2009-2010 Tech Talk Live Notes for 12/7/09

Tech Talk Live (football and basketball season)


When: Every Monday from 7:00-9:00 during football season, 7:00-8:00 during basketball season.


Where: Click here for a list of radio stations, and to find the link for listening to the show on the Internet (look to the right on the hokiesports.com page that loads when you click the link). You can see the show in person Bull & Bones Brewhaus & Grill in Blacksburg.

TSL Welcomes Bull and Bones as Sponsor of our Tech Talk Live Notes

The
new Tech Talk Live show is broadcast from Bull & Bones Brewhaus and Grill in
the First & Main shopping center in Blacksburg, and TechSideline.com is
pleased to welcome Bull & Bones as sponsor of our Tech Talk Live Notes. Bull
& Bones Brewhaus & Grill is a brewpub with both an upscale dining room
and a separate sports bar with a casual dining area

• Call Ahead Seating: 540-953-BULL(2855)
• Hours: Sun.-Sat. 11am-2am, Sun. Brunch 11am-3pm

As a special treat for TechSideline.com readers, each
week we're giving away one $50 gift certificate to Bull & Bones
to the reader who wins bourbonstreet's weekly football game score prediction
contest. Just watch the TechSideline.com football board for bourbonstreet's
weekly prediction thread, and you could have a shot at dinner on us!

Seth Greenberg

• 6-1 is a good start. Greenberg is really pleased with the progress the
  team has made in the last two weeks. The three days prior to the Georgia
  game were pivitol for the team. Being on the road for eight days doesn't
  help you progress as a team. You get a better feel for your team's makeup,
  but you don't get a chance to have good, solid practices.
• Tech got to Blacksburg and got some good shooting in, and that helped on
  Sunday. They had to rebound, they had to defend the post and they had to
  attack the zone. The Hokies accomplished all three goals against Georgia.
• It was a great team effort. The biggest play of the game was Dorenzo
  Hudson's block when Georgia was on a fast break. It was a great hustle play.
• Ben Boggs knocked down two threes, Victor Davila rebounded and defended,
  Terrell Bell hit a big jumper and had a big block. It was a great team
  effort.
• Jeff Allen and J.T. Thompson did a great job on Trey Thompkins. He was
  averaging over 15 points per game, and he didn't have a field goal against
  the Hokies.
• Malcolm Delaney faced man defense, zone defense and a box and one. He did
  a good job penetrating, scoring and distributing.
• Delaney had been drifting a bit on his jumpers, rather than stepping into
  them. That's almost like shooting at a moving target. The coaching staff got
  that straightened out before the Georgia game.
• Ben Boggs is a very fundamentally sound defender. He goes after 50-50
  balls, he'll take a charge, and he contests shots. It's really amazing. A
  year ago, his leg was basically broken in half. He really appreciates the
  opportunity to play. He is Tech's best post feeder. And he's going to get
  even better at post feeding as opponents learn they have to respect his
  three-point shot.
• Jeff Allen is going to commit fouls. He has to learn what he can control.
  He can control charges and over the backs.
• VMI (Wednesday, Dec. 9th, 7:30, Cassell Coliseum) is a very unique team.
  They give up 100 points per game. They shoot 78 times per game. By
  comparison, Tech shoots 57 times per game. VMI averages 42 three-point
  attempts per game. Their opponents average 22 assists per game.
• You have to be committed and disciplined defensively to play VMI. Richmond
  is the only team that played them tough defensively.
• Tech's backups will have to play a little more against VMI because of
  their fast pace. Erick Green will have to be ready to play more minutes.
  Greenberg told the team that they needed to start hydrating on Monday to
  avoid cramps.
• Tech's post players will have a tough matchup, because they are going to
  have to guard perimeter players. On the other hand, those perimeter players
  will have to guard Victor Davila and Jeff Allen when the Hokies have the
  ball.
• It's important for the Hokies to keep improving now. When ACC play begins,
  the team will be playing three games a week at times. You can play well and
  lose in the ACC. Tech has to keep progressing.
• Penn State (Saturday, Dec 12th at PSU, 7:00, ESPN2) is a very good team.
  They won the NIT last year, and they won at Michigan State last year.
  They've billed this as a huge game. The Hokies will have to play well.

• Atlanta really enjoys their relationship with the ACC. The ACC Tournament
  was great last year, and the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game has been a major
  success.
• There were no qualms at all about picking Virginia Tech in this game,
  despite them already playing in Atlanta twice this year. Working with Jim
  Weaver and Frank Beamer is a godsend. They are quality people. Stokan knows
  the Tech fan base will travel as well.
• Stokan doesn't believe in politics when selecting his teams. Of all the
  7-5 teams in the SEC, Tennessee had the best head-to-head record. The
  players should decide on the field which bowl game they get.
• The Chick-fil-A Bowl will have plenty of events for fans and players. The
  motto is "Live, Laugh and Learn". The players will live well while
  in Atlanta, and they'll have fun. Players, coaches and fans from Tech will
  compete against players, coaches and fans from Tennessee in games and events
  like Family Feud. That's just one example. The players will also go to the
  Martin Luther King Center.

• Foster is really proud of his players for finishing the season strong.
  They had a lot of great leadership, and they showed a lot of character. Tech
  started to play their best football down the stretch. In the month of
  November, the defense did not allow a single point in the second half.
• Foster is excited about the matchup with Tennessee. The Chick-fil-A Bowl
  people do a great job. It's a great matchup against a great Tennessee game.
• Tech will do some practicing to keep their timing down. They will start
  game planning for Tennessee next week, after the coaches come back from
  recruiting.
• Montario Hardesty is a great tailback. He rushed for almost 1,400 yards
  against very good SEC competition. Tennessee has a new coaching staff, and
  they've continued to grow and come together each week.
• Foster is happy for Mike London. He knows London very well. He will be
  competitive on the recruiting trail. London has a bit of an edge to him, and
  his players will respond. He will give the Hokies a good challenge.
• Foster remembers the 1994 Gator Bowl very well. Peyton Manning had been
  Tennessee's #3 quarterback, but he was playing because of injuries. Current
  MLB player Todd Helton was originally Tennessee's starter that year. Tech
  did a good job of jump starting Peyton Manning's career.
• Virginia Tech has 10 players making recruiting visits this weekend.
• The Hokies are going to Atlanta to win the game. They took a big step
  forward with their preparation last year. Tech changed their team hotel the
  night before last year's Orange Bowl, and that helps eliminate distractions.
• Rashad Carmichael had the most consistent year out of all the defensive
  backs. Foster was unsure about that position heading the season. Carmichael
  missed some time in the spring because of class conflicts, so Foster didn't
  exactly know what he had.

• Jefferson is excited about going to the Chick-fil-A Bowl. It's a great
  bowl game to end his career.
• Throwing a great block for Ryan Williams and springing him for a touchdown
  is the same as Jefferson scoring a touchdown himself.
• Jefferson is studying for the LSAT. He's trying to become a lawyer. He's
  thinking about William & Mary, Georgetown, UNC or UVA.
• Jefferson came from DeMatha High School, and all the other schools hate
  them because they are the best at all sports.
• Jefferson chose Tech because of Coach Billy Hite. He also spoke to past
  DeMatha players who went to Tech.
• It was sweet going up to Maryland and beating the Terps. He had six or
  seven former teammates playing for Maryland.
• They are treating the bowl as a business trip. They will have some fun,
  but the goal is to go down there and win the game.
• The senior class wants to keep the 10-win streak going. It would hurt to
  go out with a loss in his last game.
• Playing Tennessee is a great opportunity and another chance at the SEC.
  It's another chance for the Hokies to show how good they are.

• The highlight of the season was going out and proving himself. He was the
  big question mark, but Carmichael was always comfortable with himself after
  sitting behind Macho Harris and Brandon Flowers for two years.
• In the secondary, the players try to build a brotherhood and friendships.
  Everybody is on an island back there. It's a tough job.
• Carmichael knew about five or six guys who played for Maryland. That was
  one of the most exciting games for him this season.
• Tennessee has a great tradition. This is the type of game Carmichael plays
  for. It's going to be a very exciting game.
• The Georgia Dome is an electric atmosphere. Carmichael never looked up
  when the Hokies played Alabama. He concentrated on the field so he could
  stay focused.
• Torrian Gray is a fairly recent player, so he can relate to the players
  very well. He always does his best to work with his players. He's also a
  character. He's a really smart guy.
• Carmichael never really watched too much NFL football growing up. He
  always felt like he could play at that level some day.
• Carmichael picked up his play in, play out focus from Brandon Flowers.
  That guy was always focused. Macho Harris helped him develop his playmaking
  instincts.
• Josh Morgan is the best receiver Carmichael has gone up with in his
  career. Morgan used to beat Carmichael all the time, but he's a much better
  player now because of it. The best receiver Carmichael played against this
  year was Demaryius Thomas of Georgia Tech.
• Carmichael is studying Human Development with a minor in Psychology.

• The wide receivers really improved in the spring, over the summer and into
  the fall. They have gotten better and better.
• The wideouts were very excited to come out in the spring and get better.
  Playing against Tech's secondary only makes them better.
• This is still a young group of receivers. They are all freshmen or
  sophomores. They have hit a number of big plays this season.
• Sherman tells them to go full speed all the time. You never know where
  Tyrod Taylor is going to end up on any given play.
• Sherman also tells his receivers that they don't catch the ball with their
  hands. They catch it with their eyes. They can't catch the ball if they
  can't see it.
• Jarrett Boykin is very productive. He works very hard every week.
• A lot of players underestimate Danny Coale. He works hard at the little
  things. He's a very competitive player who knows the game well.
• Marcus Davis has really improved recently. He just wasn't ready early on,
  but he has earned playing time. He's gaining confidence.
• Tennessee has a great secondary with Eric Berry. He is a great safety.
  It's going to present the Hokies with a real challenge.
• Sherman left right after the show to head on the road to go recruiting.

• Tech beat out Penn State for Kenny Jefferson. He was also a great wrestler
  in high school, and he could have pursued that.
• Hite is really excited about being in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. It's not
  technically a BCS game, but it is like one. It has a BCS type feel to it.
• In Southwestern Virginia, this game with Tennessee is very important to
  Virginia Tech fans. Bragging rights are on the line.
• Ryan Williams has been very humble. He is earning a lot of awards, but
  he's always crediting his line, quarterback, etc.
• Williams is a complete player. He is the best young football player
  Hite has ever had at Tech. Hite isn't so sure that Williams isn't the best
  overall football player that he's ever coached.
• David Wilson is going to be a special back. Josh Oglesby had a good year.
  Darren Evans is back to running at full speed and making cuts. This is going
  to be quite a backfield in the future.
• Hite likes Mike London a lot. Hite once tried to hire London as a graduate
  assistant at Tech. However, another school offered him a full-time coaching
  job, and he obviously took that offer.
• The Hokies currently have seven coaches out on the road recruiting. They
  only have a couple of spots left in their 2010 recruiting class.
• Tech's future is very bright offensively. All of the receivers and running
  backs are still very young, and the offensive line is getting deeper.
• The Hokies are practicing on Friday and Saturday. They are also hosting 10
  recruits and their families this weekend.
• Tech will practice on Monday the 14th. Then they will practice the next
  Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The players will go home on
  the 21st for Christmas. They will then have to be in Atlanta on Christmas
  Day by 5pm.

Monday was Day 1,836 of Virginia Tech's continuous possession of the Commonwealth Cup.