General Musings About Football Season 2012

It's been painfully quiet around here lately. I return with a Hokie-centric look at the coming football season, pro and college.

First, Virginia Tech continues an unofficial quest to become the Oregon of the east coast when it comes to uniforms.

Tech will continue the now common practice of using multiple helmets throughout the season including this fairly tasteful camouflage helmet for Military Appreciation Day Saturday, September 22 against Bowling Green.

Then there are these controversial helmets for the White Out game Saturday, September 8 against Austin Peay.

Now they're only controversial insofar as they're ugly, but for a one-off they're tolerable. Gobbler tracks aren't remotely approaching the most offensive thing I've seen on football uniforms. 

Of course, most folks have been less forgiving of the new design, including starting quarterback Logan Thomas who chimed in on Twitter:

Indeed.

As for the action under the helmets, Virginia Tech is in Frank Beamer's favorite position. 

The Hokies are ranked fairly low, return a talented albeit somewhat unproven roster, and no one is really talking about them. Perfect.

On to the NFL (which sucks), and the myriad of Hokies on NFL rosters. That may thin out a bit as the teams make cuts, but I was surprised at the sheer numbers.

Some are no surprise as this season will mark the debuts of two of Tech's most exciting and successful running backs, second-year man Ryan Williams of the Arizona Cardinals and back-flipping rookie David Wilson of the Super Bowl Champion Giants.

Williams missed all of his rookie campaign with a significant knee injury, but appears to be back at full strength going into the preseason and the coaches in Arizona love him.

Praise has been equally high for Wilson in New York, where players and coaches alike have marveled at his maturity and athleticism. He demonstrated the latter in his first preseason game, nearly returning a kick-off for a touchdown.

The trick for the rabbit-catching phenom is to learn the playbook and continue to bulk up, while Williams needs to get some game contact to regain his confidence. 

Both appear poised to make an impact as complimentary backs—especially Williams because Beanie Wells is mediocre on a good day.

I guess the other main story no one has talked about regarding "the shield" is the fact that negotiations with game officials are still not settled and the NFL may use back-up referees into the regular season. 

Fans complain regardless, but given the number of competent, high-level football referees in this country, I think it's safe to say we'll see a drop-off in quality officiating the first few weeks.

Obviously, we'll have more detailed thoughts as the rapidly-approaching season nears. 

Virginia Tech kicks off Labor Day night when they host Georgia Tech at 8 PM on ESPN.

The winner of that match-up has represented the Coastal division in the ACC Championship game every season since the Hokies joined the conference in 2004.

Notre Dame will begin their season whenever they find a quarterback, or September 1 when they take on Navy in Ireland, whichever comes first.

Also, that game appears to start at 9 AM here on the east coast. Those with big tailgating plans may want to save the bratwurst until at least halftime. 

David Wilson Named ACC Offensive, Overall Player of the Year

How is that balance possible?

Virginia Tech's David Wilson has had a remarkable season. Barring something crazy, he will likely break the school record for rushing in a season this weekend in the ACC Championship against Clemson.

He has already tied the Tech and ACC marks for 100-yard games in a season (10), he's the fifth leading rusher in the nation with 1,595 yards (ranking just above likely Heisman finalist Trent Richardson) and has been the spark plug for a much improved Hokie offense.

Wilson also served as an emotional lightning rod following Tech's 23-3 home loss to Clemson in October.

Wilson was so upset that he stormed straight into the locker room.

“The team got in there and just like a rage came over me and I was screaming at my team telling them we shouldn’t have lost that game,” the running back recalled of the Clemson aftermath. “‘They’re not better than us.’ And I told them we weren’t going to lose any more games. And I told them I mean it.”

It was a bit out of character for Wilson, but it seemed to be the right thing to say at the right time.

“It was real,” running backs coach Shane Beamer said. “It was real and it was genuine. … And he spoke for the whole team. We don’t like letting a team come in here and embarrass us in our stadium like they did. And we said that night we’d like to get another shot at them.”

Hokies Slam 'Hoos; No One Shocked

If there was ever a time for Virginia to beat Virginia Tech in football for the first time since 2003, this was it.

The 'Hoos came in hot off a "big" win over an underachieving Florida State squad and the Hokies were perhaps a little too focused on the BCS standings in which they suddenly mattered.

But it was business as usual. Virginia could have scored early, but likely ACC coach of the year and Cee Lo Green lookalike Mike London panicked and failed to convert a fourth down play deep in Tech's red zone.

Logan Thomas had another nice game completing 13 of 21 passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns adding another TD on the ground.

Most of those went to the often invisible redshirt junior Marcus Davis, who had a career-high five catches for 119 yards and a score.

After a slow first half, David Wilson exploded in the second period totaling 153 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries.

Now, quickly back to the BCS. No I don't really think Virginia Tech is the second best team in the nation, but how do they get jumped by Stanford?

Was Stanford's hard-fought win over No. 22 Notre Dame that much more impressive than Tech's 38-0 dismantling of No. 24 Virginia? No, it's not.

Regardless, Stanford can now sit around and study because they aren't eligible for their conference championship game while the Hokies prepare for a re-match with No. 20 Clemson, a team that as I predicted is mired in it's traditional late season swoon.

Tech Improves to 10-1, Knocks Off UNC 24-21

Senior night in Blacksburg was a frigid affair made a little warmer by a Hokie victory. It was a night of strange happenings; Tech wore orange, Darius Rucker sang the national anthem, and David Wilson was held under 100 yards rushing for only the second time this season.

Logan Thomas threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, then the Hokies held on for dear life as they watched a 24-7 lead nearly evaporate in the closing minutes.

With that behind everyone, now things get really interesting.

The oxymoron that is a good University of Virginia football team is once again in existence. Head coach Mike London has the Cavaliers playing well to the tune of an 8-3 overall record and a win Saturday would mean the school's first appearance in the ACC Championship game.

Of course standing in their way are the 10-1 Hokies. The Commonwealth Cup, given to the winner of this longstanding rivalry, has been collecting dust in the trophy case in Blacksburg for some time now (2,555 days come Saturday but 'Hoos counting?).

This should be a good game in Charlottesville. For some perspective on UVA "football", here's Colin Cowherd's famous rant on the weenies.

Virginia Tech All But Locks Up ACC Coastal Division, Beats Georgia Tech 37-26

For the sixth consecutive season, the ACC Coastal Division crown was on the line when the conference's two Tech's met Thursday night in Atlanta.

Hokie quarterback Logan Thomas played brilliantly, completing 7 of 13 passes for 209 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing 18 times for 70 yards and two more touchdowns.

Two of those completions went to senior Danny Coale who turned them into 97 yards including a career-high 63-yard touchdown just prior to halftime.

Running back David Wilson was up to his usual tricks, carrying 23 times for a career-high 175 yards.

I simply cannot get over how dominant the Tech backfield is this season. Thomas runs over defenders with a power rarely seen in QBs and Wilson routinely demonstrates otherworldly balance, speed and power.

Wilson has been held under 100 yards rushing just once this season, and has now reeled off 7 consecutive 100+ yard games, the most by any player under Frank Beamer.

As for the Hokie defense, currently a veritable mash unit, they continue to impress even against the troublesome nonsense that is the triple option.

Despite shuffling guys along the defensive line, giving Jack Tyler his second career start at mike linebacker and being without several starters, the Hokie defense held Georgia Tech to 243 yards rushing. In three previous games against the Hokies, the Yellow Jackets averaged 311 rushing yards per game.

“We’ve got the best defensive coaching staff in the nation,” Tyler said. “They’re so good. We could plug in anybody and they’d be all right. They’re [the staff] just so good. They came up with a great scheme this week. Obviously, we’ve got people out of position, but they’re [the staff] just so good at what they do that it doesn’t matter.”

Man crushes on the defensive coaches aside (don't worry Jack I have one too) on the season, the Hokies' defense has now stopped the opponent for no gain or a loss on 275 of 590 plays (46.6 percent).

With the win Virginia Tech improves to 9-1 overall and 5-1 in ACC play while Georgia Tech falls to 7-3 overall and 4-3 in the ACC.

The Hokies all but wrapped up the Coastal division crown by eliminating the Yellow Jackets from contention. Barring a total collapse and losses in the final two regular season games against North Carolina and Virginia, the Hokies will find themselves defending last years ACC title in Charlotte with a likely rematch with Clemson (assuming they don't crap out which usually happens)

Hokies Move up to No. 10 Following Bye Week; Notre Dame Edges Wake Forest

Virginia Tech has continued to win following a loss weeks ago to Clemson. The Hokies pulled out a lackluster 14-10 win at Duke last week to improve to 8-1 (4-1) on the year.

The only bright spot was the typically fluorescent David Wilson who scampered for 148 yards in Durham, helping to set up a huge match up this coming Thursday at No. 23 Georgia Tech.

After losing consecutive games to Virginia and Miami, the Yellow Jackets (7-2, 4-2) returned to form and thumped then No. 5 Clemson 31-17.

The Thursday night tilt in Atlanta is all but a must win for the Hokies if they hope to once again win the ACC's Coastal division title.

Notre Dame returned from Tobacco Road equally pleased with a 24-17 victory over a tough Wake Forest team.

Senior Jonas Gray finished with 19 carries for 92 yards and a touchdown while Cierre Wood tacked on 87 to seal the win.

The Irish now sit a 6-3 on the season and have two winnable games against a miserable Maryland squad and the spirited but largely inept Boston College Eagles before a regular season finale against No. 4 Stanford.

Offense Rules As Hokies Stop 'Canes

One week after a dismal offensive outing in a loss to Clemson, Virginia Tech got a nearly perfect game from quarterback Logan Thomas who led the Hokies to a 38-35 victory over Miami.

Thomas completed 23 of 25 passes on the day for 310 yards and three touchdowns. One incompletion was a drop and the other was a ball thrown away on purpose.

Thomas also ran for two scores including the game-winning touchdown (above) to cap Tech's final 77-yard drive.

David Wilson added a typical 23 carry, 128-yard performance to pace Tech rushers and helped the Hokies (5-1, 1-1) to 482 yards of total offense.

Miami played outstanding in the second half gashing Tech for big gains, outrushing the Hokies 236-172.

The Hurricanes (2-3, 0-2) amassed 519 total yards in the defeat and exposed Tech's weakness along the injured Hokie defensive line.

The defense still played well however, and with the emergence of Tech's offense the Hokies now look like a team to be feared.

Thomas showed tremendous poise down the stretch and seemed to benefit from the difficult experience against Clemson. Tech once again looks like the team to challenge No. 12 Georgia Tech for the ACC's Coastal Division title.

The Hokies now head to Winston-Salem for a date with Wake Forest.

The Demon Deacons are fresh off a victory over #23 Florida State and are now 4-1 overall and 3-0 in the ACC.

Kickoff is set for 6:30 next Saturday on ESPN3.

Tigers Tame Hokies 23-3

Saturday night in Blacksburg was cold, wet and depressing unless you happened to be a Clemson Tiger.

Clemson continued to prove they're the team to beat in the ACC's Atlantic Division and the Hokies showed they have work left to do before they can win another ACC championship.

Tech's offense laid an absolute egg under the bright lights of the national spotlight. The Hokies scored just three points and blew countless opportunities in Clemson territory, including a goal line try that turned into the made field goal after a false start penalty.

Logan Thomas finally looked like a first-year starter completing 15 of 27 passes for just 125 yards and an interception.

David Wilson once again paced the Tech offense. Despite an early fumble, finished with 20 carries for 123 yards. Among the carries was Tech's only highlight of the evening (seen below).



While Tech's offense was stagnant, the special teams unit was an unmitigated disaster. Scott Demler who has struggled with punting all season had a season high 8 punts Saturday for a season low 29.4 yards per kick.

Conditions were admittedly poor, but that doesn't excuse 11 yard punts.

Tech now looks to rebound next Saturday at home against the Miami Hurricanes at 3:30 on ESPN/ABC.

Making matters worse for the 4-1 Hokies is the loss of starting defensive tackle Antoine Hopkins for the rest of the season to a torn ACL.

In August Tech lost starting DT Kwamaine Battle to the same injury for the second straight season.

The only positive I could find from this past weekend was this photo taken of the stadium.

Hokies' Cruise Past Marshall 30-10

Virginia Tech knocked off Marshall Saturday 30-10 in Tech's first trip to Huntington, W.Va. in 71 years.

The Hokies improved to 4-0 on the season and finished their non-conference slate with a powerful rushing attack.

David Wilson had 132 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries and Josh Oglesby had 12 carries for 75 yards and two scores. Quarterback Logan Thomas also had a short scoring run.

Through the air, Thomas completed 22 of 33 passes for 229 yards and an interception in a subdued, but fairly even performance.

Senior wide receiver Danny Coale had a lot to do with those numbers, hauling in 7 catches for 107 yards. Coale also punted twice for the first time in his college career, relieving Scott Demler who has had some struggles so far this season.

Coale almost won the job coming out of fall camp and will be in open competition for punting duties again this week.

The Tech defense was stifling once again, holding Marshall to just 6 yards rushing. The Hokies rank second in the nation in rushing defense allowing just 43 ypg thus far.

The Hokies now begin conference play with a big home tilt against the red hot Clemson Tigers.

Clemson enters the game 4-0 coming off wins over defending national champions Auburn and Florida State.

Tech has won the last five meetings with Clemson, though the Hokies are just 2-5 against the Tigers all-time in Lane Stadium.

The top-15 match up will be televised starting at 6 PM next Saturday on ESPN2.

Frank Beamer Wins 200th as Hokies Edge East Carolina 17-10

Virginia Tech survived its first road game of the season Saturday, outlasting the Pirates 17-10 a game dominated by defense.

The win marked Frank Beamer's 200th at Virginia Tech and 242nd for his career. Beamer becomes just the tenth coach in FBS history to win at least 200 games at one school.

Tech quarterback Logan Thomas was somewhat inconsistent his first career road start completing just 8 of 20 passes for 91 yards and an interception, but he had several key passes dropped by receivers.

Thomas added 66 yards on the ground and proved once again that he's an imposing physical runner, plowing head-on over defenders on several carries fully utilizing his 6-6 frame.

David Wilson continued the quietest Heisman campaign you'll come across with 26 carries for 138 yards as Tech ground out 241 yards on the ground.

Josh Oglesby also had an excellent effort posting 43 yards on nine carries and scoring both of the Hokies' touchdowns.

The Hokie defense was in midseason form Saturday, holding the explosive Pirate offense to just 112 total yards including -15 yards rushing.

Corner Kyle Fuller interception a pass and the Hokie defense sacked ECU quarterback Dominique Davis five times.

The Techmen return to Blacksburg this weekend for a non-conference tilt with Arkansas State. The Red Wolves are 1-1 on the season and are coming off a 47-3 thumping of Memphis.

Under Frank Beamer, the Hokies are 118-31-1 in Blacksburg and 3-0 all-time against Arkansas State.

Virginia Tech Breezes Past Appalachian State 66-13

Virginia Tech went nuts on Appalachian State last Saturday to the tune of a 66-13 thumping in Blacksburg.

David Wilson tallied 164 yards on 16 carries and three touchdowns.

Logan Thomas made his first career start at quarterback for the Hokies and threw two touchdowns to Marcus Davis and completed 9 of 19 passes for 149 yards.

The Hokies next head to Greenville, N.C. to take on the East Carolina Pirates in Tech's first game as the No. 11 team in the polls.

Television coverage starts at 3:30 and kick off is slated for 3:40 at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

Below is the video of Tech receiver Dryrell Roberts' filthy catch over a Mountaineer defender Saturday.

2011 Virginia Tech Football Preview

Virginia Tech football has in recent years earned the unfortunate distinction of being an excellent program that wilts under the pressure of high expectations.

Partly because of that reputation, and partly because Tech is breaking in a new quarterback, the Hokies start this season ranked 13th and largely as an afterthought in the race for the national championship.

That’s just the way Frank Beamer likes it, and as the second winningest active coach in college football (thanks coach Tressell!) begins his 25th season as the head man in Blacksburg, the sky’s the limit for his talented team.

The biggest question mark resides under center in the form of the enormous redshirt sophomore Logan Thomas. Thomas measures in at 6’6”, 254 pounds and caught a touchdown pass last season, but saw limited time at quarterback.

Thomas is a physically gifted player good enough to log time at tight end before becoming a QB, but this season will be a learning experience for him and mistakes will happen.

Inexperience is a concern, but Frank Beamer really likes Thomas.

“To me, he’s just got it,” Beamer said recently. “He’s got a lot of the same qualities Tyrod has. He’s smart, competitive, got great character, is a great leader – and he’s about 4-5 inches taller. I think he’s got some good players around him, which really helps. So I think he’s going to do very well.”

One enormous advantage Thomas has over most first year starters is a talented veteran receiving corps. Seniors Jarrett Boykin, Danny Coale, Dyrell Roberts and junior Marcus Davis all return.

Boykin needs just 149 yards this season to become Tech’s career leader in receiving yards and three catches to become the career leader in receptions.

Roberts is poised to become Tech's all-time leader in kick return yardage and Coale has a knack for making plays when the Hokies need it most.



While there are questions at quarterback one thing is certain, the nation will know the name David Wilson by the end of the season. The junior running back is one of the fastest players on the team and a legitimate threat to score every time he touches the football.

Wilson was overshadowed last season behind backfield mates Ryan Williams and Darren Evans, but this year he’s the main attraction.

He looks to add to his already legendary status in Blacksburg. Wilson is known for his ability to do consecutive backflips and for catching rabbits (no, seriously). He runs a 4.29 40-yard dash and can dunk a football over the goalpost backwards from a dead stop.

Simply put, the kid's an amazing athlete and a legitimate candidate for the Heisman Trophy.

Depth behind Wilson however is a bit of a question mark. Senior Josh Oglesby switched back to tailback from fullback and will likely get most of the reps after Wilson.

Not to be forgotten is the speedy redshirt sophomore Tony Gregory coming back from a torn ACL. Gregory averaged 4.4 yards per carry in limited action last season but has a nice upside.

As for Bud Foster’s unit, the group is very young but looks to improve on a solid effort last season.

Sophomore Kyle Fuller and junior Jayron Hosley return as the top corners. All-American Hosley is one of the top defensive backs in the nation totaling 9 interceptions last season and posing a major special teams threat as a punt returner.

One subtle change in the defensive lineup has last year’s starting free safety Eddie Whitley moving to Tech’s rover position.

Rover gives smart, instinctive players more freedom to make plays. As Foster describes it’s more of a “free hit” position.

The Hokies will start several young defensive ends. Redshirt sophomores J.R. Collins and James Gayle are projected to start backed up by redshirt sophomore Tyrell Wilson and redshirt freshmen Zack McCray and Duan Perez-Means.

No matter the personnel, there are only three certainties in life: death, taxes and the fact that Bud Foster will have a good defense.

My typical unbridled optimism regarding Hokie football is absent this fall. Perhaps I’m getting older and more cynical (yes) or maybe I’m just waiting for Tech to actually exceed my expectations for the first time this century (also yes) but this year I’m more cautious in my prognostications.

I fully expect to see the Hokies in the BCS, potentially even as the ACC’s first at-large berth.

I tend to think the Hokies will lose at some point, most likely at Georgia Tech on a Thursday night in November. A loss could also come to Florida State in the ACC Championship game, though I’m less willing to drink the FSU Kool-Aid than the fools at ESPN.

How quickly people forget that the Hokies beast the Seminoles in last season’s ACC Championship game. The road to the BCS runs through Blacksburg.

PREDICTION

I look for Tech to produce a 12-1 regular season and no worse than 11-2. Frankly, with the schedule the Hokies face, much less would be a significant disappointment even with a new, unproven quarterback.

Of course, most importantly for this blog I categorically predict Virginia Tech will once again outperform Notre Dame. It should be closer than recent seasons, but the Hokies have too much talent not to win more games than the Irish.

Hokies Defeat Georgia Tech 28-21

It was an excellent Thursday night in Blacksburg as my house christened our new (used) kegerator and the Hokies pulled off an exciting victory against the Yellow Jackets.

The nation was properly introduced to Virginia Tech's David Wilson who returned a kickoff for what would turn out being the winning touchdown.

With the win the Hokies are now 7-2 (5-0) and are in the driver's seat for the ACC Coastal Division crown.

Here's the kick return for those who missed it.