Witnessing an encore season to what was the most dramatic, rivalry driven, and entertaining season to date. The 2010-2011 season involved the growth of so many young stars such as Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard, and Blake Griffin. I’m just interested to see which story will dominate next year (THERE’S STILL TIME TO SAVE THE SEASON).
Flipping the channel past ESPN in mid-December when I realize that all of the NBA analysts at ESPN have made a complete 360 in their opinions of Lebron James. “He’s just the greatest all-around player since well…me. You just have to hand it to him. He is the MVP to this point,” says Magic Johnson, the Tim McCarver of the NBA.
Marking down the Thursdays when TNT hosts the “Durant Show”.
And subsequently watching Charles Barkley praise Kevin Durant, but proceed to call him a boy since he weighs anywhere from 100-200 lbs. less than himself.
Reading the news that Otis Smith, the general manager of the Orlando Magic, has struck a trade with the LA Lakers that involves Dwight Howard and the use of ESPN’s Trade Machine.
Passing my final judgment on the Russell Westbrook situation. This is one of the more compelling storylines of the potential 2011-2012 season. Sam Presti, the general manager of the Thunder, could throw a huge monkey wrench into next summer’s star-studded free-agency period with a trade of Westbrook.
Hearing Blake Griffin’s name in all of the mid-season MVP talks. I don’t know if the praise will come about as a result of his actual performance, or just the fact that he is on Sportcenter’s “Top Ten Plays” every night.
Watching Demarcus Cousins test Jimmer Fredette’s Mormon composure by snatching the ball from Jimmer just outside of the three-point line.
Enjoying the sacking of Mike D’Antoni and the promotion of Amar’e Stoudemire to player-coach. The second part of the statement is a joke by the way.
Rose and the Chicago Bulls becoming the Orlando Magic of the previous four years (until a relevant scoring threat is acquired), a dominant regular-season team that flounders in the postseason.
The revival of the San Antonio Spurs by the 9-3/8” hands of Kawhi Leonard. His motor, versatility on defense, and his athleticism will make it happen. Yes, a 61-21 team can be in need of a revival; just watch their first round series against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Are the Grizzlies for real, or will Zach Randolph become the next Eddy Curry and torpedo their future? I hope I get the chance to find out.
Seeing Ricky Rubio at a local circus, as the juggler/trick-shot aficionado. Well, if not at a real circus, he will have the same role on the Timberwolves.
Bragging after the dynamic duo and a half of Carmelo Anthony, Stoudemire, and Chauncey Billups carry the Knicks to the eastern conference semi-finals.
Sobbing after realizing that the Dallas Mavericks team still have the hangover from that roof-top party they hosted in Miami after their victory in the Finals.
Watching the blossoming of two lovable losers, the Utah Jazz and the Washington Wizards. These two teams have serious futures ahead of them, but the keyword is “ahead”.
Talking myself into the future of the Charlotte Bobcats. The combination of Kemba Walker, Michael Jordan, and an ultra-athletic Bismack Biyombo is intriguing; don’t lie.
Danny Ainge wheeling-and-dealing the Boston Celtics into a sustainable, championship-worthy, franchise.
Kobe returning to form for one last elite-level season before he walks off into the locker-room where ice-packs anxiously await to be taped onto his creaky knees.
Will the Heat prove the haters like me wrong with a championship season? I don’t know Mr. Stern, will they? I guess we’ll never know…or will we.
Despite the 8-1 record, this season hasn’t been the prettiest for the Virginia Tech Hokies. Their three most impressive wins have come against Miami (4-4), Wake Forest (5-3), and Arkansas State (6-2), and after all the preseason expectations, not making the ACC championship game would be a huge letdown.
But, for all their ineffectiveness to win games by monumental margins, several Hokies are moving up both the career and single-season school record books.
*Note: All “on pace” references are assuming that the Hokies do not make the ACC Championship Game, and therefore only have four games remaining.
The first three players are fairly obvious. Wide receivers Jarrett Boykin and Danny Coale have both already moved into numbers one and two, respectively, this season on the receiving yardage and receptions lists. Boykin has 161 catches for 2,604 yards, and Coale has 147 catches and 2,381 yards. By comparison, number three on the receptions list is Ernest Wilford, at 126, and number three on the yardage list is Ricky Scales, at 2,272.
Both also still have a good chance to break Wilford’s single-season receptions record of 55, and Andre Davis’ single-season yardage mark of 962. Coale has 42 catches for 627 yards, and is on pace to catch 61 passes for 906 yards. Boykin has 38 catches for 481 yards, and since he’s only played in eight games, is on pace to catch 57 passes for 721 yards.
Boykin and Coale have been the go-to guys for Sean Glennon, Tyrod Taylor, and Logan Thomas throughout their three and a half year careers at Tech. I said in a post a few weeks ago that Hokie fans do not yet realize just how much they will miss these two after they leave this season. They continue to prove, week-in and week-out, just how true that is.
The third player is running back David Wilson, who currently has 1,185 rushing yards on the year. Wilson currently sits at No. 8 on the school’s single-season rushing yardage list, behind former Hokie greats such as Lee Suggs(1,207, 2000/1,325, 2002), Darren Evans (1,265, 2008), Kevin Jones (1,647, 2003), and Ryan Williams (1,655, 2009). And that’s through only nine games.
Should Wilson keep up his current pace of 131.7 yards per game, he’ll finish off the year with 1,712 yards, breaking Williams’ ’09 record of 1,655 yards. His eight 100-yard games are two shy of the ACC/school record of 10, set by Williams in ’09 also. Last Saturday, his sixth straight 100-yard game broke the school record of five, also from Williams in ’09.
IF the Hokies were to make the ACC Championship Game, Wilson would be on pace to run for 1,843 yards, which would be an ACC record.
The one player who many Hokie fans aren’t paying much attention to in terms of the record books is quarterback Logan Thomas. Through nine games, Thomas has thrown for 1,934 yards, or an average of almost 215 yards per game. Thomas became the first quarterback under Frank Beamer to throw for 260+ yards in three straight games against Miami, Wake Forest, and Boston College.
Thomas currently sits at No. 15 on the school single-season passing yardage list, behind guys like Tyrod Taylor (twice), Don Strock (twice), Bryan Randall (three times), Jim Druckenmiller (twice), Marcus Vick, and Sean Glennon. If he were to keep up his current pace, he would finish off the year with just over 2,793 yards, which would put him in second place, next to Strock’s 1972 mark of 3,243 yards. By comparison, Tyrod Taylor’s 2010 season when he threw for 2,743 yards is currently second on the list.
Thomas also has a very good chance to break Michael Vick’s school record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback, with eight, during the 2000 season. Thomas currently has six on the year.
But, for all the records that this year’s Hokies might break, I’m sure the record Tech fans would like to see broken the most is the school record for wins, 11, which has been done five times (’99, ’00, ’05, ’07, ’10).
If the Hokies want to reach 12, they will have to beat Georgia Tech next Thursday night. We’ll have more on that throughout the week and next week leading up to the game. Until then, follow me on Twitter: @ZMarinerCT.
‘Morning, Hokie fans. Here’s your weekend wrap-up of all things Tech sports.
Football
The Hokies performed sluggishly, to say the least, against the Duke Blue Devils on Saturday, just barely escaping with a 14-10 victory. Tech benefited from Duke kicker Will Snyderwine missing three of his four field goal attempts, and an impressive performance from their defense. Logan Thomas and the offense scored on two of their first three possessions, but failed to get in the end zone during the game’s final 40 minutes. David Wilson continued his hot streak, with his eighth 100-yard game of the season, going for 148 yards on 23 carries. He leads the nation with 1,185 yards on the season. Senior linebacker Barquell Rivers made the game-sealing interception with 48 seconds remaining in his first start since 2009. The Hokies are off this weekend, but will travel to Atlanta, GA next Thursday, Nov. 10 for what will pretty much be a Coastal Division championship game.
Men’s Soccer
Last week was a rough one for the Hokies. After losing to Radford 2-1 on Tuesday, Tech dropped yet another one on Friday night, 2-1 to the Duke Blue Devils. Duke scored in just the 6th minute, and would build a 2-0 lead late in the game after an own goal by the Hokies in the 78th minute. Taylor Lemmon delivered his first career goal to cut the deficit to one just two minutes later, but Tech was unable to tie the game. With the loss, they drop to 4-11-2 on the season, and will finish off their regular season this Thursday night at home against Clemson.
Women’s Soccer
After a 2-0 loss to Florida State on Thursday night, the Hokies were knocked out of the ACC tournament in the first round by the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils, losing 1-0. Duke, the tournament’s No. 1 seed, beat Tech at home for the second time this season. The Hokies have a national RPI ranking of 22, and are just a few votes away from being ranked in the nation’s top 25 poll. They will more than likely be invited to the NCAA Tournament.
Volleyball
The Hokies lost both of their matches over the weekend, while failing to win a single set over either No. 19 Florida State on Friday night, or Miami on Sunday afternoon. While 13-11 overall this season, the losses gave Tech a losing in-conference record, at 6-7. Erin Leaser led the team with 37 assists over the weekend. Cara Baarendse led the team with 23 kills, and Victoria Hamsher led with 12 blocks. The Hokies are on the road again this weekend, facing off against on Wake Forest on Friday night, and Duke on Saturday night.
A few of our writers turned in their NFL power rankings after Week 7. Here’s how things turned out:
Brooks Tiffany
Zander Baylis
Mike Platania
Tommy Christie
Zack Conway
Average
1. Green Bay Packers
1
1
1
1
1
1
2. New England Patriots
2
3
2
2
3
2.4
3. New Orleans Saints
3
2
4
3
2
2.8
4. San Francisco 49ers
5
5
3
5
5
4.6
5. Pittsburgh Steelers
4
4
7
4
4
4.6
6. Baltimore Ravens
8
8
5
6
6
6.6
7. Buffalo
Bills
11
6
9
8
7
8.2
8. Detroit
Lions
10
7
10
7
9
8.6
9. Houston Texans
7
9
6
11
11
8.8
10. New York Giants
6
11
8
10
12
9.4
11. San Diego
Chargers
10
12
15
9
8
10.8
12. Atlanta Falcons
9
12
14
14
13
12.4
13. Chicago Bears
15
13
13
12
10
12.6
14. New York Jets
13
15
12
13
14
13.4
15. Cincinnati Bengals
18
14
11
15
17
15
16. Tampa Bay
Buccaneers
14
17
16
16
16
15.8
17. Oakland Raiders
19
18
18
17
15
17.4
18. Dallas Cowboys
16
16
19
18
18
17.4
19. Kansas City Chiefs
21
20
17
20
19
19.4
20. Washington Redskins
23
19
20
21
21
20.8
21. Philadelphia Eagles
17
23
24
19
22
21
22. Tennessee Titans
20
21
21
23
20
21
23. Carolina Panthers
22
22
23
22
24
22.6
24. Cleveland Browns
24
24
26
24
23
24.2
25. Jacksonville Jaguars
25
25
22
26
25
24.6
26. Denver Broncos
26
26
25
25
26
25.6
27. Seattle Seahawks
27
27
27
27
27
27
28. Minnesota Vikings
28
28
28
28
28
28
29. Arizona Cardinals
29
29
29
29
29
29
30. St. Louis Rams
30
30
30
30
30
30
31. Miami Dolphins
31
31
31
31
31
31
32. Indianapolis Colts
32
32
32
32
32
32
1. Green Bay Packers (7-0): Aaron Rodgers’ near perfect play has more than made up for any defensive shortcomings the Packers might have; best team in football. (Christie)
2. New England Patriots (5-1): The Patriots’ explosive offense is good enough to make up for a lackluster defense. (Platania)
3. New Orleans Saints (5-2): After embarrassing the Colts on national television, the Saints will continue to put up big numbers.(Conway)
4. San Francisco 49ers (5-1): This team has quietly crept up into the top five with solid, steady performances, but the rest of their division should think about getting in on the Conference USA/Mountain West merger. (Tiffany)
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2): After a slow start, the Steelers are starting to shed their “Super Bowl Hangover,” just in time to host the Patriots and Ravens in consecutive weeks. (Platania)
6. Baltimore Ravens (4-2): The defense has exceeded expectations with strong play by their relatively unknown cornerbacks, but the offense can be anemic at times. (Baylis)
7. Buffalo Bills (4-2): The up-tempo Bills face the Redskins coming off their bye, with hopes of keeping up with the division-leading Patriots. (Christie)
8. Detroit Lions (5-2): They are certainly entertaining on offense, and the defensive line is formidable. The lacks of any sort of running game, as well as a porous pass defense have held the Lions back from being elite. (Baylis)
9. Houston Texans (4-3): The Texans are a wild team this year, one week they play like a dominant team the next they barely show up. Which team will play the rest of the season? (Conway)
10. New York Giants (4-2): Starting to put it together now despite all their injuries. Peyton may be lending Eli his powers while he is gone. (Tiffany)
11. San Diego Chargers (4-2): San Diego is yet to beat a team with a winning record, and injuries are starting to pile up. If they can stay healthy, the Chargers should be able to get it together. (Platania)
12. Atlanta Falcons (4-3): With a bye week this week and a social with the Colts, the Falcons should be able to build on their two-game winning streak and get some momentum going. (Baylis)
13. Chicago Bears (4-3): The Bears have been on both sides of the table this year and if they play to their standards, look for them to be right there in the end. (Conway)
14. New York Jets (4-3): The Jets go as Mark Sanchez goes. Therefore, they will not go far. (Baylis)
15. Cincinnati Bengals (4-2): Rookie QB Andy Dalton has played well enough to win the Bengals games, and their defense has moved into the ranks of elite. (Platania)
16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3): Josh Freeman isn’t playing to his standards, and because of that, the Bucs are lucky to sit at 4-3 through the first part of the season. (Conway)
17. Oakland Raiders (4-3): It will be a rough few weeks, but they have a very helpful bye this week to help them sort things out and give Carson Palmer some more time to learn their system. (Tiffany)
18. Dallas Cowboys (3-3): A new facet of the offense was unleashed last weekend against the St. Louis Rams in the form of DeMarco Murray. The offense should become elite once again and a game against the Eagles this weekend should be a major test. (Baylis)
19. Kansas City Chiefs (3-3): After a very slow start, the Chiefs have reeled off three in a row and are excelling despite missing Jamaal Charles. (Platania)
20. Washington Redskins (3-3): Right on cue, the Redskins are usually reeling by week eight with quarterback problems and injuries. Somebody call a doctor and a priest. (Tiffany)
21. Philadelphia Eagles (2-4): This is the most talented 2-4 team I’ve ever seen. These next two weeks (Cowboys and Bears) will be integral in shaping the rest of their season. (Christie)
22. Tennessee Titans (3-3): Despite having one of the highest-paid running backs, the Titans rank last in the league in rushing. (Platania)
23. Carolina Panthers (2-5): This team is so dangerous. Cam Newton is getting more experience and the team is starting to congeal around him. (Tiffany)
24. Cleveland Browns (3-3): Remember when Colt McCoy was getting all that hype because he worked out with Brett Favre over the summer? It doesn’t appear to be have helped. (Baylis)
25. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5): With an outstanding defensive performance on Monday night against the Ravens, Blaine Gabbert and the Jaguars look to continue to improve this season. (Conway)
26. Denver Broncos (2-4): Before we hop on the Tim Tebow bandwagon, let’s see him beat a team that’s won a game. Either way, the Broncos should be better with No. 15 starting. (Platania)
27. Seattle Seahawks (2-4): This is bottom-feeder team No. 1. The rest of these teams are just ranked according to record. (Baylis)
28. Minnesota Vikings (1-6): Eating the dust of a great division. Taste the greatness and build on it with Ponder. (Tiffany)
29. Arizona Cardinals (1-5): The Cardinals are plagued with deep issues on both offensive and defensive sides of the ball. (Christie)
30. St. Louis Rams (0-6): Conceded 253 yards to a rookie running back in Week 7. Enough said. (Christie)
31. Miami Dolphins (0-6): Every time I look into Reggie Bush’s eyes, I see Andrew Luck. (Baylis)
32. Indianapolis Colts (0-7): Without Peyton Manning, the Colts could really use some “Luck” to boost their offense. (Conway)
No, Hokie fans, it wasn’t pretty. Not in the slightest. But, Tech did escape with a win on Saturday afternoon, improving to 8-1 on the year.
While many angry Tech fans flooded our Twitter timelines during the game’s fourth quarter, Bud Foster’s defense bent plenty, but simply refused to break down the stretch, holding Duke scoreless through the game’s final quarter and a half.
“First thing I do is give Duke a lot of credit,” said Frank Beamer, head coach. “I thought they were a good football team coming in to the game, I think they’re a good football team as I leave here.”
Hokies start slow
Despite getting an interception from Eddie Whitley to start the game, and getting a 26-yard run from Danny Coale on their first offensive play, Tech was unable to jump out to a big early lead against the Blue Devils.
“We didn’t take advantage of some opportunities, and when you do the game gets different,” Beamer said. “We didn’t, and it stayed tight. And, the tighter it gets, the more they get into it, and they’ve got good players.”
Logan Thomas threw an interception on 3rd and 10 from the Duke 15 that Matt Daniels took all the way back to the 45, and the Blue Devils were able to march all the way down to the Tech 25 before a fumble killed their drive.
Although the Hokies were able to go 85 yards in 12 plays on their next possession for the game’s first points, Duke answered right back with an 11-play, 80-yard drive of their own to tie the game.
After that, Tech re-took the lead with a 90-yard drive that ended with their final score of the day, a 1-yard run from Josh Oglesby with over 10 minutes remaining in the first half.
Despite scoring drives on their second and third possessions, the Hokies could not capitalize off a Cris Hill interception, or a Will Snyderwine missed field goal, as they missed a field goal of their own, and turned the ball over on downs.
“We played well on offense early on, then I threw a couple interceptions that really hurt,” Thomas said. “It was a credit to their defense in the second half, they played better.”
Fuller makes a big play
Kyle Fuller made quite possibly the biggest play of his year-and-a-half career in the maroon-and-orange this afternoon when he tackled Sean Renfree for a loss on the Tech 21-yard line on 4th and 2 with four and a half minutes left in the game.
“I knew they were going to run the ball, so I thought I’d tighten down,” Fuller said of the play. “I saw the tight end block down, but I saw the running back come out, so my initial movement was to come up… I knew (Renfree) was running the ball. I saw where I was compared to the first down (marker), and I just knew I had him in an open-field tackle.”
His coach sang his praises.
“He’s been big,” Beamer said of Fuller. “He’s a football player. He’s gotten his body stronger to where that’s not an issue now. He’s just instinctively good. He gets people on the ground in the open field better than just about anybody I’ve ever seen.”
His fellow cornerback didn’t shy away from complimenting him either.
“He wants to tackle. He wants to come up and make that hit,” Jayron Hosley said. “He doesn’t shy away from hits, he wants the ball to come his way. He’s a great tackler, in practice he’s always working on his techniques. When he finishes plays in practice, it translates on the field.”
Fuller led the team with eight tackles, including two for a loss and one sack. He also had three pass break-ups and a fumble recovery.
Wilson has big day
Tailback David Wilson, one of the nation’s premiere running backs, rushed for 148 yards on 23 carries.
Against the Blue Devils, Wilson took his carries in bunches, and was more actively involved in the first half. Wilson finished with 6.4 yards per carry, but what happened after the play might have been more interesting.
“At the bottom of the pile, they were doing dirty stuff,” Wilson said. “Just anything — pinching, punching, reaching through the facemask. Everything means everything, grabbing my (groin).”
Despite the dirty play, Wilson said the Hokies poor performance was no excuse, and even gave credit to the Blue Devils for being up for the game.
“Personally, I thought they were just extra pumped,” Wilson said of the Blue Devils. “They were jumping up and down on the sideline in the second half, and they kind of came out as a new team.”
The Hokies, especially Wilson, had a fear of dropping the game to the Blue Devils.
“I just saying they better not win the game, we better not lose this game,” Wilson said. “I’m pretty sure the same thing was going through my teammates’ heads. It was close.
Wilson now stands at 1185 rushing yards on the season, which barring any huge performances, should keep him No. 1 in the country.
“Last few games, we’ve been coming out in the second half and that’s when we play our best football,” Wilson said. “I think we came out this second half to a slow start. I don’t think it was a let down; we got a victory. I don’t look at it as a let down at all.”
The Hokies, who now have a bye week before heading to Georgia Tech for a Thursday night ACC Coastal showdown, will take the week to get healthy and improve. Wilson said the close win could be beneficial.
“We got the win here at Duke, and we came out and didn’t play our best football,” Wilson said. “We know what we have to fix. If we would’ve came out here and blown them out, then we have a bye week, I have the fear that some of my teammates would’ve relaxed. Now that we’ve come close against a team that we thought was going to have lower competition so to speak, going into a bye week and then Georgia Tech, we know we have we’re going play hard this week.”
Hosley struggles
After sitting out the Boston College game, and most of the Wake Forest game with a hamstring injury, Jayron Hosley returned to the field today against the Blue Devils, but didn’t play outstandingly well.
The All-American cornerback gave up several big plays to Duke wideout Connor Vernon, and was also called for big two pass interference penalties on the Blue Devils’ lone touchdown drive.
“The refs, it’s a give-and-pull, push-and-pull game,” Hosley said of the penalties. “Sometimes the refs let us play, but sometimes they make the calls. That’s the refs: you can’t argue with them, can’t fuss and fight, you’ve got to take it as it is. I’m not gonna make a big deal over it.”
His coach also commented on the interference calls.
“They’ve got a couple good receivers, as their records will show, and (Renfree) made a good throw a couple times, put the ball right on the boundary. Jayron might’ve had his hand on (the receiver), the first one he probably did, second one I’m not sure about. But sometimes they make a good throw and good catch, too.”
After two weeks on the sideline, the usually lock-down corner had a bit of an off game.
“I wouldn’t say it was rust,” Hosley said. “It was just getting back into that game mode. And (Vernon) is a good player, I’m not taking nothing from (Vernon), he came out and made plays. He made a play on me, I’m not gonna blame it on anything, I’ll man up. That was that. Next week I’m going to get back where I need to be with this off week.”
Next week’s bye couldn’t come at a better time for Hosley, as it’ll give him extra time to take care of his hamstring.
“Definitely. It didn’t really cause many any problems today. I was able to play and finish the game. Next week’s gonna give me a bonus week to rest and get everything back to where I was, 100 percent.”
Offense struggles to get it going in second half
The offense, which on paper appeared to have a successful day (433 yards), struggled to put the game away in the second half. The game could have been a lot different had a few balls gone the Hokies’ way.
“We played well on offense early on, then I threw a couple interceptions that really hurt,” Thomas said. “It was a credit to their defense in the second half, they played better.”
The Hokies were five of 14 on third down Saturday.
“We had a couple third and shorts that we couldn’t convert, and that’s just a credit to them,” Thomas said. “They were jacked up and ready to go, and they played well.”
What does the offense need to do in the second half the rest of the season to put games away?
“Just go in and play every down like it’s like the last down you got,” Thomas said. “Go play hard, and we’re going to put up yards, we’re going to do everything right. It’s just getting the right fits, and once we do it, we’re going to be tough to stop.”
Thomas, who snapped a streak of three-straight games of at least 260 passing yards, threw two costly interceptions deep in Duke territory.
“I will say that’s on my back,” Thomas said of his second interception. “I would say I didn’t throw it far enough, didn’t put it in the back of the endzone. It would’ve been a touchdown; I left it short and gave the safety a chance to make a play on the ball.”
As the Duke offense threatened to take the lead late in the game, what was going through Thomas’ head?
“You always think the worst scenario, so I was getting ready (to come back out),” he said. “I have faith in my defense as well, and they did exactly what I expected them to do.”
Simply put, the Hokies just didn’t get it done on offense. What did Thomas think of the poor second half performance?
“It was frustrating, but it’s not a big deal,” he said. “It’s frustration in ourselves I think, and we just wanted to get things moving. Third and shorts, those will always make you frustrated. We just kept pushing, and we didn’t do anything too dramatic to change the tides of the game.”
**
The Hokies were just five of 14 on 3rd downs in today’s game, or 35 percent. By comparison, they were 51 of 115 coming into the game, or 44 percent.
Tech struggled in the red zone, going just two for four, including an interception from Thomas and a missed field goal from Tyler Weiss. Thomas also threw an interception from just outside the red zone, from the 25-yard line. The Hokies had scored on 35 of their 46 red zone possessions entering the game.
David Wilson went over 100 yards for the eighth time this season, as he finished with 148 on 23 carries. The ACC record for 100-yard games in a season is 10, held by Ryan Williams. The 148 yards were the third-highest total of Wilson’s career, as he went for 162 against App State, and 165 against Marshall in 2009.
Linebacker Barquell Rivers made his first start since 2009 today, and came up with game-sealing interception on Duke’s final offensive play of the game with 48 seconds remaining.
Kicker Tyler Weiss made his first career start today, in place of the injured Cody Journell. Weiss hit both PATs, but missed a 29-yard field goal attempt midway through the second quarter.
Josh Oglesby ran in his eighth career touchdown ran early in the second quarter. Three of his eight career TD runs have come in Wallace Wade Stadium, as he ran in two scores in Tech’s 34-26 victory in 2009.
When the Blue Devils and Hokies last crossed paths, each time was going in an entirely different direction. Virginia Tech was riding a five-game winning streak, and Duke was trying to dig itself out of a five-game losing skid.
The Hokies made sure early that both streaks continued.
Tyrod Taylor spread the ball around well with touchdown passes to tight end Andre Smith, wide receiver Dyrell Roberts and tailback David Wilson. With six completions of over 20 yards, it was evident the Blue Devils couldn’t stop the big play and Taylor took full advantage. Taylor threw for 280 yards in only three and a half quarters, as he was taken out mid-way through the third quarter.
None of Tech’s three-headed backfield consisting of Darren Evans, Ryan Williams and David Wilson had much success running the ball out of the backfield. The three didn’t even combine for 100 yards, but it wasn’t necessary as Taylor’s hot hand and touchdown runs by Evans and Williams in the red zone allowed the Hokies to light up the scoreboard.
Takeaways have historically been a specialty of the Tech defense, and it proved true in this game. Cornerbacks Rashad Carmichael and Jayron Hosley each picked off Duke quarterback Sean Renfree deep in Duke territory. The Hokies were able to convert both takeaways into points, with a Darren Evans touchdown run and Chris Hazley field goal.
Renfree had a forgettable day, as he threw for less than half as many yards as Taylor on nearly double the attempts. Bud Foster’s defense never let Renfree get comfortable, and the home crowd in Lane Stadium only made things more difficult.
The game felt over at halftime as Tech was up 27-0 and Duke was showing no signs of life. The Hokies defense was dominant as they gave up only 208 yards of offense total and one touchdown.
A big win was crucial for the Hokies, as they needed the momentum going into the bye. After their week off they played host to Georgia Tech in primetime, then went on the road against North Carolina and Miami (FL). It was important the Hokies played well before facing three tough ACC opponents.
This year, the Blue Devils have been flat at home, having lost 4 of their 5 home games this season. On the other side of the field, the Hokies have yet to lose on the road.
The Hokies hope to take another win against Duke into their bye week, before playing two Thursday night games in a row at Georgia Tech and home for North Carolina.
Wang suffered a broken foot in the week two game at East Carolina. Michael Via is filling in for him at backup guard.
Gouveia-Winslow suffered a Lisfranc sprain of his left foot and will miss the remainder of the season. Alonzo Tweedy will fill in for him at whip linebacker.
Both Hopkins and Roberts were previously reported to miss the remainder of the season.
Shuman does not get a whole lot of playing time. He did not play against Wake Forest.
Starting linebacker Taylor is out for the season. See our posts early in the week for more information. Barquell Rivers starts in his place.
Tweedy is the injury that could hurt the Hokies the most this week. Redshirt-freshman Nick Dew will start in his place, but expect the Hokies to play a lot of nickel defense against Duke.
Redshirt-freshman Smiling has not played yet in 2011.
This is a special edition of Thursday Morning Clip(s). Today, I’m paying homage to the seemingly lost NBA season with a couple of my favorite NBA clips from the past few years. The first clip is an awfully grainy clip of Kobe Bryant absolutely obliterating the then-reigning MVP of the NBA, Steve Nash. This was the year Kobe averaged 35.4 PPG, and put on his 81-point clinic against Toronto. As far as I’m considered, Kobe was robbed of the MVP award. It’s as if this dunk captures all of Kobe’s pent-up frustration with the voting committee. The 6’3″ Nash stood virtually no chance in deterring the 6’7″ Kobe, with ups still firmly intact, from the rim. In the last act of a desperate man, Nash tried taking a charge. This backfired. I remember watching this live in 9th grade and wondering what I had just witnessed. This is the essence of posterization.
I don’t think I’ll ever forget this dunk, either: Baron Davis’ complete and utter annihilation of the shot-blocking specialist Andrei “AK-47” Kirilenko. This dunk pretty much encapsulated the Warriors improbable 2007 playoff run, in which they knocked off the No. 1 seeded Dallas Mavericks. Though the Warriors would go on to lose this series against the Jazz, this dunk is one of the more electric plays in recent playoff history. I think Matt Barnes’ face at 1:21 really says it all: nasty.
At 7-1, Mike O’Cain and the offense are just starting to hit their stride. Logan Thomas has thrown for at least 260 yards in three-straight games, and the Hokies have scored 30-plus points in those games.
O’Cain, in his first year as the play caller for the Hokies, isn’t taking any of the credit for the offensive explosion.
“I was the same play caller against East Carolina when we threw for 125 yards or Clemson (when the Hokies were limited to three points),” O’Cain said. “It’s more about the guys out there executing. The offensive linemen that are giving Logan protection to throw the football, him making the right throws at the right time, and the guys coming down with the ball.
“I’ve always downplayed play calling, it has its place, but play calling is about how well it’s executed.”
So what is Thomas doing now that he wasn’t when the offense was sputtering early on?
“He has done a great job of taking what the defense has given him, and he’s made the right throw at the right time,” O’Cain said. “He’s done a good job of when things are taken away down field, checking down to the back. He’s taking what people are giving him, and I think that’s probably the best thing he’s done.”
Thomas has thrown as few as 20 times in a game (East Carolina) and as many as 36 (Boston College). O’Cain said there is no set number of passes or runs he goes into a game with.
“We may go out this week and throw for 150 yards and rush for 300 yards. It depends on what the defense is giving you and what you’re able to do. We don’t go in saying, ‘We’re trying to throw the football.’ Now we’ll go into a game saying we need to throw the ball early, and that’s kind of what we did Saturday.”
Against Boston College, tailback David Wilson carried the ball just six times in the first half. The Hokies trailed in that game 7-6 at the half.
“We threw the ball maybe a little too much early, then we hit on some running things in the second half, that’s one thing we adjusted; we ran the ball more early in the second half,” O’Cain said. “We don’t ever go in saying we want to throw the ball 30 times or 40 times or 50 times and we need to throw for 250 yards. It just kind of happens, and that’s the way it is.”
Thomas, who is attempting around 28 passes a game, ranks 62nd in the country in terms of attempts per game. Last year, Tyrod Taylor attempted 22 passes a game with basically the same offense.
A message early in the year to Thomas was that he doesn’t have to be perfect. As the season goes along, O’Cain is seeing improvement.
“I don’t think there’s any question you can always become a better passer,” O’Cain said. “The little throws, the things that you harp on. As you get older, those passer that [he threw behind his receiver, that should’ve been in front], that’s where you see the difference.”
**
A few more notes and quotes from O’Cain.
Thomas is improving his deep ball accuracy. “Early in the year, he threw three deep balls that were slightly inside the receiver that get intercepted,” he said. “Wake Forest, he throws the same three deep balls, but they’re over the outside shoulder for completions. So he’s gotten better from that stand point.”
O’Cain mentioned that Thomas’ overall game has been solid all year. “He’s become a more accurate passer, and I think that’s comfort, that’s playing over and over, which you think he’s going to do. His decision-making has been good all year long, and it’s just a matter of time before the physical part catches up.”
As stated above, neither O’Cain nor Thomas focuses on the numbers. “I never talk about numbers with Logan, we don’t go into a game saying we need to throw for 250 or 300, let’s take what the defense gives us running and passing wise, and if we do that and do a good job of it, we’ll be successful.”
On running plays, Thomas has a tendency to have the ball away from his body. That issue seems to have been addressed. “I think that’s where he’s done a better job, in a true running situation, he gets the ball tucked pretty quickly,” he said.
Thomas hasn’t had a bad game yet in one department — decision making. “He’s really, I won’t say surprised me, but his decision making has been outstanding in every game — he hasn’t had a bad game decision making. He’s thrown the ball where it was supposed to be, not necessarily at the right time and the right pass, but he has made very few mental mistakes in terms of where to throw the football.”
