VT Football

Beamer's Contract Extension

2011-09-20T17:35:00.000-07:00

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?

2011-09-19T16:55:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-17T08:28:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-15T15:22:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-13T19:30:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-09-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-11T07:59:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-03T18:35:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-02T15:32:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-01T17:50:00.000-07:00

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.

2011 Hokies

2011-08-31T19:14:00.000-07:00

So it's been almost 6 months since my last post. It was tough watching the Hokies last game against the Stanford Cardinal in the Orange Bowl, but time has passed and I am pumped for the 2011 season. There's alot to look forward to such as a new running back in David Wilson, a new hyped-up QB in Logan Thomas, a more experienced defense, an all-star defensive secondary, a great recruiting class in the making, and Frank Beamer's 25th year coaching. ESPN analysts are huge on Thomas and Wilson, and are calling VT a darkhorse candidate for the BCS National championship this year. Who knows.... it could happen! VT has 4 easier games to get through this year before they enter an 8-game stretch against all ACC opponents. Can't wait for their first game this Saturday against neighbors in Appalachain State. App. State is similar to Georgia Tech and James Madison in that they run an option based offense. This usually gives the Hokies some trouble, but the Hokies defense is grown up and the offense is explosive. Hopefully this will not be a close game and VT will gain some valuable experience for the next week's game.

Major Orange Bowl Disappointment for the Hokies

2011-01-04T08:18:00.000-08:00

The 2011 Orange Bowl started out as a defensive battle. Andrew Luck threw a rare interception, Stanford had to punt numerous times, and Tyrod Taylor looked like he would have his way with the Stanford defense. That was all great until the second half came around. Stanford took their 13-12 lead into the locker room, came out for the second half, shut down the Hokies, and managed to score 27 more points. It was a dominant performance for the Cardinals. Andrew Luck was the game-changer in this game. He really looked like a dominant QB, throwing for 287 yards and 4 Touchdowns. Taylor had a normal day as well, with 222 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT, but it just didn't match up to Luck's performance. Stanford's RB also had a great day, breaking off a few long runs, while VT's running backs couldn't get going. The Cardinal offensive and defensive lines were dominant and VT will have to bulk up and become more physical on their fronts next year if another trip to the Orange Bowl is expected. Overall, this game was a huge disappointment for the Hokies seniors and was a sad end to their 11 game winning streak. Guys like Tyrod Taylor made a huge contribution to the football program and their presence will be missed next year as the Hokies look to rebuild.

Easy Win Against the 'Hoos

2010-11-28T16:38:00.000-08:00

Everyone knew going into this game that the Hokies are on a roll and the Wahoos are struggling this season. Virginia's new coach, Mike London, shows some promise but can't turn around a program in one season. Tyrod Taylor and VT's 3 running backs proved to be too much for UVA's weak defense and secondary. Taylor got the job done with 176 passing yards and 1 TD, while David Wilson and Darren Evans ran for 83 and 70 yards, respectively. Ryan Williams also scored 2 TDs on the day. The big difference in this game was rushing and turnovers, as UVA's QB threw an interception and VTs running backs almost ran for 3x as many yards as Virginia's running backs. This makes 10 straight wins for the Hokies and sets the Hokies up with an ACC Championship game against the Seminoles next week. Should be an exciting game. The Seminoles are similar to Miami, with great talent all over the field, especially at running back, but they also have a NFL calibre QB with Christian Ponder to make them extra challenging. There is no reason VT can't beat Florida State if they play consistently like the past 10 weeks.

Exciting Weekend for College Football

2010-11-28T16:28:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, including Friday, had to be the most exciting weekend of this college football season. Friday especially, was great. First, we saw Auburn play Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Auburn was down by 21 points in the 2nd quarter, but somehow came back to win 28-27 after halftime. It is amazing how Auburn can be losing so badly at halftime, but come back to win the game in the second half. That says something great about AU's coaching staff.

That evening, we saw Oregon play Arizona. Much like Auburn, Oregon came out slow and looked like Arizona could pull off the upset. However, Oregon found their stride in the second half as well, and ended up scoring over 50 points on Arizona. Even though Arizona lost, you have to give some credit to quarterback Nick Foles, who showed great command and leadership of his football team even though they faced defeat late in the game. He could very well have a future in the NFL.

The most exciting news from Friday was Boise State's loss against the Nevada Wolfpack. Some people said that Nevada was a little underrated and Boise a little overrated, and this proved to be true on Friday. The Broncos should have actually won, but kicker Kyle Brontzman missed two crucial kicks at the end of regulation and in overtime. This opened the door for Nevada to kick their own game-winning field goal which they made, sending the Broncos' 24 game winning streak and national championship hopes down the drain. Boise was bound to lose sooner or later, but I really never thought it would be against Nevada. I still think Nevada is overrated, but Boise happened to have an inconsistent night and gave Nevada the win.

Comparison of Running Quarterbacks

2010-11-22T17:19:00.000-08:00

What team wouldn't want a running quarterback? When you think of a college that produces and recruits running QBs, Virginia Tech comes to mind first. But my question is, are we seeing a shift from a smaller running QB like Michael Vick, Tyrod Taylor, Denard Robinson, to larger and more powerful running QBs such as Tim Tebow, Cameron Newton, and even Logan Thomas for the Hokies next year?

I think most teams would be happy to have a successful running quarterback whether he's small like Denard Robinson or large and powerful like Tim Tebow/Cam Newton. There's a big difference though: smaller QBs get hurt often, while larger quarterbacks like Tebow and Newton get hit all the time and even deliver big hits to defenders, and are able to play the rest of the season. Denard Robinson has been hurt maybe 5 or 6 times already this year, and Michael Vick seems to get hurt every season in the NFL. These guys are fast and not built like running backs, but they still act like running backs. In comparison, Tebow and Newton are built like linebackers and can take big hits and keep going. We see this also with Tyrod Taylor; he's one of the smaller guys on the field, and even though he is extremely effective at running and making defenders miss, he gets hurt often because he is a smaller quarterback and puts himself in bad situtations.

While both types of quarterback, large and small, are very effective in college football, NFL teams don't seem to care about size and draft these guys regardless of their durability and size. Vick has been more successful than any running QB in the NFL so far, and he is undersized. Tebow has barely played yet and could turn out to be a flop. It will be interesting to see what happens with Cam Newton and Tyrod Taylor in this coming year's draft, and with guys like Denard Robinson 2-3 years down the road.

What We Learned About the 'Canes

2010-11-22T17:02:00.000-08:00

Miami started out very strong against VT. Most of VT's games start this way, but Miami's defense looked great and the offense was running all over the place. Here's some other things I noticed about Miami on Saturday against the Hokies:

1) 4th String QB Stephen Morris has a bright future in Miami. He was calm and did not get too worked up when he threw his interceptions. He also made alot of big time throws that were impressive for a true freshman.

2) Coach Randy Shannon does not belong in Miami. He is a great mentor, but is not getting the full potential out of the 'Canes. The Hurricanes should have a much better record with all their talent, but there is some serious disconnect between the coaching and players in Miami.

3) Miami's stadium never seems to be full.  For such a serious football school, I would expect their stadium to be filled every Saturday. Especially in a place like Miami where there are SO many people to watch the games. This may indicate the the Hurricanes are not very exciting and are underachieving lately so the fans don't care to watch.  On Saturday the announcer said, "The fans do a great job of dressing up as empty seats!"

4) Jacory Harris still wants to be the leader of the team, and he should not be their leader. He throws way too many interceptions, is not a durable quarterback, and was outshined by Stephen Morris this past Saturday. It's sad that Morris threw a couple interceptions and is only a freshman, and showed more promise than Jacory Harris (who is already planned to start this coming weekend).

5) Leonard Hankerson is another great offensive player in Miami. He is tall and has good size for a tight end. He is big, but not too big and has the speed to outrun the defensive backfield if he gains a few steps on the defenders. He will definitely go to the NFL and any team who picks him up will be lucky.

6) The Offensive line averages 6'6" tall and 313 pounds. They are huge and provide great protection for the quarterback and huge gaps for the running backs. With such big guys on the line and such poor QB play, you would think Miami would run more with their FOUR starting running backs. Why would Randy Shannon put the pressure on Stephen Morris on so many plays Saturday? Just run the ball!

7) Miami's receivers drop alot of passes. As a Virginia Tech fan, I can think of 2 or 3 major pass drops in the past from Miami receivers that could have dramatically effected the outcome of the VT/Miami game.  In this game, Miami receiver Travis Benjamin could have had 2 big receptions for TDs in the 4th quarter during the same series, but he dropped them both.    Again, they have tons of talent, but it seems the receivers are not well-coached.

3 Things Wrong With College Football

2010-11-21T11:40:00.000-08:00

With all of the great things going on in college football today, there are still some actions from fans, coaches, and even the BCS that really become annoying over time. Here's my top 3 annoying things that college football needs to change one day:

1) Icing the Kicker.

The kicker has a hard enough time as it is. He is looked down upon by his teammates, is usually much smaller and weaker then his teammates, and everyone hates him even when a less-important kick is missed during a game. To make it worse, when he has a very important game winning kick lined up, at the very last second a head coach will call timeout just to psyche him out. I guess the thinking behind this is that if the kicker is in the zone and ready to kick, and all of a sudden you call time out, you are making him think twice and taking him out of his comfort zone before the big kick. That seems pretty cheap to me. If the game comes down to a last second kick, then good, it should be that way. The other team probably did not play well enough to stop the team from kicking a last second, game-winning field goal. The NCAA needs to create a penalty for calling a time out to ice the kicker. This action is ridiculous and shows awful sportsmanship.

2) Fans Booing their Own Team

So lets say you're a die-hard Virginia Tech fan. You go to a game a Lane Stadium and VT is not playing up to their capabilities. Do you start booing? No way. Even when indecisive Sean Glennon was playing QB last year and the year before, he would throw several interceptions and you would never hear the whole stadium booing. At Miami's game last night versus VT, the Miami fans were booing their own team constantly, even their freshman QB who has been doing pretty well (better than Jacory Harris) until he played the Hokies. You hear it in the NFL all the time too. This shows bad sportsmanship as well, from the fans. Booing your own team is not going to make them play better. They're probably playing bad for a reason, whether it be an injured crucial player or a bad offensive play caller, and your boos are only going to make it worse. Do you think Sean Glennon wanted to go out and play harder when he was being booed by his home crowd? My guess is that he wanted to disappear and tell the fans to get lost. Football games won't always go your way, and that's something that most fans cannot accept. However, think about how rude you are being next time you boo your own team and what kind of message you are sending your team's players.

3) Bad Teams in the BCS

Certain conferences have an automatic bid into one of the largest Bowl games at the end of the season - the BCS bowls. For example, the Big East, which is a very weak conference this year, gets an automatic bid into a BCS bowl. So a team like Pitt, who will probably go 8-4, a decent record but not a championship-type record, will end up in a BCS bowl, and not really deserve to be there. Meanwhile, the whole top-25 is filled with 1 and 2-loss teams who will not make it to one of the big bowls this year. This definitely needs to change NOW. If Pitt gets into a bowl over a great team like Ohio State, Michigan State, LSU, Auburn , Alabama, etc., there is something wrong. The BCS needs to realize that since Miami and VT left the Big East several years ago, the conference is weak. Until the Big East can land some solid teams to improve their conference's image, take away their automatic bid to a BCS bowl game. Really, who is going to watch a team like Pitt in a championship bowl game against a team like Wisconsin? This will be totally unfair, Pitt won't have a chance to win, and the TV ratings will be awful.

Tyrod Taylor for ACC Player of the Year

2010-11-19T15:40:00.000-08:00

It's hard to argue that there is a player who is more important to their ACC team this year than Tyrod Taylor. He has become a true senior leader and has led the Hokies to many wins this season through his own talent. Taylor has passed for 1988 yards, 18 TDs, and 4 INTs this year, while running for another 581 yards and 3 TDs. It's hard to think of another ACC player who has carried their team and won so many games like VT's Taylor has this year. A few names come to mind for comparison: Russell Wilson of NC State, Christian Ponder of FSU, and Montell Harris of Boston College. However, Ponder only has 1644 passing yards with 16 TDs and no rushing attack. Russell Wilson has a bunch more passing yards and TDs than Taylor, but less rushing yards and more ACC losses than Tyrod Taylor. Montell Harris has 1129 rush yards, but only 7 TDs and these stats are pretty weak compared to last years numbers for him and other ACC running backs. I think it really comes down to Taylor and Wilson for the ACC player of the year, but Taylor has to have the edge with his running game and solid wins, including a win over NC State.

Is Cameron Newton Really in Trouble?

2010-11-19T15:27:00.000-08:00

Every day there seems to be someone new from Mississippi who has new information on Cameron Newton asking for money before playing at a certain school. Now we hear that there are text messages and witnesses mentioning Cameron Newton's family asking for $180,000 for Newton to play at certain SEC schools, which the whole Newton family and Auburn football team deny. Newton's lawyer even stepped forward and made a public statement saying he's "1 million percent sure" that Newton's Cameron Newton did not accept money to play football anywhere. Now you can interpret this how you want since the lawyer does not specifically mention Cameron's father not asking for money, but it seems that for the time being Cameron is in the clear to win the Heisman and possibly play in the National Championship game if the Tigers can beat Alabama next week. He will likely finish the season before any possible sanctions are placed on Newton by the NCAA, FBI, etc. However, if he is found guilty in the future, we will see a Reggie Bush type situation where he will have to give the trophy back, assuming he wins, and gain some serious, negative national attention. We'll see what happens over the next couple of months. The fair thing to do is assume he's innocent until proven guilty, especially since he is chosing to play all of the remaining games this season despite being under the microscope and risking his team having every win revoked from this season if he is found guilty.

Virginia Tech Rivalry Tshirts on ebay

2010-11-19T14:50:00.000-08:00

Looking for one of those rare, black VT rivalry shirts or Jerseys like the Hokies wore when they played Boise to start the year? Bad news... they're not being made anymore. However, if you really really want one, you can spend an unreal amount of money to get one on ebay. Currently, there's a XL t-shirt for about 80 bucks and jerseys for well over 150 dollars. Maybe Nike could make these shirts a regular item for all the Hokie fans that still want a shirt or jersey. Seems like they could make a lot of money off their unique rivalry designs.

Even though the black Rivalry uniforms are extremely hard to find, there's always next year. The Hokies usually wear a Pro-Combat Rivalry uniform every year, so be sure to get your shirt or jersey next year.

TCU in the National Championship?

2010-11-19T14:17:00.000-08:00

TCU dominated a very good Utah team a few weeks ago and the Horned Frogs were rightfully bumped up to #3 in the BCS standings ahead of Boise State. There's a lot of guessing lately as to whether Oregon can finish out their season undefeated and wheter Auburn can beat Alabama next weekend in Tuscaloosa. Both teams should be able to go undefeated, but anything can happen. The question is, if either Auburn or Oregon lose a game and Boise or TCU are allowed into the National Championship game, which team should it be? As much as I don't like to see teams with weaker schedules playing in a National Championship game, I feel that Boise would have the best chance. TCU has some solid wins, but the season is pretty much over already, while Boise has 3 games left, and one of the games is against a ranked Nevada next week. I really feel that TCU is a stronger team and deserves a championship title more, but Boise is in a better spot to make it happen. So, unless BOTH Auburn and Oregon lose (not likely), TCU probably won't be seeing the championship game this year. Sorry, Horned Frogs.

For VT to Win the ACC Coastal....

2010-11-19T14:09:00.000-08:00

One thing needs to happen, and that is to beat Miami this weekend. Virginia Tech has zero losses in the ACC so far, and would need to lose the final two games of the season in order to lose their #1 spot to Miami who currently has two losses. If VT loses to Miami this weekend but still beats UVA next weekend, the Hokies will automatically play the Atlantic division winner (whoever that may be) in December for the ACC championship since they will only have one ACC loss for the year compared to Miami's 2 losses. If VT loses to both Miami and UVA, then the Hokies are out of the ACC championship race and the Hurricanes will represent the Coastal division. VT has a very good chance of beating the Hurricanes this weekend since Miami has a new quarterback who has only played in 3 games. However, it will be Miami's intense defense that will give VT the most problems. However, VT's offense has been rolling lately, so the odds are definitely in VT's favor.

VT Wins Convincingly Over UNC

2010-11-18T09:05:00.000-08:00

There was much speculation for the game between VT and UNC in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels have been very unpredictable this year, winning big games against teams like FSU, and losing to teams like Georgia Tech. The big story of this game is the play of UNC quarterback TJ Yates, who went 18/33 with 0 TDs and 4 Interceptions. The VT defense had their way with TJ Yates, but allowed their inexperienced tailback Anthony Elzy to make big runs and convert several first downs. Elzy only picked up 82 yards and 1 TD, but it was similar to when Wake Forest's freshman tailback picked up over 200 yards. It seems like VT is having trouble stopping the run, especially inexperienced runners for some reason. Tyrod Taylor had an average day, going 13/28 with 249 yards and 2 TDs, and Darren Evans and Ryan Williams ran for 90 and 83 yards, respectively. It was interesting to watch UNC's obvious strategy against Tyrod: sit back and rush only 3 guys, allow him to use his arm but not his legs. This was effective at first, allowing 4 fields goals by VT kicker Chris Hazley, but that strategy only lasted for so long before Taylor's natural ability to run became apparent once again. The best part of this game was watching VT's secondary terrorize TJ Yates. Hosley had 2 interceptions again, and Morgan and Whitley also recorded 1 apiece. Good game overall, and hopefully the momentum will carry into Saturday's game against Miami. Should be interesting to see who wins this one since Miami's defense is one of the best in the nation, but their QB is young and inexperienced and VT loves to pick on inexperienced QBs.

Battle of the Techs

2010-11-11T14:54:00.000-08:00

Virginia Tech somehow beat Georgia Tech last Thursday night in Blacksburg. Joshua Nesbitt started the first quarter strong, scoring 2 touchdowns and running one himself for over 70 yards. The 1st quarter was pretty typical for the Hokies.... let the opposition score a lot of points, then show up and play some football. I think Georgia Tech would have won this game pretty easily if their QB did not throw an interception, then let his adrenaline take over and make a stupid tackle on VT's intercepting defensive back. Nesbitt slipped and tried to make a 1-arm tackle, allowing VT defender Davon Morgan to run through his arm, breaking his forearm. Nesbitt (shown above), who is out for the season, had to leave immediately, allowing his inexperienced backup to come into the game and screw up GT's offensive timing. Virginia Tech proceeded to score 21 points, allowed another TD by Georgia Tech, and had a tied game on their hands with over 2 minutes left to play. The Yellow Jackets kicked the ball off after their TD, at which point David Wilson, who runs a 4.29-40 yard dash, returned the kick off 90 yards to put the Hokies up by 7. The Jackets drove the field again thanks to Tevin Washington, but he made a crucial error at the end of the 4th quarter by throwing an INT in the endzone to end the game. Overall, this was a lucky but great win for the Hokies. Their offense needs to step up next week and play better against the Tar Heels than they did against the Yellow Jackets, or they could be looking at an upset against a very inconsistent UNC team. David Wilson is already out for this game due to a case of Mono.

Zac Etheridge and Rodney Scott

2010-10-31T17:51:00.000-07:00

While watching Auburn score 51 points on Ole Miss yesterday, ESPN played a story at halftime about how Auburn safety, Zac Etheridge, has become close friends with Old Miss' Rodney Scott. While their teams were playing eachother last year, Etheridge went to tackle Scott, and ended up breaking a vertabrae in his back, and bleeding around his C2 vertebrae which is at the base of the head/beginning of the neck. Etheridge was temporarily paralyzed, and ended up landing on Scott right after his injury. Scott, a vicious player who is full of energy, somehow knew something was wrong and decided to lay there and not move while Etheridge was lying on top of him. There are pictures and videos of Scott laying on his back with Etheridge on top of him, hands up in the air and not knowing what to do. The important part of this story is that Scott in fact saved Etheridge's life by not moving. With broken vertebrae and blood leaking out into his head/neck area, any movement would have likely killed Etheridge. Somehow, Etheridge slowly gained feeling before leaving the field immobilized on a stretcher, and was able to give a thumbs-up to the crowd. He underwent immediate surgery, and was moving around again three days later with a large neck/back brace for support. He and his mother called Scott days later and thanked Scott for saving his life. The two football players became great friends, as well as their families, and were both on the field yesterday, one year after the incident, playing as hard as ever. The two met for the first time in person after the game. Scott is a hero in this situation; if he acted like every other football player and would have thrown Etheridge's lifeless body off him after the awful tackle, Etheridge would not likely be here today.

In the picture shown above, you can see Etheridge, motionless, lying on top of Rodney Scott, while Scott puts his arms up out of concern and panic for Etheridge.

Big hit on Miami's Jacory Harris

2010-10-31T17:21:00.001-07:00

Huge Hit On Jacory Harris

2010-10-31T17:21:00.000-07:00

Miami had an awful loss to Virginia this weekend in Charlottesville. Miami was not playing well at all, and to add to their bad day, Jacory Harris was hit HARD and knocked out. I hate to see a college player get hit like Harris did, but wow this was huge. The diagnosis is a concussion, and it looks as if Harris may miss a game or two after being planted in to the ground on the back of his head. On top of the injury, the hit was totally clean and undoubtedly gave Virginia some momentum to destroy Harris's back up quarterback, who gave up 4 interceptions. Jacory Harris needs to learn how to take a hit and scramble when possible. He has taken big hits before and received a concussion at Clemson in the past, and this shows that he is not smart about taking hits, especially when he is so tall and thin. He is not built like a typical quarterback; he is more of an undersized wide receiver. Unfortunately, Jacory's bad season just got worse. He managed to throw one of his usual interceptions in every game, and took a nasty hit on top of that. Hopefully he will recover soon, but you have to wonder if he will need to be replaced on a more permanent basis in the near future.

See the next post for the Youtube video of the hit on Harris.

Hokies Win Easily Over Duke

2010-10-24T18:28:00.000-07:00

The Hokies were the clear favorites coming into this weekend's game against the Blue Devils. Duke has a struggling offense, defense, and a quarterback who throws a ton of interceptions. Sounds like the perfect team for VT to jump all over and score a ton of points on. Tyrod Taylor maintained his case for ACC player of the year as he went 13/17 for 280 yards and 3 TDs. Wilson, Robers, and Andre Smith all caught a TD pass from Taylor, and the rushing game was spread around, giving everyone a number of carries (even Ryan Williams). Carmichael and Hosley both had an interception against Duke's inconsistent quarterback and the defense only allowed 208 yards and 7 points. A win over Duke may not be very impressive, but it ensures VT will not go anywhere in the AP top 25, and gives the offense and defense even more confidence for their return after the byweek to face a decent Georgia Tech team. It's nice to see the offense playing so well. Even backup quarterback Logan Thomas is getting playing time and is looking like a solid quarterback to carry the Hokies next year when Tyrod leaves VT.

BCS Standings Week 2

2010-10-24T18:13:00.000-07:00

The best game from this weekend had to be Auburn vs. LSU. Auburn looked awesome as Cameron Newton ran for 217 yards and 2 TDs against the #6 team in the country. Auburn rushed for 440 yards while LSU only ran for 115. Auburn is basically unstoppable right now, and this led them to the #1 spot on the BCS rankings for week 2. Auburn is 1 and Oregon is 2, and these two teams are so strong and fast it's ridiculous. Auburn has such an explosive offense, and Oregon is incredibly fast in every aspect of the game. If these two teams meet at the end of the season (assuming Auburn beats Alabama), this will be a BCS championship game to remember for a long time. The only problem is, Boise State is still lingering in the 3 spot after Oklahoma lost this weekend to Missouri. Boise State is not making any impressive wins against good teams, but they are still stuck in the 3 spot, waiting for teams ahead of them to lose. Boise has no control over their championship hopes this year and will never reach the #1 spot unless the teams ahead of them lose. And even then, do they deserve a #1 team just because other teams are losing? That makes me think Boise does not deserve the #1 spot. It could happen though. The BCS system is run by computers and very little human involvement, so don't be surprised to see Boise in maybe the 2 spot at the end of the season. As for now, there is no doubt that the top 2 teams in the country are properly ranked.

Auburn's Return

2010-10-22T17:20:00.000-07:00

Auburn is one of this years surprising teams. Usually, the Tigers have tons of talent and lose a hand full of games in the tough SEC due to inconsistency and a mediocre quarterback. This year is completely different. Due largely to Auburn's quarterback, Cameron Newton, the Tigers are thinking national championship. Oh yeah, and Heisman Trophy too for Newton. Auburn's quarterback is now the clear frontrunner for the best player in college football, passing an inconsistent Denard Robinson of Michigan, and Kellen Moore who plays for the best team with the most awful schedule. Newton led the Tigers over a very well respected Arkansas Razorback team by scoring 65 points, running for 180 yards, and passing for over 100 as well. It's crazy to think that last year he was in Junior College. Auburn has two very difficult teams remaining: LSU and Alabama. Both are top 10 BCS teams and both will give Auburn a run for their money. However, LSU is lacking offense big time and has a very weak quarterback, and Alabama is not playing with a ton of confidence right now. Don't be surprised if Auburn ends up in the BCS championship game this year. You could see them playing a team like Oregon or Boise State, a great matchup either way.

VT Over Wake Forest

2010-10-22T17:11:00.000-07:00

Virginia Tech was heavily favored to win their matchup against the Demon Deacons in Blacksburg this past weekend. There was no disappointment at all as the Hokies scored 49 points BEFORE HALFTIME. Tyrod Taylor threw for an impressive 292 yards and 3 TDs while running for another TD. The Hokies also had a strong day running the ball as David Wilson ran for 105 yards on 15 carries, and Darren Evans powered in 3 TDs of his own. All around, the Hokies had a great day and there's no reason they can't do the same tomorrow against a sorry Duke team. The only sore spot in this game would be the big plays that VT gave up to Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons' freshman running back, Josh Harris, ran for 242 yards and a pair of TDs. He kept making huge plays of 60-80 yards, which is very uncharacteristic for the Hokies defense to allow. Anyhow, a win is a win, and this Saturday the Hokies should improve their record to 6-2, making them bowl eligible again. These wins are also giving enormous amounts of confidence to the Hokies offense, which is running in fast forward and will need it when they close the season against Georgia Tech, Miami, and North Carolina.

BCS Standings Week 1

2010-10-19T19:17:00.000-07:00

The BCS standings came out for the first time this week and there's plenty to look at and wonder how things ended up the way the did. For example, many were hoping the undefeated Boise State Broncos would end up #1, but they dropped down to 3rd. This is because Oklahoma and Oregon are also undefeated and have beat some very good teams. Also, Auburn came in at #4 (Go Tigers!), which is huge considering most people didn't give them much of a chance in the SEC this year. Alabama and Ohio State were listed in the top 10 which is great especially for Alabama who has a very tough schedule and could easily get back up to the top 2 or 3 spots in the BCS. I'm thinking Oklahoma and Oregon could both lose a game this year due to their ridiculous schedules. Boise is still in line for another perfect season (who cares!?) and will likely end up heavily considered for the championship game this year. My hope is that Auburn can pull out a perfect season, which could be tough with Alabama and LSU left on their schedule. If Auburn remains perfect, and plays the Broncos in the BCS title game, it would be Cameron Newton vs Kellen Moore (Heisman #1 vs Heisman #2), and I think this would draw a huge amount of attention in the sports world. The bottom line is that absolutely anything could happen in the BCS for the remainder of the season and there will be no shortage of excitement, especially with all the SEC teams in the top 25.

One more positive thing about the BCS... the HOKIES made it in at the 25 spot. Only VT and FSU were represented in the ACC and both teams will likely remain there for the rest of the season considering how strong they are playing. Who knows... they might even play eachother in December!

Ohio State Looks Weak Against Wisconsin

2010-10-18T17:42:00.000-07:00

The Buckeyes traveled up to Wisconsin as the number one team to play the Badgers, and they had a huge target on their backs. Wisconsin has been a good, not great, team in the first half of this season, and they proved how good they really can be on Saturday night. Not only did they beat the Buckeyes, they dominated the game on both sides of the ball, especially defense. Everyone on the defense, whether a freshman cornerback, or a senior lineman, played exceptionally well. What does this mean for each team? For Ohio State, they are undoubtedly out of the national championship race. The game was not very close and they were embarrassed. Terrell Pryor didn't show much and did not help his reputation. Ohio State is still number 10 in the new BCS rankings, and will likely move up, but there are too many really strong teams ahead of them. Wisconsin moved way up in the BCS standings, but still behind Ohio State. Their victory over the Buckeyes will be a huge moral victory if nothing else, and will likely give them more press coverage over the rest of this year and next year as well. We're all still waiting for Terrell Pryor to have a string of exceptional games, and his time is running out as a Buckeye. So far, he still is not living up to his huge expectations.

Alabama Loses, FINALLY

2010-10-15T19:15:00.000-07:00

The Crimson Tide finally lost this past weekend to South Carolina. The game was totally one-sided, and Alabama looked like only half the team showed up to play. Also, South Carolina's running back, Lattimore, had an all-star type day. He ran all over the Tide, and he's only a freshman. He's going to be a Heisman candidate one day for sure. He already has the instinct, skills, and build of a running back who is much older and more experienced in college football. The interesting thing about this loss for the Tide is that they only dropped about 9 spots, and South Carolina did not surpass the Tide in the polls. You would think that after defeating the Tide, the Gamecocks would be ranked ahead of them. Just shows how screwed up the polling and team rating system really is. This also means that Boise is one step closer to a national championship game, behind only Ohio State and Oregon. Ohio State is going up against Wisconsion tomorrow and could be challenged for their #1 spot. Whatever happens, the Tide need to step up and utilize their talent to the fullest. With two Heisman candidate running backs, you would think they could run all day and never lose a game. Just shows that they are not unbeatable and if you can stop their running game somehow, you have a great shot at winning.

Why Does Everyone Think Miami Is So Great?

2010-10-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

The Hurricanes are loaded with good running backs, good receivers, an excellent defenese, and they still have a hard time winning games. I think there are two huge factors leading to their issues: Coaching and quarterback play. Randy Shannon is not getting the Hurricanes to where they should be. Miami could be a top 15-20 team if they were more disciplined, caught more passes, and had a smart quarterback. Unfortunately, while Shannon looks like a decent coach and a good guy, he cannot get his team to win big games and that's a very bad thing in a football power area like Miami. The second huge factor is Jacory Harris. He makes bad throws all the time, throwing more interceptions that TDs in most games. Everyone hypes him up so much, but he never delivers and loses alot of important games. He has a nice delivery and release, but he keeps throwing it to the other team's defense, which is also a very bad thing with diehard fans like those in Miami. I don't see Harris playing pro ball; he has thrown too many interceptions and ruined his reputation. Plus, he is not a very big guy. Also, Shannon needs to start winning big games in the next couple of seasons, or he may booted from Miami.

Oregon Vs Stanford

2010-10-02T21:01:00.000-07:00

Oregon beat Stanford convincingly tonight, but I was not impressed with the way Oregon carries its program. The Ducks' head coach was constantly yelling at the refs and getting in their faces, he tried to ice the kicker TWICE before halftime while he simply stood there with his hands crossed, he was rude to ESPN reporter Erin Andrews before halftime, and even the Oregon fans were booing every review, every Stanford injury, and chanting curses when something did not go their way. Now there's no doubt Oregon has a legitimate shot of playing in the BCS national championship against likely Alabama, but they pretty much embarrassed themselves on national TV tonight and proved that the Oregon Ducks football program does not have any class. Take a look on the other sideline at Stanford, head coach Harbaugh, and quarterback Andrew Luck; that's how you should run a football program. They have class, integrity, and win without being jerks in the process.

By the way, let's start being more serious about Andrew Luck winning the Heisman. He made Stanford a legitimate top-10 team, he knows how to win, he has a ridiculous arm and accuracy, and he has the smarts to study engineering while playing football. He is the kind of person that the Heisman trophy is all about.

VT has Big Win Over NC State

2010-10-02T20:22:00.000-07:00

After another slow start, Virginia Tech pulled out a big win over NC State. NCSU started out the game by running all over VT's defense, but the defense really stepped up and made a statement against one of the ACC's best offenses led by Russell Wilson. Wilson is said to be "allergic to interceptions", but today he threw three, all to VT's Jayron Hosely. VT's secondary defenders made a huge statement as they were hitting NCSU's receivers extremely hard and harrassing Wilson all day long. In addition to a solid defense, Tyrod Taylor had several huge runs which were converted to first downs, and Darren Evans ran for around 150 yards. At the start of the second half, David Wilson even ran back a touchdown during the kickoff which really put the Hokies on the right track for the second half of the game. Overall, the Hokies looked good today, not great, and beat a ranked opponent on the road. Sure the Hokies lost to Boise and had an unexcusable loss to JMU, but they have proved that VT is not a school to take lightly and can still play for the ACC championship. Looks like either VT or Miami will play NC State for the ACC Championship later this year. Should be fun to watch since the ACC is so unpredictable.

NC State Still Undefeated

2010-09-26T10:03:00.000-07:00

Who would have thought that after 4 games this season, NC State would be the leader of the ACC. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they were RANKED after week 4! When was the last time they were ranked? Who knows, it was a looong time ago. The main reason they are undefeated is their QB Russell Wilson. He is proving to be an extremely efficient passer and a pretty decent runner as well. You look at his supporting cast --- his running backs and receivers, and they are alright. The defense is pretty good as well. But when you add up that the team has an outstanding quarterback who does not make many mistakes and can run, and a defense that holds powerful offenses such as Georgia Tech's to a minimial number of points, you have a team that really makes a statement. A real test for the Wolfpack will be next weekend when VT comes down to Raleigh. VT's defense has really stepped up with Hosely and Carmichael making INTs all over the field, and the 3-headed running back group should be back in full force as well. I think it will be a high scoring, very close game, but the Hokies do have more talent and should get the win.

Denard Robinson for Heisman?

2010-09-21T19:42:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard about this Denard Robinson guy yet, you probably don't care too much about college football. He is undoubtedly the most exciting football player in college, a sophomore, and single handedly making the Michigan Wolverines a relevant team. He looks like a Michael Vick caliber player; he has a great arm and runs way more yards than most tailbacks in college football today. He wasn't even the definite starter at the beginning of the season due to two other legitimate starters on Michigan's roster, but now everyone knows his name. The Wolverines are 3-0 now, with some quality wins, and the whole team is hoping Robinson will win the Heisman. It could really happen this year if not next year, but we have to remember that Robinson is still very young (Sophomores don't usually win the Heisman), and his team is still not all that great around him. Michigan will lose some games this year, Ohio State will likely beat them, and that will hurt Robinson's chance at Heisman. Especially with players like Terrell Pryor in the top-5 Heisman rankings as well. Pryor is older, and will likely be part of an undefeated or 1-loss Ohio State Team compared to a 3 or 4 loss Michigan team. As happy as the Wolverine nation is about their new QB, you know Rich Rodriguez is even more happy. Thanks to Denard Robinson, Rodriguez will likely have a job next year.

The Tigers Beat the Tigers in OT

2010-09-18T20:52:00.000-07:00

Clemson went to visit Auburn in the SEC in Jordan-Hare stadium tonight and played a tough game that went to overtime. The game was one of the most physical games I've seen in a long time, and you could tell both teams really wanted to win this one. Both teams had alot to gain; Clemson could gain a top 25 ranking and ACC dominance, and Auburn could solidify their image with a tough win. Auburn ended up winning by a field goal in overtime, but only thanks to Clemson's own fault. In overtime, Clemson had a fieldgoal opportunity to tie the game, and had an illegal snap penalty which is a rare penalty. On the second fieldgoal try, after the penalty, Clemson's kicker pulled it wide left and ended the game. The main story from this game though is all of the injuries. Kyle Parker played with a serious back/ribs inury for almost the entire second half, one lineman from each team broke a leg and had to be carted off, and there's no telling how many people had the wind knocked out or had minor concussions. Clemson may have lost tonight, but they made it clear they have tons of talent and can probably play with any team in the country. Auburn is still a solid team and all eyes will be on the Alabama vs. Auburn game at the end of the season.

VT Finally Wins, But Pays a Price...

2010-09-18T17:23:00.000-07:00

Virginia Tech finally won a game this season against a pretty good ECU Pirates team. The first half was slow and the defense did not play well, but VT really turned it on in the second half and blew the Pirates away, 49-27. Tyrod had another solid, not too impressive day, and defender Rashad Carmichael made two crucial interceptions. Hopefully, VT will be able to use this important win to carry them through the rest of the season, proving that the Hokies really are a good team and capable of putting large numbers on the scoreboard. They will need some big numbers and strong defense next week against Boston College.

The biggest story from this game though, is Ryan Willams' injury. Williams hurt his hamstring in the first quarter, and was not able to walk off the field on his own power. Knowing how tough he is and how he has come back into the game from injuries before, it was sad to hear that he had to leave for the hospital immediately. There is not a final word on his injury, but knowing the circumstances, we have to assume a torn hamstring and that he will be out for the remainder of the season. Fortunately, Darren Evans is an outstanding backup, and David Wilson can now gain some playing time in the absence of Williams.

A Weak Week for the ACC

2010-09-17T19:07:00.000-07:00

What happened to the Hokies and the Hurricanes making a legitimate run for the BCS national championship this year? After the Hokies lost two straight, and the Hurricanes were destroyed by Ohio State, there is not a single team in the ACC that will play for the national championship. There is not a single team in the ACC that will go undefeated, and any 1-loss team will not gain enough respect to make it to the big game. Not only did the 'Canes and Hokies lose, but the Yellow Jackets lost to unranked Kansas, UNC has already lost to a mediocre LSU, and all of the other ACC teams are not very talented. Florida State was rocked by Oklahoma and Heisman hopeful Christian Ponder looked inexperienced compared to Oklahoma's Landry Jones. The ACC is having a seriously rough year after only 2 weeks, and it will only get worse tomorrow. Virginia Tech may struggle against ECU, and UNC and GT are playing eachother. The only team playing well right now is (surprise!) NC STATE?! Thanks to Russell Wilson, the Wolfpack are undefeated.

David Wilson Should Have Redshirted

2010-09-16T20:07:00.000-07:00

There was a recent article where David Wilson, sophomore running back at Virginia Tech, was interviewed about his current role on the team. There was a big debate before the season started about whether he would redshirt or not, and now he is disappointed that he is not getting much playing time. My response to this is, what did you expect? You are a third string running back behind two proven, 1200 yard rushers in the ACC, and you think you should get more playing time? Now David Wilson's time will certainly come; maybe next year or certainly the year after when Williams goes to the NFL, but now is not his time. Wilson will be utilized on special teams and certain running situations this year, but will see alot of the bench overall. He should sit patiently and learn from the two all-star running backs ahead of him, and when it is his time, he will blow everyone away.

Jacory Harris Still Not Consistent

2010-09-16T19:59:00.000-07:00

All the hype coming into this season with the ACC is how Miami is so talented and would probably win the conference, and how Jacory Harris will be a better quarterback with less mistakes. Well Miami may still win the ACC, but Jacory Harris is still not consistent at all. Granted, his receivers missed some easy catches that turned into interceptions against Ohio State last Saturday, but he was still making bad throws. He has a throw-it-deep mentality on every series and unfortunately he does not always make the best decisions about who he is throwing to, especially against good defenses. Harris blew it last year when he came to Blacksburg and didn't make a single good play in the pouring rain, and the same thing happened against Ohio State this year. He emphasized that he will be better this year with less interceptions, but so far, we have not seen it. One thing is for sure, he will not be in the Heisman discussion as many people thought he would. Then again, noone in the ACC will likely be in the Heisman discussion at the end of the season.

Hokies Loss = Boise's Loss Too

2010-09-14T18:57:00.000-07:00

You may not realize it, but those same Broncos that came into Landover, MD and beat the hometown Hokies lost big time in week 2 this season. Since they just barely beat VT, and VT went ahead and lost to JMU which is not even in the FBS conference, that makes Boise State a loser as well. All the credit that BSU took for beating the Hokies was just taken away. Now who does Boise State play for the rest of the season that could get them into the BCS championship? NOBODY! The strongest team on their schedule is Oregon State, and they're not even ranked anymore. A season of unranked teams does not add up to a championship. And oh, by the way, most of Boise's best players (including Kellen Moore) are leaving after this year, leaving Boise in a much weaker position coming into 2011. Funny how things work in college football. Your best win of the season can be unvalidated within a few days.

Worst VT Loss EVER

2010-09-14T18:51:00.000-07:00

After nearly beating one of the top teams in the country at Landover Field, the Hokies follow week one up with a heartless effort against JMU. The Hokies didn't block up front on offense or defense, barely ran the ball (Ryan Williams still has not broken 100 yards in a game), and Tyrod Taylor was boring like he has been in the past. JMU did not play at an elite, Division 1-A level, and still beat the Hokies. Let's face it, this season is down the drain already. The Hokies can beat the rest of the weak ACC and end up ranked at the end of the year, and this year will still be a failure. VT needs to focus on getting their guys up front to play harder and get better technique or the remainder of this year and next year will be extremely long and disappointing. Next up is ECU, who is top 20 in the country in scoring and has shocked the Hokies in the past. This would be a great weekend for VT to come out strong, beat a pretty good ECU team, and gear up for the rest of the season with at least a little confidence.

What We Learned About Boise State

2010-09-13T19:50:00.000-07:00

So Boise State beat Virginia Tech. It was a close game, and was definitely exciting even though the Hokies lost. Boise earned that win. However, I noticed a few things about Boise after watching them for the first time on national television. They are:

1. Kellen Moore should be a frontrunner for the Heisman. He may never make it in the pros, but he is always calm and a great leader.

2. Boise has a very strong and aggressive O-line and D-line. They dominated the Hokies on both sides of the ball in the 1st quarter. Ryan Williams and Darren Evans never really got their momentum up.

3. Boise is very similar to Virginia Tech with regards to their Blue Collar work ethic and special teams.

4. Boise cannot carry positive momentum throughout a game. They came out strong and pumped up, but then completely deflated in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.

5. The Broncos are not good at hiding their defensive packages and blitz formations. If they are going to blitz, you'll usually see it early.

6. Boise's receivers (Pettis and Young) are very good. I feel that they could start at any school in the country.

7. If you want to make them lose ponits, ensure that the field goal kicker has to kick from the left hash. He missed a kick from the left hash in this game as he did all last season.

8. Boise State always has you waiting for a fake play of some kind. They've been successful with trick plays (Oklahoma Statue of Liberty play) and always have their opponents on edge and waiting.

9. Boise cannot defend against the deep pass. Tyrod Taylor, who is not an exceptional quarterback, was hitting his targets all night. His receivers didn't always catch their passes, but at least they had wide open chances.

10. FINALLY, Boise CANNOT play in humid weather. Seems like every defender left the game at one point with cramps which is a huge weakness for this football program. They can humidify their practice facility all they want, it's nothing like playing a real game in a humid atmosphere (Maryland wasn't even all that humid the night they played the Hokies).

Again, congratulations to Boise State. In fact, Virginia Tech definitely lost this one on their own. The stupid plays and personal fouls added up and left the VT fans with another early season disappointment. At least this one was close and fun to watch.

Virginia Tech's New "Rivalry" Uniforms

2010-09-06T16:35:00.000-07:00

Nike has decided to provide a select number of schools with their "Rivalry" uniforms this year. Basically, the uniform has been blacked out and contains accents of the schools main colors. For example, Virginia Tech will have an all black uniform with Orange and Maroon accents when they play Boise State tonight. The numbers on the player's jersey will contain mathematical and technological symbols to represent the school's engineering school. Take a look for yourself.

What VT Needs to Do to Beat Boise State

2010-09-06T16:29:00.000-07:00

Virginia Tech has a tough game to start their season. Boise State is coming off an undefeated year and returns all but one starter who went to the NFL. They have one of the best quarterbacks in the NCAA (Kellen Moore), a great set of receivers, and a decent running back. So what does VT need to do to end Boise's winning streak? VT needs to attack Kellen Moore and put him way out of his comfort zone as they did last year with Jacory Harris and Miami. Forcing BSU to focus on their running game will hurt BSU since their running game is not all that great and can't carry the team to a win. Also, Virginia Tech needs to use their strong duo of running backs, Ryan Williams and Darren Evans, to control the clock and run at Boise State all night. This will make BSU's defense tired, and knowing how explosive VT's running backs are, could put alot of points on the board for VT. In addition, Tyrod Taylor needs to be sharp tonight. BSU will no doubt try to stop the running game of VT, and if the offense is left to Taylor to run and throw the ball, he needs to be on his game. All of these things are very possible and Virginia Tech has beat teams with more talent and much larger players then BSU in the near past. Should be an interesting game.

It's That Time Again!

2010-09-06T16:13:00.000-07:00

Time for another exciting year of college football. Several dozen games were played this Labor Day weekend already, and the weekend will end up with the game everyone has been talking about. So far, Miami, Alabama, Oklahoma, Georgia Tech, and Florida State have run over their opponents, but.... who did they play again? All of these schools play their first games as a "warm up" game to get their feet wet and prepared for the following, more important games. Who really cares if Florida State beats Samford by 50 points? Everyone wants to see these schools play big time schools, and most of these big games start next weekend. Most people are expecting Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas, or even Miami to make a strong run to the Championship game this year, but they all have strong schedules and anything can happen. Then, there are schools like TCU and Boise State who everyone is pushing to compete in the championship beacuse they are winning like crazy and don't have much respect. Many upsets will happen this year, and we should start seeing some great football games starting tonight at FedEx Field in Landover, MD.

UNC Could be this Year's Sleeper Team

2010-05-22T20:53:00.000-07:00

It's still difficult to think of UNC as anything other than a solid basketball school. UNC is becoming an elite football program as well with each year and impressive recruiting class. Although many pre-season polls have UNC around the 20-25 spots, UNC could have a much better year that many people are expecting. They do have a fairly touch ACC schedule, playing Clemson, Miami, and VT among others. However, the defense will be among the top in the nation and the offense isn't in bad shape by any means. The running backs are fairly experienced and will be playing behind a large offensive line. UNC has been producing great wide outs lately as well. The only main weakness I can see at this time is at the quarterback position. T.J. Yates is the starter for the past few years, but he has some competition now and may lose his starting spot before the end of the year. If he loses his confidence or a younger guy with less experience takes over, the Tar Heels may not live up to their full potential. I don't think the Tar Heels can go undefeated; they do not have that much depth on offense. I could see them losing 2 games however; one at Clemson and one at Virginia Tech. Clemson is underrated and loaded with talent, and Virginia Tech will be looking for revenge.

High Expectations for Mark Herzlich

2010-05-22T20:40:00.000-07:00

Mark Herzlich won the ACC defensive player of the year award in 2008. In 2009, he was excluded from football by a rare bone cancer called Ewing's Sarcoma. He battled through radiation and chemo therapy as you would expect from a tough football player, and began to hit the weight room. His cancer went into remission and is now completely gone after several years and multiple surgeries. Believe it or not, only 2 years after having cancer, Herzlich is hyped as ever and will be returning the to the field for the Boston College Eagles in 2010. I won't say anything about the average team he's returning to; the focus belongs on Mark Herzlich. Everyone will be watching him with high expectations this year, and my bet is that he will live up to all the hype floating around the internet and television. Even if he does not make the ACC All-American team or get drafted after this year, he deserves some major credit. This is a truly-unique story and hopefully someone can make an inspirational movie or book out of this one day. This guy is what football is all about: determination and heart.

Ryan Williams Gives NC State Defender a Ride to the Endzone

2010-05-19T17:20:00.000-07:00

This video shows the NFL-type power of Ryan Williams. It's fun to watch an elite running back embarrass defenders...

David Wilson to Redshirt

2010-05-19T17:18:00.000-07:00

With a top-tier running back group this year for the Hokies, don't be surprised if David Wilson redshirts his sophomore year. Having Ryan Williams and Darren Evans as the #1 and #2 running backs pretty much means that Wilson will never step a foot on the field unless the Hokies go up by 40 points. Also, the Hokies have Josh Oglesby who will be converting to full back and looking to get a number of carries as he did last year. Oglesby is more of a bruiser and should still see playing time in 2010, especially near the goal line and on short-gain plays. As for David Wilson, with so much talent in front of him, why not redshirt and retain another year of football eligibility? Ryan Williams will likely go in the 1st round of the NFL draft this year if he is smart, leaving Darren Evans and Wilson as his #2. The combination of Evans and Wilson should carry the Hokies just fine after Williams declares for the NFL draft in 2011.

The Hopeless of the ACC

2010-05-19T17:07:00.000-07:00

Now that rosters are filled and teams have a pretty good idea of who will be playing which positions in 2010, we have a better idea of how good teams will really be. Some of the teams to watch for this year in the ACC are North Carolina, Miami, Florida State, Georgia Tech, and of course, Virginia Tech. There are some mediocre teams such as Clemson and Wake Forest, and then there are all of the "others". I'm talking about teams like Maryland, Duke, and Virginia. Maryland went 2-10 last year and does not look to improve much this year. The key players at QB and RB are always injured and coach Ralph Friedgen can't seem to get it done anymore. Virginia has a new coach (Mike London) with a decent recruiting class, but has a shaky QB and not many tools to help him out on offense. Finally, Duke, who did alright last year due to QB Thad Lewis, will be hurting this year now that he graduated. Duke made teams like UNC and VT look mediocre last year and it was pretty much due to the play of Lewis. Don't expect much out of Duke, Maryland, or Virginia this year.

Say Hello to Logan Thomas, Your New #2

2010-05-18T18:42:00.000-07:00

There's no question that Tyrod Taylor is VT's main quarterback this year. He can run, he's exciting to watch, and he's a pretty good passer too. However, when it comes to the backup QB, Ju-Ju Clayton has filled that spot in the recent past. Last year he came into the game several times when the Hokies were up big or if Taylor had to shake off a minor injury, but he threw many interceptions and was very inconsistent. This year, the Hokies landed a big draft pick with true freshman Logan Thomas, who has quickly moved into the #2 QB position. Thomas is not the usual VT quarterback (small and quick), he is large and quick. He is 6'6" tall and 230 lbs and was the #77 rated high school player in 2008. Thomas has the coaches and team very excited. When Tyrod plays out his senior year and moves on, it looks like the Hokies will be it GREAT shape with Logan Thomas taking the wheel. Next year, Tech will have a more veteran defense, a huge running back corps, and another explosive quarterback. Look out for the Hokies in 2010 AND 2011!!!

Glennon, Part II

2010-05-17T17:33:00.001-07:00

Here's a good one for all the Hokie fans: Sean Glennon has a little brother who is also a quaterback. Good news though; he won't be playing for Virginia Tech. You could see him playing for the NC State Wolfpack in the next year though behind current quarterback and all around athlete Russell Wilson. Mike Glennon has a lot of hype following him as he put up big numbers in the Wolfpack Spring game. He went 21-38 for 423 yards and 3 TDs.... very impressive. It should be fun to see how his career plays out in the ACC, especially if he comes to Blacksburg one day and has to face his brother's Hokie crowd. Hopefully Mike Glennon can show more promise and poise than Sean did at Virginia Tech.

Is Kellen Moore Legit?

2010-05-17T17:20:00.000-07:00

Sort of. Last year as the QB for the Boise State Broncos, Kellen Moore put up some impressive numbers. There's certainly no denying that. He threw for 3536 yards with a 64.3 completion percentage with 39 TDs and only 3 interceptions. We have to look at his competition. When you play Wyoming, New Mexico State, Toledo, Hawaii, Utah State, and only 2-3 legit teams, how good can you actually be? He has the same curse that Boise State has in general; he can't be taken 100% seriously unless BSU plays some serious competition throughout the entire season. This coming season, BSU plays only Virginia Tech and Oregon State in their first 3 games then plays a bunch of easier games to coast through the season. Moore will certainly get drafted in the next year or two, but he probably will never make an impact in the NFL. ESPN lists him at only 6'0" and 187 lbs which is very undersized for a NFL player. He can gain weight, but he can't gain height. You can't ignore his huge numbers, but you can't ignore his weak opponents either.

USC Trojans Spring Game

2010-05-16T18:42:00.000-07:00

The USC Trojans (NFL Jr.) wrapped up their spring game a few weeks ago with a stunning attendance of 15,000 people. For a team with so much hype and Hollywood power, it's very surprising that only 15k people bother to show up. This shows one major thing about the Trojans: USC does not have as many die-hard fans as many other football programs and the football games are simply a social event. With stars like Will Ferrell and Snoop Dogg showing up on the sidelines every Saturday, USC games have become a Hollywood event with overwhelming amounts of stars, both football and non-football. Watching the Trojans play is still somewhat fun due to the stars playing on the field that will undoubtedly show up in the NFL after their required 2-3 years in college, but there is no emotion coming from the stands. The fans are static and boring and most of them probably don't even understand the game... they just want to be there for the social event. Check out the stands in the photo; they're pretty much empty!

Crimson Tide Spring Game

2010-05-16T18:27:00.000-07:00

With an attendance of 91,312 people at the Alabama spring game, I am starting to wonder if there is anything else to do in Alabama besides watch football games. Not only is this a record attendance, but it blew away all other spring game attendances by a longshot. It's great that so many people are so passionate about the Tide football program (especially since they won the National title), but what else do these fans do to entertain themselves? I get the feeling that the Tide fans just sit around all year from January to August, then when the season starts in August, life starts back up. Football is a great sport to watch and probably the most entertaining of any sport, but the Alabama fans take it waaaay too seriously. Nick Saban even made the comment that he hopes next year's attendance will be even higher. If the Tide win another championship (which they probably will and get an even larger bandwagon crowd), expect the attendance to skyrocket again.

For All the Boise State Hopefuls...

2010-05-11T18:46:00.000-07:00

For all the people out there that think Boise State can make it to the National Championship game this year, get real. I don't care how good Kellen Moore and all 21 returning starters are, they have another WEAK schedule. They managed to schedule Virginia Tech this year, and will receive 1.25 million to travel to DC, but the only other tough game on their schedule is Oregon State. With two tough games in an 11 game schedule, how are they supposed to be legit for the national championship?! First they have to beat Virginia Tech in VT territory by a huge amount which is not going to happen, then beat Oregon State at home, which is a possibility, but not overly impressive. If they want a championship, try either getting into a legit conference with a legit schedule or try extra hard to get some more talented teams to play against. Until that time, keep on dreaming.

Being a QB at Notre Dame....

2010-05-11T15:34:00.000-07:00

Being a QB at Notre Dame is a tough job to have. Think about the last couple of QBs the Irish had: Brady Quinn and Jimmy Clausen. Brady Quinn has had a less than average NFL career and can't land a starting job anywhere, and Jimmy Clausen had a bust draft falling way into the second round before being drafted by the Carolina Panthers. So many NFL teams passed on Clausen that it was almost comical and must have been embarrassing for Clausen. Now that Notre Dame will be starting fresh with another quarterback, we have to wonder what his future may hold. My guess is that he will be mediocre for a year or two, will turn it up during his senior year, will be drafted, and then flop in the NFL.

Rich Rod's Days are Numbered

2010-05-06T16:50:00.000-07:00

Lots of people worried when Michigan went out and spent a ton of money to bring in Rich Rodriguez from West Virginia. Michigan has a clean, winning reputation when it comes to recruiting and playing the game the right way, and now Rich Rod is not living up to the high expectations. The Wolverines lost to Wisconsin, Purdue, Illinois, Penn State, Iowa, Michigan State, and Ohio State last year, only managing to beat teams like Delaware State, Indiana, and a respectable Notre Dame team. In addition to losing so many games in his short time at Michigan and being called-out for pushing his players to practice way too much, now he is being investigated by the NCAA for undisclosed recruiting violations while he was at West Virginia. He definitely does not fit the role of a classy Michigan coach very well. Many websites and analysts even think he may be out the door this year if he does not win more games. Replacements for Rich Rod could be Les Miles at LSU, Jim Harbaugh at Stanford, and Chris Peterson at Boise State. It's not looking like Michigan will have a stellar year coming up, so it should be interesting to see what happens.

Watch Out For Dez Bryant

2010-05-06T16:41:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows that Dez Bryant is good. How good is he? So good that he can sit out pretty much all of his final NCAA football season due to NCAA financial violations, and still get drafted in the 1st round by the Dallas Cowboys. On top of all this, he has a minor heart issue that the Cowboys know about, but did not effect their choosing him early in the draft. He is a one-of-a-kind receiver; the kind that only comes along once every few years like Calvin Johnson, Jerry Rice, etc. He is aggressive, tall, has a great size advantage over many corners and safeties, and REALLY wants to score every time he gets the ball. Look for big numbers from him in Dallas immediately. The Cowboys and Tony Romo must love having a big time target to go out and score touchdowns for them this year.

Pete Carroll's First Draft

2010-05-06T16:32:00.000-07:00

Some of us still cannot believe that Pete Carroll is leading the Seattle Seahawks. There is no doubt that he has an eye for talent, and he did a great job bringing some big name guys into the Seahawks' organization. In the first round alone, he grabbed left tackle Russell Okung and safety Earl Thomas. They also took Golden Tate from Notre Dame at the 60th pick which is a steal in this year's draft. Tate has the size and aggressiveness to take him a long year into the NFL future. Overall, Carroll addressed many of his team's needs and has a good start on turning around the Seahawks who have been lagging lately. Don't look for them to be playoff contenders this year, but there's no doubt Seattle has high hopes for returning to the playoffs in the next 2 or 3 years under the reign of Pete Carroll.

2010's Weak Quarterback Draft Class

2010-05-05T17:45:00.000-07:00

The only quarterback besides Sam Bradford taken in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft was Tim Tebow... now that says something about the talent level of this years quarterbacks. They all were outstanding college players, but college talent does not always transfer to the NFL. The NFL teams who all passed on Colt McCoy and Jimmy Clausen showed that they have very little confidence in these two QBs in the NFL. McCoy is slightly undersized and needs some work before he'll see a NFL start, and Clausen was a trainwreck in college until last year when everyone thought he was phenomenal. Personally, I don't think Clausen will ever make a name for himself in the NFL. He makes too many bad decisions, too many interceptions, and could not win at Notre Dame with a load of talent and a pretty decent coach to help out. Sam Bradford was a solid pick in the draft, there's no doubt about it. When it comes to the Panthers taking Clausen and Browns taking McCoy, these teams have some serious work to do if they want their investments to pay off.

Where Every College FB Player Does NOT Want to Go

2010-05-05T17:36:00.000-07:00

Imagine you're sitting in Radio City Music Hall with your family, all dressed up with your new suit and 100,000 dollar jewelry you bought on loan, and all of a sudden it happens.... you get selected by the Oakland Raiders and their incompetent owner Al Davis to come help out their "team". I don't know about you, but I would be terrified! The Raiders, known for crazy-ass first round picks, usually in the top-10, did not disappoint this year. Instead of getting a much-needed quarterback like Jimmy Clausen who was available at the time, they went with Rolando McClain, LB from Alabama. No one expected McClain to be picked so quickly, but then again, it's the Raiders. The rest of the draft was fairly solid and Oakland got some pretty good talent, but that first pick is always a wildcard.... you never know who they might select!

Buffalo Bills take Spiller

2010-05-05T17:27:00.000-07:00

The Buffalo Bills got a really good all-around player when they selected C.J. Spiller as the #9 pick in the 2010 NFL draft. While at Clemson, Spiller was responsible for a huge 53 touchdowns, including 32 rushing TDs and 8 TDs on kickoff/punt returns. Spiller really became known as a dangerous return man in his final couple of years when his playing time increased dramatically and he became the feature back. What will we see from Spiller in the NFL? His main role should be at running back where his amazing speed and cutting ability will be very effective getting through the line and past the secondary. Otherwise, we know he is great at returning punts and kicks, but this would be a risky move to make your big-name guy returning kicks where he is likely to get smashed up every game. As a receiver and running back in the NFL, expect big things from C.J. Spiller.

Some More Star QBs for 2011

2010-05-04T17:23:00.000-07:00

Two more quarterbacks to keep an eye on starting in August 2011: Jake Locker and Andrew Luck. Both quarterbacks have NFL size and huge throwing arms to back it up. In addition, they are both intelligent. ESPN recently ran an article on Andrew Luck of Stanford that said he was diligent about going to classes which were about architecture and statics -- not your typical college football player attitude. The funny thing is that both Stanford and Washington will never be in the top 25 this year, but Luck and Locker should be the first 2 quarterbacks taken in the 2011 draft if they live up to expectations.

Will Ryan Williams Declare for the 2011 NFL Draft?

2010-05-02T15:46:00.001-07:00

After reading several blogs and expert analysis on Ryan Williams on ESPN, there is alot of talk that he could go in the 1st round of the NFL draft next year. Analysts predict that Mark Ingram of Alabama would be the first running back taken (and for good reason, he may rack up a 2nd Heisman this year), and after him would be the Hokies' Ryan Williams near the end of round one. As much as I would hate to see the Hokies lose their star player, I think he should definitely declare for the draft! Running backs do not last long in the NFL due to wear and tear on the body, and if Williams can get drafted as a 20 year old, he would have a lot of years and money to make in the NFL. Plus, declaring for the draft would give more playing time to Darren Evans and David Wilson who are excellent running backs as well. It is amazing to think that a freshman just out of highschool could make such a national impact on college football. Maybe his nickname holds true and he is the next Walter "Sweetness" Payton.

Tickets for VT/BSU

2010-05-02T15:31:00.000-07:00

Looking for tickets for Virginia Tech vs. Boise State? If you're not a current student at either school, chances are you may not find tickets as easily as you think. Students and season ticket holders have easy access to tickets to the game. General public and alumni like myself have to search around a little. The best prices I can find are on Stubhub.com. This website is recogized as Virginia Tech's official ticket distributor for tickets to the general public and you can find over 1000 tickets there right now. You can find tickets starting at $72, which is already much higher than the $50 suggested selling price. I suggest you buy them fast as the price will likely go up as Labor Day keeps getting closer. The only problem with buying these tickets is you don't know who you'll be sitting next to. If you don't have access to season tickets or student tickets, you could be sitting next to someone in blue and orange!

2010 Draft Surprise

2010-04-26T16:01:00.000-07:00

The big story coming out of the 2010 NFL draft is Tim Tebow. Noone really expected any team to get all excited over him or draft him in the first round, but the Broncos called him up when the 25th pick rolled around and welcomed him to Denver. Broncos' coach Josh McDaniels commented that having Tebow around would make the atmosphere better and Tebow was shown saying that he would do anything and everything, including showing up first and staying until after everyone leaves to make it in the Broncos organization. Whether Tebow will play this year at QB is up in the air, but I'll give him a 40% chance. I know this seems high, but if the Broncos are willing to take such a huge risk and pay so much money to get Mr. College Football in their camp, they must be itching to see what he can do on the field.

National Championship Hopes?

2010-04-17T19:30:00.000-07:00

There has been some national championship talks for the Hokies for the 2010 season. This idea may be far-fetched for some, but the truth is that it is very possible. A few things need to happen for the Hokies to reach the big game. The first is that they need to beat Boise State. BSU will likely be a top 5 team to start the season and will be traveling to FedEx Field in DC to play the Hokies on September 6th to open the season. A victory of BSU would likely put the hokies in the top 4 teams in the nation. Then, the Hokies need to beat Georgia Tech in Lane Stadium. Georgia Tech is returning most of their team minus Eric Dwyer and a few key defenders, and should be tough again. Their offense always confuses and can make very good teams look foolish. The Hokies also need to beat Georgia Tech and BSU by alot of points. Big victories over good teams show serious strength and the people who control the BCS will take big wins into account when picking the BCS national championship game if there are two or more undefeated teams to finish the season. Lastly, and most obviously, the Hokies need to go undefeated. This means they have to beat the annoying teams like East Carolina, North Carolina, Duke, Miami, and Virginia. Virginia Tech probably has more talent than all of the teams just mentioned, but we know that in college football anything can happen in any given week. It may be somewhat of a long shot for the Hokies to be champions, but crazier things have happened.

Stand out QBs for the 2010 season

2010-04-17T19:22:00.000-07:00

With all of the big name quarterbacks graduating this year (McCoy, Bradford, Tebow, Clausen), who will lead the pack this coming season? Two people stand out due to their past performance, and they are Christian Ponder from Florida State, and Garrett Gilbert from Texas. Christian Ponder has been a standout QB and a leader on a bad team for several years now, posting huge numbers in passing yards, efficiency, and completion percentage (when he's not hurt). Gilbert is only a sophomore, but should have a huge season. He was one of the top QBs coming out of highschool in the Texas area two years ago, and had his first action in the National Championship game against Bama. He handled the biggest game of the year against the toughest team around like it was nothing. Gilbert threw for several TD passes and embarrassed the Bama defense several times. People are even saying he may be better than Colt McCoy. Should be fun to watch.

Powerhouse of the future

2010-03-16T18:05:00.000-07:00

The Florida Gators have arguably been the powerhouse football team of the past three or four years. However, with the questionable health of Urban Meyer and the loss of Tim Tebow to the NFL this year, I think the power may shift to another team in the NCAA. The best candidate to take over is the Crimson Tide. They now have one of the top 2-3 coaches in the country in Nick Saban, a pair of running backs better than any other in the country, a quarterback who does not make many mistakes (probably because he never throws), and endless talent from recruiting. Look out for the 'Tide for many years to come.

Tim Tebow in the NFL

2010-02-14T19:53:00.001-08:00

With the draft coming up in a few months, analysts everywhere are talking about Tim Tebow's future in the NFL. It's hard to believe that someone who is said to be the greatest NCAA player in history may be a NFL flop. Many are saying that his delivery is way too long and will give half-decent defensive backs in the NFL plenty of time to read and pick him off. This may be true, but what about the rest of his talents and intangibles? He can run very well and could possibly see time as a pounding tailback or wildcat type offense. Also, he could convert to tight end easily since he definitely has the size and intelligence to play other spots on offense. The best attribute is his will-power. Teams may be hesitant to take a chance on him, but really, who wouldn't want this guy on their team? Take him in the second or third round for less money and let him help your team. Even if he is a second string tight end or a third string QB, his attitude and determination will definitely have a positive impact on everyone around him.

VT's 2010 draft class

2010-02-06T20:03:00.000-08:00

With the passing of Signing Day this past week, VT officially has a decent draft class for 2010. The only ESPN Top 150 signing was the #6 rated safety, Nick Dew out of First Colonial High School in Virginia. Dew is a solid prospect and should see significant playing time early in his career. There are quite a few defensive players in this years draft class including a pair of big OLBs named Brian Laiti and Tahrick Peak. This year's leading draft classes were Florida and Texas. Some ESPN anaylsists are saying that Florida may have had the best draft class EVER, making them a top team for years to come. Alabama had a third ranked class which is somewhat surprising since they just won the National Championship. Their rival, Auburn, also had a very good, under-recognized draft class, landing the most desired running back in the country, Michael Dyer. Dyer will likely add to Auburn's prestigiuos running backs such as Bo Jackson, Cadillac Williams, and Ronnie Brown just to name a few. Look out for the Gators and the Tide next year... they are LOADED with talent.

Lane Kiffin: Who Cares?

2010-01-24T13:20:00.000-08:00

Lane Kiffin walked into the University of Tennessee only a year ago and promised to turn things around and bring UT back into the SEC spotlight. Along the way he talked trash to the best coach in the NCAA, Urban Meyer, had some legal issues with his players robbing a convenience store, and may have some recruiting violations to go along with it. Now he announces that he doesn't care at all about UT and will be leaving to become USC's head coach. While he is a former assistant coach at USC and will likely fit in well there, he has shown complete disregard for one of the more reputable football programs in America, that of the Volunteers. In addition, before he left, his recruiting assistant calls all of Tennessee's recruits and tells them not to go to class at UT so they can rescind their commitments and attend USC instead. This coaching staff has shown themselves to be businessmen, all about money and superficial glory, and obviously do not care about the lives of their football players. While Lane Kiffin will likely win alot of games at USC, it is now hard to root for USC's football team with a group of losers coaching the team.

Pete Carroll in the NFL?

2010-01-24T13:13:00.000-08:00

Pete Carroll shocked everyone by announcing that he will leave USC and become the next head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. Carroll coached in the NFL prior to 2001 before having one of the most impressive coaching runs in NCAA history and will now lead the Seahawks with coaching and probable managerial roles too. He will basically be able to run the team as he wants to and have a large say in everything that happens. I personally thought Carroll would stay at USC forever, but this just shows that football, even at the college level, is a business and anything can happen if the price is right. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Seahawks making a name for themselves again in the next 3-4 years.

Alabama finally wins another championship

2010-01-24T12:46:00.000-08:00

The Crimson Tide were very impressive as they best the Longhorns by a score of 37 to 21. Let's be honest... the game was over as soon as Colt McCoy was knocked out on the first offensive drive with a shoulder injury. He was the main offensive play maker, and his true freshman backup was not quite ready for the spotlight of the National Championship game. Mark Ingram became the first person to win the Heisman and a National Championship in one year as he ran for 116 yards and 2 TDs. He is still continuing to improve with every week, and next year I don't see why he couldn't repeat as the Heisman winner. He is one of the most dominant backs we have seen in a long time and the NFL will be all over him if he declares for the draft in a year. The Long Horns had a strong start and played with pride, but never really had a chance. Alabama's defense was nasty, and Mark Ingram and his backup Richardson were unstoppable. Greg McElroy never really played much of a part in this game as normal, throwing for a miserable 58 yards. There's no question the two teams in this game were the right teams, but it would have been nice to see a closer game.

Solid Game Against the Vols

2010-01-01T16:14:00.000-08:00

Virginia Tech finally got a win in Atlanta last night as they destroyed the Volunteers at the Georgia Dome. The first half was pretty constant as both teams traded TDs until Tyrod Taylor threw a 60+ yard pass with 9 seconds left in the half, leading to a last-second field goal. This play took alot of wind out of the Vols fans' sails, and made for an easy second half for the Hokies. Taylor threw for 209 yards with 1 INT, Ryan Williams battled ankle injuries to run for 117 yards and 2 TDs, and Jared Boykin had 4 huge receptions for 12o yards. All around, the Hokies played a solid game, made Kyle Crompton look nervous, kept the Vols running back to 39 yards, and held them scoreless in the second half. This win is big for the Hokies as they finally beat a SEC team and will have some good momentum going into next season.

What's the deal with Urban Meyer?

2009-12-28T17:25:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Urban Meyer announced that he is done coaching the Gators due to mounting health problems with possibly his heart or brain. Reporters and coaches have been saying that he is a shell of himself lately and not doing very well with his health. It's a shame to hear him resign since he is one of the most successful and winningest coaches ever, but wait... is he really resigining? Apparently, he is coming back after only one day and will stick around for at least another season. Meyer is quoted as saying that he had a spirited practice on Saturday and had so much emotional support that he will be returning next year. As expected though, he will be taking some major time off after the Gators play the Bearcats in the new year.

Congrats to Mark Ingram

2009-12-18T22:29:00.000-08:00

In one of the closes Heisman votes ever, Mark Ingram takes home the 2009 Heisman trophy as the best player in college football. Now as much as I dislike the Crimson Tide, Ingram deserves this award. He played solid in every single game this year except for Auburn, and carried a huge amount of the offensive weight on his shoulders due to inconsistent play by Julio Jones and an inexperienced Greg McElroy. Ingram is being compared often to Emmitt Smith due to the way he runs through tacklers and seems to keep on going no matter who hits him. He is small, strong, and will have NFL teams all over him when he declares for the draft. And the best part of all this is that he is a stand-up kind of guy. He cried like a baby during his acceptance speech and gave one of the most moving speeches in sports I have ever seen. Congrats to you, Mark Ingram.

Chick-fil-a Bowl

2009-12-18T22:25:00.001-08:00

So the Hokies are indeed headed to the Chick-fil-a bowl in Atlanta this year (12/31/09) to play the Tennessee Vols. This seems like a really strange matchup to me. The Vols have been flying under the national radar all year and all-of-a-sudden have been selected to play the #11 team in the country? Seems like the bowl committee could have made a better selection for the Hokies to play; maybe Ole Miss or even Auburn. Ole Miss was once ranked 4th in the country and Auburn has had some huge SEC wins this year, both notable opponents for a solid Hokies team. Many people are chosing the Hokies to win this matchup, but who knows? The SEC always seems to get the better of ACC teams.

Hokies Beat the 'Hoos

2009-11-28T22:03:00.000-08:00

In an afternoon game in Charlottesville on Saturday, the Hokies beat the Wahoos convincingly with a score of 42-13. The story of the day was Ryan Williams, again, who ran for 182 yards and 4 TDs, giving him a total of 8 TDs in two weeks. Ryan Williams has added so much to the Hokies offense this year and is an invaluable part of the team. With Darren Evans gone for the year, Williams went way above and beyond expectations to make the Hokies a top 15 team. The Wahoos didn't get much done on offense or defense, leaving the crowd pretty quiet all day long. With this win, the Hokies have qualified for the Chick-fil-a Bowl, reserved for the 2nd best team in the ACC, where they will play an SEC opponent (likely Tennessee). This means VT will begin and end their season in the same city in the same stadium against a SEC opponent. Hopefully, the Hokies will show the Vols that ACC teams are not weak by any means and are capable of beating SEC teams.

Bore-gia Tech Loses

2009-11-28T21:51:00.000-08:00

The Yellow Jackets took their second loss of the season on their own field as the Bulldogs came into Atlanta and contained the Jackets' offense. Both Dwyer and Nesbitt had slow games and didn't come anywhere close to their average rushing average of over 300 yards. The Bulldogs had several huge plays allowing them to score over 30 points and quieting the Jackets' crowd. After watching GT rise in the rankings and having several of their games shown in prime time TV, I have realized that this team is BORING. The crowd is not very loud, the band plays the same obnoxious songs over and over and over again, and as good as their offense is there is no excitement. The triple option is tricky and works so well for them, but somehow they manage to make their games tired and boring. It's like driving a Honda Civic; the car works well and is dependable, but it's not much to look at. Georgia Tech's loss does not matter as they will still play in the ACC championship, but it makes me wonder, if they were to play VT in the ACC championship, would they win again? My answer is: NO WAY! Virginia Tech is playing waay to well right now.

Foster Stays, For Now

2009-11-26T08:45:00.000-08:00

With much relief to Hokies' fans, it is expected to be announced very soon that the Memphis Tigers have not decided to hire Bud Foster and will instead hire Redskins' secondary coach, Jerry Gray. The Redskins' owner and also their former coach Joe Gibbs recommended Jerry Gray to the Memphis Program and the announcement is expected to come after the Tigers play their last game of the season so the Tigers can keep their focus on the field. What does this mean for Bud Foster? Hopefully this means he will settle back into his role of Defensive coordinator in Blacksburg and rightfully take his job as Hokies' head coach in the future. People are questioning how long Beamer will stick around and Foster is definitely the front runner for head coach when Beamer retires since Foster has been there along side Beamer for 20+ years and is over 10 years younger than our current coach.

Christian Ponder and FSU

2009-11-19T17:24:00.000-08:00

As a junior at FSU, Christian Ponder should be a front-runner for the Heisman next year. He has thrown for over 250 yards in all but 1 of his games this year and has had a quarterback rating of 147.7 this year until he got hurt. These numbers are huge for college football but nobody will give him any credit due to the Seminoles' crappy season. However, next year the 'Noles can come out rejuvinated with their senior quarterback, more experienced receivers, backs, and linemen and really show the country how good they can be. If Ponder can keep up his numbers and leadership abilities there is no doubt he will be in the Heisman talks. Not only that, but he has the size (6'2" , 220 lbs) and intelligence to make it in the NFL as a first round draft pick. Just wait, the NFL will be watching closely next year and he will get the media time he deserves.

How Bout Some End-of-the-Year Drama

2009-11-19T17:15:00.000-08:00

With the BCS championship not far off, everyone is thinking the top three teams are concrete and will not lose the rest of the season. However, I'm pretty tired of seeing Florida at the top of the polls and I think Alabama is overrated with their inexperienced quarterback. On top of this, Texas is blowing everyone away badly and can't catch a break. I'm hoping that Florida will lose at the end of the season to Florida State. FSU is having an up-and-down season and has athletes all over the field. Plus, Florida is just barely getting by in every game it seems and could be upset by FSU. Alabama then has to play Florida for the SEC championship, and if Florida can somehow destroy Alabama, that would leave room for 2 new teams to play in the BCS championship: Texas and TCU. These two teams are solid. Texas' passing attack is ridiculous and TCU is so athletic it's ridiculous. How bout an all Texas championship this year? Who knows... anything is possible.

Jahvid Best = Extremely Lucky

2009-11-19T11:26:00.000-08:00

While flipping between games last weekend, I happened to turn on ESPN just as Jahvid Best made his endzone leap and came crashing down on his neck/head area. A player hit him while he was in the air with his back to the ground knocking him even higher where he came crashing to the ground on his neck from about 8 feet in the air. OUCH! Has to be one of the scariest falls I have ever seen! He was credited with the touchdown, but it looked as if his body had froze in a "hug" position like he was reaching for someone, with his eyes stuck open and frozen as well. The first thing I thought was that he had gotten paralyzed. He was mobilized quickly in case of spinal injury, given oxygen, and rushed to the hospital. Noone ever wants to see something like this, but I guess as a football player you have to expect things like this to happen. However, by halftime in the game, Cal's head coach said Jahvid had movement in all extremeties and most likely suffered a severe concussion, his second in two weeks. Needless to say, Best will be riding it out on the bench for a while if not the rest of his career. Hopefully it won't destroy his draft chances, but only time will tell.

Bud Foster Wants Out? Really?

2009-11-19T11:18:00.001-08:00

Virginia Tech's defensive coordinator, Bud Foster, has been quoted as saying that if the Memphis Tigers' football organization came calling, Bud would accept the head coaching job. Memphis has recently fired their head coach and Foster has ties to the area making people think that he would be a natural fit. However, even though there is a good stock of athletes to chose from in the Memphis area, the Tigers are not likely to ever see national recognition. They may become recognized as much as Cincinnatti or Boise State; they could win all of their games but never reach a national championship due to a weak schedule. There's alot for Bud to gain here: he would return to a Memphis area that he likes, he would probably triple his salary into the million+ range, and he would have complete control. But as a Hokies fan, I have to say that he should stay. Not only is he arguably the best D-coordinator in the country, but Beamer could be retiring in a handful of years and Foster would undoubtedly be the frontrunner to replace Beamer. Then, he could lead a nationally recognized team which already has loads of talent, good recruiting, etc.

The Downfall of Bobby Bowden

2009-11-18T21:53:00.000-08:00

Although Florida State has picked up their play lately and won several games after a rough start, one thing is certain, people have lost alot of confidence in coach Bobby Bowden. Although their defense is playing inconsistent and they have lost junior QB Christian Ponder for the season, Bowden is still on the hot seat. FSU loves their football, there's no doubt about it. But people are calling for Bowden to be fired, to retire, to be forced out of the organization somehow so Jimbo Fisher can take over. The issue is.... should anyone be able to force him out? I say NO WAY! Bowden has put most of his professional life into that school and made the program as successful as it is now. He should leave on his own terms and leave with dignity. Firing him after all he has done for FSU would be a huge mistake.

Two teams that are overrated

2009-11-17T11:08:00.000-08:00

Now that the season is quickly coming to an end, I have a thought on two teams that have been in the top 25 all season: Miami and USC. These two teams are very overrated but still manage to get ranked 15 or higher every week. Take USC for example; they have now lost to Oregon and Stanford by HUGE margins, making USC look awful. Still they are ranked in the top 25. Everyone simply thinks they are good, so they get such high rankings. Miami has also lost to Clemson and UNC, two unranked teams, and everyone is still all over them as well saying how good they are. If these teams are so good, maybe they should be winning more of these games that a good team would beat. People need to get off USC and Miami's bandwagons, take a step back, and realize that the best teams need to be ranked the highest. Miami and USC, while traditional powerhouses, are not the best this year. It is OK to let their rankings slide, its not the end of the world.

Terps Lose, Again

2009-11-16T20:14:00.001-08:00

In a nasty game played on a swamp-of-a-field in College Park, the Hokies won big against the deflated Terrapins. Maryland played without their starting quaterback, Napoleon Dynamite, while Tyrod Taylor played a strong game throwing 3 TD passes and no interceptions. The one strong point of Maryland's day was their QB who ran for over 125 yards, same as VT Running back Ryan Williams. Virginia Tech scored touchdown after touchdown, scoring 36 points in all, while the Terps never scored offensively. They settled for a field goal and a fumble recovery TD as their only points. This game went pretty much as expected: a pretty-good Hokie team ran over the weak Terps team. The defense played well, as did most of the offensive stars such as Tyrod Taylor, Ryan Williams, and Jared Boykin. Next up is the NC State Wolfpack, another not-so-hot team.

VT plays hard against ECU

2009-11-10T20:47:00.001-08:00

Virginia Tech traveled down to NC this past Thursday and handed a loss to ECU. Virginia Tech did not play exceptionally well on offense again, but the defense definitely showed up and played hard, holding the Pirates to only 3 points. Tyrod Taylor ran more in this game, even tucking the ball and running on designed QB running plays, something we have not seen much of lately. The Pirate's QB Pinkney had a tough game, never really getting near the endzone and was harrassed by the VT defense all game long. This game should provide the Hokies with some motivation as they travel to College Park, MD to take on the Terps. The Terps have looked even more up-and-down this year than usual and the Hokies should take this game easily. Plus, the Hokies usually hand it to the Terps without much problem.

Oregon Shows Weakness

2009-11-10T20:41:00.000-08:00

The Oregon Ducks, fresh off losing an embarrassing game to Stanford, have decided to reinstate LaGarrette Blount. For those who don't know, Blount sucker-punched a Boise State player after their game earlier this year and then proceeded to try to fight Boise State fans. He basically made a complete fool out of himself and everyone thought he ruined his future. Now that Oregon has lost and need some extra power, Blount is allowed back onto the field for NCAA play. He has been practicing all along but now can play in games. Way to go Oregon; you just ruined your already shaky reputation. If you are going to let criminals and people with such awful character play on your team, you are not helping anyone. This simply shows the coaches and athletic directors have bad judgement and will allow people with bad character to represent their school in the national spotlight.

VT loses to UNC

2009-11-03T14:35:00.001-08:00

Virginia Tech went out last Thursday night in Blacksburg to face the TarHeels and had a poor showing. Tyrod Taylor looked like a freshman QB, scrambling all over and getting sacked repeatedly, throwing passes to noone in particular. Ryan Williams had a decent night but could not break any big runs. The defense allowed UNC's QB and RB to have their way and basically do whatever they wanted. There were a few bright spots for the Hokies: Taylor ran in 2 TDs, scoring the only points of the night. The defense had a decent first quarter and made UNC's QB look shaky. But it all went down hill. This game was similar to the Nebraska game, where it feels like the Hokies are getting dominated the whole time, but somehow manage to stay in the game. This time however, UNC got the best of us. Blame can't be placed on any one person, but some people definitely need to step up. Taylor NEEDS to find some consistency and live up to his hype, and the defense needs to focus and play harder. This is not a solid VT team like ones from the past, even though there is talent all over the field. Next up is ECU, who beat the Hokies last year with a blocked kick. They are an inconsistent team this year, but anything could happen. The Hokies should beat them on Thursday night.

UNC vs Florida State

2009-10-23T19:59:00.000-07:00

After watching UNC blow a big lead over Florida State on Thursday night, I came to a realization; UNC has the most hideous live mascot I have ever seen. Now there are some pretty awesome live mascots: Texas has a longhorn steer, Florida State and USC mascots ride out on a horse, Auburn has a live bald eagle, Georgia has their bulldog. However, UNC has a ram named Ramses (how creative) with painted Carolina-blue horns. How ridiculous is that? Not only is the ram silly looking, but there are news stories out that it killed its father. The rams butted heads, where the young ram knocked off his father's horn, causing infection and leading to his death. I think the picture says it all. Ridiculous.

Thoughts on Bryan Stinespring

2009-10-19T19:45:00.000-07:00

The Hokies offensive coordinator, has been disliked by hardcore Virginia Tech football fans for years now. There are several reasons for this; the main reason is that he seems to call running plays when we need a passing play, and runs waaaaay too many halfback draws, even when a not-too-great halfback in in the game. He definitely does not utilize Tyrod Taylor like he should. Tyrod was the top dual-threat QB in the country coming out of highschool, and he never gets the chance to run. The guy has probably 4.4 speed and moves like a running back but only gets to run when a play gets busted and he has to scramble. Stinespring does not seem to know what a talent he has that he is not using. Also, while we have some spectacular running backs now, there are other plays in the playbook besides halfback draw. Try running outside the tackles once in a while. Maybe even run a sweep or an option; just add some excitement to this offense. The Hokies have some great weapons and Stinespring needs to use them to their full potential.

VT loses in Atlanta, again

2009-10-19T19:36:00.000-07:00

For the second time this season, the Hokies traveled to Atlanta and lost. The first time was to Alabama in a neutral site game. This time they lost to the Yellow Jackets thanks to their quarterback, Josh Nesbitt. The Jackets' QB ran for three touchdowns due to their confusing option set up that allows them to run more than nine running plays with three runningbacks in each direction on the field. While the Yellow Jackets did win, the new rankings show that they are not getting much respect. The team went from 19 to 11 in the AP poll, not that great seeing that they beat the #4 team in the country. Also, it really is not surprising that the Hokies went and lost in Atlanta. VT always seems to have a weak start, start to get hot and win alot of games, lose a few, then go to the ACC championship. EVERY YEAR Virginia Tech loses a game like this. And the Hokies should have won; the Jackets are not THAT good. Now the Hokies are definitely out of the National Championship if they were ever really in it to begin with, and most likely out of the ACC Championship too. Looking on the bright side, Ryan Williams had another strong game despite being ill. He ran for 100 yards with a TD. Not bad for a freshman.