Before I get started, I need to address the sad state the print journalism world is in right now.
Layoffs aplenty, no jobs are safe.
This hit close to home earlier this week, when the sports editor at the newspaper I freelance for was laid off due to budget cuts. In all, Gannett cut 10 percent of its entire staff Wednesday.
Anything I do in my sports journalism career, I owe to this man. He was the first person to give me a shot, and it has opened several doors for me in a short time ever since. To see him go is not merely disheartening, it's devastating.
Now that you're feeling bad for me, so it's safe to talk ACC football (hey, at least it's not Big East football).
For the first time I can remember, Virginia Tech is getting stronger as the season progresses.
Usually it's the opposite, as I'm used to watching my Hokies lose the bulk of their games from November onward.
When I watched Tech's defense in action against the Wahoos of Charlottesville last week, the progression became evident.
The season started with a shocking (to us, anyway) loss to East Carolina, so there was never much confidence in Blacksburg from the get go.
The schedule was brutal for all ACC teams this year, as the postseason picture changed each week as conference teams beat the hell out of each other, and BC and Virginia Tech somehow emerged in the end.
Boston College had to win out at Florida State, at Wake Forest, and against Maryland. All three are gritty defensive teams who hit hard and rub your face in the turf.
I give the Eagles all the credit in the world for getting to the championship game, but while everyone is enamored by their defense, the Hokies slowly and silently improved all season long, earning the nation's No. 6 spot in total defense.
Don't get me wrong, they've done it against much less prolific offenses than the Big 12 or the SEC, but this defense is no joke. They proved it today.
Frank Beamer's special teams weren't as impressive this year—okay, they weren't impressive at all, but maybe it was a blessing in disguise. The team had to learn how to win with offense for the first time since Kevin Jones was in the backfield.
The Hokies' offense is still nothing special, especially when Sean Glennon is taking snaps, but with weapons in Marcus Vi—err...Tyrod Taylor, Darren Evans, and 6'3", 290-pound beast Greg Boone, we've finally learned the name of a coach other than Frank Beamer or Bud Foster—Bryan Stinespring.
Stinespring is creative, but maintains the Hokies' customary game plan of run, run, run.
The emerging fad of using the Wildcat formation has been a good friend to Stinespring, especially considering the aforementioned Boone was a quarterback in high school. The extra versatility is good when things need to be mixed up.
Today, Boone wasn't necessary because BC couldn't stop Taylor or Evans. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Though I support the decision of not playing Glennon, I was shocked we didn't see him on the field at all. A senior, I think he probably should have seen a little bit of playing time in his last ACC Championship game—though he couldn't have played better in this one than he did in last year's, earning MVP honors.
6 comments Last one added 7 months ago — Leave a Comment
Harvey Lucius 7 months ago
Yep, you beat me to it. There are a lot of other teams that deserve a BCS bowl game over them AND Cinci, but the rules are the rules until we get them changed.
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Michael J 7 months ago
Beamer Ball is alive and well. Congrats to the Hokes for their second straight BCS berth. Let's hope they put out a more representative effort this year. Excellent writing as always, Travis.
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Travis Miller 7 months ago
Thanks, but this glory is short-lived. I'm hoping Duke learns how to rebound so I don't have to write another article today with a much more somber tone.
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Lisa Horne 7 months ago
Hey-
Sorry to hear about your ED. When you work with great EDs, it's like a family. My heart goes out to you.
Yeah, Va Tech is going to the Orange Bowl, and they'll probably get the Big East champ, so they will probably win. I hate auto-berths, but hey, you're in, be happy and good luck to your Hokies.
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Jim Cowan 7 months ago
I love this system where an UNDEFEATED Boise State is left out and an UNRANKED Virginia Tech defaults there way into the BCS. And you people bitch about the Notre Dame clause - at least they have to crack the top eight. What a joke!
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Glenn Allen 7 months ago
Well, I would rather have been able to watch Crane lead BC, but them's the breaks (no pun intended).
I, too, wish there were a playoff instead of the BCS mess, where all of the conference champs (the only teams that have PROVEN themselves deserving of a shot at a I-A title) would meet along with 5 other top-ranked teams to play for a I-A title. But there is no I-A title; there's only the BCS title. The BCS: created by the 6 "BCS" conferences for their own benefit. Well, it's not a joke... 'cause it ain't funny. But anyone stupid enough to think that the polls and rankings accurately reflect the quality of the teams that are playing... you have my sympathy in more ways than one. For those that think "undefeated" means being able to beat another team because the other team ISN'T undefeated... now that's funny. There isn't an undefeated team in the non-BCS that would still be undefeated if it played in the ACC instead, or even played one ACC team. Yeah, I'd like to see that game, too.
Every I-A team deserves a shot at a I-A championship. Maybe someday it'll happen... once they figure out exactly how to make more money out of it than they do with the BCS.
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