2009.10.29
Postgame thoughts on Virginia Tech-North Carolina
POSTGAME: Ryan Williams was clearly devastated after this one, but there was much more to this 20-17 loss to North Carolina than just his fumble. Missed opportunities by the offense, too many third- (and fourth-) down conversions by UNC and a general lack of execution when it mattered doomed the Hokies. If you're itching for details, simply scroll down to the in-game posts.
A few postgame quotes:
Ryan Williams
"There probably isn't anything you can do to lift me up. Personally, I feel like I kind of took the game away from us today. The game was on the line, and I fumbled, but I got to move on. After today there is no reason to dwell on it; I can't go back. Next Thursday I will be the same old guy trying to get down the field."
Cody Grimm
On the motivation for the rest of the season: "I think the motivation is to come out here [and play better] so we don't feel like this again. It sucks to lose. I don't want to go out there and lose. Ten wins is good, but I hate to lose and I don't want to feel like this again."
Frank Beamer
On Williams: "Everybody is behind Ryan. In that dressing room there he feels awful, but Brandon Pace missed a field goal here against N.C. State and came back to win a lot of games, and Ryan is going to be the same way."
On the game: "I don't think we got in rhythm as a football team. When we had field position in the first half, we didn't get points...The game just didn't fit. Give North Carolina credit, but we can still win 10 games, and that has to be our goal right now going forward."
That's all for tonight. I'll have a column in Friday's paper and online, and Randy King will have the game story and notes. Also look for follow-up reaction in Saturday's editions. See you next week, when the Hokies take on East Carolina.
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Casey Barth boots a 21-yard field goal to give the Tar Heels a 20-17 victory. Injured Hokies tailback Darren Evans is hugging Williams on the bench as the Tar Heels hop at midfield. Back with more in a bit.
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Tech needs a block in the worst way. The Tar Heels call a timeout with 2 seconds remaining. They'll attempt a short field goal to try to win it.
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"Let him score!" a Tech fan just shouted. And that might be Tech's best hope. UNC has it second down inside the Tech10 with the game tied at 17.
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Tech now out of timeouts with 1:51 to go. UNC has it third-and-3 at the Tech 17.
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The Hokies burn their second timeout with 1:57 left. UNC has it second-and-5 from the Tech 19.
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Oh, my. Williams fumbles on the Tech 24, and UNC recovers. The Tar Heels have a shot to pull it out here with 2:02 remaining.
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Quiet here. So quiet as the Hokies take over on their own 24. Tied at 17 with 2:46 to go.
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Casey Barth drills a 19-yard field to tie the score at 17-17 with 2:52 remaining. A Georgia Tech like drive there for the Tar Heels: 16 plays, 78 yards, taking 8:59 off the clock. The big play came when Yates hit Little for 19 yards on fourth-and-7 at the Tech 36. Earlier, a 17-yard pass from Yates to Zack Pianalto on third-and-7 and a third-down pass interference call on Carmichael kept the drive alive. Tech's defense did stiffen, however, when the Heels got to the 2. We'll see how aggressive the Hokies want to be here. A big return certainly would simplify matters.
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Taylor crashes over the goal line -- barely -- on a third-down run to give the Hokies a 17-14 lead with 11:51 remaining. The play was reviewed and upheld. Give the big assist to Carmichael for this lead. Now we'll see if the Hokies can hold it.
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And there's the potential game-changer. Yates tries to flip it away under pressure, and Rashad Carmichael is there at the UNC 11 to pick it off and take it to the UNC 5. That's where the Hokies set up trailing 14-10 with 13:13 to go.
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The Hokies settle for a 36-yard field goal by Waldron to close the gap to 14-10 with 13:27 remaining in the fourth quarter. The fireworks are going off, but the crowd here isn't thrilled after it looked like Tech had gotten more than three. A holding penalty against Blake DeChristopher negated a 20-yard touchdown run by Williams three plays before Waldron's boot.
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The third quarter ends with UNC leading the Hokies 14-7, but Tech is threatening. The Hokies have it first-and-10 at the UNC 24. A big third-down completion from Taylor to Roberts kept the drive alive.
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Nice kick return by freshman David Wilson gives the Hokies the ball at their own 46.
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With an 84-yard drive, UNC comes right back and grabs a 14-7 lead with 1:51 remaining in the third quarter. On third-and-8, Yates found Little in the deep left corner of the end zone from 15 yards out. Little beat Cody Grimm to the spot. The TD was set up when Shaun Draughn raced through a big hole on the right side to pick up a career-long 44 yards, the key play in the drive. The Hokies will have to rally without their starting center; just got word that Warren is out for the rest of the game with a left knee sprain.
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The Hokies punch it on on a 1-yard run by Taylor on fourth down to tie the score at 7 with 6:44 remaining in the third quarter. The play was challenged by UNC, which thought Taylor fumbled before he broke the plane, but the officials upheld it. Taylor and Williams both came alive on that 82-yard march that chewed up 6:16. A juking, tackle-shedding run by Williams picked up 22 yards, and a huge 22-yard pass from Taylor to Dyrell Roberts on third and-17 helped the Hokies overcome a holding penalty on Jaymes Brooks early in the drive. Junior center Beau Warren was shaken up and helped off the field by two people. Redshirt freshman Michael Via has replaced Warren for now.
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Nice job by the Tech defense to start the third quarter. Hokies get it at their own 18. We'll see if they can get anything going.
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Some halftime stats of note:
Ryan Williams has 39 yards on eight carries.
UNC tailback Ryan Houston has 40 yards on eight carries.
The Hokies are 2-for-8 on third down and 0-for-2 on fourth down.
Taylor has been sacked three times and has connected on only 6 of 14 pass attempts.
Brent Bowden didn't let his rock-star status get to his head tonight -- he's got a healthy 43.2 punting average on four kicks.
After holding the Tar Heels scoreless following a fumble on its first drive, Tech has now allowed just nine points (three field goals) off nine turnovers this season. That's pretty stout.
This was the second game in a row the Hokies were held scoreless in the first quarter. Tech has an ACC-leading streak of 183 consecutive games without being shut out which began in 1995. That's 13 off the league record held by Virginia from 1984-2000.
The Tar Heels will get the ball first to start the second half. The Hokies could really use a defensive score to get this crowd back into a festive mood. No amount of fireworks can lift the spirits when the home team can't score against a 15.5-point dog.
One sad note to pass along, and I apologize for not having a smoother transition here: A moment of silence was held before the game for Marine Captain Seth Mitchell, a 2001 Tech grad. He was a pilot killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan on Monday and will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery next month. Prayers for his family.
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Colleagues Nappy King and Mark Berman are giving me a hard time for saying in my column today that this was "another opportunity to see the Hokies pound somebody" as the biggest reason to get up for this game. I don't have much defense against that criticism, I suppose, although I never made any guarantees and I'm on record here as saying I leaned toward taking UNC and the points. I cannot do the pounding for these guys.
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HALFTIME: Some boo birds are out at Lane Stadium as the Hokies fail to convert on fourth-and-5 from 35. UNC heads into the locker room up 7-0. Now, if you're a Hokie fan and you read this blog when it started tonight (fat chance), maybe you're on the under, which would take some of the sting out of this performance.
It's been a matter of missed opportunities by the offense. Shocking, shocking story, no? On five out of six possessions in the first half, the Hokies either started or drove inside the 40 -- reaching the 27, 38, 34, 37, 35 yard lines. And then they stopped.
Tech's defense has been fine outside of one long drive. UNC has 126 total yards so far. The Hokies have a measly 108. Some individual stats to come in a minute.
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On third-and-7, T.J. Yates hookis up with Jheranie Boyd in the end zone for the first score of the game. A 13 play, 84-yard drive by the Tar Heels eats up 5:11. It's now 7-0 UNC with 2:44 left in the first half. Nice 23-yard run by wide receiver Greg Little on third-and-3 to keep the drive alive.
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Great field position wasted again by the Hokies, who go backwards. Taylor is sacked twice on the three-and-out. Williams is averaging more than 6 yards a carry tonight; why are they passing on first down again? UNC will start at its own 16. No score, 7:55 to play in the first half. Four of the first five Tech possessions poke inside the UNC 40-yard line, and the Hokies have zippo points.
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Three penalties highlight the latest maladroit "drive" by UNC. They punt it away to the Hokies, who will begin at the UNC 37. Huge hit by punter Grant Shallock on return man Jayron Hosley along the right sideline.
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Three-and-out for the Hokies. Another ACC taffy pull, as my good friend Randy King would say. Booming, 52-yard punt by Bowden pins the Tar Heels at their own 11. That's where they'll start with 12:52 to play in a scoreless first half. This might be the point where the masses who weren't watching the World Series suddenly check in to that action (while still frantically clicking refresh on this blog, of course). Not much doing for either offense so far. Ryan Williams had 37 yards on six carries in the first quarter, so he's not the problem.
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So now both teams have whiffed on fourth down. A nice open-field tackle by Tech's Kam Chancellor ends the UNC drive. The Hokies get it at their own 30. No score, 14:54 left in the second quarter.
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Former Hokies star and current Redskins defensive back DeAngelo Hall was honored at midfield during the first quarter/second quarter break. It was a nice ceremony until Hall shouted: "FIRE JIM ZORN NOW!" Just kidding. But you know he's thinking it.
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A scoreless first quarter ends with the Tar Heels facing a fourth-and-4 from the Tech 29-yard line. The Tar Heels got their maiden first down on a 17-yard run by Ryan Houston. The 6-foot-2, 245-pound junior is quite a load. Too bad for him the UNC O-line is such a mess, or you'd probably see some pretty solid numbers next to his name.
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Not a good possession for Tech there. A sack on the first play sets the Hokies back, and they have to punt it away too plays later. Still in a frogstrangler here in Blacksburg. UNC takes over at its own 37. No score, with 2:48 left in the first quarter.
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The Tar Heels now have minus-four yards on their first three drives and no first downs. Hokies take over at their own 23.
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A little too far away to try the field goal, the Hokies opt to go for it on fourth-and-3 from the UNC 34. A Taylor pass falls incomplete. Still no score with 5:41 remaining in the first quarter. UNC ball. It would have been a 51-yard attempt -- Matt Waldron is a strong kicker, but that'd be tough for him. I like the decision to go for it, although a shorter pass or a Taylor pass/run option might have been the better play call there. Note that I am not calling Stiney too conservative there. Quite the opposite, actually.
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Another strong effort by the Tech defense, and the second sack by Nekos Brown kills another UNC drive. Tech gets the ball at the UNC 41 with 7:16 to go in the first. No score.
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Heard Stiney on "Greg Roberts Live" heading down to the game. He was defending himself against criticism that he's "too conservative" early in games. His point was that any play that doesn't work looks conservative, and the plays that work look nonconservative. But I disagree -- the long shots he's taken downfield so far tonight certainly don't qualify as conservative, even though they haven't worked.
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The Hokies drive it to the UNC 38 but are forced to punt. Tyrod Taylor's made a couple of nice connections thus far, but Tech has no points to show for it. Bowden hangs up a nice punt but the Hokies can't down it before it sneaks into the end zone. UNC ball at the 20. 9:18 left in the first quarter, no score.
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Good start for the Tech defense. UNC goes backwards on three plays -- capped by a Nekos Brown sack -- and has to punt. Hokies to get it near midfield.
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The Hokies turn it over on their first possession. Fumble by Jarrett Boykin on the UNC 27.
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The Hokies lose the toss again. They are now 0-for-8 on the coin flip this year. No kidding. Tech will receive.
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And...they're out of the tunnel. A little hard to hear Bowden's version, but it sounded enough like "Enter the Sandbag" to me.
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Fireworks accompany the national anthem. Almost go time for Bowden.
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Another reason to like the under: On this date in 1904, the Hokies lost to North Carolina 6-0 at home. HISTORY IS ON YOUR SIDE, MY FRIENDS! Just kidding. Maybe.
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Aaron McFarling here in Blacksburg, where we're a little less than an hour away from kickoff for the game between Virginia Tech and North Carolina. Players have begun their warm-ups on the field. Looks like we've finally got a perfect weather night for the fans here -- cool and clear.
Defensive tackle John Graves (ankle) and offensive guard Sergio Render (strained pec) are slated to start the game, according to Tech's sports information department.
We all eagerly await the special rendition of "Enter Sandman" -- or, as that infamous letter-writer to the Kroger Roth Report once called it, "Enter the Sandbag." Tech punter Brent Bowden, an avid guitar player, has recorded his own version of it. The senior's rendition with be mixed with the usual entrance video. Should be interesting. Kudos to Bowden for having the guts to try this.
(Speaking of guitar players, just noticed that UNC has a starting linebacker named Zach Brown. Wonder if we can get him to play "Chicken Fried.")
Clearly, the Hokies aren't playing for the same things they were two weeks ago. But the lights are on, the crowd is filing in, and it'll be electric, no doubt.
Late action on the Tar Heels has pulled the Vegas line down to +15.5. I'd take the points if I had to make a choice, but I've seen enough teams get swallowed up here on Thursday nights that I'd stay clear of that altogether. The number I really like is the over-under. It's at 43 right now. This UNC offensive line is really struggling, so I don't see them putting up any big numbers, even though this Tech defense hasn't been great. And I think this UNC defense is athletic enough to cause problems for Stiney and company, at least initially. Under 43 it is. To see Randy King's college picks and my NFL selections for this weekend, check out Big Lick Sports Picks: http://www.roanoke.com/sportspicks/
I'll post thoughts throughout tonight if you want to check it out. Enjoy the game!
-Aaron McFarling
Waa, waa! Counting the chop blocks tonight!? VT=over-rated.
Comment by roudyred — October 29, 2009 @ 10:38 pm
UVA fan here, it's about time that the crap about Tech being so good is over. First BCS, Then ACC Championship, now that they lost to UNC, which I must add that we beat early in the season, what will you write next to keep the community interested. There is nothing more to speculate, it's over now. I know it sells but being objective is more important, isn't it. Oh let me guess, lets talk about next year, now. The sad thing is williams made one mistake and I'm sure everyone will blame the game on that, but hold, on they are ranked 13th. I don't think that situation should have even been a factor, they should have been dominating again. Nope not so much. Over-Rated again. The only reason I think it is so fun when Tech gets beat is because of all the annoying fans out there talking so much trash, maybe it's time for them to learn what being humble means
Comment by Mike — October 29, 2009 @ 11:15 pm
Perhaps Coach Beamer and his coaches should focus on upcoming opponents rather than spending their time looking back at the previous weeks opponent and complaining about blocking schemes and trying to figure out how to stop them the NEXT YEAR!!
Comment by GameTime — October 29, 2009 @ 11:17 pm
I blame this on Georgia Tech's 4 chop blocks!
Comment by Bill Alexander — October 29, 2009 @ 11:20 pm
Offense came out flat, defense came out flat, coaches obviously flat for 9 days. Better coaches in league have Foster figured out and Stinespring has never really shown anything to figure out. This one's on the coaches, totally unprepared for this game. The bad part is, we have never been able to make halftime adjustments. I'm thinking blue turf here for bowling.
Comment by Tom L — October 29, 2009 @ 11:20 pm
Fire Bryan Stinespring to give Foster a chance with a less talented defense!
Comment by Louisianahokie — October 29, 2009 @ 11:27 pm
Foster is having a down year. I do not think so highly of GT's offense now that I saw what a 114th ranked offense just did to us. Foster gets the benefit of the doubt. He will recover. Mark my words, next season's defense will be better. Now, to be honest, the offense is better ranked. It is playing better than it has in a couple of years. Still, we are relying on talent to run and suceed at the same old tired offense. Beamer can point to 10 win seasons etc. all that he wishes to. The fact is, with a better offensive coordinator, all those offenses over the last few years are better than they were. I know it makes one feel like he has a large johnson when everyone knows what you are going to do and you do it anyway, but it is a waste of resources. By running this tired Ricky Bustle era offense, you make those superb athletes work so much harder for what they get. I am giving up hope that Beamer is ever going to make changes.
Comment by David — October 29, 2009 @ 11:44 pm
Roudyred, I agree with you that the first mention I heard of the "chop blocks" was more than enough. GT hit us in the mouth and flat out won the game fair and square. I'm all for the officials controlling the game to keep the players safe, but let's keep in mind that this is football, not ultimate frisbee. If Beamer would focus more on offensive production perhaps we could have gotten a few scores in the first half of that game and the result would have been in our favor.
Tom L is right, we came out flat offensively and obviously couldn't get anything going in the first half. It seems like we had great field position for at least four drives in the first half, but couldn't get anything done. UNC's defense was good and I give them credit, but still we should have been able to muster at least 3 scores in the first half instead of nothing. I thought defensively we played fairly well with the exception of a few pass plays and Houston running the ball at will. It seems like there was a big window in the middle of the game where no pressure was applied to Yates giving him time to make some throws.
With the offense we have we probably belong somewhere between 20 and 25 in the country. With the offensive potential we have we belong in the top 10. But, we are not there and don't deserve to be. Until we get a consistently effective offense that can put points on the board against better defenses, VT will never be better than 8 to 10 wins a season. I am not trying to be disrespectful, just realistic. Sure year in and year out we will pile up stats against lesser opponents, but when it comes to the big time we are only 50 - 50 and that may be generous. I will bleed orange and maroon until my final day on this wonderful earth and I will forever remain hopeful that we win each and every game, but the reality is that until we take a new direction with the offense we will forever be the chubby girl sitting in a metal folding chair watching and wishing that someone would have taken us to the dance. That someone is not Bryan Stinespring! Beamer makes close to $2,000,000 a year and many folks expect a better product on the field than what we have been seeing. He made the hire and it is long overdue that he makes the fire. Let Stiney be the great recruiter that he is and the TEs coach, but please don't subject us to further pain of having him as the offensive coordinator. That is all. Go Hokies! <
Comment by Smithfield Hokie — October 30, 2009 @ 12:05 am
The coaches and the players all felt that this game was in the bag. The hokies are hacked off and anxious to take out their frustration on somebody. ( quote in Roanoke Times ) Yeah we"re in a nasty mood, and we"re just going to make it penal (tonight). another quote in Rke Times.
But heres the bigger problem they forgot, UNC might just show up for this game and guess what they did. Looks like taking care of business just got a little harder.
Comment by Big E — October 30, 2009 @ 12:26 am
the sad thing is that with Offensive players like Eddie royal, david clowney, Justin Harper and Josh Morgan all on the same team we still couldn't score 20 or more points consistently!!! If Beamer won't get rid of stiney then they both need to go!!
Comment by Louisianahokie — October 30, 2009 @ 12:33 am
Hey Aaron how did you enjoy that pounding? Now I think it's time to admit Tech is really not that good. They are one lucky play away from being 4-4 and who knows what would have happened without the rain against Miami. Let's see if Doug does the right thing this week and drop Tech out of the top 25 like he did Miami last week! Go Chokies!
Comment by Original Greg — October 30, 2009 @ 9:04 am
Now VT is back to about where I figured they'd be at this point in the year. Coming in, I figured they'd lose to Alabama, GT, and either Nebraska or Miami. So, they managed to lose 2 of those, but pulled off wins against both Nebraska and the U, but drop a stinker to UNC. After the first 2 offensive drives, I knew VT would lose last night. You can't get that kind of field position and not score, and still win. Once again, the offense looked anemic and somewhat inept, and the defense got chewed apart by a methodical offense. If VT isn't careful, they might well lose next week at ECU too. For all the talent this team has, they sure don't show it on the field too often. My guess coming into the year was 9-3 and a decent bowl. Now, I'm actually hoping they drop another game or 2 and continue to show ineptitude on offense so that some much-needed personnel changes can be made. How is it that VT can look so good against teams like BC and Miami, but look absolutely dreadful against Duke, UNC, Alabama, and GT? Once again, VT showed why it's not ready for the next level, not by a long shot.
Comment by Other John — October 30, 2009 @ 9:47 am
with all the comments about firing stiney,i agree his play calling is too predictable and sometimes conservative,lets here some comments about getting rid of roster talk about predictable and easy to figure out!are we ever going to make a adjustment in the ballgame,hey what they did in film last week has little to do with what they will do against you ,make a adjustment please,maybe he is searching for a head coaches job too much instead of doing his job at tech.third and fifthteen late in the game and you put no pressure on qb and drop 8 and they still get the first down ,come on.
Comment by highlandshokie — October 30, 2009 @ 10:01 am
Georgia Tech beat 'em TWICE!
Comment by HokieKey — October 30, 2009 @ 11:48 am
That's rich. A UVA fan trying to tell anyone about humility. Gimme a break. C-Ville is about as arrogant as you can get. Too bad they don't have the performance to back it up. Tech fans are just as bad and when they lose they turn on themselves and try to burn the house down. Ridiculous, UVA and VT are about the two worst fan bases in all of college sports. Football in the Commonwealth is a joke. Both UVA and VT should just close up shop so as not to embarrass this great state anymore.
Comment by William — October 30, 2009 @ 11:57 am
Okay, I'm going to open myself up to all the haters. I didn't see too many things wrong with the game plan. I saw lack of execution by the players. Foster didn't miss tackles and not cover receivers on 10 third down conversions. Stiney didn't fumble twice, throw bad passes and hold the ball too long before throwing causing all those sacks. Most of the passes that were caught were good catches by the receivers who caught balls thrown behind them. I know it's cliche and sounds trite but it holds true. "It ain't the X's and the O's, it's the Jimmy's and the Joe's". Except for a few players, the Hokies just don't have the consistent overall talent they've had in the past.
Comment by justafan — October 30, 2009 @ 12:11 pm
Both teams got breaks and lost oportunities. VT could have taken better advantage of field position, taken better advantage of breaks, and could have won. On the other hand, if a couple of key 'dinky' penalties had not been called on UNC, if Yates had not thrown an interception late, if the VT quarterback's touchdown had been ruled a fumble, it could have been worse. Maybe 24-7. From up here in Idaho, it did not look like one team got the breaks and another did not. It looked like a visiting team came in and out-muscled the locals. Sorry.
Comment by rr — October 30, 2009 @ 12:16 pm
I am pretty sure that UNC was committing illeagle blocks on poor Kam Chancellor. When will the ACC act to end such unsafe practices!
Comment by blume — October 30, 2009 @ 12:50 pm
Offensive players like Eddie royal Or players like Taylor, Williams, Roberts, and many others. Does anyone question the talent and affort of the players? NO!
<> Foster didn't miss tackles No, and Stiney did not miss the blocks.
<<> lack of execution by the players >><< But if the talent and effort is there, then what is missing? Who is being paid plenty to get the team trained and ready to execute? The guys who did not miss the takles!!!! How many games a season does the offense look ready to execute?? 1 or 2?? For the past 10 years the defense is ranked high, and the offense is at the bottom.
Do we have the talent? YES ! Do we have the talent trained and running the right plays?? NO ! ! !
<> If Beamer won't get rid of stiney then they both need to go!!
Amen! That was the best comment made!!
If Williams and Taylor (running and passing) can't score in this offense, who can? These coaches are like a general crying for more and more troops. We got the troops, we need a Patton!!!
Comment by Edgar — October 30, 2009 @ 2:00 pm
Two in a row, could it be three!?
Comment by HokieKey — October 30, 2009 @ 2:05 pm
The Hokies offense Thursday was absolutely pitiful! During the first half, the Hokies had five consecutive three and outs! No wonder they scored nothing during the first half. This places much pressure on the defense, who is forced to spend most of their time on the field! This terrible exibition of offense was against a team with a losing record!
When is Beamer ever going to wake up? Last year, 2008, Miami had a terrible record, 3-8. They hired a new offensive coordinator at the end of the season, and this year, with basically the same athletes, their offense is playing lights out, and they have a great record! Beamer, are you paying attention?
Comment by Hal Burleson — October 30, 2009 @ 2:27 pm
Well, the hoos really came out of their holes this week to pound on the Hokies. After being DOMINATED by Tech for the past decade, they now think they are better than the Hokies. I said it before and I will say it again, when does their rowing season start ????????? As for football, they still are light years behind the Hokies and most of the ACC !!!!!!!!!!!! But , they do have a frisky horse that can stink up the field ( or is it "the grounds" or "the lawn" ?? ) as well as their team , ha, ha, ha , ha.............
Comment by Tony in Roanoke — October 30, 2009 @ 3:54 pm
Well, the hoos really came out of their holes this week to pound on the Hokies. After being DOMINATED by Tech for the past decade, they now think they are better than the Hokies. I said it before and I will say it again, when does their rowing season start ????????? As for football, they still are light years behind the Hokies and most of the ACC !!!!!!!!!!!! But , they do have a frisky horse that can stink up the field ( or is it "the grounds" or "the lawn" ?? ) as well as their team , ha, ha, ha , ha...............
Comment by Tony in Roanoke — October 30, 2009 @ 4:02 pm
A theory has been presented that the Hokies always lose 3 of 4 games in October (I have not checked the pattern but first observed it in '03, and thought it was fatigue ) because after the Sept games the Oct opponents view film (video) of the VT one-dimensional offense and are ready to create the 3 & outs we have long suffered.
I have viewed the GT & UNC games in the light of that theory and it certainly seems that the defense knows where Tech is going before the ball is snapped. I saw several plays where the defense had linebackers and safeties in the hole before Williams could get to it.
I recall when seeing the GT game live I thought, 'they are reading a key, because they are collapsing on the ball before the play develops.'
We were clearly outcoached by GT and with UNC the VT defense was exhausted before the offense made its 3d 1st down.
It's time to clean house. How long must this go on??
Chr_burg, VA
P.S. Why would anyone give the 'hoos, or whats, the time of day?
Comment by Edgar — October 30, 2009 @ 8:20 pm
Once again Justafan is right on the money. Tech does not have the talent they have had in the past. Why do people keep mentioning Eddie Royal, Vic Hall, Macho Harris, etc.? Last time I checked those guys weren't wearing Orange and Maroon. What do you have now? Receivers that are not that good. An overated QB. A so-so Offensive Line and a great running back.
The offense not beeing that great is nothing new but for the first time in awhile the defense is not that good either. Face it Hokies, these guys are not the high caliber Bud Foster is used to working with. In fact, at the end of last year one of the Hokie fans even said it would be a good year for Bud to leave while his rep was still at a high level because the talent would not be as good this year.
Now having said that, I'm sure the players will continue to get better the longer they play for Bud. It's just not going to be this year folks.
Comment by Original Greg — October 30, 2009 @ 9:26 pm
Oh and Tony, I am a Tar Heel fan! I was right there in Lane Stadium last night wearing my Carolina Blue and frankly I was as shocked as the rest of you. But that's what you get when you go on record in the paper saying you're looking forward to punishing someone!
Comment by Original Greg — October 30, 2009 @ 9:29 pm
Greg, I think it was the sportswriters who said the Hokies would punish someone, not the coaches or players.
Comment by Tony in Roanoke — October 30, 2009 @ 10:16 pm
My guess is Tony is eithet 10 years old or one of those people who just could not get into UVA and has never really been able to get over it. November 28, 2009 is a date all Hoo fans are looking forward to.
Comment by Joe — October 30, 2009 @ 10:26 pm
What is Beamer/Chancellor's excuse this time? Were the UNC uniform colors to bright???
Beamer and Chancellor should wear skirts when they are on the football field.
Comment by RambleOn — October 30, 2009 @ 11:17 pm
National Title Game? What genius was talking about that?
Comment by RambleOn — October 30, 2009 @ 11:19 pm
I am really tried of Beamer never taking responsibility for anything. Oh give so ans so credit, oh i did not think there was a lack of effort, of i cannot coach against big teams, oh I coach not to lose instead of coach to win, oh i do not know how to make adjustments, oh the only real shot i have had in 25 years is when i had the best college FB player ever playing for me, oh i am so good at making excuses. It is not just BS, Beamer needs to go too. He has had his shot or shall i say 25 shots.
Comment by Moe — October 31, 2009 @ 5:06 am
Hey, Joe, I am not 10 years old, but most hoos do the boohoos like they are 10 years old when it comes to their football team. You are correct in that I cannot get into the uva thing ( if you meant I could not get into your ivy league school want-a-be, I never considered it) and the elite attitude, nose in the air, wine and cheese thing !!!! I am glad you are looking forward to Nov 28, when your team gets smacked !!! If by some strange allignment of the stars the hoos win, you can celebrate your one win this decade and look forward to another win sometime in the 2020's.
Comment by Tony in Roanoke — October 31, 2009 @ 11:29 am
I guess William has never been to a Florida or Tennessee game. The reason alabama is back in the game is that they changed coaches and got someone that understands mordern football. We are still playing Jerry Clabourne football. This offense is sooooo bad that the offense scored 10 points and the defense provided 7 points. I think Bud Foster could play Stiney a game where they both had to play their own players on both sides of the ball. Bud's offense with defensive players would beat the offense we have. Stiney gets a game plan and never changes. I was at the game with the loyal fans and looked around and wondered why they come to be humiliated like this. Not to take anything away from UNC, but they had a game plan and that was to stop Ryan. The same thing Duke did against us. Stop the run game and we are dead. This has been going on since the Mike Vick days. Mike was one player that raised us to a new level. Our coaches are looking for that super player to hide their inability to coach. Example. Boise State beat Oklahome with guys undersized and slower. How could Boise State beat OU. Coaching.
Comment by Dick Culpepper — October 31, 2009 @ 11:37 am
After all these comments the things that stand out are:no passion, no excitement, no team chemistry and no leadership. Someone has to step up and lead this team. If not a senior, an underclassman. Reminds me of the teams we had where the "elite" players played for exposure for draft day and damn team play.
Comment by Tom L — October 31, 2009 @ 7:33 pm
Tony,
Did your mother not teach you that such hatred for others makes you look small? Also, if you did not feel the world revolves around Hokie football you may have understood the true meaning of my statement "November 28, 2009 is a date all Hoo fans are looking forward to.
Joe
Comment by Joe — November 2, 2009 @ 10:20 am
Joe, I thought the uva people would be happy to banter with " small " people since they love to look down on everyone who does not bow to the columns and the lawn .
Comment by Tony in Roanoke — November 2, 2009 @ 3:14 pm