SB Nation - Virginia Cavaliers

The NFL Draft says, "ACC > Big 10!"

BirdGT — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 17:00:17 -0000

A lot of the Big 10 talking heads have flooded our humble abode since the Orange Bowl announcement. They have denounced, degraded, and mocked the ACC's defensive state of affairs. One thing they fail to bring is facts. I like facts. I like facts that are numbers. Here are two numbers for Big 10 fans: 19 and 3. The ACC has had 19 defensive players taken in the first round of the NFL Draft since full expansion in the 2005 season. The Big 10 has had 11. The ACC has had 3 Pro Bowlers emerge from those 19 1st rounders (Beason, Mario, and Cromartie). The Big 10 has had 0. Those are some interesting facts for Big 10 fans to mull over. Here are 5 more interesting facts about ACC/Big 10 defensive players taken in the 2006-2009 NFL Drafts:

5. Georgia Tech has had 6 defensive draft picks since 2006. That's more than Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, and Wisconsin.

4. Duke hasn't had a player taken in the NFL Draft since 2005.

3. The Big 10's highest Draft Pick since 2006 was A.J. Hawk, the fifth overall pick. He was four picks after Mario Williams.

2. All four Drafts saw more ACC defensive players taken than Big 10 players.

1. The ACC has had 81 defensive players drafted since the 2006 NFL Draft, which is 6.75 players drafted per team. The Big 10 has only had 62, which is 5.63.

Really when you factor Ohio State and Penn State out of the Big 10, there's not much talent going to the NFL. It's the definition of a blue collar conference. Good defensive coaching is what keeps them afloat in major out of conference match ups. I kinda believe they play the isolationism game and simply avoid major OOC games until bowl season. The ACC and Big 10 have met only 9 times since full expansion. The ACC holds a 6-3 edge over the Big 10 in that time span.

What do you think about the Big 10 talent level? Do you think the Big 10 hides behind their conference schedule? Let me know your thoughts.

BC Set To Open 2010 Season Against ...

Brian @ BCI — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:54:50 -0000

More photos » by Andy Carpenean - AP

3 months ago: Wyoming free safety Chris Pprosinski (24) makes an open field tackle on Weber State wide receiver Joe Collins during the second half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009 in Laramie, Wyo. (AP Photo/Laramie Boomerang, Andy Carpenean)

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... Weber State?

Like I said, I don't fault the Athletics Department for going the I-AA route, but could we have found a I-AA school a little closer than Utah? (Yes, Weber State is located in Utah. And yes, I had to look this up. I'm just not up on my Big Sky geography like I used to be.) Weber State reportedly reached out to the Athletics Department and was happy scheduling the one-off game.

The Weber State Wildcats are an FCS team from the Big Sky Conference. This past season, the Wildcats went 7-5 and lost to William & Mary 38-0 in the FCS playoffs. Weber State played Division I-A opponents Wyoming and Colorado State this year, losing both in close games.

The 2010 non-conference schedule appears to be finalized now. BC gets Weber State (Sept. 4), Kent State (Sept. 11) and Notre Dame (Oct. 2) at home, and travels to Syracuse on Thanksgiving weekend (likely Nov. 27). The Eagles' ACC schedule includes Virginia Tech, Clemson, Maryland and Virginia at home, and Wake Forest, Florida State, NC State and Duke on the road.

It appears that Jeff's dream of a Boston College-UConn football game will have to wait at least another decade or so.

Thursday Night Dawg Bites: Charlie Strong Moves On, a Congressman Makes Georgia Proud, and Clay Travis Breaks a Table (Metaphorically)

T Kyle King — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 03:54:39 -0000

You all know where my focus has been this week, but there has been much afoot elsewhere in the blogosphere and I wanted to direct your attention to the best of it in case you might have missed some of the more noteworthy nuggets. For your edification, these are they:

". . . And to the zoo with Georgia Tech?" I hate it that the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are going to ~~a good~~ any bowl game, but at least they’re facing the Iowa Hawkeyes, which means they’re being subjected to the righteous and hilarious wrath of the guys who started an Iowa weblog because they thought what Orson Swindle’s sense of humor lacked was a sufficient appreciation for the sublimely profane and hysterically absurd. Take it away, Black Heart Gold Pants!

There’s a joke from the movie "Airplane" about how Louisville likes its coffee to be made here, but I’m not going to make it. Stop me if you’ve heard this one, but Charlie Strong is the new head coach of the Louisville Cardinals. Speaking as someone whose alma mater’s offense has spent the last decade or so being stymied by the defenses fielded by Coach Strong at one SEC East rival or another, I can say this day is long overdue, and say so both selfishly and appreciatively. U. of L. got itself a quality head coach, and, while we have to think the Florida Gators (who lost a step after losing their offensive coordinator to the Mississippi St. Bulldogs, and who likely will lose another after losing their defensive coordinator and Tim Tebow in one fell swoop) are due to fall back to the pack a bit in 2010, I don’t like the fact that both we and they are looking to hire defensive coordinators at the same time.

Kid Rock plans to steal this headline for his next album. Speaking of new head coaching hires, the SB Nation headline of the week clearly was the one atop Gobbler Country’s report on the hiring of Mike London by the Virginia Cavaliers. You just don’t get enough Warren Zevon references anymore. By the way, if I ever come up to the plate for an at-bat in Turner Field, I will have them play "Lawyers, Guns, and Money" over the PA system. The foregoing sentence contains the single most useless piece of information I have ever shared with you, and that is saying something.

Where Lane Kiffin blows smoke, there’s fire. Don’t get me wrong; Clay Travis is a friend of mine, at least according to Facebook. However, when he undertook to demonstrate the ephemeral nature of the allegations against the Tennessee Volunteers in a detailed twelve-point exegesis, it seemed to me---and also, apparently, to C&F---that he protested too much. (Also, the headline was a bit sophomoric. If you’re going to go suggestive, why not go with "NCAA Suggests Term ‘Hostesses’ Ends With Six Superfluous Letters"?) Clay is a graduate of Vanderbilt’s law school, so he is familiar with this axiom: "When the law is against you, argue the facts; when the facts are against you, argue the law; when both are against you, pound the table." We are now taking donations to buy Clay Travis a new table, because he just reduced his old one to kindling.

Giving a player I root for an award named for a guy who coached at Auburn, Clemson, and Georgia Tech is like giving David Frum an award bestowed by Iran, Iraq, and North Korea. Who should win the Heisman? The better question is, "Why should you care?" The answer is: "You shouldn’t." This has been a public service announcement.

Here’s a hint: the best candidate was once the victim of an inadvertent ethnic slur from the mouth of Jill Arrington, back in the pre-Erin Andrews days when Jill Arrington was the hottest thing stalking (or being stalked on) a sideline. If you haven’t yet voted for David Pollack as the defensive lineman of the decade, do so right now. If you want to bring along a few recently deceased citizens from Telfair County in alphabetical order, more power to you.

I have a hard time believing Aaron Murray wouldn’t have done at least as well. I was impressed with this at first, but then I realized that there’s nothing worthwhile about being third in any category in which Jonathan Crompton ranks fourth.

As a believer in limited government, I once supported the election of a horse to the legislature, secure in the knowledge that he would vote "nay" on everything. I have abandoned politics (except as it relates to football, of course), so, in the spirit of bipartisanship that can only arise from the ambivalence of a former political science major who now recognizes that there is a reason why the Sugar Bowl happens four times more frequently than the Iowa caucuses, I am pleased to add a second name to the list of Georgia Congressmen whom I endorse. (Oddly enough, this happens at the same time that objective journalists are endorsing my candidacy for the U.S. Senate, an office I am not seeking.) You already knew that Representative Jack Kingston (R.-Ga.) was a great American; now you know that Representative John Barrow (D.-Ga.) is one, too. As their distinguished colleague, Representative Corrine Brown (D.-Fla.), would have put it, Congressmen Barrows and Kingstey are superb to all other legislator.

Why they didn’t wait on the bloggers’ ballots before computing the final BCS standings, I have no idea. The final regular-season BlogPoll has been posted and the Alabama Crimson Tide squeaked by with 77 of 78 first-place votes to become the nation’s new No. 1 team. I received some gentle chiding in the "Wack Ballot Watchdog" rundown and was the runner-up for the designation "Mr. Bold," which went to the one guy who voted for the Texas Longhorns in the top spot.

In closing, I would like to recount a conversation had between two friends of mine as we walked to Sanford Stadium for the 1997 Georgia-Auburn game. It was not the coldest Georgia-Auburn game I have ever attended---1995 still takes the top spot in that competition---but it was plenty cold and one of the fellows had been drinking heavily. The one who had been drinking heavily said he was warmer because he’d been drinking heavily. The one who hadn’t been drinking said, "Actually, alcohol doesn’t make you warmer, it just makes you feel warmer." The one who had been drinking heavily gave the one who hadn’t been drinking a hard time over that statement, and he has continued to do so in the twelve years since, but I believe it applies here as well; viz., this posting may not have made you more well-informed, but it should have made you feel more well-informed. In a season of looking at the glass as half-empty, that ought to suffice.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Wahoooooooo... I'm Wary of London

furrer4heisman — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 06:17:22 -0000

More photos » by Joe Mahoney - AP

3 months ago: This Aug. 10, 2009, photo shows University of Richmond head football coach Mike London gesturing at practice with his defending National Champion Richmond Spiders football team, in Richmond, Va. (AP Photo/ Richmond Times-Dispatch, Joe Mahoney)This Aug. 10, 2009, f

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It looks like the Hoos are going to announce Mike London as their next head coach. Unfortunately for the Hokies, I think UVa has found the right man for the job.

London is the kind of young, energetic coach with local ties who can compete with Tech's coaches for the Commonwealth's top talent. He was UVa's recruiting coordinator for three years and its defensive coordinator for two before going to Richmond and winning the NCAA Division 1 national title in his first year with the Spiders.

Winning in the FCS doesn't guarantee success in FBS, but there are plenty of coaches who have made the jump and had success like Jim Tressel and Paul Johnson. Whether London follows in their footsteps remains to be seen, but I know this for certain: The rivalry is a rivalry again.

The Coaching Carousel's Effect on BC 2010

Brian @ BCI — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:25:27 -0000

More photos » by Richard Shiro - AP

Virginia's Al Groh is one of three coaches who won't be roaming the sidelines against the Eagles next season. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro)

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Brian: We aren’t three full days past the end of the regular season in college football and the axe has already been dropped on three of Boston College’s 2010 opponents’ head coaches.

Meanwhile, down in College Park, Ralph Friedgen’s future remains uncertain. Looking at the 2010 schedule, here is the Eagles’ list of opponents, their head coaches, and their current tenure at their school:

Opponent	Head Coach	Years	W	L	T	Pct.
Notre Dame	TBD	0	0	0	0	.000
VIRGINIA	TBD	0	0	0	0	.000
@ FLORIDA STATE	Jimbo Fisher	0	0	0	0	.000
@ Syracuse	Doug Marrone	1	4	7	0	.364
CLEMSON	Dabo Swinney	2	12	7	0	.632
@ DUKE	David Cutcliffe	2	9	15	0	.375
@ NC STATE	Tom O'Brien	3	16	21	0	.432
Hofstra	Dave Cohen	4	18	27	0	.400
Kent State	Doug Martin	6	24	46	0	.343
MARYLAND	Ralph Friedgen	9	66	46	0	.589
@ WAKE FOREST	Jim Grobe	9	59	51	0	.536
VIRGINIA TECH	Frank Beamer	17	185	92	2	.663

With over half of BC’s opponents having coaching staffs with less than 3 years of experience at the program, this has to be a positive for the Eagles going into next season, no?

Jeff: I would have to agree with you that this is a positive for BC, at least as it pertains to our in conference games. Let's say Maryland decides to make a coaching change as well. Then the Eagles will play 3 conference games against new coaches plus Notre Dame. I will expect victories in all three of those games with the Virginia and Maryland home games certainly being the most winnable conference games of next season. The Notre Dame game I am a little less confident about though because won't their new coach come in and win 9 or 10 games and take them to a BCS game which will then get him a contract extension?

Brian: Perhaps. But Notre Dame likely will have to get to 9 or 10 wins without the services of Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate, who both might jump to the NFL draft. In addition, the Notre Dame defense has been terrible this year. I'm not sure how they turn around their defensive unit. Finally, the schedule is much less forgiving next year than it was this year.

Regardless, looking at these programs and the tenure of the head coaches at those schools, you have to be pleased with how the schedule is shaping up. Consider that the coaches at Hofstra and Kent State will be two of the more tenured coaching staffs on the Eagles 2010 schedule.

Jeff: This is the first time we've really talked about next year's schedule and the ACC slate looks awesome. Since we learned this year the importance of BC's home field advantage, having Clemson and Virginia Tech come to the Heights next year looks to be a huge advantage. In addition, Florida State is the only road game we'll have against a team that is bowl eligible this season. Despite Duke improving this year, they are still Duke and Thaddeus Lewis played his last game Saturday. Without Riley Skinner, traveling to Wake Forest does not appear to be a very high hurdle either.

Brian: The trip to Winston-Salem always seems to give the Eagles fits. Tom O'Brien should also have the Wolfpack improved from this year. And sleeping on Duke is a dangerous proposition (just ask Virginia, Maryland and NC State). That being said, three trips to the Research Triangle, a road trip down I-90 to play Syracuse and a trip to Tallahassee to play first year coach Jimbo Fisher seems like a much more manageable away schedule than this year's gauntlet that included trips to Death Valley, Lane Stadium and Notre Dame Stadium.

Unlike this year where the Eagles played nine bowl teams, BC will only face four bowl teams in 2010. Two (possible three?) of those teams will have new head coaches. Not exactly a murderer's row for next season. The turnover in the coaching staffs at Notre Dame, Virginia, Florida State and potentially Maryland all help make the schedule that much more manageable in 2010.

Virginia Tech 42, UVa 13: What They're Saying

furrer4heisman — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:00:20 -0000

by Don Petersen - AP

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What the mainstream media and blogosphere is saying after a very satisfying win over our rivals in Charlottesville.

National Media and Bloggers

Virginia Tech controls rivalry (Annette)
"The game went according to script, with Virginia hanging around early on Senior Day in Scott Stadium before the disparity between the two programs showed up in the second half. Virginia's defense couldn't stop Ryan Williams, who has played an outstanding rookie season and scored four rushing touchdowns for the second straight game. He should be a 2010 Heisman contender."

Hokie and Hoo Beat Writers

Tech takes UVa's best shot, then crushes rivals (Aaron McFarling)
"Every year, it seems, Tech-UVa week plays out the same. The days leading up to the game, the Cavaliers dominate the storylines. They're the ones with something to prove. Can they keep it close? Can they put it together for one day? Can they perhaps pull the upset? Then they play the game, and the answers spill forth in capital letters: NO. NO. NO."

Hokies sprint to finish against UVa (Randy King)
"Tech, which knocked itself out of the national picture with back-to-back losses to Georgia Tech and North Carolina in October, finished 4-0 in November with an average scoring differential of 24.25 points per game. Continuing to get better offensively, the Hokies rolled up 482 total yards against a fired-up UVa squad that was hoping to hand Al Groh a victory in what was likely his final game as Cavaliers' coach."

In perhaps Groh's final game, Va. Tech wins (Mark Viera)
"With losses by Clemson and North Carolina on Saturday, Virginia Tech is aligned for a trip to the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta on Dec. 31. An at-large Bowl Championship Series invitation seems unlikely."

U.Va.'s Dowling burned by Taylor-Coale connection (Kyle Tucker)
"But rival Virginia Tech picked on Dowling early and often Saturday. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor's first pass of the game went deep down the right sideline to Danny Coale, who had blown by Dowling. Even when the pass was short, Coale came back to it for a 41-yard, shoe-top catch. Taylor's next pass also went deep to Coale, who out-jumped Dowling for a 36-yard grab to set up the Hokies' first touchdown. By halftime, Dowling had been beaten on four passes that covered 131 yards. That wasn't necessarily an accident on Tech's part."

Six it is: Tech trounces rival Virginia (Gordon Block)
"For the second week in a row, Williams reached the end zone four times and became the second Tech player to score four touchdowns in back-to-back games. Lee Suggs accomplished the same feat by scoring five times against the University of Central Florida and then four times against UVa in 2000."

Ryan Williams...what more can you say? (Norm Wood)
"Though Williams won’t catch former Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson for the Football Bowl Subdivision single-season rushing record by a freshman, there’s a chance Williams could at least finish within shouting distance. Oh, by the way...just noticed this note in U.Va.'s postgame package. His four rushing touchdowns were the most by an opposing player against U.Va. since 1982, when Georgia Tech's Robert Lavette also scored four."

Coverage of Virginia Tech 42, Virginia 13 (Darryl Slater)
"And the Hokies’ defense was stingy again. Tech, which led 14-13 at halftime, held Virginia to 96 yards in the second half. The Hokies did it by shutting down Sewell, who ran 10 times for 99 yards in the first half, including seven for 91 in the first quarter, then seven times for 24 yards in the second half, not counting sacks. Tech allowed two offensive touchdowns in the regular season’s final four games, all wins."

Groh's final words with player comment (Michael Phillips)
"Make what you will of that, but it seems like Al Groh’s final words as U.Va. head coach. The poem refers to you being the only person who can effectively judge yourself at the end of the day, a message Groh sends out, I’m sure, to his many critics. At the end, he listed some of the attributes he wanted to be remembered by."

Cavaliers stung by boyhood UVa fan (Doug Doughy)
"Coale, whose older brother played lacrosse for the Cavaliers, continued to show UVa the error of its ways Saturday in a 42-13 Virginia Tech victory at Scott Stadium. Coale, who had a season-high five receptions in a 2008 meeting with the Cavaliers, finished with six catches for 135 yards Saturday."

There's only one word to describe Williams - great (Bill Roth)
"With no offense to the ageless Tony the Tiger, who’s been pitching the quality of Frosted Flakes for a half century ("They’re Grrrrreat," as you know), true greatness, in reality, should be hard to find. It should be uncommon and rare. So when you read that Virginia Tech’s Ryan Williams is having the greatest freshman season in the history of Virginia Tech football and the greatest freshman year in the history of the ACC, understand that in this instance, the word is used in its intended form."

Hokies control second half in pulling away from Virginia (Jimmy Robertson)
"The momentum totally went the Hokies’ way following a UVa turnover. Sewell tried to pitch the ball to tailback Mikell Simpson on the option, but the pitch hit Simpson in the facemask and fell to the ground at the UVa 25, where Tech safety Kam Chancellor picked it up and ran to the UVa 10."

Hokie and Hoo Bloggers

The Guy in the Glass and the Best of #BeatUVa (College Game Balls)
"And now for something more fun, the best of #BeatUVa (in no particular order)."

Hokies Whip UVA, Await Bowl Fate (Tech Sideline)
"Virginia got off to a hot start offensively, running the read option with quarterback Jameel Sewell. Sewell finished with 104 yards and a touchdown on the ground, but Hokie defensive coordinator Bud Foster made adjustments at halftime and the Hokies shutout the Hoos in the second half. UVA finished with 295 yards of total offense."

CHECKMATE (Beer Control Offense)
"Sometimes, you just gotta stick your face in the fan."

I Smell Pretention: Hokies WIN 42-13 (Fight for Old DC)
"As for the game, there's not a ton to say. It was an awesome second half effort by both lines, and you have to give credit to Bryan Stinespring. He called a VERY good game. Tyrod wasn't super accurate, but his receivers came up with some amazing catches and made him look great at points."

Requiem for an era: Let It Go In Peace (From Old Virginia)
"Yes, it's still happening, the criticism and the name-calling and the good-riddance-ing, and yes, it's pissing the rest of us off and that's all it's accomplishing. So help me, if I see another good-riddance style post on any UVA message board the rest of the year, I'm gonna go off on someone. You got what you wanted - Groh is fired. You also got a 3-9 season to go with it, which has been just all sorts of fun, but hey, you got what you wanted."

The Hokies Won't Have Al Groh to Kick Around Anymore

furrer4heisman — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 22:28:29 -0000

More photos » by Steve Helber - AP

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Al Groh is officially out as UVa's football coach. Groh finishes his tenure in Charlottesville with a 1-8 record against Virginia Tech, including Saturday's 42-13 loss at home. He was the punchline to many one-liners from Hokie fans, he was the embodiment of the stereotypical Wahoo that Hokie fans hate and he was one of the primary reasons the Hokies owned the Commonwealth for the last decade.

It didn't used to be this way. In 2003, the Wahoos were the superior team with superior talent when they beat Virginia Tech 35-21. It was the culmination of a three year stretch with offensive coordinator and primary recruiter Ron Prince where the Wahoos were matching and beating the Hokies for the state's top talent.

However, Prince left for Kansas State after the 2005 season and after that Virginia Tech began to distance themselves from UVa in terms of talent by getting the best players the Commonwealth had to offer.

As the losses piled up, Groh's surly and secretive demeanor became tiresome to those who covered the team. It culminated in 2007 when the last remnants from the Prince recruiting classes looked like they had to ability to match the Hokies, but lost 33-21 in a defacto ACC Coastal title game.

Where the Wahoos go from here is a mystery to me. Will they go after a hot young head coach or coordinator like Charlie Strong? Or will they make the same mistake they made with Groh and go for a more veteran coach with UVa ties like Jim Grobe? Obviously, I would prefer they went with the latter. As I told Brendan last week, Grobe can't beat Virginia Tech either.

Whoever UVa hires, it will be of interest to Hokie fans because it will have an effect on recruiting in the area. There's always an initial morale boost when a new coach is hired and with Butch Davis at North Carolina already trying to dip into the 757 area, the Hokies will have to hit the recruiting trail extra hard this winter.

Virginia Tech 42, UVa 13: Postgame Stream of Consciousness

furrer4heisman — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 00:03:38 -0000

More photos » by Don Petersen - AP

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10 out of 11.

The Hokies have now won six consecutive battles for the Commonwealth Cup.
Offense first.
Tyrod took advantage of man coverage early in the game with long passes to Danny Coale and Dyrell Roberts. Coale was playing in Charlottesville against his childhood team and pwned them.
Tyrod threw a bad pass in the 3rd quarter that was intercepted. Fortunately, the defense came through to make it a moot point.
Ryan Williams had 60 rushing yards in the first half, but Bryan Stinespring went away from him in the third quarter. It seemed like Stiney was saving him to try and wear down the UVa defense in the fourth quarter. That worked out nicely.
I was actually very pleased with how the offense attacked UVa. In the first half, I thought the mix between runs with Williams and passes against man coverage were perfect. In the second half, Stiney got away with going away with RW to save him. The 4th quarter was all VT.
The offensive line was incredible in this game. It gave Tyrod time to pass and opened up huge holes for RW and company.
The defense.
It got owned in the first half by Jameel Sewell but came up with some great answers in the second half.
Bud Foster did a great job of disguising his blitzes and coverages and matching them to the down and distance. Tech blitzed up the middle on short yardage when UVa typically ran with Sewell and stopped him. Then, the coverage/blitzes were perfect on passing downs to minimize Sewell's effectiveness.
It became clear early on that UVa's only chance was to run the ball out of zone-read option and the wildcat. The pass game was clearly not a factor. Tech took advantage of this after halftime.
Great efforts by Cody Grimm, Kam Chancellor, Stephan Virgil, Ryan Williams and Danny Coale. After a tough first half with penalties, the offensive line brought the pain in the second half.
Another huge big time win over the Wahoos to be proud of. Go celebrate, Hokie fans. Don't worry about the bowl. It'll be either the Peach or Gator depending on the ACCCG. Now is the time to be merry.

Bourbon Shots: Hate Edition

furrer4heisman — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:00:13 -0000

This isn't the prettiest of rivalries. The games are ugly, the teams play ugly, even the team's colors are ugly. The Commonwealth Cup is a game only Hokies and Hoos appreciate. It rarely means much beyond bragging rights for more than one team with the exception of the 2007 contest. But while this game carries little significance outside the Old Dominion, it carries a lot of significance for the Hokies and Hoos.

There's a huge culture clash between the two schools and to me, UVa embodies a lot of qualities I just loathe. To outsiders, the only difference may appear to be which color the fans prefer to wear with their orange. But those who know this rivalry intimately know there's a deep unyielding hate between the two schools that is on par with some of the more mainstream rivalries in college football.

This week brings out the worst in me. Let's see what it brought out from the media and bloggers. We'll also check in on GT-UGa, NC State-UNC, The Civil War and others. Links after the jump.

Hokie and Hoo Beat Writers

Beamer wary of Cavaliers (Randy King)
"The oddsmakers have established Virginia Tech as a hefty 13-point road favorite over Virginia in Saturday's regular-season finale. That said, don't even mention the betting spread to Frank Beamer. Frankly, Tech's football coach doesn't want to hear it."

Cavaliers need a new surprise in old rivalry (Aaron McFarling)
"And even though the result seemed familiar -- a fifth straight victory for Tech in the series, 17-14 -- the teams treated us to three hours of drama and storylines, thanks in large part to the Vic Hall moment. The Hokies remember it well, and they're bracing for a similar surprise this weekend."

A rivalry that's in the blood (Mark Viera)
"In-state rivalries like the one between Virginia Tech and Virginia start at a young age. These videos illustrate that, so check them out if you feel like wasting a little time."

The day Percy Harvin ended Ryan Williams’ track career (Nathan "Tommie Frazier" Warters)
"Williams ran in the prelims for the 100-meter dash, and he got smoked by Harvin, who went on to star in football at Florida and is now catching touchdown passes from Brett Favre as a Minnesota Vikings rookie. Harvin paced the field in the prelims with a 10.8. Williams ran an 11.43, which was good for 25th. Harvin later won the finals in 10.69 seconds. Williams didn’t care too much for his running that day, but at least he got to meet Taylor."

The next step in Tyrod Taylor’s development (Darryl Slater)
"Taylor’s less-obvious benchmarks of improvement, though, matter even more to Tech’s coaches. It is harder to see, from numbers alone, perhaps the greatest sign of their increased trust in him: their recent willingness to let him, and not his offensive coordinator, pick a play at the line of scrimmage based on what he sees in the defense’s formation."

Capturing the Commonwealth (Kyle Tucker)
"In the spirit of Rivalry Week, I’d like to quote a noted scholar, who once said of Virginia-Virginia Tech: "It’s like the rivalry between the hammer and the nail." That was Pilot columnist Bob Molinaro, (in)famous for his salty one-liners that often ring uncomfortably true. Sorry, Virginia folks, but the Cavaliers have been distinctly nail-like of late."

Special teams failures haunt the Cavaliers (Doug Doughty)
"Almost every momentum-changing special-teams play has been offset by a snafu by one of the units. Saturday, Chase Minnifield set up U.Va.'s first touchdown at Clemson with a 34-yard kickoff return. He fumbled on two later kickoff returns, one resulting in the Cavaliers taking possession at their 8-yard line."

Hokie and Hoo Bloggers

One-on-One With: Bud Foster (Part 3) (ACC Sports Journal)
"As a coach, you wear a lot of different hats, and a big one is dealing with your kids on a day-to-day basis. The bottom line for us and a big part of our success is that the kids know that we really do care about them. It’s not just, what can you do for me on Saturdays?"

Why I hate UVA: The Redux (The North End Zone)
"I've had and have heard of many bad experiences from people who visited or know UVA students and alums, and there are very few of them who weren't complete knobs. I hate the Yankees, but alas, I am still good friends with a couple of diehard (and actual, not bandwagon frontrunning Yankee fans) and we can have a civil discussion about the merits of both of our teams. This has never been the case in all of my experiences with UVA fans. They are all stuck-up and insecure twats."

Rivalry Reek (Beer Control Offense)
"I loathe groh, his face, his voice, his attire, his convoluted coach speak that only Stiney can understand, his sea of orange, his coattails super bowl ring, really ... I could go on for a bit. I will say 1 thing positive about him, his team NEVER quit. Even in avg to below avg years, they play hard annually .... just not well."

Game preview: Virginia Poly (From Old Virginia)
"Stuff Ryan Williams. There's a near-perfect correlation between holding him under 101 yards and Tech losing the game. Duke is the only exception. Williams is the key; Tyrod Taylor scares nobody."

Atlantic Coast Conference

If he gets the chance, Johnson will bring the hammer down on the Dawgs (Mr. College Football)
"State rivalries like Georgia and Georgia Tech are always big recruiting games. Saturday night’s game at Bobby Dodd Stadium will be no different. But in his second year at Georgia Tech, Johnson has infused the football program with confidence at a time where Georgia’s confidence is at a pretty low ebb. There is all kind of positive energy at Georgia Tech. I haven’t seen this much negative energy at Georgia since Jim Donnan’s last year (2000) as head coach. College Football 101 says that when you have your rival in a weakened position, you put your foot on the gas. If Johnson can lay a pretty good number on Georgia, he will. Georgia has enough athletic ability to make this game competitive. But I wonder if they have the heart to fight back. I really do."

The ACCSports.com Podcast (ACC Sports Journal)
"The dulcet tones of Barry Manilow open up this week’s conversation, as a tribute to Clemson finally "making it" by reaching the ACC Atlantic Division title game. But is that enough for Clemson fan? Joe and Jim also talk about the sparse crowd that showed up for Mickey Andrews’ final home game at FSU and what that means for Bobby Bowden. They then segue into "rivalry week," which really isn’t all it’s cracked up to be this year."

Tuesday Mornin' Hatin' on uga with Winfield & Dane (From The Rumble Seat)
"Dane: Beating georgia means nothing, but losing to them means everything. Mutt fans like beating Tech way more than we like beating them. I know that sounds crazy - but that's really all they had, and now it's gone. I heard "seven" more times last season than any other word, and every georgia fan I met made it a point to tell me that they owned us. No, you owned Chan Gailey. And now he's gone."

Another relic from the Bowden era: The QB succession plan (Tomahawk Nation)
"A sometimes forgotten aspect of the dynasty was Bowden's embrace of a quarterback succession plan. Bowden began to set up a recruiting structure by which he spaced quarterbacks two years apart, with redshirts factored in, so that a quarterback became a starter as a redshirt junior. New "elite" quarterbacks were recruited when the incumbent was a redshirt senior."

Road Trippin' Through The Motions (Backing The Pack)
"The game aside, we had a good time in Blacksburg, and it's a road trip you should make in the future if you have the opportunity. For an on-campus facility, the parking is surprisingly ample, and there's plenty of space for visitors who don't have a parking pass, which was a relief for us. Tech fans were very nice, though I suspect that was primarily because they all knew this game was a gimme."

How Will Bible's Diagnosis Impact State's Performance? (Yet Another...)
"Yesterday's news that offensive coordinator Dana Bible has been diagnosed with acute myelocytic leukemia caught all but Bible's closest confidants off guard. We knew he'd missed the trip to Virginia Tech for health reasons, but those reasons were unclear to nearly everyone until yesterday's press conference when Tom O'Brien shared the news."

Division Champ Dab-O-Meter (Block-C)
"Dabo is endearing himself to the Clemson faithful more and more each day, but his status on the Dab-O-Meter can only change incrementally now that he’s so close to Danny. He’ll have to be happy with the baby steps until I devise a new representational chart of Dab-O-Metrics. I’m way too busy trying to create the interactive Dab-O-Meter shirt. It’s like Shirt 2.0, you guys!"

Easily The Stupidest Thing You Will Read Today (Tar Heel Fan)
"What you are about to read is called stirring the pot and Josh Hailey at WRAL Fankind(no link for obvious reasons) basically shovels a bunch of manure onto the page then watches as the kids come along and play in it. It is traffic bait which Hailey readily admits up front with the classic "I know people are going to hate me for this" disclaimer which really means "I know people are going to hate me and that is exactly why I am writing it." Anyway, something like this requires a piece by piece dismantling and I feel obligated to provide it."

National College Football

Paying it forward, making a difference (George Schroeder)
"You may have heard the story of Angel Wilson, the 13-year-old Oklahoma girl with severe brain damage and cerebral palsy who somehow loves Oregon football. Or the colors. Or the Duck mascot. No one’s exactly sure what it is, but Angel lights up when the Ducks are on TV. When Ryan Wolfe heard her story, he did something about it. The result is a neat, heartwarming example of kindness, of giving without looking for anything in return."

Corn Blight Has Left The Building..... (Corn Nation)
"The one other area in which we need to improve is credibility. That's the biggest reason for the name change. Husker Mike and Jlew don't have the same problem as me. Their monikers are at least a close proximity to their real names. Me, well, let's just say "corn blight" is a long way from "Jon Johnston" and while it wouldn't take much to relate the two most people don't do it. They especially don't do it if they see it on a headline when scanning through Google News or any other web site. Bottom line - it's time for me to use my own name."

RCR Theatre: The Blind Side Review (Red Cup Rebellion)
"There's a few moments where I was fairly moved, not because of Oher's story, but because there is an unknown number of children, teenagers and adults who will never or never make it out of bad situations. There's a few lines in the movie that just makes you want to give money to poor people, and I don't even have much money to give."

The importance of Autzen Stadium going into the Civil War (Addicted To Quack)
"Going into the Civil War, I think that this home field advantage will be a huge factor. It's not getting a lot of attention yet, but it should. The Ducks are a better team at home. They play at a completely different level. And if the Ducks can come close to that level, I love their chances next week."

Autzen Stadium: Will it Make a Difference for Oregon State? (Building The Dam)
"More than anything, I think this proves that the Beavers aren't going to have another let down this year against the Ducks. But we didn't really need to look at statistics to see that-- I think we can agree that the vibe surrounding this team is better overall than it was a year ago. Everybody's healthy. The pressure is lower-- OSU hasn't had the "you control your own destiny" monkey on it's back the past month. The Beavers should be able to play loose."

NCAA10 Sim: Hokies 21, Cavaliers 17

Hokie20 — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:00:15 -0000

Virginia Tech played a conservative offensive game in the second half to avoid an upset from Virginia 21-17 in Charlottesville.

The Hokies' Tyrod Taylor found tight end Greg Boone often in the early quarters to propel Tech to an early 14-0 lead. Taylor continued his hot start with a touchdown strike to Jarrett Boykin with just under two minutes left in the half.

Things were looking good for Tech until Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell started to pick apart the Hokies' secondary in under a minute. In just three plays, Virginia was on the board with a 27 yard touchdown pass to Kris Burd.

Tech turned into a running team in the second half with limited success. Taylor threw one interception early in the third quarter leading to a Mikell Simpson 6 yard touchdown run to cap off a seven play drive to help the Hoos to pull within a touchdown. Tech's defense clamped down only allowing a field goal at the end of the third quarter.

The Hokies ran out the clock in the fourth quarter to squander any form of upset in head coach Al Groh's final game on the Virginia sideline.

VT 14 7 0 0 -21
UVA 0 7 10 0 -17

Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
VT:TD 3:43 R. Williams, 3 Yd run (M. Waldron Kick)
VT:TD 0:30 G. Boone, 31 Yd pass from T. Taylor (M. Waldron Kick)
2nd Quarter
VT:TD 1:53 J. Boykin, 7 Yd pass from T. Taylor (M. Waldron Kick)
UVA:TD 0:52 K. Burd, 27 Yd pass from J. Sewell (R. Randolph Kick)
3rd Quarter
UVA:TD 2:22 M. Simpson, 6 Yd run (R. Randolph Kick)
UVA:FG 0:03 R. Randolph, 20 Yd FG

Significant Stats
First downs VT: 11 UVA: 21
Total Offense VT:293 UVA: 444
Turnovers VT: 1 FUM UVA: 1 INT

Virginia Tech Top Player Stats
Passing: T. Taylor 12-20 for 176 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: R. Williams 22-for-83 yds, 1 TD
Receiving: G. Boone 5-for-115 yds, 1 TD
Defense: B. Rivers 8 TAK, 1 TFL, 1 SAK

Virginia Top Player Stats
Passing: J. Sewell 29-52 for 347 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: M. Simpson 15-for-65 yds, 1 TD
Receiving: J. Brown 7-for-119 yds
Defense: D. Childs 6 TAK, 1 TFL