Slept On It : East Carolina

They simply outplayed us.

I have no idea if those words were uttered by Frank Beamer while addressing his team following Saturday's loss. It wouldn't surprise me if they were. Frankly (no pun intended), I hope that's exactly what he said. The truth hurts.

Being told by your coach you just got beat is a breath sucking punch to the gut. It's similar to your father punishing you with nothing more than a head shake and dead look in the eyes. Excuses and self pity are no longer coping mechanisms. The disappointment known then would be permanently burnt into your memory, serving as motivation to ensure that whatever it was never happened again.

This Virginia Tech team is young and inexperienced at many key positions. Our 21-year-old quarterback — fresh off a resounding victory in hostile territory — had only 2 career starts going into Saturday's game. Saturday's two leading running backs and receivers were taking their SAT's a year ago. And our all-world defensive backs, who gained national acclaim for their performance at the Horseshoe last weekend, are still true sophomores.

Much like the Ohio State victory would serve as a confidence builder for this young team, Saturday's home loss to the East Carolina Pirates will serve as an example for how quickly things can change.

ECU came out firing, playing directly into the hype surrounding our defensive backs by lobbing jump balls down the sideline play-after-play. ECU quarterback Shane Carden's throws aren't going to be shown in a George Whitfield instructional video anytime soon, but they were thrown in such a way that allowed his tall, physical receivers to go up and compete for the ball in one-on-one situations. Time after time the Hokie defensive front would get quick pressure on Carden, only to see him flick the ball down the sideline before they could hit him.

It was the perfect response to Bud Foster's aggressive defensive scheme. Against inexperienced dual-threat quarterback J.T. Barrett, the Hokie defense was able to apply relentless pressure. Barrett was forced into making immature decisions, reverting to his comfort zone of utilizing his athletic ability to try and escape the pocket. ECU Offensive Coordinator Lincoln Riley, an up-and-coming offensive mind from the Mike Leach coaching tree, learned from Barrett's mistakes and exploited the Hokie scheme by stretching the field against quick pressure. Veteran signal caller Carden continued to plant his back foot and put the ball where his receivers could compete for it.

With each deep reception, the pressure to engineer a sustained drive continued to mount on the Hokie offense. You could see the players press, trying to make something happen on every play. Brewer forced passes and receivers looked up-field before securing the catch. The poise that the offense exhibited a week ago was gone, replaced by bewilderment and imprudence.

After falling behind 21-0 in the first quarter, the team settled down and mounted a comeback over the next 43 minutes. But even while doing so, there was an uneasiness about every operation. Defensive stops felt like escapes; offensive scoring drives lacked assertion; and all the while fans were left wondering where that gutsy team from a week ago had disappeared to.

Some will chalk it up to a hangover, jaded by spending a week being told how great they were by both their peers and the national media. Others will say the Hokies fell victim to a "trap game," sandwiched between a marquee out-of-conference matchup and the always important Coastal Division battle with Georgia Tech. Calling Saturday's performance either is a cop-out and undermines both the focus of the coaching staff and the mental composition of the players. Anyone who thinks this team overlooked the Pirates spent more time basking in last week's victory and less time paying attention to the words coming out of practice. The Hokies were prepared going into Saturday's game, they simply got beat by a focused and determined East Carolina team.

As Hokie fans, we're all scarred. Promising seasons have been abruptly derailed by stunning performances at Lane Stadium. And while many of those teams were able to build off of those losses and ultimately win division and conference championships (e.g. Matt Ryan and the 2007 Boston College Eagles), many fans continue to reminisce with the all-too-common question of, "what if?"

We're all reminded of the empty trophy case that once stood in the Merryman Center, a specter emphasizing those near misses and tough breaks. The win over Ohio State buoyed the hopes of the fanbase, leading many to believe that this program had turned the corner. And as quickly as those hopes appeared, for some, they vanished following Saturday's loss.

As fans, it is important that we all maintain perspective. This young Hokie team has shown flashes of what is to come, but Saturday reinforced that there is a ways to go. The Ohio State victory will continue to be a landmark moment for this program, regardless of how the rest of the season plays out. Despite leaving the 'Shoe with a victory, it was by no means a perfect performance. Teaching moments exist in each and every play, regardless of their outcome. Success or failure. Win or lose.

The same can be said about Saturday's tilt with ECU. You can be sure that the coaching staff will take advantage of the game tape to continue improving the individual and collective performance of this team. Coach Beamer admitted as much after the game, saying, "I don't think I've ever had a game that I felt like when we look at it we can learn as much as we can from this one."

After playing a talented South Carolina team tough a week ago, ECU's victory proved that they're no slouch. Despite its youth, Tech showed amazing determination to climb back after a three touchdown deficit. Even when things weren't running smoothly, both sides of the ball gutted it out to create a realistic opportunity to leave with a victory. The freshmen had their ups and downs, but a lot can be said for Brewer's growing trust in young guys like Isaiah Ford and Cam Phillips.

What is important is how this team learns from this loss and builds off of the experience. For many of the younger players, experiencing the highs and lows of college athletics in back-to-back weeks is a sobering affair. How they respond in less than a week's time against a challenging Georgia Tech squad will tell us a lot about this Hokies team.