The ACC Kickoff is upon us, marking the beginning of the end of the offseason — and it doesn't come a moment too soon for the Hokies.
Unless you've been under a rock since December (which honestly doesn't sound that bad right about now), you'll surely be acutely aware of just how Tech has filled up the offseason bingo card over these last few months.
Some sudden departures? Adios, Mook Reynolds, Adonis Alexander and Galen Scott. A costly injury? Hello, Jeremy Webb. Rumors swirling about the starting quarterback? Glad you're still around, Josh Jackson.
Plainly, the opening of fall camp will be a relief for the coaches and players. But first, we get one last chance for Justin Fuente to reflect on this nightmare of an offseason down in Charlotte.
Press junkets like these tend to be an exercise in just how little coaches can reveal about the upcoming season, but there are always few nuggets we can examine in these football-free months. Some might say Tidbits, if you will.
Let's get into it.
Fuente Talks Turmoil
By and large, the notoriously tight-lipped Fuente avoided saying much about any of the turmoil surrounding the program this offseason.
He had some kind words for Alexander, praising him for working diligently to earn his academic eligibility but lamenting that he "dug himself a hole and couldn't get out." Fuente also was pretty blunt about Mook Reynolds' future with the team after his dismissal.
Fuente said the "door's closed" on Mook Reynolds returning to the team. #Hokies— Andy Bitter (@AndyBitterVT) July 18, 2018
So much for the longshot hope articulated by some fans that Reynolds could see his felony drug charge potentially knocked back to a misdemeanor, and therefore wind up back in school.
This, however, struck me as the most notable thing Fuente said on the matter.
Fuente on some recent attrition: "We've had some decisions on some guys who have been hanging on by a thread since I got here." #Hokies— Andy Bitter (@AndyBitterVT) July 18, 2018
I'm not sure if he meant this as an oblique shot at the Beamer regime, but it can sure as heck be read as one. Where does he think Bud Foster and Charley Wiles were before he got to Blacksburg, exactly?
Both players preceded Fuente in Blacksburg, but it's not as if this is the new staff's first year either. It seems a bit late in the game to be saying, "Hey, I'm the new guy" when he's had several years to address whatever was happening behind the scenes here.
I think Fuente's comment does hint at the one silver lining hidden in the slew of bad news this offseason — i.e., that it's all coming at once, hopefully, and will be behind the team by the time the pads go on and the Florida State game arrives.
But I would wager, perhaps, that there was another way to phrase that sentiment.
Making a Statement By Saying Nothing at All?
Josh Jackson has never been the most loquacious player on the roster, even as he ascended to the team's most prominent position.
When combined with his own offseason controversy, it seemed an odd choice indeed that Fuente would tab him for what is, effectively, a two-day long media session.
After all, he'd have to answer questions about what exactly happened regarding his academic situation, which prompted some reports that his future with the team was in doubt. It hardly sounds like a good time, even for the most media-savvy athlete!
#Hokies QB Josh Jackson said he was never worried the situation involving academics was going to turn out poorly for him. Said he tried not to think about it, other than when he got texts and messages about it. #ACCKickoff— Norm Wood (@normwood) July 18, 2018
Jackson said it was unfortunate that false accusations came out about him allegedly being indefinitely suspended in connection with his academic situation. #Hokies #ACCKickoff— Norm Wood (@normwood) July 18, 2018
However, more than anything Jackson said, Fuente's decision to bring him to Charlotte in the first place speaks volumes. He wouldn't come out and name Jackson the starter by the end of the spring, but what's a better vote of confidence than knowing a guy would face some tough questions, and putting him up on the podium anyway?
There's still fall camp left to see if Ryan Willis, Hendon Hooker or even Quincy Patterson can unseat Jackson, but this sure seems like Fuente's way of saying that this offseason's uncertainty didn't shake his faith in last year's starter.
"Bringing your starting QB, who is a good worker... just made sense to me," Fuente told reporters. "And I do have confidence in him."
It's Cute That You're Trying
In lighter news, the word out of that other Virginia school is that they're laser-focused on beating the Hokies this year.
Maybe a little too focused, even.
#UVA WR Olamide Zaccheaus on 'Beat Tech' signage around team's facility: "When you're going into work, everything you do you have to beat Tech. Whether it's going to the bathroom – you have to beat Tech in the bathroom. It's making it a lifestyle."— Mike Barber (@RTD_MikeBarber) July 18, 2018
I suppose after Bronco admitted publicly that his roster wasn't even close to being ACC-ready (then furiously walked back those comments), he had to change the narrative somehow.
It's a move straight out of the playbook of any rebuilding coach — focus on the rivalry as a way to get the fans and boosters jacked up, and because it's a whole lot easier promising one win than it is 10 (or even six).
Just don't count on anyone in Blacksburg engaging too seriously on such a question, just yet. I think Ricky Walker put it best.
What's Ricky Walker's response to UVa making it a big focus to beat the #Hokies this year? "L.O.L., I guess," he said.— Andy Bitter (@AndyBitterVT) July 18, 2018
I leave you with a reminder that one coach always, always says something dumb at media day. Each time around, just be glad if it wasn't yours.
Larry Fedora's media session is over. He repeatedly doubled down on his claims about the decline of football/decline of America and added later that he doesn't believe CTE has been proven to be linked to football. That was a surreal Q&A session.— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) July 18, 2018
Comments
I appreciate the write up, very good information. I disagree that Fuente was taking a jab at Beamer or trying to hide behind being a new guy. I think he was simply stating this wasn't any of those guys first offense.
I don't think Alex was saying he was/was not taking a shot, rather it could be interpreted as such, which is fair.
Fuente hasn't exactly been shy about mentioning the status of the cupboard when he took over.
That statement didn't bother me much, but here are my thoughts.
1. It didn't need to be said at all. There was no need to qualify the statement. In fact, the original releases said no further comment. That was a good strategy.
2. You can't have your cake and eat it too. If Fuente knew their grades/situations were dicey, he could have discussed a transfer as soon as he took over, or at the end of 2016. He then could have recruited replacements with the open scholarships (which would have had 1-2 years experience now, instead of the 0). He made a choice to roll the dice and it didn't work out. He has to own that now. It's Year Three.
Again, I don't think the statement in a vacuum is a big deal, but Fuente is definitely learning what it takes to manage a Power 5 program. Hopefully he's growing.
Counterpoint or other thoughts on that is that these problems developed during the last two years, and not necessarily that Fuente walked in on Day 1 and these guys had problems immediately that needed to be addressed or decided. More likely there were minor issues which never went away or worsened over time to the point that they were no longer tenable.
Another thought is that there are 85 guys on scholarship and 120 total in the program and the new administration would have a learning curve that find out everyone's status, and not known how much was communicated on Day 1. Also his tolerance may be lower than previously. I think it's impossible to draw any definitive conclusions
It's a bit presumptuous of a new coach to throw guys off the team based solely on actions made during the previous regime. No reasonable person would tell players to leave based on academics/conduct when standards were different (outside of truly egregious violations like sexual assault). Joe, that's a ridiculous position to take.
There are plenty of times in the corporate world management changes occur and existing teams/personnel are evaluated by new management and changes are made in short order. Players are nudged to the door in coaching changes in college football. It happens.
Here's the quote again: "We've had some decisions on some guys who have been hanging on by a thread since I got here."
My overall point is this, Fuente knew what he was getting into. He made the choice to keep those players in the fold and knew the risk/reward of doing so. It paid off for a couple of years, but now Tech's in a dicey position. It's Year Three, I'm less concerned about what Fuente inherited, rather how he handled the situation(s).
I feel like from what we know of the situation, he handled it the way he should have. It sounds like they were barely hanging on academically and the coaching staff was doing their best to help them through it. Unless it's a clear Marus Vick situation, I like having a coaching staff that tries to help build players up rather than bailing on them on the first sign of hardship.
Joe isn't suggesting otherwise.
To me Fuente was just being factual. For a variety of reasons some players were just hanging on and they have come to a head now. No deeper meaning, but as Alex said it could be interpreted that way.
And that's fine. (And I personally don't disagree with the strategy.) But again, at this point (three years later) I don't want to hear about the hand he was dealt, it's more telling how it was played.
So you probably wouldn't be impressed if, after three years, he said that there were only 27 ACC caliber players on the team...
I'm having a hard time following what you think he should have done. A couple first year players had a bad freshman year under the old regime. They obviously were not instantly ineligible and there must have been the opportunity to dig out of the hole. After 3 more years, they fell a little short. I can't imagine a coach cutting ties with a player that has a potentially successful path toward graduation.
Additionally, I dont think his comment had anything to do with the previous regime. I would have never interpreted it that way. I understood it as he had to make some tough decisions on some guys that have been hanging by a thread during his whole tenure, aka since he got here.
I'm not trying to outline that, or offer any possible solutions. So you're good there. Hindsight is 20/20 anyways. Rather, to me personally, three years later, the what (he inherited) is much less important than the how (he dealt with it).
The corporate world isn't not really a fair parallel to make, as you can backfill positions when you need, have essentially no hard limit on staffing, and your working with a totally different time horizon (building a company and careers indefinitely vs. a max of 5 years in the system, 4 to contribute). They're nothing alike, and Fuente's hands on personnel are tied significantly more than what you're proposing.
That said, one of the (very) few things I dislike with Fuente is the way he seems to call out players. It's beyond trying to light a fire and downright egregious at times. I think it would be best to just say nothing on the topic, and given he barely says anything about the program anyway, that shouldn't be too challenging.
You haven't tried to hire competent software engineers in a competitive market then.
Most business units and divisions have budgets and are constrained by them.
I literally have extensive experience doing both. The window for hiring in a company and the recruiting window for cfb are nothing alike, and all budgets can be reworked if there is a dire need.
I don't think it's accurate to assume Fuente could come in and make wholesale changes to the roster his first year or two in. That's not how it works. He had to keep a recruiting class together when he stepped in the door. To think he had the luxery of replacing known commodities like AA and Mook right off the bat is a nsignifiscant stretch. Were we just going to cut 2/3 of the team and bring in a recruiting classes of 40? Of course not.
Thanks. Where did I suggest that?
Who is talking about the 2016 recruiting class?
Of course it wouldn't have been a luxury, it would have been a hard decision.
Again, where did I suggest he cut 2/3 of the team?
Then maybe your OP was a bit ambiguous. When I read
paired with
It reads like you think Fuente should have made these moves more quickly and/or earlier, because now the program is now hurting because he didn't.
I brought up the 2016 class because of the quote you cited - "We've had some decisions on some guys who have been hanging on by a thread since I got here" - giving him the benefit of the doubt bc there was no way he could make significant personnel changes when he was trying to keep an average class, on the heels of two average classes, together. I don't think he needed to say this, nor do I consider it any type of shot at the previous regime. Like you said, he's playing a risk/reward game, and his job is to win games. Clearly there had been some disconnect between CJF and AA, but the academic issues for AA and Mook are mostly out of his hands.
My original comment was more or less mental note, and/or thinking out loud. Regardless of what I, or anyone else think, it's ultimately Fuente's prerogative and decision how to handle personnel situations. The reason for the mental note is, at some point down the road, he will likely be faced with a similar situation — a talented player with a ton of eligibility has off the field issues. I'm curious to see how his approach evolves (if at all).
I certainly agree with that. I think he's learning on the job in this dept as much as any other
That typically happens when the players on the roster aren't talented enough or have the mental composition to win in the eyes of the new regime. Buzz did this when he got to Virginia Tech. He nudged everyone except for Devin Wilson (who Buzz tried to get rid of) out the door. The difference is Buzz got rid of guys because we weren't going to win games with them, not because they failed out of World Regions.
Fuente was being honest about the situation- there were guys who fucked up under the Beamer regime, he laid out his standards when he took the job, certain players didn't meet his standards and he got rid of them. I honestly don't see your issue. This isn't a "risk/reward" situation- he didn't want to throw guys off the team for infractions made not under his watch because that would be unfair to the players.
I doubt he was thinking, "Man I don't want these fuckbois on my roster but we need them." It was probably more, "These kids made mistakes, let's give them a second chance and if they mess up again, we'll get rid of them."
Fuente suspended Adonis in both 2016 and 2017.
Fuente didn't throw him off the team, he was ruled academically ineligible. That's out of his hands.
Help me understand the point you are making.
Basically, I don't understand why you're taking the position your taking. You're perturbed that he said, "We've had some decisions on some guys who have been hanging on by a thread since I got here." I believe he said that because he wanted to show that getting rid of these kids wasn't a flippant decision. You're making this more of a "well I inherited these fucktards and I rolled the dice on them" which is a weird interpretation unless you have context that I don't have.
My question above, was related to your original statement.
That's absolutely not what happened. Adonis was suspended multiple times by Fuente (2016 and 2017), and it took a situation out of the program's hands for him to ultimately leave.
I'm anything but perturbed. I made an observation about a quote I originally said "didn't bother me much" and "don't think the statement in a vacuum is a big deal". However, I do think it's worth remembering down the road to see if he handles a similar situation in the same way. That's all.
I actually feel bad about myself that I'm struggling to convey this point.
Edit:
That's a fair way to interpret the comment.
I think it relates to this comment:
The continued back and forth is because some of us just don't see what you're seeing there. I didn't read any of what he said as complaining or even talking about what he was dealt. Rather that these concerns didn't come out of nowhere. They were long-standing issues that the staff (and support staff, according to Adonis) went to great lengths to fix. It didn't work out. But this wasn't a decision made lightly or without prior context. Clearly some people are interpreting it differently though, which is valid, but there's not going to be an agreement if that's the case, so....[shrug emoji]
In an effort not to beat the horse on a treadmill dead, this is the best summary of where I was coming from: http://www.thekeyplay.com/comment/695435#comment-695435.
At this point, I don't think I can any more perspective on top of that.
🍻 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
It will be refreshing when Buzz and Fuente will be fully "responsible" for the rosters that they have, from any form of attrition. I'll be happy when 10 win seasons are the expectation (again).
As much as College Football is a business - we're talking about KIDS. We aren't talking gout General Electric making changes to management with a new CEO walks in to "nudge people". That isn't a fair comparison at all.
This is obligatory.
And I am with you, that they're kids. Personally, I want what's best for them, even if that doesn't involve football (or even Virginia Tech). It was analogy, I wouldn't read too much into it.
And for most of the kids (given how few make it to the NFL), even though it might be detrimental to the football team in the short-term, nudging them off of the team (mind you this could be temporally), and into the classroom, or to work through a personal issue might be in their best interest in the long term. I didn't mean to imply they should be kicked to the curb.
When I chatted with Bud Foster a few years ago, it resonated with me the load a student athlete is under between football, classroom, and life demands. Not all can balance all three. And in the rare case of sure-fire NFL player, the latter two are seemingly more important.
Then again, I am a firm believer in letting folks make their own decisions.
Considering the resources that are available to these athletes there's no indication that they didn't allocate tutors / help in general to Adonis to get straight in this case. And by all indications from Adonis it sounds like Fuente did everything he could to ensure he could get the help he needed. If he ended up not being elligible then though that sucks - you can't put that on Fuente for not nudging people in the right direction; they are on scholarship to contribute after all.
18 years old is legal adult. Young, sometimes foolish adult, but people at that age make binding life decisions all the time.
I wonder if you or anyone can truly say you didn't make a lot of mistakes when you were in college that you didn't get help / tutoring / nurturing from a true adult who helped you get back on course. 18 is an adult to vote and go get killed in the army, but you still can't drink till you're 21; kids 18-21 have loads more maturing to do to really be considered an adult outside of the official title.
I did say "young" adults, right? No doubt it's a continuum.
My point is that you make binding decisions when you're that age, and they affect the rest of your life.
I'm not saying you can't get help or nurturing, but the fact is that you choose a college (or not), a wife, a direction at that age. If you make a big mistake, it can hang with you. If you commit a crime, you get tried as an adult. You screw up your credit, it's going to follow you around. Drink and drive? It's likely to have some consequences.
And the decisions you make at that age affect other people in a significant way as well.
Everyone does make mistakes, but that's the age where you actually learn from them because they have consequences. I'm not saying we can't have sympathy for young adults, I'm just saying that it's the grown-ups table, and the number of free passes start to get limited, though almost everyone gets a few of them.
We are still talking about Adonis right? He did exactly what you're saying. He got the help he needed from Fuente / staff, and unfortunately he didn't do enough. Adonis accepted his fault and moved on, even thanking the staff, and fortunately enough for him was wanted by T. Gray and Company.
My point is even though he's 18-21, we were all that age and some point and most likely got the benefit of the doubt and some extra mentoring when we "didn't need to since we're an adult and we should live with our actions". These are still college kids. They don't know life. If they need help then we should give it to them, not admonish them for not making a rationale decision like a 40 year old.
When I was that age, I made some monumental miscalculations that definitely impacted my life for better or for worse, but for a long time. Thing for me is that I didn't get any help from anyone at VT as I failed my way to the draft, though I actually did try to get help, maybe too little, too late. A couple of my profs were downright assholes about it, to boot. I'm sure that if I were given the support our athletes get I would have had a better chance of avoiding my eventual fate, but I don't discount my immaturity as being the main factor. If nothing else, it solved the problem of how to pay for college without loans, and VT welcomed me back afterward. I also got the pleasure, two years later, of being able to tell one of those profs just what I thought of her, so I guess I was still immature, but it sure felt good.
Two thoughts:
1. You're a former player? I didn't know that. Awesome! Can you divulge any more personal info? Sport? year?
2. Surprised you didn't get any help from Tech. As just a regular student / athlete - I got jack shit from Tech (which is why I will never give them any money) when I needed help the most, but i figured they roll the carpet out for student athletes. Interesting perspective.
I think he was saying that he wasn't a student athlete and therefore didn't have the support staff and surrounding system in place to help him like AA did
Thanks for clarifying for me, you are correct.
I was talking in general terms, not about any one individual.
I didn't say that any 18 year old should be admonished for not making a decision like a 40 year old, only that when you're 18, you're suddenly responsible for your own decisions, and therefore not a kid.
I also didn't say we can't support them. We should, but there are limits.
Adonis has my sympathy, as he just dug himself into a hole he couldn't climb out of.
If that's the case then he shouldn't say "there have been guys hanging on since we got here". That implies they quickly recognized they were an area of concern from day one. If you know a guys been an issue for 3 years, you can't really blame it on Beamer and Co. It's a bad look putting Adonis's academic issues on Beamer when you had more than enough time to get that straightened out. No one digs that deep of a hole freshman year. Letting it go and just saying what's done is done is what I would have rather heard.
I still can't fathom how any of this is a shot at Beamer or anything of the like. He was only making a point that these concerns weren't out of the blue. It's something they worked on internally to fix, it didn't work out, and now those players are gone. I've re-read the comment several times and read people's reactions, but I still can't do enough gymnastics to make it into a shot at anybody.
I don't personally read it as a shot at Beamer but I see how people can. That's why I really just wish they had said we did what we needed to do and we're moving on. No need for the details of how long it's been an issue in my opinion because all it leads to is stupid arguments like we're all having in the thread right now.
That's the thing though, if I said those comments, I would be confident I conveyed my thoughts well and that there was no possible way that someone could interpret them in a negative way. Clearly that's wrong, but I have a hard time faulting Fuente for that.
I'm just saying from a player standpoint, I always enjoyed the "less is more" approach. "We did what's best for the team and we're moving forward". Also welcome to the world where any comment can be turned into a negative one.
Glad to see I'm not the only one feeling like Ron Weasley in a divination class. Everybody is reading the tea leaves to unlock all the dark ones secrets, and all I see is a coach using a metaphor and a colloquialism to avoid any appearance of throwing former players under the bus.
Leg for the Harry Potter reference
I am SOOOOOO on board with this guy. Hoist the mainsail, Captain!
This is exactly where my head is at.
Interesting comment on the cupboard, considering he took over a team that had won a bowl game- not exactly a 3-9 team- and all of his best players - including the 2 he took to media day with him- to date with the exception of Jerrod Evans were in the "cupboard" when he got here.
Josh Jackson wasn't in the cupboard when he got here. He was still technically a recruit.
Josh Jackson was recruited and committed to Scott Leoffler. He was "in the cupboard" when Fuente was hired.
You're both correct. dcwilson40 is correct in that he was committed to VT, but not everybody stays committed when there's a change in the coaching staff, especially the head whistle. And JASONinARLINGTON is correct in that JJ was still a recruit; he hadn't yet signed his LOI.
He meant to say the "door's NOT closed"
I like that UNC's AD is trying to walk back his football coaches comments.
Larry Fedora's clearly suffering from symptoms of CTE
Larry Fedora's career has really taken a nosedive
Remember when he was rumored to be interviewing for the VT job? Most tech fans didn't like that rumor, even at the time, but that was a real thing that people took seriously.
One step below he who shall not be named as awful coaching candidates for Tech.
I agree. Voldemort would be a horrible VT football coach.
He is just trying to make the Commonwealth Cup a Horcrux.
After all it is safely locked up and not moving anywhere anytime soon.
Voldemort would have made a great coach.
motivated people well, opponents feared his name, people followed him, was able to scheme well
You could replace "Voldemort" with "Nick Saban" and that sentence would still make sense.
^^^This post definitely deserves more upvotes.
Fincle is Einhorn.
IDK, he might have a few tricks up his sleeve
I called it a while ago. I think he really struggles to adapt when things aren't going well and I figured once his recruits dried up his message would get stale and the team would struggle. He tried to abandon ship for one last big pay check at Baylor and I think hes done
I thought it was just caught up in a bad storm.
Nice pull there Alex!
Where the hell have you been hiding the tidbits alex?! Good to be reading them again, great summary!
UVA's summer workouts be like...
UVA will always be a #2 behind VT in football...
I would classify UVA more as a shart than a full fledged number 2.
They're not #2. Heck they're not even #50
Let's put together what we have learned from UVA:
They do hard things
They also do hard things together
They want to beat Tech
They want to beat Tech in the bathroom
For them, beating Tech is a hard thing
They want to beat hard things together in the bathroom?
This is an LSAT question.
WR Olamide Zaccheaus on 'Beat Tech' signage around team's facility: "When you're going into work, everything you do you have to beat Tech. Whether it's going to the bathroom – you have to beat Tech in the bathroom. It's making it a lifestyle."
they've one upped us in recruiting with the taco bell coupons apparently. fastest way to beat tech to the bathroom.
bathroom speed ratio taco bell> Hardees
I've heard it called a lot of things, but never a tech.
They really have tech envy.
Do they beat tech left handed or right handed?
I heard they had really tiny hands so they have to use both
Takes 2 hands to handle a Whopper.
So basically a carny??
This says to me that the end of the season will be constantly distracting them from their current weeks' opponents until Thanksgiving arrives and they can't figure out how it came to be that they are sitting at 2-9 going up against the orange & maroon leviathan of the mountains.
Our entire school gets to live rent-free in LOLuva's heads until then.
Stretch out. There's lots of room!
FTFY
Their renewed fixation on beating us is going to make it hurt twice as much when we stomp their asses into the dirt 2016 style.
Uhh Alex...they are in Charlotte..not Greensboro..(not there's anything wrong with Greensboro)
so blown away with comments made that he forgot where he was.
As long as he wasn't in the bathroom.
I think we're reading too much into Fuente's comment. I just see it as him saying that those guys we're problems from the start, and particularly with regards to Mook, that thread has been snapped.
I perhaps wonder if the Josh Jackson situation was in fact, overblown and falsely reported regarding possible honor code violations?
I also wonder if "hanging by a thread" also has something to do with him, too?
They have turned this into an actual pissing contest.
Lucky for them, Zima is a diuretic.
I don't like the #BeatTech focus. UVA is a team with nothing to lose + no expectations from the fan base. If they're devoting some time every week to game plan and practice for that 11/23 game, and that's the focus of their season - that's a dangerous game to walk into. Further, their schedule is set up really well for this mantra - Liberty 2 weeks before, followed with a bye week, and then the VT game. We should also be honest, 5 of the last 6 games have been too close for comfort: 17-14, 16-6, 24-20, 23-20, 52-10, and 10-0. This is their bowl game. They're going to come in swinging, dropping trick plays, and doing everything they can to steal a victory, b/c realistically, stealing a W from VT is probably the best thing they can hope for this season. I don't like it, and it makes me nervous.
If we want to be at the top of the heap we gotta get used to other teams constantly gunning for us. It says more about the state of loluva than anything. When they get beat it makes them look even more pathetic, if they perform a miracle we are literally the pinnacle of their existence. Either way they lose this year.
There's a difference between being gunned for vs having someone focus their entire season on beating you. The latter is what makes me worry (and the fact that most games in recent years have already been closer than I'd like); however, I'm prone worrying, so there's that too. :)
UVA has been competitive in the past, but the last few games it just seems like there's no fight in them. Maybe they have this rallying cry because they think we are going to be down this year, but I still think we win by at least two touchdowns. This is without seeing how our defense is going to look which I think will be better than people think this year.
I'm with you - I still think we win too, and as far as the season goes, I'm cautiously optimistic about the offense looking better than expected, as well as the defense (as you mentioned).
Well I agree there is a difference but still gotta get used to it. I'm willing to bet we spent A LOT of time practicing and preparing for our OSU match up even before the season started. Just how it goes when you're at the top, especially with a fcs caliber team.
Very true. I also looked at VT's schedule, and it looks like we have an extra week before that game too, which I didn't realize.
Check again... we play Miami at home Saturday November 17th, followed by a short week with UVA on Friday November 23rd. We get our bye week before the Thursday Night Fight against Georgia Tech. We play all our OOC scrubs in September between @ FSU and vs Notre Dame
Week 1 @ FSU (Monday 9/3 8:00pm)
Week 2 vs W&M (Saturday 9/8 2:00pm)
Week 3 vs ECU (Saturday 9/15 12:20pm)
Week 4 @ ODU (Saturday 9/23 3:30pm)
Week 5 @ Duke (Saturday 9/30 TBD)
Week 6 vs Notre Dame (Saturday 10/6 TBD)
Week 7 @ UNC (Saturday 10/13 TBD)
Week 8 BYE
Week 9 vs GT (Thursday 10/25 7:30pm)
Week 10 vs BC (Saturday 11/3 TBD)
Week 11 @ Pitt (Saturday 11/10 TBD)
Week 12 vs Miami (Saturday 11/17 TBD)
Week 13 vs UVA (Friday 11/23 TBD)
Well, if I had to pick any conference game to have on a short week, it would be UVA, so.....
Yeah, just like I said. :)
j/k + thanks for the correction Orion. So we lead into the game with GT, BC (who's apparently a top 4 conference team this year), Pitt, and Miami. I'm totally not worried. Nope, not at all. [insert overly anxious + in denial gif here]
You neglected to point out that they're coming into OUR HOUSE.
I think this would be more worrisome to me if our game was at the beginning of the season. If they focus everything on us, that means they'll probably have a shitty season. It's dangerous for a team to be gunning for you early on with nothing to lose and thinking they're actually good. It's going to be hard for Bronco to keep them believing if they're 3-8 or worse coming into our game. At that point, they're pretty much going to know that they suck. They might come out of the locker room with nothing to lose, but as soon as we score and they don't, the wind will quickly deflate from their sails.
One way to look at it, though, is that what it will take for them to beat us will beat several other teams on their schedule as well.
Way I see it is that putting that much emphasis on one game means that much more pressure on a probably overmatched team. That, I believe, favors us.
I dunno. In this case, I'd prefer the game to be at the beginning of the season. In the beginning of the season, raw talent can carry you through the normal hiccups and missteps of it being game 1, which gives a clear edge to VT. However, this year there's no real difference for UVA if they go 2-10 vs 4-8 (with wins against Richmond, Liberty, Ohio, and Indiana or some other team). That gives them some additional flexibility where they can game plan some every week for VT, with the sole goal of #BeatTech. In this case, they're getting Fall, Spring, and the full season to prepare for 1 opponent. It smells dangerous to me, but truly hope I'm way wrong.
Don't forget Mike London's countdown clock from a few years ago. It didn't work. They've been thinking about us year-round for a while now.
Bronco and his 27 ACC-caliber players can focus on whatever they want. I'd probably be focused on not getting blown out by the Richmond Spiders for the 2nd time in 3 years.
Oh, I didn't.
They would include a year counter, but it
would(i meant wouldn't) go high enough.I see what you did there.
It actually was originally a typo which I had to edit - so I took advantage.
Sure, uh huh...right.
If UVA beats us, our coaches got out-coached. UVA has less talent on their roster than JMU.
And in no universe does JMU have a chance to beat us.
Please see above.
I may be missing something, but in what world does a game against the Georgia Tech Chop Blockers equate to a bye week? Or Miami, for that matter, in response to another of your comments in this thread?
UVA is garbage and will continue to be garbage until they're not. You are what you're record says you are.
The record states that VT has held the Commonwealth Cup for 4982 days.
Respectfully disagree. I'd argue that mentalities like that are how streaks end.
August 6th will be a good day :)
Everyone celebrates when the zeros roll over on their odometer.
Good catch.
Will have to go to Ballast Point for a celebration. It is the most likely place to run into wahoos in the Roanoke area, and they have a "beer and burger" special ($10). Coincidence? I think not.
Nice quote of Fuente from an article by Norm Woods. A little more insight why JJ is there instead of a senior.
There is video of this on twitter and it sounded to me like he was being genuine about this. To be honest though, JJ doesn't seem that comfortable in front of the media either.
Maybe, but whether JJ likes it or not, he is a team leader by virtue of his position. He may still need to grow into it, especially with dealing with the media. The other two, even though they are seniors, don't have to be (publicly) outspoken leaders.
Did Larry Fedora play football?
Is it possible this tirade is a symptom of CTE?
A+ comment right here.