Yardbarker: Virginia Tech Hokies

Game Review - VT vs. ECU

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:16:00 -0500

The Hokies went down and handled their business in Greenville, NC on Thursday night, coming away with a 16-3 win over the ECU Pirates. I have heard of lot of hemming and hawing about this game and by any account it was an ugly win. But there are two points that need to be made, one that isn't controversial and the other which apparently is. The point we can all agree on is that the Hokies needed this win. To keep the season on track for 10 wins and to keep the season from spiraling into a...

HOKIES TOP PIRATES

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:28:00 -0500

AP - Greg Williams ran for a season-high 179 yards and the Hokies (No. 23 BCS, No. 22 AP) avoided their first three-game losing streak in six years, holding off East Carolina 16-3 on Thursday night.Tyrod Taylor had a 13-yard touchdown run, Matt Waldron kicked three field goals and Williams atoned for his critical miscue last week against North Carolina by cracking the 1,000-yard mark for Virginia Tech (6-3)."That fumble did something to me, mentally, last week," Williams said. "...

Another Look at Virginia Tech

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:45:32 -0500

Virginia Tech plays East Carolina tonight on ESPN. These Thursday night matchups have given me a chance to see Tech before and there's some names on their roster worth watching. I am not sure if I will tune in or work more on the Seahawks tape, but this is a game thread for those interested in Jason Worilds, Kam Chancellor, Sergio Render or freshman Ryan Williams.

NCAA Football Handicapping: Virginia Tech vs East Carolina

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:47:00 -0500

The Virginia Tech Hokies and the East Carolina Pirates will both be gunning for a victory on Thursday when they meet at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Oddsmakers currently have the Hokies listed as 13½-point favorites versus the Pirates, while the game's total is sitting at 51. Virginia Tech was upset 20-17 by North Carolina in Week 9 as 15.5-point favorites. That game's 37 points went UNDER the night's posted total of 44. Tyrod Taylor had two rushing touchdowns in that loss for the Ho...

Sportsmanlike Conduct. #52. Defense.

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:12:39 -0500

I did not see this myself but saw it referenced on the IC message boards. Ken Tysiac at ACC Now confirms that UNC linebacker Quan Sturdivant did indeed go over to console Virginia Tech running back Ryan Williams in the aftermath of UNC’s win over the Hokies.

Sturdivant’s teammates were dancing and celebrating the win, as they should. But ESPN’s cameras captured Sturdivant away from his team.

Williams has been perhaps the best running back in the ACC this season, and he’s having one of the best seasons a Hokie back has ever had. But on Thursday night, he’d made a mistake that dashed whatever hopes the Hokies have of going to a BCS bowl.

Sturdivant came over to console Williams. He got him up off the bench, patted him on the leg, leaned over and said what we can only assume were words of encouragement in Williams’ ear.

It was a gracious act when an opponent was at his lowest point. And it might have been the best thing that’s happened on an ACC football field this season.

It was clear from the moment it happened Williams was devastated by the fact he fumbled the football deep in Hokie territory setting UNC up in perfect position to get the win. Williams was shown on the bench multiple times with his head down and undoubtedly mentally kicking himself over and over for the mistake. Had Williams held onto the football, VT would have simply punted it away forcing UNC to work their way downfield to try and win the game versus getting the ball on the edge of Casey Barth’s range where they could milk the clock.

What Quan Sturdivant did speaks volumes of his character and class not only as a player but also as a person. As much as we highlight bad behavior, this type of act deserves to be applauded by anyone who calls themselves a college football fan.

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HEELS OUTLAST HOKIES

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:45:00 -0500

Butch Davis’ North Carolina Tar Heels came to Blacksburg not only win less in ACC play, but also a 15.5 point underdog to the #14 Hokies. The Heels (5-4, 1-3 ACC) left a hushed Lane Stadium with an improbable last second 20-17 victory after Casey Barth (who appears here to be every bit of 15-years-old) made a chip shot field goal (21 yards) on the final play of the game. The game winning drive was set up by a fumble by Virginia Tech’s super frosh Ryan Williams.Williams who entered the night w...

What They Are Saying: UNC Upsets VT

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:32:31 -0500

A run down of quotes concerning UNC’s win over Virginia Tech.

850 the Buzz:

It’s amazing what successful offensive drives can do for the defense. There is a direct correlation to having 3 drives of nearly 80 yards, which took up serious time, and a fresh Heels’ defense that vexed the likes of Ryan Williams and Tyrod Taylor. The Hokies were held to 246 yards, 6-of-16 on third down, and two turnovers. Taylor, who had completed nearly 75% of his passes in the last three games, was a pedestrian 11 for 23 against North Carolina. Williams had 6 carries from inside the 1-yard-line and zero touchdowns to show for it.

EDSBS:

And that happened. Butch Davis punted last week with three and change left in the game against Florida State, hoping for a courteous NFL-style three and out before getting a game-winning kick opportunity, because that is how things happen in a very conservative football coach’s onboard football simulator. Florida State went off-program, picked up a first down, and UNC never saw the ball again.

With five minutes and change left and trailing 17-14, Davis changed the code against Virginia Tech and went for it on 4th and 7 from the VT 36. Yates, 19 yard completion to Greg Little, and the game-tying field goal. Butch Davis is a machine that learns, and after a forced fumble on Hokie RB Ryan Williams UNC took their leisurely time in running down the clock (SHOOP!) and kicking the winning field goal to beat VT by the default ACC score of 20-17.

N&O:

Just when it looked like North Carolina’s experience on Thursday night was not only the worst kind of rerun but a series headed for cancellation, the Tar Heels did something they couldn’t do a week ago.

Instead of retreating, they regrouped. Instead of folding, they fought. Instead of another dismal loss on national television, they posted one of the biggest wins of Butch Davis’ tenure, knocking off Virginia Tech 20-17 on a Casey Barth field goal with no time left on the clock.

T.J. Yates took as much heat as anyone for what happened last week in the Tar Heels’ 30-27 loss to Florida State. If there was redemption to be sought, he found it.

Butch Davis:

I will tell you a little bit of what I shared with the players in the locker room. In life sometimes you get tests and we got a test last week and didn’t do as well as you’d like to do. But life’s funny – it gives you the same test again somewhere down the line. I thought our kids today rose up, and they proved something to themselves: if you don’t ever give up on yourself, you always have a chance.

SFN Forums:

Tarheels(sic) upset of VPI makes us the only winless team in the league. The really sad part of this is that we have already played the easiest part of our schedule – Wake, BC, Duke.

Carolina March:

I’ve seen this before. I saw this last week. This was another Carolina late-game failure, another depressing Thursday evening, another long week in October. And yet, it wasn’t. Three successful third down conversions, and one success on 4th and seven. Five completions, none over twenty yards, all on short passes, and then a series of rushes to get Casey Barth and easy field goal. Tie game. Not much more you can ask for.

OK, you can ask for a Virginia Tech fumble inside their own thirty and then Ryan Houston grinding away the rest of the clock to set up a winning Barth kick. And hey, Carolina fans got that too! But this was Yates’ day, coming back from one of the dumbest passes of the year to put the ball exactly where it needed to be against a Virginia Tech defense they strangely pulled everyone back into coverage. (Even the failed third down touchdown attempt that would have given the Heels the lead was well-placed; Greg Little just misjudged it.) The turnover will remain epically stupid, but the game won’t be remembered for it. In an offense not designed for passing – Yates was only 18/28 for a meager 131 yards – he did enough in the clutch to get UNC, 0-4 in conference, a Top-15 win.

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UNC 20 #13 Virginia Tech 17

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:09:28 -0500

Barth II?

Time will bear out what I am about to write but this could very well be the game we all look back at as the one where Butch Davis and the program got over the hump. One week after a crushing loss in their first ever home game on Thursday night, the Heels traveled to Blacksburg facing an unenviable situation. Playing against Virginia Tech in Lane Stadium on ESPN with the Hokies coming off a loss everyone assumed, myself included that this would be a ho-hum affair. UNC would show up, make a few decent drives but ultimately be roughed up at the line by the Hokie defense who would squeeze some points out a few turnovers giving VT enough for the win.

Welcome to the wackiness of the ACC.

First off, T.J. Yates. For all the nasty things literally thrown his way not to mention criticism upon criticism as recently as the 2nd half of this game, the junior stepped up in the 2nd half and led this team on two-time prolific drives. The 2nd of those drives tied the game and included Yates completing a pass on 3rd and 7 to extend the drive. Three plays later, Butch Davis opted to not make the same mistake as a week ago when he chose to punt it away near midfield but instead goes for it on 4th and 7. Yates again delivered hitting Greg Little for 19 yards. UNC went on to tie the game but in the process Yates atoned for the atrocious INT that resulted in UNC giving the lead away in the first place. In short Yates and the offense did their job, especially Little who finally is showing signs of the brilliance we thought he had in him. It was nice to see the offense keep up their end of the bargain on the same night the defense kept up theirs. From the drive that opened up the 7-0 lead before the half to the 2nd TD on a drive that included so many wrinkles in the playcalling, much maligned UNC offensive coordinator John Shoop should absolutely be congratulated for making all the right adjustments in this game. UNC was not afraid to use anyone and everyone to catch passes and run the football. When the run was stagnant in the first half, Ryan Houston was used as a blunt object to punish the Hokie defense. That seemed to open things up for Shaun Draughn and even Little saw some time rushing the football. Shoop chose to use a variety of misdirections in an effort to keep the ball moving on the ground and it worked. The mixture of rushing plays was enough to throw the Hokies off balanced which in turn eventually bought Yates time to work.

The defense was outstanding. It was incredible to see both units play well at the same time. The defense that got run over in the 2nd half of last week’s game against FSU not only showed up in both halves but shrugged off a couple of tough scoring drives by Virginia Tech to eventually make the big play in recovering a Ryan Williams fumble to setup Casey Barth for the game winner. UNC collected three sacks on the very mobile Tyrod Taylor to go along with six tackles for a loss. Ultimately the defense came up when it counted the most. Even the two Virginia Tech TDs came on late down conversions and where both borderline calls. The Heels lived up to their defensive reputation holding the 17th ranked rushing offense in the country to 95 yards, well below the 203 ypg the Hokies came in averaging. Only two teams this season have held VT below 100 yards rushing in a game. Nebraska and #2 Alabama.

This game was perfect redemption after the way the Heels fell last week. Of course now last week’s loss sticks in the craw a bit but given that FSU was winnable and this was considered a sure loss, UNC is exactly where they would have been anyway had it come according to expectation. Now the Heels only need to get two more wins to qualify for a bowl game. Of the four games left, three of them are winnable versus Duke, BC and NC State. Butch Davis is 2-0 versus Miami and the Canes come to Chapel Hill. If the defense plays as well as it did in Blacksburg, winning against Miami is certainly possible. The key for UNC is to ride the momentum of this game and play some consistent football the rest of the way.

It is amazing what a difference one week makes or simply winning a big game like this does to the outlook on the season. Additionally, UNC has two extra days to prepare for Duke. Time will certainly tell if this is the watershed win UNC fans were looking for to move the program forward but now it feels good to get a huge win in football.

This article was originally published at http://tarheelfanblog.com. If you are interested in sharing your website's content with SCACCHoops.com, Contact Us.

ACC Roulette: North Carolina lives; Hokies are alpha dogs no more

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:54:35 -0500

North Carolina 20, Virginia Tech 17. In the big picture, the Tar Heels' season-saving upset is on the ACC-leading defense: Carolina shut out Virginia Tech for a half, held the Hokies to 256 yards, sacked Tyrod Taylor three times and forced two turnovers, one setting up the game-winning field goal. Twice with its back against the goal line, the Heel defense was inches away from turning Tech away on its only two touchdowns. The Hokies had to work for everything they got, and they didn'...

ACC THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:35:00 -0500

NORTH CAROLINA @ VIRGINIA TECH (-16.5), 7:30 PM, TV: ESPN (XM 190/191, Sirius 211/212)Just to liven things up Hokie punter Brent Bowden has recorded his own version of the Virginia Tech entry anthem Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.”Bowden recorded the song and taped a video of himself playing it last week. It will be spliced in with the usual entrance video. Oh, and he can punt too. Through seven games, Bowden is leading the league and tied for 11th in the country with an average of 44.1 yards on ...

Hokies leaving 'Enter Sandman' in hands of rock 'n roll punter

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:41:42 -0500

I'm not a Metallica fan, but I have always respected Virginia Tech's (usually successful) effort the last few years to blow the traditional, peppy field entrance into smithereens with the country's most hardcore kickoff: Nothing says "impending doom" like 65,000 people screaming for blood at the top of their lungs over thumping heavy metal lyrics about uncontrollable night terrors, sure. But somehow I sense that, once you decide to prominently feature the punter in the r...

HOKIES AND JACKETS CALL MOMENTARY TRUCE

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:49:00 -0500

Offering at least a momentary truce for an escalating feud between the two schools, Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said he talked with Georgia Tech boss Paul Johnson in an attempt to set the record straight on Crackbackgate – the flaming furor surrounding charges by the Hokies to the ACC concerning illegal blocks committed by the Yellow Jackets that weren't called in Georgia Tech's 28-23 victory on Oct. 17 in Atlanta.Beamer said he apologized to Johnson for an erroneous statement he...

Friday Quarterback: Midseason traps are set for top-five contenders

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:17:05 -0500

• Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech. This is less of a "trap game" than it is the "likely decisive game in the ACC's Coastal Division," but for the rare top-20 match-up with long-term BCS ramifications, Tech-Tech isn't getting much love with the unassuming ESPN2 slot at 6 p.m. In fact, it could have national championship implications: As it stands, the Hokies are next in line in the championship hierarchy if Texas or one of the two SEC heavies is picked off befor...

Virginia Tech Rains on Miami's Parade

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 21:29:00 -0500

by Kevin BlackistoneFiled under: NCAA FootballBLACKSBURG, Va. -- Late in the second quarter Saturday at Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium, Miami quarterback Jacory Harris threw a quick strike over the middle just as official's yellow flag darted through the air toward one of Harris' blockers. Harris put his hands on his hips. His chest heaved with a deep breath. His head rocked back.Harris was having one of those Murphy's Law moments, and for good reason.He'd already fumbled, w...

Sporting News' Top 100: No. 6 Virginia Tech

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 10:11:10 -0500

Ken Tysiac, Sporting News Yearbooks Sporting News is counting down its top 100 college football teams for 2009, featuring one team each day leading into the season opener Thursday, Sept. 3. More countdown: Nos. 1-50 | 51-60 | 61-70 | 71-80 | 81-90 | 91-100 As they stood on the sideline during the Orange Bowl, Stephan Virgil told Brandon Flowers he had something for him. On the next series, Virgil snared an interception in the end zone that negated a Cincinnati scoring threat and led...

Hide the Children

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:42:03 -0500

I’m really sorry about this guys, but it had to happen… AHHHHHH! /runs away

Internal Virginia Tech Memo: Please Shut Up

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:28:16 -0500

According to the Roanoke Times (and they follow the Hokies very closely), criticism of Virginia Tech's anemic offense is now coming from a new location -- inside the locker room. Evidently, Tech linebacker Purnell Sturdivant said the offense is too predictable as he offered little support for ...

How well do you know Virginia Tech football?

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:32:50 -0500

Are you a real Hokie? Test your knowledge with this Hokie football quiz.

Virgina Tech Cow....

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 13:51:23 -0500

Man people will do anything for a little publicity. I can sort of see the resemblance, but it is faint