Lol Hokies: Week Seven

This week's edition of LolHokies comes with a side of anger directed at the stupid bumble bee. h8u other tech.

Welcome Back Stiney: Hokies Lose 28-23 in ATL

Could've seen this one coming from a mile away. What were the keys to the game for Georgia Tech? Abuse the young VT linebackers en route to a strong rushing effort...check. Force turnovers early (slash keep the crowd in it)...check. Have Kam Chancellor screw up...check. I wasn't able to watch this one, thanks to marching band as mentioned earlier, but I had my trusty Blackberry in hand (and ready to throw against a wall). From everything I've heard, and the highlights I've seen, it seemed as though we couldn't get any real key stops, and Georgia Tech came in with a great gameplan. I expected no less from a well-coached team. Frank Beamer's teams now are 0-1298483 when ranked in the top five in a game that matters, and 0-82012948 in Atlanta. Ok, not that bad, but it sure feels that way.

I could get into the stats on this one, but it just doesn't feel worth it. Maybe I'll take a little extra time this week to dive in with the week off (Redskins too), but my heart isn't in it right now. I'll just wax poetic on our relationship with the other Tech for now. I hate you Bumble Bee. You can go straight to hell. You rushed your field and punched out some of our staff members. You are classless. I hate to say this, but we have a rivalry. For the forseeable future, we will slug it out every year for the ACC Coastal crown, and I will be happy to have our boys come back to Blacksburg next year and kick your asses. But furreal, since WVU is irrelevant/off the schedule, looks like GT gets kicked up a notch. Go f*%# yourself Bumblebee.

Week Seven: Bring on Gah Tech

So maybe I was a little harsh yesterday. I mean, Georgia Tech is a solid program with a history worth discussing prior to the Clinton administration. They've beaten a team by over 200 points before. Not bad. It doesn't mean I have to like them though. In reading message boards and blog posts this week, I've seen a lot of cockiness that resembles Miami circa week four. We can't have any of that business. Georgia Tech is a solid team with a solid coach, playing at night as a home dog. Nothing about those last three sentences gives me the warm and fuzzies this week. How do we ever feel when we're a legitimately good team that gets no credit at home? We stomp people. That's the mindset that the Yellow Jackets must be taking this week. Here are three keys to the game for each team on Saturday.

The Ramblin' Wreck will win if:

• Paul Johnson wins the chess match with Bud Foster. Unfortunately for us, Bud's pieces include two very young linebackers that have been known to play a little too instinctively. We all saw what happened the last time we were in Atlanta when Jake Johnson followed his instincts (hint: touchdown Upchurch). If GT wants to dominate the Hokies, they have to exploit the overaggression of the young linebackers and set up some timely throws over the top to Bey-Bey Thomas. I believe Johnson will find some yards out of the Tech D, and there are two ways this could go: Either the bend-but-don't-break Nebraska type of game, or the bend-then-break Alabama type of game...defensively speaking of course. If the latter takes place, the Hokies will have another long trip home from the ATL.


• They force a turnover or score quickly. While Homecoming isn't sold out just yet, the "other" Tech fans that will be in attendance will be pumped. Georgia Tech's defense hasn't been able to slow anyone lately, but a loud crowd that helps cause early mistakes (e.g. turnovers, penalties, coverage breakdowns) could spell disaster for the visitors on Saturday.


• Kam Chancellor acts like typical, overaggressive, "blame everyone else" Kam Chancellor. Saturday is about playing disciplined, assignment football. Chacellor has proven that this is not his strong suit. The fact that he sells out for plays leads to big hits, and sometimes interceptions, but it also has caused major lapses and big plays against the Hokie defense. Chancellor's blown assignments also tend to snowball when he initiates finger pointing and bitching (Jimmy Williams anyone?) as a result. If Chancellor makes mistakes early and often, Thomas and the Jacket offense could be in for a big night.

The Hokies will win if:

• Bryan Stinespring continues his recent trend of calling effective, game-managing type games. Because Georgia Tech will run the ball over 70% of the time, they will look to wear down Tech's defensive line and time of possession will be big. Stinespring might think quick strikes are great for morale, and obviously the points (much like Boykin's touchdown last week), but our defense needs the offense to try and hold onto the ball as long as possible. The last thing the Hokies want is to get into a shootout mentality, because the defense will not be able to hold up. Luckily, Tyrod Taylor has been managing this gameplan to perfection over the last several weeks.


• The defensive line gets penetration against the Jackets and hits Josh Nesbitt early and often. Nesbitt will be jumpier if he's forced into early decisions, whether pitching, keeping or throwing. It is important for the defensive line to neutralize the inexperience of Johnson and Rivers by dictating how the Jackets run their offense.


• The special teams continue to pull their weight and control field position. Bowden is first in the ACC in net punting average, while Dyrell Roberts sits second in the nation in kick return average. If the Hokies can control field position, and take points when they can get them (kick the damn field goal, Frank), they should help control the tempo and keep the crowd out of the game.

The key stats for Saturday are time of possession, Georgia Tech's first down YPC, average starting field position, and red zone conversion percentage. Overall, I just don't feel great about this game. The hype and the pundits are weighing on our players' ears. If they buy into their hype, even a little bit, this will be a close game, or we will lose outright. The intangibles point entirely toward Georgia Tech. However, I'd say that I consider the VT Offense/GT Defense an advantage, the VT Defense/GT Offense a push (with a slight edge to GT), and Special Teams to heavily favor VT. With regards to talent, the Jackets just don't have it on the defensive side of the ball. I think if Bryan Stinespring can stay out of his own way and coordinate like he has recently, the Hokies should win. Georgia Tech will get their yards, and probably their points, but the Hokie defense has to be opportunistic and force turnovers. I think this will scare us all more than we'd like, but I'll go ahead and make my standard homer prediction:

Hokies 27
Ramblin' Wreck 23

Let's do this thing.

I Have a Bone to Pick With You Bumble Bee

You know, I put up with Calvin Johnson. I've lived with the fact that we're repeatedly called "Vah Tech" by the media and the Jackets never hear "Gah Tech." I even let the whole '2008 Championship Banner for the Yellow Jackets' thing fly. No more of this rubbish bumble bees. This disrespect must stop. Apparently, Georgia Tech decided that we would be the most appropriate homecoming opponent for them this season. That stings a little (pun intended).

We all know that collegiate homecoming games are supposed to be scheduled against scrub teams. Maybe they're trying to pay us back for scheduling them as our homecoming guests back in 2005, and also for whipping them 51-7. Whatever the case may me, Virginia Tech should not be anyone's homecoming opponent. To make matters worse, they haven't even sold out the damn game, and it's a 6:00 PM start time. I would do horrible things for a 6:00 PM kickoff in Blacksburg on a Saturday. I wouldn't normally be so fired up about this little injustice, but in context with some of the other garbage we've heard spewed from and about the Jackets since last season's supposed "fluke," I think the Hokies should be a little mad about this. Let's hope we can party like it's 2005. We are no Western Kentucky.

Lol Hokies

So I thought this would be pretty entertaining. Here are some photos from the week with some mildly humorous captions (at least to me). Enjoy!

Weekend Round-Up

Ok guys, I'm alive. Promise. It was tough to post during homecoming weekend because I: a. didn't bring my laptop with me, and b. was only able watch two of the four relevant games to this blog (way to be cheap and not have cable Jeremey/Stephen). However, the long weekend was nice, and I do have plenty to talk about, so strap in...we'll take this team-by-team (saving the best for last with regards to recent performance).

Redskins lose to Carolina 20-17:

Terrible. This was one I wasn't able to watch. Thanks to my trusty Blackberry (that I almost threw against the wall), I saw that we managed to play an ugly game, at least according to the ESPN gamecast. I saw lots of fumbles, lots of sacks, and no Chris Cooley. That is not a combination for winning. To make matters worse, Phillip Daniels and Chris Samuels both appear to have suffered reasonably significant injuries. Wonderful. Any momentum (and there wasn't much) coming out of the win against the Bucs is now gone, and we'll be lucky to compete against the lowly Chiefs this weeked. God help us all. Can we just take this season out back and shoot it already? We could put ourselves out of our own misery.

Caps fall in Detroit 3-2, then poop their pants in the third period for the fourth straight game and lose to the Devils in a shootout.

More terrible in some ways because unlike the Skins, they have no business playing this way. I wasn't able to watch the Detroit game, but I did watch last night. As much as I hate Nylander, maybe Boudreau needs to send a message to Boyd Gordon about late game penalties. The lacka of dissaprine is no good. We're tied with Tampa for the division lead for God's sake. Jose Theodore looks spectacular at times and overmatched at others, but the blueline is KILLING us. I don't know that I've seen such terrible play out of Tom Poti in his now 2+ years in Washington. We have no elite defensemen right now. Not good. I have confidence that they'll turn things around, as they've been in games despite their own stupidity, but Gabby's got to start preaching accountability to the boys in red.

And finally, Hokies take BC behind the woodshed instead of playing down to their opponent.

Maybe it was the three consecutive regular season losses to the Eagles. Maybe it was the fact that I radiate amazingness and was present in Lane Stadium for the dominance. Maybe Bryan Stinespring has finally decided to keep his head out of his butt and call a football game. Maybe Tyrod Taylor is a legit QB. I don't know that these are all the reasons why we won on Saturday, but I think they all made a difference (especially point #2). Now after seeing this team in person, I know that they have the ability to be special. N*%#$ C#*@#& special (yeah, I'm not saying those words)? I don't know...maybe. I don't think we'll win out. I've said it over and over, but we have the ABILITY to win out. Tyrod looks poised, accurate and confident under pressure, as evidenced by his touchdown pass to Danny Coale in the first quarter. Ryan Williams truly is a monster, and should be the '09 version of Bo Jackson in Tecmo. Coale and Boykin look legit, and Ed Wang even brocked werr on Saturday. He graded at 89 percent...wow. Guess those sumo lessons are paying off.

Bud Foster decided to go ahead and sacrifice that calf. His name was Dave Shinske. Master of Ceremonies for that ordeal was Nekos Brown, who was all over the place. Rashad Carmichael, like I've been saying all year is legit, and Kam Chancellor managed to not mess anything up either. Overall the defense looked great. If Tech plays with that sense of urgency for the rest of the season, the sky is the limit.

Overall, a so-so weekend for FFODC teams. The Caps can buy a break right now, but the Skins can't. The Hokies look really good, but must be consistent from week to week. I'll be back tonight with a Hokie surprise that I hope you guys will like. Until then, try not to burn all your Redskins' stuff.

Week Six: God I Hate Matt Ryan

Can we please just fast forward to tomorrow at noon? How I hate thee, Boston College. Let me count the ways:

1. Doug Flutie. Doug Flutie. Doug Flutie.


2. Matt Ryan and his stupid pass to win a game that they didn't deserve.


3. Matt Ryan for having a good first season in the NFL. I hope he breaks his leg this year. Nice Champs Sports Bowl ring, joke.


4. Jeff Jagodzinski. Nice unemployment check, joke.


5. Rich Gunnell. Is this dude in his seventh year? He always seems to do something against us.


6. Brenden Hill for dancing to Sweet Caroline while down by 20. Wait...


7. Their stupid 27 "superfans" that wear those awful yellow T-shirts. Decide on a secondary color idiots.


8. Steve Aponovicious. If I hear an announcer call this kid Sid Vicious one more time, someone is getting suplexed.


9. They're from Boston. Say your 'r's.


10. They have "history" in their program, but they're in no way historical.

I need help from our home viewers out there. Over/Under on how many times they show/refer to the Hail Mary pass AND the lucky play from '07: 7. Please let me know how this shakes out, as I'll be in the stands, screaming my face off. I'll miss Doc Walker on Raycom soooo much (vomit). Luckily, we're right behind the opposing bench this week, so the BC chumps might actually be able to make out what I'm saying. Whether what I yell is discernable by a human, sober ear is another question in and of itself.

I hear that BC has a good pass defense and a 92-year-old freshman quarterback that did OK against Northeastern...I think. I don't care. Apparently #2 is a pretty solid back, averaging 4.7 YPC. I don't care. The Hokies should be spitting mad on Saturday morning. Bud Foster should sacrifice a fatted calf and paint his players' faces with the blood. Bryan Stinespring should continue to stay out of Tyrod Taylor's way. This game is huge...believe me, but it's a game that the Hokies SHOULD win handily. They should be ready to prove the doubters wrong, and tune up for Georgia Tech. The crowd will be charged, even for a noon game, and Tech has lost the last three regular season matchups against BC.

Channel the 2005 Defense:

Hokies 31
Eagles 10

Bonus pick of the week: Josh Oglesby goes for his first 100 yard game, Tyrod throws for <>

Let's Go.

Dook Fought Back: Hokies WIN 34-26

I remain unimpressed with what I saw of the performance on Saturday, but in this day and age, I'll take a win any way the Hokies can manage it. While our pass defense seemed atrocious, and big pass plays a week before playing Boston College terrify me just a little bit, we're finding different ways to win games, and that's what matters. Bryan Stinespring is slowly crawling his way out of the doghouse...very slowly. If Tyrod Taylor can beat teams with his arms and his legs, we might just have...dare I say it...an explosive offense. Overall, I'm happy with Josh Oglesby's efficiency, and Taylor's confidence, as well as the receivers' newfound ability to step up when needed. Something about Dyrell Roberts drop late in the Nebraska game seems to have sparked the whole corps play over the last two weeks. I would feel a lot worse about this week if we didn't have Bud Foster at the helm of the defense, but I fully expect he'll have the troops ready to roll come Saturday...and I can't wait for Enter Sandman. Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

Go Hokies

Week Five: Spankin' Dook

There isn't a whole lot to say about this one today. There's a reason why it's 8:09 AM and I'm just now posting about the matchup. Tech has no business losing this game. Even in a down year, Duke should be a cakewalk. The stadium will be full of Chicago Maroon and Burnt Orange, and the Blue Devils just don't have the size, speed or depth to hang with the Hokies. Their offensive line is atrocious, and their quarterback situation is unsettled. Tech is rolling with momentum from de-pantsing Miamuh. However, this is a team that only gave up one touchdown to the Hokie offense last season, and their defense is improved. Time for Stiney to prove he can churn out a week-to-week performance. Here's what to watch for:

• Jason Worilds' sack total. As I said, their O-line is horrendous, and he should be Thad's buddy most of the afternoon.
• A big play from Cody Grimm. He deserves it. Maybe he can tie up Matt Reidy for career touchdowns this week.
• Tyrod's completion percentage and overall efficiency mixing the pass and the run. He needs to show he can do what he did last week on a regular basis too.
• David Wilson's rushing yards. He should give Ryan Williams a good amount of rest this week to prep for a FAR better Boston College defense.

I disagree on the blocked kick notion that everyone else is going with this week, but I am calling a Dyrell or Jayron return deep into Duke territory or a touchdown. Hokies take it in a shutout (feels like it's been too long since that happened).

Hokies 37
Dook 0

My CFB Top 25: Week Four

Ok, so I wanted to go ahead and start a regular top 25 poll, and unlike the WWL or any other people that matter, I think polls shouldn't come out until at least a month into the season. Here's how I believe the top teams in the country stack up:

My Rank		Team	Record
1		Alabama	4-0
2		Florida	4-0
3		Texas	4-0
4		Cincinnati	4-0
5		Boise State	4-0
6		Virginia Tech	3-1
7		TCU	3-0
8		Houston	3-0
9		LSU	4-0
10		Southern California	3-1
11		Miami	2-1
12		Ohio State	3-1
13		Oklahoma	2-1
14		Iowa	4-0
15		Kansas	4-0
16		Oklahoma State	3-1
17		Oregon	3-1
18		Nebraska	3-1
19		Georgia	3-1
20		South Florida	4-0
21		Michigan	4-0
22		Georgia Tech	3-1
23		Brigham Young	3-1
24		South Carolina	3-1
25		Auburn	3-1

A few notable differences from the AP and USA Today Polls jump out. First, Alabama has the best win in the country, over Virginia Tech, who has also beaten two other top 25 teams. Tech's opponents have not lost a single game against teams besides the Hokies, and that puts them at the top of the one-loss teams. However, Cincy gets some brownie points from coming out of a decent Big East, and after showing some great offense and a resilient defense in the season's first month. LSU gets docked for having an inconsistent month, and they're bound to lose at least three games this season. Miami looked good until last week, and literally faltered against the perfect storm last weekend in Blacksburg. Teams I really like this week that aren't getting as much national love are Kansas, Nebraska, South Florida and Auburn. Teams I expect to falter and haven't impressed me are Michigan, USC, California (who was wiped off my list completely), and BYU. I expect to see a lot of shuffling in the coming weeks, but this is what I have so far.

Week Four: It's About To Get Heavy

Here's the deal guys...I've been bombarded all week with talk about how the Hokies have no shot on Saturday. There is absolutely no way that they even deserve to step on the same field against the mighty Hurricanes, let alone put up a fight. Don't get me wrong...there is a distinct possibility (and probably always is with Bryan Stinespring at the helm) that the Hokies won't be able to put up any offense against the Canes. Hell, the defense has been spotty at best, which we all know is out of character for the Lunchpail Crew. However, I am not about to throw in the towel on a Thursday morning with Miami packing their bags for a trip to Southwest Virginia.

This is my rationale. There have not been many times that Tech has folded in the last 10 or so years under Frank Beamer, and I can probably argue that only one of those times came against Miami (2005). The only real flops that jump to mind were against an experienced LSU team (2007), Boston College (2006) with big-head Glennon at the helm, and in a complete letdown against FSU (2005). Three of those games were effectively on the road (FSU was "neutral" in Jacksonville), and two of those games saw Marcus Vick, one of the worst leaders (and people) in Tech history at the helm. Even in losses against premier opponents (I know, I know, we've lost basically all of these games), we've hung tough (2004 USC, 2004 Auburn, 2009 Alabama, 2007 BC). I just don't believe that Beamer is going to lead that group out to slaughter on Saturday afternoon. Although there's a high likelyhood that the Hokies will lose, I'm guessing it's still worth it to show up (read: stinkeye to Miami fans).

Here's why I'm giving Tech a legitimate shot to win this game (some of these may surprise you):

• The Home Crowd- Jacory Harris probably won't even be able to hear his favorite Miley Cyrus song floating through his brain in Lane Stadium, let alone what play he's running. Hell, it will probably be so loud that the noise will prevent him from feeling the pee trickling down his leg. Good luck working in that environment Mr. '9 - 9 = 1.'


• The Return of Beamerball- While I don't believe it's been really warranted over the last few years, Beamerball is back, and it's about to block a kick. I've mentioned this before, but now that Dyrell Roberts and Jayron Hosley have proven themselves to be dynamic kick returners, teams will have to either run normal coverage to stop them, or run max protection and pray they don't get burned. Either way, the Hokies have been close to several blocks already, and I don't expect Miami to run max protection all game. They don't want to give a dynamic guy an opportunity to reverse field on them.


• Miami Runs Man Coverage- Kyle Tucker touched on this yesterday, but Tyrod played relatively well against Miami's D last season, and ran for two touchdowns (and had a guaranteed 70 yard touchdown pass dropped by Dyrell Roberts). If his legs can buy him extra time, and he can keep his confidence up, he should be able to generate at least a little sporatic offense, if not better.


• Josh Oglesby's fresh legs- Ryan Williams keeps getting the press, but Oglesby's great at picking up tough first downs, which the Hokies will need against a tough Miami line. Their ability to throw three good backs at the Canes should help in the second half. Especially to help out the Hokie D with TOP.


• Stephan Virgil will be back- Virgil is our best cover corner, and Foster seems to think he's 100%. He's also one of our top 3 tacklers (as far as ability). If he has a good game, he sets up guys like Cody Grimm and Jason Worilds to get to Harris and wreak a little havok, something which is distinctly possible. Worilds will be lining up against Miami's least experienced lineman, which makes for a favorible matchup.

I'm not going to give you any more Cane love, because we got enough of it from Tom on Tuesday. Yes, Miami has the athletes. Yes, they have confidence, and a legitimate offensive coordinator. No, their egos are not in check. This Hokie team, to put it into hockey terms, has a lot of sandpaper to them. They've got guts and grit, and that goes a long way toward winning. They might not come out on top on Saturday, but I certainly think they'll make a dogfight of it. That being said, I still like the boys in Maroon to prove everyone wrong as home underdogs. Remember Clemson in 2006? This will be a similar game (with a better showing from Miami), and I think it might be JO's coming out party. Let's do this thing.

Hokies 19
Miami 17

Channel the spirit of the 2004 ACC Champs:

Stupid Miami Quote of the Week: Part Deux

Jacory Harris, Miami's quarterback, darkhorse Heisman hopeful and dude with freakishly long arms apparently cannot count. When asked about his thoughts on The You's (yeah I spelled it that way on purpose) no. 9 ranking, he had this to say:

"I was happy, but we still have to stay focused, have to play Virginia Tech next and they're a great team. Our confidence is the same as it was before we played Florida State. We know what we're capable of, know we can score points. Just now we have statistics to prove it. We're very strong-minded, a humble team."

"Not too many people knew [about the ranking] – one person said it, and it was `Oh, well, we just have to get better. We don't want No. 9. No. 9 is nine spots away from being No. 1. We want to be where Florida is.' That's where we're trying to get."

Jesus...is this kid serious? Now he's just making it too easy. 9 - 8 = 1. On top of that, I thought to include that fact the said his team is humble. Why don't you save us all the effort and tell Randy Phillips to shut the f*** up, Jacory.

Shut Up Randy Phillips

Who are you anyway? 15 career starts and 6 picks? Awesome. For a mediocre ACC team? ...better. Apparently, wins against Georgia Tech and Florida State make Miami the most wonderful program in the world. At least it was enough for this jackass to mouth off today (thanks CGB):

It don’t mean nothing to me. I don’t even know what it is. They’re good in special teams, I’ll say that, if that’s what they call Beamer Ball. Every year that we play them we always beat them in special teams so I guess it’s Coach Shannon Ball. Coach Beamer does a great job of getting his troops ready to play. We’re just ready to prove everybody wrong. Y’all are all the people jumping on the bandwagon right now. We’re not even going to push them away. We’re going to welcome them. Everybody can ride with the U right now.

-Miami Safety Randy Phillips

No, coach Shannonball is going 19-19 the last three seasons with superior talent. I'm not saying that Miami won't come in and stomp the Hokies on Saturday, but seriously? Have some grounds to talk a lot of shit before you open your mouth. In the three VT-Miami games in which Phillips was on the roster (not counting his medical redshirt, where they won by two), the Hokies went 2-1. Sounds like Miami always beats us. Apparently he doesn't remember that 44-14 beat down by our mediocre offense in 2007. On top of that, Miami hasn't scored a special teams touchdown on the Hokies since they've been members of the ACC. Come talk to me when your most important career highlight is something better than trying to knock out some FIU scrub Randy Phillips...and I hope it doesn't come on Saturday.

VT/Miami Preview: Canes' Perspective

I recently approached Tom from over at Canespace about answering some questions about the media's new (read: old) darling, the Miami Hurricanes. As we all know, we have the 'U' in the 'burg this week for a good ol' fashioned Coastal slug fest. Here are Tom's thoughts on the 2009 edition of the Canes and how this Saturday might shake out:

1. For the uneducated Hokie fan: what do you think the biggest change has been with Mark Whipple taking over the offense this season?

Most Hokie fans are uneducated, but I am getting off track. The biggest change? How about everything! This year’s Canes offense bears no resemblance whatsoever to the train wreck that was Patrick Nix. The tragedy (can U say bubble screen on third and 17?) and drama (Bobby Drama was the nickname fans gave to Robert Marve who first got his feelings hurt and later transferred) that Miami fans had to endure over the last two years was almost unbearable.

Long time Canespace blogger Carlos was the first to call for Nix’s head and was later proven to be right as UM fans, along with Head Coach Randy Shannon, had simply had enough by the end of last season which culminated in the loss and the demonstration of the world’s worst 2 minute drill ever run at the Emerald Bowl in the City by the Bay last year.

This year Hurricane fans are totally infatuated with Mark “Miracle” Whipple who has the Miami offense on the attack every single down. Every play is NFL designed and approved and the Hurricanes have shown no sign of slowing down after scoring big points and big wins at FSU and at The Shark (Landshark Stadium) against Georgia Tech. Miami fans have fallen in love with offense all over again and it feels really good to score, if you know what I mean!

In case you didn’t know, Whipple helped develop Ben Rothlisberger when both were with the Steelers and he has now worked his “miracle” with UM QB Jacory Harris. The Miracle Whip has whipped (sorry, I couldn’t resist!) young Jacory into shape in just a matter of months.

Harris, who is only a Sophomore, has the “Whiplash” (I know, I know) offense running at a very high level and is already getting Heisman talk after just two games. Not too shabby if I do say so myself!

2. We know guys like Jacory Harris, Javarris James, and Graig Cooper, but who is one guy that we should really look out for on Saturday afternoon?

Well at Canespace we have an annual feature called “Legends of the Fall” where all of the bloggers pick an offense and defensive star before the season starts. Outside of the three well known players you mentioned above the leading vote getter was WR Laron “Big” Byrd who wears UM superstar Michael Irvin’s old #47 jersey at Miami. Byrd is a fast, tall and lanky WR that has a knack for getting open deep and scoring often.

The Canes most electrifying player is probably #3 Travis Benjamin. T-Ben, who plays WR for Miami is among the Hurricanes five fastest players and also returns punts for UM. And, it says right here that #3 will break one for a TD against The Hokies Beamer ball be damned!

Others to keep your eye on are WR Thearon Collier (#28) who lines up in the slot and works into seams over the middle and former UM basketball player turned football star TE Jimmy Graham. Graham who wears #80 and has earned the nickname of “Liger” (half lion/half tiger) caught his first, but not his last, TD of the year against GT last Thursday. When asked how he felt about that after the game he replied: “I like scoring six better than two.” U go Jimmy!

3. Give me three reasons why Miami wins this game, and three why they lose it. Are you guys even giving us a chance in this game?

The Canes win because:

1. The Whipple Effect. The Canes will outscore the Hokies.

2. The Canes proved they can stop a running QB against FSU (Ponder) and stop the run against GT. Your QB sucks and therefore your offense has no chance.

3. We will match your special teams’ intensity and score on a punt return to get The Big Mo swung in our favor. T-Ben to the house!

The Canes lose because:

1. Beating three ranked teams in a row is too much to ask of the young team.

2. The game is in Blacksburg, not the 305.

3. Jacory shows he is human after all, has an off night and throws a pick six in a close, low scoring game in the fourth quarter.

4. I know that Miami faithful love to brag about the national championships and NFL talent that your program produces, but is there any jealousy over the Hokies ACC fortunes so far? Do you guys consider us a rival or do we fall well below the Gators and Seminoles?

First, VT deserves all the credit in the world for their ACC success. I was at the ACC title game in Tampa last year and watched you beat Boston College. Miami is yet to win an ACC crown, so we have no room to brag yet, but that should change this year or maybe next.

Miami fans see GT as a rival, but nowhere near the level as the Florida Gators or Seminoles.

The top three MOST hated teams by any real Canes fan are (in this order): Florida Gaturds, Notre Shame and Ohio State Suckeyes. FSU and VT come next but only after we drink another Landshark beer, or six. There that’s better!

5. Just for our DC blogging purposes: favorite former Cane on the Redskins (Sean Taylor can also be included in this vote)?

Sean Taylor hands down. Don’t get me wrong, we love Portis (that dude is a trip!), Moss (speed, baby, speed), McIntosh (steady, consistent, unsung hero) and others but to Canes fans, Taylor was The Man.

I was at Doak Campbell Stadium back in 2004 for the now famous “Rain Game” where Sean simply took over and dominated the game like I had never seen before. His sudden, senseless and tragic death (just as he was beginning to peak with the Redskins) hit the Hurricane family very, very hard.

I have written several pieces about that loss and have provided links here:

http://canespace.typepad.com/canespace/2008/11/sean-taylor-one-year-later.html

http://canespace.typepad.com/canespace/2008/11/one-year-later-one-life-lost.html

Voldemort Was Wrong: Hokies Win!

I thought it would be prudent to allow this one to settle in before I actually wrote about it. I'm sure Hokies all across the country woke up on Sunday morning and thought...damn that was an awesome dream. I really wish we could have pulled that one out. Then they turned to their local sports station and saw that Tyrod actually DID save the day. Holy God. I still don't fully believe it as I type this sentence, and I didn't believe it as I put Danny Coale as the background on my phone last night. That was some straight Angels-in-the-Outfield shit right there. Wow. Now as I've soiled myself and cried with joy a little bit. Onto a little analysis...

I really think that God said, "Welp, the defense really doesn't deserve to walk away losers in this one. The offense might be me-awful, but I'm gonna give 'em a break." Enter TT. I looked at my wife as he stepped up into the pocket and said "we need a friggin' miracle if we're going to win this game." It happened. More importantly, the Hokies put themselves in a position to allow it to happen. Bud Foster deserves a lot of credit. He was working without his top cornerback, against a red-hot quarterback, and his adjustments forced Lee into a mediocre game. 11/30 for 136 yards and 2 INTs was far from ideal in Lee's first real test as the starter. Foster's pressure and schemes did a lot to cause that poor play. Nebraska's tight ends were expected to kill the Hokie defense, and Foster managed to mask his weakness well enough to get by. Helu Jr. ran all up on the defense, but some of that was a result of trying to keep play in front of the defense. I though Carmichael played a really gutsy game with 8 total tackles and a pick. He needs to learn to GET DOWN, but that was a pretty good day overall. On the line, the tackles must get better. Nebraska got a good chunk of yards up the middle (although part of that was Johnson playing a little cautious I think). Nekos Brown had a very solid afternoon, and I thought Kam Chancellor played very well. Overall I give the defense a B, mostly for holding Big Red to five field goals. They did enough to win the game but weren't mind-blogglingly good.

The offense is a different story. It's obvious that there's talent on that side of the ball, but something isn't right. I think that the mistakes obviously killed a few drives, and there were more than a couple drops. Overall I'd say the offense did not appear mentally prepared enough for the game. We all have to remember that our skill positions are still primarily freshman and sophomores, and they're learning. They have been pretty disciplined over their first 15 games, so there was bound to be a letdown at some point. However, they need to be coached up for big games better. I actually didn't think the playcalling was horrendous, just predictible. My biggest problem is that there were minimal halftime adjustments made, and that led to a VERY rough second half. Also, Jaymes Brooks gets the "sieve of the week" award on the offensive line. I'm pretty sure he just tried to roll into Suh's shins on that final touchdown play. Weak. Entire Game D/Final Drive A-

Speaking of which, Nebraska is a damn good team. They are big, fast and talented, and the Hokies should be pumped that they were able to go toe-to-toe with them. I would be shocked if they didn't win the Big 12 North, and wouldn't be surprised if they pulled an upset over Texas or Oklahoma in the championship game. They are going to be a very solid team at the end of the year. Suh is an absolute monster (better than Cody...I think), and Lee has the right weapons to have a very strong offense. Hats off to them. Their coach however...

...was mistaken. Voldemort had to be sick to his stomach during that one red zone posession. You know the one I'm talking about. Where the cameras were shaking beause the stadium was so damn loud. As much as he didn't want to show weakness to his team, he set off a bomb by calling out the Hokie faithful. It's probably not fair to say that those 10 yards were the difference in the game, they had an impact. I'm proud of you guys that were there. Voldy's a good coach, but he kicked his own ass two years in a row against VT.

Lastly, are specialists not allowed to work out at Nebraska? Alex Henery, their kicker/punter looks like he could be beat up by a sixth grader. Don't get me wrong...he's a solid player, but Nic Schmitt would have eaten that dude for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and freaking fourthmeal. My wife looked at me and said she thought she could take him out back and beat his ass. Dude's arms are as thick as my thumbs.
Overall it was an awesome win, and a hell of an exciting finish, but I'm terrified. Unless the offense can have the greatest practice week of their lives, they're in for trouble against the Canes. Ryan Williams better eat his Wheaties. Same with Tyrod, because he might be running for his life all night. Unless the defense can come up with a superhuman effort and the crowd is at least as raucous as Saturday, we could be in for a long game. Just try and enjoy this win while we can. Next week might not be so fun.

Week Three: Shuck The Corn

Today marks the biggest non-conference game in Lane Stadium since 2004, when arch-rival West Virginia came into Blacksburg ranked #6 in the AP Poll. Lane has seen other highly-ranked oppenents since that day, but each of them has been a conference opponent. However, there is one game in particular that reminds me of today, and that makes me feel pretty good about our chances. Georgia Tech came into town in 2005 with high hopes, ranked #15 in the nation. They had a pretty good offense with a great weapon in Calvin Johnson and a stout defense. Their special teams were expected to be solid as well. Gameday was in Blacksburg that day since our Hokies were #4 in the country (but unproven to that point). On the back of two pick-sixes and a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown, the Hokies kept the crowd happy early and often on the way to a 51-7 blowout. Here are a few reasons why we have a shot to make this an avalanche today.

• Our defense has been beaten up about big plays so far, and I don't anticipate Nebraska will have many, if at all today. But lit a fire under their butts this week. I also think we're still faster on defense and should matchup OK outside of the TE/LB pairing. Jake Johnson needs to have a big game, as does Cody Grimm.
• We're due to block a kick. Nebraska isn't scared about this, but I would be. We've been ripping off big returns on punts, so that means teams can't max protect if they want to cover well enough to prevent a big play. Less protection with this unit could spell disaster. Pick your poison Bo.
• Ryan Williams will continue to be dazzling. Suh may be the 2nd best tackle we see all year, but we won't run at him. Williams should have a big day if the receivers can maintain their blocks on the perimeter. Also look for some option out of the gun to keep the Huskers on their toes.
• We have a big advantage at tight end as well. Greg Boone is a proven commodity, and paired with Wheeler and Smith's experience, the Nebraska linebackers could be in for a tough day. If the line can wake up and pass block, look for a big day out of one of these three guys.
• Nebraska isn't giving our corners any love. If Stephan Virgil goes, he's going to make them pay for that. All the talk around their camp is about how Macho Harris torched them last year, but they don't know us well enough to realize how deep we always are at corner. Look for a strong showing from Carmichael if Virgil can't go. He'll be playing boundary corner regardless.
• Our crowd is pissed. We should see a frenzy, even for a 3:30 game. Procedure and delay of game penalties will write their ticket to a loss.
  

However, I don't anticipate a blowout, I just think it COULD be possible. Here's why it'll be close:

• Suh is a beast. If Nebraska can squash out the outside run and force the Hokies inside, Suh can handle the rest. We need to run early and often to get some confidence.
• The aforementioned pass blocking might kill us. Stiney has to run bootlegs and rollouts to protect Taylor. If he doesn't, we might see JuJu today. That = not good.
• Jake Johnson could get abused by the Nebraska tight ends. He had trouble against Marshall, and that could spell trouble.
• Nebraska's offense is capable of the big play, and if we go down by more than a touchdown, we aren't built to come back.

I think we'll see something in the middle. I expect to see 14-24 points from the offense, and probably about the same from the Huskers. The difference will be a defensive score or big special teams play. Let's show 'em what we're known for Hokies! Boykin and his giant hands block a punt and it's returned for a touchdown. That's our difference.

Hokies 27
Huskers 20

Bo Pelini Has a Lapse in Judgment

No, I’m not talking about his game-clinching 15 yard penalty towards the end of the fourth quarter last year: a penalty that contributed to his team’s ultimate 35-30 loss to Virginia Tech. I’m talking about poking a bear…a Chicago Maroon and Burnt Orange-clad bear. Hokie fans often hear JUST how loud they are, but they certainly do not rest on their reputation alone. Just this week, Pete Carroll told assembled media after the Ohio State game that Tech fans were the loudest he’s ever heard assembled on the road. We’ve been called the loudest group of fans in America, and that’s considering that we only seat 67,000+ fans in Lane Stadium in comparison to some of the 90,000 plus behemoths of the Big 10 and SEC.

Unfortunately, some coaches don’t get the message. Larry Coker gave us grief before the ’03 and ’05 meetings with Miami, and those were two of the loudest crowds in Tech history (although ’05 didn’t turn out so well). I can’t imagine he enjoyed the treatment that his Canes received. In 2007, Jeff Jagodzinski as mentioned here before, decided to say things like “They have lights, right?” as well as “The fans will not be a factor" and "we just came from Notre Dame, the crowd will not effect us.” Anyone that was in Lane on that rainy night knows that the crowd caused several procedure and delay penalties. It was near impossible to hear yourself think, let alone get plays called out to your offense if you were Matt Ryan. They won that game, but Jags learned that the crowd WAS a factor in the game. Now Bo Pelini decides it’s a good idea to say something this week? Here goes nothin’:

I don’t even know how many people that stadium holds but they’re not playing. It’s 11 on 11 when you walk out on the field.”

We might not be playing, but we will be a factor Bo. Now this is not the worst comment we’ve received from an opposing coach, by far. It’s not even really bad, but a coach shouldn’t lend himself to bulletin board material if he can help it. I understand that a coach shouldn’t sound afraid or intimidated before a game, but it’s not that hard to show respect without weakness. A comment like “Certainly the crowd is loud, but we’re doing everything we can to be ready” would be sufficient. Pays tribute but shows your guys you’ll overcome it. I agree that our fans probably get a little too stirred up over such comments, but I’m certainly not going to complain when Lane turns the volume knob up to eleven as a result. The reason I love Hokie Nation so much is that we treat ourselves as a part of the game. As a result, we DO affect the game (blown calls from the sideline, false starts, delay of games, etc.). Just like in a locker room, we use facebook, blogs, and e-mail to stir up the troops with comments like this. Just like in previous years, an opposing coach has given us that extra motivation to scream that much louder, to jump up and down more enthusiastically, and make his life a living hell come Saturday. Let’s do it Hokies!

Hokies trample The Herd 52-10: Afterthoughts

Sorry for the delay on this, but a wedding and some friend commitments this weekend delayed my recaps. Skins will come tomorrow after work. Promise. I only got to watch the first half in real time (due to previously mentioned wedding), but I watched the replay online of the second half. Here are my quick thoughts on the domination.

• Tyrod is still a work in progress. He HAS to have the run game set him up, and Stiney finally realized that. Once T-Mobile got comfortable, his passes stopped floating behind his receivers and he got into a zone. He can be effective, but his arm is probably our third best option right now.
• Ryan Williams is a “north-south” runner. I swear the two old codgers on 360 didn’t say anything else for the first 25 minutes of the game. While I didn’t think this was necessarily true before Saturday, Ru proved me wrong. He broke tackles, showed a great head of steam, and wonderful vision. Even if he doesn’t prefer it, he looks REALLY good when he hits a hole and knows where he wants to go.
• David Wilson might be the fastest back I’ve seen at Tech. Now that’s only since ’95, but the kid’s got some wheels, and a little bit of lumber. He’s also hard to bring down, and damn can he fly. Two backs over 160 yards makes me feel really good…especially considering we’re still missing D.E.’s thunder this season. Look out 2010.
• Our linebackers are still learning but they will be good. I think we were all spoiled by the maturity of Vince Hall and Xavier Adibi when they came to Tech, but Jake Johnson and Barquell Rivers know how to get to the ball, and the pass coverage stuff will all come with time. They’re really good, raw talent.
• Our pass defense is going to struggle next week unless we get Stephan Virgil back next week. We had a few scares that could have been big plays Saturday. Luckily we made up for bad positioning with athleticism and speed.
• Our defensive tackles are no slouches. I love watching John Graves and Taco Thompson play, but Antoine Hopkins could be a VERY special player for the Hokies in the coming years.
• Blake DeChristopher is still a sieve in pass protection.

Stiney’s off the hook for calling a good game, and his athletes made him look like a genius. Nebraska is a better test (~50 overall defense in the nation) than Marshall, and won’t be run over easily. The athleticism of Ru and Wilson will come in handy on the corners against the Black Shirts, and Tyrod should have some luck in the passing game (especially finding his tight ends). Look for Sam Wheeler as a possible secret weapon next week. I’ll have a preview on Friday.

Week Two: The Third-Best Program in West Virginia

I had to take that shot…just had to. Of course #2 is WVU, and #1 is Shepherd University. No fake. At least Shepherd wouldn’t have lost to Pitt in 2007. ZING! Low blow number two. But in all seriousness, this is the second week in a row that we’re playing a program with a rich history and national championships…1-AA National Championships…in the 90s. Marshall has an all-world wide receiver in Randy Moss…he’s gone? Ok, they have a great quarterback in Chad Pennington…he’s gone too? What? Byron Leftwich was there last time they were relevant. Is he gone too? Damn this is going to be a boring preview.

Alright…kidding aside, our Hokies enter Lane Stadium with bruised bodies and bloodied egos on Saturday afternoon. Alabama is the past. We have lock it up and move forward. Like the pain of USC 2004, Miami 2005, Georgia 2006, or LSU 2007, this game will continue to sting, but we must learn from it and move forward. Luckily we have a week to take a breath and beat up on the little guy. That’s just enough time to give Bryan Stinespring false confidence and then choke against Nebraska. Here are the keys to the game.

If the Thundering Turds expect to win, they must…

• Force turnovers early and often. The only chance they have is to make the Hokies play catch up early, which isn’t their strong suit.
• Learn how to defend the pass too. While Tyrod and Co. were close to abysmal statistically last weekend, they should be able to get the ball moving against a triple digit defensive backfield. At least a little bit.
• Pray to all that is holy that Merryman Center collapses before the Hokies enter the tunnel for Sandman. We are not UVA, and we haven’t lost to an opponent this bad in over 10 years.

If the Hokies expect to win, they must…

• Regain a little defensive confidence. Kam Chancellor must take this game to fix whatever calls he effed up in the Alabama game, because if he misses assignments against Miami, Jacory Harris will torch his ass. THIS is the game to fix the schematic problems.
• Run the damn ball. And by that I mean DOMINATE Marshall’s defensive front. They expect 8 or 9 in the box this week, but they still need to figure out a way to churn out consistent yards. I’d like to see ~200 yards to gain some confidence.
• Pass the damn ball. To the receivers…often. We have to prove that we can stretch the field for guys like Taylor and Williams to run the ball. Xavier Boyce needs to finally decide whether he wants to show up for his first collegiate game, because I certainly haven’t seen him yet.

It’s Marshall. I’m not going to break down all the stats, and even though they have a decent run defense, their defensive backfield is abysmal. They gave up 28 points to freaking Southern Illinois. They only scored 31. Ouch. If we can’t get it done against them…well…hello, Music City Bowl. There are no more excuses, and there should be no more throwing players under the bus. If the Hokies cannot move the ball on Saturday, it’s a serious play calling and preparation issue, which I put on the shoulders of the offensive coordinator. Expect Bud’s boys to come out fired up and get at least three turnovers (and at least two Worilds sacks). Don’t expect the offense to show, but don’t be shocked if they make a quick appearance.

Please God, let’s score some points.

Hokies 37
Turds 3