That's what defines us as a program.
And that's the sad state of affairs. I wish I could say something different.
It's getting harder to believe year after year.
I love them Hokies, but jumping the chisam is something that is getting less realistic every year.
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Here's my vent. If you're not ready to read a rant/vent/overreaction then I suggest skipping this comment. Just need to get this off my chest. You have been warned.
I'm fine with losing. I'm not fine with completely giving up with 15 minutes to go and down just two scores, with going for a FG instead of trying for the touchdown. Fuente and co should be ashamed of themselfes and their playcalling.
We have zero killer instinct, not due to inexperience but due to the coaching staff. The athletic department prides itself on how smooth the transition has been from Beamer to Fuente but it feels like Fuente has inherited the same apathy that some late-year Beamer teams possessed. Syracuse, GT, ODU and primetime losses the past 3 years have shown that. Let me reiterate: this is not an experience issue. I genuinely believe we would've lost with a 2016 Jerod Evans led team as well.
I'm at peace with the fact that we will never be good enough to beat good teams. I refuse to call this ND team great because they are not. They did not play great today. They will lose later in the season. As usual, we let the hype and atmosphere get to us and the team capitulated in primetime. Did just enough to hang in for the first half and get completely blown out the second. Like clockwork.
Lane Stadium's no longer a terrordome, hasn't been for a while. Our record against ranked teams is better away than at home. Seems like our crowd intimidates our own team more than the opposition.
Oh well. Hopefully we reach the ACCCG. That's the level of our program at this point. Fuente is not going to change that. I guess the team is still young so there's room for improvement but experience can't make up for having zero killer instinct in leadership.
I guess it's my fault for having high hopes, thinking it will be different this year. I'm slowly accepting that we're not the Virginia Tech of the early 2000s anymore and probably never will be.
If there's a positive at least Tech will never get Kansas bad
Didn't they beat us? I mean, weren't we favored/expected to beat them, but didn't?
They did but it's has gone all down hill since that game
But they still beat us, so I don't think we have much room to criticize or talk.
Stop trying to be funny. We aren't in that kind of mood.
?
I think his brother might have logged in.
They beat us over a decade ago, in a season where they almost won the Big XII.
Since then, they've gone in the shitter, to the point where they're the biggest laughingstock in the P5, even worse than UVA.
Back in the 50's, our biggest rivals were VMI, W&M, and W&L. Things change, get over it.
Big difference between the 50s and a decade ago. I'll get over it when we beat them twice in a row. It's about overall records for me.
We might not every play them again because (a) they aren't on our "future opponents" list, and (b) they aren't in any position to make a bowl game any time soon. And regardless, beating a team that's had 6 wins in the last 3 years is hardly any way to get "revenge" for a loss to a team that went 12-1.
Dude, you should've seen me when we beat Nebraska '08 - '09. I felt completely vindicated for the '96 Orange Bowl loss to them. Should/when we beat Kansas twice to take the overall lead in the series, I (& others) will feel vindicated. Same with 'Cuse, MD, Boise St & WVU. I'm just weird like that.
You're killing me smalls, they had our number. We needed a perfect game to win, and we didn't do that. Clearly. But we held with them. We have a huge number of underclassmen playing. I'll take a loss like this in stride.
We held with them for 30 minutes but imploded in the following 30 minutes
"A perfect game to win" is laughable. We kept them in the game in the first half with our mistakes.
And they made mistakes too. Remember those over thrown passes with guys behind our defense?
The field goal was not "giving up", it was playing percentages. Our chances of keeping them from scoring again were slim, and we weren't very likely to pick up the "4th and problematic".
Only problem was we missed the kick.
^^This^^
The two kicks he missed weren't terrible kicks. I like the call. Willis was struggling during long stretches of the game (partly due to the miserable OL pass pro.) and the only run play that was working was outside zone, which we didn't call very often for some reason.
Meh, it was a bad choice. I think they played the percentages poorly. Go for it there every time. Why go from a 2 possesion game to a 2 possession game? We werent played super well on defense at that point either.
In the end, did it really matter?
We left that play with positive momentum, which is actually worth something. Go for it and miss it? You lose the mo.
Lane is still one of the best atmospheres hands down in all of college football. But the fans can only give so much for so long. Tonight was lit atmosphere-wise. This staff has no killer instinct as you said, and Fuente better not say a word about not having players than can make a guy miss. Land a top running back. Horrific running game. Jet sweep is our best play and it ain't fooling anyone.
Fuente's offense ran for 200 yards sideways. No interior running game, no consistent option at RB. Just awful. And that 53 yd field goal attempt was absolutely atrocious. Even if we made it on a hope and prayer, what good would would bring down two scores late in the fourth do?
Peoples came to play. He had the fight. But man for man, we needed perfect play and some breaks to win, and we got neither tonight.
I completely disagree that we needed the perfect play. We were far from perfect in the 1st half but were just a point behind. ND did not play perfect and we didn't need to play perfect to beat them.
I don't just blame the coaches, though. We need players to take every opportunity. Peoples got tackled at the 1 because he read his block wrong and cut into the defender. 3 plays later, we're kicking a field goal.
Floyd catches Books only pick of the season...and falls over when he has a clear path to the end zone. We pull off a trick play excellently for an early TD...and have it called back because some asshole red decided a man downfield on ththe opposite sideline from the play was worth a flag.
This, all this.
Except if your watching from home, people's got hit and barely made it to the 1 yard line and that's why he was short.
Our tackle was way past the line of scrimmage and that's why the play got called back. I think that was ticky tacky, but he was clearly like 5 yards down the field.
Our tackle was 4 yards past the LOS not engaging a ND player, and not attempting to get near a ND player... He was hoping down the field watching the play unfold from 40 yards away.
Yes he may have broken the "letter of the law" there, but that isn't the "spirit of the rule". Worst call of the night.
Dude was obviously downfield. This was one of the Bonehead plays of the night, along with the peoples/Willis goal line gaff.
You may not like how/that it was called, but had it been the other way around and NOT called, I'd bet you have quite an opposite reaction and opinion.
I'd bet you have quite an opposite reaction and opinion.
Nope. Easily the worst call of the season in any game I've seen.
LOL. okay...
Except that's the kind of penalty that you're not likely to see while watching the main play.
In other words, if ND had done that and not gotten flagged, I never would have noticed.
I agree. It can be a call/play that can be easily unnoticed, but in this case it wasn't. I would put money on it that VV, JF and BC were all barking at the OL during practice about not getting caught up watching the play and know where you are on the field. The call sucks, especially since it resulted in a huge play. But, he was OBVIOUSLY downfield.
And moreso....it would never have effected the outcome of the play one way or another. It was a terrible call.
agreed. They let Notre Dame's CB's mug our receivers on multiple occasions before the ball arrived, and then call that kind of ticky-tack crap on us.
(also worth noting they blew several OL-downfield calls on RPOs which are arguably more important since the OL can actually interfere with the defense on a play like that)
But let's be honest - we do not have a running back that can make a guy miss. We don't. And it hurts us. It turns 6 points into 3.
I don't know what running game what you're watching, but I completely disagree with this. Peoples and McClease are a great combo. I just do not think we use them wisely.
I think Peoples needs 20+ carries a game.
Large portion of the crowd (at least the portion of the east stands visible from aerial shots ) was emptying out by the 8/9 minute mark in the 4th qtr. Not their best performance .
It was closing in on midnight, and the game was over. I'm leaving at that point myself.
The Hokies aren't holding the cards right now, and they missed on some plays. Get over yourselves.
This is the worst vent thread ever.
No venting here, just an observation. I mean we did come from 17 down a couple years ago to win, so I guess I'll never "get over myself" for holding onto some sliver of hope for a miraculous comeback. I'm aware those were different teams. I personally stay and watch to the end whenever I can go because well I don't see very much Hokie football and even less "in-person" Hokie football. We gotta soak up all the football we can while it lasts. But I understand why one would be leaving. Crowd was definitely loud and looked great on tv with the stripe effect.
I'll agree with you that this is a bad vent thread (there's others too). Everyone who thinks the sky is falling and we're descending into the cellar of the ACC, most likely predicted we would have a similar if not the same record at this time of year back in August. Here's to hoping someone starts a good vent thread soon.
Dude, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to harsh on you in particular. I commend you on your leveled response.
No worries and really no need to apologize. Emotions will be high all around when we're dealing with something we love and want to see so badly succeed and friendly fire happens now and then.
It's cheesy. and I didn't even really care for the movie, but the line in Any Given Sunday "And, either we heal, now, as a team, or we will die as individuals. That's football guys" yields true. I don't have any doubt the team will continue to bounce back as evidenced at Duke, but us fans should do the same and get it all headed in one direction. I'll see ya on the other side of this Saturdays whoopin' on UNCheat.
The team will bounce back. Hopefully Fu and co. are beating the drum of "we hung around and had the #6 team on the ropes for 30 some minutes". I mean that's the way I look at it. One big play broke that game open. Can you imagine the energy level if we stop them inside their own 10 and force a punt? The momentum swing there was absolutely massive. It was like a mule kick straight to the balls.
The crowd was pretty loud where I was until ND got up 3 scores and the game was over. Everyy fan base in the country is leaving at that point... Especially considering how late it was.
I can agree with some of this.
On the killer instinct thing, Fuente is fighting a losing battle. You throw on 3rd and 4th down vs. GT (with the 4th down throw being a shot at the end zone) and you're too aggressive. You kick a field goal and you lack killer instinct. I would have definitely gone on 4th and 8. Our kicker missed a much shorter field goal earlier. Regardless on this one... It's a tough call.
This is a young and thin defense. The fact Mihota had to move inside AND gain 40 lbs AFTER knee surgery is a major red flag. In addition Farley was playing injured for much of the game. The biggest factor is that this defense is completely different based on the presence of one player: Divine Deablo. The defense we saw tonight was the defense we say against ODU. No Deablo then, no Deablo now. At Free Safety he plays a critical role in both man and zone defense. Tyree Rodgers is a good player but at 6'1" 187 he's not going to pack the kind of punch that Deablo does at 6'3" 220.
I wasn't a fan of the play calling at times. We seem to run into the strength of the defense far too often.
Ryan Willis played admirably but he mostly threw to one receiving all night. I suspect he will improve but there is a reason he was the backup. There are things he does that Jackson doesn't but sometimes those things end up in a lost fumble or getting chewed out on the sidelines by Fuente. It is what it is. I'm also not buying that we're saving Hooker's mad passing skills for a rainy day.
At the end of the day Notre Dame looked like the #6 team and we looked bad. It's that simple.
I expect us to look better against UNC but I am REALLY concerned about GT.
There were a lot of mental errors by the offense, two of which, cost us touchdowns (not that 8 points matter in the kind of beating we took). The two I am referring to are the ineligible receiver downfield and botched exchange between Willis and Peoples.
To your point about Jerod Evans not making a difference... I kind of agree. I think we get adjustments at half time on the offense but not very many during the 3rd and 4th quarters because I suspect that Fuente is really the HC and OC.
The season isn't lost even if we don't make the ACCCG. I will be watching recruiting closely as we badly need DTs and RBs. Overall I think Whit is a patient guy but I think we need to take a step forward next season or he'll be asking Fuente about what changes can be made to start moving faster in the right direction. He did the same with Beamer and that resulted in the end of the O'Cainspring era.
Pretty sure the Beaner's offensive staff overhaul was during the Weaver era.
Also, I really, really hope we don't become that program that fires coaches after three 9 win seasons (especially this season when there is one less regular season game). We've had 2 straight years where we lost 3+ of our most productive players on a given side of the ball (losing jerod, cam, Bucky two seasons ago, losing Edmunds x2, Tim, mook, Adonis, this season). Creating depth takes time.
I actually think this team is built to stop GT.
On kicking the FGs, I like it, and I think we've got a good young kicker in Johnson. Good Lord, he's got a cannon for a leg, and he's not missing 45+ by much. He's going to be a weapon.
the big busts that allowed the 97 yard TD run and the check down TD pass came from young defenders not playing their assignments. That's why GT should be a terrifying prospect for all of us. Bud can defend the triple option, but not if his guys allow themselves to get pulled out of position.
Those teams lost to:
#3 Miami 41-21
Unranked Syracuse 14-22
Unranked Pittsburgh 7-38
#1 Miami 24-26
#24 FSU 17-30
#25 Pittsburgh 21-28
Unranked Syracuse 42-50
Unranked WVU 18-21
#1 Miami 45-56
Unranked WVU 7-28
#25 Pitt 28-31
Unranked BC 27-34
Unranked LOLUVA 21-35
Unranked California 49-52
That's only the 2000,01,02 and 03 seaons. So I'm not sure what standard of greatest and unbeatable there was in the early 2000's but it was a myth.
THIS ^^^ Imagine this board if it was around for the times we were in the top 5 and got beat by WVU and Pitt in the early 2000's.
I used to get so pissed and light up the AOL chatrooms and put pissed off away messages on AIM and ICQ. My geocities and angelfire websites were on fire after those losses!!
Just kidding...I never did any of those things..I just continued to drink more...
Sadly I went through this realization a few years back.
We are actually on a better trajectory than the early 2000's teams.
Rebuilding year. One crappy loss, one against a blue blood. I'll take it. I think we're in good position for the rest of the year, and the next three years too. Call me a homer. I'm good with it.
Literally every year is a rebuilding year with this sorry program
Ok you're emotional
No, he's 100% correct.
Don't you get tired of getting so worked up after every loss?
Not as I tired as I am from the bullshit I see on the field.
Was last year a rebuilding year? Not every year can be a playoff contending year for every P5 program. There's a difference between a true rebuilding year and and the fact that the program itself is still trying work its way up to the next level.
I think you can argue that we lost a lot of seriously talented players last year in key positions, and we're playing freshmen.
So yeah, rebuilding year.
5 DB's including 2 in the lead up to this season, and then You lose the JUCO guy you brought in to cover those losses. The 2 deep on both sides of the ball is almost all underclassmen or first time Tech starters.
Sports is all emotion. There would be no sports without emotion.
Yeah. Seriously. We are clearly not Alabama. Realistic expectations need to be considered.
We are a good team, just not one that should be expected to win by forty points each game. Chill haters. I'm still expecting a place in the acc championship.
^^^^^^^^^
We have a real chance to win the Coastal and get a shot at Clemson, that'd be a pretty successful season
This right here is the problem. Low expectations year after year. We should be aiming for the playoffs. We would have been in it a few times during my time at Tech.
Yep. Seems like our fanbase is obsessed with 'beat UVA and make a bowl' and nothing more. If you desire more or have higher expectations for the program, you're talked down.
Or you can appreciate this program's successes to the past 20 years and not act like each loss is the beginning of the apocalypse.
LOL - see? Talked down if you have expectations.
But to reply - we lost to ODU 2 weeks ago and are like 8-10 in Lane against P5 teams over our last 18.
Yup, we have room for improvement.
We have lost three games in Lane in 3 years. Two to top 5 teams and one in a disappointing head scratcher to Georgia Tech. Anything before that just muddies the water when you are trying to get a real picture of where the team is at in a new regime.
I was replying to a post that referenced 'the successes of the past 20 years.' Going back more than 3 because it 'muddies the waters' and goes against your narrative is wrong for me to do? Come on.
Sorry I was focused more on where the team is at now. I don't really have a narrative for you to get indignant about.
Low expectations? Making it to the ACCCG gives us a chance to win the ACC. To make it to that game you have to be pretty good and by beating the Atlantic champ you'd put yourself in the Playoff picture. Note that I said "pretty successful season", not a great season. Low expectations is hoping to make a bowl game, not contend for championships.
Unless you have one loss and are not named Clemson or FSU.
A two loss VT ACC Champion is absolutely not going to make the playoffs. That spot is going to ND.
No, right here is the problem. Since when is getting to and competing for an ACC championship, having low expectations? Also the only time we would have been in the playoffs was POSSIBLY 2007 and you're basing that off of the BCS rankings. Zero percent chance the committee puts a 2-loss team in there, especially with one of those being a complete blowout to LSU who would have also been in the playoffs that year. Then i'm also assuming you're talking about 2005 when we lost to FSU in the ACC championship and that's just laughable.
The comittee would have put at least 2 2-loss teams in, and not 3 only if Kansas got in with their single loss. The same Kansas that certain members of our fanbase think handed us an embarrassing loss in the Orange Bowl merely because of their name.
Was really just referring to a 2-loss Virginia tech team that got the piss beat out of them by another 2-loss team that was going to be in the playoffs, but you're correct there would have been 2-loss teams in there. Just not us.
Your other choices are:
- Oklahoma, who lost to unranked Colorado and unranked Texas Tech
- Georgia, who lost to a terrible USCe and got blown out by Tennessee
- Missouri, who lost twice to Oklahoma, including by 21 points in the Big XII title game
- USCw, who lost to Stanford before they got good (went on to finish 4-8) and Oregon
- Kansas, who lost to Mizzou in the last week of the season and is Kansas
- West Virginia, who lost to USF early in the year and got knocked out of the championship race by 4-7 Pitt in the season finale
There's a reason we were #3 in the final BCS Standings. If there were a 4-team playoff at the time, we would've earned a spot.
https://www.sbnation.com/a/2007-college-football-season/bcs-playoff
Pretty good break down of it. But we can just agree to disagree on it.
We would have made the playoffs. We were like Ohio State a few years. We were a completely different team with Tyrod in there compared to Glennon. We were #3 going into the Orange Bowl and a ton of teams were 2 loss teams including LSU.
We were ranked #5 in the AP/coach's and #3 in the BCS annddd we all know how people felt about the BCS rankings. Just don't think they're taking a 2-loss ACC team that got blown out by 41 to LSU over a 2-loss Georgia team that was ranked 4th in the AP/Coach's and a Big 12 champion Oklahoma (#3 AP/Coach's) that had just beaten the #1 team in the country. Also Sean was starting and pretty much getting the majority of the reps late into that season. He was the ACC Championship MVP. So trying to pitch that we were a different team with a different quarterback than the one that got blown out wouldn't have been very effective. Just my 2 cents and completely pointless to this thread.
Lots of negativity out there. Here's a leg to balance it out.
I'll believe it when I see it. We still gotta get thru GT, U, BC & loluva. I'll believe it when I see it.
Well it has been recently because our best players have noved on to greener pastures.
Yes, and we got 19 wins over the last 2 "rebuilding years"
I don't get the downvotes on this. This comment is well within community guidelines. And let's be honest. Haven't we heard this for the better part of a decade? Just saying...
This site has become incredibly liberal with downvotes since the ODU game. Something in the community changed that night and it became much more acceptable to downvote things based on opinion.
I feel like I'm on reddit rn.
I think there's a few serial downvoters that hate any positivity
I think it's just people are more comfortable just hitting the down arrow when they feel negative towards a comment. Which of course isnt the intent of the downvote, but it is inevitably how every website transitions given enough time and a large enough userbase.
"This sorry program" is the team I root for. I don't read the guidelines every time I downvote some guy who wishes he cheered for Alabama.
We're all emotional after a big loss. The dudes dumping their unrealistic expectations are obnoxious.
It's a young team. Say something relevant.
It's the team he roots for as well. We all express our disappointment differently. Yall are probably more alike than you realize.
So the community guidelines don't matter when people are emotional? Isn't that when they should matter the most?
Honestly they're just fake internet points. If you don't want to lose your fake internet points, don't come on a Virginia Tech forum and talk shit about Virginia Tech's football program.
Idk what an "intro" means but we're not anything different this year than we have been any other year. We lose big games and win enough mediocre ones to get 8-10 wins.
We are known for our entrance and that's pretty much it
There are worse things to be known for. I like being known for having an awesome entrance.
Maybe Fuente just needs to kick a few more of our best players off the team. /s
all is not lost fam...just temper our expectations.
If any of us forgot or just need a change in perspective, please take the time to re-read the TKP staff predicitions.
Link below:
http://www.thekeyplay.com/virginia-tech-football/2018/08/16441/staff-pre...
Not expecting the year to go great from the start isn't an excuse for Fuente to have the depth and talent of this team in year 3 so paper-thin to the point where we are routinely giving up in the third quarter and getting dunked on by ODU and Notre Dame alike.
Bro, did you not see this off-season?? Settle, Alexander, Mook and then Hill dismissed/left for draft??? That's a ton of talent and starters to leave. That literally means 4 dudes who would be on the two deep or benched are now starting; and oh yeah Webb as well. Not to mention our backup QB is now starting (who has looked great for a backup but still). We will be returning the majority of our defense for the next two years. Temper expectations some; Farley bites on a run that leads to a 97 yard TD, and bites on a QB that leads to an easy pitch and catch; that's inexperience and mental lapses. Our OL effed up and killed drives in the first half, we're young. This is not on the coaching staffs, this is youth. Our DBs are talented but they're still learning, and ND is a good team
You forgot that in addition to those losses that 2, TWO (aka both), Edmunds brothers left for the draft as underclassmen and were both taken in the 1st round
Thank you, leg for pointing that out as well.
The whole reason people didn't expect this year to go great is because with us losing all those guys to the draft, being kicked off the program, and injuries in the off-season, literally everyone could see we had no depth.
Expecting to not be embarrassed on national TV at home doesn't mean expectations are too high. If they are, our fanbase has gone really soft.
We had players giving up on plays with a quarter and a half to go. The coaches looked outmatched, and we're in year 3, still wondering if we've got a QB and wtf is up with our 'offensive guru' who seriously struggles to score more than 17 against P5 opponents.
This is year 3. The excuses are getting tired.
Outmatched? I can't think of one head scratcher call. Here is what we're dealing with:
- half the d from last year was drafted.
- 2 top returners on d kicked off team before season started for good reason
- over half the team is underclassmen.
- starting qb injured.
- best remaining de dealing with tragic loss.
And we lose to number 6 in the season? Ok. Move to the next game. We are still in the hunt for winning the coastal.
Give the team and coaches a break.
Head scratching calls to me: the opening drive, mysteriously quitting throwing slants, which had been working all night, not QB sneaking or diving under center when we're on the 1, a 52 yd fg down 15, continuing to run down 3 TDs, running 3 out there when he was hurt and had given up 3 tds...
You don't need to tell me what challenges our team is facing, but the way you do makes it sound like we're the only program to lose players or have players leave early for the draft. That happens everywhere. It is part of the coaches job to have the roster ready to backfill. I get Mook and AA were unplanned, but there are a lot more than 2 or 3 positions that have underclassmen and zero depth behind.
JJ sucks and shouldn't have been the starter to begin with - that's also on the coaches, too. Sure I dont' see practice, but I'm still not even close to understanding in what world JJ gives us a better opportunity to win than Willis.
We took a huge dump on national tv again. This isn't the first time we've looked unprepared. The coaches have had plenty of 'breaks.'
Nebraska and Florida State come to mind as being in significantly worse positions than what we are dealing with... Internalizing a perceived "embarrassing loss" to a playoff contender is a little over pessimistic in my opinion. I find optimism to be healthier.
You make it sound like no other team loses to top 10 teams. ND is a legit good team. I hear your frustration that this seems to always happen to us, but who does it not happen to? What schools recruit just inside the top 25, have a young team, and are able to knock off tough teams in a rebuilding year? The only two I can think of are Iowa State and Georgia Tech? And while both might get a huge upset each year, they also have a couple of stunning losses each year.
I'm just confused what you expected? Did you expect a (near) mistake free game? Did you expect every run to gain 4 yards?
Iowa State was even worse against the top 5 than we are until very recently.
Before beating #2 OKSU in 2011, they were 0-49-2 against AP top 5 teams. Then last year, they beat both #3 OU and #4 TCU, bringing their total to 3-53-2. Still not great, but 3-4 over the last 7 years is pretty good I suppose.
Completely agree, especially the JJ starting stuff. Willis should have started ODU the season. I gipe we have aot if film and can get ready for ACC play. Foster beeds to Step up!
Florida State fucked all of our expectations up
No. Fuente as a coach has pumped our expectations up. Where the hell is this explosive offense.
We saw it with Evans. Since Evans we lost our identity. We don't play uptempo. We aren't dictating the game on offense.
We have a flaming pile of shit in the locker room.
Fuente needs a good look in the mirror. He's not getting it done.
Please sleep on this comment. Fuente is a good coach, and the right coach for VT. So much inexperience, and a not having an consistent QB is tough sledding. This is a young team.
You have to agree on tempo though. It's not there like it was in Fuente's first year. We don't milk each play clock like Loeffler did, but the "we're setting the tempo to burn you" mentality has died.
We don't have the personnel to run up-tempo. What we're seeing is Fuente adjusting to the personnel he has available.
It's year 3, we have a stable of WRs and RBs that Fuente has recruited.
Why exactly can't we run uptempo?
The team he has is essentially his?
I also don't get how we could run uptempo in year 1 with a team that was composed of Franks guys, but can't do it now.
All the players that Fuente recruited are underclassmen. Even if they have the talent, they may still be behind physically, and even then it's tough to get set up and immediately start receiving exactly the players you want.
I'm not claiming to know the exact reason we don't run up-tempo, but I've seen Fuente make a lot of adjustments to the scheme to fit his personnel. Maybe Jerod was capable of handling the tempo, and maybe Willis and JJ aren't. Maybe we don't have enough depth at certain positions and he's concerned about us getting tired. Maybe he's trying to limit the number of possessions for our defense, which was already thin to start the season and has only continued to suffer attrition.
Truth is, we don't know, and I've seen enough positives from this staff to give them the benefit of the doubt for now.
If we are going to run an uptempo offense I would expect us to practice uptempo.
We all bought into Fuente year 1 because he finally gave us an offense that would strike fear into the opposing teams defense and he got us back to the ACC Championship game.
In year 3 we should be seeing a hell of a lot more progression offensively. especially in a year where the team needs to lean on them a bit.
In year 3, we're hamstrung by having to play a QB who was a walk-on transfer from Kansas last year. We're hamstrung by still not having a consistent run game. We're hamstrung by having a true freshman on the O-line that is unsurprisingly making rookie mistakes. We're hamstrung by a defense that was thin at the start of the season and has only gotten thinner.
"Not running at a high tempo" is the least of my worries right now, and I expect the reason is because Fuente doesn't think it's the strategy that will football games for us this season.
Let me just check the facts for a minute.
In year 3 after replacing a legendary coach of 29 years who put their program on the map with a strong defense and special teams, should our expectation be perfect performance by an offense with their backup quarterback against Notre Dame?
Nope.
I get that you're disappointed, and I agree there is room for improvement. But the expectation for an Alabama Senior level of performance out of Virginia Tech Freshmen just got reality-checked.
These comments are more indicative of an unrealistic fan than any problem with a restructuring of a football team after three years with a new coach.
Is there room for improvement? Yes. Is this the time to wear sack cloth and become a UVa fan? Nope.
The personnel he is adjusting to might not be the offense.
After losing so many players on defense, are we sure we want to run an uptempo offense that keeps the razor thin depth chart we have on D out on the field for more minutes every game?
Are we really asking why a backup QB on his second start, playing #6 in the country not running completely up tempo?
I think we can't run uptempo because of the effect it would have on the defense. We are missing so many players there, and playing so many underclassmen, that we're better off slowing down a bit and giving the defense a chance to rest.
Coaches have to strike the right balance between adjusting the system/identity to fit personnel, and developing personnel to fit the desired system. Go too far to either extreme, and the team will fail. This is why recruiting the right personnel is so key.
I'm curious, why do you believe we don't have the personnel to run up-tempo? Are our players not in shape? Are you afraid to put the defense on the field for too many snaps? In my humble and uneducated opinion, slowing the tempo towards the end of last year was the right move given the strength of our defense, our offense's inability to be explosive, and the offense's tendency to stall out. However, with this receiving corps, Peoples/McClease, and our OL, I think we have the personnel to pick up the tempo. I also think this defense in more of a 'break don't bend' than in recent years. Why not pick up the tempo?
1. We're playing with our backup QB who is still figuring out the system, and
2. Our QB is sort of focusing on one receiver already, and
3. Our offensive line was making costly mistakes with regular tempo.
Up-tempo might have exposed us more than Notre Dame.
1) He's been in the system for 1.5 years, and is someone with previous BIG 5 experience. Evan's somehow was able to play in the system for in a lesser amount of time.
2) Our offense is a one look read or run offense. So every play is literally one WR that should be getting the ball or our QB should be running.
3) Tiring out the Notre Dame defensive line always helps the offense.
1. Evan's had Isaiah Ford, Cam Phillips, and Bucky Hodges to throw to. A lot easier to look like you've mastered a system with a supporting cast like that. Also, Evans was openly frustrated with the fact that Fuente wouldn't turn him loose with the playbook and kept him on a little bit of a leash.
2. No chance it's a one look read or run offense. Every play has at least a checkdown and more than likely a progression of options.
3. True
We have a stable of WRs that Fuente recruited himself. He preached about not having the depth at WR when he got here. We finally have it, why not use it to our advantage.
On the offense, it has been discussed at length by French, about how it is primarily a 1 read offense. It's extremely QB friendly. Or how we have 3 WRs out there, and 2 of them are running decoy routes to get the primary WR open. I'm sure there is some sort of check-down, since Willis isn't an Evans type runner.
Yea and they're all young. Kumah is the oldest as a true Junior. That's not the same as having 3 experienced record breakers as your top targets. I don't care how talented someone is, a redshirt freshman or true freshman is still getting a feel for the game. The time is coming when we will have a dominant receiving corp, but to demand that be right now just isn't being realistic.
And theres a difference between being a one read play and a one option play so if I read that wrong then my bad. Most plays are generally going to have your one read and then the checkdown. Check option 1 and if its not there then check option 2. At that point yea, you're hitting your checkdown or hopefully tucking the ball away. If our reads were look to see if one receiver is open, run if he isn't, then we'd have 20 qb runs just off of pass plays each game.
Fuente's guys, should be able to run Fuente's uptempo system.
The backup QB, should also be able to run the offense the same way as JJ. Will he be as successful, probably not, because JJ beat him out for a reason. Will there be different plays to fit his abilities, of course.
There is no reason that the offense can't be run the same way as year 1, with players you recruited, that have been in the system for a while.
If anything, some of the Fuente doubters should better understand why JJ was the starter by now. On the other hand, I don't doubt that Willis will improve now that he's the guy. There's a level of maturity that he needs, and he's getting on-the-job training in decision making.
I'll re-iterate. If your offense is making mistakes, it's not an indicator that it's time to go up tempo.
1.5 years in a backup role with the second team isn't the same as running the first team in a high profile game.
I really don't understand all the Fuente-bashing. I don't think it's justified. At all.
Evans was explosive. He was the last thing we've had to explosive.
Maybe us fans need to look in to a mirror as well. I know the team has it flaws but that odu and this game are making a lot of y'all look like LOLUVA fans from thesabre
While I largely disagree with your comment, I do believe this is spot on. I am concerned that we haven't really ran tempo in over a year, despite the fact that it is our 'identity.'
Question for everyone disappointed by lack of up-tempo.
Our center has been struggling with communication and snapping the ball all season *without* the up-tempo? You really want him to try and go even faster?
Every person in this fanbase who paid attention to what Fuente said in his first year should know that up-tempo for up-tempo's sake is not what he's about.
Psh. So we lost an exhibition game, so what? [DUCKS]
This was always a rebuilding year. Almost the entire defense are freshman and sophomores. We good.
We're known as a team that is almost always good but not great. We aren't a top-5 program. We've never been a top-5 program (despite the rare top-5 season here and there), and likely will never be one consistently. We are who we are, and that won't change overnight.
Let's not let this take away from the fact that LOLUVa lost to a 16 seed.
But to be fair tech had nothing to do with that game that was all UMBC
I'd like to think our prayers helped a little.
Anybody know what happened to Grimsley? After he got hit around the ankle, I don't remember seeing him again. We were moving the ball up to that point.
Go home thread your drunk. But seriously though be safe everyone!
Got to go with my dad as a last minute thing and while I have gripes ranging from the goal line playcalling to the constant uncalled ND holding to the waste of space who targeted Willis late in the first half, the thing that is bothering me the most is that the moment seemed too big for the guys a lot of the time. They'd string together some good plays, then get in their heads or have an ill timed bust.
I know they're a young team but they've got to turn the corner sooner or later, and my faith in them to do that is wavering.
I think us as fans are taking too much from each game. We beat FSU now we're all of sudden playofff contenders we lose to ODU the world is over and then we beat Duke and we're back to being a true contender. Seriously this team is young and there going to have bumps and bruises along the way. This was never going to be a special year look at all the reference about our two deep being nothing but Freshman and Sophomores. Our QB of the future won't be on deck til next year and our defense will basically return 8 to 9 starters and the same for the offense. Expectations were set low for most outside the program but us internally keep expecting this team to be a 10 to 11 win team when that isnt realistic this year. Alabama has a lot of Junior and Seniors on there team and that makes a big difference. Our season isn't over as we are still undefeated in conference play which we can compete for. Sorry for rambling have had a few drinks tonight. Go Hokies still got your back.
Even with the drink you have more sense than some in here.
I watched this game with a couple friends, and took the game off from TKP.
Maybe I'm an idiot, but I didn't see much to be ashamed of in this game. I don't think the score reflected how close the game was.
I see a team that is full of inexperienced but highly talented players. Farley made some boneheaded plays, but his tackling was much better. Our DBs as a unit was better at tackling, but still missed assignments.
This is something that can be fixed with experience. ND wasn't faster, they weren't stronger, they just outplayed us at key moments.
I didn't see this team quit today. Willis is clearly a better QB than JJ. He made throws that JJ was incapable or unwilling to make. His fumble was excusable -- great play by the D-lineman, and his INT was as well given that the score made jumping routes a pretty good gamble. And he is quite frankly more of a threat running the ball as well.
If we can keep playing at a consistent effort level, we'll be bowling this year, and next year could be special.
I agree with all of your points except for the fumble. Might be the thing that pissed me off the most. Willis needs to know that there's a guy behind him and how much time he has before that guy can get to him. You need to go throw it away or tuck it. It was completely inexcusable. The rest of your post is spot on though.
I'm pretty sure Fuente will make sure that gets communicated.
The guy that caused the fumble made a pretty amazing play coming off the ground. Would have to see the replay, but I thought it was more on Peoples. As I recall, it looked like Willis was about to scramble for decent yardage again.
God you guys drive me fucking insane after losses sometimes. R.E.L.A.X. couple of notes from today
1) were a young team, take a look at jimbo Fisher after Bobby Bowden. I'm not saying we can expect to be a championship contender next year but jimbo replacing Bowden took about 4 years too. Pump the fucking breaks.
2) we look like a different defense with deablo on the field. Hes missed 2 games now: ODU, ND, weve gotten torched through the air on both of those games and there were a few plays that can be directly correlated to poor safety play
3) Brian Kelly has had some 7 years to build this program and is a damn good coach. Anyone that thinks otherwise is kidding themselves
4) were not fucking bama. Were gonna have a losing record to teams in the top 5, as most teams probably do because this just in; teams in the top 5 are good. Were not gonna win all of these, hell were not gonna win most of them. Deal with it. Were close, give a young team its chance to grow into itself and develop. Take the lumps now. If this team is struggling to make ah acc championship or bowl eligibility in 2 years, sure blame fuente. But comon guys calm the fuck down. Were better than this
You lost me at Brian Kelly is a good coach.
Are you kidding me? Look at his record since central Michigan hes 87-39. That's a pretty damn good record especially considering he came to Notre dame when they were pretty fuggin meh
I thought that was pretty damn funny. Didn't take it too seriuosly.
A nice strong spoonful of reality.
Thank you, sir.
Seems we are on that damned expectations roller coaster.
Terrordome myth is basically a scam
..seriously, when was the last time we went undefeated at home for a season? I honestly dont know off the top of my head, I just know it's been a LONG time.
2000 I think!
It was 2008.
Furman, 24-7
GT, 20-17
Western Kentucky, 27-13
Maryland, 23-13
Duke, 14-3
UVA, 17-14
Wow, real murderer's row of a home slate there...
Who is bringing up terror dome other than fans? Even Fowler pointed out our less than stellar home record of recent years.
The crowd and fan support are awesome, and real. Not every team has our fan support, which takes decades to build.
The team just isn't there right now, though you can see that there is some talent. One guy gets injured and everyone is playing a different position on defense. Our starting QB is injured. The team is working through some things.
Chill, people.
Our true enemy was their 35-yard line. Every time we got near it we got sloppy and stupid (players and coachs).
Is that why Reggie Floyd tripped??? Hmmm..
Excited to see how we play against Georgia Tech!
I'm a Redskins, Oakland A's, and Buffalo Sabres fan, so this whole Hokies trend thing fits right in.
I'm so used to it by now that I hardly notice.
I'm with you there, brother....
Y'all wanna talk about rooting for a dumpster fire? We're your experts....
So wait...
You're telling me there is another Sabres fan?
For real... I thought I might be alone too...
I don't think we're overreacting - at some point, we have to win a game like last night. One that is on the national stage vs ranked opponent at home. There is no reason why we do not have a shot. The fact is we have played like trash against ranked opponents at home for almost a decade. It's time for us to take turn that around - and there is no excuse why we cannot do it now, or why we could not do it last night, or why we could not do it last year versus Klempson, or the year before versus Ohio State, or the year before that, etc.
We have to start winning big games at home - and we are (or we should be) more than capable of doing that right now.
Not gonna disagree with you at all. Would love to see it happen and become the norm, just not gonna brood over it.
We can all armchair quarterback it and Monday morning coach it and that's fine but it's really not worth the headaches, high blood pressures, let downs etc. Best just to enjoy it for what it is (a bunch of kids playing a game trying to notch a win for their school and pride) and enjoy it for what it ain't (life or death situation that will forever effect you and your family).
The team is thin, and we're not quite there yet.
Where we are is that when Diablo is out, our defense has a tough time putting in a full game.
With JJ out, our offense makes mental mistakes resulting in penalties and costing us drives.
Too thin is what all that means. Let's give Fuente some time to fix this.
Nah nah nah.
<rant>
Three plays:
- Willis giving up the strip sack that was returned for a TD
- 97 yd TD run where the gap was missed
- Pitch and catch on the scramble that went over our heads for 6
That's 21 points on three plays, two of which were Farley not playing with the right discipline (which means to me he is not ready to be on the field against Georgia Tech, FWIW).
And in the first half:
- Stalled drive with false start penalties
- Ineligible man downfield on a beautiful trick play
That's OL problems, which should be our most experienced group this year, so not great. But this is also with a new QB making his second start, so some of the false starts could be written off as gaining a familiarity with a new cadence. Speaking of Willis, he does realize that he has more than Hazleton at WR, right? Seemed like he went to him every snap.
Sure, there were some other pieces in there too, a few 'what ifs' like whether Floyd trips or not on his INT, or Peoples and Willis having another miscommunication on a handoff or two missed field goals that would have changed the score and the progression of the game (I am fine with a slew of FG BTW, so I am not worried about going for them if we stall in the red zone).
What else I saw on the field last night:
- ND is bigger, stronger, faster, and better at every position than we are
- ND has had program stability for years longer than we currently have
- We played a very competitive game for about three quarters then let it get away from us
- Yes, We. Are. Incredibly. Young. On. Defense.
None of this is program defining, much of it is easily fixable, some of it only comes with experience and consistency. I am not worried about this, ND was clearly better last night and that is OK. We have some things to clean up, the sky is not falling. For now.
</rant>
Agree. We couldn't make the mistakes that we made last night against a team like ND. It was frustrating to watch, but you can't expect our defense to play lights out with so little experience. I think Farley's mistakes may have resulted in 21 pts for ND? He was HS QB, was playing WR here, and then busted his knee. The dude needs time.
This, this and this. This game could have easily been a nail biter to the end. Mentally playing the "woulda, coulda, shoulda" chess game and we end up wining in even a not so perfect performance type scenario. Been a Hokie fan when the original student section was empty and full of passed out drunks or when people never left the tailgate and listened for the cannon to go off to know we scored. This program is good, not great, but good. The level of whining on this site is more noticeable now more than ever. I guess it's a point of reference thing. GO HOKIES!!!!
Everything you said is exactly right. But damn, we are 2-35 against teams ranked in the top 6. At some point there can be no excuse for excuses.
I mean, most teams have pretty bad records against top competition. Ours stands out quite a bit, you're right on. Still doesn't concern me too much.
According to to this site we're #60 all time against top-10 teams.
Great resource. Thank you for posting. It is a sad read though. Teams with a better winning percentage against the top ten include: LOLUVA, Baylor, Hawaii, Northwestern, Duke, UNC, and Maryland.
Okay, let's be fair here, not all winning percentages are created equal. VT has a 8-46 record on that page.
Other than UVA (8-43-1) and Hawaii (3-15), every single one of those teams has more losses than us by a double digit margin. Northwestern is 20-116-2, which has the most wins out of anyone in that group, but it also has the most losses of anyone on the entire list.
And then, keep in mind that the page only goes up through the 2010 season. Doing a quick check across wikipedia (so it may not include some coaches poll top 10 teams), UVA has gone 0-8 since then, while we've gone 1-7. That changes UVA percentage to .141667, while we have a .14516 percentage.
For the vast majority of our program's history, being considered a top-60 program would have been generous.
I wonder how much this list changes if it's based on year end rankings vs game time rankings.
He completed passes to 8 different receivers. He was favoring 14 most of the game, but he showed a capability to find the open man when his first target wasn't available.
Here's my vent: Willis pushes the ball down field better than JJ. He clearly has a connection with Hazleton as both sat our last year and played on scout team together. He needs to get better at throwing the ball away when it's not there but I like the offense better with Willis at QB. The play calling is questionable. Cornelson has no flow for the game. When we were down 2 ads ate the start of the 4th he was calling rb screens and jet sweeps instead of pushing the ball vertical. The only run play that was effective was the outside zone yet he kept calling jet sweeps and inside runs that were gaining at most 2 yards. I know you have to keep the defense honest, but you also have to play your hot hand. Willis was very effective on throws 10-15 yards and the outside zone runs were effective. Do those until they stop you. I hope Fuente takes over play calling at some point.
My other vent: I hope that the coaches can sell to the recruits that were there that we need them in order to win games like this. The 1st half the crowd was electric, the 97 yard td killed the crowd.
Time to move on to UNC. There is a hurricane coming through next week so another ass whipping in the rain would ease these pains.
Willis does seem to push the ball, but he also throws a lot of balls he shouldn't. He had at least 2 or 3 that should of been picks that weren't last night.
Agreed though, on to UNC.
One thing I'll disagree with here: I actually really dig the play calling. Maybe I mean the number of creative plays we have in our repertoire. On any given play, I don't really know what's coming, and when I see what we do, I'm consistently happy with the fact that I didn't see it coming, and that we have a variety of creative ways to create misdirection and get the ball into a playmaker's hands.
Maybe I'm talking about the structure of the play as opposed to which play is called when, but I do get a bit excited when we are on offense because we are not executing vanilla plays anymore.
You are talking about gadget plays. We certainly aren't afraid to pull them out.
Not JUST gadget plays. Variations on a theme.
I also like the offensive playcalling. It is not nearly as predictable as it used to be.
This is a good way to put it - variations on a theme. It used to be that I would see a formation and we would run a single play out of that formation over and over again. Now, I see the same formation used for a tree of different possibilities and it's nice to see us being able to execute on them, at least some of the time.
This can't be overstated. That's the biggest difference between this regime and the Stiney years. Plays aren't telegraphed by formation.
I like the play designs and the overall coaching and most of the play calling but some boggle my mind. When we had the ball first and goal I don't know we didn't quarterback sneak. We lined up under center on third down, not sure why we couldn't on first.
Many have said something on this and other threads after this game about the play calling. Do we know what play was called? We do know what the results were but was that the first option of the called play? Did Willis change the play after he saw the defense?
I am not skilled in this area; this is an honest question.
Officially an intro?
Climb back in the window, kids.
Go back and read our predictions for this season. We're on track with all of those, in spite of a lot of personnel issues and a pretty thin defense.
I expected some melt downs, but maybe we have some of the best ones of those, too.
we are known for 2 things:
1) Our Entrance
2) CHOKING
I'd really like to shed the CHOKIE title sometime in my lifetime.
VT is known as a consistently good football program.
One thing we've never been known for is whiny fans, but we do have a few of those, too.
I think people here have forgotten where we came from, or don't appreciate how far this program has come so far.
Who expected to win this game when we were making preseason predictions? After the ODU game, I'd have thought our expectations would have been tempered enough to handle a loss to Notre Dame.
I'm disappointed as well, but this over the top apocalyptic stuff is ridiculous.
I loved the intro, and the striped stadium. Not everyone gets to have those. There are a lot of stadiums who can only be hoped to be colored aluminum.
Do we want to see some improvement? Sure. But we also have to be realistic in the face of how thin this team is at the skilled positions. We're playing with a backup QB, and clearly Divine Deablo is the key to our entire defense. So buck up, little buckaroos. It's going to be a bumpy ride.
More sanity like this is needed.
Well good morning friends.
Mornin', buttercup.
Are we sure we want to caffeinate this hangover? Yeah, I guess we need to.
It's a new day.
How do I drink a gif
Speaking of the intro, did anyone else notice the sound was not quite right in the stadium during sandman?
Yes. I was in North End Zone standing right in front of the speakers and they definitely sounded like they were on the verge of blowing out during Sandman. Not sure whats up with that, but it was the first time I've ever noticed it happening
Worth mentioning that to the Athletic department.
That needs to be addressed.
Morning folks,
A follow up to my rant from yesterday. I feel better, had some time to internalize the loss. No, I do not think the sky is falling. I never really did, and I mentioned how our goals for the season are still intact in my OP.
We were never really 'supposed' to beat ND, but the manner in which it happened still hurts. With that said, we were playing a backup QB and extremely young defense. I can accept that.
But I still back what I said earlier.. We would probably still lose today with a 2016 Jerod team.Not because of our talent or players, but because I feel like our offensive coaching staff is extremely poor. Save a few games here and there, we play extremely conservative when we shouldn't need to. Last year's play calling was an abomination at times. ODU was not great, but if you rewatch the FSU game you'll see our offense was pretty bad for most of the game as well. A prime 2016 Evans led team was terrible at times. Syracuse, GT and Duke were games that shouldn't have played out like they did (even though Duke was a win).
This extends to yesterday, with questionable play calling and execution destroying whatever little chance we had. Much like a few of Beamer's teams, it feels like Fuente and team have to be pressured into playing good offense such as conceding late in the half, otherwise they are content with minimizing mistakes. That mentality will never be enough to elevate the program to the next level.
Fuente deserves to get his players in and have a few more years to build experience, but I'm not convinced by Cornelson at all. I will reserve judgement until the end of this season, but I have a gut feeling we will lose more games this season that we shouldn't have because or play calling will let us down. If that happens then I believe Whit needs to have a serious conversation with Fuente about the state of the coaching staff and where we can improve.
Finally, a thought about the VT program as a whole. The game yesterday says little about us considering our youth and offseason. I guess what hurts me is seeing the team continuously stumble on primetime against top opponents, regardless of the underlying reasons. I never want to see my Hokies lose and seeing the lose to a national audience always hurts. And the manner in which it happened, which we have seen a million times before both with top Beamer teams and Fuente teams, doesn't make the pill any easier to swallow. But there is still a lot to play for this season.
I guess I got too caught up in the hype, and I hope one day we become the team ESPN believes we are.
This is where I stopped reading. This offensive staff is miles ahead of anything we've had since at least the early 2000s, and even then it was mostly Michael Vick. Our QB room isn't all that great, and our running game still needs some work, but we've seen flashes of brilliance from both at times this year. Overall, the staff has shown a willingness and ability to overhaul the offense to suit the players available to them.
Yes, there are a couple head-scratching decisions, but this staff took a team that had gone 7-6 or 8-5 in 3 straight years and went 10-4 and 9-4 right off the bat, and we are in position to do the same again, and that's with a number of holdovers from the Beamer era in key positions and underclassmen in the rest.
If you think we should make a change to the coaching staff, you should really take a look at where Nebraska is right now, and consider that they have a history that we can't even come close to matching. If they are going to tank after canning their head coach after consistent 9-win seasons, we likely will too.
And if you read the rest of my post, you would see that I never once considered canning our head coach. Cornelson, on the other hand, is not untouchable, and should absolutely be criticized where criticism is due. Our offense was inconsistent even during the 2016 Jerod season (see: Syracuse and GT).
And Tech, of all programs, should know how having 10 win seasons is not indicative of good offensive play.
I stand by what I said, and it's a shame you didn't read the rest of my post because it looks like you completely missed my point.
After the 97 yard TD I turned off the TV. It kept me from ruining my weekend.
I read all a lot of comments this morning and I keep going back to. Fuente is in year 3, his first real recruiting class are redshirt freshman and they are all over the field making plays. Other than RB, which should be solved this year, this is most offensive power I've seen in a while with a high ceiling of improvement. Improvements can been seen at every level. He finally has his QB that fits his system but the kids a freshman.
Defensively, most of our starting lineup from last year is in the NFL in some capacity. Replaced by guys in high school two years ago and still struggling to grow facial hair.
Last night sucked but the winds of change are coming.
Honestly, many of us can't see the forest for the trees.
Cheer up boys and girls, we get to kick some UNCheats asses this week.
Is Caleb Farley from Fuente era or is he beamers?
Farley is Fuente's recruiting class I believe.
Thank you BAG. Leg for saying what I've been thinking. Especially coming from a dude with #sauces
I got my ear out for 'em.
If you ever hear me say something like "Virginia Tech fans are fairly reasonable" again, please slap me.
I understand the sentiment against the ridiculous "the sky is falling" noise, but I also get OP's gripe.
If you didn't get to go to Lane last night, all the Tech coverage was "Enter Sandman this" and "atmosphere that". They asked Brian Kelly about it during the post-game interview, ffs. It's frustrating to watch ESPN tout all of the talent and ability for the other guys and see all their story lines get major coverage. Gaines' mother died on Monday and the kid came back to practice TWO DAYS LATER. ESPN mentioned it in the broadcast for maybe 45 seconds late in the third quarter after most people had quit watching.
It was the same thing at FSU. It was all about how many good recruits FSU has and how Taggart was supposed to right the ship. Tech didn't win that game, FSU lost it.
Until we kick the shit out of a powerhouse program on this big stage ESPN keeps building for us, it's going to be this way and it's going to frustrate those of us who are forced to watch the game from the couch.
I'm just gonna keep it real... we aren't worth talking about right now. Nobody cares. We are a relatively small market and we are a mediocre team. Until either of those change, don't expect the coverage Notre Dame gets
I liked our fight! They played hard last night but made some big mistakes but I liked our fight against a team that clearly has more experience and talent. I'm still all in on Fuente, this team is gonna be loaded in 1-2 years
Fuente yes, Cornball not so much
What has coach corn done to warrant such hatred? He's helped in getting a Kansas transfer to put up good numbers in his first two starts, one on the road vs a top 25 program. We have so much youth on offense as well and if it weren't for execution errors in the first half and early in the third quarter, we could COULD be having a different discussion. I'm genuinely interested to hear your response.
Not hatred as much, but for such an offensive genius as was claimed in the hiring process, there's been a lot of head scratching and stagnant play calling.
Our "offensive guru" who was a major key in telling Bud 'defense won't have to win games anymore' puts up 19 points again vs P5 opponents, and doesn't recruit.
I'm definitely not one of the "natt" VT fans that is always filled with negativity and disdain. I can see the program is heading in the right direction, just needs a little time to get there. However, the playcalling at times has been headscrathing to say the least. For example, the FSU game Clease was gashing them and in a rhythm, well we stop running the ball and when we did go back to it Clease wasn't the ball carrier. Wide receiver screens were netting 12-15 yards a pop, so we stop and go to the end-around for -2 yards. It just seems like whatever is working is what we're not gonna do anymore.
Alright I'll agree with that; my apologies, I read your comment as an overarching-constant garbage play calling. There absolutely was a few times where I believe the wrong plays were called during the ND game: after People's huge run I thought we should have just lined up and jam it down there throat until we scored. Another was in the 3Q we ran a jet sweep on second down for a big loss (obv tho had we gained 7+ yards then that would have been great and nobody would remember). And yes 100% agree about McLease and the success of the screens vs FSU
I was not expecting this from the TKP this morning, I must have watched a different game. I must have been at a different game. This team went into half down 1 we were quite literally 3 plays from being up 20 at half. 3 bonehead (read young) plays. Facemask that rebooted their TD drive, ineligible down field called back 6, fumble 6.
Some disappointing stalled drives. Then our youth and lack of depth was really exposed in the second half. Not sure what some of you want out of this team but it's not even half way rational to be freaking out over this loss.
amen, brother.
I'm with you on this. I was at the game and it was great. I never feel like we didn't show up or even that our play was lacking. There was just a difference between execution of the teams, one did and won the game. Tech showed it belonged on the field Saturday night but it also showed how young they are.
It look 4 games to get us ready for this game mentally, I think without the loss to ODU we give up in the second half against a team that started executing a lot better than us. I want to see how they respond this week at UNC. They still control their year and how far they can go, it's still on them.
This was indeed tough and emotional to watch for us fans. My observations are that we are young for sure, but what I didn't and haven't seen in awhile is true leadership from players like we had in the past. That jackass Eichenburg for ND said on national tv what I wish EVERY single offensive lineman on our team would say and act like each week. I am all for discipline and cohesion but what beats better teams (including how our great teams of the past did) is with attitude and opportunity. The fact that we are young every year is no different than every other team in this age of kids leaving early for the NFL in greater numbers. To me "Swag" is more for individuals and tough/mean is a team effort. I would love to have a Corey #56 leader(s) on the squad.................which means you get up for every game and you plow the field with relentlessness each and every Saturday. I would love some of the old Beastmode guys to come in and talk to this team without the coaches around (loudly). Young players need to be ready to play in every recruiting class in this day and age! Go Hokies!
Could we be more dramatic? What is this, an episode of Friday Night Lights? This is the same group of people that were ALL prepared for a mediocre season because of how young we are. We said if we win 2 out of 3 against FSU, Notre Dame, and Miami, then its been a pretty good year. WE just lost to a team that's probably going to go undefeated and make the playoffs. We are still undefeated in the ACC and control our destiny there. We still have such a bright future over the next few years. We sound like a middle school girl whose crush didn't immediately text her back. These takes are the stuff that gets old, not Tech football.
I think this is a pretty accurate take. We have been atrocious in big games at home as of late. I realize this data hasn't been normalized for the actual ranking of our opponent, but it's ugly whichever way you spin it.
0-7 against ranked teams at home since 2010.
2-9 against ranked teams at neutral sites since 2010.
10-2 against ranked teams on the road since 2010.
I don't care if we're known more for our intro at this point. I just re-watched the broadcast of it on YouTube and it's bad ass. If that's all we are known for, then so be it.
Most people struggle accepting the fact we will never be a perennial Top 5 powerhouse. As long as we continue putting players into the pros and are nationally relevant (Top 25ish) in CFB, we are bound to have a year here or there where we get lucky avoiding the injury bug, players decide to stay instead of going pro, and we can make a run towards the playoff.
I just read through this thread after a few days of much needed no TKP when I saw the threads popping on Saturday night. This is my reaction as well. As long as we are known as a badass, passionate fan base that is also welcoming to visitors, I'm good. This team will improve over the next two seasons, and if they don't then we will start talking about making a change. If anyone thought we were a playoff contender going into this season you are crazy. There is no way we are replacing the talent lost on Defense last year and competing at a high level.
All in all, I understand the criticism and there were plenty of mistakes made. But let's remember the direction of this program. We are a young developing team with loads of talent and we continue to recruit well. Now it's time to develop the physique, minds, and talent of a bunch of 18-22 year old kids. Let's give Fuente a chance. I'm not sure I would rather have anyone else on the sideline to develop kids than the Fuente/Foster combo.
A great atmosphere is a marketing/recruiting tool. And our entrance was super impressive on TV. It hasn't been mentioned much here, but playing Sandman longer with the crowd bellowing along and then letting the second chorus go a cappella was unreal. That's what we need to do every game and for basketball too. It had to have made an impression on the recruits that were there. That type of pomp and hype is what gets you attention to attract better classes.
I have to say, watching it on TV and hearing 60k+ singing "Exit Light! Enter Night! Take My Hand! We're Off to Never Never Land!" was AMAZING.
That opening was hands down the coolest one I've been apart of. Hearing the crowd singing along a cappella like that gave me goosebumps and everyone around me in the crowd agreed: it was AWESOME. I have to think if it made an impression on me, as a fan of *cough* many *cough* years - then it had to blow away a recruit or two who has never seen it in person.
Was so proud to be a part of that.
After watching some playoff baseball...
If VT can invest in the same field lighting technology the Atlanta Braves have, coupled with everyone's cell phone lights, Enter Sandman in the near dark would indescribable. Plus it would fit that "Exit Light, Enter Night" theme.
Or if they shut off the lights (to the lowest acceptable safe amount) when the song got to the Exit Light part...
That's exactly what he meant. Recent innovations in LED technology have made LED stadium lighting tenable, and very few venues have made the switch.
Older bulbs take time to warm up and shut down, on the order of hours IIRC, whereas LED bulbs can be turned on or off instantly.
The Cincinnati Reds have them and do some awesome strobe effects. I would like to see the LED lights put in lane and get some of those projectors that layer the 3D effects on the basketball court for intros.
I am failing to see how adding a lift to the truck Sam Rogers pushes to work each day will help with stadium lighting. :)
I am already in the Hokie Club Fireman, don't have to tell me.
I agree, it would be awesome, but it's still a pricey upgrade. Probably only worth doing when the existing lighting system is about ready to be replaced anyway.
See Martinsville Speedway's State of the Art Package
We need this. Then all we need is some fire coming from the towers above the stadium, Kane style.
"Bah Gawd! That's Bud Foster's music!"
As we are about to snap the ball on a game-winning play, "No Chance In Hell" hits the speakers, and John Swofford comes out to give Fu and Bud a steel chair shot and tell the refs to call the game.
I would completely run out to this:
I'm still waiting for the animatronic Bud that shoots lasers out of his eyes to be added on to the scoreboard
nope Whit nixed all references to Bud and eye lasers after the, um, autograph incident.
I know I'm late to this party, just couldn't face it, but with the topic being we are now officially an intro, I was reminded as I watched a replay Saturday Night Live I had recorded. It was right after Kavenaugh was confirmed and all the cast was made up like Republicans all partying and having fun. One of them mentioned something about someone arriving as the intro to Enter Sandman was playing. Where could that have come from except us?
Mariano Rivera.
Ahhh. Oh well, I was hoping we had a fan at SNL or something. Thanks for clueing me in.
I just wanted to say how much I love that a thread lamenting how our program is "just an intro" has turned into a thread about making our intro more awesome.
TKP always finds a way...
I dunno, the intro (and atmosphere) seemed to have had a positive effect on recruiting in spite of the loss.
I'm still looking at this team and thinking they might be pretty good over the next few years.
Sorry to dig up a dead thread, but @hokiesfb on the Gram just posted a FANTASTIC video montage of the ND Enter Sandman entrance. Despite our bad season, it gave me some serious goosebumps.
Well done by the football support staff, or whoever makes these. We could definitely use this vid during recruiting.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqODlImnaDy/