Following the '99 campaign, the conversation in the offseason among Hokie Nation always boiled down to Tech's chances of winning the national championship. At least that's how I remember it.
"We're thin along the d-line, but Tyrod will put up enough points to beat Boise, and the rest of the schedule sets up perfectly," someone (probably me) said in August 2010.
"I'm not worried about Randall. We got Suggs and Jones, and strength of schedule." That might have been me, again, in the summer 2002.
"...but the defense is good enough to beat anyone." Georgia Tech, Boston College, and Georgia proved that theory wrong in 2006.
You get the point. There were not so farfetched arguments to be made almost every year from 2000-2012. Hitch your RV to a shooting star to follow the Hokies back to the mountaintop. Dreaming is fun.
It wasn't that way last season.
In 2012 September and October yanked the rug out from under us only to yell "Surprise!" after we face planted. Course correction was required. 2013 was a planned step back for two forward, one in each subsequent year.
Is the program moving in the right direction? In 99 days we'll get that first bit of meaningful feedback. That's exciting.
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I was there that night. What a great time. The rain in the 1st quarter, the awesome sunset shot after the rain stopped in the 2nd, going 11-0 and rushing the field. Nice way to spend your senior year. I think we would have filled that trophy case in 01 had Mike come back (and Lee not gotten hurt). With the D we had, Davis was back, Lee and KJ, we would have been a scary team.
That's my one coulda shoulda woulda with VT football. Getting Vick back in 01. I remember everyone yelling "one more year" after the Gator Bowl in Jville. More good times to come, I am sure. Just a question of when and who.
BTW, Rivals guesses that Vick would have "only" been a four star and Randall was a four star as well. I don't want to get into the - how good was Logan - debate, but safe to say that we have had (and continue to bring in) the talent at QB, RB, and DB necessary to win the MNC - we need the perfect storm of the rest of the guys - and a little luck - to make it a reality.
We seemed to have recruiting misses at certain positions in certain years that hurt us. One year, I think 02 we missed on LBers (Brroks and Parham end up at UVa) but in 03 we sign Hall and Adibi. We under recruited O line several times in the 00's and that cost us in the later part if the decade.
But yes, we went from Vick to Noel for 1 year but then 4 star BR, 4/5star Marcus, 4 star Glennon, 5 star Taylor, 4 star (though recruited as a te) Thomas at qb. We also signed 4 star Whitaker out of Maryland but he didn't pan out at QB. I can't remeber what Boone was rated when he came out but moved him to te. We also recruited several 4 star RB's. I think the only 4 star wr we signed was Royal but we had some pretty good receivers that had NFL careers in those years. It seemed that years we had the D to win it, we were missing something on O (linemen) and the year or 2 we had the horses on O we were missing something on D (2010)
4 star Todd Nolen
I was also there and hanging off the crossbar as the goalpost came down. It was a heck of a fall but worth it. The Times-Dispatch had a picture of that goalpost about to come down the next morning. Wish I still had a copy.
I was there for the game too - was just a freshman in High School, but rushed the field with my family, and celebrated with all of the fans, players, students, alumni, etc. Acutally, now that I think of it, probably drank my first beer that night
Same here. Freshman in high school at the game with family. We got down on the field from the wooden bleachers known as the South End Zone back then. We didn't participate in the goal posts (though I wanted to) but just being on the field with the players, coaches, and fans that night was a very memorable experience. Love seeing the pictures from that night, like this one. Thankful that I was there for all of that.
I was just a second grader, but I still remember a bunch of students on the drillfield carrying half of a goal post and letting me and my younger brother touch it. One of my favorite Tech football memories.
If Brewer comes in slinging it, and we surprise Ohio State with an upset, the sky is the limit. Yep, I still dream big. What can I say? Danny Cole is still open, and we have Sam Rogers.
Well, sure, if we beat Ohio State you're damn straight we'll be in a position to contend for the Natty Title this year. I mean heck, the game is in their house and they're a legitimate contender themselves this year.
Unfortunately, I don't see it happening for us..... this year. We're still too young across the board, and, most likely, we're at the very least going to be rotating in true freshmen at the OL all season long, and in all likelihood, our starting QB hasn't even stepped foot on campus as a student, yet. This is still a transition year. Do I think we could get to 9 or 10 wins this year? Actually, yes, very much so. All our tougher games, outside of the Ohio State landmine, are late in the year, so it gives us plenty of time to get the offense on the same page and to get something that works. Hell, without the brain farts against Duke, BC, and Md last year, we're a 10 win team, and I like this team this year more than I liked the one last year. And its not like we have a gauntlet of a schedule to run this year.
This year will be bumpy. We'll get wins, but they'll be ugly. We'll also see flashes of brilliance from time to time, and if everything breaks right, we'll look like a legitimate football team again come November. Our emergence back on the National scene will come in 2015 when we open with Ohio State in Lane on Labor Day night, and we beat their skulls in on national television.
I don't disagree with your larger point, but which true freshmen do you see rotating in all season on the OL? Maybe I'm misinformed, but I didn't think any of those guys were expected to break into the 2-deep this year.
Unless they all redshirt, you have to go with your best guys, and from what I've heard (which I will admit could be 100% wrong) these guys are a step above what we're really used to at OL. I mean, with the way our OL has been playing recently, its foolish to think that there are distinct lines already drawn in the sand about who plays where.
Considering the minute number of true freshmen you see nationwide playing significant minutes, I'd say that while the recruits might be an improvement over the current O-linemen, that doesn't equate to them actually starting or playing in front of them very much. O-line takes time to learn, more so than any other position in football. The jump from HS to college is huge, too. Expectations should be realistic.
This is what I was thinking. Even McLaughlin wasn't a 'real' true freshman since he prepped for a semester at Fork Union and enrolled early. Looking at the two-deep, there are a lot of servicable lineman who have been in the program a while. I'd be surprised to see any of the '14 OL recruits get significant playing time this year.
Tread softly for you tread on my dreams.
Not to mention the fact that Bucky Hodges has probably grown at least 3 feet since the Spring Game.
So he has five feet now? How does he walk?
Oh, wait...
Well played.
There are a lot of questions to be answered... but I completely agree that the sky is the limit.
If Brewer is ACC Championship caliber (and he has the potential to be), if the offensive line is effective in short yardage situations, if one of the incoming WR's bursts onto the scene, if the RB situation gets figured out, if the defensive line stays healthy, if the linebacker corp plays up to its potential, if the secondary stays healthy, if a consistent place kicker emerges... Beamer has a chance.
I'm actually very positive on all of these questions. However, it's very rare for a team to bat a thousand when answering their pre-season doubts. It'll only take one flaw to sink a championship season, and Tech has a lot of potential flaws.
Maybe Brewer was forced to transfer to find a starting job for a reason... maybe the offensive line struggles to pick up Searels new schemes... maybe the lack of a vertical playmaker in the receiving corp continues for another year... maybe a work horse back never emerges... maybe the thin defensive line gets exposed against a powerful rushing opponent... maybe Chase Williams isn't quite Jack Tyler... maybe Facyson leg issues keeps him off the field... there are so many "Maybes".
but Maybe this is our year.
Damn that's a shitload-o ifs
Thanks for pulling out that last maybe....we all needed that.
This is what's great about the off season. Anything and everything is possible.
"If Brewer comes in slinging it, and we surprise Ohio State with an upset, the sky is the limit. Yep, I still dream big. What can I say? Danny Cole is still open, and we have Sam Rogers."
BOOYAH - 3 months ago, I said this. Yep....said it. A quarter of a year ago.
The receiving corp is getting better. With good blocking, the running game will improve. The defense might be lighter but faster this year. With a good QB and if the Hokies escape the injury bugs, they might make it to the playoff where anything can happen. That's my Hokie dream!
Although I doubt an upset in Columbus will happen, I think we are only a year away from being back to the VT football we're used to, where 10-win seasons are a regularity an ACC titles are just the first step to a successful year.
I was at that game. Damn that seems like ages ago. I remember everyone watching the scoreboard (pre-cell phone era really) to see the score of the Nebraska game...
Nebraska was playing Colorado right? I was a dumb freshman and stayed home on Thanksgiving break instead of going to the game. 15 years later I still wish I would have gone to the game
I skipped the Nebraska game (Coale down the sideline) to go to the Auburn-wvu game. Biggest regret of my Tech career
What! Sacrilege!....
Yep, Nebraska was playing Colorado. I skipped the '98 Miami game where Ricky Hall caught the TD for the win to go camping with some friends on my hall. Not as big of a game, but still pissed about missing that one.
August 2010 was the toughest for me. I was in Jersey Mike's wearing Hokie gear (of course) and someone asked me how I liked our chances against Boise State. I didn't hesitate to tell him we could beat anyone who played their home games on smurf-turf. He seemed to appreciate that (I guess he hadn't heard it before), so I confided in him that he was asking the wrong question: after beating Boise State we were going to go undefeated, and win the national championship.
Six days later the Hokies drove home from Harrisonburg with a really bad hangover, and I've never gone back to that Jersey Mikes.
I think 10-11 Ws is a reasonable expectation this year.
Is it wrong to expect that every year?
Last 2 seasons yes.
I'm glad a few of us are this optimistic
I would love nothing more than to nail that 12th W to get another proverbial monkey off the Beams back.
99 days, wow, that is awesome
oh, and I've told the story on here before but I'd say it bears repeating for this thread. I wasn't at the game, we were downtown. we turned down university to see this absolute mob coming down the street with a section of the field goal post. traffic was stopped, folks were just everywhere, hootin, hollerin, car horns blaring, and the cops were just letting it happen. it was awesome.
Reading everyone's what-ifs just makes me...
Was suspended that season and watched from home. Super sucked. I actually feel that 2016 is a magical year. Lot of stuff setting up for that year.
Those high promise outlooks before a Hokie Football season is over. Lets be honest, those only belong to high powered SEC teams....OR.....if you're a college football team in another power conference who is coming off a big season that went beyond your expectations.
No one thought we would run the table in '99. We all thought we would have a great season in '99...but lets be honest...how many of us were that praised on a undefeated season before it all started? All that "we can go unbeaten" ideas came AFTER we actually did it '99.
When you start having seasons that don't eclipse that 10 win mark, or seasons where you barely become bowl eligible....those "WE CAN GO UNDEFEATED" thoughts go away.
So what I am trying to say is that Virginia Tech football, and its fans, needs another "surprising" or "go beyond our expectations" season like in 1999. Another season that sparks our interest and beliefs that we can go all the way. It doesn't even need to be a season like 1999....just a season that leaves us saying "wow....that was awesome...I wasn't expecting us to do THAT well".
Enough of the "huge let down" seasons. Lets get back to the ACC Title game...thats a good place to start surprising us and grabbing our positive optimism again.
I want a reaction like this after our 2014 season:
I'm expecting a couple undefeated seasons coming up. ..
Well extremely unlikely, I think a marquee win like beating Ohio State on the road next season could be that spark we're looking for. Even if we lose a game or two next season but beat anOSU, people will look back and say, we knocked of a championship caliber top ranked opponent at home. (I firmly believe we have a shot at beating them anyway when you draw up our strengths vs their weaknesses and vice versa). My family is all Northwestern alumni and they were at the game against anOSU last year. They should have won that game (and had won it until the last few plays). This is something that would never happen in NU's history, you never beat Ohio State. It just goes to show that anOSU is beatable. But I digress... Our hokies have been itching for a big time win on the national stage and this could be that game. Could have had Bama last year, but again...every thread needs to be tight or the whole sweater will unravel.