Beamer's Contract Extension

Maybe you've heard how Frank Beamer received a new contract extension earlier this week, projecting him through possibly the 2016 season.  While he may or may not coach that long, the first thought that jumped into my head was, "Bud Foster will be leaving soon."  Think about it; Bud has been waiting patiently to take Beamer's spot as head coach for a while, and if Beamer keeps getting extensions and raises, Foster may begin to seriously think about a head coaching job at another school.  He is already in his 50's and his name comes up every year for head coaching jobs at various well-known schools, but he can't wait forever for Beamer to retire.  If the worst case happens and we lose Foster to a school like Memphis, Pitt, UNC, or any other schools mentioned recently, there is always the chance he could go and be a head coach for a few years to gain experience then come back to VT.  Or the athletics department at VT could make it known that Bud Foster is definitely the next head coach at VT, similar to Jimbo Fisher while he was waiting for Bobby Bowden to retire on his own terms.  I hope Bud Foster does what is best for him and his family, wherever that may be, but some clarification on what will happen during the post-Beamer era would be appreciated as well so all those talks about Bud Foster leaving could be laid to rest. 

David Wilson to the NFL?

Enjoy the David Wilson era while you can.

A few names come to mind when you think of great running backs from VT's recent past: Kevin Jones, Darren Evans, Ryan Williams, etc.  I'm starting to think that David Wilson has them all beat.  His athletic ability and speed seem better than most running backs I have seen in the NCAA in recent years.  Compare him to LaMichael James, a Heisman front-runner; Wilson is is likely larger and just as fast as James.  Wilson's 10 yards per carry and sprinter-class speed don't hurt either.  But not everyone knows all about Wilson yet.  He has not had a ton of playing time yet and this is only his first year as VT's featured back.  Plus, VT is not receiving as much attention at this point as past years due to their easy schedule and less-than-impressive offense overall.  ESPN analysts are already saying he should leave for the NFL after this season.  He certainly has the talent level to play in the NFL, but I wouldn't mind seeing him play another year in Blacksburg.  He could stay for his senior season, possibly receive some preseason Heisman hype, work with a more experienced QB, and watch VT have an even better shot at NCAA dominance.  Whatever happens, it will sure be fun to watch him run all over the field this year against opposing defenses. 

Ineligibowl 2011

It's time for the 1st ever, 2011 Ineligibowl.  Competing on Saturday will be Ohio State University and University of Miami.  Both teams have received tons of press over the last 3-6 months for all the wrong reasons.  OSU has suspended several players, fired a well-known coach, and lost their starting QB to the NFL for receiving improper benefits and turning a blind eye to all of the issues going on in the football program.  On Miami's side, numerous starting players have been suspended for receiving money, prostitutes, rent, and other benefits from a crook who is spending 20 years in prison.  Sounds like this game will be entertaining to watch to say the least.  We will get to see second team starters on both sides of the ball while the starters are still ineligible, likely some sloppy play on both offense and defense, and coaches who have some of the least-desirable jobs in the NCAA. 

While both programs have screwed up royally, I get the feeling that Miami will still receive the worst punishment over the long run.  The services and luxuries that the Miami players received are sad and disgusting.  Yes, OSU players are said to have received tattoos for OSU rings and memorabilia, but Miami players received large rent payments and prostitutes for just being a player at Miami or being interested in playing at Miami.  The Hurricanes may have suspended players for a few games, but the worst is yet to come.  Expect the NCAA to hand down a very harsh punishment (loss of scholarships, probation, suspensions, etc.) to Miami. 

I think OSU's football program may have been destroyed, but is already starting to climb the ranks, slowly.  They have a new quality coach and still a wealth of talent on the field at any time.  And you better believe they are sticking to the straight & narrow at this point.  OSU has the talent to beat Miami, especially with Jacory Harris still trying to play quarterback. 

Swinney and Richt on the Hot Seat

Dabo Swinney and Mark Richt must be feeling the pressure.  When you look back at VT's recruiting process, it's remarkable how the Hokies pull in a ton of prospects who are not usually in the ESPN 150 and still win 10 games every season in the ACC.  This shows that VT's coaches are good at what they do: developing players and winning games.  Coaches at Georgia and Clemson are just the opposite, however.  Richt and Swinney always have top-25, if not top-10 recruiting classes, and cannot produce great winning records with their wealth of talent.  In my opinion, this problem lies solely on the coaches' shoulders.  If you cannot translate great talent into wins, a change has to be made.  Clemson and Georgia have great football traditions and kids still want to go there to produce a national championship team (as shown in their recruiting classes), but the coaches are still putting out average teams every year.  As a college football fan, it is frustrating to see talented teams lose, and for the die-hard Clemson and Georgia fans, it must be maddening.  Don't be surprised to see both coaches looking for new jobs by the end of the season.  Both teams seem to be going in the wrong direction and new leadership is the only answer.  The only good thing is, both of these coaches have proven records and have shown brilliance in the past.  If they are canned, another team will undoubtedly pick them up in a hurry. 

DeAndre Presley Talks Smack

Appalachian State University, referred to as ASU in this blog because it's much easier to type, was man-handled by VT two Saturdays ago to open the football season.  ASU probably hoped to beat VT like they did Michigan several yearso ago, but it didn't even come close to happening.  If ASU was not embarrassed enough by their football smackdown, their quarterback had to talk some trash after the game saying that VT is not an "elite" team.  OBVIOUSLY, DeAndre Presley knows what elite teams look like since he plays for the highly-regarded Mountaineers and plays elite talent all the time with ASU's FCS schedule.  A better idea for Presley would be to keep quiet after such a bad loss.  VT is not ranked in the top-15 every year for no reason.  David Wilson did not score on his first run (as he predicted he would) and Presley did not throw 3 interceptions for no reason; it's all because VT is actually an elite team.  And DeAndre Presley would not have made those sorry comments if he was an elite player with an elite caliber character.  Virginia Tech won the game, and won big.  We did not see them parading around talking trash afterwards.  That shows character from an elite team. 

If the SEC Calls, Don't Answer!

With all this talk about Texas A&M joining the SEC and creating an odd number of teams in the conference, many people are wondering who the 14th SEC team will be.  Three names keep coming up: Clemson, Florida State, and Virginia Tech.  I personally think Clemson is the only logical choice due to the face that it has a large fan base with a huge stadium that can keep up with ticket sales and revenues of other SEC teams.  Plus, Clemson always has a very impressive recruiting class that can match most SEC recruiting classes.  Based on stadium size (compared to Clemson) and that fact that FSU is doing very well in the ACC, I would rule them out of the SEC for now.  FSU, along with VT, is pretty much the face of the ACC at this point.  I would also rule out VT for the following reasons:

1) Stadium Size: A 66,000 seat stadium does not match up with 90,000+ seat SEC stadiums.  VT simply does not bring in as much revenue as a large SEC school.

2) VT does not usually get a large number of the big name recruits like SEC schools do regularly.  Schools like LSU, Bama, Georgia, Florida, etc. usually have classes full of ESPN 150 prospects.  VT is usually lucky to get 2 or 3 in one year. 

3) Travel costs would be higher for VT if they joined the SEC.  Traveling to UVA, NC schools, Maryland, etc. is not a big deal.  Traveling to Florida, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi, would be very expensive to do regularly. 

4) SEC schools are always loaded with talent and highly ranked.  To be blunt, VT is having a hard time beating highly ranked teams right now.  Sometimes VT makes a close game, but the Hokies' record against top 10 teams right now is not good.

5) Most importanly, sometimes it's best to be happy with what you have.  VT is dominating the ACC right now, and what leave when you have such a good thing going?  An 8-0 record in the ACC sure beats a 4-4 record in the SEC.  Now VT would likely get better in the ACC, but it would take time.  It's just not the best situation for VT at this time. 

VT Wins Over ECU 17-10

The Hokies' win over ECU was not very impressive.  Logan Thomas went 8/20 with 91 yards and 1 INT.  David Wilson ran for 138 yards on 26 carries with no TDs (not bad actually).  Josh Oglesby had 2 small TD runs.  Jayron Hosley had a nice interception called off due to one of NINE Hokie penalties.  Meanwhile, the Pirates did not get penalized at all.  The highlights of the game were undoubtedly David Wilson's 100+ yard performance, and VT's dominant defense.  Everyone knows how ECU is a pass happy team and nearly beat South Carolina last week by putting the ball in the air repeatedly, but ECU never really got going against VT.  Dominique Davis had 127 yards passing and the team had -15 yards rushing.  That is a big statement of how good VT's defense is compared to last year.  The Hokies' secondary was all over the field making plays, INTs, and pass breakups, and the defensive line would not allow anyone to break through the line.  Very impressive. 

One big thing that needs to improve: Logan Thomas' efficiency.  He can not complete 40% of his passes every week and expect the Hokies to win 10 games.  This places the load solely on the running backs, esp. David Wilson, which will wear them out.  Wilson is probably happy to carry the load, but he needs to stay healthy and injury-free to keep the Hokies winning.  Thomas looked somewhat impressive running the ball.  There was one play in particular where he plowed through a defensive back and made him look ridiculous.  I think defenders forget how a big QB like Logan Thomas (or Andrew Luck) can actually run and are really powerful.  It's fun to watch them embarass defenders; undoubtedly one of the most entertaining plays in football.

Next up are the Arkansas State Red Wolves who just beat Memphis 47-3.  They have shown that they can score some major points and should not be taken lightly.  Expect a higher score from VT's offense next week and an extremely low score on the Red Wolves' side. 

VT Wins Easily Over Appalachian State

Virginia Tech had an easy afternoon in their win over the Mountaineers of Appalachian State.  ASU had a bad day from the very beginning, when on one of their first plays, the running back fumbled a hand off which the Hokies recovered.  David Wilson scored on the Hokies' very first offensive play, just as he said he would.  For the day, Wilson had 162 yards on 16 carries, with 3 TDs.  Logan Thomas also had a decent day and went 9/19 with 142 yards and 2 TDs.  He performed as expected; a little off target at times but showed a ton of potential.  These first 4 games of the season should be a great warmup for him to face the last 8 ACC games on the Hokies schedule.  The Hokies had 3 INTs by 3 different players, and Beamer Ball even made an appearance as a punt was blocked and recovered in the end zone for 6 points. 

Overall, the Hokies looked very good today.  Thomas needs to find some more consistency and a little more accuracy in his passes so the Hokies don't have to rely on the running game the whole time.  I think people were expecting a much closer score, so 66-13 was a bit of a surprise considering a similar ASU team beat Michigan a few years back in their opener.  This game should serve as a great warm up for VT's next game against unpredictable ECU next week. 

Black VT Rivalry Mini Helmets for Sale

Good news for all of you who like the black uniforms worn during last years VT vs. Boise State game: The Black VT Rivalry mini helmets are now on sale at the VT bookstore.  The link is listed below:

http://www.bookstore.vt.edu/ePOS?this_category=1297&store=109&item_number=4450&form=shared3%2fgm%2fdetail%2ehtml&design=109#

I would hurry up and buy one if you want one.  The shirts and jerseys lasted only a few weeks at most and are now for sale for 80 bucks plus if you are lucky enough to see one show up on ebay. 

Expectations for Logan Thomas

Logan Thomas was signed out of high school as one of the nation's top Tight Ends.  The fact that he is now QB for one of the nation's best teams is somewhat unexpected.  However, most people don't realize that he was also a dual-threat QB in high school in Lynchburg, Virginia.  His stats and numbers were very good and show that he should adjust fine to playing QB in college.  But honestly, what should our expectations be for him this season?  Watch for him to run the ball alot.  David Wilson can't do it all on his own and Wilson's back ups are not nearly on his talent level.  Thomas has shown the ability to run, similar to Cam Newton or Tim Tebow, and we will likely see some designed run plays for him this year.  Also, expect alot of interceptions.  He will surely have his fair share of TDs with his long range and quick delivery, but he is still new to playing QB in college, at a much higher level, and will probably have to settle some before he becomes more efficient.  Overall though, with his ability to run and an above-average ability to throw, he will be hard to stop.