Primetime, night game in Lane. Nationally televised broadcast on ABC. A full day of tailgating. Defending national champions coming to town. ACC Championship game rematch. Likelihood of College GameDay trending up.
The Virginia Tech hype train is accelerating.
What's the last Tech game you were this excited for? For me it's 2005 Miami, that time in which the No. 3 Hokies got pasted 7-27 by the No. 5 Hurricanes.
/Obligatory, "Let's go 1-0" for the Fuente devotees.
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The Ohio State game in Blacksburg. My family is from Ohio and I was an OSU fan growing up. Getting to see them play, even cheering against them, was something special for me. The buzz around Blacksburg that weekend was awesome with the game, the concert and the fans from both schools showing up in large numbers.
100% this. Sandman Earthquake games are always the ones to be at.
Never since I've never seen a game this big in person before.
Well now it's a lot less since I'll be watching the game from my couch. Enjoy everyone will have tickets for sale soon.
The last time I was this excited for a game was the Battle at Bristol (hometown game and rivalry and all of that) and we see how that turned out. This has me hyped even more!
Vol-hating aside, I'm looking forward to spending the night in Blacksburg on Friday and tailgating for an insane amount of hours on Saturday. Already got the gameday sign ready!
It bother me more than it should, but that T is too vertical.
You should label the guy "Corso"
That's an AMAZING idea. If one of you photoshop gurus could do this for me, I'd love you forever.
(And you can fix the T while you're at it. MS paint doesn't like me.)
I LOLED at my desk
LOVE LOVE LOVE THANK YOU SO MUCH
You'll see me at Gameday with this!
That is the most awesome thing I've seen all day!
The only possible improvement on this photo would be #25. Well done!
The only edit I may suggest is making the other girl dressed in orange. The differences between the purple and maroon might not translate well on a gameday sign.
it cuts both ways. I mean, if the maroon might look purple and the Clemson paw prints are too hard to see, who's to say people don't read it backwards?
They would be smart to wear purple/white instead of orange/white. They won't because Dabo doesn't like the purple. But the orange is just going to blend right into our maroon awesomeness.
That's what I'm going to love about this game. The stadium is going to be all maroon except for the one section that's orange. But orange is still our color, so it'll just look like a packed Hokie house.
And I have heard these tickets were downright impossible to get for Clemson fans.
Things I don't miss: Working at a packed Hokie House
I know this is off topic, but I am still tired from Saturday nights at Hokie House.
This deserves to be on a sign at Gameday...
If you replace the guy with KJ Henry, this could be Sign Of The Week material
I'll be boarding a flight that leaves at 8:45 from CHS to JFK, then getting on another flight at midnight to the Dominican Republic. My wife is not happy about sitting next to football game me on a flight and in an airport. Luckily the plane has in-flight DirecTV, so that's nice.
That said, I'm super pumped, but VERY apprehensive. I saw what Clemson did to Auburn with their front 7, and I saw what they did to Auburn's defense which is IMO, slightly better than VT's and has more big guys (I think, I haven't looked at actually poundage of the front-7). Clemson's offense looks super scary, and their front-7 looks NASTY.
I'm not sure that Auburn is the best barometer. In their other two games, vs Ga Southern and Mercer, they averaged 6.5 yd/play. Good, but not great offenses average 7.5-8.5 yd/play vs teams like that. Heck, Kent St averaged 2.45 yd/play while Auburn averaged 1.77 yd/play.
That's not to say Clemson's front 7 isn't as good as any in the FBS. I simply don't anticipate the level of domination that we saw vs Auburn.
It's also worth noting that many of the Auburn faithful are questioning Malzahn. He's an offensive genius, if he has Cam Newton or Nick Marshall at QB. All other QB's? not so much. From what I've seen of CornFu, they make better in game adjustments, instead of forcing their original plan.
Admitted Auburn homer that I am, I have more blind faith in their OL talent than I should. Further, Stidham should have been able to avoid several sacks with throwaways, and looked very tentative. Auburn's offense isn't good (yet) this season, you are right.
Very interesting matchup. I think VT and Auburn are pretty well matched on the defensive side of the ball, but two big P5 matchups probably has the Clemson O looking better than when they played Auburn, and VT's O is worlds better than Auburn's currently (is this real life...?).
^^^^^^^
This is one of the aforementioned Auburn fans who's questioning Gus' genius.
I see your "work" is going as well as mine this afternoon. #LikeFatherLikeSon
It's pronounced "thermometer"
This, and they're incredibly FAST. I saw enough of the Clemson/Louisville game to have great respect for Clemson's speed on both sides of the ball.
But, we've got some players, too, and I've got to think Bud can confuse the Clemson QB into making a couple of critical mistakes.
We've both got some players, but how do our dudes compare?
If anything, Fuente is going to use their speed to his advantage with the misdirection. Get them moving one way and kill them going the other. That kind of game plan worked well in the ACC title game, and you'd have to expect that we should see success next week as well. On both offense and defense, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, and that should give us a shot most nights.
I really get a "Bud Foster of offense" vibe from Fuente. He's gonna look at any opposing defense and find a weakness. It's just a question of how well can we execute whatever we've got to do to exploit the weakness he finds.
Especially if Clemson's players are as aggressive in pursuit as some of the WVU ones were. French's write up showed how Fuente played them like a fiddle.
Hype level? 2005 Miami
But in terms of having a game circled and just looking forward to one team being in our house, you'd have to go back to 2003 Miami for me. The team and crowd were out for blood that night, and Miami didn't know what hit em. I almost want to say the UofL game might not have Clemson as prepared as they should be for our matchup, and could have them ripe for an upset.
I can confirm you're correct as far as their fans are concerned. WAYYYYYY overlooking us. Almost every coworker of mine is a Clemson grad. I listened to a coworker make some truly dumb comments about their remaining schedule this morning. He feels that their most difficult remaining opponent is the Gamecocks. Then he laughed and said, "Can't overlook the Citadel either!"
I'm really hoping I can walk into work Oct 2nd like
via GIPHY
My Clemson coworkers are the opposite, they think this a huge trap game that the team will overlook now that half the media has already penciled them in as the ACC Champ.
That's insane if they think Dabo and Co. will be overlooking the Hokies. INSANE (in membrane). Not gonna happen. They know what happened last year. We will get their best.
I agree. Regardless of what the fans think that coaching staff is not going to sleep on the Hokies. The question is whether the players will. They will arrive in Blacksburg after what is likely to be a complete shellacking of BC in Chestnut Hill. Without a doubt VT is the only tough game Clemson has this year. FSU will probably not recover from losing Deondre Francois. I would be surprised if the Game Cocks present a challenge. The staff has this game circled as the only bump on the road.
I'm interested to see what FSU puts together going forward. Their defense is still going to be very good and while losing Francois hurts their NC hopes, I'd say it makes them very dangerous to be the kind of team that gets overlooked. They still have a talented roster. I agree with what you're saying concerning Clemson, I just think it will be interesting to see how bad the QB change actually hurts FSU going forward.
FSU is definitely going to give Clemson a fight to the bitter end. They've had some VERY good teams with freshmen QB's, due to the amount of talent in the other 21, non-special teams, positions on the team and depth at those positions.
They're entering a challenging 5 game, stretch, before two ACC cupcakes, leading to the show down at Clemson. Their frosh QB will see some good D's (NCSU's front 7 is touted as being as good as any in the ACC), to get real game experience against meaningful foes. That said, I will be VERY surprised if they don't go into the Clemson game with the single loss that's already on their record.
By the time they play Clemson, I'd wager that Vegas will have Clemson as a 4-5 pt fav (remember you get 3.5 just for being the home team).
I love when fanbases become so spoiled that playing the #13 team in the country in their house is called a "trap game."
It is a trap game no matter who you are or how spoiled your fans may be. When you're #2 anything but playing #1 is a trap game. You win: "So what, you're #2". You lose: "Apparently you're not really #2".
It isn't a trap game just because you are ranked higher. A trap game is one where a team is looking past you to something bigger because it shouldn't even be a contest but they fail to take into account they need to prepare for you. That is your classic trap game.
You know what would be a trap game? Boston College will be
ifafter we beat Clemson... I really wish the bye week was right after the Clemson game.Have you forgotten who our old OC was and who he scrimmaged against?
Edit:
/S
Its like the cure for the common trap
The problem with 2005 Miami was that it was trying to be 2003 Miami. The earlier game was lightning in a bottle, and two years later, everyone was trying so hard to capture it again.
2003 Miami is still my gold standard for noise in Lane. I literally could not hear myself think as I was coming off the field for pregame. I haven't heard it that loud since, not for 2005 Miami, or even Ohio State.
I was field level in the South Endzone; never heard the band!
I remember walking from the parking along Research Center Drive and upon cresting the hill there was palpable electricity coming from the parking-lots/stadium.
Best day yet at Lane.
2003 Miami in the stadium will never be matched again IMHO. It is the gold standard. That said, the 2005 Hokie walk was ridiculous. Will never forget that sea of people.
Loudest game for me ever was UMD 2004. We have a ton of students from Maryland. Being on the field, the crowd was as loud as they were for Sandman up until 10 minutes into the 1st quarter for the entire time. It was crazy. I think it was a mixture of being a Thursday Night Game, UMD was the best team left on the schedule before playing Miami, and all of the students from Maryland that went to VT.
2003 Miami is a very close second for me.
I had to go to class in the middle of tailgating for that game. I came back and was put up for a kegstand with my backpack still on. I wish i still had that picture.
I agree 100%. 2005 was supposed to be a copycat but it wasnt even close. Game result notwithstanding, the 03 game just had a different feel wayyy before kickoff. As soon as I got to my seat it was like I stepped into a different universe. There was no way Miami was going to win. It was deafening before they got into their huddle. 05 was just about the same as a usual Thursday night game, which in my opinion are way over rated. Have not been impressed by a Thursday night crowd and Ive been to a lot of them.
I am more hyped about this game than the Ohio State game for a few reasons. Strong chance of GameDay, it's an ACC game, and we have a way better chance at winning.
Toss up between 05 Miami and 09 Bama
Man, '09 'bama was the most confident I've ever been going into a game. I thought for SURE we were going to shock them. Been apprehensive about thinking that way ever since.
"I found that if you have a goal, that you might not reach it. But if you don't have one, then you are never disappointed. And I gotta tell ya... it feels phenomenal."
-Peter La Fleur
Hype Level, 2005 Miami.
Hype Level with Positive Outcome: 2003 Miami.
Lane Stadium should be full by 7pm for this game. Miami 2003, it was full by 30 mins prior to kickoff - it was nucking futs.
Got to be 2003 Miami for me. I haven't felt this much hype around the football program since the early 2000s. In Fuente we trust.
I still remember the call from my roommate when he said he was the 3rd number selected from the hat for the Miami game that year- I told him to buy as many guest tickets that he could. We had pretty much the first two rows behind the band in the north end-zone - right in the middle of the goalposts.
I haven't been this hyped for a game since Miami 2009. Everyone thought Miami was BAK, and there was plenty of Jacory Harris for Heisman talk. I seem to remember Jacory saying something about how he couldn't wait to see all the disappointed faces in Lane Stadium after he beat us.
It was raining, but I didn't mind one bit. Believe it or not, I actually turned down a luxury box seat so that I could sit outside in the rain with my people. It was a glorious day!
via GIPHY
One of the most fun games I've ever attended.
Definitely one of the most fun games I have been to. Looking back at those rankings I don't know how it wasn't a night game with gameday.
Somehow unranked Iowa vs. #4 or 5 Penn State won out that day.
THIS! This is proof positive that ESPN/sportswriters/BIG FOOTBAW MEDIA CORP. are nothing but a bunch of midwestern homers who continue to keep teams like tOSU and Notre Dame in the national spotlight (and top 10 for that matter) just because "THAT'S THE FOOTBALL I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS A KID GROWING UP IN A PART OF THE COUNTRY WHERE IT'S ALWAYS COLD AND GRAY AND THE SUN SETS AT 2PM FOR 9-MONTHS OF THE YEAR AND WE ATE COAL AND SLEPT IN BEDS COVERED IN COAL AND HUFFED MODELING GLUE FOR A GOOD TIME."
Sorry. I really went off the rails there at the end, but still a cromulent point nonetheless.
This is the game that taught me to bring a ziploc bag for the ol' cell phone. The rain didn't matter after the first few minutes outside. Once you're soaked, you're soaked. It might as well keep raining. My only regret is that my wife and I left our seats for 5 min in the 3rd Q to get a hot chocolate. That's when Miami scored. We hurried back to the stands and resumed yelling with what little fury our voices had left. Sorry everyone for the brief lapse in judgement. There will be no hot chocolate on 9/30.
I miss Dorian Porch. We both dated different roommates at the same time in 2008, so I spent a lot of time shootin the shit with him at their apartment. Great guy all around, just never really was able to start an entire season.
If you were to ask him his greatest VT football moment, that forced fumble against Miami (shown in the gif above) would be his answer. The interception against UVA in 2008 to seal the win and make VT the Coastal division champions would be a close 2nd.
I still remember watching this game live as a new freshmen, standing all the up on South Endzone, and absolutely drenched from head to toe....BUTTTT completely worth it.
Good choice! I was soaked all the way through my supposed-rain gear, but I didn't care.
Drunk
So you're going to do what AB did and drink for 13 days straight like he did that one time in college?
I've been going to VT football games since 2007. This will be my first huge game as a VT student.
I don't think I've been this hyped. Ever.
Mr. Skutt, you are in for one heck of an experience!
The hype level is unique on its own merit given we gave Clemson a good scare during the 2016 ACCCG.
Mickey the Mouse needs to hurry up and approve gameday in Blacksburg:
But we must go 1-0 and beat ODU first and let them know who reigns supreme!
As sad as it is, the last time I was this hyped was for the 2010 Boise game. Thought we had national title chances going into that season, and if we had pulled it out we very well may have run the table the rest of the way.
Notre Dame last year.
ACC Championship Game last year. I enjoy playing Clemson.
I was in the Bahamas for this game. It was extra turnt.
Seems like you'd be extra burnt.
Probably 2006 Clemson. Maybe not the most hyped game nationally, but I was a freshman that year and it was my first Thursday night game. Everyone thought we were going to get destroyed and I had to work that night at West End so I didn't get to the game until halftime. Still the best environment I've ever experienced at Lane. Nice and chilly, plenty of airplane bottles, and we curb stomped the #10 team in the country in the second half. I hope that script plays out again this year.
Man, that was a great game! I was a freshman that year as well, and I remember that no one gave us a chance in that contest. Branden Ore ran wild that night; he outshined both James Davis and CJ Spiller. And my man Xavier Adibi had a monster game as well. Now I've got to watch those highlights again.
I literally grew a beard for that game and haven't shaved since.
This was the game that got Stick It in banned! My friend was shown on TV thrusting and it was never played again from that day forward.
Also, there was an excellent highlight film that was made for this game, but I cannot find it anywhere on YouTube anymore. If anyone knows where it is, please post it. I made the clip at the end!
Trying to remember...is that the game where we were so loud Clemson burned all their timeouts in the first five minutes of the 1st quarter? That was magical.
Edit: Right game, wrong math. It took them 7 minutes and 5 seconds of the 1st quarter to burn all their timeouts. That was a top five game I've been to at Lane.
One of my all-time favorite moments in Lane. When they called that first timeout, I looked over at a friend of mine and we shouted "NO MERCY!" at each other and got everyone in our section bouncing in the bleachers for the duration of the timeout and next snap. Later in the game, I ran up the East Stands steps to get people amped up. Stone cold sober, too. Just out of my mind excited to wreck Clemson.
I got an excused absence from High School for that game. I had known 100% where I was gonna go to school for approx 17 years at the time, but my parents wrote me a note saying that I was going on a college visit, and it worked
What a game
I had almost convinced my Dad to do the same thing... but then as the weeks passed by Clemson kept climbing the rankings, Mom decided that this was a game she couldn't miss, so since they only had 2 tickets I was left at home instead.
I am told the most Hype and electricity for a game I attended is 2005 Miami, however I can't remember anything past 6pm, for some reason.
Hype level?
What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?
Put it up to eleven!
Hype level is a cross between OSU 2015 and Clemson 2011 (Part I). Defending champ in our house, a season after playing them. A win here would be the defining win of Fuente's career (to date), arguably one of the top 5 wins in program history, sending a message to the national media that VT is ready to return to the class of the ACC (which means a lot more than it did a decade ago). We go into every game the rest of the season as the favorite, and experience the pressure that comes with that (side note - would be very interesting to see how Fuente would/will handle this situation, not saying he can't, but I doubt there was every a string in his coaching career where his team went into every remaining game as the national favorite). Fans will storm the field any away game that we lose (*looks anxiously at GT*). Josh Jackson likely enters the 2018 season with some (mild) Heisman hype (maybe even get some love this season), VT becomes a dark horse national champion pick in 2018.
That said, I'm a little worried it could get ugly. I'm thinking Clemson wins 37-21 with one of our TD's coming in garbage time. It won't be enough to just be disciplined, we will have to be near perfect - less than 65 yards of penalties, no turnovers, no dropping deep balls that hit receivers hands, etc. Foster & Co will need to be effective early, and take advantage off the youth on Clemson's offense and preventing them from getting in a rhythm. I'm not confident that our defense has the depth to hang with their offense for four quarters, so the offense will have to convert 3rd downs and stay on the field.
You had a leg until the last paragraph...
me reading the first part
and then the second part
I've seen this type of comment from a few people and don't think it's realistic to expect a near perfect game for us to have a chance at an upset. We are going to make mistakes but most importantly have to limit the game changing variety (i.e. a dropped pass doesn't turn into a pick six). Part of that is luck and part of it is the team exhibiting mental toughness, staying focused and positive. In 2014 against Ohio State we had 2 INTs, a fumble, a missed FG, and 107 yards in penalties. It's unlikely that the defense will be able to put up the same type of effort as they did against Ohio State that year, but there's a good chance a team of Clemson's caliber comes up with some big plays and we have to weather those moments. If we are close late in the game I'm hoping Lane's atmosphere and Clemson's nerves help turn the tides in our favor. My biggest concern will be the freshness of the d-line. In the second half of last year's ACCCG I think we were able to get stops in no small part thanks to Settle and Walker coming on in relief. Not having depth on the d-line is going to be a huge challenge as the game wears on.
I tend to agree with everything you put in italics. Our chances of victory are optimized by ZERO turnovers, minimal penalties, minimal drops. They will score undoubtedly. But note when the tide turned on Louisville --> they were down about a score and L. Jackson broke of an epic run of about 40 yards to put them in PRIME position to stay close and in the game. Two things happened immediately after that run 1) yellow flag for holding NOWHERE NEAR the hole he ran through, which negated the play and backed them up big time. 2) NEXT play, L Jackson shows his immaturity and throws a HORRIBLE, unnecessary interception. From what I recall, after that they were SCREWED.
I'm not sure if the Louisville story supports my point or is against it. I'd say there's a good chance that at the very least we have a tough call go against us at some point. I'm saying we can afford to have that stall a drive but we can't let that turn into a game changing turnover.
No one's saying we must score with every possession. We're saying that mistakes (as in multiple, like we've seen in games so far this season) like dropped passes, penalties, turnovers and big plays (40+ yds) will almost guarantee a loss. We don't have the firepower or depth on D, to overcome the number of mistakes that we're seeing in games, so far this season.
Sounds like we have to do what we did to OSU in 2014. I was nervous that entire game, because it really felt like we were executing a very particular game plan, and was just waiting for that one slip up or them to wear us out. Never anticipated winning the darn thing.
Yep - with each mistake, our likelihood of winning decreases a little bit. Clemson has better athletes and more depth, so they have more margin for error than us.
Yup. I'm with you. Got to avoid the emotion-killers, stay close and we have a chance.
I watched that series live and keep thinking about it. I honestly think Louiville has a good shot at winning the game if that chop block doesn't happen (it was a chop block, not a hold, and you're right that it had no effect on the play). It's absolutely the kind of play an underdog cannot afford
Agree with Shakeit on all points. Offense will have to be productive and sustain drives. Multiple three and outs will wear our defense down with the likely result of the game getting out of hand...quickly. Aside from the obvious issues they need to prevent, I think this team as a very, very good chance of winning. The D backups don't need to blow Clemson out when their playing, just play smart and solid defense.
Their D is on point!
When we beat FSU in the ACCCG in Charlotte. Dont remember the year (2010?) but that was the most excited I've been both pre and post game in a looooooong time.
I've seen a video (dont recall it) of me stripping and thrusting/doing the tomahawk chop at the end of the game as FSU fans filed out. I'm a classy bitch.
we will beat Clemson......
I'll be crazy hyped after we go 1-0 Saturday. NOT BEFORE.
Hope the team is the same way.
Nice Sunday morning hangover with the official new of Gameday coming to town.
VT vs. OSU in 2014 at The Shoe. Grew up loving the hokies but financially couldn't swing the out of state tuition. Settled for TOSU. It was my first time seeing a tech game in 3-4 years and I had awesome student section tickets.
Clemson game? I don't see Clemson on the schedule, just ODU.
#curmudgeon
Let's go 1-0 against ODU first. Then I will get excited about Clemson.
The hypest i've been because I thought we'd win: 03 Miami, 14 Ohio State.
Other hypest in a losing cause: 05 Miami, 11 Clemson, 07 LSU
In all those cases, I was hyped because I thought we'd win or have an excellent shot of winning
I'm not as hyped for this game because I'm not as confident. Great atmosphere and all, but I don't think we have a good chance.
2005 Miami (loudest I've ever heard Lane...for about 5mins), 2010 Boise (loudest game I can remember...seriously, I've never seen anybody comment on the noise we brought that night, my ears were ringing for days), and Bristol (I'm a huge nascar fan and my dad told me when I was like 12 that they almost played there and I was so sad because I never thought it happen)...I was losing my mind leading up to those nightmares. Sigh. I anticipate Lane being an electric factory. Lottts of quick hitting passes please, because damn...that d-line is something else.
NASCARR! FUCK JOEY LOGANO
I'm going way back to 1999...the Boston College game. A win to get into the natty championship game!
Probably doesn't compare to all the hype the games mentioned above do, but Lane went crazy that day!
Ohio State was my first ever Lane Stadium experience, and first game as a student. Growing up in Charlottesville the only football we watched was UVA (we moved to cville from Chicago so we just watched them because they were the local team). I had never witnessed the intensity and volume of a crowd like there is in Blacksburg, especially for the Ohio state game and the fact that it was the first game of the year meant that we had the entire off-season to get excited for it.
Low since we're going to lose anyways.
It's way high. The most since Ohio State at the 'shoe in 2014.
We win this and everybody will start noticing. The Fuente/Foster Natty Project gets accelerated by a lot. The coaches and players prepare like champions so don't tell them they can't win this thing and all the rest. Lane will sound like a championship is going on, this much I can assure you.
IN SEATS BY 7:30 PM bringing back the Terror Dome.
I was so excited for the tOSU game in the shoe. It was my first away game in awesome away environment and it more fun than any of the bowl games I've made it to. Granted I haven't made it to the sugar bowl yet so there's that.
Bud let ECU score 17 points in one quarter, he's over the hill.
I shouldn't enjoy it so much, but I always laugh at the responses from those who don't know 7LoP's "one weird trick."
Opposing coaches don't want you to find out about this one weird trick!
Why are ya such a Debby Downer SevenLayers???
"What's the last Tech game you were this excited for?"
answer... ALL OF THEM!!!
For the whole experience and weekend, Battle at Bristol easily. For a game, 2007 BC Thursday Night game. It was my first Thursday night and really took my fandom to the next level.
This game definitely tops everything. I want to be in the stadium no later than 730. Probably get in line around 7. All I want is a Hokies domination, live Metallica entrance, and the post 3rd quarter Lets Go Hokies guest needs to be a live horse on the treadmill.
Fuck matt ryan.
It is known.
Anticipation level like
I've never been this hyped. I've loved VT football since I was 6 (1998) but until about 2007 I wasn't ever able to wrap my head around how big some of the games actually were. I didn't go to my first game until my freshman year in 2010. This game is going to be special. I live in Ohio and just hear about Michigan or Ohio State all the time, I've been preaching to them to watch this game, it's going to be the most insane atmosphere of the season. I fully expect to get texts that they couldn't even hear the announcers.
With all of that said, I'm taking it one week at a time because my heart couldn't take a letdown on Saturday.
Well we haven't beaten Clemson since I moved to SC. So I'm pretty damn pumped up to beat these guys like back when I lived in VA!
I gotta say for the 05 Miami game where gameday was there it was an unusually warm day in November. Like high 60's. Once that was mentioned on gameday I knew we were going to lose that game. Any time Miami came up into Lane and it was late November in the mountains we usually did pretty well.
It was cold and wet by the time the game started. Had an ominous feel to it.
Don't misunderstand, right now (& as of late) I'm kinda "meh". First, I want to annihilate ODU because they are actively attempting to steal our hype. It won't be until the game actually starts and we achieve our first score when I'll get LIT. But, before then, and right up to kick-off, I await with a calm but watchful zen-like eye...watchful for the moment.
It's going to be a dog fight! I am so pumped! but more importantly ...........
I too am ready to PAAAAAAA
READY TO PAAAAAAAWWWLLLLLLLLLLL
Restricting it to regular season games at home that we won and I attended, I would say the 2002 game with LSU that wound up being 26-8. What made it even more impressive was that Nick Saban was their coach then.
Yes! I was there, that was a great game!
That was my first game. I didn't know anything about Nick Saban or LSU. Never realized how impressive that win was at the time. Heck, I was a scared freshmen in the HTs. I barely knew anything about what was going on.
But I got on ABC as they panned across the band. It was long enough for people to recognize me. I think my grandmother said her brother called her about seeing me, and I don't even know if I've ever met him.
I was at that game! I was probably too young to really understand the significance, and even then that was before Saban won his first MNCG, but I remember being really surprised that we won that game by so much.
That was the first time I'd ever heard the "Overrated" chant, and even my 13-year-old mind didn't understand how that was a good thing, since them being worse than expected devalues the win for us.
The anticipation has been building since the drive back from Orlando last December.
Next week, I'm gonna need to call a doctor every four hours or so.
What's my anticipation level? It's somewhere between a 6...and midnight.
I'm not as hyped as I was for Miami in 2005, when I snuck a stick with a hangman's noose around the neck of an official Miami ibis stuffed animal in my pants into Lane.
Security guy: "Is that an Ibis in your pants or are you just excited to see me?"
Ronyell W: "....yes."
Security guy: "lol you wild, carry on."
My anticipation level?
HUSH INTERNET DON'T SAY A WORD
AND NEVER MIND THOSE POLLS YOU'VE HEARD
IT'S JUST THE BUD UNDER YOUR BED
IN YOUR BACKFIELD, IN YOUR HEAD
Edit: (....Unrelated, but I might conceivably be into the tequila on a Monday night)
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Let's just say I think we need a refresher on how to take care of your vocal chords pregame for maximum vocal efficiency and power.
We ready fam. Welcome to the Terror Dome.
an excellent point!
Coffee at around 4-5pm
Advil before you walk to the stadium
There's a thread for that
http://www.thekeyplay.com/content/2015/november/27/those-going-game-tomo...
No problem here.
This is easy. Syracuse 1999. The Corps of Cadets was put in a set of bleachers field level in the north endzone, I was sitting right smack in the middle. The Marching Virginians were directly behind us, the Gameday set was to our right. Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and Lee Corso were practically watching the game with us. The entire day, from gameday to marching on the field and watching Syracuse get absolutely destroyed...... that place was bonkers. I'll never forget it.
Fun Fact: Ken Massey was interviewed at halftime of the TV broadcast. His computer models have the Hokies at #11 right now.
Yes. This. I have never in my entire life had a day like that one. My whole family came into town to watch that game and the hype around the entire town the entire day was palpable. I remember everybody thinking it was going to be a really close and low scoring game but after our first TD (which i think was a defensive TD)....oh man....we just blew it open and it was loud as ish for every single second of the rest of the game. I get chills just thinking about it.
The Battle last year. I thought we were gonna drop a fifty burger on Tennessee and put them in their place. We see how that turned out....I regret nothing though. It might still have happened if we could've held onto the damn ball.
I have no idea what's going to happen on Sept. 30, but I'm cautiously optimistic. And hyped as hell of course. They're ripe for getting knocked off their perch.
Clemson is #2, I've never been to a game where we've played an opponent that high, and I've been to 2 ACC title games (08 and 11). I went to both Clemson games in 2011 and the one at Clemson in 2012 and saw VT get whooped. I just bought the Nike #25 jersey to wear for this game. I was gone from the area in 03 when we whooped on Miami, but I'm hoping for that kind of night. Easily the most excited I've been about going to a game ever. These next 11 days are going to DRAGGGGG!
Oh yeah I live in South Carolina so it would be even more sweet to stick it to all these Clemson fans.
I've been to one game where we played someone that highky ranked. It was Miami in 2001 in my freshman year. They threw roses on the field and I didn't have a voice for three days.
I didn't get to another game at Lane until 2014. I'll never forget those roses, and I'll never root for Miami against anyone.
Top teams should avoid these roadblocks on the way to the CFP
Isn't it fun to hear us talked about in a positive way?
So a 22.5% chance to win against the defending national champion? I'll take those odds any day!
that list seems incomplete. They don't have any teams from the coastal division on it...
But in all seriousness, here's the breakdown per conference.
ACC - 1 (Clemson)
Big 12 -2 (OU and OK State)
Pac16 - 2 (Washington and USC)
SEC - 1 (Bama)
B1G - 4 (PSU, anOSU, Michigan, and Wisconsin)
Holy big ten boner, ESPN! Are you telling me that anOSU's loss to OU was more impressive than a win by any other SEC or ACC schools? And you say that Whiskey has a chance because they are a shoe-in for their division title in the B1G, the same conference who's playoff selection was straight up embarrassed last year? I wonder if there are any other teams from conferences that have never missed the CFP who are dominant in their division...
This is literally just a listing of the AP Top 10 and how they could be tripped up along the way.
1st comparison in my mind was when defending national champ LSU came to Lane(September of 2005, I think) and the Hokies crushed them! Kevin Jones and Lee Suggs had a field day, and our defense played lights out.
2002.
LSU wasnt defending champs when the came in '02. I think they were defending SEC champs, won the natty the next year.
Probably the most excited I've been for a game in Lane since #9 Miami rolled into town 2-0 in 2009 with Jacory Harris getting early-season Heisman talk. Watching us beat the hell out of them is always enjoyable, but even more so when we got to derail their hype train so early in the year.
I would say definitely most excited since 2015 Ohio State in Lane. At the time, that was viewed as potentially the biggest game in school history since at least 2005 Miami. Lots of hype around that game considering our victory over them the previous year, hosting the #1 team and defending champs, the concert the night before, and the desire to make a statement that our program was on its way back. This game I think is even more meaningful because of our ranking coming in, and the potential to impact the ACC and playoff races. A win on 9/30 would put VT legitimately back in the national conversation.
It was a wonderful wonderful game
One other thing, I remember reading that during one of the earthquake games that the NEZ had some damage to it from the students. So, with all the hype surrounding this matchup, an 8pm kick, and every student wanting to cram into the north...I'm genuinely a little worried about to structural makeup of those stands. With the rest of Lane being very permanent structures, why do they still have the erector set bleachers over there for the wildest part of the stadium? I'm not looking for the gargantuan endzone at The Shoe, but something that would compliment the aesthetics of what we already have.
You know, I heard long ago it had to do with some sort of underground plumbing that runs over there that prevents them from building a permanent structure. This was way back when I was in school so I don't remember the full story. I also have no idea how much credence I have in it either, but I remember the story.
Either way, that story is crap.
Well speaking of crap, there is a sewer line that runs under the stadium...
That is starting to sound more like what I heard.
As a proud civil engineer and graduate of the #7th best civil engineering program of the nation... are you kidding me???
The stadium was built in 1964 and North End Zone wasn't added until 1999. I highly doubt in '64 they had envisioned the stadium expanding as much as it did or football becoming as huge at VT as it has become.
The North End Zone would not be as loud, if it were a solid structure. That alone will keep it in the metal erector set form.
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In Seattle, I wasn't the biggest fan, but I fucking love Oakland Marshawn
Marshawn is just a likable dude. He hates talking with the media, how awful!
The play in the NFL through 2 weeks is...uh...not great, but his dancing Sunday was a highlight. You do you Marshawn.
I mean yea he doesn't like talking to the media, but that's the only way us fans get to hear his thoughts on things. So he isnt hurting them just fans.
From a purely anticipatory standpoint, it would be the 2007 ACC Championship Game against BC for me. I was there in Blacksburg, in the rain, watching that horror story unfold, so having a bad taste in my mouth was an understatement. I had a really good feeling we'd knock them off when it really counted, which of course we did.
Hype level for students here on campus is stupid high.
Student tickets are being sold for $190+
My roommate has a friend who bought one for $120 and then flipped it for $340. That's just absurd.
That's more than anOSU tickets were going for when I was there.
Things I dont miss: having to deal with the student ticket lottery
Mid 2000's it could be a fight to the death to get a ticket
Seriously! I understand why they made the move, but camping out for tickets was one of the more memorable things about living on campus. At least then you had control of your ability to get tickets.
Then they switched to the lottery. By then, I was getting season tickets for football, because why not, but it killed me in basketball. I think I got tickets for 1 out of every 10 games I applied, and never for any of the big ones. And watching the student sections half filled knowing I was locked out was incredibly frustrating.
Yea those drunk people streaking thru tent village certainly made it memorable!
I happened to know a lot of people who didn't care about sports, but were willing to enter the lottery and give me their tickets to distribute as I saw fit. Never missed a game due to the lottery (I may or may not have taken out my ticket before randomly handing out the remainder).
I rarely won the lottery my freshman year for whatever reason. But due to a glitch in whatever system, my brother was able to sign up for the ticket lottery even though he had season tickets. He always won, so therefore I had a ticket for them all.
I think I won the lottery twice in 7 games my freshman year, but I only missed the UNC game. One of my hallmates got 2 tickets from his parents that didn't care for the Thursday night games, so I had the misfortune of watching Fuck Matt Ryan decimate our secondary over the last 3 minutes from the West stands. I think I sat with my mom and dad once each using their season tickets, and the other 3 games I got either from friends or bought them from another student.
god damn i would love to be back in the student section for this one. ya'll are lucky
The week of the Miami 2005 game, I was in McBryde 100 and a kid stood up at the end of the lecture and raised up a ticket and shouted it was for sale. A huge crowd of people rushed him. I heard he sold it for around 500.
Also saw a kid jump the gate under the North Endzone on our way in to that one. He managed to outrun the police and probably got in.
I'm not nearly as hyped as I will be for the Clemson game on December 2nd.
Can we please not talk about this until next week???? We still have to not shit the bed against ODU this weekend - trap game if I've ever seen one.
In the OP
if we shit the bed against ODU and a 17 year old QB...next week will be a moot point!
I'm amazed that I havn't seen the "I just went from 6 to midnight" gif yet.
As for anticipation, my wife is already mad at me for my plans for next weekend. We live in an amazing neighborhood in Old Town Scottsdale, and we hang out with out neighbors frequently. 9/30 one of them is throwing a big cookout and movie watch party in their backyard for the kids so the parents can enjoy some beverages without having to chase kids around. I've already let them know that I won't be attending.
There is actually another VT grad that lives around the corner from me, and we have already told our wives that the smoker is getting fired up and we will be drinking poolside at my house and not going to the "Movie Night"
To her credit, she did say that she would rather our neighbors still have a positive opinion of me and not see how I act while watching the good guys.
well let's go ahead and get those divorce papers drawn up. /s
not a gif, but the joke's been made
I hear you man. Mrs. HokieBuilder just bought plane tickets to visit a friend with a newborn baby next weekend. She asked if I wanted to go (they'll be watching the game there as well).... Ranks as one of the worst ideas she's ever had. No one wants me around their newborn baby during that big of a VT game. Needless to say I'm staying in Charleston.
The top 10 match-up against Miami 2009 level of hype. I was also in the stands for the 2011 game but 2009 was a vendetta as the rain had set in and despite blowing out an overrated team I refused to leave the stands until I saw the light leave their eyes as the last second left the clock. The feeling of early game dread into satisfaction was unprecedented as a student. Although, it could have been the hypothermia settling in or the fact that I was quarantined the following week with Swine Flu. My roommate had me hot cocoa prepared for my return made from the tears of hurricane fans leaving the '540'. I expect all of these emotions again and I'm willing to sacrifice my body with another endemic should the football gods demand sacrifice. #FirstLetsGo1-0
Looking at the tracker, I'd say this place has gotten turnt rather quickly.
The 2004, 2007, 2009 and 2010 "preseason" matchups all had me pretty excited. There was the annual two game falter, then excitement level peaked again near championship/bowl season.
Good as place as any to put it... Clemson's kicker was just ruled out for the remainder of the season with an ACL tear sustained in practice. They apparently have no backups they feel confident in.
If the game comes down to Clemson's kicker, we're already in a good place.