Welcome Back 2003 Hokies: UNC 20, VT 17

Written by The Miz

Thursday, 29 October 2009 22:07

@#$%! A 20-17 loss to the Baby Blue Blankies. Ugh. Man did that game suck in about every way possible. I did my whining about refs and stuff on Twitter, and I'm not bringing that mess in here at all. UNC walked into Lane and won a game they deserved to win. Tech was out-worked, out-schemed, and out-played by a team that shouldn't have been able to hang with them. My biggest concern in all this? With a VERY underwhelming schedule ahead, and seemingly little to play for, the Hokies look like a team poised for a BIG fall, much like the 2003 team. More after the jump.

There were several problem areas I noticed throughout the game that I think directly contributed to the loss. Here are a few of them:

With an average defense this season (and by average, I mean down the middle..DT, MLB and safety), the offense couldn't afford to struggle. They did just that. We were calling plays on twitter before they were run. It was pathetic. Stiney put the offense in position to lose by putting them in too many 3rd and long situations, and couldn't do anything with the ball over the fifty SEVERAL times in the first half.
Speaking of Stiney's play calling...what was up with the run on third and long when Williams fumbled? That was a give up call. Honorable mention, every goal line call, including the "pistol formation," although apparently that's on Billy Hite.
Bud Foster deserves some major blame in this one. I've always wondered why teams didn't try to exploit his base defense. There were a bunch of plays tonight where the whip was forced to choose between covering the slot receiver and the tight end. Little scored by beating deathbacker on the second touchdown, and the tight end was free on that 4th and 7ish on the final drive. Inexcusable. If your backers aren't doing the job, and you aren't going to blitz. Why not bring in someone that's better in coverage? The answer is beyond me. I also don't understand why we saw the most conservative Foster defense in EVER on that last drive. Soft zone? REALLY?!
You can't destroy Williams for the fumble. This was a team loss. Tyrod held onto the ball too long, the linebackers didn't look fast (or strong), and the lines didn't get a ton of push on either side of the ball. It was a poor effort for such a charged crowd, and I hate that people will put the blame on Ru.

As mentioned before, this looks like the '03 squad that choked on their own jockstraps (and media clippings) en route to a 2-5 finish. A few big wins, but a team that's still a little immature in important spots. If they can't take an average UNC team seriously at home, I don't see a bright future against Maryland, ECU and UVA on the road. All of those teams will have a shot at taking down the former champs. If we see an effort/coaching level like tonight, this team that's been sub-par on the road will lose 1-2 more games. Right now, I'm writing out of frustration, but it wasn't pretty at all. Here's hoping Beamer and Co. can stop the bleeding in Greenville.

Overall, I blame the atrocious uniforms. You know my stance on Orange.

Comments (3) Add Comment

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written by footballgirl, October 30, 2009

Ironic that you mention the 2003 season, what with DeAngelo Hall being honored at the game and everything. Maybe that was some bad karma.

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written by The Miz, October 30, 2009

Maybe...I still don't have a ton of beef with D-Hall though. I actually think he's a pretty good dude.

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written by WarfleSnarfle, October 30, 2009

D-Hall is a real nice guy. I found this out personally when we ran into him DT after getting hammered. My friend ousted him and then the cat was out of the bag. He was shaking hands, talking, and taking photos with anyone that was there. I think he had enough of it, as his posse rolled up and took him away from the madness.

As for the game, I'm not sure if you could see it on television, but the best part was that the fans in the East stands making paper airplanes out of the printed tickets. A few (~5) managed to get on the field, making it as far as the West hash marks, and even nailing a cheerleader. Boos flied when Carolina players took them off the field haha. All in all, terrible performance by the Hokies all around. Oh well, just rebuild for next season i guess?