Reflecting on the 2013 Regular Season

Virginia Tech's regular season is over. I hate this time of year. I'm sad there's no game to look forward to next weekend. Although, now there's a complete body of work to reflect on.

Tech's 8-4 record was a reasonable expectation at the beginning of the season. Lose to two-time defending national champion Alabama in the Dome, on the road against Georgia Tech on a short week, against a talented Miami in Sun Life Stadium for the second season in a row, and stumble against a random unexpected team. If there's a neat way to go 8-4 against this schedule, that'd be it. Instead, over the course of the season Tech edited and rewrote its narrative.

It's cliche to say, but this was a roller coaster season. It was a long uphill climb against the Tide with no end in sight, there were screams of excitement throughout HokieNation during the 6-game win streak, and beating the Canes was an unexpected thrill nestled between abrupt bumps—losses to Duke, Boston College, and Maryland. The cart didn't derail, the Hokies beat the Hoos, and earned 10-straight wins over Virginia that will be celebrated until we all die. But it's over now (at least until the bowl game).

Unlike every season since 1999, this year wasn't about returning to the national championship game, it was about returning to Virginia Tech Football. Frank Beamer made that clear when he turned over his staff and stressed words like "physical" and "tough" throughout the spring and August camp.

For most of the season the defense played splendid. However, injuries and a diminishing pass rush down the stretch keeps them from being mentioned among the all-time Hokies best, at least in my mind. But, no one was worried about the defense in August, at least I wasn't. Most of us knew they'd be good, and they were good. Bud Foster is going to Bud Foster.

Last season Frank Beamer decided to fix his broken offense. Statistically speaking, the offense is worse this season than last. According to cfbstats.com, Tech was 83rd in total offense last year (376.8 yards per game), while they rank 99th this season (359.1 yards per game). However, it is unfair to judge progress on statistics alone.

The offensive line is in good hands moving forward with Jeff Grimes. Five familiar faces returned in 2013 (Farris, Wang, Miller, Gibson, and Benedict), and Grimes had them playing visibly better than his predecessor. Jonathan McLaughlin struggled, but not nearly as much as anyone would have expected a true freshman to. With only Miller departing, a buzz around Alston Smith and Wyatt Teller, and 5 promising recruits set to sign in February, the offensive line should become a team strength. For a long time Virginia Tech football won games because they were more physical in the trenches.

I'm convinced the passing game will flourish under Scot Loeffer, but I'm not sure if that'll come at the expense of running the ball. After he was hired, Loeffler made it clear he likes to run the ball. Maybe he likes throwing it even more? Given that Loeffler's offense was built around Logan Thomas, I didn't get a sense for what a Loeffler offense would be moving forward. I resigned myself in January to knowing this offense would struggle. And that wasn't because of the specific coaches hired, but rather a lack of talent and depth. Changing an offensive identity and restocking the cupboard doesn't happen overnight. Still, I hoped to be left at ease knowing that the struggles were worthwhile. In my mind an, "OK, we were bad, but I can see us being better next year," would've sufficed. I might be the one who is blind, but I didn't see the vision for the future. It's unfair to be critical of a rebuild in year one, but it's reasonable to expect dividends in year two.

Aside from A.J. Hughes, special teams were wildly inconsistent all season. Beamer's attachment to Cody Journell was borderline embarrassing, especially given Frank's history as a no-nonsense head coach. However, he's always been loyal to a fault, which has both served him good and bad over his tenure. Journell was the best kicking option on the roster, but I'd take Walmart (Eric Kristensen) trying his best over a black eye. I defended Journell after his breaking-and-entering charge. (I believe in second chances.) With hindsight, he should have been tossed then and there. Regardless, return and coverage must improve. Given that Frank Beamer wants to play a field position brand of football, those units have to play perfect for the team to succeed.

I'm still playing the what-if game thinking about the Duke, Boston College, and Maryland losses. Tech found a way to lose three games against programs they've traditionally dominated. If the Hokies want to compete for ACC Championships again, that needs to be corrected. As we learned this season, all conference games matter. With that said, they were 3-, 7-, and 3-point losses, respectively. Tech was really "one block", interception, field goal, cut, bad play call, etc... away from starting a new 10-win streak.

The toughest thing to swallow is even though this season shouldn't have been special, it could have been special.

The bowl practices will allow the coaches a chance to work with the players expected to contribute next season. A win in the bowl game could be a springboard for an improved 2014 campaign. When I was a student the phrase, "We don't rebuild, we reload," was usually the conclusion for any given season. We are in the middle of rebuilding. However, there is quality young talent on the roster, and more signing in February. We'll know a lot more about where this program is headed at the end of next season. It just sucks that's so far away.