VOLUME 006 ISSUE 006 (2005.10.07)
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CONTENTS
Game Review - Virginia Tech vs. West Virginia
Three Key Plays
Game Preview - Georgia Tech vs. Virginia Tech
Letter from Frank Beamer
TSF Trivia
ACC Standings
Rankings
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Game Review - Virginia Tech vs. WVU
by "Mad" Jay
One might walk away from a 34-17 win in Morgantown, West Virginia feeling pretty good as a Hokie fan. NOT THIS GUY! There are so many areas that have got to be shored up for this Virginia Tech team I don't even know where to begin.
Actually, I will begin by giving a congrats to Marcus Vick just to get out of the way one area where the Hokies were strong. Vick was out of this world on Saturday. Unfortunately in a few instances, he was out of control of his emotions - though I certainly can't cast the proverbial first stone on that point - but his play was beyond reproach. I have never seen a Hokie QB, that accurate over an entire game. In fact I've only ever seen a few QB's that accurate over an entire game, either in the pros or college. Vick threw one bad pass to a double covered Jeff King but other than that he was perfect (his second incompletion was a well thrown ball but Jeff King had it knocked out of his hands). Give credit to a guy with the entire Hokie Nation along with many other casual football fans watching every move, who responds as well as Vick has this season.
Now to examine a bit further, West Virginia almost never blitzed on defense. Yes, it's tough to throw to the right guy and at the right time when the defense is dropping 7 and 8 guys into pass coverage, and I've already given Vick credit for his accuracy and decision making. However, I STILL have not seen Bryan Stinespring able to execute an offense against a blitzing defense. I stay awake at night thinking of what Boston College, Miami and yes, even Virginia are going to bring in terms of pressure on the QB. Read this statement now, and know it as a fact later - AT SOME POINT THIS SEASON, Stinespring is either going to develop an answer against a blitzing defense or Tech will lose a game it should win.
The running game is still unacceptable, but I give credit to Cedric Humes for running much harder than he has earlier in the year. At least now we know that Mike Imoh has had a reason for looking like a shadow of his former self in that ankle injury he suffered early in the season. It is a great decision by Coach Beamer, Billy Hite and Imoh to sit him this week against Marshall, and I look forward to seeing what Branden Ore and George Bell can do, though I am sure my esteemed colleague will touch on that in his preview.
So what bothers me about the running game is less about the running backs and much more about the lack of push the offensive line is getting. Finally, late in the game, the line started to get a nice push on the defense, so credit is due to their work in the weight room and practice field for being in shape. But where is the heart and fire to go out and slobberknock the guy across the line into submission in the first half? Just because the line was supposed to be this team's Achilles Heel doesn't mean they have to live down to expectations. Who coaches the offensive line, you may ask? Well it's none other than TSF favorite Bryan Stinespring.
Since I will be ill if I spend any more time on Stinespring, let's focus on the defense. Actually focus and defense don't belong in the same sentence when discussing this past week's game. The Hokies held West Virginia to 17 points simply because they had better talent. Other than Vince Hall the focus was very poor. It's easy to be fundamental when tackling the players from Ohio and Duke, so I don't give any credence to all that talk about tackling drills earlier this year. Guys need to focus on the Four "Ups" (run up, gather up, keep their head's up and wrap-up). It's taught into their brains their entire lives as defensive football players and you know damn well Bud Foster expects them to do it.
One play serves as a great example of both bad and good. WVU running back Steve Slaton broke a long gain on one particular play in the third quarter. He broke a horrible tackle by D.J. Parker at the point of attack and then proceeded to break weak tackles from Aaron Rouse and Jimmy Williams, before being brought down by none other than D.J. Parker 44 yards downfield. I admire the true effort made by Parker, but damn if he wrapped up on Slaton's leg in the hole, the play goes for 2 yards.
And let's just go ahead and give Jimmy Williams his mulligan right now. Wow he played poorly. He blew the pass coverage on a 2-yard TD to the tight end, he missed at least 4 tackles that I saw and he got outworked (despite a very nice initial hit) on a short-yardage 4th down play that resulted in a WVU first down. We will find out about Jimmy Williams if he learns from this and uses this game to fuel the rest of his season. Williams will be chosen first round in the draft next season, but the difference between getting picked 8th and 18th in the first round is about $5-6 million dollars over the life of a rookie contract, so let's see how he responds.
Special teams was again stellar with Nic Schmidt continuing to boom kicks and D.J. Parker showing a Garnell-WIlds-esque ability to always be around the ball at the right time. Brandon Pace's two field goals were right down the middle.
So besides special teams and Marcus Vick there is a lot to work on in Blacksburg. I expect to see improvement this week against Marshall.
GO HOKIES!!
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Three Key Plays of the Hokies vs. Mountaineers
by "Mad" Jay
1, 2 and 3) Marcus Vick runs for a 9-yard TD to open the scoring. This play was really the ONE KEY PLAY of the game and dwarfed the importance of all others so much that I am actually using it for all three. It put the Hokies on the board first which helped quiet the rowdy Mountaineer crowd. It got Vick fired up and into the game early. As an answer to all the jeers he took from WVU fans prior to kickoff this was a fire which fueled him the entire game. The play converted yet another turnover into points which is so important. This play was the first VT third down conversion of the game, setting the stage for an emergence from a season-long funk in third down conversions. The Hokies were 35% to convert third down this season and finished 67% for the game against a WVU squad that was only giving up 19% of their opponent's third down conversions. And it forced the West Virginia defense to expect the QB draw, which led to the TD pass to Jeff King later in the game. What a play!!
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Game Preview - Marshall vs. Virginia Tech
by Brian "Where's the Ice?"
On October 5, 2005, the era of NHL lockout came to a close with the 2005-
2006 season opening games. What does this have to do with the Hokies
playing against the Thundering Herd? Absolutely nothing. But It still has
me fired up to watch the Hokies win.
Moving onto the matter at hand, Virginia Tech (5-0) hosts Marshall (2-2) at
Lane Stadium in this week's Homecoming matchup. Marshall plays in
the Conference USA, but should fall subject to any underestimation. Some
believe Marshall exists today's Virginia Tech of the late eighties and early
nineties.
Marshall's quarterback Bernard Morris stands 6'4" weighing in at 206 lbs.
The season he has passed for 674 yards over 108 attempts against the
likes of William & Mary, Kansas State to whom they lost a very close
game, Central Florida, and SMU. With a completion rate of approximately
sixty percent, he can definitely play the position.
Morris will rely on Ahmad Bradshaw standing 5'11" 190 lbs and himself for
rushing yardage. He's compiled ninety-two yards over thirty-one carries this
season, so he has the potential to run. Bradshaw, the starting tailback,
has accrued 176 yards over forty-nine carries.
For the passing game, Jimmy Williams and the rest of the Hokie defense
will guard Hiram Moore. He has twenty-seven receptions over the course of
which he has gained a total 358 yards. Not only does Morris extend his role
beyond quarterback, but running back Bradshaw has caught twenty-nine
passes, the team leader, for 229 yards.
In Virginia Tech, Marshall without doubt will face their toughest opponent
of the year. They will face the highest scoring defense in the nation, and
an offense with a quarterback who completed fifteen of seventeen passes
in his last game. However, because they Hokies have such a bright
spotlight shown upon them in the College Football world, Marshall will
probably have themselves psyched up to play, especially after only loosing
to Kansas State, a Big Twelve team, by two points.
While Virginia Tech has this game to win or loose based on how well they
show, don't expect to watch the same type of massacre performed on Duke
and Ohio. The Hokies certainly should win this game, but Marshall will
probably get on the board enough to earn a respectable score considering the matchup, but their squad just doesn't have the same offensive potency
as the last time they faced the Hokies.
Talking a look at Virginia Tech, expect to get a glimpse of some of the
second string players from the Hokie squad. Hopefully, Beamer won't
wait as long as he did against Duke to send in the second string players.
Running backs George Bell and Branden Ore will definitely get a lot of
carries this week. Cory Holt will probably begin taking snaps either late
in the third or early in fourth, after Beamer has quarterback Marcus Vick
take a few snaps with the running backs that he'll most likely use in
coming seasons. Indicated by the amount of time Holt has spent on the
field versus Sean Glen non, he has taken firm control of the number two
quarterback spot.
All in all, this game should reveal, as the Duke game did, how Virginia Tech
will develop. But the Hokies do have something at stake here. If they put
on a mediocre performance against this team because winning won't
require any more, then this could affect that supercharged and focused
attitude that runs through the veins of every player right now. That could
seriously affect their ability to focus on the tough opponents ahead of
Miami, Boston College, and Virginia.
Marshall at Virginia Tech, ESPN 360, XM Channel 192, 12:00 pm
Lane Stadium/Worsham Field, Blacksburg, Va.
Other Games to Watch:
Wake Forest at Florida State, JP/Raycom, XM Channel 193, 12:00 pm
Virginia at Boston College, ABC, XM Channel 191, 1:00pm
Maryland at Temple, XM Channel 194, 1:00 pm
Duke at Miami, ESPNU, XM Channel 192, 3:30 pm
North Carolina at Louisville, WHAS-TV, XM Channel 191, 4:30 pm
Oklahoma vs. Texas, ABC, 1:00 pm
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Letter from Frank Beamer
This ran in the Collegiate Times on October 6, 2005
Dear Hokies,
As we begin the second half of the 2005 season, I want to take a moment to say thanks for your outstanding support of our football program.
The game day atmosphere at Lane Stadium is known across the nation as the best in college football. Just ask the gang at ESPN.
You can take great pride in knowing that you play a big part in our football program and have a key role to play each and every Saturday.
That is why I am asking you for your continued support to make Lane Stadium one tough place to play, and a first-class venue for our visiting fans, as well as your own Hokie teammates in the stands.
Hokies Respect is more than just a slogan. It needs to be our standard for how we conduct ourselves in and around Lane Stadium.
College football is a great game and we all need to make sure that we do not let a few spoil the fun.
In keeping with Hokies Respect, let's extend a warm welcome to our visiting fans and treat them the way you would want to be treated on the road.
Come Saturday - be loud and be proud; and remember, at Virginia Tech we strive to gain our opponents' respect on and off the field.
LET'S GO HOKIES!
Frank Beamer
Head Football Coach
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TSF Trivia
(1) Marcus Vick leads the ACC quarterbacks with nine touchdown
passes.
(2) Virginia Tech Hokie Eddie Royal will face his brother, Chris of
the Marshall Thundering Herd this Saturday.
(3) Former Hokie football player Shaine Miles holds the job of tight
end coach for Marshall. He played for Virginia Tech 1993-1996.
(4) How do you answer the question, "What is a Hokie?"
In 1896 Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College changed
its name to Virginia Polytechnic Institute. With this name change
came a new cheer, and so the school held a contest where students
made their own submissions to participate. A senior named O.M.
Stull won the first prize for his cheer called "Old Hokie". When asked
for the significance of the word Hokie, he simply replied that he used
the word in effort to get attention. Many began to recognize the word
as a nickname for Virginia Tech.
The "Old Hokie" yell:
"Hoki, Hoki, Hoki Hy!
Tech! Tech! V.P.I.!
So la-Rex So la-Rah
Poly tech-Vie-gin-i-a!!
Rae, RI, V.P.I."
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ACC Standings
ATLANTIC DIVISION
Florida State 2-0 4-0
Maryland 2-1 3-2
Boston College 1-1 4-1
Wake Forest 1-1 2-3
Clemson 1-3 2-3
NC State 1-2 2-2
COASTAL DIVISION
Virginia Tech 3-0 5-0
Miami 1-1 3-1
Virginia 1-1 3-1
North Carolina 1-1 2-2
Georgia Tech 1-2 3-2
Duke 0-2 1-4
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Rankings
========================================================
Rank | AP | USA Today | TSF
========================================================
1 | USC | USC | USC
2 | Texas | Texas | Virginia Tech
3 | Virginia Tech | Virginia Tech | Texas
4 | Florida State | Georgia | Georgia
5 | Georgia | Florida State | Florida State
6 | Ohio State | Ohio State | Ohio State
7 | Alabama | Tennessee | Tennessee
8 | Tennessee | Miami | Alabama
9 | Miami | California | California
10 | California | Alabama | Notre Dame
11 | LSU | LSU | Wisconsin
12 | Notre Dame | Notre Dame | Miami
13 | Florida | Texas Tech | Penn State
14 | Wisconsin | Wisconsin | LSU
15 | Texas Tech | Florida | Texas Tech
16 | Penn State | UCLA | Nebraska
17 | Arizona State | Boston College| Boston College
18 | Boston College| Penn State | Florida
19 | Michigan State| Michigan State| Auburn
20 | UCLA | Arizona State | Michigan State
21 | Michigan | Auburn | Oregon
22 | Auburn | Louisville | Virginia
23 | Louisville | Georgia Tech | Georgia Tech
24 | Georgia Tech | Michigan | Arizona State
25 | Oregon | Virginia | Michigan
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---Writers:
"Mad" Jason Oakley
Anand "EhhTee" Trivedi
Brian "Where's The Ice?" Wrenn
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An EhhTee Production, llamas not included; 170.
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