End Zone Hugs!
Coach Gray started at rover in 1994 and '95 before moving to safety for his senior season. He was tied for the team high in interceptions in '93 and '94 with 3 and 4 picks respectively. He finished his career with 9 total interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, and was named All-Big East in '94-96.
Trivia*:
This afternoon the Hokies held their second and final public preseason scrimmage. Lucky for us campus correspondent James (@hokie8807) was in attendance. First do me a favor and bookmark James' blog Inside the Cassell for everything going down on the hardwood and then checkout his scrimmage details after the jump.
"I appreciate Virginia Tech's confidence in me leading this program," said Beamer, who is entering his 24th season at the helm. "I believe that continuity has led to the consistency in our program, and we hope for even better days ahead."
Negotiations for the compensation package will begin in January of 2012 to be effective with the start of the contract extension.
via: Hokie Sports.com
And now for the finale of The 20 Years of Memories. If you’re unfamiliar with what this is all about check out Part 1. These last ten are fresher in my mind than the first and therefore they are a bit more satisfying and sobering.
The Wedding - November 25, 2000 (-)
VT 42
UVA 21
Let's see, the most electric football player of the last decade was playing in Lane versus an over matched Hoo squad. That certainly sounds like a good memory to have, but I have a different one for a much better reason. I was married that day... during the game. It was a beautiful ceremony and reception in the Chrysler Museum. I missed all of Michael Vick’s last home game. I still get grief from my friends over the date selection FAIL.
The Head Ringer - December 1, 2001 (Live)
Miami 26
VT 24
Eventual National Champion Miami dominated everyone in 2000 with their two-deep NFL roster. They were putting it on the Hokies early, but the lunchpailers eventually fought their way back into it. Eric Green* blocked a punt with a little over six minutes to go that was scooped up by Brandon Manning and taken to the house for six. The fans erupted during the block then seconds later after the score that left the Hokies only two back of the mighty Canes. It’s almost unfathomable that my loudest Lane moment came during the SEZ expansion when the stadium was at less than total capacity. Minutes later the deafening joy turned to silence when Ernest Wilford dropped a gimme two-point conversion.
via: http://tiptop25.com/
Coale's catch and run was a thing of beauty, but we all know how that played out. Now look at the story told by the faces of the coaches, players and fans in the stands by their gambit of emotions: shock, anticipation, exhilaration, joy, ..., and what have you.
I'm voting in the 2010 BlogPoll along with over 100 other bloggers. The BlogPoll is different from the other major polls because it is transparent and the voters actually watch a bunch of different games. We're not coaches or mainstream media beholden to one specific team or beat. After the jump you'll find my preseason ballot. I encourage you to leave feedback, because you have the power to sway my vote with a good enough argument (straight cash will do too).
In twenty more days we'll all be playing cornhole at FedEx. And if you don't know by now the boards below belong to BeerControlOffense.
I'm jealous.
Logan Thomas was named QB-two yesterday. This should not come as a surprise to anyone who has watched or read about any significant portion of practice since spring. He's outperformed Ju-Ju on the field and the upside of his athleticism is a bonus. The experience of all the backup reps during the fall will give him the inside track to be the starter going into spring 2011. In fact, it will essentially guarantee him the job. However, my opinion contradicts what Mike O'Cain has said.
Below is evidence of actual, real Virginia Tech football being played, well practiced, from Saturday's scrimmage. I just wanted to reassure y'all that the team is doing its part and this countdown will conclude with the playing of a game.
The rest of the gallery can be found here.
Trivia*:
I finished watching College Football Live at 9:58 this morning. Afterwards it became evident that I needed more of a football fix than listening to the ESPN talking heads. Solution, the Hokies' first public scrimmage was this afternoon at 4:45. I was in the car at noon, arrived in the 'Burg at 4:15 and was in Lane Stadium with 15 minutes to spare.
Fast forward to 8:00 pm. Sitting to the left of my laptop on this wobbly hotel desk are 3 notebook pages full of shorthand. It looks like English encrypted by an Enigma Machine. It's inexperience at its finest. I'll take better notes the next time, but for now here's my best decryption.
