Call to Arms

Gents,

It's late August, and that brings with it a certain feeling. There's something in the air. I notice it every time I step outside.

Maybe it's just reduced humidity. Maybe it's a calm breeze that foreshadows Fall. Or maybe it's all in my head. I'm not sure.

Whatever the case, there's one thing I do know – it's time.

Mack Brown and the Powder Blue Brigade will be here in two weeks. They will ride into town with their chins up, confident in their superiority.

After all, they had their way with us last year. At least offensively. And from their perspective, they fully expect to be better this year. Why wouldn't they?

The AP poll just came out. It says UNC is the tenth best team in the land.

And we got the Coaches poll a week before that. It says UNC is number nine. The boys in Powder Blue are well aware of this.

All the preseason All American lists came out this past week also. If we read them, we'll find Sammy Howell on either the first-team or the second-team lines. The boys in Powder Blue are well aware of this too.

Meanwhile, if we look at the Coaches poll, we will find Virginia Tech way down the list in the "others receiving votes" category. We're a footnote. And if we look at the AP poll, we didn't even make the footnote.

As for preseason All Americans? Forget about it.

It's like we are back in 1995 again. Or maybe 2004. We are the guys who are supposed to show up for a little while to make the TV broadcast relevant.

Make no mistake about it – it's not about us. It's about how loveable old Mack has UNC back in the top ten. It's about how UNC finally has a Heisman candidate. And it's about how UNC is the one team in the ACC who could finally challenge Clemson. We are just a supporting character in the story.

But wait a minute...

Isn't the game in Blacksburg? At night? Isn't this still Virginia Tech?

If the answer to those questions is yes, I think Powder Blue may be in for a little surprise.

As far as I can remember, Virginia Tech took a backseat to nobody. And we always thrived in the Underdog role. Especially in times of duress.

2003 Miami comes to mind. I have never felt electricity in the air like I did that evening.

That's exactly the atmosphere we can recreate on September 3. If we choose to. Call it Statement Day.

Yet when it comes to this season, I'm getting more shades of 2004 than anything else. Remember that year?

The mighty USC Trojans with Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, and LenDale White came east. To meet them was an unheralded Virginia Tech team with a quarterback who nobody thought could throw and two new linebackers who everybody questioned.

See the similarities?

I sure do. And I can tell you this, Statement Day won't come down to an offensive pass interference penalty. I promise you that.

Look, I don't post often. But I do check in regularly. I have seen all the negativity floating around the past few years. And guess what? Others outside the program have too. Look at the first comment in that ACC coaches speaking anonymously piece.

But you know what? I have also seen an uptick in excitement these past few weeks. The heart of Hokie Nation still beats out there. Of that I am sure.

So consider this a call to arms. It's time.

What's happened before is in the past. We can't change it. What's to come is in the future. We can't predict it. But what we can do is make sure that we set things right on September 3rd.

The college football world needs to see that programs who do things the right way can still win.

You don't need waterfalls in the locker room to compete. You don't need people willing to hand 17 year old kids bags of cash to have good players. And you don't need to be hyped up by the media to get passionate fans in the stands.

That's where we come in. Let's show up on September 3 ready to roll.

Let's show the world that Virginia Tech hasn't gone away. Let's make sure they know that this is still Blacksburg. And you don't want to play us in Blacksburg.

That is the opportunity in front of us my friends. It's time.

Let's bring the juice. If we do, the rest will follow. I promise you, Powder Blue ain't ready.

See you on Statement Day.