Who: Virginia Tech Hokies (2-2, 1-0 ACC) at North Carolina Tar Heels (3-1, 0-0 ACC)
When: Saturday, October 1, 2022 at 3:30 PM EDT
Where: Chapel Hill, NC | Keenan Stadium
Watch/Listen: ACCN / Virginia Tech IMG
Spread: VT +9.5
Weather: 60°F, Mostly Cloudy
Series: VT owns a 25-13-6 advantage in the series.
Reppin' TKP: Not today.
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Comments
LET'S GO!
HOKIES!
I mean, it's game day and this thread only goes up 40 minutes before kickoff?
Yes I'm salty for other reasons.
Yep. That's where we are.
So I found a bottle of whiskey today doing some cleaning, and I've decided to save some money and drink the whiskey instead of buying beer.
Positive expected outcomes.
I bought a handle of wild turkey for the season. It's a quasi-tradition to do a shot for kickoff and after big plays or if the team needs some mojo, but after last weekend I think it'll just be the beverage of choice for the season.
For the season? That's my weekly buy (101 too)
101 is definitely my budget gem. I'm a big rye fan so those higher proof high-rye bourbons are my favorite.
It's rainy and chilly out so I'm thinking about breaking out a bottle of Talisker or Kilchoman today.
Whisky >> Beer... Always.
We shouldn't win but I have a feeling we are in for a good game with a game winning drive to pull off the upset.
I like the way you think. LET'S GO!
"Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?!?"
I'm torn. I want to win, but getting the number one draft pick would be nice.
I lol'd at this
Imagine losing helping you with recruiting lol...now that would be a game changer in CFB
The ACC Network. My least favorite way to watch VT games.
Flaky streaming, mind numbing commercials.
But you know what? I'll take it.
What about the awesome camera work?
I'm partial to the commentating myself
My favorite is the replays that don't happen when they need to.
Nothing compares to them talking about a play they're not showing.
I don't want your opinion, I want the replay.
Just hoping they can get all the players on the line of scrimmage on the screen this week. Low bar for these guys.
Ready to be hurt again baby
Stomp the Heels!
I mean, I hope. But it's hard to muster up hype or hope.
But I'm watching regardless, and I'm here. Lol
I hear you!
Go HOKIES! Give unc a severe case of plantar fasciitis.
... Louisville in a close one with Boston College. How Sway?
Here we go
LETS GO!
HOKIES!
Are we starting late or what?
Sparse crowd in attendance
10's of fans filling Keenan today.
Well that was a lucky drop
Missed tackle = first down.
Let's see what Bowen cooked up this week
For as many penalties that were called last week on close plays there have already been several times this game the refs have swallowed the whistle.
RPO?!
Nice move by Smith for the YAC
I surprised that Caleb Smith caught that. Grant wells just absolutely wung it in there
Self defense
He has the best hands on the team
Is their #5 on D, Bakkot from hoops team?
No, that would be Armando Bacot, not D Bakkot.
Yeah. Same guy, amirite?
and we have our first 5x 40 yard sprints going to a seasoned vet... smh
And so the penalties begin...where's my beer
Oh, good. We're down in the scoring zone.
And the penalties begin.
Like that Wright has found some PT...good first series other than that false start
It looks like our offense is working the outside
Yeah...seems to be an early emphasis to run outside the tackles. If so...the OC is learning what we do and don't have in the running game.
Yay points!
I like those
Gobble Gobble
Chumps!
Wright is a load
Like what we're seeing from Wright. Good hands on both those catches. And Ross money as always
So who does sprints for a delay of game?
OC.
Not a bad opening drive. Got some yards on the ground and found a WR/TE.
Nothing like another momentum-derailing penalty to start this game off right!
I'm begging Wells to say "scared money don't make money".
Would make sense. Wells is Willis
Edit: Wells is Wills, but not as goos
Have you every seen them both in the same room at the same time?
Dzansi sure has been a disappointment this year for a 5th year senior
Not gonna win this game on Feind goals but happy to be the first team on the board.
Looks like we are running it outside with some success. King had some nice runs.
Just keep churning and scoring. Okay good D and hope something breaks loose for the O.
Everyone asking for runs off tackle, there we go. Looked decent. Now if the O line would stop taking penalties. . .
Can we not get the man a freaking laminated playcall sheet???
I'm sure opposing fans won't make a gif of that...lol
Gotta wrap up better if we want this one.
D line looks bad bad
Gonna need to make a lot tackles in space at the second level because of it
Hard to do consistently
Yep especially with shaky turf
Peoples did literally all he could there...just hard to stop the forward momentum of a 220lb. RB no matter how well you stick and wrap.
I liked how the announcers said we were 0-1 in the ACC and that Kaleb Smith was out leading rusher.
ACCN is garbage. Was it hassleback?
I don't know...some lead-footed former BC quarterback.
I think it was the other guy.
But either way, this is the same crew that called the BC game.
Lawson looks like a spider out there. Dude is all arms and legs. Hope he can pack on some pounds and keep this wiggle.
We can't get those breaks ugh
Too much time in the pocket
I'm sorry to say it but Dax is so slow it's painful. TE looked about twice as fast as him
That wasn't the person Dax was responsible for.
I didn't say it was
Think that's why they have Lawson out there to get more speed. Dax is there as a run stopper. Think they motioned us out of coverage.
Dax is the one consistent guy on the defense love his effort he ain't the quickest but he's been our most reliable guy. Nose tackle got held like hell which got missed on the td
I don't think that was Dax's man or zone
Well...at least he wasn't wide-wide open...
Chatman slipped there or we likely get the stop. Unfortunate.
Chatman slipped there, damn.
Sloppy field gave us the long completion to Smith and gave them the TD when the defender slipped.
I thought Jordan spent more money into the turf?
Those are the game winning plays we need to start making. Stop there sets the tone
This defense has its bright spots, but is showing some cracks against better offenses.
Need to get 3 and outs on their own side of the field, because they are not scared of going for it.
Oh how I miss a jet sweep ...
You're my boy blue!
Jet sweep. Jet sweep. jet sweep.
We should run the ole'Mayor play with Wright.
Pry knows defense.
He's going to make these guys better.
Lofton has to catch that ball
Should be a top priority
Damn it. That was a 1st down. We can't drop these passes today.
Wells dropped a well thrown ball
Wells has played a good game so far
How did Fuente recruit 20 receivers that are all undersized and bad at football.
He also recruited some good ones, but they left, along with Tennessee's QB.
He was really focused more on the undersized running backs.
Fuente recruited a lot of good receivers, he just couldn't keep them? In general it seems like he must have been a hard guy to play for, the roster was such a revolving door.
Turns out "revolving door" isn't such a great recruiting strategy.
'N'O-line will kill us..
Just noticed no Strong today either...
Think it's the first half for targeting last game
That's Stroman.
No pressure on Maye is going to make it a Looooong day
Receivers are getting open too...if Maye starts connecting it's a wrap
Greene (#3) vs. Murray is not a good matchup for us
Murray needs so safety support he's getting torched
Our corners play soft coverage and still get burnt lol 🫣
Sad...
Strong is out and Stroman has to sit the first half for targeting yall. Might be why we are seeing some errors in the secondary
I like marve (I think) making our players go for the ball even though the whistle was blown.
Our tacklers are in the right place to make the play but are just bouncing off the unc ballcarriers.
They look like they are playing a touch slow because of the footing, so they can't drive through the ball carrier.
one penalty so far...it's already a better week. /s
But it's also early...
Unc is picking the defense apart...UNC should be up to at least 21 points by now. They just need their qb to start connecting and it's over man
Whatever defense we are running to prevent this QB from running is not working.
How many 4th downs can you give up? UNC isn't afraid to go because they know our offense sucks
They should always go for it. Why not? Worst case we get the ball back, do nothing with it and punt.
Maye is getting ZERO pressure
unreal
Conner is trash in coverage...also the fact that they went for it on a 4th and 7 says they have no respect for our offense
Downs pushed off on him
Cool.
shit coverage by Conner... our vets are poop
This is gonna be ugly
That just can't happen.
D has to find a way to get off the field
Chamarri...WHATE YOU DOIN MAN
This team stinks. They don't have D1 talent, and it's inexcusable, no matter how bad the last staff was
What the fuck
Is it too early to start the vent thread?
Nope
Maybe we could learn to throw the ball on 4th down as well.
Hate to say it, but with our offense, we really need to keep UNC out of the endzone.
Why do you hate to say it? The offense stinks. We've all seen it. They're making the UNC defense look good.
Plays like that will lose you a game.
This game is gonna be a blood bath
And we're bleeding bad
Like that Hassleback said "UNC is rolling"...they are up 11 mid way through 2Q. Think rolling is a little heavy handed.
Okay...now they're rolling
With our offense, being down 11 is like another other halfway decent team being down 24
Now no pass coverage.... Long day
We are slipping and sliding all over the place, new stud pattern needed?
Dang it i will drink
Bring me one too the way this game is going....
Also...UNC doesn't respect us at all...they've gone on 4th down twice now...and gotten it... UNC got some swagger man
Why would they? They know with 14 points we probably can't beat them already.
Thrice
Why should they? We've shown nothing to respect
yes, that's what no pass coverage, will to to you.
3 4th down conversions already they know we can't hold up to quick play and we can't get 4 straight stops. It's gonna be a long game even when we get a third down stop it doesn't mean anything
Slipping and sliding all over the field, need longer cleats??
Do we ever win jump balls?
no. next question.
Win a jump ball? That's the most ludicrous crap I've ever heard
Is that you Fu?
Mayes appears as good as advertised ... unfortunately.
We're making him look good
On the bright side, I was planning on going to mass this evening anyway, so I've got less than 45 minutes to suffer through this before leaving.
More prayers can't hurt.
I'll try. Just hoping for no injuries and for the team to show progress before the end of the year.
I'm with you, 100%.
lol this UNC team isn't even that good. Boy this is going to be an even longer season than I predicted.
our equipment manager needs to take all the cleats from the secondary player and swap in spikes that have another 1/2". Way too many guys losing their feet right now.
Can we change to the long cleats please?
Isn't this artificial turf?
You're right...it does look like it is....so how the fuck can we have the wrong shoes on? Another slip by the RB there....mind boggling.
Looks like our secondary is either slipping everywhere due to water or just plain having their ankles broken by the UNC receivers. I'm half paying attention and have seen it like 5 times already.
Doesn't help that our secondary doesn't see talent even close to this during practice
We are hands down the worst 4th down team in ncaa. On both sides of the ball
One yard is too hard for us. Ten is not enough challenge for them.
This season hurts my soul
You're making the mistake of having expectations. Or watching.
At least now living in FL I can head to the Epcot 40th anniversary now lol. GGs
It seems our best plays are receiving kick-off
That's what we get the most practice at.
Draw plays, reverses, quick slants,....something!
You forgot interceptions
Was there a penalty? Why are we on the 12?
Unsportsmanlike conduct on McDonald
Lack of discipline. Coaching. Hmmm
Quadruple coverage......embarrassing
wells could not step into his throw and throws the interception. that is on the o=line
This season might do more long term damage to VT football than even Fuente.
I'm with a group of 40 alum in Scottsdale watching and we are already closing our tabs. Hard to care at this point. I'm going to look at girls at the pool
This season is fuente. 2 win seasons to (edit: try and) set up 10 win seasons is way better than steady grind to try snd get to 6 wins each year
You have 0 way of knowing that this is setting up 10 win seasons. We got virtually no coaching change recruiting bump and the kids we pulled out of the portal are not good. Bunch of 2*s. Our coaches are learning on the job. It's malicious optimism to think this is going to suddenly pivot to 10 wins.
If I'm not optimistic, I'm not going to care. I feel like your approach asymptotes with 0 Hokies fans.
Maybe. I would rather be realistic than blindly hopeful.
Genuinely curious, do you find it fun? Like, are the Hokies a source of joy in your life?
Uh, not really any more. It's honestly maddening watch the administration take all the wrong steps. And before you say it, no I'm not going to step away, I can't, I care too much.
Sorry to hear that. I hope you find a way to enjoy it more.
If you're being sincere, thanks, I hope the powers that be make this a priority and figure it out
Thinking the program would magically fix itself without a huge gutjob is more the latter than the former unfortunately 🤷♂️
I do not think that is what he is saying. He is (probably correctly) noting that he hasn't seen evidence that the light is at the end of the tunnel, instead of just more tunnel.
I'm under no illusions that we are doing anything other than taking our lumps this year and it's a hard hard reset to reboot the culture and get total alignment in all areas of the program, assess the roster full of 3*s to see which ones might actually be able to help longer term, and get valuable experience for the coaching staff that has little. Nobody said anything about "sudden" lol
There was never going to be a quick fix with the state of the program, so do it right instead of trying to put a bandaid on the gangrene. I don't know for sure that this staff can get to ten wins, but im not stupid enough to write them off after 4.5 games in a season that was always only ever going to be brutal
You're comment implied that we need to go 2-10 to go 10-2. That's wrong. Going 2-10 makes it even harder to get to 10 wins than being 6-6 did. And we have no idea if 10 wins is on the horizon. There is a very strong likelihood that Pry never sees a 10 win season as the HC of VT. Most coaches don't.
Bar or brockman could probably do a way better study than i could but it's not uncommon in cfb for a program gutjob to accelerate the rebuild. Not really caring about WL for a year and avoiding shortsighted decisions is way better for long term health of the program. This season isnt about 2022, it's about 2024-25. Pry's been given that leash whether we like it or not, we should evaluate outcomes with that in mind.
How are we supposed to sell recruits for the 2024 season to come here with meager NIL to play for the 4th best team in Virginia with unproven coaches?
Would you want to play for this team?
Would you want to be a fan of this team?
I'm not really seeing your point. Most of us know where the team is right now.
Let's be honest, this year is going to suck. Doesn't mean all future years will suck.
I think he is saying we have to dramatically change something about VT to get where we want to go. Small incremental changes to improve over a few seasons might not be sufficient.
I think they might be, but I see his point.
I agree, but I wouldn't be holding my breath between games.
This is like trying to measure an aircraft carrier turning with a ruler. The wheel turns, nothing happens for a while.
Now while I get that something needs to happen, you're not going to know if it's working or not based on tiny changes.
So trying to micromanage the coaches isn't going to work, or saying "we're the 4th worst team in Virginia", as if that means anything. VT isn't a good football team right now. We can hope for wins, but expecting them isn't going to work out well.
Coaching staff has a track record of working with and developing players into NFL draft picks. Be part of the solution, get coached up.
I like Pry, but through 5.5 games I've seen literally nothing to indicate the coaching will create an upward trajectory.
Recruiting? No
Portal work? No
Discipline and penalties? No
Offense? Hell fucking no. Playcalling is even worse
Defense? Ehhhh, tackling and coverage are terrible
I think we need to give him a pass on recruiting this past year. He had 5 days before signing day.
Wells needs to look before throwing
Shit
Fantastic read by wells nicely done son.
Wells forcing it, feeling the need to make a play. Don't know how much of this I can take.
Blowout.
It's difficult to believe how bad we are.
Like Pinstripe '21 over and over at this point.
Terrible throw by Wells
That defender was sitting there the entire time
That's all.
Now we have NO pass coverage...
Murray is getting killed by green right now he can't keep up.
Game over. Have a good rest of the evening everyone. We know it's going to be a long season. Keep your blood pressure in check. Things will eventually get better.
Unc hits the over before half?
Welp. Gonna be a long season.
It already is
Touche.
I'm out, I'm sorry I can't do this
Wells gotta hit the bench. The offense literally can't do any worse with someone else
Yeah time to try literally anything else on offense
Aight. Which other "competitive" game y'all gonna watch? I'm not sticking around for this bullshit
At wedding in Cincy. Think I'll put my phone away now. Good lord.
Good call. Before it gets broken.
This performance is going to make me cancel my YouTubeTV 21-day free trial well before 21 days
They owe you a rebate for broadcasting garbage
I'm pretty sure that's not part of their contract.
Yep, my monthly YTTV subscription ended on Tuesday and I decided to skip on keeping it going
Please make a quarterback change
Put in Brown. Wells just doesn't have it.
This is rough.
I think I've just mentally transcended pain. We just got down 21-3 yet I thought to myself "Yeah I'll watch the rest of this game."
At least we get some away games to be embarrassed instead of home
Take a breath, look toward recruiting and next yr or the year after..
Not a great recruiting pitch to give at the moment
Brion murray getting absolutely abused
Wells 6 int. Vs 5 tds. Threw that right into triple coverage. WtF Time to try something else.
Anyone else. Ridiculous that he's still our starter.
I genuinely hate Justin Fuente. He did so much damage to our program we legitimately may never recover
That's one of my biggest fears... with JMU and ODU on the rise, we won't be able to get a single recruit in VA... I know it's a game but dang...it hurts my soul
Fuck fuente
If we can't score against UNC God help us against PITT.
Got to love it. Down 21-3 and keep running up the middle. Ballsy play Cotton
We should charge Clements admission to the game,, he's just watching it while on the field.
Fuente sitting at home with $10 million while leaving us this shit stain
I'm gonna go cry
$10-million and an official coaching-dud
I don't care if it is carries or receptions, but Keshawn King NEEDS to have the ball in his hands a minimum of 25 times per game. He is easily our best weapon and we need to maximize his utilization.
If Bowen doesn't understand this he should be fired.
Yet our other weapons (like, Blumrick) doesn't get any touches. It's like we say okay it's your week and only do one thing. If it doesn't work...oh well.
Two TEs wide open and no looks. Marshall boy.
He's kind of small though. Not sure he's built for that?
True, but we could at least line him up out wide sometimes like the Steelers used to do with Le'Veon Bell or something.
Well at least this only cost me 60 minutes this week
Always look at the bright side of life...
3rd and 11 and we run a 7 yard route, the math doesn't work
3 + 7 < 11
You are correct.
/s
Appy State scored 61 on UNC. I don't think we get 16.
App State is a waaayyyyyyy better team than us
App State has an offense.
10 is a pipe dream, but we may get it when UNC clear the bench in the 2nd half
I'm not sure we can get to 6.
Boone is the new B'burg
You almost can't punt.....we aren't stopping them. The only stop was a bad throw to a wide open RB🤷🏾♂️
Down 21-3 already and we're punting. 🤷
Yes the rain will save us from the blowout that was coming.
My wife is a JMU grad...really not looking forward to their visit to Lane in '24, they're the owners of this state now. How far we have fallen...
We'll either be better than this by then, or it won't matter any more.
In Pry I Trust......we'll be good by '24
My wife is a JMU grad too and luckily I double checked and that's not til 2025. It's funny cuz my wife could care less about JMU football and roots for VT so I won't be in a bad mood.
Also I think Liberty would beat JMU if they played right now
I haven't watched Liberty tbf, but I'll still take the Dukes in that matchup.
Run it up the butt play gets a 1st down!
Throw more deep passes!
Good run by King
Interference much?
Was it? I'll have to review that later.
See below.....
It was good coverage to break up the catch but Smith should have come back getting the PI.... that's coaching or lack of
Too bad Smith couldn't hold on to that. Basically got distracted by the CB.
More than distracted...the dB never turned around and hit both of his arms down while he tried to catch the ball. Textbook interference.
DID THE ENTIRE LINE JUST STOP BLOCKING?????
When did they start?
Wright is looking like what we thought he was gonna look like
I lied I can't stay away....loved that crosser to Wright
Except he threw to the wrong guy. Blumrick didn't have anyone trailing him or 10 yards near him.
I miss Herbert making runs to the open field, not into the back of a teammate
Wells has 1st read tunnel vision. It's like Corn is speaking into his helmet.
Gallo was wide open for the TD. Time for Wells to sit.
3rd and 8 and draw up the middle?
This coaching staff are cowards
What the hell was that play call on 3rd down?!
Is Corn calling the plays?!?
Wells. Plz look around the field
Is the goal to try to win?
Ballsy but wtf not. We are either going to lose big or win by surprise.
Pry better get ejected if this gets overturned.
Odds on if the refs will overrule the 1st down?
I feel like this would be hard to overturn? But who knows because #goacc
I'm fine with that call, but stop calling 5 yard plays when we need 7
Why not hurry up and run a play? Why even give them a chance to review? I cannot stand sloth-like play calling.
Did I just see an I-formation?
It was a triple eye wasn't it?
Good call on the Wells run for a TD
A TD? Is this real?
However this works out, VT put together a drive here.
Edit: I guess it worked out.
Hope is a fickle thing
Braxton Burmeister is ranked 120 of all D1 QB's. Our previous coach gave him the starting job over a top 5 Heisman Candidate. This should tell us where our program is right now.
This tells us why he's not coach any more. Though we all already knew that.
Hendon Hooker entered the transfer portal 2 seasons in a row.
Direct all future hissyfits to Josh Heupel- the coach who actually gave the starting job to Joe Milton over a top 5 Heisman candidate.
A actual sustainable drive that ends in a touchdown? Woah
28 sec, we better stop them, here we go, no pass coverage, no pressure
Woof
What do you want to bet it's going to be a long 28 seconds?
Lol, no, stopping them is too much to ask
Watching our defense chase their quarterback is like watching a fall guys race.
This defense isn't good enough to play prevent...or defense
Hahaha, oh my god. What the fuck are we doing? This is terrible.
What the hell defense is this?
It's the classic prevent (the win) defense.
Guess the D will just give 'em 3 after finally scoring
Fucking prevent defense I mean what the actual fuckkkkkkm
Wtf is this shit. Why call a timeout
Uhhh we called timeout? Seems counter productive
Awful clock management to end the half two straight weeks.
Why in the world would VT call the timeout there?
What a joke
Yikes. There goes any momentum
Insanely bad.
That FG was inexcusable. Players were just standing around. Foot meet ass.
Our secondary is really really bad
Why did we call the timeout on offense at 3rd down? Should have run that down.
I would rate that drive as a 1 / 10 (for us)
Coaching of the D is not good, they were trying to let the clock do their work.
I think we need to make the players scholarship conditional on performance. Just a thought
I know this team isn't great, but this staff rarely sets them up to be successful
They were left with so many holes
I know, but there are numerous instances where this staff has set the players up to fail...that's my biggest issue; the fact that Whit allowed a first time HC to surround himself with coordinators who are even less experienced.
What frustrates me the most at that end of half sequence, is we had 1st and goal, a minute left and three timeouts.
Why on earth did Pry call the timeout with 32 seconds before that third down TD? No way that should've been called with more than 20 seconds on the game clock.
Got to love the ACCnet crew thinking that the UNC defense is actually playing well. It couldn't have anything to do with the atrocious VT offense, could it?
JFC i leave after the TD with what, 25s left on the clock, and we still let them score?!?!?
Fuente clock management mode has been unlocked
It really didn't matter who called the TO because UNC still had TOs. The problem is we played the softest prevent D I've ever seen. Multiple WRs wide open on each play deep down the field 🤷🏾♂️
Our secondary is...
... not great, Bob.
At least Duke is getting carries instead of Holston today
Wells is 6'2" 210 and a sophomore?
Yes but he redshirted at Marshall and then exercised his extra Covid year of eligibility too, so this is his fourth year in college.
Dear god, if Wells is QB1 for 2 more years after this we're so fucked
They have to go for this 4th down
Edit: welp...white flag raised
At least we went under center
Clearly over the line for 1st down there. Why are we not challenging?
Yeah I thought that was a bad spot too
Are we sure Bowen isn't just Corn with a beard and a lifetime membership to Golden Corral?
Not a good start, we need tonget the running backs the ball in space
On the other hand, maybe it's a FOOD start.
Haha. LOL
Terrible spot on 2nd down. We were well beyond sticks and got fucked
It didn't work out but Wells ran that play from under center, something we have been begging for.
Pry isn't happy, but he's right to punt there.
Crazy Stat that we were 6/10 on 3rd down and they were 1/6
3rd and 3 and we play with no DB within 6 yards of a receiver. Bonkers
Fuck this bullshit. Just let the QB keep running freely and still not cover receivers
Just like what happened with Wells on the interception, Maye could not step into the throw and the result was an unsuccessful pass.
Except their guy threw it short whereas ours decided tossing it into triple coverage was the way to go
We lack containment and its killing us
Good block by the ref there.
Bad angles in the open field ...
Our d line has to be the slowest in all FBS
Hard to move when the OL is holding and wrapping you up like that last play.
Also was a huge hold
No call on the holding?!
Pollard was def held, but then he stopped playing waiting for the call and allowed the first down
Two blatant holds and no fucking call
These refs are fucking blind. Fuga was being tackled there easy call.
Yup.
It just looked like we tried NOT to sack the QB
Guys still slipping. #24 that time on the qb scramble. WtF? Equipment guys...PLEASE!
Can't get a stop when we need one. If they score here, this becomes a rout.
Longo is a twat
The refs bail out the 1st down call
No pressure on Maye.
Not sure I've seen defense this consistently bad on 3rd Down ever.
*3rd and 4th downs*
The refs are managing the game and whistle to make sure UNC wins
Pretty sure the refs didn't give up 3 3rd and 10+ on that drive
UNC doesn't need their help. They stink and are exponentially better than us
Can't make stops on third down.
Dax in coverage yet again
This team just isn't good at anything, stop whining about the refs.
UNC doesn't need their help, but getting it. No whining, it's plain to see
Normally, I'd agree. But the one thing we generally have on defense is the ability to pressure the QB. If the refs don't call holding, we don't even have that.
Secondary is in the Heinz formation, playing ketchup all day
*dad joke achievement unlocked*
The stadium of which we do not speak
The stadium we visit next week
A leg for the Dad Joke
After looking at the replay I'm pretty sure Chatman is done for the game and maybe October. His forearm bent on that play and I'm pretty sure he fractured it.
YIKES
It didn't look good. Looked like his arm cracked going up to block the pass and hit the receivers arm. He didn't even hit the ground with it. Just looked like a freak play.
he's back in
Did we hire the guy the Dolphins just fired?
It's time to wholesale substitute the offense. What have we got to lose? Show the 'starters' that their effort sucks. And let someone else call plays too. This UNC defense is SHIT...and we still can't score.
Offense isn't the only problem today
12 plays, 94 yards, 4:00 off clock
Refs feasting on those whistles today
Key hold when Maye would have been sacked on 3rd and long kept that drive alive. That said, this defense is soft and I do not want to see a DBU sign on the jumbotron the rest of this year. Our DBs cannot stay with anyone. Zero turnovers, zero sacks, and not a single hard hit other than Dax's hit on Maye in the first.
Offense goes under center for 3rd and one and then goes with a deep handoff instead of a sneak. Looking forward to new blood on this roster.
Can't deny what the camera shows
the secondary is core to a good defense. Either fix that or get another defensive backs coach. This is our team identity, the way I see it. That, and putting pressure on the QB.
STOP. THROWING. SHORT. OF. THE. LINE. TO. GAIN.
Another 3rd and long and we run short routes
Again gotta get 10 and we checkdown
3rd and 10 and we call a 5 yard route. Genius Bowen, genius!
I doubt it was a single route that was called. Was someone else open?
Ok, so a 4 yard check down on 3rd and 10 or 11. Still some real smooth brain shit right there
And another one
It's really unfathomable just how far this program has fallen and how spoiled we were with the 11 win Beamer years that always left us unsatisfied as fans.
To be fair, he raised our expectations, and then the team would shit the bed.
But sure, that was better than having NO expectations and STILL being disappointed.
This year, the expectation needs to be zero. Good year to take that fall sabbatical.
And we are quickly running out of healthy bodies
Intentional grounding on second down. No receiver anywhere near there. Why is Pry not fired up Bout any of this shit? Bad spots. Holding, etc.
The only question left is how high they will run up the score?
I'm sure as high as we let them.
Don't kid yourself that they'll show mercy.
Have to say this crew has not called a single block in the back or holding all day.
I wanna know the record for most 3rd/4th and longs converted in a game. We have to be close. #RecordBreakingDefense
Helmet to the sack
And that's why hurdling is a bad idea
Dude just rung his own bell
Peoples punched him in the dick and then he landed on his head
That's going to leave a mark.
The way I see it, if he hurts himself trying to run up the score, it's on him.
How ugly is next week going to be at Pitt.
Is Maye hurting himself a blessing in disguise?
*Well, never mind*
Training staff on the bench to Maye:
You're good to go back in
Clever enough that I was tempted to give you a leg, but those kinds of injuries are just too serious.
Seriously though, given the Tua situation, UNC would stupid to let him back in the game right now. They easily have the game in hand. Take his helmet away and be cautious. He landed on his head from like 10 feet up in the air
FG...moral victory?
If I'm UNC, Maye sits the rest of the game. Get the back up some minutes.
Agreed.
Sounds like a good strategy for us too!
Meanwhile our OL coach would leave in the starting 5.
Too late to help us. This game is over.
Wells sees one receiver and doesn't take his eyes off him. Bring in Brown and see if he can make a decent read.
Two bad drops by Lofton. No hands.
Playing two hand touch with the football
3rd and 10 5 yd special
Again
Bowen's play calling is making UNC's D look competent.
Offensive play calling just seems content to get to 0:00 on the clock and go home
We should just start forfeiting games and save ourselves the time. This is absolutely miserable to keep watching games like this
Do they understand the idea of moving the chains? How many short ass routes are we going to use on third and long. Either wells has no brain or Bowen is inept. This just sucks atleast give yourself a chance the game is gonna atleast go out swinging.
I say again, I doubt it was a single route that was called. Was someone else open?
That's more.my point wells seems afraid to go for it sometimes and I'd hope that Bowen is smart enough to call a play for the down and distance. This offense has made a terrible jnc defense look exceptional
To be clear I'm not happy with the results but if he had thrown into coverage everyone here would be screaming for Wells to be benched, He took what was available which is better than other things that could have happen.
The wide open tight end or the soft coverage on the WR on the other side of the field? He locks in on one receiver and doesn't even bother to see the rest of the field
If that is true (and I'm not questioning what you saw), then you have a legitimate point. The results are so awful I haven't wanted to rewind it to watch it again.
Or is the fear of interception too great?
Bowen has gotta go. We can't call a fucking play that fits the situation to save our lives. Every third down play is either a shit run or a pass 8 yards short of the sticks.
Be patient... Fuente left a mess /s
With all due respect, shut the fuck up
He's not wrong. I get that we have a mess of a roster and whole lot to unfuck but Bowen is not helping us with the play calling. Yelling at the other fans isn't gonna help.
Well that's not respectful at all.....so why did you bother saying 'with all due respect'?
*edit* you know what alum? I may not be a top turkey leg guy like you...but that really was uncalled for. I've never been disrespectful like that to anyone on here. The community will back me up on that. I'm taking my downvote of you back because i can turn the other cheek. Hope you have a better day.
Nah man, 4 and a half games into his tenure is not the time to start calling for a coach to be fired. That's insanity and doesn't really deserve an ounce of respect. I could have phrased less harshly, but the the message is the same.
If you're thinking about calling for a coaches head right now, don't. Save it and stuff the opinion because it's a terrible take
Agree to disagree... it's mine and other opinions that Bowen isn't cutting it. We have a right to that opinion like you do yours.
Yes. You could have definitely phrased less harshly than telling me to 'shut the fuck up'. And you also didn't need to just double down and tell me to 'stuff my opinion'. Have a nice night dude. I hope you have a better tomorrow.
Wow. Downvoted? Ok.
Yes, there is a fucker downvoting anyone who dares to opine the possibility that the coaches *might* be doing anything less than the best possible job.
Don't get caught up in one-off downvotes. They are fake internet points.
You don't get to gatekeep others' opinions -- even if you disagree. Wrt topics in bounds of CGs, explain why you think differently, don't just shut it down because you disagree.
Doubling down on the sentiment on your end is even less respectable fwiw. And I agree with you about Bowen!
uncalled for
C'mon man.
👍🍺
He has nothing to work with
The offense looks checked out.
Already looking forward to the bus ride home.
If we played IMG academy they would be favored and I'm hardly joking
To be fair... they have more 4* and 5* players than we do.
Offense is doing a great job of getting n-2 on third and n.
Missed it by that much...
About frickin' time they called holding.
Connor completely whifs on that play. He should have lined up Nesbit for a slobberknocker hit. Again, no DBU this year!
They couldve called holding, and UNC still would've converted on the next play. They have no issue picking up 20 yards on a play against us.
Actually kinda glad my power just went out again.
1st and 20 touchdown..........how bad does this get?
Pry has mostly 2nd team guys in. Guess he has switched to depth building since we can't stop them anyway
Time to do some more evaluations/game time.
We are a joke. What is our sales pitch to recruits at this point?
We're rebuilding a program. This is what that looks like.
Well, to be fair, they're going to have to work some things out.
And what have we shown that we have the right staff in place to rebuild?
I just don't see the pitch right now
The pitch definitely won't be about this year's results.
Especially on offense
Exactly. This roster has zero NFL players on it. This is the expected outcome of this matchup.
Bowen will be fired no later than right after the UVA game . . .
Early playing time. This game is proof that a lineup of 4 star guys will usually beat 3 star guys.
Touche
Playing time.
I get the impression based on Prys answers to questions about the offense he is not happy with Bowen either
It cannot possibly get any worse than this.
We knew our defense wasn't good enough to stop UNC and that was true. UNC is moving the ball at will. We are completely outmatched across the board. WRs were open all over the field, the RBs had mile wide holes to run through the entire game. There were multiple points in the game where I saw the Oline holding us and I was praying the refs wouldn't call it and give UNC an extra chance because I was positive they would convert 1st or 2nd and 30 if they wanted to.
What kills me is that our offense is absolutely inept against an awful defense. I'm not saying we should score on every drive but we should've had a lot of drives that ate up clock and kept their offense off the field. 3rd and longs all the time. Throwing short of the sticks on 3rd and long, not being able to run the ball...again, WRs dropping easy passes, etc etc. Just an embarrassing effort and awful performance.
Agree with most except that King has 52 yds on 9 carries. The rest of the backs have 37 yds on 18 carries.
But can we still win the costal? /s
Yes, but not the Coastal
Luckily, they're getting rid of that, too.
Hahahaha
Absolute dearth of talent is what causes games like this
Fuente recruited us at a borderline FCS level and this is the result we get. If you are angry about the game today, do yourself a favor and don't watch again for the rest of the season. Things are only going to get worse from here.
^^^this
That and poor offensive play calling
Oh give it a rest. We could have the best OC in the country right now and we wouldn't be able to execute worth a shit because of who we have on the field.
Nope, don't think I will.
Actually, I will when you can explain why running a dive on 3rd and 11 or 5 yd outs on 3rd and 7 deserves "patience".
No really, give it a rest.
You mean having a starting QB who was recruited by Alabama, Clemson, and the rest of the big dogs makes a difference. /s
100 percent agree with you. And that's why the rebuild will take a while.
Yeap - we got flat-out out-talented tonight. Doesn't mean the coaching was perfect, but we don't have the horses to keep up with unc.
For the Hokie fans that think UNC isn't a threat, despite their recruiting... hopefully this changes their mind.
At least we figured out if you put GRIT on the helmet it can't make up for a massive talent gap and we won't do that again
True enough. Probably wasn't worth the money, though.
Did Jason Brown say something about the coaches mothers or something, or does Wells have a picture of Coach Pry with a sheep? Gotta be something.......
Coaches are demonstrating that poor play gets you more playing time. Not sure that is the way it should go . . .
The flip side to it the days of a single fumble that you didnt even lose getting you put into the doghouse for the whole year are gone ---- very clear this year is just about taking the lumps on the field and hopefully learning and improving
Wells is the best QB we have. Fuente left this place an absolute mess
Why do people refuse to believe that the 1st string is better than the backup?
Drake Maye is a "humble kid" ......GTFO with that. Anyone who has listened to him talk knows he is Grade A pompous douche
Can we just sue Fuente for the heck of it?
Frankly, we shouldn't waste one more minute on him.
Shit why not? Even half of his damn buyout would go a long way...
can we please try anything else
Might as well start the vent thread...or maybe we just skip it the rest of the season!
Should we go ahead and set up the 2022 Season vent thread?
From the looks of it, we'll have enough venting for individual game vent threads.
Time to play the reserves on offense too. I just don't think wells see the field at all. He throws first down check downs on third down? To be fair he has had SEVERAL good throws absolutely dropped by multiple receivers.
We had 7 guys on the line to their 4, # 72 got manhandled and Bryce got Duked by the DT. That blocking was as bad as our #1's tackle attempt on UNC's TE's touchdown YAC.
For all the hate of Bowen already at least we know that Pry doesn't have the tie to him Fu had to Corn and will be able to replace him if necessary.
Not saying it's gonna happen this year or next year but maybe the third of. I thing changes.
This is the total lack of talent on the offensive side. It will take a few cycles of recruits, especially on the O-line, to get the players that these coaches need. Our O-line coach had tremendous lines at Wisconsin, but they recruited big boys who could move. The thing they can sell to recruits is that they could potentially get early playing time.
Agree. My point was mainly that if Bowen truly isn't working out, pry doesn't have the long ties to him to not fire him like Fu did with Corn.
I personally think Tech is gonna be one of those teams that are 6-6 most years that occasionally will get a 8 win year no matter who the coach is for the rest of my life unfortunately
All depends on how well we recruit. If We can get back to a top 25-30 level, we can become a top 25 level program again.
Ok, so for the second time, the refs stopped the play for review without UNC throwing the red flag. I get that they review all scoring plays and targeting, but I thought the coaches had to challenge.
No. All plays can be reviewed by the booth. Hence the fourth down spot that they reviewed.
At a wedding today so not watching. Just checked in here and checked the score. Welp.
Looks like someone picked a great day for a wedding...
They are truly your friends.
Don't watch the replay
Then, to add insult to injury, they overturn that call. Why, again?
Good tackle sighting.
I hate the Drake.
Fuck Justin Fuente. Today and always. Fuck Justin Fuente.
Was that a stop on 3rd down?????
Our pass coverage is chase the receiver and try to tackle them after they catch it.
I think the only thing that is a positive for this season is that I learned how to make Salsa con Queso 😂
Missed FG we're still in this!
Moral victory.
UNC needs to get the guy more practice. Mack must be second guessing scoring all those TDs /s
Brown and Bullock warming on sideline.
What can Brown do for us?
How would we ever know?
That's four drops on Lofton.
Is it just my feed, or have they just switched to advertising another game? Fuck Clemson.
How many drops does lofton have
We need recruits....bad.
3 drops for Lofton. Put somebody in that wants to catch the ball. We have nothing to lose at this point. At least Brown is in.
Or maybe get him meaningful reps because he young? The games over. Let's get reps for the kids that need them. Our starting WRs NEED the practice.
Sure, but if you miss three catches, it's time to rotate someone else in.
Agreed, he can get his reps with the Jugs machine on Monday.
I'd rather throw to the guy that catches the ball
Really disappointing that even the guys players and coaches praised in the preseason are struggling.
Will the S
EBC still accept us?We've punted for more yards than our offense has gained. Womp womp
Well, we said we wanted to go back to our roots...
/s
At least we cleaned up the penalties. That shows effective progress by the coaches.
And players.
Now they need to get back to the basics of playing the game. Don't commit the penalty AND someone catch the ball.
One step forward, three steps back; feels like
Hey, looks like we are going to win Time of Possession. Really small victories, one at a time folks............
I don't know if we deserve any credit for. These refs aren't calling anything.
I think the refs forgot to bring their flags.
Probably left them with our receivers' hands in the trailer.
We probably won't be within 3TDs in the 2nd Half for the rest of October.
That was a brutal hit. Dirty as hell
Ref found his flag on the blatant.
The crowd needs to STFU. WE all saw it.
oh yikes, heavy hit that was bad
the first or the second targeting?
Both of the last two players hit him helmet to helmet.
That should be the easiest targeting all day, looked like 2 big hits to his head in a row.
Wtf why are they having him stand up when he is clearly not there
This should absolutely be an ejection.
The refs need to be ejected
Lol of course the All Carolina Conference refs pick up the flag
Nevermind.
WTF?
why are they even letting him try to get up
Did they seriously pick up that flag????
What even is targeting?
How the fuck is that not targeting? That's bullshit.
In what universe is that not targeting?
No targeting? What?!
No targeting....er ok.
They changed the rules to crown of helmet. He hit with the face mask, so no targeting.
Yeah it was a rough hit but the no call is the right call actually
Did they get rid of the "forcible contact to the head or neck area" part of the rule?
It has to be paired with defenseless, and he wasn't. It was a really tough clean hit, by the rules.
The doctor who cleared Tua to play on Thursday, was he the one who wrote this rule?
Spun around and staggering sideways isn't defenseless?
Hmmmm.
I'll have to have a look at the replay later, but it seemed like the kind of thing that one shouldn't allow if they care about concussions to me.
That may be, but it's not the way the rule is written. Once you become a runner, you are no longer defenseless, regardless of what position you find yourself in.
I suppose it's hard to write a rule without referee discretion on a thing like that.
I feel like people just keep getting dumber and dumber. Why make a rule and then not enforce it?
That's a wrap!
Wrestling Schedule
Oh yeah...Fuck you Fu!
Where is the rules analyst for ACCN? Oh that's right, only tech gets called for it. Since it was not called, i would really like to see the Hokies take it personally and show some fight.
FUCK UNC.
If that wasn't targeting, it was obviously something wrong.
Fucking refs.
They changed the rule this year. Clarified crown of helmet, not just helmet. He hit with his face mask, so no targeting.
That's weak. Defenseless player and intent should be factors.
He wasn't defenseless because he had completed the catch and become a runner. That play was called correctly.
He was more of a stumbler at that point than a runner.
Slamming your helmet against his while running at full speed should be targeting.
I dunno. I just watched it again, and it looks like Gosnell gets hit by the crowns of two different UNC helmets.
And the absence of an o-line continues
Good to know our high octane offense scared the unc defense straight! 🤣
Did I miss something or did King get hurt again? I don't think I've seen him in a while but I'm only half paying attention.
It's been evident this was gonna be a blowout for hours now, no need to risk injury
Seems to me that's the essense of targeting: slamming a defenseless player.
Pry should have protested the non-targeting to the point of being ejected. I'm not seeing a lot of support for his players.
I don't know about all that.
the replay booth made the call, acting like an ass isn't going to change it.
It wasn't targeting, we don't need a Narduzzi on the sidelines
The 2nd player hit him only with his helmet spinning him and the second hit him directly. My point is that Mack shows more support to his players than Pry thus far. Not that it mattered on the scoreboard.
I don't think that's a fair assessment.
Stone hands across the board
Listless. I was there and I did not like the energy from the bench at all. Came out flat and stayed flat. We're basically Justin Wilcox Cal, decent defense but offense is bottom 10-20 in the country. Lack of confidence in the offense is killing this team's morale.
I have no doubt with different players, this staff could field a much better offense. But I also have zero doubt that other staffs could field much better offenses with these players. Our success will be a result of how much we stick to a certain philosophy vs scheme with what we've got. Right now we aren't doing any of #2
What other staffs would field a better offense with these players? We've got an OL which cannot get a tough yard. WR who drop the ball. Transfer portal QBs and our best RB has been out all season. What would you game plan? I don't want to run it much because the OL is much better in pass block than run block but neither QB looks good and 1/4 of the time when they do throw a good ball the WR drops it.
The roster is bare and the results reflect that. UNC has a big dog QB. When Brown was scrambling on 3rd and long on the last drive, he got tripped up on a diving ankle tackle by a high 4* DT who transferred from Ohio St (Cowan). I don't like the offensive play calling but there is so much talent deficit on that side of the ball that I don't know that you can scheme it away.
A lot of them. I'm not sure you realize how abysmal our offense is. The cupboard is not bare at all. These same players blocked much better with Vice last year so that alone is proof enough.
I don't think we could have a good offense with these players to be sure, but we could definitely look competent, the starters on the line proved that last year.
Here's the thing - They (the coaching staff) need to scheme within their system. If they teach something outside of their system, it's going to delay the implementation of their system.
Edit: autocorrect
Oh boy Brown has a lot to work on with pocket presence.
Wells has a lot to work on regarding looking off the primary receiver. So many guys get open and he just never even attempts to see it.
And our receivers suck at catching
The vast majority of our problems right now are talent. We don't have enough. It could be argued we don't have any.
Some people would say that extends to the OC box as well.
J/k j/k
Targeting rule is such bullshit. Gosnell gets KO'ed and the refs pick it up. Louisville QB slides in front of a tackler who can't pull up in the early game and get targeting stands.
I don't get it. Of course, Brock Hoffman got screwed so I should be used to arbitrary justice from the NCAA.
They said that was Mack Brown's first ever unsportsmanlike conduct flag last week?
I once saw Frank get two on the same play. Mack should try harder.
Mack Brown will never be Frank Beamer.
Not even on his best day.
But that shouldn't stop him from trying.
I'm sad
Mack brown talking way too long to Pry. Just say good game and let go of him
This was the worst defense we have to play the rest of the season and we only managed 10 points. Fuente left the cupboards without doors or hardware man.
It's very clear that Fuente might have been a worse coach than even the most negative opinions of him on here were. It's staggering how little talent this team has. Might be the least talented P5 roster in football right now, it's that bad.
Shouldn't Whit get some of the blame as well? This all is happening on his watch.
We are down in Asheville NC. Had the choice. Go to a brewery and watch the game, or go to a winery and enjoy the outside. We went to the winery. I monitored the game from my phone. I made the right choice.
Btw, why did I pay for the key play this year? I have found myself checking out, as this team is so bad.
I understand your feelings, but this is no time to quit or withdraw. As Hokie fans we need to show our pride, resolve, strength, toughness and the qualities we'd like to see on the field. No quality recruit wants to play for and represent fickle fans.
Fuck the High Heels and fuck Justin Fuente.
Are we the worst team in the country?