The BC game was probably was never about the Win or Loss. It's definitely not now that the game is over, and especially not in terms of correcting course given the relatively horrible news about the off-season. Even if you would debate this, the game today was at least a statement about the INSIDE of this team, and overall, I kinda like these guys. Tough. Talented. Explosive at times. Didn't quit.
The last thing I am looking for out of this BC game is to see how the head coach responds to the media, which will ripple through the meeting rooms, practices for the rest of the week, and set the tone for the season in general. I posted about this and I'll die on the hill. If Justin Fuente calls players out by name, and hammers on the team's execution today, I am punting on the rest of this year (by making plans where I can be near a radio instead of dedicating my saturday to watching this group on television) and you might as well also. He can complete the TEAM puzzle today by OWNING this teams performance, keeping the criticism light, and going HARD on the things he liked best. If he doesn't know how, isn't willing, or is unable to lift his squad up after the hard-fought and tough loss today, especially in the public limelight, I don't see a path forward for this group.
This is critical and I believe JF will do what great leaders do. Here's hoping.
Comments
Lol vent thread number 2. I put the over under at 3.5.
This team was a dumpster fire culturally and on the field last year. The head coaches response to a game one loss like this is about more than just venting. Surely you have something to say besides mocking the premise of the post.
Lol easy little guy. Me making a joke about the number of vent threads in no way implies that I'm ok with the game or have nothing to say. I've said enough elsewhere. Oh and thanks for the downvote.
"Little guy" lol? What are you in high school?
No are you?
Edit: For more context the reference is from an old MST3K episode describing someone who is getting worked up over nothing. Ie. The OP.
You got more downvotes after mentioning MST3K, shame on you for giving that show a bad name on here
Haha fair enough. I got so many people hooked on that show when I was at Tech.
That's not a references lmao. That's like calling someone an asshole and claiming you are just referencing Always Sunny in Philadelphia. That's just being an asshole.
Yea Bruce Smiff deserved an apology but not you.
Don't tell me it's not a reference for literally my favorite show of all time. It's from the "Racket Girls" episode btw if you want to go check. I apologized to him for conveying something different but your comment is just objectively incorrect.
So how about we agree to disagree so we don't derail the thread any further.
Lol, I never asked for an apology. Saying "easy little guy" is a common thing someone says when they are being condescending. Hardly connected to a single show.
My point was that this wasn't a vent thread and my question regarding your comment was whether you had something to add to the topic at hand. I didn't downvote you, by the way. That's the community at work.
No worries. Sorry if I offended.
I'm all discussed out as of last night so I figured I would just leave a joke to lighten the mood. My bad brother.
Good comment.
I think you're right about the team playing with grit, and now is the time for them to pick themselves up and learn something from it.
Not sure if a post game presser is going to make or break them, but leadership is definitely what's needed here.
Does he normally throw players under the bus after games? Sure he's salty with the press and I have my own criticisms of Coach Fu but I didn't really think that was one of them.
No
Eh.
Not by name but blaming 'execution' is, in a way, blaming players.
- Frank Beamer after just about every loss.
As a coach, you can call the perfect play. If the players don't execute, they fail 800% of the time. And you suck as a coach, should be fired, and have anonymous people slander you on social media and fan sites.
Let's be honest, there were plenty of times during the game today that the players didn't execute. Scared money don't make money, but neither does a -4 TO differential.
If you read the out-of-context quotes shared on twitter, then yes.
If you watch the full pressers, you'll see Fuente talk about how he failed to prepare players, how their game plan wasn't good, etc, and as a result the players couldn't execute.
I always watch the full presser and never rely on twitter releases. It seemed to me like he left too much in the lap of execution. He can be better about walking that line.
I felt a very different tone last year out of Fuente than we've experience in a long time, and probably never under Frank. I can't say I remember a specific time that a name was called, so that portion of my post was perhaps over the line in reality. At the same time, it honestly felt like Fuente passed the buck frequently and that's feeling I will not forget.
Fuente is the problem. He runs off all our best players to the transfer portal and makes life terrible for the players who do stay that they want to sabotage our program but intentionally losing. The sports illustrated article in my opinion is enough to fire Fuente. Meanwhile in Maryland JJ17 is playing like a superstar.
lol, superstar... Josh Jackson vs FCS Howard - 15/24 for 245 yds and 4 TDs. No rushing yards. I would pump the brakes on the whole superstar thing until UMD actually plays an FBS team.
Dude. Your tag lines after your post are just gross.
I'm one of the biggest JJ stans here, but he played Howard.
The spread was 4.5. We had more turnovers than that and only lost by a score. The world is not ending. Take a deep breath.
Aw you dont like my tags.... oh well that's your problem. My whole point is that the same piss poor coaching and player mental mistakes that have plagued us the past two seasons are still here. No matter how bad things got from 2012-2015 in Beamers final years its nowhere near as bad as it's been during Fuentes tenure.
I see we now just downvote people for opinions instead of personal attacks. Man what has happened to TKP? Smdh.
Couple hours after a loss is when people are out for blood, you haven't posted here in 20 months so nobody is going to give you the benefit of the doubt, and your criticism isn't constructive.
Kinda hard to have the moral superiority about the community around here when you haven't been around for two years is all
Excuse me for having a life outside of the internet that has made it very difficult to do anything but what have to to survive. On an unrelated note my personal life has been completely turned on its head the past 2 years and the least of my worries is posting regularly of a fan site to keep fake internet "credibility" with complete strangers. Kinda hard to post when you lose almost everyone close to you and you're almost homeless.
Sorry your life has been hard but glad it's finally gotten to the point where you can once again worry about how many meaningless internet points you have.
It all started with this....
https://www.thekeyplay.com/content/2015/march/2/ot-guys-i-lost-my-mom-mo...
Which long story short led to a lot of problems then led to an opioid addiction which I finally over came earlier this year.
Depression, loss, and severe addiction it will get after ya.
Ok so why are you acting like a dick to everyone like it's our fault you are unanimously coming off bad. It's not like anyone can take any of that stuff into account. Nobody knows your life when we read your comments.
Doesn't matter at this point, I shared too much personal information anyway that I probably shouldn't have. You all dont have to worry about me posting anything this is probably my last post. From here on out I'll just be known as the random dude that's started a bunch of shit after a loss anyway.
For everyone who has and keeps downvoting me here is an exact excerpt of the community guidelines....
The Key Play's Community Powered Moderation System
Turkey legs are a delicious, sobering, slab of meat on a stick. They're also The Key Play's karma currency and moderation mechanism.
Members can award them to each other by upvoting comments and forum topics. If someone posts a funny picture, witty reply, good statistic, something you like etc..., then upvoted and give them a turkey leg. Conversely, if someone flames, wages a personal attack or doesn't follow the community guidelines, then downvote. Do not downvote for disagreeing with someone's opinion. In general, upvote more often than you downvote.
Cool
Bitching about downvotes gets an automatic downvote from me. Ban me if you want but what a fucking whiner you are over fake internet points
Who cares about fake internet points. It's about respecting ones opinions!
It's the way you're expressing them, and also the way that you've already expressed them and are continuing not to take the hint.
Your tagline is just plain rude and disrespectful to our coach and our team.
Read the rest of them. The community is trying to moderate you but you aren't taking the hints. Be constructive. Inspire discussion.
And most importantly support your opinions with logic and or reasoning.
When I try I'm mocked and attacked and trolled.
There's only one person in this thread doing attacking...
FYI - your lecture on downvotes equals a downvote.
Hypocrit 101 - lecturing someone to not take a personal attack when your tag lines/hashtags are a personal attack on Ryan Willis - not okay and not credible no matter what you think of a player or person.
Take your own advice or don't give it
LOL. Clearly your definition of "best players" and mine are completely different.
Josh Jackson - best offensive player
Trevon Hill - best defensive player
Both ran off (Hill kicked off team under shady circumstances) by and transferred because of Fuente.
Those are your nominees for best offensive and defensive players. I'm not even going to look up the stats. You're not right.
Yeah, it's not really worth discussing, either.
There are no stats to look up because of a broken leg and a bullshit player dismissal. And nobody is wrong or right this is all personal opinions. People are way to sensitive and down vote for bullshit. The guidelines for TKP specifically specify that down voting personal opinions goes against the house rules or at least that's always what I was led to believe.
You can't complain about your meaningless internet points tally and call other people too sensitive at the same time.
Fake internet Turkey legs mean nothing. But respecting ones opinions does. Down voting because one does not like another's opinion is wrong and disrespectful.
I've got good news. It's the internet and it doesn't matter.
And this is TKP where it does matter. Or at least it used to.
You shut your filthy mouth
specifically specify
Epic grammar usage here, leg.
You realize they both played more than just part of last year?
This was not some bullshit dismissal. Mook was a bullshit dismissal (worth noting that wasn't Fuentes decision, it was a university decision). Hill has a record (going back to high school) of being an asshole (and not the 'typical jock' kind of asshole, the kind with a cancerous attitude). There was a reason Frank had to fight like hell to get him enrolled, and it wasn't his grades.
***** smart phone double post. Sorry
This is your best post so far today!
Okay I'll bite. So honest question: if he was the best defensive player would you actually want him back right now if Fuente didn't "run him off"?
Yes because we might actually have some kind of pass rush because today that was nonexistent.
Okay it's great to know that you prioritize pass rush over being a decent person and a representative of Virginia Tech.
What the hell are you talking about? At exactly what point did I bad mouth the program, school, or other members. I literally posted an opinion about the coaches and got attacked because I dont agree with everyone else's rose colored glasses.
I dont give a damn about number of Turkey legs but being disrespected because of my opinion that literally has nothing to do personally with anyone is bullshit. I never trolled or attacked anyone. It's all about respect and the downvoters have none of that.
Is this guy going to come back on here tomorrow and tell us it was all his brother? 🤔
Nah I'll stand by everything I have said here today.
I never said you did.
Travon Hill, however, did a lot of that in spades. Which was kinda my point.
Maybe we've found Hill's double secret TKP account?
Pass rush might be better with Hill but locker room cancer would be back. Not worth it.
Fuente may be the problem, but this is kind of silly.
So does that apply to Bud?
What I am reading in Bud's comment is a belief that his team is capable of much more and that they didn't play well. At times last year, Fuente figuratively, and sometimes literally, just threw his hands up and it very much struck me as "I'm not the problem here."
I haven't posted a lot on here the last few years, because it took me a while to learn to step away from the keyboard and not be an ass. But given what I perceive to be your tone with this post, I'll just say, you get a lot more credit than someone without your history and leg count would.
So Bud says the unit did not perform and you read the tea leaves to find what you want in his statement. Fuente says almost the same thing and you read the surface to see what you want.
While Bud said the team did not play well, he also made it clear that this team was capable of a lot more and had already demonstrated it in practice. I feel like this is a fairly simplistic message to see just under the surface... a far cry from tea leaves.
My commentary was about what I perceived last year out of Fuente, I never compared Foster vs Fuente in this game, or last year as your positioning your argument against my point. I won't get into digging up bones, I just remember thinking very clearly that the coach took a strong position on saying the players aren't doing their jobs, and that's just not what real leaders say about their teams, never, ever.
I listened to Fuente's presser and I thought he owned his staff's part of the challenge, and was honest and fair when discussing some of the big 'bad' plays of the game. What I wasn't a fan of was how pissed off he seemed - almost out of control with that water bottle - reminded me of Napoleon Dynamite. Overall, the presser won't hurt morale but I am not sure it's something that's going to help with the next step for Fuente, which is finding ways to INSPIRE the team. Whether or not he can do that will be self-evident next week. Another OUTPUT from the head coaches INPUT. This is a talented young bunch of guys and if Ryan Willis can keep is heroics in check, we can beat the piss out of some people this year.
It's hard to blame Fuente for being pissed, when everyone on TKP and in Hokie Nation was as well.
Would be hard to look at that game, or play in it, or coach it, without being fairly pissed off. And having to explain it to the media, well, wouldn't be particularly calming.
I'm guessing Fuente would have been easier to listen to the next day.
Dang... I thought the D played admirably.
Same here. The 1st quarter was a little nightmarish at times, but I never expected us to go from being pathetic to amazing in game 1 of the following season.
Even early, defense wasnt bad... BC qb dropped a couple perfect passes that really hurt.
Good call. I was listening on the radio for the 1st quarter and 2 plays stuck out to me. Wide open wide receiver downfield, and allowing a screen play to pick up 22 yards for the first down. It sounded like a team that was a little lost in those instances.
Yeah, converting 3rd and 22 looked bad on us. Although, I thought to myself I would have called the same play if I was playing NCAA 14.
From Foster. If Fuente said this people would be piling on hard.
Great post. There's a lot of football left to be played this season, and Fuente needs to prove that this team is different from last year's.
Then he needs to make a great hire to replace bud.
I'm on the border of giving up on our coaching staff as a whole.
This is supposed to be their year with their players and today they looked like straight trash. I have little if any faith in the Fuente regime going forward.
As I asked in another thread, if someone could just name a phase of the game that we are markedly better at than 4 years ago, that would be a nice start.
This is where I am at the moment. I was gun shy already, but now I'm over the Fuente experiment. I love VT, I'll watch, I'll cheer, and I'll go to games, but I really don't have confidence that he can run a P-5 program.
The biggest issue for me (the on that points to all of the other things) is that I still do not know what the identity of this program is. Was it not supposed to be a prolific offense (or something like that)?
It was supposed to be an offense that took the pressure off the Bud defense
And Fuente has failed spectacularly in making that happen
I'll give him the drop off from '16-'17, but damn last year was bad, and today was not a good omen
If Fuente doesn't get to next season, we are gonna need a full culture change, no offensive guru, defensive guru, just a big reset button.
I agree with you here, to an extent. I thought the offense moved the ball well enough throughout the game.
We were gaining first downs pretty consistently, the receivers and tight ends looked good (I didn't even know who Smith was), and King looks like an actual running back (though his numbers weren't great, he looked the part).
The defense managed to get into the backfield a little bit and held Dillion to less production than I was expecting out of him.
No mess ups in special teams, and four penalties isn't all that bad.
But the turnovers, jeez. That single stat, turning the ball over five times, is the reason we lost the game. That single problem is not what I was expecting to see in the first game of year 4 for an offensive guru.
I could stomach the turnovers a little bit if BC was making great plays to get them but they weren't. We were just gift wrapping them turnovers like it was Christmas. Willis was forcing the ball into places he should know better than to do.
I thought the reason for him starting was the decision making. Which makes me ask, if that decision making is the best we have, just how bad are the others? This is not at all what I was expecting out of a QB guru in his 4th year on staff.
And he had two more drops that went straight to BC defenders. It's like he was trying to set a record for picks
Yeah it's concerning to say the least. As I said, Fuente has been billed as a QB guru and at this point, I just don't see it. I mean, even in the past when we had a backup come into the game, we had to go exclusively run because the backup was simply not capable of throwing the ball. Combine that history with not pulling the plug on a QB who throws 4 INTs with multiple either in the red zone or in the end zone and... It's a little worrisome not just for this year, but beyond.
I think he left in the QB that he thought gave us the best chance of winning that game.
We only lost by 7, so trying to fry Fuente over that seems a little short-sighted.
Yes, some things need to be fixed, and Willis forcing the ball is definitely a big one.
I would be willing to bet that if Willis has another game like that he gets pulled. But Fuente also knows that if he had pulled Willis yesterday, it's probably the end of Willis' college football career, and we probably STILL don't win the game.
Let's see where this goes. I'm still going to trust Fuente on this. Not like we have a choice anyway. He gets this year and the next to prove something to us, regardless.
You say we only lost by 7 as if we didn't see the exact same issues all last season... it's not just this game.
I would argue that the INT on the screen pass-while not a great throw ( a little more loft on it and it would have gone a long way) was a PHENOMENAL effort and grab by the BC lineman. And while I'm at it, the positives I saw -besides some outstanding plays by some of our youngsters- was that last year, the team "folded" early in the second half several times while yesterday DESPITE the maddening turnovers and inconsistent play, the HEART was there all the way til the end. I'm looking forward to watching this team grow better and better. O&M colored glasses? Perhaps-but I've always been an optimist and I saw some truly bad teams play in the '80s.
PS I'd rather be a Hokie than a Vols fan or fans of the other SEC teams that lost yesterday as double digit favorites.
Yeah, and the difference between yesterday and the Tennessee game is the way the turnovers occurred. The only reason I wasn't super hard on Willis last year is because I thought he would improve this year, but man....I'm getting too old to care this much about bad football.
I turned the TV off at halftime and took my kids and my dog outside to play. I love the Hokies, but watching them lose isn't fun, and I only have so much time to spend at home with my family. Might as well spend it doing something we can all enjoy together, and right now watching Tech football isn't enjoyable.
Good on you - leg. I should have done the same. Sigh...
Yeah, I think Willis has hit his ceiling. I'm in the same boat - when watching VT football makes my life better in some observable way, I'll be all back in again. I went from being diehard a few years ago to more fairweather nowadays. Or maybe I got worn down by the decline.
Me too. But this is still a young team that has some holes to the point that even if it was a senior team, they'd be vulnerable. No amount of coaching can change that. I do believe that the success or failure (in the locker room and in the win column) of this year rests on Fuente's ability to keep his team motivated and inspired. This is something that he was clearly so bad at, that mutiny and resignation were not only considered, but acted upon in 2018. Overcoming that massive failure by producing the opposite of that, in my opinion, is the biggest change this 'organization' needs to make.
Sorry to anyone I may have offended
I just want to get back to the point where TKP is a fun place with supportive friendly people.
We are here, we never left. We're Hokie Nation, we stick together through all the good times and the bad. At the end of the day, we all come together to pull for our Hokies.
I'd suggest removing the Willis bit from your handle. I hate the picks just as much as anyone else, but let's remember that these guys are 18-22yr old students. There's more tactful ways to call for a backup than to wholesale label him a scrub across all of your posts. That's why I downvoted all your posts last night and I'll keep doing so as long as it's there. And I say this as someone who would also like to see HH or QP get a shot.
Wanna trash a coach or coordinator? Go ahead. They're adults, this is their job, and they're compensated rather generously for it. The players aren't and they're still kids.
Remember Bristol? Anyone?
Exactly what I told a friend of mine after the game.
Bristol was the installation of a brand new offense with a brand new coach with players that were used to something different. That excuse doesn't fly here.
I think his point here is that it doesn't matter. You turn the ball over five times you're going to lose. 45-21 or 35-28, we lost those games because we turned the ball over 5 times in those games. You can't spot a P5 program points like the way we did in either of those games and expect to have a W at the end of it. I'll say I was a lot more hopeful that we could have pulled that one off yesterday than I was at the Battle at Bristol.
JFL at prospects for near future at the moment. Cruising into season after a tumultuous offseason with loss against BC with our storied and legendary defensive coordinator is on the way out, while Fuente has run off coaches (not saying bud) players and many others.
This is fine.
Tbh my whole time I was watching, to ops point, we have some ballers that were fighting hard in there and giving it their all. I feel bad for those kids.
It's up to that locker room, not fuente, to figure out what their season looks like. I don't trust fuente to do it.
He ran off Diane Bartelstein? THAT BASTARD!