VT-Hoo Preview

Everyone knows the clichés about rivalry games: “records mean nothing,” “you can throw the book away,” and so on. But the reason they keep appearing is that they’re true, and this season’s Virginia Tech-Virginia matchup in Charlottesville (12 noon Saturday, ESPN/XM 192) certainly holds to them, both because of the rivalry and external factors.

When we last saw the Hokies, they got a Singapore-style caning from Miami two weeks ago. Intangible factor #1 for this game is whether the Hokies have recovered mentally. The first score is huge in this game for Tech’s confidence, and a quick strike or non-offensive TD by UVa could be devastating. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Al Groh pull out a trick play early here; in 2003, a fake field goal was the killshot, and both coaches know the psychological importance of the early points to Tech.

Intangible #2 is the play of UVa senior QB Marques Hagans. In terms of importance to his team, he is their Bryan Randall: the team’s unquestioned emotional leader, and not a textbook QB but has developed into being a capable field general, especially in big games. It’s Senior Day in Charlottesville, and Hagans would love to step up and slay the giant that Tech has become (much to Virginia’s dismay). Virginia has played to the level of its opposition all year, and this game shouldn’t be any different.

Caned

Miami dominated Virginia Tech 27-7 Saturday night in Blacksburg, snapping a two-game losing streak and dominating a Hokie team that never bothered to show up to play. Marcus Vick played particularly horribly, turning the ball over six times, but was not given much time to work by a Miami defense that dominated the VT offensive line all game long.

While it’s true, to say that Tech didn’t bother to play shorts Miami some on credit. On the offensive side of the ball, the Hurricane offense took what the VT defense gave them and turned it into all the points they needed. The Miami offensive line completely negated VT’s attempts to pressure quarterbacks Kyle Wright and Kirby Freeman; they, in turn, defied the history of Miami QBs in Lane by playing well and within control, and the Miami running game was able to control the tempo of the game at will. It still wasn’t a horrific defensive performance for the Hokies; with the offense handing the ball over at will, it was probably as good as could be expected.

Photos: ESPN College GameDay for VT-UM

BTN readers who haven’t had the opportunity to see ESPN College GameDay live in person may be interested in some of my photos from today’s show in Blacksburg before tonight’s Virginia Tech-Miami showdown.

For the record, Kirk Herbstreit picked the Hokies and Lee Corso donned the Miami ibis head for the first time in Blacksburg.

VT-Miami Preview

The eyes of the college football world are focused on Blacksburg, Virginia this weekend as the #3 Virginia Tech Hokies (8-0, 5-0 ACC) host the #5 Miami Hurricanes (6-1, 3-1 ACC) at 7:45 PM Saturday night (ESPN/XM 192). ESPN has brought the full might of its media machine to town, broadcasting ESPN2’s Cold Pizza morning show from Blacksburg on Friday morning, College Gameday on Saturday morning, the radio GameDay all day long on Saturday, and even running a game-long feed from the quarterback’s-view Skycam (paired with the regular commentators’ audio) on ESPNU.

Hype aside, this is the most-anticipated game of the year short of the Rose Bowl, as pre-season commentators pointed to it as a potential national championship semifinal. Many Hokie fans point to Tech’s first-ever win over Miami, in 1995, as the true launch of this program to its current national status. That game began a 5-year Hokie winning streak, aided by Miami’s probation handed down later in that 1995 season. Conversely, Miami capped its resurgence in 2000 with a resounding win over the Hokies with Michael Vick hobbled by a Pittsburgh ankle twist, and then knocked out two more consecutive wins: 26-24 in 2001 with the Hokies giving them their best challenge of the year despite a 4-for-20 from QB Grant Noel, then a 56-45 shootout in 2002. The Hokies turned it around 31-7 in 2003 with one of the most electric wins in Virginia Tech history, then knocked the Hurricanes off last year 16-10 in a de facto ACC championship game. Since 1995, the Hokies have never feared Miami, and Tech’s refusal to give Miami what the Canes view as their due deference has created one of the truly nasty rivalries of the past decade.

Let’s break this one down. Read More »

...And Those Maryland Fans

For a recent alumnus, I’m a fairly well-traveled Hokie football fan. I’ve been to UVa three times. I’ve been to Miami twice, including 2004 with an ACC championship and Sugar Bowl berth on the line. In the Big East days, I went to Pittsburgh twice. In 2002, I even went to Western Michigan, where I had to fend off a drunk student taking a run at me from Frat Row as I walked to the game. I’ve been to four different bowl games, partying with hordes of Auburn, Bama and FSU fans. But never before have I experienced such a poisonous football atmosphere, and been subjected to such vicious personal treatment, as happened Thursday night at Maryland.

Outside the stadium wasn’t bad; we were waved into the parking deck adjoining the Comcast Center, and walked through the Hokie-dominated Comcast lot before turning toward the stadium. My friend and I got a couple of snide comments and some drunken booing from Maryland fans, but that’s normal and acceptable. When you’ve just brought a #3 football team and at least 8,000 road fans onto campus, you should expect mild harassment within the bounds of civilized behavior.

Inside the stadium, though, those bounds were crossed with impunity. We reached our seats in the third deck at about 5:45 PM; a smattering of other fans, mostly Hokies, had already entered as well, but the only area of the stadium heavily populated was the student section. The cheers that rose from that section started with the obscene and migrated toward the sexually disgusting. At one point, a spirit squad came onto the field to lead cheers, joined by someone wearing a red #99 football jersey. During this stretch, the spirit squad led a group of four male students with the F word spelled out on their backs onto the field; they were cheered, then returned to their seats. During this rally, the Hokie team had entered the field to practice; as the VT offense huddled in one corner of the end zone, the students pelted the players with debris as #99 waved and yelled encouragement.

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