Great win against a ranked opponent and we have Miami on a Thursday night in 11 days. Fuente has done a great job so far mentally preparing the kids but all I can think about is...
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Yes. This. A million times this. It's the first thing I said walking out from the stands.
You bet your sweet ass it is. And we now have a whole generation of Hokies who have no clue what kind of house of horrors the Carrier Dome can be.
In its own way, this game will be the biggest test of Fuente's career thus far.
Nah, it's still the UNC game. Nothing he has done so far indicates that he ever looks ahead, so this is just gonna be business as usual.
I'm not concerned that Coach Fuente (corrected!) will be looking ahead. Hopefully the seniors can keep everyone focused on the job at hand this Saturday. After last week's butt kicking the Hokies are starting to get more press via the national media and it becomes very easy to start looking ahead.
The Syracuse game is the very definition of a trap game. Bad opponent, on the road in a location where it can be difficult to play, stuck between two matchups against highly rated teams. I'm very hopeful that the coaching staff knows how to keep the guys dialed in but we've yet to see them in this situation yet.
via GIPHY
am I doin' this right?
Carrier Dome is the devil. Don't think so, go back to last year and try to figure out why the LSU-SYR game was remotely close. This was during peak Fournette beast mode as well.
Because LSU had no offense outside of Fournette? LSU was trying to figure out why they were in New York in September? And Syracuse hadn't realized that they sucked yet? (They were 3-0 going into that game, and then lost 8 games before winning the final game against BC.)
Not only that, look at our record at Carrier Dome the last few times we've played there. Before there was "Pitt happens," there was a darker place...
On phone, can't imbed:
https://twitter.com/jwgravley/status/785574692476297217?s=09
That '64 game still grinds my gears.
Additionally, Syracuse is scary because they can score and light you up through the air. Not the kind of team you want to start out hot against you. Luckily, they do have a porous defense and we now have an offense that can take advantage of that.
This one game at a time, thorough, business-like approach from Fuente seems to be changing the culture of the team so I'm choosing to be optimistic that this team will be up and ready to avoid the trap game.
I'm with this take. Though I know this is a trap game, CJF has me believing he has changed the culture dramatically (already).
I fully expect VT to put up a big number next weekend.
Yep. And the looseness and swagger of this D (and the improved looseness and swagger of this TKP'er watching this D, come to think of it) is 100% due to the fact that they no longer have to shut teams out. It's crazy - for the first time in years, I'm not nearly as concerned with the number they put up.
It'll be a good measuring stick for our DBs, this game. I am still not clear if we're good there; I know our numbers look great. I KNOW, man. But, I mean:
they handled Liberty,
lost several costly battles vs the Vols,
did BC even throw the ball?,
played well but got absolutely gashed by ECU a few times (and had several lucky drops and penalties),
and a game in a hurricane.
An away game - in a dome - vs a heavy vertical passing scheme? I'm not at all worried about the offense. Sounds like, if anything, a State Of The Defense game to me.
I like what I have seen week to week from this team. I think this team takes games seriously and prepares well. Earlier in the season it seemed like that was not the case. After two games I was incredibly concerned. The coaches and players took ownership of the issues and committed to getting them fixed. They did. I am hopeful this team will go 11-1.
The other great thing about this team is that they're always looking inward. They are constantly working to improve their own play, regardless of the week's opponent. Making yourself the focus almost cancels out the theory of a "trap" game.
That being said.....going to the Carrier dome sucks.
I don't think Syracuse is going to be overlooked. I think for Fuente this is a statement game. On the road, 6 weeks in, 2-0 in conference. This is where you open throttle and post up 60+ points. Build a blowout momentum going into Miami game.
This is the epitome of why Fuente says "we are 1-0" every single week.
Since we are using the 1-0 verbage every single week. Can we start doing this too?
Link Possibly NSFW
I really like the sound of 60+. I'm thinking 35-0 by early 2nd quarter, start working in backups and make sure we're as rested as we can be with only 5 days to prep for the canes.
This! I think we apply the gas big time for the 1st half to do exactly that.
I agree Fernley. There is a new sheriff in town!
](https://postimg.org/image/haj7biu9p/))
I've said this since we beat ECU.
Past few years I would totally agree with you, but I believe our current coach will keep them focused on the prize. 12 1 game seasons and all...
FTFY
I think Miami would have been more of a distraction had they beat FSU.
But I think we'll be prepared for Syracuse.
If the players buy in properly we could put that game away in the first half, and our starters can think about Miami in the second half while relaxing on the sidelines.
Sure trap game
I also think this team isn't going to allow itself to look past anyone this year. They're looking to send a message to anyone and everyone we play. They're out for blood this year.
I would hope we learned that lesson at some point over the last five seasons.
Fuente is keeping that chip on their shoulder every week.
Syracuse has a really good receiver named Amba Etta-Tawo. He only had 36 yards last against Wake last night (perhaps the weather had something to do with it) but for the season he has 51 catches for 876 yards and 6 TDs in 6 games.
I was glad to see our secondary come up with some huge plays last night. Their timing was spot on and a big reason why UNC's offense never really got in sync. Hope to see a repeat next week!
They were also laying the wood to the heel receivers. Never underestimate the effect of a heavy shoulder and our guys seem like they are there to deliver!
The weather had everything to do with it. Winston_Salem was SOAKED yesterday.
I think a key in this one will be pressuring the QB. They need their passing game to be effective, but they're tied for #106 in sacks allowed this year. I hope our D-line goes ham and allows no time for routes to develop.
Yup. Bud will have his boys lathered up for this one.
On a side note, anyone know the best way to get tickets in the away team sections for this game? Just noticed it's only 3.5 hours to Syracuse and we're probably going to make the trek. Should we just call the ticket office?
I just bought them through Ticketmaster, who handles the official ticket sales through the box office, but there's no guarantee we'll be surrounded by Hokies, but at least we have decent seats on the visitor sideline.
Thanks! Hadn't noticed that they label the sidelines. Got some relatively cheap Row A seats in Section 114.
Hey Jeep, you might want to double check your mileage calculations cause it's a good 8 HR ride from ROA. Lived in the 'Cuse for four very long, very cold years.
We moved back to PA this past June, so it's a straight shot up the PA turnpike to 81 for us.. Thanks though! I feel cold just at the thought of living in 'Cuse.
FYI-there was significant road work in August on 81 in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area (in both directions) so you might want to allow extra time if you plan on getting there last minute...I was delayed at least 30 minutes in that stretch
As in we gonna trap the cuse quarterback in the pocket all day.
It sure is a trap game and I hope Syracuse isn't looking past us!!! /s
Having lived through the Big East days, I am conditioned to expect a loss on any trip to that God-forsaken building.
Correct. And/or Heinz Field.
I hope we get out to an early lead against Pitt. There's nothing worse than having to play catch-up at Heinz Field.
OK, I'm sorry, I'll see my way out.
Yea, that's certainly not an opportunity that I would relish.
I just hope we can mustard a winning effort up there
well I'm certainly not worried about it being chilly, since it's in a dome and all
hi-techs something something buns
Low-Techs something something...I need an adult.
Bloody McNabb. That throw still haunts me.
Seems like he built a Carrier off of his ability
If you go with Fuente's premise of every week being a whole season, there are no trap games. Only games.
It's a mission-focused approach, and we can only hope the team now has it in their DNA.
Going to school from 98 to 02 I learned to hate that god forsaken building.
Looking ahead may not be a problem, but overconfidence can still be. I haven't seen the weather report for the Carrier Dome, but we still haven't been tested with a deficit since Bristol and 'Cuse could come out swinging.
9 out of 12 quarters have been shutouts. (and 4 of 6 halves)
your sig line makes this even better
I believe the weather for the Carrier Dome will be clear and 72 degrees.
with occasional blustery, turbulent winds...
My understanding is that it gets quite warm in there. So more like 80 and clear.
Only when there are people in the stands
Time to get the offense a day, make up statistically for the rain game. VT 61, SU 23.
How does Syracuse score 23?
They are 36th in total offense nationally. I could see them busting a few big plays here and there, but I think eventually our front 7 will overwhelm their very below average OL.
East Carolina had the 6th Offense in the country..
Good point. I guess we can expect for the Cuse to be much lower than 36th after they play us.
They scored 7 on Wake Forest.
In the second half. Versus our third string. To pull within 40.
A FG and three TDs, but one of the extra points is blocked and run back, which adds 2 to our 8 TDs and a FG.
While I'm definitely all about taking one game at a time (1-0 bro!), i'm schematically not scared against Syracuse as much as I am vs Miami and Pitt. I like our changes against spread / tempo teams, but I'm not yet sold on our ability against power teams that pound you in the I-formation. BC is such an anomaly in that they have such crappy talent that they're not a good representation of how we'd do against a good team. So i'm cautiously optimistic for having a better season this year, but i'm not sold on 10 wins just yet.
Side note! What are you folks most surprised about? The quick turn around in O this year? Increased ST play? Or our amazing return to our gold-standard in D?
I am pleasantly surprised by the reprieve for my wallet and my liver.
I expected more games like TN to be the norm in the early season.
I'm stunned that the new coaches have been able to implement an ENTIRELY different Offensive scheme in months with such success. Incredible actually.
As far as avatars go, I prefer krak_t's over yours.
Part of that is the skill position talent Fuente inherited. Lefty never got his scheme to work in anything more than fits and spurts, but one thing he was successful at was restocking the cupboards compared to what he inherited. Fuente has some legitimate all-ACC talent to work with during the installation of hit system.
So what you're saying is even if we have a fantastic record this season, it could get way worse before it gets better because all our talent will leave...
good thing our 2nd and 3rd string are getting meaningful reps every game.
Just the receivers. We are still very thin at the receiver spot. Getting those freshman in for meaningful snaps is very important
Depends on what you mean by thin. We've done a great job of restoring the receiver corps. We have 15 WRs on roster and 4 verbals for this cycle, plus Drake Deiuliis, who will be a tight end the way Bucky is a tight end.
I'd argue we aren't thin at receiver, we're young at receiver. In an ideal world, Bucky and Ford come back to make a run in 2017, allowing us to develop the underclassmen another season, but I think that's a pipe dream.
Fixed!
Until those players show it on the field, we are thin. The coaches are begging for a third receiver (or 4th if you count bucky) to step up and it's not happening. It's obviously likely that at least some of those players will pan out, but unless there is an incredible transformation somewhere, we'll have a pretty big drop off once Ford and Bucky leave.
this.... we historically have big trouble against teams with a good #1 cover guy.. IMHO... I wish I could say our #2 is gonna take over if they have a good #1 matchup... but I'm pretty darn nervous about it
I feel like even this year we've struggled with separation a bit... we'll see Miami usually has a good cover guy or two ... if they do and they keep us one dimensional... Miami has stacked the box and blitzed like crazy in the past
and that Pitt guy... I don't know what he does but he usually gives us fits despite him having a down D year I wanna see us exploit matchups #1-#3 and beyond this year... cause Pitt is a pain in the arse 4 us
Young at receiver may be a better way to put it... yes
Or thin on experience.
Not just talent, but experienced talent. Look at the starters and substantial offensive contributors for the Ohio State win in 2014 and look at the same for the win this past weekend. There are a whole bunch of the same names.
Loeffler was probably his own worst enemy, but he also didn't have the physically and mentally mature parts that the new staff has to work with either. Don't think the offensive players had to suddenly learn how to play football from scratch or unlearn nothing but bad training in just 6 or 8 months. The foundation was there for the new staff to quickly mold and craft the offense into a flexible cohesive unit.
And the virtually exact same could be said for the defense as well.
I'm drinking more now that we are winning. Last season, after dissapointed losses, I'd turn off the TV and go do something productive
Same except I'd turn off the TV and go
do something productivesob uncontrollably for hours on end.FTFM Fixed That For Me
Drinking isn't productive?
Drinking works on the liver. Work is pretty much inherently perceived as productive, right?
The defense. They are laying the wood. They look so much more fired up and like they are having fun again, something I had not seen much the past 4 years or so. I thought we would have huge questions in the secondary and Stroman and Mook have been great surprises. Bud looks rejuvenated and back to his old self.
Cannot wait for the Miami game! It's been awhile since a Thursday night showdown meant so much
I think it's the overall attitude of the team and how much life there is. Other than that I surprised by the efficency of the offense.
Don't disagree. It's certainly interesting going from yesterday's conditions
to a nice field in a dome though.
Good thing we have an indoor practice facility to simulate game conditions for next week.
Maybe Bucky can run roughshod over them like another #7 did the last time we won in the Carrier Dome.
I don't think Marcus Davis ever played against Syracuse. /s
As I recall when we played in 2000 in the dome they bottled Vick up for most of the game. He had one big run that sealed the win. You are thinking of 99 when we won 63-0 against the Orange for homecoming.
I was actually thinking of the game in the dome. That one run was what I had in mind. I just remember the announcers talking about his sinking Heisman hopes and he busted that out and had them laughing. That wasn't the flashiest run he ever had but I don't know if I've ever seen a player run that fast down the sideline.
I just remember being frustrated with that game since they seemed to stimey our offense that whole game. Vick did have a nagging ankle injury that whole season. He did burn em on that play though :)
I was at that game in 99, and it was an interesting day. Cold as a tiches witty, and we were really worried about how things would go. What a fantastic day it turned out to be, though. As much as I like being confident about a game, it was a hell of a lot of fun to be so apprehensive and then so elated in the space of a few hours. Priceless!
We'll be ready!
Hokies have opened as a 17 point favorite against Syracuse
edit: moved to 20 points now
Too low
already moving to 18.5
Beat me to it. Given how the team is playing, unless they come out flat and this really is a trap game, I don't see Syracuse within 4 TD's.
I would still put money on that. I imagine others feel the same. Any bets on what the line will be by game time? UNC swung from -6.5 to, what, +1.5 by game time last week?
ECU I believe we opened as a 6.5 or 7.5 favorite and it ballooned to 15.5 or so by kickoff
We've got a lot more one game seasons to play, let's ride.
YOU'RE NOT MY SUPERVISOR!
It is a trap game, because the family of the bride would be pissed if they caught me watching the game during the wedding ceremony this weekend.
Is she your bride? If not, maybe it's worth the risk. If so, it's your own darn fault for scheduling a wedding during football season.
No, not my own bride. My wife and I immediately threw fall out as a no-go for us as a wedding date...
The wedding is at 3:30, so will miss kickoff, but should catch most of the remainder of the game...
My wife and I were so adamant about not being married during football season that we even agreed that I not plan the proposal during football season, lest we lose (sadly, in the last few years it came to that) and put a damper on the weekend. Needless to say, she was quite surprised when I proposed to her the day after a nice comfortable win.
This is the definition of 'mutual understanding' - she's a keeper.
I've said this before...
NEVER, NEVER check the score during the ceremony. You might as well contract an African VooDoo priest to build a Hokie bird for you to jam pins into on Saturday.
Don't do it.
One of my best friends, a graduate of Virginia Tech and huge football fan, is marrying his fiance, also a graduate of Virginia Tech and, for god knows what reason, they decided to have their wedding on the day of the Georgia Tech game this year. I know how you feel. The bummer for me is, I have season tickets and it's a home game. Come on, people. If you're getting married in football season, at least pick a week where your team is playing an away game.
The wife and I discussed these things and got married in August with timing to be back from the honeymoon before the first home game.
FTFY.
I had the same situation, but it was during the BoB. Turned out it actually wasn't so bad lol
Syracusr is not good enough to pose a trap game and this is not the VT team. CJF has no experience with the old team. All I know for sure it will be 70+ degrees and no rain for this game.
Carrier Dome "The Loud House"
-"However, the temperatures greatly rise when filled to capacity even in November."
-"FieldTurf was installed at the beginning of the 2005 football season, replacing the outdated AstroTurf."
Wikipedia - Carrier Dome
Considering ticket prices on stub hub right now I would not expect anything near a capacity crowd
This is the attitude that makes trap games. We can believe that as fans, but the coaches need to keep the players from thinking this.
Actually, Syracuse's offense is pretty good, but the defense sucks. However, I think Bud makes their offense look bad on Saturday.
This will be a nice test for Fuente. Has all the makings of a letdown game. I really, really want us to roll into Lane for Miami undefeated in the ACC. If we can take care of business here, that environment is going to be something special.
I understand the trap game mentality, and luckily I'm not a part of the actual team because I do not expect this to be remotely close. It took Notre Dame only 1:42 combined TOP to put up 23 points on the Orange in the first quarter. All 6 of USF's TD drives were 3:03 or less. I'm sorry, I just don't see how the talent level or the scheme of Cuse could possibly beat us more than 1 out of 100 times. They give up way too many big plays. I cannot wait to see how many points we can put up inside the dome.
Its not a trap. Fuente knows exactly who Babers is and what he wants to do. Our seniors are too focused and into Fuentes game by game mindset.
The way Cuse played last year might have been a trap. But the way they're playing this year could have them run themselves out the building by the second quarter.
In the preseason predictions, I called this a trap and if we were 5-0 coming into it, I would hold to that prediction. I have seen way too many mediocre Syracuse team play way beyond their potential against the Hokies to think otherwise. The loss to UT changed that though. CJF took that loss and made the team better for it. These guys are focused on every game, every play, every assignment. I do not think we lose in the dome this year. As a matter of fact, I do not think we lose again this regular season. We will be playing in Charlotte.... errrrr...... Orlando and what happens there will let the nation know, VT may have been down for a bit, and not up to our previous level of dominance, but that is over.
This is a shitty way of looking at it, but if 'Cuse beats us we still control our own destiny in the Coastal. Although, personally I predict a 73-0 win. Miami will be tough on a short week, and we're right back on the road after that.
You shut your whore mouth.
I'm sorry? This being effectively an exhibition game (sorry again, I had to) seems better than the alternative.
It's Syracuse...in football. There is no alternative to winning. The only real discussion to be had here is if we cover the spread or double the spread.
Let's put this to rest...NOPE it is not.
Welp, color me wrong.
I watched parts of the nd game with Cuse. They suck. I saw a lot of running around which resulted in bullshit. Oh nd was on defense. Suck vrs suck.
I'm hoping the fact that we have (mostly) a new coaching staff in town the demons of both Syracuse & Pitt will be/have been exorcised.
Excellent correct usage of the word "exorcised", as I was recently educated:
http://www.thekeyplay.com/comment/reply/12767/458591
Interestingly enough Fuente coached against Babers last year: http://www.richmond.com/sports/college/schools/virginia-tech/article_c83...
Hopefully this game is more one sided in favor of the good guys and not a Bowling Green/Memphis type shootout
Every game could be considered a trap game at this point except the Miami game.
Every game is a possible loss, so as long as the team treats it that way and prepares, we have nothing to fear.
Hell it's just fun saying we are playing in a trap game again.
I guess you missed the last 47,000 years that we have played ECU.
As we've learned many times, it's not THAT fun.
I ain't skeert. At all. Cuse is awful--no defense whatsoever. Stadium will be 1/3-1/2 empty.
Yup.
lol rereading this thread
I suppose if the meaning of "trap game" is that you're favored in a game and could lose it if you let your guard down, then the rest of the schedule are trap games.
Now that we know VT isn't invincible, I'm hoping that we've learned that they're not "trap games", but games where your team needs to not underestimate your opponent.
I mean think about it. UVa almost beat Louisville today. If you assume your opponent is just going to lay down for you, you might lose to a team that you'd have beaten if you showed up prepared to fight for every play.