I waited until today to write a prediction post because I definitely went on preseason speculation overload this year.  With a big game like Alabama to start the season, the media and fanboards have been in quite the flurry recently.  The game looked to be a solid match up, but then Darren Evans went down with an ACL injury.  Now, the media and Alabama fans have all but declared themselves victorious. 

“The Hokies don’t have a chance,” they say.  “Tyrod Taylor can’t throw and with Evans out, I don’t know how they’ll score!”

That’s all well and good.  I can’t say I agree, but the gumps will figure that out in due time.  The most faulty logic, that I will attempt to resolve, is that Alabama will roll over Virginia Tech just like they did Clemson last year.  Alabama held the Tigers to zero yards rushing and didn’t give up an offensive touchdown while racking up 419 yards themselves.  Since the big elephants kicked the poor overhyped ACC team in the mouth last year, certainly they can just do the same thing again eh?

Taking a line from Corso, “Not so fast my friend!” The first problem with your logic is that 2009 is not the same as 2008.  Alabama lost talent on both sides on the ball, but especially offensive blockers (losing three offensive linemen, and both starting tight ends).

The second logic problem is that Virginia Tech is not Clemson.  Clemson hasn’t won the ACC since 1991.  Clemson hasn’t beaten Virginia Tech since 1989 (but only 5 contests since then).  The most recent matchup was a blowout in 2007, when the Hokies were once again picked to lose.  In that game, Clemson was held to just 8 yards rushing with Davis and Spiller and the backfield.

The third problem is that this isn’t a math test.  I’d be surprised if either offense does much very consistently; offensive yards is not a statistic you will want to share with your next opponent.  Tyrod Taylor hasn’t had the best passing statistics in the past, but that does not mean he is incapable.  Taylor has an instinct for winning and that’s good enough for me in this game.

It’s amazing that no one in the media has noticed the similarities of 2009 Alabama to 2008 Clemson.  Over-hyped Clemson was crushed because of their inexperienced offensive line (well, and the fact that they roll over for any physical team) going against one of the best defenses in the country.  Alabama wasn’t given much of a chance by the media or Tiger fans.

I was going to refuse to pick a winner, because honestly, this game could fall either way based on opportunistic play from both sides.  However, seeing Bama fans continuously make predictions like 38-7 (which is even worse than they beat Clemson?) has emboldened me to say Virginia Tech 27 - Alabama 20.

I say Hokies come out with a chip on their shoulder and prove that they’ve arrived.

The Hokies decided to looked like a real team against Boston College.  The offense was firing on all cylinders, although we’re still not sure how many cylinders they have.  The defense was stifling, especially against the run.  The freshmen QB for Boston College definitely lacked confidence in the second half however.

Tyrod Taylor was named the Most Valuable Player of the Championship Game with two rushing touchdowns and some decent yardage passing.  His official game stats were:

11/19 for 84 yards passing, and one unfortunate interception
11 carries for 29 yards, with two “awe heck, I’ll do it myself” touchdowns

Notoriously missing from this game was the ‘Wild Turkey’ formation with Boone taking snaps.  I suspect this is because the BC defensive line dominated the Hokies O-line for the majority of the plays.  Although VT’s offensive playcalling is at time abysmal, I expect that 9/10 wild turkey plays would have resulted in a loss of yards.  But, it would have been fun to see Boone truck roll an All-American defensive line.

No Sean Glennon either…this was Tyrod Taylor all the way.  I didn’t swear at the TV nearly as much

Final Score: VT 30 - BC 12

Reflections on early season predictions…

I gave VT the best odds in the coastal to reach the championship game at 2:1.  After seeing the season, I would have made these odds a little bit less “sure of themselves.”  Clearly GT was better than many expected and will likely roll the poor bastards they match up against in their bowl game.

In the atlantic…well, what can you do?  I gave FSU the best odds, followed by Wake and Clem.  Alas, BC was fourth in my predictions; I thought the lack of a QB would have affected them more severely.  I clearly forgot that they win their games the way the Hokies do…defense, running, and playmakers (luck).

Well, I’ll leave you with an unspoken fact about BC (although I said it last year)…

 BC HAS NEVER WON A FOOTBALL CONFERENCE

Its an unfortunate true story for the Eagles…even when they had the media’s darling QBs Ryan and Flutie.  Of course Flutie’s excuse was that they weren’t in a conference that year.  I don’t want to hear excuses about a share of the Big East in 2004 either…shares don’t count.

Although ESPN dimwitties can’t figure it out, Virginia Tech now holds the top spot in the coastal.  Sure its a five-way tie, with that whole pile of teams having three in-conference losses, but the Hokies win the tie-breaks.  I won’t break everything down for you (try here and here if you are interested), but if the Hokies beat Duke tomorrow and UVgay (216 anyone?) next week, they will roll onto the ACC Championship game in Tampa.

A blessing or a curse?
I don’t know if its really a good thing that the team goes to the ACC Championship game.  There are disaster scenarios I can play out in my head.  But can it really be a bad thing for the program to play for the ACC title again?  No, but it might be a bad thing for the conference.  Is VT really the best team in the coastal?  I seriously doubt it.

Lucky for the Hokies, that doesn’t come into the tie-breaker scenarios.

Disaster Scenario 1
The Hokies can’t handle the pressure and lose to either Duke or UVA…I feel guilty even mentioning it…

Disaster Scenario 2
Hokies go to Tampa and get blown out by someone…unlikely that they will get blown out, but they certainly will have a chance to lose.

Disaster Scenario 3
Hokies win in Tampa and go to the Orange bowl…and have to play against a good SEC or Big 12 South team and get rocked.

Miracle Scenario 1
Hokies beat UVA knocking them out of bowl eligibility (because they lose to Clem this weekend) and advance to Tampa.

Miracle Scenario 2
VT pulls a draw of Maryland or Wake for the ACC Championship game.  Of course, no game in the ACC is a given, but the fighting gobblers have a much better shot against one of these teams instead of FSU or BC.

Miracle Scenario 3
Virginia Tech wins the ACC Championship game and advances to the Orange Bowl…where they could face a crappy Big Least team like Cincinnati and dominate.  Weren’t they on the schedule a couple years ago as a cupcake?  Yeah, they’re probably better, but I’ll take a Big East team over a good SEC or Big 12 team any day.

Interview Courtesy of Kyle Tucker @ his blog over at http://hamptonroads.com/blogs/kyle-tucker

Check out Kyle’s blog for interviews with other players and coaches, practice notes, and general Hokie football news.  Its generally a great read and not watered down and manipulated like most news sources.

ON HIS THIRD-AND-GOAL TOUCHDOWN RUN FROM THE 2-YARD LINE JUST BEFORE HALFTIME: “It’s a tight end choice, but it’s also a quarterback draw if everything breaks down. The running lane was straight up the middle. I knew we were on the 1-yard line and if I didn’t see the read quick enough I could get the 1 yard.”

ON THE COACHES TELLING HIM, THOUGH, TO THROW IT AWAY SO THEY COULD KICK THE FIELD GOAL IF THE PASS WASN’T OPEN: “Yeah, that’s what they told me. But I knew (grinning) … we were too close to the goal line for me to throw it away. I know they wanted to set up field goal position, but I felt I could get a touchdown with my feet.”

ON THE PASSING GAME BEING LIMITED STILL: “Just the way the game was going. We did call some plays that were going downfield. Some protections got messed up … miscommunications. I had to check down sometimes.”

ON WHETHER HE KNEW THE TEAM WAS ALL HIS GOING INTO THE GAME: “Yes, I did. I knew that. Coaches told me and I just wanted to go out there and be a leader. I got more reps last week in practice and it was kind of a thing that was kind of all week. I didn’t know how the two-quarterback thing was going to work out, but they ended up playing me.”

ON WHETHER HIS MENTALITY WAS DIFFFERENT KNOWING IT WAS HIS TEAM: “My mentality’s been the same since Day 1, just to go out and be a leader even when we were playing two quarterback. It is more comfortable out there, but at the same time, I’m comfortable with whatever Coach calls.”

ON WHETHER DARREN EVANS HAS EMERGED AS THE NO. 1 OPTION IN THE BACKFIELD: “I don’t know if he’s the No. 1. He’s been playing very good. We have a lot of backs that’s been playing very good. And they can all help us right now.”

ON HOW BIG WERE THOSE TWO PENALTIES ON GEORGIA TECH WERE ON THE LAST SCORING DRIVE: “They were very big. (Helmet to helmet) That kind of hurt, but they were very big on that last drive. I thought the guy from the back … I thought it was a late hit. I thought the flag was. But he did hit me head-to-head.”

ON HOLDING HIS BREATH WHEN A LATE PASS SAILED DEEP TO A RECEIVER WHO WAS BEHIND SAFETY KAM CHANCELLOR: “Yes. I caught it late. I caught it on the Jumbo Tron. I looked up and I was just praying that he overthrew him or the guy was going to drop it.”

ON WHETHER HE’D LIKE TO THROW MORE: “Yes, but … the game dictates how the play-calling goes. Right now, we had to call some run plays and we made it happen.”

of the Yellow Jackets that is.

In a high stakes ACC game early in the season, Tyrod Taylor got the nod over Sean Glennon and took every offensive snap.  The passing game was lackluster (48 yards), but the Hokies got it done on the ground.  Between Kenny Lewis, Tyrod Taylor, and emerging star Darren Evans, the Hokies amassed 199 yards rushing.

All seems to be righting itself in the Hokie Nation.  Although offensive coordinator controversy will continue throughout the season, the statistics from this game showed some fundamental improvements:

• The leading receiver is now a receiver instead of a tailback (Dyrell Roberts, 5 for 104)
• The leading rusher is now a tailback instead of a quarterback (Darren Evans, 42 for 203)
• The leading scorer is no longer a defensive player (okay, technically this happened after the second game)

The orange jerseys had mixed reviews, but other than the retinal damage they caused, they really weren’t that bad.  As long as they aren’t worn for every home game, the Hokie crowd can handle it.

The Hokies now lead the Coastal ACC division with a 1-0 record.  If Virginia Tech, with Tyrod Taylor at the helm, can take down UNC next weekend, they will have a great head start in the Coastal division.

Dear Sean Glennon,

Didn’t you see my last post about your clean slate?  It meant there was no pressure on you to perform well.  It meant you supposed to take control of the leadership position this season and become an example for Tyrod in the coming years.  I was behind you 100%, because I trusted the coaches decision and truly believed you must have been good enough to be the sole starter.  With the pressure from Taylor gone, you were supposed to break out this season to a new level; the level of a r-Senior.

This is not a hate letter, so at this point…I’ll move on.  End Letter.

First, I’d like to confirm the rumors you’ve been hearing.  Yes, Tyrod Taylor is playing this Saturday against Furman.

Second, I’ll comment that I didn’t update the site about Tyrod Taylor getting the redshirt last week for several reasons.
1. If you follow ACC football, it wouldn’t have been new news.  I didn’t have anything to say that hadn’t already been said.
2. We all knew it wouldn’t last.

My post game thoughts bumbled so long that I couldn’t come up with a coherent post until I heard the good news today.  I was debating why the coaches had really given Tyrod the redshirt.  Either:
1.  They knew this season wasn’t going to be salvageable anyway, so why waste the best player’s eligibility on it if they don’t have to.
2.  They truly thought Glennon had improved enough to lead this team to an ACC title.

Until I heard the news today, I assumed that it was the first.  But, with the recent reversal of the redshirt decision I have to think that they truly believed in the second.

I don’t know what the news will really do for the season.  Perhaps we can still contend for the ACC Coastal, but the defense will have to meld together and Tyrod will have to live up to the hype.  He was good last year, and at times, absolutely stunning.

Playing Tyrod Taylor is not the sole solution to the season.  We still won’t have a Texas Tech type offense and certainly not a coherent and functional coordinator.  Luckily Tyrod can likely compensate for some of the terrible play calling.

Unlike last year, I’m not bitter at Sean Glennon.  He’s worked hard the whole off season to try to win the position.  Unfortunately, he was set up to fail.  You can’t put a drop back passer behind a suspect offensive line and a fleet of new recievers and expect him to perform at his best.  He’s just not what the team needs this year.

A drop back passer like Sean Glennon is best when he can evenly distribute the ball to the team’s playmakers.  “What they discovered against East Carolina…they don’t have playmakers” -ESPN Analyst…at least not yet.

Some parting thoughts…Because I hate the white out idea (WE’RE NOT!…PENN STATE!) I was intending to wear black to the Furman game (”you look like you’re going to a funeral” - “well, maybe I am”).  However, now I will be donning the #5 Jersey (even in Hurricane Hana).  I officially declare Saturday to be “#5 Jersey Day!”

P.S. Can we redshirt Stinespring?

I have a tendency to think that I should allow Glennon to start fresh in my mind this season.  Thats a tough demand, however because of all the things I remember going wrong…that somehow I have blamed him for.  We don’t lose many games overall, but except for 2007 I blame Glennon for most of them.  Boston College last year really wasn’t his fault, LSU just out matched and out played us, and Kansas just out prepared and out coached us.  So I can’t blame any losses on Glennon from last year, but his first pass of the season was a pick.  And, if Tyrod wasn’t started instead of him, he still would be at that mediocre pick throwing level.

 Will Sean Glennon step up to new heights as a r-Senior?  He certainly played well the second half of last season.  The coaches claim that neither Tyrod Taylor nor Glennon can separate themselves from each other and firmly claim a starting position.  Doesn’t this beg the question, if Glennon as a r-Senior can’t outplay a t-Sophomore doesn’t that mean he isn’t good enough?  Good thing its the coaches decision and not mine; I don’t know what I would do.

If history is speaking, would it mention Glennon’s melt down versus Georgia in 2006?  Would it mention his terrible performance against Georgia Tech earlier in the season, putting them up by three scores early?  How can I erase these memories of Glennon performing so badly?

I’d like to try, because it seems he’s come around to be a legitimate player.  I recall from the past though, football players telling me how pompous Glennon was.  Multiple inside sources claimed he acted like a total dick.  Well Sean, I’m erasing all of these bad memories; I’m forgetting how you responded to losing the starting job last season; I’m giving you a fresh start in my mind.

In the immortal words of SpitzerTailgate.com - “Sean Glennon….heres to hoping hes not a dbag anymore”

Only 18 more days until kickoff…here are some fancy Tyrod Taylor pics to hold you over.  If you know who to give the credits to, just post a comment and I’ll update it.

 The following interview was taken by Kyle Tucker over at his blog.  He’s been following the preseason practices closely and his blog posts are almost enough to quench the ache and desire for the football season to start.

 QB TYROD TAYLOR
 
ON HOW PRACTICE IS GOING THROUGH THREE DAYS: “It’s going good, progressing like I wanted to be.”
 
ON THE QB BATTLE: “Like I told you from the beginning, I’m in competition with myself, actually. I’m out here to be the best quarterback I can be and the best player at my position. I’m competing hard and so is he. It’ll be up to the coaches.”
 
ON GLENNON’S DEEP BALL TO TIGHT END GREG BOONE WEDNESDAY: “We’re moving Greg Boone around. We know he’s very elusive, and he can make plays. You really get watch film to get a feel for it. (Opponents) are going to be surprised.”
 
ON THE RUNNING BACKS: “They’re looking very fast. We just have to wait and see who’ll go in front of the others.”
 
ON THE FRESHMEN RECEIVERS: “A lot of those guys have stepped up. They’ve shined as a group. They’ve been impressing a lot of people. I don’t think a lot of people thought they could learn that quick, but they’ve been in there working with the veterans.”
 
NAMING THE BEST FRESHMAN: “I can’t call it. I want to praise all those guys. Boykin looks good, just as Dyrell Roberts, Xavier Boyce and Marcus Davis. And Randall Dunn, too.”
 
ON THE LEADER AMONG THE VETERAN WIDEOUTS: “Danny Coale is looking very smooth. Ike is looking more confident, and so is Zach Luckett. We feel comfortable with our receivers. Those guys are showing the coaches they can play and that they want the ball in their hands.”