Yes, believe your eyes: the Hokies are 4-0. (Ivan Morozov)
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — High winds made every pop fly an adventure at the Red Sox-Cubs game at Fenway Park the Tech Sideline crew took in Friday night. Routine pop-ups often left normally confident infielders with weak knees and shaken nerves, struggling under the ball with frantic footwork before reeling in catches while off-balance.
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Agree on not being ranked yet. We're 4-0, and definitely playing much better overall than last year, but those four wins have come against four of the five worst teams we'll play all year (by preseason standards, anyway). If we handle business with Pitt this Friday, and especially if we do so in a convincing fashion, we should be solidly in both polls next week.
TexasHokie89
Conference road games are tough. Great win, and lots to learn from.
Sure hope the online gets well!!
`lag
I figured VT beating Maryland was Loxley’s death knell. The rest of the season is just a math catching up. He basically lost the job last year but… They gave him a redo maybe just to save money. I mean, sure they could’ve beat UCLA. But that simply wasn’t going to happen. It’s over. Question is whether they’ll wait till the end of the season or not they probably would.
`lag
Not that if anyone here still cares about Locksley although it will be interesting to watch up where I live in Maryland. I will add the big trick here is to stick with your preseason prediction. 7–5? Then stick with that don’t start adjusting it up just because 4–0 is a little bit on the upside of one’s predictions… Yet. Backhanded way of saying I agree with Andy‘s comments about not wanting to be in the top 25 or oline is going to be problematic. One conservative predictions are not wrong and I think you enjoy the game or if you don’t get too high or too low.
Glenvar Hokie
The photo of 'holding' on Overtons TD needs to be watched in real time. There is zero chance that is ever called. There might have been a hold on that TD, but it wasnt on Ghannam. If you freeze frame that one, then go back and watch the 1st TD run by the BC QB. There were two obvious holds on that run. And they look like holds in real time, not a freeze frame photo.
HokieLF1
Andy…thoughts on the following. I love Grunk and am glad to have him. However, in addition to maybe struggling with the long ball, I’ve noticed that he also tends to throw behind his receivers at least several times a game, not to mention under throwing them at times. Is it a mechanics thing?
HokieJB
Some people are never satisfied. If all Grunk's passes were on target, his completion percentage would be in the 90s.
HokieFrank
His completion percentage took a hit yesterday....in39 mph wind gusts. Read the first paragraph of his artical again discussing the wind at Fenway park on Friday. May have had a little to do with yesterday's throws...maybe?
atlhokie1
Yeah, took a hit all the way down to 63 %. He should be benched..........
Andy Bitter
I mean, we'll see. I wouldn't use yesterday to add to any kind of season storylines when it comes to passing. The weather made it too tough.
quinine
Don’t know what you’re watching. Most accurate QB we have had since… maybe ever
SarahVTHokie24
BC was holding on Mckenzie s first touchdown. In fact two d lineman were being held.
SarahVTHokie24
My Chinese fortune cookie on Friday said" Adversity is the first path to truth ".
TomA
I agree with your ranking comments, Andy. Beat Pitt, then there can be some serious talk about Tech being ranked
Glenvar Hokie
The longer the polls ignore us, the more of a chip we will have....
Hokie Nutz
Ok Andy, give it to us straight....
How many bowls of chowdah did you eat? No judgement, just want to better understand if there was in fact, no limit. 😏
Andy Bitter
Three. There was a limit and that was it.
taintedzodiac
The lower limit, we can safely assume.
Hokie Hiker
Orange & Maroon glasses view: We broke Maryland, which explains why they got clobbered by UCLA, and just won without three starting offensive linemen on the road in 40 MPH gusts, all but completely taking away the passing game that is normally our strength.
What others likely see: Our most impressive win (Maryland) doesn't look very impressive anymore, beating up on ODU and VMI doesn't mean anything, and we struggled to beat the worst team in the ACC by 7 points.
So yeah, I wouldn't rank us yet either. If we can beat Pitt and go 5-0, then we have a very solid case to be ranked.
`lag
I think we broke Maryland. Locksley was basically fired last year, but then they gave him a redo. He had no room and the Virginia Tech game was a must win for him, lose it, and the rest of the season is simply waiting for the math to catch up with him, the UCLA loss makes it obvious now but it was over last week.
SarahVTHokie24
My Chinese fortune cookie on Friday said" Adversity is the first path to truth ".
GoneFishin Hokie
Early PFF Grades for the O-Line look a lot better than I thought they would.
catamount hokie
It seems that the offense was a little overconfident starting out, and it was midway through the 3rd before they really started to focus. It is really good to see effective second half adjustments too. The BC qb could've been reigned in a little sooner, though to be fair, the weather, their passing attack, and mix made that more of a challenge. I think the BC staff schemed very well to play us, but our athletic advantage (ie, Jeffrey Overton) finally won the day. And yes, our guys were better conditioned than they were. Hopefully the weather will not be such a factor on Friday.
Baltimore_Hokie
Surprise, surprise, Bitter doesn’t think VT deserves to be ranked. At this point, we all get the whole “I don’t like VT, deal with it” thing is a bit, Andy, but I have to give you credit for sticking to it. 😂
Andy Bitter
I mean, there’s reasoning there too if you take the time to read.
watermanmr
Justify VT being ranked then
watermanmr
…for Baltimore Hokie
Atlee Hokie
There are two posters with near identical poster names. One is Baltimore Hokie, a long time poster who is known to me. The other is Baltimore_Hokie. This is the poster you need to ask.
92Hokie14
He’s right though
King of Hokies
This is a pretty lame take from someone who usually uses his brain. Bitter isn't anti-VT. He's just telling the truth.
VTBuck20
Andy's right. We've done nothing to deserve a Top 25 ranking.
Atlee Hokie
They don't yet. Now if we were in the SEC we would be ranked, whether we should be or not.
novalum
Funny, but true!
hoekee1
see Kentucky.....
Boblope
I would bet a very handsome wager that the vast majority of Hokies are with Bitter on this one, me included.
I would also wager that, like me, most VT fans appreciate the straight-shooter/reporter approach that Andy has been so consistent with over the years, versus the homer-ism of the reporters in the SEC and other places around the country.
If we're good, say we're good. If we're bad, so that too. To their credit, Andy and all of the TSL crew is very balanced this way.
bonedoc
100%
`lag
Exactly why would you want a Homer? That gets tiresome why do you find out? It isn’t true.
75nokehkey
Why is it desirable to be ranked? Why is it anti tech to think they aren’t ready yet? Is it a fan requirement to always think tech should be ranked? Does a real fan always predict that tech will win? So silly.
4Hokies4U
Agree, we shouldn’t be ranked and at the same time celebrating where we are and the opportunities that lie ahead! Just keep developing, get better, and stay as healthy as possible, then we’ll be ranked. For me, I’m enjoying the journey back to where we’re going. Go Hokies!
hokiedad25
At this point, we definitely should not be ranked. We do not have a single quality win. One of the easiest schedules to date in FBS.
doodlebug
Great win under difficult circumstances, but heres what I don’t get. Chris Coleman told us early on that the BC quarterback wasn’t a great passer but was quite the runner. Knowing that, I’m wondering why we couldn’t defend him a little better. He damn near won the game single handedly. It’s something we have seen from the Hokie defense on quite a few occasions in the past.
HOKIEFROY
yes but the defense seemed to be better conditioned for the 4th qtr. No one had their hands on their hips.
IB4TECH
My take is that we didn’t get beat by a running back either.
HokieTC
Here’s your answer that half the people know and don’t want to say, the other half don’t know. Brent Pry
KenStuckInJersey
I am not a football expert. But sometime during the third quarter I started yelling at the TV, "Go for the QB every time!" He's almost never handing it off. Plus, the handoff (on the read option?) was only getting 1, 2, or 3 yards. The QB pulling was getting 9+ yards every time. Stop him! FINALLY, I don't remember when, but we finally tackled QB in the backfield after a read option, albeit that time after he had handed off! Finally in the 4th quarter we succeeded in focusing on stopping the more productive of those two options.
TomTurkey
Good choice of thoughts. Agree on not being ranked...yet.
EDGEMAN
"Overton had quite a closing kick, racking up 150 yards in the final quarter alone."
Actually 159 yards in the 4th quarter. He rushed for 140 yards, and had a 19 yard return.
134022Hokie
First of all, I would like to thank you and David for burning the midnight oil and your Sundays for getting out the articles that us old,'63 (and I'm sure not so old) Hokies are ready to soak up after a long dry spell!!! Thanks again.
Also, I agree that becoming ranked is not nearly as important as the next win. In fact it might be to our advantage to stay out of the limelight a bit longer and have that attention drawn to others, even if a number of them really do not deserve it.
OBXhokie
Talk about speed, "fat rat" Brown was closing on Overton as he approached the goal line on the long run.
HokieACC
Saw that and thought the same
JC in FC
Yea, I noticed that too. Need to get him on the field more.
HokieCrazy1994
Was the UNC hurricane game not windy?
Andy Bitter
Not this windy. Soggy, though.
HokieHi71
What about the Texas A&M game in hurricane Isabelke?
Andy Bitter
Again, I think that was more about the rain. There was wind, but I think VT had it listed as a lower mph than this.
hokiepro
Nope just 20-25 mph and misty type rain. It wasn’t as bad as yesterday’s looked
Newt
It was a clone of the 1996 Akron game at The Rubber Bowl in the remnants of Hurricane Fran. 35-45mph wind sustained. Horizontal sheets of rain. This is a game we nearly lost. It’s also a game when we were introduced to Akron’s monster, Jason Taylor- who went on to have a great NFL career. https://youtu.be/gEs22OinPXo?is=bWfPiVHRESpNO61A
dobrohokie
Another great article, Andy. To be fair, I saw lots of holds on both sides that weren't called.
J2KHokie
Agree and there are constantly holds that go uncalled in every game. I think holds are a hit and miss call. I had an official actually tell me they don’t call all of them or they’d be calling them at the point of disrupting the flow of the game.
HokieACC
Double agree - almost feels dishonest to point out our hold when we all saw so many holds from BC
Andy Bitter
It was at the point of attack against the ACC’s leading tackler on the game-winning 76-yard run.
Seems like that’s notable.
King of Hokies
Nope. This is where you're wrong. Doesn't matter how many tackles someone has as to whether it should be called a penalty. Flag averted most likely because ACC refs just aren't very good. Like others have said you can find 10 plays by both teams where a significant build wasn't called.
Andy Bitter
I'm not saying he should get the call because of his tackle total. Just that it's a guy who is pretty good who had his jersey held onto at a critical time.
Hokie2Architect
We’ve had more than few notable calls go against us. Right or wrong not here to debate that. Bout time some in our favor get ignored. We can bring this up when we start getting Michigan calls our way. Until then I kindly suggest bugger off on bringing up calls that actually swing our way that shouldn’t.
Andy Bitter
My god, guys. They missed the call. It's all right to admit it. And I get that it happens. I even wrote, "Them's the breaks."
But if this was a run in BC's favor, I'm sure you wouldn't just be OK with the non-call.
Boblope
I agree, Andy. It was a cringe-worth few seconds, waiting to see whether or not they had thrown a flag.
So glad they didn't. BC fans deserve to be pissed - THE play of the game that gave us the lead in the 4th quarter.
We all would be pissed if the roles were reversed, no matter how often holding can/should be called during a game.
At a conference I attended for work, the keynote speaker was the retired, former head of officiating in the SEC. He said that with TV and replays nowadays, everyone can see most everything. He told his officials - "You don't have to call everything you see, but you damn better see everything you call !". ;)
HokieCrazy1994
I agree about the ranking. I would rather not be ranked until after we beat Pitt.
IV_Hokie12
That is tough on the last one. Teams like OKST have better wins but they also lost to Tulsa by multiple scores. I do really like Wake though. Still would be nice to get either us or Pitt ranked just for some attention on the game. Both teams are either going to be barely in or in the first 5 out. Just slip us a number and get us some eyeballs.
RJHokie
Oklahoma State beat West Va last night.
Andy Bitter
Correct. It'd be tough for West Virginia AND Oklahoma State to lose that game.
RJHokie
Not meaning to nitpick but the article but it should be three of the six teams ahead of VT rather than four as noted.
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