Monday, Dec. 31, 10:13 p.m., Jacksonville, Fla. -- Happy New Year, everybody. Both teams practiced today in Fort Lauderdale, and I attended both press conferences this morning before heading up to Jacksonville for Tuesday's Gator Bowl.

Junior cornerback Macho Harris said he hasn't received his NFL paperwork yet but didn't sound like a man who's about to play his final game.

“I was just trying to see where I stand," he said. "Other than that, I look forward to playing at Virginia Tech next year.”

That's good news for junior defensive end Orion Martin, who said he'd rather not think about the mass exodus that will ensue after this season.

“I’ve thought about it a little bit," he said. "I don’t really want to think about that right now. Just play this game and think about that when it comes.
"It's going to be an emotional game for a lot of people," he added.

Kansas defensive end Russell Brorsen confirmed that a Jayhawk -- the bird -- doesn't really exist.

“I would think not," he said, smiling. "I don’t think there’s any fossilized records of it.”

When somebody pointed out that a lot of people don't really know what a Hokie is, either, he gave it a shot.
“We had a discussion about the Hokie," he said. "I know this isn’t right…but isn’t it like a turkey? It’s a word their fans made up in the 1920s. But it’s a type of turkey. They have a turkey on the sidelines. Isn’t that like their mascot?”

Not a bad attempt there, really.

Quarterback Todd Reesing kind of personifies this Kansas team. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound sophomore talked about how difficult it was for him to get recruited despite the fact that he was the Class 4A player of the year in Texas as a junior at Lake Travis High School.

The only other teams that offered him were Kansas State (an offer that later fell apart when coach Bill Snyder retired in 2005) and Duke. The Jayhawks probably wouldn't have offered him if he hadn't sent a highlight tape to coach Mark Mangino. He spent the summer before his senior year barnstorming tryout camps at a slew of big schools, most of which dismissed him quickly.

"They all said, 'He may throw the ball good, but he’s too short.'" Reesing said. "Or 'he’s not fast enough.' It always came down to those two things. It kind of got old. I was like, 'OK, if you don’t like it, tell me to leave. Don’t waste my time; I won’t waste yours.'”

Reesing earned the starting job this season and attempted 119 passes before throwing an interception. He's thrown for 3,259 yards and 32 touchdowns to make second-team All-Big 12.

“Well, I’m not trying to go out to say, ‘hey, I told you so’ to people," he said. "But there’s a certain level of satisfaction to say 'hey, [stinks] for y’all.”

As you might have heard, Bill Parcells stopped by Tech's practice today and spoke to the Hokies. Beat writer Randy King was there and will have more on that in Wednesday's newspaper.

Bud Foster, as you might have gathered from the transcript posted here earlier, answered a lot of questions this morning. It was by far the most lengthy interview of any of the four coordinators who have taken the podium. The full transcript was posted here earlier -- a lot of it you've heard before, but since somebody with the Orange Bowl took the time to type it all up for the media, I figured I'd pass it along. There is some good stuff in there, particularly his thoughts on linebackers Vince Hall and Xavier Adibi.

You get the feeling this is one of those games where the Foster's group will be fine if it can just minimize the damage. It will be hard to keep Kansas off the scoreboard, but if the Hokies can turn potential touchdowns into field goals, they'll be in excellent shape.

“When they get in the red zone, you know you’ve got to lock down a lot harder," Martin said. "That’s what we’ve been good at.”

Orange Bowl: Bud Foster interview

Posted Dec31, 2007 at 11:42 AM

Monday, Dec. 31, 11:48 a.m.: Hello again, everybody. The Hokies and Jayhawks had press conferences this morning at the hotel. Here's the transcript of the interview with Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster, courtesy of the folks with the Orange Bowl.

BUD FOSTER: First of all, it's great to be
here in South Beach or South Florida. They've
treated us very, very well. I think our practices
have gone very well and very good today. I was
real pleased with our practice yesterday. Our
Monday practice which was, what is today? Is
today Monday or Saturday? Yeah, I get all these
days. Today's Wednesday for us, that's all I know.
But our Tuesday practice for us, which is a
physical practice, hitting practice, you know, I
thought we got our timing back. I was real pleased
with our kid's work yesterday. You know, we're
excited about the opportunity to play a great
Kansas team.
They present a lot of problems, you know.
They're a spread offense. But at the same time
they're a very balanced offense. They run the ball
for close to 20 yards a game. They're the second
ranked scoring offense in the country, and in the
top sixth ranked in total offense.
They present a major, major problem for
us. They've got outstanding players. The
quarterback's a super football player. Again, a
physical running back that you've got to tattoo him.
You've got to bring 11 guys to stop him. And if you
load up to stop the run, they have a talent of corps
receivers that can create plays in the ball in their
hand.
They present a major problem and
challenge for us. But we're excited about the
opportunity to play in this great ballgame.

Continue reading "Orange Bowl: Bud Foster interview" »

Cavaliers beat Hartford

Posted Dec30, 2007 at 07:29 PM

Mark Berman back here in Charlottesville, where the Virginia men's basketball team beat Hartford 78-70 on Sunday. UVa led the entire second half but its coach said the Cavs didn't play at a high level.

"We weren't real sharp," UVa coach Dave Leitao said. "The biggest issue right now is just inconsistency.We can have good to terrific days of practice and we can have some real downers. That affects every aspect.

"If we're not consistent or don't become consistent, somebody else is going to take control of that for us and that's not good news."

"He has very high standards for us," Sean Singletary said. "We've just go to play up to those expectations if we want to be a great team. He's been around great teams and he knows what it takes and he knows we've got the talent to do it. When we don't, he gets on us. .... He's yelling at us, but hey, you've got to let it go in one ear and out the other and take the message for what it's worth. ... We did a few thing well but we did more things not the right way."

UVa is 10-2 now. Hartford fell to 5-9.

"We wasn't sharp," Tunji Soroye said after making his season debut. "It has to do with our mind-set. ... If it was a bigger team, the mind-set would be different."

Continue reading "Cavaliers beat Hartford" »

Orange Bowl: Stinespring interview

Posted Dec30, 2007 at 06:03 PM

Here are the thoughts from Virginia Tech offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring, who answered questions this morning:

Coach, if you want to open up about being here in Miami and preparations leading to the game.
COACH STINESPRING: We're awfully excited to be here. It's a great bowl, and great opportunity for our program to be able to go against a team like Kansas that's had a terrific year and playing very well. Just a great opportunity for us. Great challenge for us. We certainly like coming down to Miami. Weather's always nice to us down here. We're glad we were able to bring some sun from Blacksburg. We're just excited to be here. Practice has gone well until this point in time. And we know we're going to have a terrific challenge in front of us when playing Kansas. When you look at their football team, they've got some terrific football players, playing with a lot of confidence. They're very physical on the defensive side. They remind us a lot of ourselves. They fly around, they pursue to the football, and so you got to work at it. You got to work at it hard. So we're looking forward to it.

Q. I wondered if you could talk about Sean Glennon and the year he had. Loses his job, and comes back real strong. What was the difference between the first couple of games and the end of the season?
COACH STINESPRING: I think that's a good question. I think there is a story here about Sean Glennon, because I think he's taught us all a little bit of a lesson, that you may not be able to pitch it right away. There's a story about having to battle back from adversity to disappointment to being able to step back to a starting role to be able to come to the ACC championship game. He was player of the game. I think we all understand. We can see that part of it. But I think there is another part, and I think he taught us all a little bit that the biggest difference that I can see is sometimes you've got the weight of the world on your shoulders. In this game that we play in this arena that we play in with the lights and the cameras, and all these things, there's already that pressure that surrounds this game. And sometimes, I think we all forget to go out and enjoy playing the game, to have fun. That's what it's intended to do. And I think Sean Glennon taught us. He went back out there and had the opportunity to play, to start, to get back on the field. I think he had fun. He enjoyed the moment, enjoyed the opportunity. And I think it taught us all a little bit. We have a tendency to forget that this is a game, it's meant to have fun. And enjoy the opportunity, and just always feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders, that every opportunity you have is a mistake waiting to happen or trying to prevent a mistake from happening. So I think we all were able to take a little bit from that and just watch a guy go out and enjoy the chance to play a game.

Q. Just wanted to ask you the two quarterback system you've been using lately, why is it so successful? I know other teams have used it in the past, but for you guys it's working well?
COACH STINESPRING: I think that question is going to be answered by the two men you're going to visit with here in a little bit. I think the mentality that Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor have, in terms of the understanding they have, why we're doing it, and the reasons why we're doing it. I think that's very, very important. That you've got to have two players that are quarterbacks that like being out there for every snap, and they understand. They're committed to it. Not involved, but committed to the idea that we want to have our opportunities to have our best players on the field whatever you bring to the table, whatever each individual can bring to the table. Have an opportunity to bring it on the field and give you a chance to win. Or give you an opportunity to become more dimensional in your offense and pose your problems for defense. And I think they bought into it. I know they did. If they didn't, it wouldn't work. I just think the communication, when we first started out to do this, we went to them first. We sat down as a staff, obviously, but we felt like we needed to go down and, myself, just sit down with Tyrod, sit down with Sean and let them know why, what we were hoping to do. What we were attempting to accomplish and understanding of one key element here was the fact that they weren't being judged from snap to snap or series to series. This was the way we were going to approach it. That we felt we had two starting quarterbacks. Each brought different things to the table. Each of them gave us an opportunity to win ballgames and why not go that route? They were not being why'd from play to play. To sit down and explain the process and what we were hoping to accomplish with it, I think was really important from that standpoint for all of us. Then we sat down with our individual positions as coaches and let them know, our offense, just to let them know what we were hoping to get accomplished and what we were doing. Get everybody on the same page. I think it's worked out well. It's not an easy venture, I can assure you that. If it was, I think more people would do it. But it's something that in this trial and error through this whole process. But it forces you to be a little bit trying to stay a little bit ahead in a series from snap to snap. It forces you to do that. In some regards, that's a benefit. The further you can stay ahead, the better off you are.

Q. I was wondering, could you talk about what you see in Aqib Talib and what challenges of your passing offense?
COACH STINESPRING: I think he's a terrific football player. Obviously, when you're an All American you're pretty good at what you do. You have a guy that has a tendency to run well. As most defensive backs can do. But then you have a defensive back that is well schooled. Seems like he has great understanding of schemes. Looks like to me watching him from week to week and their seconds in general, they do a great job in their film study. They don't sit around to watch film just to watch film. They've got a great combination of routes. So he's a learned guy on the field. Then you have a combination of a guy that understands his position. Understands what an offense is attempting to try to do in the passing game and can run well. But now he's got height, he's physical. So he can play a lot of different ways. He's not just I'm not going to rely on speed, I'm not going to rely on quickness. But I can physically match up with your receivers. If you feel like you have a receiving corps or particular receiver that can run well or, b, gives a physical, you hope, gives you a physical advantage. He can nullify pretty much everything that you can throw out there.

Q. Is it game situation the way you decide who plays when, what series? You kind of explained a while ago, but just elaborate on that?
COACH STINESPRING: Really, I try to script the night before the game. I'll actually create a 25-play script. And I'll always see what you're calling by down and distance and the personnel grouping that you have in the game. But in order to get it done with the quarterback situation, you've got to kind of tag those people into those situations, too. Because as a guy that has to call the plays, you have to get the personnel grouping, you've got to understand the down and distance, the high mark, and then call the play in that situation that you're looking to run. But now you have to match it up with the quarterback you like to have in that situation. So to script the day before or the night before, gets you off and running, so to speak, in terms of making the questionable changes. Because that's an easy element to say I want to put another quarterback in or change quarterbacks. So you script it out a little bit. We're going to go gunning, we're going this personnel, we're going to go this play. Two plays later and I've looked and created a situation to change quarterbacks. Okay, let's go. On deck, let's get Tyrod, he's in.

Q. How do you say this guy's in, this is the kind of play they run. This guy's in, because they're already keyed off? Is there an overlap between what these two quarterbacks do?
COACH STINESPRING: Absolutely. Is one person going to run this play and this play only? No. Is this person going to throw this route and only this route? No. This is where Sean and his experience and understanding of the game. The fact that he's been a starter for us and played in a lot of ballgames. If you get caught, the whole package, the whole playbook, Sean's got a grasp of. So if you want to go this situation and call this play, you get caught without a position to go, whether it's just a situation or your thought process or a quick start by an official you don't want to make the quarterback change and Sean's in there, you know you have an opportunity to call whatever's in the toolbox you're able to pull out for that situation. But certainly there are certain things that we'd like to be in a situation to have one quarterback in as opposed to the other. It may be a situation, a specific play that we feel like the quarterback's assets brings the best out of that particular play.

Q. Everyone is talking about this game being the Virginia Tech defense versus Kansas offense as far as the story line. Is the Virginia Tech offense versus the Kansas defense being overlooked or underestimated? And the second part is what would you say the most significant thing about the Kansas defense that could be a factor in this game is?
COACH STINESPRING: I think it's Virginia Tech versus the University of Kansas. However, somebody else wants to parlay the game into offense versus defense. We play the game with three components of a game. There's defense, there's offense, and we know we have to be successful in all three areas. However, we want to say the Kansas offense versus our defense. It's going to take all three facets of the game to win this ballgame. It will take all three of them, not just one. So however you look at it, that is one aspect of it. So we understand that we better be successful in three factors of this ballgame. We better able to run the ball in certain defense. If we're three-and-outs and their offense stays on the field, we'll be in trouble. But we need to be able to move the ball. When you look at their defense, again, as I said, there is some carryover in terms of what our defense prides itself on, what their defense prides itself on. They rally to the ball. When we're running the ball, we have to be very good about trying to sustain our blocks. If we're not sustaining our blocks and allowing them to continue on their pursuit and if there's a hole, it's going to close down quickly. So we're going to have to play with a lot of intensity, play with a lot of effort, and we're going to have to try to match their intensity and their physical attributes up front.

Q. You've kind of answered this already. But it would seem like well, like yesterday when one guy's in they pass, when the other guy's in they run. I know it's be that simple. But aren't you concerned with some very smart coaches who are going to be studying your game film morning, noon and night for a month. That they're not going to be able to pick up when this quarterback is in, they run this play or these kind of plays. When that guy's in this is what they like to run? It would seem like there have to be patterns, reasons why one guy plays when the other guy doesn't. Is that not a concern? COACH STINESPRING: Absolutely, it is. From week to week, you're talking about a six-week venture that we're undertaking here or seven weeks. From week to week, I don't think there was a pattern. If you go from a defensive standpoint looking offensively maybe early on,but when you're seven games into it and they're looking one game to the next game, I don't think it was an opportunity to create a pattern. As this thing has unfolded, I feel like if you went back and looked at the last six games, you can being probably see a pattern develop about which quarterback is running which plays. Is there a common denominator for each quarterback? I think so. In that regard as we've exited the ACC Championship game and started to prepare for this game, we've gone back. We've had an opportunity to go back and look. And we've highlighted which plays which quarterback has actually run. That's a different deal, too. Because you normally look at what you've run in these situations, what your run pass percentage. Not just the other type of tendencies that you may have. But now you have to go back and look at it from a quarterback perspective. So we've looked at that pretty good. I think we understand there are some tendencies, which, obviously, there are going to be. I think if you look at Florida a couple of years ago, I don't think it took a genius to figure out when Tebow was in there is a pretty good percentage that he was may run the ball as opposed to Leek. I'm sure it was skewed a little bit that way. But when you have a guy like Tyrod, you can say well, he ran it, he ran it. Well, there are some times that he's run it that not necessarily a run was called. He has a tendency if it doesn't look good, and doesn't look good early, he's not afraid to pull it down and take off with it. So some of those tendencies may be. But I don't think it's nearly as simple as one when guy's in we're going to throw it and one guy's out we're going to run it. I don't think it's that simple. We've worked after the regular season to go back and make sure. Because this is an opportunity to study tendencies, as you get prepared for a bowl game. You can do that now. So we had to go back and make sure what we were doing with each quarterback. What was the percentage of run-pass. What was the percentage of what types of runs, 1, 2, 3, and each tendency. We had to change that up a little bit. I tell you, I think Kansas does a terrific job week in and week out of studying what you do. Formation wise, situation wise, and attacking what you do. I think they take your base 1, 2, 3 runs, your base 1, 2, 3 passes and they do a great job of defending your money plays.

Q. Can you talk about how this time you've had helps you prepare as well as -- could you describe your offense for somebody who may not have been able to see you play this season?
COACH STINESPRING: I think our offense right now, we're a balanced offense. We try to be equal running it and throwing it. We give you more looks personnel-wise than we ever have. I think we can be in a pro-set. I think we can be in a three-wide set, two-wide set, two tighten set. So we try to be multi-dimensional in terms of the number of looks we'll give you. But basically we'll try to run the ball from tackle tight end to tackle box in the series of zone plays, and we try to play action off of that. That's our bread and butter. To be able to show run, and whatever we run, to have a pass off of it. Sometimes it may be shorter play action throws. But sometimes it's a lot of the play action, try to get the ball down the field, too. Then when we want to try to spread it around, we can get in a little bit of a west coast look and try to throw the ball and dink and dunk it with three and four wides. And look for and always have the opportunity in any of our three and four-wide sets to always have at least one looky. When we talk about a looky, a shot throw, if it's not there, we have some type of underneath throws. We'll always try to throw the ball down the field. And if it's not there, have the ability to get the ball underneath a little bit. So really, truthfully, one to run the ball, play action off of it. And try to diversify in the quality types of looks that we're going to give our defendant or our opponent and to keep them all from that standpoint.

Q. You took some criticism early this season, since the two-quarterback system. Not so much criticism, a lot more praise. Sean Glennon your quarterback kind of compared it to when you're taking a test. He said sometimes your first instinct is the right one and maybe that's been beneficial to you to not have time to overthink or second guess yourself. But to go, go, go, and maybe your first instincts are your best ones. Is there something to that from a play calling standpoint? C
OACH STINESPRING: You kind of looked into this question, haven't you? I don't think so. If there's anything early on. If you have injuries up front and situations where we've had some injuries, where we weren't running the ball as well as we needed to run the ball as early in the season for whatever reason, I think when you call a play, you've got to concern yourself not only with the play that you're calling but the defense that you're calling it against. And in the back of your mind you have to be keenly aware of what you're asking each individual on your offense to be able to do. What task are you asking them to perform? So if there's any type of concern or questioning, I think you've got to take all of those into account. When you take all of those into account, it can be a little nerve-racking back there sometimes. But going back to it, when we got healthy up front and had the two quarterback situation, you have to call the play. And I think the scripting part of it has helped, because it's getting the play in, the quarterback in, the situation in, when you've got it going that way, you're not so worry, can a right guard do this, left guard do that, tight end do that. You've got to call the play and go.

Q. I was wondering if you could talk about after the shootings in April? Do you have any sense that football has been something different on the campus to the players, the fans to everyone than it did before?
COACH STINESPRING: I don't know. That's a difficult question because I think April 16th affected us all in a in a lot of different ways. I don't like to speak about how an individual on our team may have felt. All I know is this: I think all of us had our hearts broken before or we thought we had our hearts broken. But not until April 16 we truly feel what it meant to have your heart broken. And I think we carried with us the idea that a lot of people following that incident that had to carry the flag a little bit. Compassion and caring and reaching out towards others in pride and we all felt like there was going to be a point in time that we would be asked to carry the flag a little bit, and I think we did so. Obviously, we had a very significant loss early in the season. But I think we were not going to let that break us, and we were not going to let that be the telling story for the season. Part of what happened was we were able to pick ourselves back up as we did after April 16. We were able to rise back up again, and we did. Just as our university as our community and our student population, just as our state picked itself up, we were able to do so, and, I think, carry on. I think this season or immediately after we won the ACC Championship, I think coach Beamer said we won this ACC Championship in remembrance of those who lost their lives and the families of the April 16 tragedy. That tragedy has never been very far from our minds.

Q. I know you've been around for most of coach Beamer's tenure. Kind of two parts, what's kept you there and what attributes does coach Beamer possess that are probably most key to maintaining the success that Virginia Tech has had over the last 15 years?
COACH STINESPRING: I think coach Beamer's attributes, I'm not, I don't mean to make light of it. Other than my father has been the single biggest influence of me in my life. Not just as a football coach but as a person. I think the way you conduct yourself personally, professionally. I think he's been a tremendous role model for us as coaches. And I'd say therefore, I think, it's easy to understand why our players do as well as they do. If he has that type of affect on grown and mature men. Imagine what he does for those young people he's in charge of. The best accolade I could tell you is I hope one day my son who is 13 ever has a chance to play college football, I certainly hope he could play for Coach Beamer. I know he's going to be a better man, better player, and better person because of him.

Cavs up at halftime

Posted Dec30, 2007 at 03:49 PM

Mark Berman here from Charlottesville, where the Virginia men's basketball team leads Hartford 41-28 at halftime.
UVa is 7-of-15 from 3-point range, compared to Hartford's 3-of-18. UVa is shooting better from 3-point territory (43.8 percent) than Hartford is from the field (32.4 percent). UVa is shooting 51.6 percent from the field.
Mamadi Diane has made all four of his 3-point attempts and has 14 points. Sean Singletary is 2-of-8 from the field and has seven points.
UVa built a 23-12 lead with 9:22 left in the half.
Back with much more a few hours after the game.

More Orange Bowl stuff

Posted Dec30, 2007 at 01:28 PM

Sunday, Dec. 30, 1:29 p.m. Press conferences were early this morning, and players from both teams were about as chipper as they could possibly be considering it was before 10 a.m. The Orange Bowl folks were quite helpful, transcribing the quotes from the session with Tech offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring and Kansas defensive coordinator Bill Young. I'll be back with more later, but for now, here's Young:

Kansas Defensive Coordinator Bill Young

Q. Tell us about your time so far in Miami, and the preparations for the FedEx Orange Bowl?
BILL YOUNG: We've had a wonderful time. The hospitality's been unbelievable. As far as our practices, we're working at Barry University, great facilities and great weather. It's just been tremendous, we couldn't have asked for more.

Q. What problems does a two-quarterback system present in preparing for it?
BILL YOUNG: Obviously, both quarterbacks can do the same thing. One of them is a little bit better runner it appears on tape. One is a little better passer. But the offense doesn't change that much. Maybe with Taylor, they'll end up running the zone options, and the more quarterback run game. And then with Glennon, they'll throw the ball a little bit more. But we have to be aware of who is in the game and what the possibilities are that the might offense might choose to do.

Q. How has having a month to prepare for an offense like this that has two different types of quarterbacks. How has that benefited you? And how long have you been working on the Hokies offense?

BILL YOUNG: About half that time. We spent a couple of weeks recruiting and letting our players heal up. We spent a lot of time working with the younger players in developmental type practices, and then we got focused in on Virginia Tech. But there shouldn't be any excuses from a knowledge standpoint about what they've done in the past. I'm sure they'll have some new wrinkles that they've installed for the ballgame. But we've been able to study their film. It's to the point now that you put a tape in there and you know what the next play is. You've seen it so many times.

Q. One of the most simplistic things of this game has been Kansas' offense against Virginia Tech defense. Has your run defense been overlooked, do you think in that kind of thinking?
BILL YOUNG: No, not really. I think it's, you know, particularly if you think of Virginia Tech, you think of the great defenses that I have they've had in the past. Though our job is to stop their offense and they feel like they're awfully good. We're very proud of our offensive football team and the things they've accomplished. We've always said the best defense say great offense. And we hope they continue doing what they're doing.

Q. Couple questions about Aqib. First off when you have a corner that can take away one half of the field like what, what does it do for the defense and for you as a coordinator? Second question is he has a reputation as a chatty, full of personality kind of player out on the field. Did that take getting used to to get what he was about when he first came here?
BILL YOUNG: No, not really. Aqib's really grown as an individual and as a player since he came to our program. He is an outstanding player, great personality. It's really helped our defense having a defensive back like that. I know we went through several years last year when we struggled at the corner position because of injuries and so forth, so having a guy like him is a definite plus for us.

Q. You touched on this a few minutes ago. But it seems like with the Hokies and the two quarterback offense, they know that you were going to be spending a month studying their tendencies. And you know that they know that, because of all of that, might this be more than most games, kind of a chess match between the coaches and the coordinators, what to call when to call it?
BILL YOUNG: I think you took the words right out of our mouth. It's what we talk about all the time in the defensive staff room. We know they'll have some new wrinkles and we will, too. When they pull out their bag of tricks, we've got to be prepared. As a defensive football team, you always have to be sound regardless what plays they're running. We need to be that. We need to get in the ballgame early and try to make them one dimensional and try to take the run game away from them as soon as possible. And make them throw the football. And hopefully we can do that.

Q. I was wondering if during the games or practices, can you hear Talib and does that ever entertain you?
BILL YOUNG: No, I can't hear him. I'm deaf in one ear, and can't hear out of the other. So I don't hear a lot of that. But it doesn't bother us at all. We want to play with a little bit of a swagger. We want to know that we're good. I don't know that we need to tell everybody how good we are but you want that self confidence.

Q. Does his talk seem to be more of the confidence building rather than malicious or traditional trash talk?
BILL YOUNG: We wouldn't allow trash talk. If we heard it, we'd get it corrected. But no, it's a confidence type thing. I'm not really sure what you're referring to. But I don't notice Aqib doing that much talking. I notice he's a tough player and he gets out there and plays hard and he enjoys hard. But there is a lot of bantering back and forth in practice. But we want to make it a good experience for everybody.

Q. When Aqib was playing, I know he didn't play a great deal on offense, but he did spend some time there. Were you reluctant to let him do that or think about doing that because of the need to keep your focus on the job at hand, which is, number one, play cornerback?
BILL YOUNG: No, not really. You know, a couple of years ago we had a young man named Charles Gordon who was wide receiver and came on our side of the ball and did a great job for us. It was give and take. Anything we can do to get points on the board and make plays on offense, it helps us on defense. It's a team game, and we're really excited for him as for his opportunities over there, and in the long run it certainly helps us.

Q. Miami, the sunshine, the scenery, going from 20-degree temperatures to 80, did your message to the players have to be different this week and focusing them on the task at hand than say playing in Boise or Shreveport or someplace else?
BILL YOUNG: I don't think so. We've got a mature football team. They're very focused and they know why we're here. Coach Mangino says we're here on a business trip, and there is no question they understand that.

Q. What have you observed that really stands out to you about the way Mark Mangino goes about coaching this team and his work ethic and the way he relates with you guys or the assistant coaches? Is it?
BILL YOUNG: I think from a work ethic standpoint, he's second to none. No one's going to outwork us both as players and coaches, hopefully, and great attention to detail. We're going to dot every I, and cross every T and taking care of business. I think he does an extremely good job of all of those things.

Q. It seems like from the outside it's hard to get a good glimpse of what his personality is actually like. Is he kind of warm and friendly or is he generally gruff? What do you see?
BILL YOUNG: I think he got the nickname of bear when he came here. So that might describe him a little more than warm and fuzzy, I don't know. But he is an intense guy. Not in a malicious way. He is focused and he knows what it takes to win and he's working hard to get that done.

Q. Has he loosened up with you guys?
BILL YOUNG: Oh, yeah, he has a great personality. It's not all business. He's a normal person. It's not like he's ready to play football on every snap. He enjoys life. Sits back, has a cigar, and he has fun.

Q. With the run defense against Missouri, it looks like they were able to find some holes have you taken that as motivation? You know Virginia Tech's going to try to run the ball. How's the run defense looking?
BILL YOUNG: We hope it's looking good. The things that Missouri did, and I talked with Dave Christiansen several times since then. They had a scheme that was different than anything we had seen. They ran a lot of unbalanced lines where the center was playing where the guard would play. Sometimes he was lined up where the tackle was. We missed our fits because of just not being able to adjust and kick the front and understand just move one gap and this, that, and the other. Which we worked on it a lot during practice and thought it was going to be simple, but it didn't. Virginia Tech has a different style of offense. They are a power running team. There are powers and counters and leads, and then they have the zone read. So we have our plate full. It's going to take a lot of effort and intensity so get the job done and stop them in the run game. I don't know if we'll stop them. Maybe we can slow them down.

Q. Do you recall where or how you found out about the shootings at Virginia Tech and can you imagine what it's like, the burden of responsibility this football team Bears? Because playing this season immediately after an event like that and dedicating it in so many ways to all the lives that were changed that day?
BILL YOUNG: I can't remember exactly where I was. But obviously it was a tremendous tragedy. Any time anything happens and it's so personal when it's your own university and people you may know, it had to be extremely tough on them.

Q. Can you imagine what this is like for them?
BILL YOUNG: Not really. I've never been in that situation. I, fortunately, have never been near anything like that.

Q. Can you talk about your linebacker corps, all being juniors, how well they've performed in comparison to the great linebackers you had a couple of seasons ago?
BILL YOUNG: Last year they were all starters and they got knocked around and developed and learned on the run. And this year they've done a tremendous job. We're fortunate enough to lead the Big 12 in rushing defense, and it's a tribute to those guys. They're the second line of defense, so to speak. Their run-fits have gotten so much better. They're right on par with the great group we had a few years ago.

Q. When you have three juniors like that, how do you develop younger players that are going to have to step in?
BILL YOUNG: Our second team is three freshmen right behind them. One was a red shirt freshman and the other two are pure freshmen. So they're getting a tremendous amount of reps in practice. We've been fortunate to be ahead in games and they've played a little bit, too. We've got an eye toward recruiting this year. It's important to get another set of young linebackers coming in where we can stagger them out and we don't lose all of them at once.

Gator Bowl snippets

Posted Dec30, 2007 at 12:01 PM

Virginia coach Al Groh won't be doing a teleconference Sunday but he briefly chatted with reporters on Saturday. Here are a few quotes:

On the Cavalierrs' 3-1 bowl record during his tenure: "Part of playing well in these games is knowing how to travel and how to prepare."

On Texas Tech's unheralded defense: "Scheme-wise, it bears similarity to teams like Connecticut and Pittsburgh, or N.C. State. All 4-3 teams."

On the kind of game he expects: "I'd take 89-88 if that's what it took. I know it's not going to be 10-7."

On Chris Long: "I guess he'll be in a lot of stadiums from now on."

Orange Bowl Blog

Posted Dec29, 2007 at 10:08 AM

-7:03 p.m., Saturday, Dec 29:

I went to both practices today. Here is my impression: The Hokies are soft!

Really.

OK, they're not soft compared to people like me -- and the vast majority of the nation -- who sit around and type things for a living. I want to make it perfectly clear that Vince Hall, no matter what he does this week, could whip my ***. ( Vince wouldn't, though, because he's a gentle soul. Right Vince?).

By compared to Kansas, the Hokies are soft. Kansas bangs. Tech glides through drills. The Jayhawks stick each other for two hours. The Hokies run and listen.

It's a difference in philosophy, and as I write in my column for tomorrow, none of us really knows which way is better. But we'll find out.

Onto the tailbacks. By now, most of you know that Branden Ore will not play in the first quarter of the Orange Bowl as punishment for showing up late to practice. While I think that's a blunder by Ore, I'll give props to Tech for disclosing it. Stuff like that could easily get swept under the rug, or excused away, but the Hokies addressed it. Good for them.

Talked to Kenny Lewis Jr. today. He's the guy who will start thanks to Ore's misstep. He said he's ready for the challenge.

“Oh yeah," he said. "Last year when Branden went down before the Wake Forest game, I started against Wake Forest and UVa. I learned on the run, basically. And now that I’ve got more plays under my belt, things are slowing down for me, so I can take what I learned back then and use that as well.”

By the way, Kansas coach Mark Mangino is nothing short of an inspiration. I'll have a story on him in the paper later in the week. But I'll also have more from the Hokies. Their top offensive players will be available tomorrow morning, along with the top defensive stars from Kansas. Stay tuned...

-10:19 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 29: Aaron McFarling here from South Florida, where I'm preparing to head to Virginia Tech's first practice with Randy King. Player availability will be hit-or-miss today, and we're not expected to have much time with them before they get started. But when I return I'll have some thoughts from players and probably coach Frank Beamer as well.

One of the big topics of conversation, I'm sure, will be Branden Ore. He's suspended for the first quarter of Thursday's Orange Bowl after showing up late to a practice. Not the kind of thing the Hokies needed, but it gives Kenny Lewis Jr. a shot to perform on the big stage.

The Jim Leyritz story was obviously front-page news here this morning. If you haven't heard, the former Yankee has been charged with DUI manslaughter and DUI with property damage after a crash early Friday morning in Fort Lauderdale that killed a wife and mother of two. Very sad story, and another reminder to be as safe as possible over the holidays.

The local TV weatherman warns that a cold front is heading to town the next few days. Could dip down into the 60s. Seriously.

Hokies lose at Wake

Posted Dec23, 2007 at 09:48 PM

Mark Berman back here at Wake Forest, where Virginia Tech blew an eight-point lead with 1:22 left and lost to Wake 77-75 in the ACC opener for both teams.

Tech led 75-67 after Deron Washington (13 points, 14 rebounds, 11-of-12 from the line) made one of two free throws with 1:22 left, but Wake ended on a 10-0 run.

"We didn't understand time and score," coach Seth Greenberg said. "We should understand time and score' we just didn't. ... We just made some bad decisions."

"It wasn't our defense (late). It was our offense," Malcolm Delaney said. "We've just got to work on time and possession."

"We could've won," Washington said. "It's one of the games we've got to learn from. It's going to be a learning process because we're a very young team.

But blaming youth is wrong. AD Vassallo, a junior, and Washington, a senior, both erred in the final 82 seconds.

"We should've won," said Jeff Allen, who had 16 points. "We just didn't use time and score well. We had the lead. We should've kept it. .... We just need to be smarter with the ball and [make] less turnovers."

Continue reading "Hokies lose at Wake" »

Hokies down at halftime

Posted Dec23, 2007 at 06:36 PM

Mark Berman here at Wake Forest, where the Virginia Tech men's basketball team trailes the Demon Deacons 45-36 at halftime of its ACC opener.

Tech took a 34-33 lead on a Dorenzo Hudson basket with 3:15 to go in the half but was outscored 12-2 the rest of the half.

After the Hudson basket, Wake went on a 9-0 run. Harvey Hale and Jeff Teage made back-to-back 3-pointers.

After a Tech turnover, an intential foul was called against Malcolm Delaney for contact with Teague under the basket. Teague made one of two foul shots, and Wake got to keep the ball. David Weaver made a jam to extend the lead to 42-34 with 1:38 to go in the half.

After two free throws by Delaney, Tech coach Seth Greenberg was called for a technical foul by Ted Valentine for complaining about a foul called against the Hokies.

Continue reading "Hokies down at halftime" »

Virginia-Elon

Posted Dec22, 2007 at 05:21 PM

Cavs go into the Christmas break at 9-2 after a 91-61 victory over Elon on Saturday afternoon at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville.

Elon (5-7) was a 20-point underdog, for whatever that means, but UVa's previous two victories had been by relatively unimpressive margins against Longwood (76-57) and Hampton (79-65).

Sean Singletary played one of his cleanest games of the season, finishing with 20 points, eight assists and five rebounds in 28 minutes. Singletary was 5-for-7 from the field, incdluding 3-for-4 on 3-pointers.

Sophomore post man Jerome Meyinsse was 5-for-5 from the field and had a career-high 12 points in 21 minutes off the bench.

Hokies beat Liberty

Posted Dec19, 2007 at 10:24 PM

Mark Berman back here at Cassell Coliseum, where the Virginia Tech men's basketball team woke up in the second half and beat Liberty 58-46.

"I'm not going to spend very much time watching this tape because I don't think we're going to play another team that's going to play that way," coach Seth Greenberg said. "We weren't very good."

Tech trailed 23-21 after a first half that was played at Liberty's slow pace. Tech picked up the tempo in the second half, scoring the first eight points of the half and leading the rest of the way.

"We kind of played our game in the second half, made them react to us," Malcolm Delaney said. "The first half, we (were) kind of reacting to them."

"Their style of play slowed us down and we just got real lax," Deron Washington (17 points) said. "It seemed like we were out there just to be out there. They weren't really moving and we weren't really running the floor at all when we got the ball. ... The second half, we just came out with a lot more energy."

Liberty started four guards and played a deliberate pace on offense and used a zone defense to stay in the game.

Continue reading "Hokies beat Liberty" »

Virginia beats Hampton

Posted Dec19, 2007 at 10:14 PM

The Virginia men's basketball team shakes off some early doldrums to defeat Hampton 79-65 and raise its record to 8-2. Five scholarship players were injured and unable to play but coach Dave Leitao was enthused about the performance of young frontcourt players Mike Scott (15 points, six rebounds), Jerome Meyinsse (nine points and nine rebounds) and Jamil Tucker (eight points and six rebounds). Meyinsse, who had played 33 minutes all season, was on the floor for 22 minutes Wednesday night.

Hokies trail at halftime

Posted Dec19, 2007 at 07:49 PM

Mark Berman here at Cassell Coliseum, where after an ugly first half, the Virginia Tech men's basketball team trails Liberty 23-21.
Tech continues to be a lousy first-half team.
Liberty, coming off a 73-70 loss at Campbell, did not impress in this half. LU shot 42.9 percent from the field and committed nine turnovers.
Tech, coming off a 72-69 loss at ODU, also was unimpressive. Tech shot 36.4 percent from the field in the half and also has nine turnovers.
Deron Washington has nine points and two turnovers. A.D. Vassallo has eight points, two 3-pointers and two blocks.
Kyle Ohman has eight points for Liberty.
The Flames have outrebounded Tech 14-12.

Top Timesland swim times (through Dec. 18)

Posted Dec19, 2007 at 03:48 PM

GIRLS 200 FREE

1:57.50 – Lauren Hines (Hidden Valley)
1:58.63 – Miriam McGeath (Patrick Henry)
2:00.59 – Grace Aheron (Patrick Henry)
2:01.59 – Devin Henry (Hidden Valley)
2:01.70 – Lauren Gray (Hidden Valley)
2:01.75 – Ali Horn (Cave Spring)
2:04.18 – Victoria Mesner (Northside)
2:06.30 – Jill Bair (Hidden Valley)
2:06.59 – Katie Campbell (Hidden Valley)
2:07.55 – Mary Anne Hart (Patrick Henry)

GIRLS 200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY

2:10.28 – Susanna White (Jefferson Forest)
2:11.86 – Miriam McGeath (Patrick Henry)
2:12.16 – Ali Horn (Cave Spring)
2:13.11 – Grace Aheron (Patrick Henry)
2:16.41 – Lauren Hines (Hidden Valley)
2:17.67 – Devin Henry (Hidden Valley)
2:17.99 – Sara Goforth (Auburn)
2:19.03 – Katie Campbell (Hidden Valley)
2:19.60 – Lauren Gray (Hidden Valley)
2:20.09 – Allison Martin (Patrick Henry)

Continue reading "Top Timesland swim times (through Dec. 18)" »

WVU loses coach

Posted Dec16, 2007 at 08:16 PM

When is a "dream job" really a dream job? West Virginia fans are asking themselves that question today after Mountaineer coach Rich Rodriguez bolted Morgantown for Ann Arbor on Sunday after a 10-minute meeting with his former players. The 44-year-old Rodriguez spent seven seasons guiding the Mountaineers to national prominence. Now, he's leaving his alma mater and his home state, and taking his unconventional schemes to help a different team win a national title. It's a bitter pill to swallow for WVU fans used to hearing Rodriguez publicly profess on numerous occasions that coaching the Mountaineers was his "dream job." Seems that Rodriguez has redefined the palette of his vivid dream to include a more prominent color. Yes, the palette still contains a vivid base of blue and gold, but now there's an accent: a seductive shade of green. -- Mark Shaver

Hokies lose at ODU

Posted Dec16, 2007 at 08:06 PM

Back here at Old Dominion, where Virginia Tech lost to the Monarchs 72-69 in front of a loud, sellout crowd at Ted Constant Center.

Tech (5-4) never led. The Hokies did not play smart basketball. They shot 39.7 percent from the field, including 37.9 percent in the second half. They committed 16 turnovers, and that doesn't even count a few mental mistakes.

"The game came down to too many empty possessions for us -- and our inability to check people in the first half," coach Seth Greenberg said. "How do you learn to make good decisions? You make some bad ones, and hopefully you learn from them."

ODU, which shot 60 percent from the field in the first half, mproved to 6-4. The Monarchs had suffered double-digit losses to Clemson, North Carolina, Louisville and Georgetown.

It was the seventh time Tech lost to a team from the CAA, BIg South or MAC in Seth Greenberg's five seasons.

Deron Washington was just 4-of-15 from the field and 3-of-8 from the free-throw line. The rest of the team was 14-of-15 from the line. Both Washington and Malcolm Delaney made just one of two free throws in the closing minutes.

Continue reading "Hokies lose at ODU" »

Hokies down at halftime

Posted Dec16, 2007 at 04:54 PM

It looks like Virginia Tech is going to lose to ODU for the third time in Seth Greenberg's five seasons with the Hokies.

Old Dominion leads 45-33 at halftime Sunday in men's basketball.

The Monarchs, playing in front of a loud, capacity, sellout crowd at the Ted Constant Center in Norfolk, was 7-of-8 from 3-point range in the first half.

ODU shot 60 percent from the field in the first half. So much for the good defense Tech has played in its current 3-game win streak.

ODU, which returns just two starters from last year's NCAA tournament team, jumped to a 24-14 lead wih 10:38 to go in the half.

Tech is shooting 41.4 percent from the field.

A.D. Vassallo has 12 points. Brandon Johnson of ODU has 10 points.

Be back with more after the game

Stagg Bowl live scoring summary

Posted Dec15, 2007 at 04:26 PM

FIRST QUARTER
Wisconsin-Whitewater -- Jones 1 run (Schlebler kick), 10:30. Drive: Six plays: 71 yards, 2:24. Wisconsin-Whitewater 7, Mount Union 0.

SECOND QUARTER
Wisconsin-Whitewater --FG Schebler 32, :02. Drive: Eight plays, 65 yards, 1:12. Wisconsin-Whitewater 10, Mount Union 0.

THIRD QUARTER
Wisconsin-Whitewater -- Sherman fumble recovery in end zone (Schebler kick), 11:05. Drive: 12 plays, 71 yards, 3:49. Wisconsin-Whitewater 17, Mount Union 0.

Mount Union -- Kmic 11 run (Zimmerman kick), 8:28. Drive: Six plays, 57 yards, 2:30. Wisconsin-Whitewater 17, Mount Union 7.

Mount Union -- Kmic 1 run (Zimmerman kick), 4:14. Drive: Eight plays, 19 yards, 3:53. Wisconsin-Whitewater 17, Mount Union 14.

FOURTH QUARTER
Wisconsin-Whitewater -- Beaver 13 run (Schebler kick), 6:11. Drive: Seven plays, 50 yards, 2:52. Wisconsin-Whitewater 24, Mount Union 14.

Mount Union -- Kmic 4 run (Zimmerman kick), 3:36. Drive: 10 plays, 71 yards, 2:29. Wisconsin-Water 24, Mount Union 21.

Tech loses in soccer

Posted Dec14, 2007 at 08:16 PM

Virginia Tech fell to Wake Forest 2-0 in the NCAA men's soccer semifinals Friday night in Cary, N.C.
The Hokies, in the College Cup for the first time, allowed two second-half goals to Marcus Tracy.

NCAA soccer: Virginia Tech 0, Wake Forest 0, Half

Posted Dec14, 2007 at 06:02 PM

An entertaining first half here at SAS Soccer Park ends with Virginia Tech tied with Wake Forest 0-0.

Each team had chances. The Hokies had the best one early in the half, as Patrick Nyarko took a long pass from the midfield and got between Wake goaltender Brian Edwards and the the net. Nyarko stumbled, however, and by the time he got his balance, the Wake keeper had gotten back in front of the net. Nyarko sent a pass to Robert Edmans on the left side and Edmans blasted it over with his left foot over the crossbar.

Edmans picked up a yellow card in the 34th minute, so he'll need to be careful in the second half. He, Nyarko and Ben Nason share the team lead in goals with seven apiece.

Excellent crowd on hand. Appears to be more Wake Forest fans than Tech -- which is to be expected since we're in Cary, North Carolina.

The winner of this national semifinal will face the winner of Ohio State-UMass on Sunday.

-Aaron McFarling

Watch J.R. Reynolds hit winning shot

Posted Dec12, 2007 at 02:40 PM

Former Virginia and Roanoke Catholic star J.R. Reynolds is playing pro basketball in Italy. See his recent winning shot from beyond halfcourt.

Miles makes right move again

Posted Dec12, 2007 at 02:38 PM

It was good for LSU that coach Les Miles responded to the reports Tuesday that he spoke with Michigan after he signed his contract extension. He remained steadfast in his commitment to LSU, which should stop this talk from being a distraction in the national title game against Ohio State. Michigan wants a proven head coach. What about Appalachian State’s Jerry Moore? He’s won national championships and he’s unbeaten in the Big House. — Jeff Gilbert

Title game variety is nice

Posted Dec12, 2007 at 02:36 PM

Maybe big-time college football does have it right with its see-which-way-the-wind-is-blowing method of determining a national champion. At least the BCS gives us some variety in the championship game. Appalachian State will play for a third straight I-AA title. Mount Union will play in its umpteenth Stagg Bowl and go against Wisconsin Whitewater for the third straight year. What kind of system is this? Determining a true national champion is becoming highly overrated in my book. Give me polls and computers and controversy ... and some other teams to watch. — Jeff Gilbert

Give Parcells credit for Romo

Posted Dec12, 2007 at 02:34 PM

Tony Romo, the quarterback from nowhere, did it again Sunday in leading the Dallas Cowboys from behind against the Detroit Lions. Romo has the physical skills and the mental agility it takes to be a great pro quarterback. Don’t forget that it took a great pro coach to recognize those abilities. Romo didn’t play big-time college football, so college coaches and recruiting services didn’t see it. I don’t know who first told the Cowboys to take a look at Romo, but it’s obvious that Bill Parcells saw something in Romo no one else did. So when we remember Parcells as a great coach, remember him also as the man who was smart enough to put Romo on the field. — Jeff Gilbert

Top Timesland swim times

Posted Dec11, 2007 at 09:17 AM


(Through Dec. 6)

GIRLS 200 FREE

1:57.50 – Lauren Hines (Hidden Valley)
1:58.63 – Miriam McGeath (Patrick Henry)
2:01.59 – Devin Henry (Hidden Valley)
2:01.70 – Lauren Gray (Hidden Valley)
2:01.75 – Ali Horn (Cave Spring)
2:06.30 – Jill Bair (Hidden Valley)
2:06.59 – Katie Campbell (Hidden Valley)
2:07.63 – Katherine Moles (Hidden Valley)
2:11.14 – Leah Potts (Blacksburg)
2:12.22 – Dani VanKerckhove (Cave Spring)

GIRLS 200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY

2:10.28 – Susanna White (Jefferson Forest)
2:13.11 – Grace Aheron (Patrick Henry)
2:16.37 – Ali Horn (Cave Spring)
2:16.41 – Lauren Hines (Hidden Valley)
2:17.67 – Devin Henry (Hidden Valley)
2:17.99 – Sara Goforth (Auburn)
2:19.03 – Katie Campbell (Hidden Valley)
2:19.60 – Lauren Gray (Hidden Valley)
2:20.16 – Maddie Kennedy (North Cross)
2:23.10 – Michelle Woody (Patrick Henry)

Continue reading "Top Timesland swim times" »

Hokies crush Colonials

Posted Dec09, 2007 at 09:02 PM

Hello from Blacksburg, where the Virginia Tech men's basketball team thrashed George Washington 68-36 on Sunday night.

Tech jumped to a 17-7 lead with 7:32 left in the first half. The lead grew to 38-17 with 17:14 to go and stood at 58-24 with 9:38 remaining.

"We took a baby step forward in terms of being alert defensively and guarding the basketball," Greenberg said.

It was no doubt a sweet win for coach Seth Greenberg. When Tech gave Nigel Munson his release last summer, it permitted him to talk to any school but GW. Greenberg has never publicly talked about the reason. Munson unsuccessfully appealed the decision to a Tech committee.

"I didn't give the Knute Rockne speech" before the game, Greenberg said.

Will Munson ever play for GW?

"I have no idea why that question's even asked of me," GW coach Karl Hobbs said.

Continue reading "Hokies crush Colonials" »