A Thought on Fuente's Up-Tempo Offensive Philosophy and its Implementation

While Hokie Nation braves the doldrums of the offseason, Virginia Tech strength and conditioning coach Ben Hilgart prepares the team physically and mentally for its upcoming season. Tech's offense needs both that Ricky Bobby I wanna go fast mindset as well as the stamina and strength to actually burn up the field.

Mike Barber posted a brief interview with Hilgart last Thursday, and Hilgart's quotes allow me to reiterate a point I conveyed during spring ball.

"We're totally in line with how we train and how we play is the same thing," said Ben Hilgart, Tech's first-year strength and conditioning coach.

"A big goal of ours is to last fast and stay stronger longer. That's part of tempo."

"We train that way. We train with a great sense of urgency," Hilgart said. "Our guys our focused throughout. If you came to a practice and you came to a lift, I'd like to think they'd look very similar."

It's no secret Justin Fuente wants to mash the gas pedal when Tech's in the driver's seat with the ball, and all aspects of the program reflect his up-tempo vision. Contrast Fuente's philosophy and execution with what Bucky Hodges said in March about Scot Loeffler's offense under Frank Beamer.

"The tempo is very fast," Hodges said. "Getting adjusted to that, because we never did that since I've been here, it's a process, but I'm getting adjusted to it. The best thing is the tempo is hard on us right now, but it's gonna be hard on other teams during the season."

Throughout his tenure, Loeffler went up-tempo as a package ("six reps of sonic, man!"). This season and beyond, playing with a sense of urgency will be part of the offense's soul. Practice is built around it, conditioning is built around it, drills are built around it. Virginia Tech's offense will have an actual focused identity and everything the team does will reflect and reenforce it. For the first time in a long damn time, the Hokies' offense won't be an an amalgam of concepts.