Call to Arms: The Underdog Advantage

Gents, we need to chat. I don't come around often, but it appears I have enough credibility to create a new thread now. We'll see if that lasts...

What's going on right now is not representative of the underdog mantra that built Virginia Tech football. It is not representative of those values that once elevated this program, of which we still nominally claim today. Instead, what I see right now suggests that we – those of us who comprise Hokie Nation – no longer hold to our core values.

I'm going to share with you the letter I wrote to Bud after he announced his retirement before last season. That letter will give you a snapshot of my experience and perspective going back to the early 90's. And it will reveal why I am still a passionate fan today. For many, I'm sure my thoughts will mirror your own. But first, let's talk about the problem...

We just got word that a top recruit decommitted, and all I see is an onslaught of negativity and pettiness, all of which conveys a sense of entitlement and a ferocious need for instant gratification. That's a recipe for failure.

I see a wave of negativity on this site. Andy Bitter posts an article on The Athletic, and it's immediately hit with a rash of anger and hostility. And I can only imagine what kind of nonsense is being spouted on Twitter right now.

Guys, that ain't Virginia Tech football. And the more we engage in that behaviour, the more we signal to the rest of the college football landscape that we aren't Virginia Tech anymore.

You know, the media team finally started putting out quality content to give fans a little more exposure to the program and everybody cheered. The Hard Hat series was excellent, and it highlighted what this program is about. And the coaches have done a few candid interviews for the first time, which highlighted the fact that they are seemingly pretty good, down-to-Earth guys.

A unified front appeared to be forming once again, with Hokie Nation coming together in excitement for the upcoming season (before the COVID-19 fog).

Then this decommit happens and all the bickering and pestilence comes pouring back in.

Look, if the only thing that matters to us is recruiting rankings and the win/loss record, we should all go be fans of Clemson.

Clemson is the model for how to sacrifice your principles to get to the top. If you do it right, it will pay off... for a while. There's more to that story, which I'm sure many of you know, but we'll leave it there.

But if we believe that hard work and doing things the right way has more value than recruiting rankings and wins, we are in the right place. If we believe that willpower and self-discipline are the key to success in life, we are in the right place. If we still believe in the Underdog Advantage, we are in the right place.

You guys know the underdog story. This country was built by underdogs. That's why we aren't drinking tea, eating crumpets, and arguing about soccer right now.

The underdog is somebody who has been doubted his entire life. He's somebody who nobody ever wanted to take a chance on. Maybe he wasn't as naturally talented as the next guy. Maybe he had a minor flaw that was perceived as a major one. Maybe he talked or walked funny. Or he came from a poor family. Or he had made some mistakes, and nobody wanted to give him a second chance.

But you know what separates an underdog from a loser?

Will and perseverance. The underdog never doubts himself for a second. And he's willing to wait patiently for his opportunity for as long as it takes, working his ass off the entire time. The underdog understands that external circumstances are irrelevant. All that matters is the fire within.

Virginia Tech is the underdog. That was true in the 90's. It was true to a lesser extent in the early 2000's. And it's more true than ever before today.

The landscape of college football today is not a friendly one for anyone other than the top-tier programs. The programs with deep pockets and big booster networks.

Most little programs will accept this. They will resign themselves to the fact that they will never compete with the big boys.

Not us.

The fact that we still believe, against all odds, that we should be a major player in the college football world is heartening. We still have the underdog mentality ingrained within us. We still have the fire.

We just have to stop getting worked up about external circumstances. They don't matter. Let me explain...

I know the stats say you need to have a certain percentage of blue chips every year if you want to consistently make the playoffs. We're not there.

If we expect to be in the playoffs every year, we should fret about the fact that we aren't landing top recruits. The stats say we aren't going to make the cut.

But I submit to you that we don't want to be in the playoffs every year. Because the guys in the playoffs every year aren't the underdogs. We are.

Virginia Tech made the national championship in 1999 thanks to a magical run. To those of us who experienced it, it was unreal.

I remember sitting at my old man's dinner table the night before the game. He looks up at me and says, "Wouldn't it be amazing if Virginia Tech won the national championship?".

This is a guy who graduated from Virginia Tech in the 70's. He'd been a season ticket holder since the late 80's. Virginia Tech had always been irrelevant to everyone else. But now it was playing against legendary Bobby Bowden's mighty Seminoles for the chance to win it all.

Nobody expected that. And nobody believed they could win. We had a rare opportunity to shock the world. For a competitor, that's an amazing feeling.

Do you think Clemson has that feeling when they show up in the playoffs every year? How about Alabama, LSU, or Ohio State?

Of course not.

They are expected to be there. All they feel is the weight of those expectations... or maybe a little boredom of the routine process. There's nothing magical about it for them.

And that is the key to the Underdog Advantage.

For the underdog, there are no expectations. Nobody puts any stock in you. Everybody writes you off as soon as they see you. You are free to play fast and loose. Give 'em hell and let the chips fall where they may.

Go back and watch that 1995 team. And the 2001 team. And the 2004 team. And Michael Brewer. To my memory, those are the best examples of the Underdog Advantage from our legacy days.

Then go watch that 2016 team.

For those who are railing against Coach Fuente, go back and watch 2016 against Notre Dame. Tell me that guy's not an underdog. Tell me he doesn't belong here at Virginia Tech.

Then go watch that ACC Championship game against Clemson. Virginia Tech was so far outclassed from a physical talent perspective that it jumped off the screen. The offensive line was overwhelmed for most of the first half. Herbstreit spent all of half time thinking about what he could talk about during the second half blow out.

But then look at what happened. The underdogs roared to life. And go back and watch the players' expressions...

Lip-read what Jerod Evans said to his teammates on the way back to the sideline after he scored his first touchdown. I won't repeat it.

Go back and check what Cam Phillips said after he scored on that wheel route late in the game. "We wasn't invited, man!"

Then watch as the offense is begging the defense to get them the ball back one more time. They knew they just needed one more opportunity to pull off the unthinkable. And they believed their brothers on D could get them one more shot... and they did.

Yes, that team fell short in the end. But damn if they didn't have those arrogant boys at Clemson on the ropes. And Coach Fu came out and said that there was no question in his mind – we were going for two to put them away after we punched it in with time running out.

That's the underdog mentality. Let's celebrate it.

Virginia Tech isn't going to be a top 10 program year-in and year-out. There are too many headwinds working against us right now.

But if we embrace what we once were, we will rattle the cage every several years. And I promise, rattling the cage every several years will be far more rewarding, and inspiring, than selling out on principles to become the cage.

But that only happens when we stop worrying about what recruits are doing and we start conducting ourselves according to our core values. Because at the end of the day, our principles are the only thing that matter.

What's more, I believe this staff will help the young men who come to Virginia Tech develop character and principles as well. And I promise you, that will matter far more to these young men later in life than how many wins they racked up playing college football.

So, consider this a Call to Arms. Let's drop the pettiness and embrace what it means to be the underdog, regardless of external circumstances. Or let's go be fans of Clemson.

I've already made my choice.

Here's my letter to Coach Foster:

August 9, 2019

Coach,

Long-time Virginia Tech football guy here. I grew up going to games with my old man back in the early 90's. Back when going to those things was just something to do.

Back then it didn't matter where your ticket was, there were plenty of empty seats at your disposal. And we didn't even bother going to our seats. We just stood behind the south end zone fence... in front of those rickety wooden bleachers.

As I recall, the atmosphere really started to change after 1995... But you could still stand on the field behind the south end zone. 1998 UVA... it was crowded down there with a good mix of UVA alums sprinkled in. I remember waving Shyrone Stith into the end zone on that big touchdown run in the first half. That's when the UVA guys left. They magically reappeared when Aaron Brooks woke up from his nap in the second half.

Of course the whole dynamic changed in 1999. That's when the social aspect to gameday disappeared entirely. It was no longer about enjoying a Saturday afternoon... Going to Virginia Tech football games became a sacred duty.

It didn't matter who you were. It didn't matter how old you were. When you walked into Lane Stadium, your job was to win the game. That was it.

That's what it was to be a fan of Virginia Tech. Your job was to make sure the other quarterback was so rattled by the noise and intensity that he would beg to be pulled by the 4th quarter. And you would be shunned if you walked out of those gates able to speak normally. If you could talk, you didn't do your job.

But you know, it was never really about wins and losses. Virginia Tech football was a symbol.

Virginia Tech football represented the underdog. The guy who was always too short. Or too slow. The guy who was always picked last for pick-up basketball games. The guy who was always passed over for promotions at work... All because he never exactly looked the part. Or maybe he didn't say the right words. Or wear the right clothes. Or have the right resume. He was the guy they always doubted.

But what they never looked at was the guy's heart.

Virginia Tech football represented the guy who knew he had what it took. He knew he could prove them all wrong with nothing more than sheer willpower. And he was willing to outwork everybody... and sacrifice anything to prove himself. All he needed was a chance.

Virginia Tech football was a symbol for that guy. Other teams may have had higher-ranked recruits and fancier offenses. But we had heart, toughness, and grit. And you didn't want to play us in Blacksburg.

That's really what this whole thing has been about. Every time Virginia Tech football takes the field, it takes the field for the little guy. For the underdog.

What you and Coach Beamer built, and what I'm sure Coach Fuente will continue, is about much more than football.

You are an inspiration to those of us out here who are striving to win in life. We are struggling to be better husbands... Better fathers... Better businessmen... Better high school players... whatever it is. And we all get kicked around from time to time. That's life.

But when you watch Virginia Tech football down one to WVU with 1:15 left in 1999... Or down eight to GT with 5:44 left in 2004... Or down five to Nebraska with 1:44 left in 2009... Or down three to UVA with 2:55 left in 2014... Or down 24-7 out the gate to Notre Dame in 2016... Or down five to UNC with 6:30 left in 2018... Or go 6-7 with a bunch of young guys the blue bloods didn't want... It reminds you to persevere no matter the odds. It inspires you to get better every day. And it drives you to become the best version of yourself possible. That's the power of Virginia Tech football.

So this is all to say, thank you Coach. It's been a helluva ride. You are a champion for the underdog. And an example of everything that's right about college football.

We're going to miss you like crazy when you're gone. But I'm sure excited for the last ride of Paul Revere.

So, for the underdogs out there... Give 'em hell one last time, Coach. Prove them wrong once more.

We'll see you in Charlotte.