Virginia Tech returns to the scene of the crime � Jacksonville, Florida �
to take on the Louisville Cardinals in the Gator Bowl. Jacksonville has not been
kind to the Hokies, who are 1-3 in previous Gator Bowl appearances and now 0-1
in the ACC Championship Game (though in reality Tech is 1-1 in the ACC
Championship Game since the Miami game in 2004 was for the championship). I
remember in 1994 that Tech fans were overjoyed to be playing Tennessee in the
Gator Bowl, but this year fans seem disappointed that the Hokies have to �settle�
for the second-place bowl game. That statement alone tells you how far the
Virginia Tech program has come in the last dozen years.
In reviewing several Louisville games from this year, I noticed that the
Cardinals reminded me a great deal of another team that I watched a lot this
year � yep, the Virginia Tech Hokies. The offensive and defensive schemes of
Louisville appear to be very similar to Virginia Tech, so the game plans devised
by the coaches for this game should be quite interesting. Of course, differences
in talent at various positions will change the focus of each team, but overall
these two teams mirror each other a great deal.