2004 was my freshman year and I knew pretty much nothing about Virginia Tech football... or even college football in general. I honestly thought we were playing South Carolina before the game started.
I'd like some insight from from some of the older guys in regards to how this game was perceived to play out and what the general attitude of the fan base was. Were people laughing at us saying we didn't belong in a game with them and were going to get our asses handed to us? What was the line? Did we, as fans, hear positive information from the offseason to know this team was going to better than last year (or even thing we had a chance at going to the Sugar Bowl)?
Just wanted to compare the months leading up to that game vs this one.
Forums:
DISCLAIMER: Forum topics may not have been written or edited by The Key Play staff.
Comments
This was like my second ever VT game so I only know this.
The offesnive pass interference call rivals Danny Coale's catch....
just watched that replay...garbage call but i think if they could have reviewed it, it might have been overturned.
X. Adibi getting hurt probably changed the tide of that game more than the Non-PI call. That USC team was LOADED!
They were supposed to smoke VT right off the field. Until they didn't.
I found this pretty good article on the subject...http://www.newsadvance.com/inside_vt_sports/features/chris_lang_blog/art...
Here's how the Hokies have recently fared against the spread as big underdogs. Unfortunately, VT lost every one of these games, but they played some of them much closer than Vegas thought. With regard to your question, VT only beat the spread against USC in 2004 by 2 points (it was a 16 point spread), but anyone who watched that game knew the result was much closer than the final score. WTF offensive pass interference.
-- 2002 at Miami (+17): Tech lost 56-45. (beat the spread by 1 pt)
-- 2004 vs. USC at FedEx Field (+16): Tech lost 24-13. (beat the spread by 2 pts)
-- 2001 vs. Miami (+13.5): Tech lost 26-24. (beat the spread by 11 points)
-- 2012 vs. Florida State (+12.5): Tech lost 28-22. (beat the spread by 6 points)
-- 2007 at LSU (+11): Tech lost 48-7. (spread wins by a shit ton)
I'm not following your math on the first two games plus the USC one... maybe there's something I'm missing.
I didnt notice that, beat the spread by 6 and 5, respectively.
If Grant Noel could lead us to within a dropped Wilford 2point conversion of overtime against '01 Miami then anything is possible as far as I'm concerned.
VT was undervalued that preseason. In fact I think VT was picked to finish like 8th or something in the ACC so there was a lot of motivation.
I see a lot of similarities between this team and the 2004 team.
I clearly remember a conversation from that Summer. My Uncle and my cousin are die hard Clemson fans and this was our first year in the ACC. They said VT just isn't ready for this level of competition and isn't expected to do anything. He said it was going to be Clemson's year.
Then they went 6-5. First time I started talking crap about college football.
I was talking to a PSU guy at work this afternoon and said something along the lines of, "I think FSU will win the conference this year, but I think Clemson will beat UGA this weekend".
He countered, "So FSU is going to win the ACC and Clemson has high preseason expectations?"
Me: "Oh hell, I did it again."
Yah, We were pretty successful against the Trojans for the first three quarters. I think they did underestimate us coming in and looked like they were a half step slower than us (maybe a little jet lag) We wont have that benefit against Bama being so close to Atlanta and I think Saban will keep the team focused - more so than Pete Carroll.
2 reasons we almost pulled the upset
2 reasons we fell short of the upset
Reggie Bush 35 yd pass for TD
Reggie Bush 53 yd pass for TD
Reggie Bush 29 yd pass for TD
2013 VT D must contain Bamas playmakers - Foster's motto - bend, don't break
A lot of teams gave up a lot more to Reggie Bush.
No other team in the 2004 season gave that many touchdowns to Bush.
It was really just those 3 plays - which is a shame because the D held everyone else for USC under their averages.
If we stop Bush from getting in the endzone on one or two of those big plays, and they kick a field goal instead, it's a completely different game. Those plays frustrate me more than the PI call.
As mentioned many times, the injury to X. Adibi led to most, if not all, those plays. Adibi was phenomenal on Bush until he got hurt.
I can't find it anywhere but I remember Pete Carroll saying we played them the toughest of any team that year. Wasn't that USC team also the last team to go wire to wire #1?
We actually had a lot of media goodwill still in 2004 despite the 2003 skid....I think that it had a lot to do with being only a few years removed from Michael Vick and the Untouchables, a lively QB controversy with the heir apparent in Marcus, and pre-dating the high profile losses in later years. In fact in 2003 we had knocked off #2 Miami, so the perception was not fully cemented yet as it is now, both among the Hokie fanbase and ESPN.
Sub Question to the original question for discussion:
Who is better 04' USC or this Alabama team we face Saturday? (yes we don't know how good this '13 Alabama team is but we can speculate a little based on last year they will be good). I think i saw on some ESPN bracket that had that USC dynasty ranked higher then the current Alabama dynasty.
I think alot will say Alabama, but that cheating USC team was pretty damn good.
Alabama this year, I think. USC was uber talented but ran on pure energy, and these Alabama teams are bigger, fast enough, just as talented, and better coached.
While discussion this type of question with a coworker today, the only team I've ever seen that could hang with some of these Alabama teams was Miami 2001. He suggested that players now are a lot bigger, stronger, and faster than those teams from even a decade ago, and I can't disagree, but those guys were nasty.
I think that '01 Miami team was the best college football team ever. From Wikipedia:
In a pickup game, Alabama wins easy. In a regulation game with refs to pay, USC wins (by a close margin so nobody asks questions.)
#Pac12Refs
#Pac12Refs were also at the sugar bowl
I just had a scary thought....where are the refs from for the Bama game?
My guess would be either Big 10 or Big 12. Possibly Pac12 if we're really unlucky. Either way, we're not gonna be on the right side of a lot of close calls in this one, just a gut feeling I've got.
Chick-fil-a usually uses SEC or ACC refs. I think its ACC refs this time but I'm not sure.
That's a tough question. I think at the offensive skill positions, Alabama is the better team. However, that USC offensive line is probably better than the current one for Alabama. The Tide lost a lot of the offensive line from last year. Defensively, it's probably a wash. That USC team had a nasty D.
As far as comparing the Hokies, it's interesting. '04 Bryan Randall and '13 Logan Thomas are very comparable. Both teams were loaded with secondary talent, but they were young. Receivers were also very young and untested on both teams.
I graduated in 98 and am from the Hampton area. By the time this game rolled around, I was VERY aware of our ability to play with a chip on our shoulder, and the 757 talent we had going in to this thing. I was living in Illinois at the time, and told everyone who would listen that we were for real and that USC was in for it. By half time I had the whole bar in Alton, IL rooting for me and our Hokies. One dude even threw an ash tray when the interference call happened. I converted many Illini fans to Hokies that evening - and had my liver damaged by many free drinks bought in honor of my prognostication and in reparation for the trash that was talked on my bold statements prior to kick off.
As I was 13 and growing up in Blacksburg, everyone I knew thought we were going to get steamrolled. But then the game started and Eric Green absolutely wrecked Reggie Bush a few times, I think once he physically picked him up by his legs and body slammed him. Hyman scored...the PI call was atrocious as we all know but I remember us sorely missing X. Adibi as well. The climate leading up to the game, at least around me, was one of kind of nervous 'let's get this over with.'
I just hope the pregame weather isn't like 2004 USC. That was the only time in my life that I have gone shirtless at a tailgate.