Collegiate Times

By Mike Platania, sports staff writer

Sunday night, Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff was the sickest man in America. At least he was for about four hours, until 49ers wide receiver Kyle Williams took over that position for him.

Both Cundiff and Williams had miscues that impacted their respective conference championship games. But to say that they’re the reason their teams lost is ludicrous.

Cundiff’s missed field goal at the end of regulation stamped the Patriots’ ticket to Indianapolis, but his miss wasn’t the reason the Ravens lost. Terrell Suggs, Ray Lewis and Ray Rice all stood up for their kicker in the media after the game, and they all emphasized the same thing: they lost as a team.

Forget about Cundiff, these are what cost the Ravens the game:

• Cornerback Sterling Moore making the play of the season for the Pats by knocking out a sure touchdown out of Lee Evans’ hands. Most rookies might have given up on the play once the ball is in the receiver’s hands, but Moore made a spectacular play to break up the pass. Should it have been reviewed? Probably. But if we learned anything from Calvin Johnson’s touchdown-that-never-was last season against the Bears, it’s that possession rules are different in the end zone and Evans’ catch wasn’t likely to get turned around.

• Lack of a commitment to the run. The Ravens are a ground-based team and use Ray Rice to open up big plays in the passing game to Torrey Smith and Anquan Boldin. Baltimore was 6-0 this season when feeding the rock to Rice 22 or more times. Ray Rice’s total carries on Sunday? 21. The Ravens’ success is nearly directly proportionate to how well Ray Rice does, and there was no reason he shouldn’t have carried the ball at least 30 times against a Patriots D that gives up over 115 yards on the ground.

• Poor play-calling late in the game. After Evans’ drop, the Ravens faced third and one, and Cam Cameron made a blunder of a call. With one time out remaining, the Raven’s could have given it to (you guessed it) Rice in an effort to get the first down, get the touchdown, or even just line the ball up in the middle of the field to give Cundiff a straight kick. Instead, the Ravens elected to throw to tight end Dennis Pitta, where who else but Sterling Moore was there to break it up, and the kick was lined up on the right hash. Even after the incompletion, the Ravens didn’t call a timeout to give Cundiff more time. If they used their final timeout or called a different play, they may have won the game.

Ray Lewis was very passionate in the locker room about how a single man or play never loses a game, and the veteran is exactly right. The Ravens lost the game, not Billy Cundiff.

Nearly 3000 miles away in Candlestick Park, Kyle Williams would soon find himself in a similar situation. Williams lost two fumbles on muffed punts against the Giants, resulting in two short fields and ten points for New York. But again, the loss is not Williams’ fault; it’s the 49ers’.

The following are reasons why the ‘Niners failed to give their Harbaugh a spot in Indianapolis:

• Terrible third down conversion percentage. San Francisco was 1-13 on third down, or less than 8 percent. Alex Smith had a stellar game against New Orleans in the Divisional Round that appeared to be his emergence as a star QB, but he did not have the touch he had a week ago. Yes, the weather was awful, but when you’re at home with a trip to the biggest stage on the line, converting only one third down all night is inexcusable. That kind of offensive ineptitude will lose you games, regardless of how great your defense is.

• Lack of an ability to cause turnovers. Last week the 49ers took the ball away from the Saints five times, and won the game. The Giants were often sacrificing potential YAC by falling to ground whenever they caught the ball do avoid fumbling after big hits (see Pierre Thomas), and the color of Victor Cruz’s jersey is a testament to that, but San Francisco had their chances. Ray McDonald stripped the ball from Eli Manning’s hand early in the first half, and San Fran failed to recover. Dashon Goldson collided with teammate Tarell Brown late in the third quarter to prevent what would’ve been a sure interception. The 49ers were unable to take advantage of their opportunities, and they paid for it.

• One reception for three yards. That is the grand total of offense produced by the 49ers’ wide receivers on Sunday.  The ‘Niners know that Vernon Davis will get his yards, but after the Giants gave up two big touchdown plays to him, Davis started getting double teamed with lots of safety help over the top, a scheme that usually opens up the field for wide receivers. Michael Crabtree was invisible all day and couldn’t seem to shed the blanket that Corey Webster had on him all day and if Crabtree and co. showed up, the game may have ended differently.

It’s not always the superstars who have the biggest impact on the game. The Giants’ Steve Weatherford handled a poor snap on the game winning kick, and Devin Thomas was all over the place on special teams. The Patriots’ Brandon Spikes recorded nine tackles plus a pick, and Sterling Moore had two critical passes defended. None of those guys are household names but they helped their teams win.

Conversely, it’s not always the no-name guys that lose their teams games; it’s the entire team. There are plenty of reasons why both the 49ers and Ravens lost, but it’s not on the shoulders of Billy Cundiff and Kyle Williams.

Photo courtesy MCT Campus

By Matt Jones, sports editor

During a season of mostly low moments, Dorenzo Hudson’s clutch three-pointer late in Sunday’s win over Virginia is a reason to smile.

Game story: Hudson’s three propels Hokies to first ACC win

The redshirt-senior with 84 career starts under his belt has come off the bench for Seth Greenberg the last two games. While many would sulk and complain, Hudson has stepped up and given the Hokies exactly what they need — energy.

“I told him ‘Your minutes are not going to change, the way we use you is going to change,’” Greenberg said. “We thought J.T. (Thompson) was going to be our Energizer Bunny. When we lost J.T., maybe this is something that has been missing. It was time to give it a shot.”

Over the last two games — a loss to North Carolina and Sunday’s win over UVa — Hudson has transformed himself into a valuable sixth man for the Hokies. He had 16 points against UNC and 12 against UVa.

“Coach knows what he’s doing, and he wanted me to come in and give a spark off the bench,” Hudson said. “I’m just playing my role, and I feel like coach is doing a really good job trying to get me going.”

Late in Sunday’s game, Hudson did what most senior leaders do, and that’s take the big shot. With 17 seconds left, his three-pointer crushed the hopes of the No. 15 Cavaliers.

“We all had tremendous confidence in Zo,” said Jarell Eddie. “He just hit the shot. I swung it to Zo, and he took it and he made it.”

Hudson is taking his new role in stride.

“When I’m on the bench I feel like I study the game a little bit more than when I start the game,” Hudson said. “When I’m on the bench, I’m trying to take advantage of it, seeing where my shots are going to come from. I’m just trying to embrace my role.”

First ACC win

The Hokies, now 12-7 and 1-4 in the ACC, entered hostile territory and came away with a much-needed win.

“We know we can get the win in whatever game we play,” Eddie said. “We lost those tough games, but we got one today.”

Greenberg is happy with the way his team responded following Thursday’s loss, and saw some positives that he can carry forward.

“We took a step forward today,” Greenberg said. “We took a step forward in terms of playing through adversity. When they took the lead, it would’ve been very easy for us to melt. I thought our guys did a terrific job executing down the stretch. It was basically two teams drawing a line in the sand and not giving an inch.”

UVa, who surged early in the second half to take the lead, was denied a win thanks to the tough defense by the Hokies.

“Today, we were able to respond once they made their run in the second half,” Eddie said. “We were able to get stops and score the basketball.”

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Photo by Daniel Lin, SPPS

AFC Championship

By Mike Platania

What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? The NFL will find out Sunday when the New England Patriots host the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game.

New England boasts a style of offense that the NFL has never seen before, and the Ravens are looking very similar to the same Baltimore team that won Super Bowl XXXV. Which future Hall of Famer will advance to the Super Bowl: Tom Brady or Ray Lewis?

Patriots coach Bill Belichick has built his offense by highlighting two very athletic tight ends, one shifty wide receiver and a Hall of Fame quarterback. This innovative style of offense has allowed the Pats to score over 30 points in 14 of their 17 games this season.

Rob Gronkowski exploded onto the scene this year, shattering the single-season touchdown records for tight ends, and often appearing impossible to cover as he’s built like a tight end, but dons the athleticism of a wide receiver. Playing opposite Gronkowski is Aaron Hernandez, who is slightly smaller, but considerably quicker. Tom Brady and Wes Welker are very familiar with one another, and each are in the top two for passing yards and receiving yards this season.

But it won’t be all fun and games for the Patriots, as they haven’t seen a defense as physical and disciplined as Baltimore’s since when they fell to the Steelers in week eight.

The Raven’s defense is loaded with playmakers at every level. Whether it’s Haloti Ngata pushing the pocket, Ray Lewis laying lumber in the midfield, or Ed Reed ball-hawking downfield, Baltimore has the ability to shut down any offense.

Led by elite pass-rusher Terrell Suggs, the Raven’s defense allows less than three hundred yards per game. The Ravens are known for their strong veteran presence and leadership, but there is still plenty of young talent on their roster as coach John Harbaugh has helped players like Lardarius Webb, Cary Williams and Terrence Cody develop into starters. Baltimore’s defense allows less than 17 points per game, but do they have the personnel to stop New England’s offense?

Baltimore’s defense and New England’s offense match up so well that this game may be settled when the Ravens are on offense. Both Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco and the Patriots’ defense have been at the center of much criticism throughout the year, and it may come up to either to win the game for their team.

New England’s defense ranks 31^st in the league and allows over 411 yards per game, with nearly 300 of those yards coming through the air. Baltimore’s offense has been erratic, often disappearing for stretches of games. Expect the Patriots to get a full dosage of Ray Rice, who will be looking to exploit the Patriots’ soft run defense.

If the Patriots are able to gain a quick lead, the Ravens will have to weather the storm quickly by responding with points of their own, and they have the potential to with the emergence of deep threat Torrey Smith and the sure-handed Anquan Boldin.

These two playoff regulars are no strangers to the big stage, and whoever wins will definitely have earned it. I have the Patriots reliving nightmares of the 2009 playoff match against the Ravens and losing, 27-24.

NFC Championship

By Zack Conway

This Sunday an old rivalry is renewed when the New York Giants travel to San Francisco to face the 49ers. The New York Giants are entering Sunday as the hottest team in the playoffs. The Giants had to win their last two games to just make the playoffs and now that they are in, they have been playing lights out on defense. They have shut out the Falcons and then held the explosive Packer offense to only 20 points. With out a doubt the defensive line for the Giants makes this team go, when they get after the quarterback they are one of the best defenses in the league. With Osi Umenyiora now healthy, Justin Tuck playing like a pro bowler and rookie pro bowler Jason Pierre-Paul on the D-line, the Giants can flat out get after it. The Giants rushing attack is also now just making noise with a two-headed attack in Bradshaw and Jacobs, and you now combine that with Eli, this can be a very dangerous team. Before the season many were questioning Eli Manning after his statement about being an elite quarterback. After this season, there should not be a doubt in anyone’s mind that Eli is an elite quarterback. Leading his team to six game winning or fourth quarter comebacks, Eli has with out a doubt played unbelievable this year.  With Eli at the helm and a defense backing him up, the Giants look to continue their amazing playoff run.

The 49ers, unlike the Giants have had a playoff spot clinched since week 13 when they dominated the Rams 26-0. The 49ers are entering with the best defense in the league and they compliment that with a great running game. Under rookie head coach Jim Harbaugh the 49ers are playing with excitement, passion and aggression. He has instilled a new mentality that has his players playing at levels they have never reached. The difference this year though has to be the play of Alex Smith, Smith is playing with confidence and with that he is not turning the ball over like he used to and he is completing the big time passes. To help Alex this year, Frank Gore has provided a very solid run game that can be relied to make plays. Gore has rushed for 1211 yards and 8 touchdowns, and with the combination of power and speed Gore is able to burn defenses every time he touches the ball. The story of the year for the 49ers has to be the play of their defense, they are playing on a completely different level and they have been shutting out and stifling offenses since week one.  The play of NaVorrow Bowman and Patrick Willis on the inside lead this defense in tackles and hold teams to a league low of just 77 rushing yards a game. However, not only is the rush defense playing outstanding, but also on the back end of the defense the 49ers are playing as a unit and leading the league in turnovers. With the play of their defense and Alex Smith leading the offense, the 49ers look to complete their remarkable turn around with a Super Bowl berth.

Both of these NFC teams are playing at extremely high levels and probably in any other year these teams would be favored, but because of how both teams are playing this NFC Championship game should be intense from the start. With that being said, the playoffs are usually dominated and won by the hottest team entering the playoffs. I like the Giants to win this Sunday over the 49ers. There is no doubt that the 49ers are a great team and have made an amazing run, but I do not think they have that last little bit to get over this last game. The Giants have all the experience and an elite quarterback that can take over a game and win it. Alex Smith has played very well this year, but I do not think he can make the big plays to match Eli and the Giants. This will be a very good game to watch, but in the end the Giants and Eli will prevail in a 27-17 win.

By Matt Jones and Zach Mariner, sports editors

North Carolina stepped on the gas in the second half and never let up, defeating the Hokies 82-64 in front of a sold out Cassell Coliseum.

Seth Greenberg, Robert Brown and Erick Green spoke with the media following the loss, which drops the Hokies to 0-4 in ACC play.

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Seth Greenberg

OPENING STATEMENT: “This is going come as a shock to some of you, but I like my team, and I think that we’re showing improvement. I thought in the second half, they might’ve worn us down a little bit. I thought in the second half we didn’t do a good job in defensive transition, and we took a couple shots that we need to learn about. Things that we wanted to try to do, put certain guys in ball screens, handle the scramble, compete on the backboards in the first half, we didn’t do a very good job of that in the second half. We’re a young team that’s a work in progress, and there are some very positive things to take out of it. It’s real easy to be doom and gloom and have a whole bunch of negative energy, and that’s not going to happen. Like I said, no one said this was gonna be easy, but I think we took a step forward, and that team we played is a very, very good basketball team that played really well in the second half. And we did not play as composed, we didn’t get the stops so we could get out and make their bigs run. In the second half, instead of taking what the defense gave, we tried to force and try to make plays, when really what we need to do is make the next pass, make a cut, and then make a play. But there are a lot of positives we can take out of this.”

ON ROBERT BROWN STARTING OVER DORENZO HUDSON: “He didn’t start because I started Robert Brown. I thought that he could come off the bench, get a feel for it, maybe be the Energizer Bunny that we’ve been missing. Obviously, he made his first five shots, so it looked brilliant for a while there. Then, as a group, I thought we forced a couple shots, and those bad shots against them are like live ball turnovers. They’re going to convert those easy scoring opportunities. I don’t think it was out of selfishness, I think guys were just really trying hard. Our spacing wasn’t as good in the dribble-drive, and we weren’t getting deep enough with penetration to force help.”

ON WHAT CHANGED IN THE SECOND HALF: “What happened early on in the second half was we made a couple turnovers and we took a couple bad shots. In the first half, we had a good tempo. When we ran, we ran. When we didn’t run, we went into the clock a little bit, and even though we didn’t get exactly what we wanted, they weren’t on offense. We had good floor balance. In the second half, we didn’t have that same poise.”

ON THE HOME CROWD: “This is ACC basketball. Long-term, if you’re going to be successful in this league, you look at the success we’ve had in this league since we’ve been in it, just take the last five years. I think we’ve won nine games twice, 10 games once, and then 7-9. You need that. Even when you’re 0-4 and struggling when you have a young team, people get behind that young team, and you need that. And we had that today. ACC basketball was built on ownership and passion and energy. It wasn’t built on, “we’re going to have energy if we’re winning,” it was built on “this is my team.” And, there will be some negative. That’s just a part of it. My thing is, the people were unbelievable. The crowd was great. You saw how the kids responded, we just couldn’t hang on with it.”

ON GETTING BETTER SHOTS IN THE HALFCOURT OFFENSE: “I think they had a little bit to do with it. And quite honestly, taking it in there, you wanna take it in there to pitch it back out. They had nine blocks. They’re a hard team to score against around the basket. How did Florida State beat them? Bernard James is a mountain masquerading as a man. But really, they beat them because they made a lot of threes. What we’re doing, and we’re running sets in the dribble-drive, that’s what we’re doing. That’s what we’ve chosen to do because of our undersized team, and then we run the spread ball screens. That’s what we feel is in the best interest of the players that we have and trying to utilize them. That’s my professional opinion.”

Robert Brown

ON THE SECOND HALF RUN: “I really don’t know what to say. They just made their run. We didn’t battle back like we did in the first half.”

WHAT CAUSED THE RUN? “Harrison Barnes hit some shots that we played great defense on and he just hit them, can’t really do much about it. We still have to be tougher, and during that stretch we lost some of our toughness. Coach told us after the game we’ve got to be tougher.”

ON GETTING HIS FIRST START: “It was cool, first start against a great team like Carolina. I’d like to thank coach for that, but it would’ve been a lot better if we’d come away with this win.”

ON WHY HE STARTED: “I’m not really sure what his decision was about it. He called me into his office a couple days ago and said he was going to start me.”

ON DORENZO COMING OFF THE BENCH: “He kept us in the game, especially in the first half he came in with a spark we really needed. If he can keep doing that, and this is going to be the lineup coach sticks with, then we’ll really need him to continue doing that.”

ON WHAT TECH DID IN THE FIRST HALF TO BUILD A LEAD: “Playing tough, getting stops and running. Once we got out in the open floor and started running, Dorenzo hit some open threes, I was able to hit one, Erick was able to get to the rim and hit some threes. After we got those stops and playing tough on defense, we got some easy buckets.”

ON THE HALFCOURT OFFENSE: “At times we can kind of be stagnant with it, and other times we can be fluent and playing well. I just think we need to keep working and we’ll be good.”

ON WHAT OFFENSE TECH LIKES TO RUN: “Harrison Barnes hit some great shots during that run where we played great defense, and if he’s hitting those, we can’t get the ball and run like we want to. We have the type of team that’s comfortable running up and down the floor, pushing it, finding open people. That’s what we want to play, but if they’re hitting open shots like (Barnes) was, we can’t really do much.”

ON BEING PREPARED FOR CAROLINA’S RUN: “Basketball is a game of runs. We knew we made ours in the first half, and we would have to defend theirs. They came out and hit us, and we weren’t able to keep (the lead).”

ON IF TECH EXPECTED IT: “They missed some wide open shots. A great team like that, they’re going to hit them in the second half. Coach just told us (at halftime) that we need to come out and defend better, keep our intensity up. They were hitting tough shots, tough shots that we defended right.”

ON PLAYING CAROLINA FOR THE FIRST TIME: “They were big, real long. Everything coach told us in the scouting report they did out there. We just weren’t able to stop that run they made, and it blew the game open.”

Erick Green

ON WHERE THE OFFENSE NEEDS WORK: “We have to get the ball down low more. I think we have to go off of Vic, Cadarian instead of just standing up top dribbling and trying to make three-pointers. We did that first half and got hot, but we need to realize second half when it’s not working, we need to do something else. Attacking the basket, getting the bigs involved, stuff like that.”

ON THE INJURED KNEE: “Not 100 percent, but I’m good enough to play. No excuses on that. I’m in a little pain, not going to lie.”

ON PLAYING A FULL GAME: “We just got to come to play, play two halfs. We’re not doing the little things to put two halfs together. That’s what’s killing us at the end of the day.”

By Matt Jones, sports editor

At 0-3 in the ACC and winless in the 2012 calendar year, Seth Greenberg and the Hokies are looking to get back to their winning ways Thursday night in Cassell Coliseum.

North Carolina (15-3, 2-1 ACC), is coming off a 33 point loss at the hands of Florida State Saturday, and should have plenty of motivation for a primetime clash with the Hokies.

Here’s what head coach Seth Greenberg had to say about his team’s play 17 games into the season, and plenty of stuff about the No. 8 Tar Heels.

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• Greenberg, who watched the Florida State-North Carolina game, took that game as more of a hiccup for the Tar Heels. “Despite what happened at Florida State, I think they’re pretty good,” he said. “I think that game was more aberration than reality. The reality is they’ve got the most experienced, deepest, most talented team in the country if you look across the board.”

• On if he thinks the Hokies will ‘show up’ for a marquee clash with Carolina: “I think we’re going to show up and I think we’re going to play the game. We have an opportunity to have a home game against an elite team. I think we’ve been in this situation maybe before, and we figured out a way. The last time I checked, we’re all going to be here Thursday at 9:00.”

• The Tar Heels, who score the most points of any team in the country (85.2 per game), have better shooters than last year. “I think (P.J.) Hairston and (Reggie) Bullock stretch the defense. I think they’re posting (Harrison) Barnes more, which makes him a bit more difficult to defend on flex cuts.”

• On where the team is mentally: “I think our guys are disappointed, and they should be disappointed because they invested a lot in it.”

• In the three ACC losses the Hokies were just -9 in scoring differential. Greenberg still thinks he has a good team. “We’re a good team. Eight, nine, tens days ago — we thought we were a really good team.”

• Greenberg on his young team: “I would think they hurt a little bit, but this is a learning process for six of them for sure. Six of them didn’t really play ACC basketball last year; six of them have not been in this situation. This is all new, and this is all part of the learning process.”

• Keys to playing an elite team like Carolina close, according to Greenberg: “Controlling the tempo of the game, not giving up easy baskets on second shots and transition, taking care of the basketball, scoring some easy baskets, whether those are in transition or off of steals or second shots. Those are the things you need to beat any team, and you got to make shots. The times we’ve played well against Carolina, we’ve made shots.”

• Greenberg said the Hokies can control the tempo of the game in many different ways, not just slowing the Tar Heels down. “You’ve got to put pressure on your opponent if you want to control tempo. There are a lot of different ways to control tempo.”

• The Hokies have lacked an energy guy this season, and Greenberg is still looking. “Erick is really working on his leadership, but you don’t have that ‘Energizer Bunny.’ We did, we thought that J.T. Thompson would be that guy for us this year, but he’s not here. I think that’s something that we’re missing a little bit. If you want to call it a role model, that might be it.”

• Kendall Marshall, a preseason All-ACC selection, could give the Hokies problems is they don’t stay alert. “You’ve really got to be alert defensively, that’s one of the most important things,” he said. “If not, (Marshall) is going to whiz the ball by your head for a layup.”

• On forward John Henson: “He’s inspector gadget. He runs the floor hard… you can throw it anywhere in the basket area and he’s going to come up to the ball.”

• What does Greenberg think the UNC practices are like this week? “I don’t think they saw a kinder, gentler Roy Williams this week. They probably saw an angry Roy Williams; he wasn’t Saint Roy, he was probably more of a bulldog this week.”

• The challenges of a young team were not unexpected for Greenberg and his staff. “I understand we have some challenges in front of us right now. If you look around the country, and excluding Kentucky, there’s a learning curve for new players. That’s just the way it is.”

• On Barnes: “He’s good, the guy’s really good. He’s posting up more. He can get his shot at any time, he can take over the game at any time, and he’s hard to keep off the glass. There’s a reason he’s a lottery pick.”

• Finally, Greenberg expects point guard Erick Green to be good to go Thursday night. A sprained knee held him out of the Boston College game. “He was in here shooting this morning, he had treatment. I expect it would be hard for me to keep him out of the game. Especially after last year, cramping up at the end of the game.”

Photos by Austen Meredith and Daniel Lin, SPPS

By Matt Jones, sports editor

Four star cornerback Donaldven Manning

The 2012 football recruiting class saw it’s first members hit campus today, as Donaldven Manning (pronounced Donovan), JC Coleman and Dewayne Alford all begin their Virginia Tech careers.

Rivals.com ranks Coleman, a state champion at Oscar Smith High School in Chesapeake, Va., the No. 4 all-purpose back in the nation. He rushed for 1,488 yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior. At 5-foot-7, 169 pounds, Coleman isn’t a typical Hokies running back, but he figures to challenge for playing time in the fall.

Alford, a member of the 2011 recruiting class, deferred his enrollment to this semester. He projects as a defensive end, but still needs to add weight to see significant playing time down the line.

Manning, possibly the most sought-after recruit the Hokies landed in the class of 2012, is a 4-star cornerback from Miami, FL. With other offers from Alabama, LSU, Florida State and others, Manning will join secondary coach Torian Gray’s unit that has consistently risen to the occasion.

(more…)

By Matt Jones, sports editor

With football season basically over (the last major date is National Signing Day on Feb 1), fans should turn their attention to Virginia Tech’s other sports programs.

The men’s basketball team is still looking for their first win in conference play, a victory that will be hard to come by in the immediate future. The Hokies host North Carolina Thursday night before traveling to Charlottesville Sunday to take on the Cavaliers. For Seth Greenberg’s young group, an upset win could jumpstart a team that ranks near the bottom of the country in most major stat categories.

Women’s basketball recently fell to No. 7 Duke 61-34. Alyssa Fenyn scored 11 points in the loss. 2-3 in conference play after dropping their last three, the Hokies face-off against North Carolina Thursday at 5 p.m. before the men’s game.

Devin Carter (133 pounds) recently became the first Hokies wrestler since 2002 to reach No. 1 in his weight class according to InterMat rankings. Only a sophomore, Carter hails from nearby Christiansburg High School.

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Photo by Daniel Lin, SPPS

By Nick Cafferky, News Editor

Even before tonight’s game, there was little doubt that Danny Coale’s name would be entrenched in the memories of every Hokies fan that has seen him play over the last four years.

But as all legends do, Coale was determined to put the finishing touch on his career with the catch of a lifetime to all but win the Sugar Bowl. He just came up short.

On third and five, Coale made what appeared to be a miraculous touchdown, and the initial ruling was that he had somehow pulled one last trick out of his sleeve. It was all just false hope though, as officials reviewed the play and overruled the call on the field.

The rulebook says that an official needs indisputable evidence to over turn a call — something that no one in the Tech locker room can agree with.

“I mean, I was standing right in front of him,” said David Wilson, running back. “I was probably the closest person to him on the catch and I saw it. I turned around and the referee said touchdown, and threw his hands up. They reviewed it and, for some reason, they changed it. I don’t think there was clear evidence to reverse the call.”

That was hardly the end of Wilson’s thoughts on the refereeing in tonight’s game, as he was also quick to point out several other controversial calls.

“The referees definitely played a big part in today’s game,” he said. “Earlier, they called a pass interference on Jayron Hosley and then they called one on me and said I was down — and then Danny Coale. I mean, it was over and over again.”

Coale finished the game with eight receptions for 117 yards. However, it was his one mistake — the botched punt-run option late in the fourth quarter that was stuck in his mind.

“I should have punted the ball when I ran it and Michigan was able to capitalize on it and I wanted another opportunity to make something happen for these guys,” he said. “We put together a nice little drive and sent it into overtime, but we just couldn’t finish it there in the end.”

Following the game and heartbreaking loss, fans were not any less appreciative of what Coale has done for them. As Coale walked off the field for the final time in a Hokies uniform, it was to the sound of fans chanting his name.

“Those fans have been so special to me and this program. For them to come down here and cheer us on,, they’re definitely the best fans in college football and to be associated with those guys makes me so proud.”

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By  Matt Jones and Zach Mariner, sports staff

Despite a good amount of criticism for even being in this game, the Virginia Tech Hokies and Michigan Wolverines put on quite a show in the 78th annual Allstate Sugar Bowl, as Big Blue won an overtime thriller, 23-20.

“I’m really proud of our football team,” said Frank Beamer, Tech head coach. “I thought we battled back, great heart. It’s tough when you give Michigan the ball on the fumble kickoff return, an interception, go for it (and fail to convert).”

The Hokies jumped out to an early 6-0 lead behind two Justin Myer field goals, but had an opportunity on both drives to score touchdowns, but eventually had to settle for three points.

On the team’s third drive of the game, they had a 4th and 1 from the Michigan 4-yard line, and Logan Thomas came up short on a quarterback sneak. The Wolverines stole the momentum after that, scoring 10 points in the final seven minutes of the half to take a 10-6 lead into the locker room.

Denard Robinson hooked up with wide receiver Junior Hemingway for the second time early in the third quarter to extend the Michigan lead to 17-6, but Tech battled back.

Myer hit his third field goal of the day late in the third, then Thomas snuck it in from a yard out before hitting Marcus Davis with the two-point conversion to tie the game at 17 with 10 minutes remaining in the game.

After forcing a three-and-out, the Hokies were faced with another 4th and 1 from their on 48-yard line. Wide receiver/punter Danny Coale appeared to set up for a rugby-style punt/potential fake before being tackled well behind the line of scrimmage.

The Wolverines then answered with a field goal with 3:54 remaining to take a 20-17 lead. The Hokies would drive down the field on the ensuing drive and tie the game at 20 with two seconds left.

In overtime, the Hokies appeared to have scored a touchdown when Thomas hooked up with Coale from 20 yards out, but upon further review, it was determined that Coale did not have complete possession of the football as he went out of bounds. Tech had to settle for Myer’s fifth field goal attempt of the day — it was also his first miss of the day.

Michigan responded with a 37-yard field goal from Brendan Gibbons to win their first BCS game in 12 seasons.

“A couple of close calls, probably the difference in the ballgame,” Beamer said, “And so I’m proud of our football team and the effort and how they hung in there and battled when things didn’t look great.”

Hokies shut down Robinson

Tech’s biggest goal coming into this game was to slow down arguably the best dual-threat quarterback in the nation, and they had a good amount of success doing so.

“I thought our defense did a great job of containing Robinson,” Beamer said.

Robinson finished just nine of 21 passing for 117 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, to go along with just 13 yards rushing on 13 carries.

On both of his touchdown passes, he got a lot of help from wide receiver Junior Hemingway, who made outstanding plays out of his only two catches.

“I think our goal coming to the game was contain Robinson on that run and pass,” said cornerback Kyle Fuller. “And I felt throughout the game that we did that.

“A couple of times he used his athleticism to get out of the pocket and make some good throws down field. But other than that, I liked the way all our guys played together.”

Robinson finished with just 130 yards of total offense, almost 150 shy of his average coming in.

Failure to convert comes back to bite Tech; penalties in critical situations also hurt Hokies

Looking back on this matchup, what stands out for the Hokies is their failure to capitalize on opportunities.

On 4th and one from the Michigan four-yard line halfway through the second quarter, Tech was already up 6-0 when it elected to go for the first down via a QB sneak from Thomas.

Thomas came up short, and the Wolverines answered with an 11-play, 96-yard touchdown drive.

“I heard a stat, something like they’re seventh (in the nation) in red zone defense,” Thomas said. “So you’ve gotta give them credit in that aspect. They did a great job defending us. We just couldn’t pick up the short yardage when we needed to.”

That play, coupled with having to settle for field goals are their first two drives – great drives that stalled deep in Michigan territory – ended up coming back to bite the Hokies in the end.

Another thing that hurt Tech throughout the game was committing penalties during important plays.

A roughing the kicker penalty on James Hopper gave the Wolverines new life during their first touchdown drive, a pass interference on Jayron Hosley negated an interception, and a false start on Greg Nosal took the team from a 3rd and two on the eight-yard line late in the game to a 3rd and seven on the 13, forcing the Hokies to settle for a field goal.

Myer steps up for Hokies

He won’t remember the kicks he made, but Justin Myer performed far better than anyone could have imagined.

The senior kickoff specialist was thrust into the placekicker spot following the arrest and suspension of Cody Journell.

“I told him he did a heck of a job,” Beamer said. “He said he didn’t quite get through that last one. But he did a nice job for us. And I liked to have seen him make the last one.”

That miss, a 37-yarder in overtime, will be his lasting memory of the game. It followed the controversial Danny Coale touchdown that was overturned.

“And it’s so close,” Beamer said. “Danny’s play is so close, and it seemed like there was just quite a few of those there tonight, so close but just didn’t quite have it go our way.”

By Nick Cafferky, News Editor

With kickoff just a few short hours away the term “X-factor” has become a huge buzzword of every analysts vocabulary.

Just about every aspect of the game has been dissected as to why it will be the reason one team wins over another.

But out of all of them being thrown around, the experience factor could be the most intriguing.

When talking Michigan football, the word “inexperienced” is seldomly used. After all, we are talking about the same team that has 11 national championships and is one of the most distinguished programs in the history of college football.

However, that history means nothing, and the inexperienced label is a perfect fit for this Wolverine team. And that inexperience starts at the top.

First-year coach Brady Hoke has yet to be on this kind of stage before, as his previous jobs at Ball State and San Diego State never put him in games that had this kind of magnitude.

In comparison, this is the Hokies sixth BCS bowl game with Frank Beamer since the system started in 1998.

Hoke isn’t denying the gap in experience between himself and Beamer, but he was quick to point out that his staff isn’t exactly a collection of neophytes.

“We are a pretty seasoned staff,” Hoke said, “when you look at us from guys who have coached in a lot of Bowl games, a lot of different teams. So we always have great input on preparation and are we doing enough or are we not doing enough and those kind of things.

“But I would think that there’s something to having those years of experience and the quality of coach that Coach Beamer is.”

Hoke isn’t the only one that is stepping into new territory for Michigan though, as his team hasn’t seen lights quite this bright either. Michigan’s last BCS bowl was the Rose Bowl in 2007, which means that no one on this roster has played in a big bowl game.

In fact, last year’s loss in the Gator Bowl was the only bowl experience for these players because they failed to win the six games needed to qualify for bowl season in 2009 and 2010.

On the flip side, the seniors at Virginia Tech are playing in their third BCS Bowl of their careers and have been in bowl games all four seasons.

Unfortunately for Beamers squad, experience is only one of dozens of factors. Sometimes it is a huge advantage, sometimes it isn’t. The Hokies had that same advantage in the 2008 Orange Bowl, but still went home with a loss to Kansas. Then again, experience was a huge advantage the next year when Tech beat Cincinnati to claim its first-ever victory in a BCS bowl.

“We’ve had some great wins and we’ve done a great job getting (into BCS bowl games),” Beamer said. “But now we need to take that next step and get our share of the BCS wins. And that’s, I think, the challenge to Virginia Tech and to the ACC right now is that not only get here, but get a win.  And that’s what we’re going to try like heck to do.”

No one will know how much — if at all — experience will matter in this year’s Sugar Bowl. But if the Hokies are lucky, they could be playing the proverbial deer in the headlights.

Follow Nick on Twitter at @NickCaffCT