SCORING SUMMARY
FIRST QUARTER
KU—Talib 60 interception return (Webb kick), 5:15. Kansas 7, Virginia Tech 0.
SECOND QUARTER
KU—FG Webb 32, 12:00. Drive: Seven plays, 17 yards, 2:53. Key play: Harris interception return to VT 31. Kansas 10, Virginia Tech 0.
KU—Henry 13 pass from Reesing (Webb kick), 7:03. Drive: 10 plays, 59 yards, 3:17. Key play: Sharp 18 pass from Reesing on 3rd-and-19 to VT 39. Kansas 17, Virginia Tech 0.
VT—Ore 1 run (Dunlevy kick), 1:24. Drive: 13 plays, 68 yards, 5:39. Key play: Glennon 1 run plus 15 personal-foul penalty to KU 15. Kansas 17, Virginia Tech 7.
THIRD QUARTER
VT—Harper 84 punt return (Dunlevy kick), 11:35. Kansas 17, Virginia Tech 14.
FOURTH QUARTER
KU—Reesing 2 run (Dunlevy kick), 10:57. Drive: One play, 2 yards, :04. Key play: Springer 14 interception return to VT 2. Kansas 24, Virginia Tech 14.
VT—Harper 20 pass from Glennon (Dunlevy kick), 3:00. Drive: 15 plays, 78 yards, 2:57. Key play: Boone 7 pass from Glennon on 4th-and-6 to KU 43. Kansas 24, Virginia Tech 21.
Well, Tech will have to eat another cake without icing this year. For the fourth time in five years, the Hokies lose in a bowl game. This time it's a 24-21 defeat to upstart Kansas in the Orange Bowl.
You can point to a lot of little plays that made you scratch your head -- the decision to go for the onside kick with 3 minutes and two timeouts left among them -- but the bottom line is the Hokies had three huge turnovers, all at key times.
"You can't expect to win a BCS game if you don't win the turnover battle," said QB Sean Glennon, who threw two picks to go with Tyrod Taylor's one.
Gotta give Kansas a lot of credit here, too. The Jayhawks had the perfect attitude all week long, and while they were certainly happy to be here, they weren't content with just that. QB Todd Reesing made good decisions and was elusive in the backfield. Cornerback Aqib Talib, voted the game MVP, showed why he was an All-American this year, returning that Taylor interception for a touchdown.
Plenty more on this one in the paper and online in the coming days.
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Kansas wins 24-21. Back with more later...
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Hokies call their final time out with 2:42 remaining. Kansas has it 2nd-and-3 at the VT 22.
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Hokies aren't done yet. They get a touchdown pass from Sean Glennon to Justin Harper to cap a 15-play drive and cut the Kansas lead to 24-21 with 3:00 remaining. Onside kick is recovered by Kansas.
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Tech punts it away with 9:01 left. Looking pretty bleak right now for the Hokies, who trail Kansas 24-14.
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And the momentum swings in a big way toward Kansas. Another interception, Sean Glennon's second of the game and the third for the Tech quarterbacks, sets up Kansas at the Tech 2. Todd Reesing needs just one play to punch it in, and now the Kansas lead is 24-14 with 10:57 remaining.
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Tech's defense is feeling it now. The Hokies just forced a three-and-out, including a big hit by Cody Grimm on QB Todd Reesing. With 11:56 remaining in regulation, the Hokies take over first-and-10 at their own 9 trailing 17-14.
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The third quarter ends with the Hokies trailing 17-14. They have the ball first-and-10 at their own 32. They dodged trouble on Kansas' last possession when D.J. Parker picked off a second-down pass. The Jayhawks used a fake punt and a deep pass to drive to the Tech 4-yard, but a couple of penalties backed them up and forced Todd Reesing to throw.
Tonight's paid attendance: 74,111. Eighth consecutive sellout for the Orange Bowl, but a lot of no-shows.
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The Hokies have a chance to tie the game with 6:31 left in the third, but Joe Mortensen gets through to block a 25-yard field goal attempt by Jud Dunlevy. KU about to take over at its own 20, still up 17-14.
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Huge play for Tech early in the third quarter. Eddie Royal fields a punt near the Tech 20 and starts right, then flips the ball back to Justin Harper, who runs it all the way down the left sideline for a touchdown. Royal set that one up with his excellent return on the opening kickoff. With 11:35 remaining, it's Kansas 17, Tech 14.
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HALFTIME: ZZ Top is belting out "Sharp Dressed Man" here at Dolphin Stadium as the teams prepare for the second half with Kansas leading Tech 17-7. Turnovers were the culprit in last year's bowl loss for the Hokies, and they've been key again tonight. The first one, an INT by Tyrod Taylor, was returned for a score. The second one, an INT by Glennon, set up a field goal. Kansas will get the ball first to start the second half, and the Hokies could really use a stop so they can use all dimensions of their offense. Branden Ore had to provide some encouragement for the offense with his performance on the last drive of the first half.
Tonight marked the third time this season the Hokies have trailed after the first quarter (LSU and Boston College in the ACC title game were the others). The only other time they trailed at half was against LSU.
Tech has 117 yards off total offense while Kansas has 151. Ore has 12 carries for 53 yards and a touchdown, while Kenny Lewis ran four times for 22 yards. Kansas QB Todd Reesing is 13-for-20 for 123 yards and a touchdown. Tight deadlines for print tonight so blog updates might be sparse in the second half, but I'll at least try to keep the scoring summary updated.
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Big drive there for Tech, which looked like it could be blown out of this game. Branden Ore caps it with a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:24 remaining in the half to cut the Kansas lead to 17-7. Ore ran 11 times for 49 yards on the drive and looked very shifty. One of the big plays in the drive was a 15-yard facemask penalty on Kansas, the least penalized team in the nation coming in. The Jayhawks have four penalties so far, including two personal fouls.
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Another touchdown for Kansas. This time it's Todd Reesing hitting Marcus Henry from 13 yards out to cap a 10-play, 59-yard drive. With 7:03 left in the half, it's 17-0 Kansas.
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Scott Webb tacks on a 32-yard field goal with 12:00 left in the half to put Kansas up 10-0. Another interception set it up. This time it was Sean Glennon throwing over the middle, where cornerback Chris Harris was lurking.
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First quarter ends with Kansas up 7-0. The Jayhawks just registered their fourth sack. Rocky start for the Hokies here. They look just a little out of sync. Josh Morgan had a chance to haul in a deep pass by Glennon on the previous drive but couldn't bring it down. Kenny Lewis Jr. has had a pair of 9-yard runs. Branden Ore is now released from the penalty box.
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Tech drive stalls at in KU territory. Jud Dunlevy's long field goal attempt is short. Aqib Talib catches the ball in the end zone and returns it to the KU 39.With 2:18 left in the first, still 7-0 Kansas.
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Aqib Talib returns an interception 60 yards down the left sideline for the game's first score. Tyrod Taylor tried to hit Justin Harper on a short route and underthrew it. Kansas up 7-0 with 5:15 left in the first.
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Scott Webb misses a 44-yard field goal wide left, and Kansas comes away empty on its first possession. Nice drive nonetheless, as the Jayhawks went from their own 20 to the Tech 27. QB Todd Reesing just missed hitting a wide-open Dexton Fields in the end zone on the play just before the field goal attempt. 6:44 left in the first, Tech takes over at its own 27.
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Tech moves the ball to the KU 26 then puts in Tyrod Taylor, who is sacked on consecutive snaps. Punt goes into the end zone. KU ball at its own 20.
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Kansas wins the toss and elects to kick off. Interesting decision. You'd think with their offense they might want the ball. Eddie Royal returns the kickoff 59 yards to the KU 41.
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The 43-minute pregame festivities are almost over here at Dolphin Stadium and we're getting ready for football. Tech coach Frank Beamer expressed some concern about the long wait in the locker room because of these festivities would negate the effect of warm-ups
A lot of empty seats in the upper deck.
--Aaron McFarling
Comments
[January 4, 2008 12:18 AM]
bill robertsBeamer must fire the OC !!! Where was Ore ??? Will we ever get over the hump ???
[January 4, 2008 12:36 AM]
DavidLOL..... HAHAHAHA... YOUR Precious little Hokies LOST!!!!
[January 4, 2008 12:38 AM]
esservilleJust cant seem to win the big game.Va tech needs new blood on the side lines. The coaches are all doing great jobs but every one seems to have their number.The special teams that tech wins many games with are being read like a book.The two quarter system has me wondering.Sean{run the ball}Taylor{Ill run it} Hope next year will be better but we lose a host of good players.
[January 4, 2008 12:58 AM]
jtlesterjrTech was outcoached in the Orange Bowl, pure and simple. The players execute but the coaches call the plays and Kansas's coaching staff kept Tech's coaches on their heels all night. The reverse on the kickoff our only surprise. Also, your in the Bowl to win, fourth and goal on the three, go for it. If you fail, with our defense we should be able to hold. Instead we play it safe and get a field goal blocked. We score there and the final score could have been 28-24. Kanas would have gone for it. OUTCOACHED !!!!!
[January 4, 2008 1:06 AM]
BrentStinespring has to go. Coach Beamer will never win a national title with him calling the offensive plays......Weaver pony up because Frank won't pull the trigger, too loyal for his own good.... We gotta shake it up.
[January 4, 2008 3:47 AM]
Terry in Lawrence, KS (actually Miami)yes Kansas would have gone for it on 4th down but only because our kicker stinks. Beamer coached a great game but vt's qbs didn't play too well--congrats on a great season-- now go beat Carolina and duke in hoops, willya?
[January 4, 2008 6:25 AM]
Ron ChildressInsanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Same offense and same bowl-preparation mentality, why expect different results? Tech is a Top 25 team, but needs to do something different to be a Top 10.
[January 4, 2008 6:26 AM]
Ron ChildressInsanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Same offense and same bowl-preparation mentality, why expect different results? Tech is a Top 25 team, but needs to do something different to be a Top 10.
[January 4, 2008 7:23 AM]
SamI agree that tech's coaching appeared odd. The passing game was clearly off, but the running game was outstanding. However, for some reason, tech abandoned the running game mid-way in the 3rd. I would like to know why.
[January 4, 2008 8:36 AM]
BBHope Tech enjoyed the journey and their week of fun and frivolity prior to the bowl game cause they sure stunk up the orange bowl. Play calling was pitiful. Why stick with Glennon filling the air with wayward passes and interceptions when Ore was gaining 5 yds per carry? Why didn't coaching staff use Taylor as an asset rather than a disguise? Time for new blood on sidelines, the game has passed them by! Where was D? They embarassed themselves last night and that is sad because of some great effort during the year.
[January 4, 2008 8:47 AM]
jimmoore65Well again we are out coached. I know that we have great coaches however for some unknown reason we can never (very seldom) win the big game. However this year I can't help but wonder if Bud Foster had paid more attention to his present job at VT and less time and attention trying to get the job at West Virginia. Would our defense have played any better? They looked flat most of the game they were playing like they were not sure of what to expect. I don't know what went wrong, but everyone is looking for someone or something to point to for the loss I hate it, but I point to Foster as part of the problem last night. I have little hope of a repeat performance in the ACC next year as we will give up so many play makers graduation and the NFL. I can't see how we could possibly finish above third in the ACC. I hate it but this is how I see it. However remember GO HOKIES
[January 4, 2008 9:24 AM]
Hokie FanI'm sick to my stomach again. Tech had so many opportunities to win. Tech was out-coach for most of the game. After the defense settled in - they played amazing. The problem is the offensive overall scheme and play calling. The play calling was horrible. Why didn't they run Ore more....it was working and then we keep calling pass plays. And then the play action bombs - give me a break- why we throwing low percentage bombs off of play action and not just throws over the linebackers. Kansas did it...play action-get the backers to move or freeze and then throw behind them. Even the announcers from Fox were shocked y the ply calling ...asking why are they not running Ore. I'm not sure why both Randy King and Aaron fail to bring this up in their articles. It was our offensive that lost this game. Also the on-side kick was a bad call....3:00 - 2 timeouts, kansas without a running game, and the defense playing well. Kick the ball off. Put Kansas on their 20 and make them feel the pressure. Instead they get the ball the tech 43. They feel on pressure because they don't even have to get a 1st down...they can just punt it inside the 10 if they need too. I'm [ticked] off because we had a better team then Kansas and had a great opportunity to win a BCS Game on national TV but we blew it ---again
[January 4, 2008 9:40 AM]
Joel K. SchleiferKansas was on the one at the end of the game and chose not to score. The score would have been 31KU-28VT. Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda! Tech was outcoached and outplayed. Kansas is a class program. Which head coach would you like your son to play for/
[January 4, 2008 9:43 AM]
NateI am a big Beamer fan. But we simply got outcoached. The conservative play is the reason we continue to lose games we should win. The 4th and 1 was an obvious example. We should have gone for it. Finally, the OC must go. How long do we have to suffer through games in which we depend on our defense and special teams to carry the team. It was so obvious that we should have run the ball because KU was undersized. When are we going to turn the corner and go from a good team to an elite team?
[January 4, 2008 10:04 AM]
Edgar VTOUTCOACHED!! In fifty years I have never blamed the coaches for a loss, but this is so clear. How did the announcers know better than Stinespring??! Yes, the OC must go! His love affair with Glennon has cost us two bowl games.
[January 4, 2008 10:28 AM]
JackTech was outcoached, but also builds it's wins on inferior ACC teams and a ridiculous out of conference schedule. Had tech kept WVA on it's schedule instead of Ohio U they would have another loss on the record.
Tech can only recruit from the Tidewater area and will always be taking a back seat to teams that recruit nationally. The do a good job considering they only have this one talent pool.
[January 4, 2008 11:14 AM]
PanamajoDue to Ore not playing in the first quarter I don't think the team showed up for the game either! Yes, coaching staff needs to be updated but this team needs to work as a team and stop thinking that one is above the rest! This is why we won't go to Bowl games anymore, too costly and no wins! But we will always love our Hokies!!
[January 4, 2008 11:19 AM]
Other JohnWatching the game, I just had this gut feeling that not going for it on the 4th down would hurt because I had this feeling the FG attempt would be blocked, and it was. I knew at that moment VT would lose by 3. I also had this feeling that Kansas would run a fake punt when they had 4th down at the 50...and VT got burned on that one. For whatever reason, special teams has become an achilles heal for VT in their losses. Plus, the playcalling wasn't all that good. How can we have some of the great athletes on offense and put up such paltry offensive stats game in and game out?
[January 4, 2008 11:30 AM]
Tony WebbVa. Tech is still a 2nd class team on the national scene and will not get the respect the program deserves until they start winning bowl games. Recruiting is also weak because five star players still are not coming to Tech. The Quarterbacks are just terrible and the offensive coaching staff should be fired for the job they did preparing for this game. Kansas is a joke and you people made them look like they were a solid program.
[January 4, 2008 11:40 AM]
Tony WebbVa. Tech is still a 2nd class team on the national scene and will not get the respect the program deserves until they start winning bowl games. Recruiting is also weak because five star players still are not coming to Tech. The Quarterbacks are just terrible and the offensive coaching staff should be fired for the job they did preparing for this game. Kansas is a joke and you people made them look like they were a solid program.
[January 4, 2008 12:11 PM]
Okie HokieRon's comment is fitting, and dovetales with Bill's. The insanity of "doing the same thing over and over" I would point to is the 3 possesions in 3rd qtr where Stiney kept trying to go for home run. On the first KU should have picked it twice, but we got lucky w/ interfence and then Boone's heads-up play. Then and there should have gone back to what HAD worked - Ore. But on next two possesions still tried to go deep, even tho KU was covering it superbly or sacking Sean. Those three possesions w/ no points let KU regroup after we had taken the "mo" with defense and punt return. Finally, w/ Sean struggling w/ deep ball and getting sacked, why keep going there over and over when Tyrod (running - not dropping back!) was the proven antidote to that problem that helped get us to Miami in the first place? Of course, maybe none of this happens if to start the game Stiney doesn't outcoach himself by trying to cross them up with Tyrod passing instead of running (killed first scoring drive and yielded pick 6 for KU). Understand trying to go different from what opposition game planned, but all it did was cross us up. Maybe it's better to go w/ what got you there until they prove they can stop it.
[January 4, 2008 2:17 PM]
MikeThe idea that the two qb system has been working is a joke. Tyrod's stats the last four games have been pathetic, with the exception of a few goal line scores and occational sprints. For four years now the defense has carried this team. The offensive coordinatior is one of the worst in the country - this year he had the best overall talent in years and cant come up wth a decent game plan. How is it possible that an Eddie Royal, one of Tech's moost talented overall only touched the ball 3-4 times other than on punts and kickoffs. Bud Foster should tell Beamer that if he doesn't get some help on offense he will find another job. Its laughable to say this is a top 10 team with the offense it doesn't generate. I have been a Hokie for 40 years , and will always be - just wish that they take a look at there real problem.
[January 4, 2008 2:21 PM]
Ben BasilI am a hokie grad living in NY and spent a silly amount of time searching the internet trying to find someplace to vent my frustrations....only to find them repeated over and over again by others. Good (smart) opponents use "Beamer Ball" to their advantage time and time again...it is painful to watch! Why did the OC relentlessly allow Glennon to throw long "moon balls" into excellent coverage. On numerous 3rd and 6 situations why did't we play for 7-8 yd passes to Boone or someone out of the backfield to keep driving??? When Glennon's primary target is covered does he not possess the ability to check off to another receiver??? is taking a sack the only option??? Why on earth did we do an on-sides kick with three minutes left in the game and 2 time outs left...we only needed three points!!! (and we actually have a defense) AAAAARRRRGGGGHHH!!!! I admire Bud Foster adapting to the KU offense and not blitzing when it was clear they were schooled to handle it. The defense can be proud. I wish the OC had been so talented...alas we is what we is.
[January 4, 2008 2:39 PM]
jtlesterjrAfter a night of sleeping on this, if you want to cross Kansas up come out with Taylor in a spread offense like WVU, Florida, App. State and Oregon. He's perfect for it. Add 10-15 plays is all that is required. With 4 senior wide receivers with under 4.4 speed it's a lock. That way Taylor has a choice and Tech has a new look. Also, Glennon has not yet learned to read a defense. Check the replays, on all his rainbows into double and triple coverage there is someone running free at 10-15 yards downfield. I just don't think his mind assimilates data fast enough. It definately doesn't have an internal clock.
[January 4, 2008 6:29 PM]
Mike HendersonSimply out coached.
[January 4, 2008 7:05 PM]
StevenLOYALTY Well Coach Beamer is the most loyal coach i have seen , well to his coaches anyhow.But i think it's time he put some of that loyalty to his players.Tech players didnt loose this game the OC coach lost this game.How can u drive the ball down the field like Tech did before the half and then come out the second half and go back to throwing the ball. That wasn't getting you anywhere. hmmmm.Even the commentators couldn't figure that one out.Dont get me wrong im not picking on the OC but lets face it, over the past few years Tech has had some powerful football teams. Some that could have and should have been national champs.If you go back and check out the game plans for those teams you will see the offence didnt come up to par.Now back to loyality, i think you know what im saying.If tech wants to cross this hurdle of saying hey at least we were there, instead of saying we were there and proved we belong then his loyalty needs to be to his players and take the next step of getting a new OC.
[January 4, 2008 9:38 PM]
BKIt was hard to watch the hokies get beat last night and even my wife noticed that in the first quarter of the game, Kansas had the fire in their eye's similar to what was displayed by West Virginia in their win ove Oklahoma. I agree with many of the comments posted here in that we were out coached and the OC should take much of the blame. However, I think that much of the blame should go to coach Beamer as well. Don't get me wrong I am a big supporter of coach Beamer but he of all people should be able to defend against the special team plays. Of course we should take our hats off to the coaches from Kansas as they came ready to play and had their players prepared. I wonder if we were fully prepared or spent too much time on the beach the week before the game. As a hokie its a good feeling to have ten win seasons and be ranked in the top ten in the nation but it's disapointing to not reach that next level and stand with the likes of OSU, OU, LSU and USC. I hope that our head coach and the athletic director take a long hard look at the program going forward and try to make the changes necessary to propel us to that next level. Oh and another thought, I believe Glennon showed he has some serious tallent by taking us down the field on the last scoring drive. My thought is that by rotating QB's you don't let Glennon get into a rythem and then you end up with interceptions. But I can't ignore that fact that even before we started rotating QB's he was bad to throw the occasional Int. It was a good season and one for the Hokie Nation to be proud of even though we went out on a bad note.
[January 4, 2008 10:02 PM]
JayBud Foster deserves two paychecks. One for figuring out how to stop the Kansas offense, the other for figuring out how to get out of the mess the VT offense puts the defence in. I would have personally given Brandon Ore a rub down after his 40 carries/195 rushing yard performance after taking the 1st quarter off. But, after gaining 4-6 yards on 11 carries on a 13 play drive that was VT total output in the 1st half must have exhausted him. It was so impressive that Manginio was more concerned at haltime about stopping Tech's running than celebrating a 17-7 lead. How else can you explain the play calling in the 2nd half. I thought VT's play calling starting the 3rd quarter was going to be very simple(Ore OT left, Ore OT right, Ore up the middle). Silly me, what! Ore had 6 carries in the 2nd half. This isn't rocket scientest stuff here. The OC play calling was horrendous in the 2nd half. I do not blame Glennon or Taylor--- the OC puts these guys in a tough spot. Stinespring has cost Tech at least 2 games a year by putting too much pressure on the quaterback and playing to Tech's strenghts. What happened to running it down an oppenents throat until they stop it. Not cool. Please help the defense and special teams by upgrading the offense and upgrading the OC position.
[January 5, 2008 3:21 AM]
Bob In WaynesboroRead Aaron McFarling's comments about adjusting during a game! Hit the nail on the head!
Think about those 15 Bowl Games in a Row - Except for the Sugar Bowl Win over Texas have you seen a Tech team as fired up as WVU vs. OU this year? OUR GOAL IS GET TO A BOWL - Don't remember anything about winning one!!!!
Who is to blame for Ore's suspension in 1st Qtr. Not the coaches - Did Foster push Hall off the boat? Where was the blocking in the 1st Qtr when KU got 4 sacks? Honestly why should we expect anythin different from an "Apprentice" Offensive Coordinator?
Some times "Good" Players can make so so Coaches look good but most of the time it's the other way around!!
Still love my Hokies and all but one of the Coaching Staff.
A Reminder For Coach Beamer - "A CHAIN IS NO STRONGER THAN IT"S WEAKEST LINK"! Frank where is you weak link?
[January 5, 2008 9:23 AM]
Tonyvt89To me the fault starts at the top, Beamer! How he approached the last two bowl games is really stupid to me. The most important game of the season, we practiced less! We were down there to have a good time! He did that against Georgia last year and lost. You’d think he’d learn from that. No! He did the same against this year. Perhaps next season our team would just watch the films of our opponents and go straight to the games without practicing at all. Some people say Beamer is the so-called “old school”. Well folk times have changed; nice guys DO NOT finish first anymore. I wonder if he and his coaching staff still hold on the idea that “the world is flat!”
[January 5, 2008 3:26 PM]
A VT FriendI cannot believe VT has lost the last 2 bowl games against Georgia and Kansas. The Hokie personnel was definitely better than the opposition. Usually, running the ball takes much longer to make up a deficit, but the way Ore was going in the Kansas game, VT would soon have overtaken them and won the game.
[January 5, 2008 9:01 PM]
Wojo : →http://OutcoachedWe were simply outcoached in a big game again.
Tough to watch. The only person to stop our running game was our own playcalling.
Amazing how we continued to throw deep into double coverage all game. Something is wrong with our offense beyond words.
Time to start over.
[January 5, 2008 10:15 PM]
T Coutcoached. need a new OC. It's as simple as that....
[January 6, 2008 2:01 AM]
westminster chrisAaron McFarling's article "Once again, Beamer fails to adjust to game matchups" is dead on. Your the head coach beamer - overule Stiney and make the call! The OC, Stiney, HAS to go; jimmore65 is wrong - the defense is fine but the offense has been bad for years. The OC is not a smart football person - get rid of him!
[January 6, 2008 9:15 AM]
Bob With Another Thought!In the Beamer Era, how many times has VT been caught off guard with a fake kick at crucial times during a big game! At least two or maybe three times this year alone!
Shouldn't a "Celebrated" Special Teams Coach be able to anticipate such - OOPS, that would be more like one of my past favorites - Jerry Clairborne!!!! Hey we fired him didn't we and he put Maryland on the map.
Let's start with an experienced OC and see if that doesn't increase our Offensive Production and slove most of our problems!
The defense did it's job!!!!!!
[January 6, 2008 12:06 PM]
Hoche VTjtlesterjr has it right. We could be as successful as WV. Ore and Taylor have the talent of WV QB and RB. It would be better than seeing that clown Glennon look down field for 3 sec. then bury his head in the grass. FIRE STINESPRING!!! Is he Beamer's brother-n-law ??
[January 7, 2008 11:26 AM]
Greg BowyerTyrod has not been given a fair shake in the past four games, especially against Kansas. He got 11 plays and Glennon got around 60. Is this a two QB system? Glennon had 98 pass attempts over the pass four games, Tyrod had 17. A playmaker needs opportunities to make plays. After a sub-par 3rd quarter against Florida State, look what Tyrod did in the 4th, lights out! Bowden could not heap enough praise on the young man, yet the bright offensive coaches in Blacksburg must think differently. Tyrod should have went to Florida so he could be coached by those who value playmakers and let the QB do his thing. Tebow would be ruined in Blacksburg, or benched for that matter in favor of the "steady" guy. We're never going to be successful on the national scene without a difference maker at QB. We have that in Tyrod, if given equal opportunity.
[January 7, 2008 4:21 PM]
Hoche VTBeamer was interviewed on the Sunday morning show. He hee hawed around looking for excuses. I have been a strong admirer of Beamer for 15 years. But his blaming the players and not the coaches was cowardice of the worst type. He should have fired Stinespring there live online. Stinespring has count us too many games to stay. He may be a great practice coach but is a Capt Queeg on big game day. Throwing all those bombs were stupid. Especially when you don't have a bomb throwing QB. No more $$$s from me!!!
[January 7, 2008 4:56 PM]
Hurtin' HokieIt's taken four days to digest the Orange Bowl, and here's what I've concluded: 1. Tech is a bad bowl team. 6-9, with the last two wins over Louisville's second string QB and an outmanned Air Force team. Something is obviously lacking in bowl game prep. The layoff, soft practices, late curfew - could be, but whatever Beamer has been doing is clearly not working for Bowl games. 2. We need an offensive minded offensive coordinator. With all the West Coast offenses out there and spread formations, Tech is getting left behind by the top tier teams. I've seen more elaborate offensive game plans from our local high school. Tech either runs up the middle or throws the homerun ball. Never a screen pass to a back, never a draw play, never a sweep, or a crossing pattern, none of it. 3. I really do love VT football. 15 bowl games in a row is quite an accomplishment. We are clearly a perennial top 25 team, but we have not been able to be a consistent top 10 team. (See #2 above).There's too much invested in VT football - both literally and figuratively, to be satisfied with just being in a bowl game. I will never attend another bowl game in person. Too expensive and too disruptive to the holidays to see such mediocre performances. 4. The BCS and the bowl system stinks. Spreading out the major bowls from January 1 to the 7 is crazy. I have virtually no interest in tonight's championship game. And what's with the second tier bowls playing in January - that's a joke. Let's get back to the bowls being on New Year's day and kick the second rate bowls back to the week between Christmas and New Year's. For all our moaning, at least Tech was competetive in their bowl game, which is more than Illinois, Hawaii and Oklahoma can say.
[January 8, 2008 2:04 PM]
JonathanListen to you guys. I was just as upset as the rest of you. I was particularly upset about not going for it on the 4th and 1. You can point fingers and talk about Tech not being a top 10 team, but look again, we have consistently been battling in the top 10. We had a great season and should be proud of the program. Go Frank! Go Hokies!!
[January 8, 2008 6:04 PM]
Okie HokieThoes who have criticized the D and Bud have let their emotions get the better of them. The D held one of the highest scoring teams in the nation to 7 points. Not bad when they averaged over 40 per game. Can't count the INT for 7 against the D. Can't count the INT that ended up at the 2 yd line for 7 on the next play against the D, and can't count a FG against the D when the INT occurred in FG range! Also can't blame the D when we get caught w/ our pants down on a fake punt. And remember, the D did all this while spending a lot of extra time on the field due to INTs and 3 and outs. Great defensive performnce!
Break. Was it just me, or did anyone else notice that on our first timeout, when it became clear KU was going to run the clock down, we jumped in to call timeout and saved all of 7 seconds? Think I'm right about that. If so, wow! We blow one of our TOs to save 7 secs, and at the same time let them keep one of theirs! Maybe with the extra TO we don't on-side kick (BTW, in hindsight that didn't matter, as all that did matter was them running out the clock, not field position).
[January 9, 2008 10:50 AM]
Dr. Phil HumphriesIs there any way to convince Coach Beamer that Bryan Stinespring is not the guy to run the Hokie's offense? The Hokies have one of the most predictable and non-creative offenses in the country - just look at the stats. Please bring in someone like LSU's OC if we ever expect to compete for a national championship. It's a shame to see Tyrod Taylor's talent go to waste.
[January 11, 2008 6:56 AM]
HalTech never turned the corner with their offense from the last century, 80's & 90's. Other colleges like Southern Cal, LSU, West Virginia, Louisville and even Boston College have installed inovative offenses while the Hokies slept. The onoy answer is a new offensive coordinator.
[January 11, 2008 9:03 AM]
Other JohnI think it may be time for Beamer to change things up. I know he has a ton of loyalty in his coordinators and assistants, but the VT offense has been pretty weak the past few seasons and the play calling boggles the mind. There is a reason why VT and most of the ACC ranked poorly in offensive categories, and it’s because the OC’s aren’t creative or doing enough to stay on top of defensive packages. When it has been shown time and time again that Glennon cannot throw the deep ball without the receivers slowing down or coming back to it to make the catch, why keep doing it? And also, why did we not start running the ball before we were down 17-0 against KU…and then only start running it for one TD series? Hello!? We got a TD by running the ball up the gut at the KU defense…and we go back to throwing it deep? What about play-action, or screen passes?
And another thing…has anyone else noticed that when VT gets beat, it’s almost always because of special teams miscues? For something Beamer coaches personally and takes so much pride in, the special teams have been a huge vulnerability now for several years. Maybe all the blocked kicks through the years masked this and only now that the blocks aren’t so numerous are we seeing that the special teams really aren’t so special. But it’s sad that we get our own kicks blocked, have fakes run on us, and give up large returns when that is supposed to be the bread-and-butter of our head coach. Maybe it’s time for Beamer to hire someone to coach the special teams for him…because what he’s done lately is not working.
And speaking of not working, the overall coaching strategy for bowl games just hasn’t worked either. We’ve been downright awful in the first halves of bowl games the last few seasons, only to turn it around at the half and just fall short because the deficit is too large by that point. Maybe if the coaches held regular practices during the layoff between the last regular season games and the bowl games, and didn’t give as loose a leash to run on for the players, we might actually start winning some of these BCS games, and maybe become a more legitimate top-10 team. Don’t get me wrong, this was a great year for VT football, but it ended just like most of the other great years in recent memory…with us falling just a bit short at the end of truly capping off a great season with a big-time bowl win over a top-10 school from a big-name conference.
[January 13, 2008 12:30 PM]
Dr. Gil Davis,VT '60Two comments: Stiney,please resign and save us the bother of getting up a petition to that effect.Secondly,I am very disgusted with Harris and Flowers 'going pro'.They are quitters,and have let down their team,fellow students,staff and Alumni who were counting on them.We recruit good candidates partly for the talent that we have and can boast about. Then you guys cut and run to the money. How many quitters can you name who have done well and had long careers. Also, I feel they should pay back every cent of scholarship funding received if they don't complete their degree!As they age,they'll see that there is little in life as thrilling and prideful as a College Degree from VA TECH!