[Mark Umansky]
Who: Virginia Tech Hokies (3-2, 1-0 ACC) vs. Pitt Panthers (4-1, 1-0 ACC)
When: Saturday, October 16, 2021 at 3:30 PM EDT
Where: Blacksburg, Virginia | Lane Stadium (65,632)
Watch/Listen: ESPN2 / Virginia Tech IMG
Spread: Pitt -6.5
Weather: 58°F, Partly Cloudy
Series: The Hokies are 11-9 all-time against Pitt.
Reppin' TKP: Mark Umansky's photographing.
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LET'S GO!!!
HOKIES!!!!
I did not forget to post the game thread today.
Considering Tech has won 0% of the time when you forget, the chances of winning just went infinitely up, right!?!? /s
I think there's more causation between whenever I go to a game Tech loses. Sorry y'all, won't happen again.
GO HOKIES!
and
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Well here we go.
It's a little early for that, isn't it?
Just getting myself psyched up for whatever happens.
Still to early?
Lol and of course it's homecoming
Heard he was also heavily booed when he came on the screen pregame for ND. A blowout loss today and things could get toxic.
You mean things aren't toxic now? Lol
I mean it sounds link no one's listening so might be toxic but no one it looking at viable treatments.
Not cool.
You cheer your coach (all the way out the door, as far as I'm concerned). You don't hurt the morale of your own team.
Apparently Keshawn King is out for today's game
Did he fumble last week?
Feeling strangely optimistic today. I don't know if it's the stiff breeze whistling through me across the sands of time and space, or what. But I was out and about in Blacksburg earlier, and I dunno. I think I feel a W in the air. Just a vibe.
edit: welp
Crowd looks good!
LET'S GO!!!
HOKIES!!!
Curious to hear later on about today's stadium experience and if there were any more bottlenecks and mosh pits at the student entrance.
Both teams are out of the locker rooms. The stands look pretty full and the fans are jumping. Lets go Hokies!
Good start on Defense
On first down, second down AND third down. Excellent defense!
Hey guys! Watching my Hokies while on deployment in the ME tonight. Been tough to get games over here at times when we can watch. I want this team to succeed so badly tonight against Nardooshy. Go Hokies!
Thank you for your service sir.
good start by the D!
A dead armed QB throwing into the wind...that's fun
Bum shoulder and lots of wind? Let's air it out!
Sounds Corny....
Started at the 50 after a great defensive start and we fail to gain a yard.
What in the absolute heck is this? Can we not run the ball once?
But Corn had to misdirect them! They expected the run! /s
Seriously though, should've tried play action on 1st down
I think the biggest problem with this scheme is lack of physicality. We can't win a battle up front, we always try to finesse our way forward. A dropped out route on first down, then we go to a screen, then a deep heave in third and long.
Close but not so good on Offense
Here's hoping everything clicks today and fu and corn become the greatest minds in football
so... was there a penalty or not?
Running into the kicker. Only 5 yards, so good call to take the punt down at the 6.
Our DL just got manhandled on that QB sneak
Pickets short passes are killing us. I wish we get get pressure on him AND contain/sack him.
DL getting wrecked
Swiss cheese!
Bb. Not the answer. Zero touch
He does not look very A#.
just hold them to a FG plz. EDIT: NVM
lame
They made it look so easy on that TD drive...I'm honestly jealous
Pitt just far more physical. We used to be that team. Lack of physicality has just become our MO.
Soft. Dumb. Weak
Hard smart tough
Yikes
I've seen this movie before and I didn't like the ending. Thinking I've got more of a chance for happiness by watching Kentucky play Georgia.
Going to be a long afternoon
No. Now it ends
-Ned stark
No pressure for the DL. Going to be a long day if we can't get in Picketts face.
Hilarious to me that there are people afraid to fire Fuente because we might "lose" Hamilton. What the fuck has he done to become such an irreplaceable piece in so many peoples' eyes?
There's a decent argument for him (not as head coach, but as defensive coordinator), but this really isn't the place for a recap.
Everything with the Hokies is a work in progress.
Not a great return by Blackshear either.
Announcing crew gushing over Pickett while we're on offense
Yikes
Double coverage? Why not
Wow. Either we're sleep walking, or sPitt is whipping our asses in all physical categories right now...
ooof throw in double coverage
BB just threw that right into tight double coverage.
Really windy Corn, swirling all over. Whatcha thinking?
13 straight passes
Was... Was that HokieMan we saw coming out of the commercial break?
I forget the last time I saw him at a game.
Not gonna lie, seeing him on the broadcast was pretty neat to see
Yay! First down.
I've found taking the opposite approach of an Alabama fan helps with watching VT games these days. Instead of assuming you'll win ever week, assume we're going to get throttled and anything above that is just a positive 🤷🏻♂️
Two Very good passes by BB
We an air raid team now?
Nice pitch and catch by BB and Lofton.
Nice Lofton sighting on the RPO slant, which French mentioned was a key play to attack Pitt.
Boooooooooo
The difference between the push Pitt got on their QB sneak and the push we just got there... wow
Telling. This OL can't get a single yard.
The OL has been a huge stepback this year.
I think our talent went to the NFL and transferred. We got left with a lot of overhyped yapping as our OL leader.
No push at all on that sneak
Not to be nitpicky, but they got two feet of the three they needed. Not enough to be sure.
Why can't Burmesiter audible with the box stacked like that? What the fuck are these coaches doing?
Sigh....
that was the worst qb sneak call of all time, we don't have Logan Thomas or Greg Boone back there
Or Jerod Evans or Brendan Motley Quincy Patterson or Hendon Hooker or (yeah, I said it) Sean Glennon.
Absolutely PATHETIC that we can't make a 4th down from a half yard this year.
Once again, we can't gain a yard. Not one fucking yard.
At least we went under center. I don't think we got it though.
This team needs to play way more loose. We can't impose our will.
nice job O-line
That was a brutal spot. Refs gave up nothing.
Maybe they didn't deserve it, but they certainly didn't give up a quarter inch.
4th and a little more than 1... I'm ok with going for it, but not on a sneak with a small QB. Probably should have handed it off.
how in The Fuck is that the play call lolol
I guess we're making sure Pitt has all the momentum. This game looking done in the 1st qtr
We have one of the best OC's in college football, in Justin Fuente. Upsetting we have no points still!
Lol he is absolutely not one of the best OCs in football. In fact the argument could be made that he's one of the worst along with his boy Cornelson
Think he just forgot the s.
Remember when we used to be able to pick up the one yard we need from anywhere on the field?
Pepperidge Farm remembers.
That certainly hasn't been our hallmark.
Except on special teams.
I'm talking about the olden days. When The Untouchables were around. Or Darren Evans. Or Ryan 'MF' Williams. Or David Wilson....or any of our battering ram QBs.
Now I'm just making myself even more depressed. I'll stop.
I think I would have probably not gone sneak with a small QB and OL that's getting no push there
Well thats the "pissedoff-edness," if pitt did it...
You can sense this game is already slipping away. We struggle play after play and Pitt just waltzes down the field.
Seems like it's gonna be a fun afternoon
Our defenders are getting tackled out there.
I doubt I am alone in this, but I think one of the most telling signs about the state of our program is how minimally, if at all, I react to bad things happening on the football field. I don't think I reacted at all, internally or externally, to failing that QB sneak or the Pitt TD.
Welcome to Apathyville, population: Most VT football fans
I've come to expect failure, so when we do do something good, it's even better
Hey at least Fu isn't playing to try and win and not like a pussy. We at least have that.
And the defense held up well there.
Great field position again. We have got to start capitalizing after these stops. They will score again.
Yeah, probably a lot.
well defense has played well on 2/3 drives
Great hold on by the D
I like the delayed pressure on that 3rd down. Definitely threw Pickett off
Our defense has been good ..... so far
Why did TRobinson cut it back? Looked like he had room on the sideline
The ball was already past him but he got full on tackled.
Boy... uncatchable, but there's no reason to take Tre down there.
How is that not a penalty?
Uncatchable. It was already past him as well, but no need to tackle him. Weird gray area there.
... where's the laundry on that call?
PI?
Turner gave up on the route ever so slightly I think. Just a half step behind the ball.
These announcers are slobbing Pitts knob. Jeez
our offensive line is offensive
Whit, please, I AM BEGGING
OMG WHY THE FUCK DO WE CALL SCREENS on 3rd FUCKING DOWN, ESPECIALLY 3rd AND LONG
Really? Have you not been watching Fuente and Corn?
Because scouting (including French"s analysis) said the linebackers are their weakest link. short passes are hoped to turn into long gains
Another waste of great field position.
i swear we're afraid to tackle with anything but our hands
and we're taking crap angles on the play
"Virginia Tech squanders good field position again" yeesh
Wr screen on a 3rd & 11.
Ironing out the minutiae!
Bb. Zero touch. Never puts air under the damn ball. I love that we are challenging vertically
These announcers are annoying.
Is it bad that I'm hoping for BB to be hurt? Not Alex Smith hurt but miss a few games hurt.
Who are you expecting to step up at QB? Blumrick is hurt, Kadum is a 3rd stringer at best, and Tajh Bullock isn't ready at all.
Exactly. There's no savior on the roster. BB3 is the best option and he should play slot receiver.
Our starter is about to take the field in Knoxville tonight, and our backup is out in North Dakota right now.
PAIN
BB3 would be a great Wes Welker type.
Do we think the outcomes will be much worse with Bullock? A 50 point loss counts as much as a 15 point loss, and Bullock has potential. I'd like to see some potential.
If Fu we're going to be here a few more years, I'd agree. But he's fighting for his job.
Why? Do you want to see Fuente canned? Bullock get some reps? Both?
Bullock... At least he's a freshman. And maybe the running game improves with the threat of the QB keeping...
Yeah, because the options behind him are worse...
We have no major weapon on offense. It is fugly as hell.
Kenny Pickett making us look like a high school team out there
We look terrible all the way around. Only the wind is saving us
Hilarious how true this is right now, else, Pickett is carving us up. He's having as many problems with it right now as we are (as if we needed another hindrance).
And our Defense is trying
flag bailed us out
Was a correct call.
Tripping bailed Pickett out from being rushed.
The defense holds Pitt to force a punt
Thank God we can hold on a 3rd and 19. Tech doing just enough to give my small withered heart hope... just waiting for the sadness to hit
Why are they spotlighting a Pitt guy and not the good work our kids like Brock Hoffman are doing?
As much as it sucks to say, because Pitt is better than us
Who are the announcers?
Andre Ware and some guy I've never seen before.
Jason Benetti
and Andre Ware I think
God our defense backs must be destroyed for all the weight they have to carry
Sure a good job against the high-powered Pitt team. Hw long can they keep it up Really need to get something going on offense.
Unpopular opinion: we need to go straight pass attack so when we run an rpo or a PA they actally bite on
How is it 3rd down already?
Need a first down.
God that play was ugly.
What the actual fuck are we doing on offense
That ball was a wounded duck. Ugly.
we're so fucked on offense
WTF was that?!?!?
Into the wind. BB doesn't have the arm strength or technique to pass well into the wind.
Big ooof
our offense ia hard to watch. Our defense is going to be exhausted at end of game
Yup. Defense is holding now but at this rate Pitt will break away eventually
There's no "coming back for it"
I don't even know what that means.
They are exhausted now
I am very afraid we are going to break our streak of not being shut out since 1995 today.
C'mon man.
What gives you hope that we will score? I haven't seen anything so far that indicates anything in that direction.
We can't run and the wind is going to neutralize any passing game we might have had.
I literally don't know where we are going to get yards.
Punt return or pick 6, I hope.
Think we found the last streak Fu is gonna break before burning our program down.
imagine if we had Hendon Hooker or QP right now
I'm starting to fantasize about rotating in Knox Kadum.
That's not good.
In your wildest fantasy, you dream about Knox Kadum coming in to save the day?
No, my wildest fantasy is that Burmeister starts to show some accuracy and judgment.
But I'm entertaining ANY kind of change.
My new fantasy is that Whit sees this performance and realizes our offense (and main reason for hiring Fuente) is so bad that we need to make the change. Halftime seems like the perfect time for the announcement.
This has to be, pound for pound, the single worst offense in college football when expected talent level is considered.
Given our recruiting efforts, it's only getting worse from here
I don't think that's true, but we do have to hold onto the talent they recruit.
Do we do anything good...or at least competent on offense? I feel like the D is going to keep us in it, but eventually they're going to get tired and the flood gates will open.
Bb. Not getting it done. We have attacked man coverage but we need to get tre a ball that he can at least make a play on.
I feel like this may end up being yet another game where we blame the Defense in the end for being gassed on one last decisive drive...yet, it feels like they have to do this every game now while the Offense flounders.
I can't blame them for being absolutely exhausted and collapsing at the end of shitty performances by the O like this every time.
Except I don't see any reason why we will be in this game late in order to blame it on the defense. We should be so lucky. 🙄
We can't run and our QB has no arm strength
Is there any point where we bench BB for not being effective?
Also how do we bench cornelson in the off-season?
We stuff him into Skipper and blast him into another state.
🤣
We literally have nobody better
So say Fuck it and put in Bullock. He can't be any worse
He could throw interceptions - that's worse. But shy of that, if we're not going to get any completions, might as well give him the reps.
Worse than.... Interceptions??
Already doubled up on TOP. When the d gets gassed and people are piling on, don't forget the offense is anemic and can't buy a first down
D is balling.
Love to see them swarming to the ball like that. Brings back good memories. No lack of effort from the defense today.
WMU put up 500+ yards and 6 ypp on this defense.
D came out to play, but the offense about to go 3 and out again
I don't think Picket is hitting 72% of his passes so far
At end of the first half, he was 60% (15 out of 25) considerable below his average coming into the game. The defense is again playing their hearts out.
Defense is doing everything they can
and doing a damn good job at it.
D has been largely commendable. But with the lack of depth (especially on DL) this level of effort is not sustainable for 4 quarters.
Ups to the defense rn. They playing their balls off
Defense is playing tough. This game so far is ON the offense being dog $hit
If we could get some action from special teams, we'd be back to Beamer Ball.
It is so depressing to always have defensive performances like this and no offense to capitalize on it.
BB3 is hurt just play someone else we're not winning today anyways
Bud is watching the game and screaming...get rid of Cornelson!
"You've got to establish a running game"
Even these announcers have it figured out. Cornelson, nope, let's still throw over and over into the wind.
Our D is going to be gassed by halftime because the O can't sustain a drive
At what point do we start to just hope to see such a miserable product on field that changes have to occur?
Can only answer for me personally, but once it becomes mathematically impossible for us to reach 9 wins this season (including any post-season games) I will be rooting for us to lose all remaining games. Sometimes you have to take a step back before you can move forward or a tactical retreat for a strategic victory.
That's where I'm at.
SIXTY-ONE YARDS ON TWENTY PLAYS WHAT THE ABSOLUTE FUCK......ARKWKDHSJWLEMEJK1&#($)
THIS TEAM MAKES ME FEEL LIKE I'M SMELLING BURNT TOAST RIGHT NOW
And nearly 50% of that is one play....
Damn. BB3 is painful to watch right now. And, we aren't giving Blackshear (or Holsten) any chance of getting into a groove.
Offense doing little to inspire confidence so far outside that RPO slant to Lofton.
One thing you can count on when we play teams whose coaches we hate... they will always have at least one player commit a dumb personal foul/unsportsmanlike conduct against us. Thereby justifying our position.
More jet sweeps please....
Old enough to remember when OL was a relative "strength" of this "offense"
that was last year so I hope you remember
Looks like I missed .... absolutely nothing .... when I took my dog outside on that last offensive series.
I'm shocked. Completely shocked!
Another 3 and out. Yawn. That's the fourth time. My dog is taking a nap and he has as much energy as the Hokies offense.
16 rushing yards so far.
Ugh.
I'm checking out. I am voluntarily going to work for a few hours instead of watching this shit show that is a Justin Fuente offense.
Going to mass this afternoon. Wishing everyone the best and I'll pray for your livers.
D is balling
Excellent play by Garbath
Pittsburgh is proof that you can have an absolute moron for a head coach but a decent OC can give you a spark.
Was true for both of their great offenses 2016 (Matt Canada) and (so far at least) 2021 (Mark Whipple).
So you're saying we should swap Fuente and Corny?
Defense came to play. It's a real shame such a good effort is getting wasted so spectacularly.
There is no plan on O
Defense. Hamilton, this year, is proving his worth.
Once the defense gets tired, this game is going to get out of hand, fast
Logan Thomas, a walk on R-Sr Wr and not as good of an oline and oh yeah O'cain-Spring had better game plans than this-and execution
The defense is going to need an IV, two Red Bull's, an oxygen mask, and a line of coke or they will be gassed by the fourth quarter
YOU HAVE TO CATCH THAT BALL
Uh oh here comes a touchdown for Pitt
Get Braxton off the field. And then fire people.
Terrible call bad execution
Why is it a bad call? It's a quick hitting short pass.
Maybe the players can become the coaches like in Varsity Blues?
RIP they're gonna score here
We have no true offensive threat
Tough break there BB threw a good ball but Robinson slipped.
Did he though? It didn't look close to where he would be.
Welp..another offensive masterpiece here by Brad.
Cornhole's brain is as smooth as his shiny bald head.
Love the shot down the field. Great call Gotta catch
Their receivers are catching those passes, ours aren't.
Yep. That is just the difference.
Difference so far has been 4th down conversion (Pitt)/lack thereof (VT) and WRs catching (Pitt) vs. not catching(VT) catchable balls.
As they revise the standard for that catch.
I thought the ball couldn't hit the ground.
But it was, in fact, a masterful catch.
Changed it after Danny Coales catch.
No, it can. They modified the rule after the Danny Coale Sugar Bowl incident.
Hard to argue with that.
If the ball hit the ground he had it palmed and in full control by that point. Ball's allowed to touch the ground at that point. Just a great catch, as you said.
No offense versus an offense.......this one is over.
That was an insane fucking catch, he earned that one!
Two first downs and 61 total yards for offense. Let's see if they can avoid another three and out
Scott Loeffler is impressed by the lack of production
WOOF
I'm going to keep watching. Because so far this defense has shown guts. Really impressive. Even the wallet defended pass. He was right there. Their guy just made a great catch.
Maybe a third complete embarrassment blowout loss to Pitt in 4 years will convince Whit to make a move, first two sure didn't though.
Some offense would be really cool right now.
Why would you run a play like that to get BB lit up
Looked like Burmeister's call.
Glad I don't drink anymore. Sheesh.
Going to the Huskies homecoming game tonight, hopefully that one is more fun to watch.
I enjoy the the sideline guy acting like Pitt shutting down our offense is something special.
Our offense is just ugly. VT isn't known for incredible offense but we did have an identity. We were going to force you to stop our run and play action.
What do we do well now? I've never seen a college offense this inept.
New Hampshire put up 160 yards on Pitt, UMass had 209 on Pitt. Both scored 7. We're not on pace to match any of that, unless, as others have pointed out, our defense gets so exhausted that Pitt scores several more times and they put in their second string against us. Maybe then we could get something going.
Crazy wind outside knocked out my internet
Maybe it's for the best?
I don't think the offense is fixable.
Blackshear forgot which way to run...
can't run, can't pass. The Defense and ST are going to need to score 35 today.
Fire Cornball!!!
QB draw on 3rd and 14? GTFO
I don't think it was a draw, just BB running when he didn't like what he saw.
Why bother to run that?
You need 14. Throw something.
"There hasn't been a reason to cheer"
Yep, even the announcers know the shit show that is Fuenteball
nice look from ESPN, showing the pre-halftime exodus.
Has anyone mentioned how much our OL has regressed this year? Whoever thought it was okay to get rid of Hudson and Nester are stupid.
It's been mentioned, at least in a roundabout way.
Our crowd is booing our offense. Jesus whit listen to your fans
Fuente after the game "Oh you know, we just didn't execute out there."
I swear to fucking God if he blames the players yet again and completely avoids himself or Cornhole claiming responsibility I am going to fucking explode.
This mf needs to GO
Thats game. Fucking fire Fuente and Corn at halftime. Good grief.
So 84 yds at Halfime..
That's good, right?
Burmeister can't make the passes. There have been two or three today that were intermediate throws that he throws into the ground every time. I don't understand it.
If we keep Corn as our OC let's just change our name to the cornpops.
If this doesn't get Fuente and Corn canned I'm not sure what else will. This is fucking pathetic. What an awful game plan showing. Fuck all of this.
Legit concerned that VT admin just doesn't get it and as long as Fu doesn't embarrass the university, they are fine with him.
Putting this product on the field is embarrassing the University
Unfortunately not to most of the upper admin. They just don't get football I fear and are too focused on image over results.
That's why they scheduled Homecoming for Pitt.
I've been a supporter of CJF, but as this season goes, he either needs to dump Corn or they both need to go. I can't recall the last games I had zero intrerest in watching the 2nd half.. This is embarrassing.
Turning it off. I'll see the lack of progress from my phone. I refuse to invest my personal time for such a cluster
how was that NOT holding? Our guy was taken to the ground in a god damn choke-hold!!!
If we lose, I hope we lose big to inspire change.
nice takedown on barno. Vintage WWF
Sack if he isn't arm barred and tackled
Extra glad I sold my tickets to this shit show.
77 for pitt is holding on every fucking play.
I'm just hoping they can end the half without bleeding any more points.
Edit: Welp
This aged well.
Nope
Do you think Fuente when asked will say with a snark "we didn't just forget how to coach offense", again?
At this point, I'm not sure Corn ever knew how to coach offense. The script is out on how to stop our plays and when Ds do that, we have absolutely no answer.
Defense is toast
This will get very very ugly
Another hold
On the plus side...who watched that Flash trailer?! Man I can't to see Keaton in the batsuit again.
I should've gotten into sports betting before this game. Pitt as a 6 point favorite at the start of this game was absurd.
So Pitt could take a knee the rest of the way and still win by 14+, right?
I suspect they can win by 28 by taking knees
Kinda wish we just forfeit the rest of the year. Im sick and tired of seeing the same shit week in and week out
The UVA game is going to be uggggly. 😫
Sure glad we have two QB whisperers in Fuente and Cornhole!
Halftime. Fire them. Give Ham the head set. This is complete bullshit. This offense couldn't score on a pee wee team. The game plan is shit!
Our special teams have been poor too. Return game, other than the Robinson punt return has gotten us nothing.
Defense is spent and it's not even halftime. They've done everything they can up to this point. The gas pedal is gonna be floored by Pitt now.
I have a feeling Nardouche is just going to run up the score to boost Pickett's Heisman resume.
I have a feeling this game will be the new "Worst Home Loss"
edit to add: I'm legit worried we will get shut out as well.
We are watching the final unraveling of Fuentes time in Blacksburg. It's over. Love the guy, but we got problems. Big big big problems.
Usually I discount mid game takes as overreactions. But..... this time I am inclined to agree.
I agree. If it takes a blow out to clear him out, so be it.
Lmao that one was blatant PI
Ludicrous no call
thats ridiculous pi pi pi
WTF is going on with these refs?
How did we get on the "poo" list of all refs? It's nothing new, they all officiated against us.
In a general sense, I think it's just the low level of competence from ACC refs.
Now, I'm gonna go in conspiracy theory mode for this game -- ACC preferred Pitt to win, because they'd be less likely to embarrass the conference and shooting themselves in the foot in the postseason.
I realize the refs aren't playing a big factor into why we're not playing well, BUT HOW WAS THAT NOT INTERFERENCE?
They just want the shot show to end as bad as we do.
Even the refs are tired of Fuente's shit
They can at least call obvious pass interference.
Who the fuck cares? It wouldn't matter. These coaches would still fuck it up.
We have so few great offensive plays, you hate to see us get robbed of the few that appear to be going right.
Not like this gif.
Hoenstly, what does winning get us at this point?
Winning today gets us a win over Pitt. Also, amazingly, we're tied for the lead in the ACC Coastal.
But yeah, it would lessen the Fuente hate and I get why a lot of folks don't want that.
Congrats! We get one step closer to winning the awful coastal and three steps closer to spinning our wheels longer.
I mean that's what I'm saying. They're so done with him that they are going to give Nardouche calls over him.
These officials are absolute jokes
I'm not drunk. I'm not even angry at this point.
I am disappointed.. I am apathetic. An alum, a lifelong legacy Hokie and I am apathetic. And thats more dangerous than dealing with angry fans. Whit, for the love, now is the time for change.
The officials are fucking idiots.
Maybe Fuente will get so pissed at the refs he'll just punch one and get fired with cause and no buyout. Everyone wins
Only way we get Fuente out is if we can find some cancelable shit in his emails or dm's
Holston got bowled over like a toddler.
My dad moved from Kentucky when he married my mom in the early 90s and became instantly obsessed with the Hokies after being given free tickets. He has poured his heart and soul into this team for years and years. He just threw his hands up and said he couldn't care anymore. Sad day in this house.
Lots of us are feeling this way. Fuente has to be fired.
So are y'all saying that Bullock can't do this?
Fuck it. Throw him out there. The coaches will still fuck it up!
Betting the spread for Pitt was the easiest bet in the world. I should have mortgaged my house on that one.
There was zero logical reason for it to be less than three scores
I'm done and out. I'm not letting my 4 month old son watch this absolute shitshow
This offense is worse than anything we saw under Stinespring
Stiney at least knew how to use Running Backs effectively.
Literally worst no call ever. Wow.
We don't belong in this game, but man the officiating is bad. So many missed holding calls too where DL are dragged down from behind.
they're gonna score right before the half
Really missing a viable TE passing option. Have there been any passes to one of our TEs in this game?
We barely ever throw to the TE
Coming into the season our TE group was considered a strength for the offense as blockers AND receivers. After we lost Mitchel, the bottom seems to have dropped out.
Caleb Smith was targeted at least once.
Kaleb is a WR
Zero attempts to the TEs.
LOL Whit and Justin for thinking we had a chance at the Coastal
Is anyone actually surprised by this so far? Expected this myself, was pleasantly shocked by the d for the first 25min of the game.
No, but I was hoping for something... anything...from the offense.
This team got 44 put on them by Western fucking Michigan. Yeah I'm surprised a P5 offense with decent players can't score on them. Incompetence at the highest level
Have we even crossed midfield today?
Yes.
We had it over midfield when we got the PI no call.
We got the ball AT midfield on our first possession.
Ahh ok. So technically yes, but not really something worth being proud of
If we haven't, that would be truly impressive because we have started at the 50 twice.
We've had some great field position but this coaching staff can't get its head out of its ass long enough to do anything with it.
Can we go 3 and out in 41 seconds?
Well...we did in 0:22 last week
Fuente is such a bitch
Are we not doing offensive line anymore?
Vice has produced a good OL on the field in 1 of the years he's been here, and it was last year.
What has happened to BB?
More important question, how long did he last?
He was never good. We started winning last year when he got benched. He is a faster but still poor mans Brewer. And that is generous. And there is nothing behind him.
You have to understand, according to Fuente this is going to be a breakout year
Fuente letting the clock run right now going into the half. What a fucking coward.
Make the fucking move.
75 total yards in the first half
Woof
Pretty much self-explanatory
...and 30 yards of that was on one play. I'd say it was the only good playcall this far (throw into the teeth of the blitz)
I contend our issue is simply we don't force the issue with anything on offense. It creates a passive mentality on early downs and pressure on 3rd and 4th. Defense doesn't have to play with their eyes and plays straight downhill on the Hokies.
Without a major overhaul like that was done with H2 this year is likely to go majorly downhill. Offensive staff is done - maybe Fuente. To be clear, I actually like Fuente and his fit with VT. The offense though has lacked the ability to adapt to your players for years and is getting worse. That can't happen without consequences.
This is not execution-oriented, but mentality oriented on offense and resembles 2019 minus Jerry Kill.
The sideline to sideline garbage drives me nuts.
Whelp, I figured I'm better off trying to find an open harvest fest in the rain
rather than wasting life on this shatshow. I've got the score popping up on my phone's homescreen and that's plenty enough for me. For the remainder of you fine folks braving it, I bid y'all good luck, &Edit: I'm sorry. Minor correction: I meant ABSOLUTE FUCKIN TURKEY shatshow. There. Yeah. That better.
There are still dozens of us.
We can get Jon Gruden for cheap. Right?
He'd be less offensive than the abuse Fuente and Corn have done to this program...
He can rehab his image, by making us fun to watch again. That means actually winning games @WhitBabcock
I'm watching the rest of this game with morbid curiosity. Just how bad is it going to get?
We will keep the skeleton of Burmeister on the field or say F it and try something different. How much worse can it get?
Good news, we get Dax back in the 2H. Maybe he can play QB and spark our O to do something other than stepping on our dicks.
Not surprising? The fans streaming out now at half time of the exit on the west side is pretty consistent
Happens every homecoming, but I'm sure its on another level this year
West side is way higher on season ticket holders.
On the East side, sure. But these are all big by fans that are older also
They did the students a favor by letting fewer in.
What do you want them to do? Stick around and watch the coaches continue to blow it?
Line sucks, pass rush sucks, receivers aren't being coached. We ran off our two best QB's. How are any of these guys employed
Our pass rush is the reason we're not down 42-0.
This is fucking depressing
Someone please start a fire corny chant in the stands. Make Whit & Fuente literally hear it loud and clear.
Fire Fuente*
It's not like we haven't seen this coming. This offense is so poor I can't even get upset anymore. CornFU is toast.
Enjoying this new experience of watching a coach lose his job in real time. Can't say I've seen it before as a tech football fan.
Not a VT game, but I still distinctly remember watching the 58-0 pounding by Clemson that caused Miami to fire Al Golden.
Who knows, we might even see the same exact results today...
Well. I think all the bad vibes are taking a toll. I know or boys have pride. I hope they can find any kind of spark for the 2nd half. Remember Arkansas bowl game? Feels like looking up a shear rock face wall. Start climbin'.
That locker room had a Sam Rogers in it to spark the team in the locker. Who is that leader this year?
Dax?
No one is dogging the players. I love the effort. Watching the coaches continue to put them in a position to fail is infuriating. These kids deserve better.
You mean the Arkansas bowl game that featured Corny and Fu's award winning offense of Frank Beamer recruited players?
Man that was was one of the worst pass interference no calls I've ever seen.
Yeah, it's hard to imagine what the refs were doing while that happened.
It awarded Pitt 7 points.
There have been a few and they were aggressively holding on those third down runs as well. We're not gonna get shit from the refs today, but wouldn't make a difference either way
Fuente has to go tomorrow. We can't afford to wait. He is doing more and more irreparable damage to our program with every day he remains head coach.
Thats really not true at all I hate this getting parroted. Teams generally get worse after a midseason firing. Save the 2.5 mil and use it to hire a good coordinator for the next coach
There's nothing to save as far as W/L goes this season. However it would send a positive message to the fans that we give a flying fuck about being half decent at football. We can't afford to lose our fanbase. It's the best thing we have going for us.
He should have been fired after the 45-10 Duke game. That was the turning point and there was no way he could come back from that. He has refused to take any accountability and make any changes since then. It's been a death spiral since.
The hard part is that the game I watched before this was Florida-LSU.
So I know it's possible to have an offense that works in college football.
Waller is hurting and has a nasty limp out of the half
Shit. I hope he is ok and then opts out and goes high in the draft
That might explain why their receiver was wide open on that last drive.
Someone needs to can these shitbirds. I'm ready to tear it all down. If I'm going to feel pain as a fan, I'd rather do it with hope of success in the future.
We aren't even playing like we have a top 115 offense.
I'm so triggered by this coaching staff, I made a separate thread for no reason.
I have been anti-fire as long as I can. I didn't want to see the turnover. I didn't want to be a perennial member of the carousel. I didn't want to see recruits decommit and go elsewhere. I didn't want to get a subpar coach just because we needed somebody. Fuck it. Tear it down. Hire anybody who wants the job. It's time to move on. This is the worst offense we've put on the field in my memory (I'm 30). Stiney never had any offense this inept. Beamer never made decisions this atrocious. Our defense has played their nuts off to keep us down only 21. Make the move.
Agreed.
I too had never been pro-fire but, yeah, it's clear this ships is going under. The question is, can we still salvage anything by throwing the captain over now? I think it's worth a try.
I don't necessarily mean tomorrow. But this year is it. Mid season firings rarely work out. But I'm over this. I've never been so apathetic
Fuck this. I'm going to hang out in the hot tub and drink beer while I watch Georgia-Kentucky
You mean you weren't hanging out in the hot tub drinking beer already? I think you're doing' it wrong.
No, because the children are in there (supervised by my sister and brother in law) and I wanted peace and quiet for 3 hours.
So you're just saying you're going to change the channel?
I've never been a fan of firing a coach mid-season but at this point, I see absolutely no downside, and who knows, fresh ideas may lead to progress.
I'm not sure I see an upside to it.
I'm pretty sure people will know if the job is available or not.
It worked out for Dabo and Clemson.
We don't have a coach-in-waiting on the staff.
We don't have a coach on the sidelines either
True but Clemson didn't know they had one at the time.
Ryan Smith or J Ham... bring back Bud Foster. But geez, this is bad
Literally anyone. Or no one would be better.
Stands need to empty and show Whit what's up
When Fuente said bb was finally the guy that could best execute the passing game for Vt (I paraphrase), there are only 2 things that he was doing. 1- giving total coachspeak support for a player he felt needed the morale boost. Or 2- totally misread the capabilities of our qb.
Either way - piss poor. Across the board. It's over. Over.
5 passing touchdowns in 5 games...l"perfect QB for our system"....
Can someone rationalize our play calling into half. Down 21. 2 timeouts, solid 1st down run, don't call a time out. Hurry up offense to a slow developing roll to the left?? What school of thought is that even from?
Don't forget "Coach Mastermind" also took a timeout the play before they scored.
ironed minutia
Do we win another game this season? Dubious.
3 and out
Shocking
What's the record for three and outs in a game? Asking for a friend
Come on Gallo. You should have had that!
Guess the halftime speech didn't work...
nice hands Gallo
Well...when you're targeted once per year...
... you need to catch the ball.
Cant' throw the ball, can't catch the ball.
WTF?
Gallo. Omg. When it rains it pours.
Peoples did a great job there
My 9 year old who has only watched one complete VT game just walked into the room after halftime, saw the score and declared "This is unacceptable!"
Well, he already knows how to be a VT fan.
Waller is in a boot now.
If anybody deservedly could check out on this team at this point to think about his future, it's him, and I wouldn't blame him for doing so.
Come on Pitt, get to 50
Fuck Pat Narduzzi.
Half rooting for Pitt to run it up tbh
Could it simply be that CornFu took the "QB Whisperer" thing too seriously? Could it be that CornFu was actually just whispering to the QBs and not actually talking so that they could hear them?
Yes they whispered "Enter the portal"
So if the way to beat this pitt Defense is passing why dont we put our pocket passer in
Apparently our only option is BB. KK threw an interception, so he's in the transfer portal and they don't want to pull redshirt off Bullock.
Because he's playing for Tennessee.
Fuente trying his hardest to ruin the shutout streak. That would really put a bow on his tenure.
Edit: Whew
Where did our offense go? I'm not surprised, because we rarely seem to play well against Pitt, especially lately, but this is ridiculous. I think it has more to do with our offensive incompetance than Pitt's "vaunted" defense. We'd be struggling against Blacksburg High School playing like this.
lmfao now they throw a flag
Cause Pat was made at them for the poor spot on the prior 3rd down.
Oh...so that's what PI is? /s
So THAT's PI?
Wow.
Nothing consistent there.
That might be enough to piss off some VT players, but who knows.
For fuck's sake, refs. They don't need any help whipping our ass.
3 straight touchdown drives by Pitt in less than 15 mins of play
Not great, Bob
Cut the goddamn cord Babcock.
To be fair, the refs are bending us over with that non-pi call
At the end of the day, even if they call them right, we would still be losing by multiple scores.
⬆️ This
Of course they call pass interference now.
Turn out the lights Fuente the party is OVER.
Thank goodness for these ref's epic troll job so we get a reprieve from talking about our general sucking
I can't even imagine how mentally strong you have to be to take a beating like this, shrug it off, and come back out the next possession and still try your hardest for a coaching team that doesn't give a shit about you, refs which are calling everything against you and without getting paid.
Even if I got paid I would not want to play for Cornelson
I don't think you can draw any conclusion that the coaching staff doesn't care about the players (at least most of them).
28-0 and we are fighting back with an offense that moves backwards more effectively than forward.
This should be the final nail in the coffin, but I doubt it it
It won't be. This will be spun by admin as the QBs being hurt and he needs the resources from the Reach campaign and then things will fall into place. That's how out of touch VT is right now I believe.
Are we being punkd by Ashton Kutcher right now? What the fuck is going on between the announcers and refs?
Fuck
Definitely getting punked.
Yeah... so it is exactly as bad as it seems.
This hurts to watch.
So we wouldn't be in this game anyway, but this has been absolutely horribly officiated. I'm an official and am absolutely not a blame the refs guy. But this has been terrible. It literally looks like they're scared and nardouche. Anybody else realize all the calls/no calls that have gone their way come from refs on their sideline?
We almost got a kick back to the 25.
Big Play Tre sighting!
ESPN is going to great length not to show our stands
Silver lining is Whit won't have any problems with crowd control rest of this year/rest of CJF era.
Fu is absolutely shell shocked. He is terrified to make decisions (which is why they all look bad). He's hoping for some luck to change his fortune. He is coaching with no confidence. He needs to pull BB...if nothing else, but to change the feeling of the game. Start playcalling like you have nothing to loose...because frankly you don't. This season is over, and so is his career. His only hope of keeping his job is to show some improvement.
*edited-there were some shocking autocorrects in there...
I agree with the comment about not cutting back.
That generally has cost VT yards.
The ref threw that more accurately than any BB pass today
😁
Hey, the refs found their flag!
This game feels like the end of the Fuente era, but I don't want to lose JHam...
We gonna end up attempting a FG here aren't we?
no... Fuente's going to let the pissed-offidness get to him and hes going to go for it on 4th.
oh no, a first and goal
We're near the five yard line. Not our best area lately...
Whats the penalty for taking a coward's three here if we don't get this?
We got bailed out by a PI.. so we won't know... yet
Burmeister can't ad lib.
he's running out of moves. Our offensive line caused him to spend all the good ones already
Our red zone offense is showing up brad
Fuente looks completely lost. He's done.
See my comment above. 👆 He is paralyzed.
Honestly, that was a terrible PI. But I'll take it.
Can we score from the 2 yard line?
That was PI, but he should still have caught it.
WHAT A FUCKING CATCH BY ROBINSON
Beautiful one hand catch by #9
Too bad we don't have an O line
THE STREAK IS SAVED!!!!!!
/s
Nice haul by Robinson to avoid the shutout
Wow.
Even WITH the PI
NOT SHUT OUT
STREAK IS STILL ALIVE. LETS GO, BOYS
Fu just saved his job, that will do it.
Well at least we wont get shutout
What a catch, but WHY ARE WE PASSING ON THE 2 YARD LINE WITH A QB WHO CAN'T PASS A BALL
There are so many things that don't work, don't question the things that do.
Because we can't run either...we have 16 yards rushing
Hidden bonus by that TD drive - the defense got a bit of a rest.
i just started drinking, and we finally score... coincidence?
This is probably our best bet for end of 3rd hype music
...where have you been for the last 3 years?!
...i picked the wrong coaching tenure to quit drinking... (???)
Me too.
Did someone phone the refs at halftime and tell them what DPI was?
they must have watched a film.
Or better yet, the game film.
Can't get shut out in year one of your job. That just leads to bad things
I think the game plan of attacking them on the perimeter has been sound. The runs up the guy have been stuffed all day. The man coverage outside has been vulnerable all day. We've had horrible throws, horrible drops But that's been our chance.
The bummer is that this won't be enough for Babcock to make the move.
I planned on going to a church picnic next Saturday. Even better decision now.
That Syracuse RB is a beast
Finally a holding call...our DE have been tackled all day.
And a 3 and out.
Maybe because the Defense had a bit of a rest?
I didn't catch it at half, but we're down 7:00 TOP (gotta believe it got better in the 2H). Definitely didn't get any rest in the 1H.
35:00 to 19:00 right now. Amazing our D has held up this well, this long.
The crazy thing is they have had a few three & outs today. Tech has just doubled or probably tripled that number
Hopefully it isn't too late but our Offense has shown some life but our receivers have to hold on to the ball.
Drop. Hahaha. Omg.
even this guy could've caught that pass
Classic VT football. Go for 15 when you need 5
To be fair, he only threw it about 4 yards
... and go for 5 when you need 15
4th and 5...throw an uncatchable 6 yard pass...yikes
Absolutely awful throw under no pressure with unlimited time on 4th down.
What the blue hell was that throw??? It was 4th down - just fucking scramble or something if nothing is there??? The ball goes back to them regardless.
That 4th and 5 pass was awful.
How do you throw it out of bounds on 4th down?
THAT was a fourth down pass?!?!
Bb???????? What happened there???
who was that pass to?
Great d. Great stop.
It's weird...our D has given up 28 points...yet feels like they have played great.
The refs gifted them 14 with wrongful PI non-calls/calls
When the refs started calling holding, the Pitt offense got a lot more limited.
And pass interference - but maybe you meant that
I meant holding. VT has a decent pass rush if they aren't being held, but the PI calls are helpful, too.
It's nice that the refs showed up for the second half.
Zone iso run for 6 yards...pretty good call. Think it's the first time I've seen it run this year.
How empty are the stands? ESPN are doing everything in their power not to show the stands
We're going to make this a tight final score and Fuente lives another week, aren't we?
Fuente is not going to get fired mid-season unless it's for cause. And while we all would like the state of our football program to be a cause, it's not.
He was living regardless. I don't think he gets canned at year end even if we lose out...think he would be given ultimatum to make staff changes...and I, not sure they even do that. It's weird.
Our DL has played their asses off today.
Down 3 TD's going into 4Q and CJF specializes in using clock. Let's see our hurry up O in action.
Now we start running the ball, baby!
...and got no points...playing the long game of field positioning. This guy is a genius.
A designed QB run?
fake punt? why not
He should throw a pass!
Just go for it. We're down 21 with 13 minutes to go. If you want to win (lol) you have to go for it.
There is no way we get the balls enough times to score 3 Tds.
I see what you did there.
Our Offense is pathetic, there is no other fitting term
I believe you're looking for the vent thread. There's a halftime one.
Predicted Outcomes®️
Such a typical Year-1 game.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stickum
I know it's been said, and I'm already drinking so I'll say it again, this is painful. Physically painful.
Nice break on that punt.
Had a flash of optimism, but glad we're back to the same old incompetence. /s
Backhanded hot take: VT is the best 3 yards/play team in the country.
Abanikanda is a beast.
We need one of those.
That you can spell his name makes you a beast.
He is elusive as fuck!
Arm tackling and shoving isn't going to bring him down.
No he isn't. Our defense is making him look like one though. We can't tackle, have no interest in wrapping-up, and absolutely cannot get a clean hit on anyone todya.
Surely one of our 10 (!) scholarship backs is as good. /s
He's your typical tough, hard-running back that Pitt seems to always have. It would be nice if we had some RBs like that instead of guys that seem to be afraid of contact.
Exactly.
We should have at least one or two of those.
I thought Marco Lee was supposed to be such a back.
Woof, just checked the stats. BB 11/32. Didn't realize it was *that* bad.
Check out our rush yards per attempt
A reminder. The #5 rank Hokies mens soccer team plays Wake Forrest at the top of the hour on The espn app
is there any pregame coverage we can switch over to now?
I honestly wish😂
No cap about to turn it on. Thank you for alerting me it's on!
Pitt is 6 of 16 on 3rd down? Why does it feel like 15 of 16?
Because earlier in the game, the refs didn't know what PI was.
Because it feels like 15 of 16 when comparing it to our putrid offense
They are just going to run it down our throats.
We have struggled with tackling
Why wouldn't they
They are done
4th and 1 up 21...no way they punt. Fu would though
Nardouchi always plays aggressive.
If he doesn't make it, he argues with the refs.
It's almost like he has a plan or something.
The inches he needs are all around him.
We stop them for 1 yard on 2nd, 3rd and 4th down...and they get the 1st by 6". Nobody should badmouth this defense.
LOL.. "the way the Pitt defense has played..."
These commentators are too afraid to call it like it is.
Yeah "out of their minds"...sheesh
Although the wind with punts giving Pitt the ball at about midfield for all of the second qtr didn't help
I can't think of a more fitting ending for this putrid, shit game than Pitt shoving it down our throats
Just put us out of our misery please
A more fitting ending would be us shoving it down their throats, but that wouldn't put us out of our misery.
they might as well play the backups now, this game is done no need to risk injury
umm... the risk to the backups? I dont want them hurt since they're the only option we seem to have left.
We don't play backups. Starters play even if they're hurt. "I want to be the best player development team in the country" - Justin Fuente
28-14 looks a little better....
3:34 left...we need 3 possessions, yet Timecop sitting on 3 time outs.
The refs keep looking back at Fu to see if he wants to call one
You want this to take longer?
At least we get to watch HH tonight.
If Cornelsen isn't fired after this mess then Fuente deserves to get axed!
"but the players didn't execute" said in Fu's whiny voice
Cornelson should have been fired last year.
The fact he's still here now with this shit show means Fuente got to go
Babcock have a fucking sack
At this point Fuente could rip off 6 straight wins and it wouldn't save him
Sad thing is, it would...
Throwing to the end zone on 4th and whatever up 21 is straight trolling by Nordickwad
At least CornFu found a solution for controlling the 'disrespectful' student fan base. /s
2:00 left, need 21 points...who bets we don't even get a first down?
WE GOT 2!😭
You know what sucks most about losing to Pitt? We used to be them-just at a higher level
If Picket is done for the day, he ends up 59% (22 out 37) well below his 72% average coming into the game. Kudos to the defense for that.
So Knox is still on the team.
28-7 and the only points we scored was heavily bailed out by a series of PI calls.
Not great, Bob
Not UNUSUAL, Bob
That they did not call for most of the game.
Those were actually good calls, though, unlike a couple of the ones they flubbed in the first half that resulted in Pitt points.
glad to see next week's starters are getting some reps
Put the 3rd string QB in and 3 straight runs...I'd say that's giving up.
4
5
Would have been 20 if we had more clock.
You saw the game, right?
I am not even mad. I just don't much care anymore
Fire them all. They deserve it
Except Smith. He only one worth his weight rn
223* yards of offense is the lowest in the Fuente era
ok people... you know what to do
I think we had a halftime preview.
Every team Tech has left to play is licking their chops. I just hope it doesn't take years to recover from the Fu-fiasco!
The Fuasco.
Just need a meh thread. Not even mad really.
That's the emptiest I've ever seen Lane before a game was over.
I never thought we were gonna win but I'm mad because it wasn't closer.... the picked up PI gave Pitt 7pts that they wouldn't have gotten... this is what Fuente has turned me into. I want a close loss.. smh
I have been a Fu supporter. I also stated not firing Corn-In-My-Shit last season would lead his demise. Well, it's here. Unfortunately, no matter how this season ends, it's time. I wish it didn't come to this. It's sad really.
Yeah, I'm in the camp that Corn needs to be fired, and if the only way to do that is to send Fuente packing, then so be it.
I see going to mass tonight was the right call.
Hopefully Witt and the admin makes the right call soon.