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It was an interesting, if not disappointing first week for the majority of the ACC football teams. It got off to a good start on Thursday night when Georgia Tech, under new head coach Paul Johnson and his new offense, demolished Jacksonville State, 41-14. Miami took care of business the same night, soundly defeating Charleston Southern, 52-7. Wake Forest also looked good and beat a much-improved Baylor team, 41-13. But N.C. State, under second-year head coach Tom O’Brien, laid a mamouth egg against South Carolina, losing 34-0 to the Old Ball Coach, Steve Spurrier. Through Thursday, the ACC was 3-1 … not too shabby.

But then came Saturday. The Virginia Tech Hokies opened with a tough, albeit not surprising loss to a veteran and well-coached East Carolina team, 27-22. The USC Trojans came to Charlottesville and spanked the Wahoos 52-7. Maryland barely beat Delaware, 14-7; North Carolina escaped with an 8-point victory over McNeese State; Duke looked impressive … against Division I-AA (I’m still calling it that, the new name is a joke) James Madison, 31-7; and Boston College shut out Kent State, 21-0.

In what was supposed to be the ACC’s shining moment to begin the season, No. 9 Clemson took on No. 24 Alabama. On paper Clemson shoud have won this game easily, but instead, they got schooled 34-10. It was a bitter ending to a disappointing first week for the ACC, which is steadily losing respect on a national level with ever game. I think you’d be hard-pressed to find an objective college football fan that would rank the ACC higher than sixth against the other conferences. The key word being “objective.” Most ACC fans lack that characteristic and will send hate e-mail for how I rank the top conferences:

1. SEC
2. Big 12
3. Pac 10
4. Big 10
5. Big East
6. ACC

ACC teams went 7-4 in week one. But when you look at the competition and final scores, it is somewhat disturbing. The Jackets, ‘Canes and Deacons all cruised to easy victories. But the Terps, Heels and Eagles struggled. Clemson and UVA just got worked and Virginia Tech looks like it might suffer through a mediocre at-best season. We’ve yet to see Florida State, but I don’t expect them to have much trouble with Western Carolina in their season-opener next Saturday. But there are some tough games for ACC in week two:

Sept. 6 Schedule & Predictions:

Georgia Tech @ Boston College
After what we saw from the Ramblin’ Wreck, I’m think they’re going to give Boston College call they can handle. I’m a Paul Johnson fan after what he did at the Naval Academy and as a Hokies, my loathing for Boston College knows no bounds, so I think Georgia Tech wins this game in Chestnut Hill.
Noon | RAYCOM

Furman @ Virginia Tech
The Hokies need a confidence boost after that loss to ECU. FU shouldn’t give the Hokies any trouble. Hokies win in a romp.
1:30 PM | ACC Select

Mississippi @ Wake Forest
I don’t know much about Mississippi, but I do know what I saw Wake Forest do on offense and defense against Baylor and quite honestly, I think Wake might be the best team in the ACC this year. Veterans on both sides of the ball and a great coach … Demon Deacons move to 2-0.
3:30 PM | ABC (or ESPN2)

Citadel @ Clemson
Like the Hokies, Clemson needs a confidence boost and they’ll get it against the Citadel.
3:30 PM | ESPN360

Richmond @ Virginia
Virginia didn’t look so good against USC, but it was USC, so it’s a little unfair to judge the Hoos just yet. However, I think Richmond can pull off the “upset” against the Hoos this weekend in Charlottesville. Especially considering that their coach, Mike London, is the former defensive coordinator for Virginia and knows that system better than the new guys running it. London is the only reason Al Groh still has a job at UVA.
3:45 PM | ESPNU

Western Carolina @ Florida State
Need I say more?
6:00 PM | No TV

William & Mary @ NC State
I’m not so sure the Wolfpack will waltz in this game. They should win, but I think it’ll be tougher than they realize.
6:00 PM | No TV

Maryland @ Middle Tennessee State
Go Blue Raiders! Sorry, but my dad is a MTSU alum, so I’m pulling for the Blue Raiders from Murfreesboro! And considering that the Terps only managed 14 points against Delaware, I think MTSU has a real shot at this game, especially at home.
7:00 PM | CSS

Northwestern @ Duke
It’s the battle of the braniacs. This is a tossup game. I’ll take Duke since they’re at home.
7:00 PM | No TV

Miami @ Florida
Florida returns Heisman Trophy winner and physical freak of nature Tim Tebow. Miami has a freshman QB. Florida crushes the Canes in this one.
8:00 PM ESPN

Sept. 11 (Thursday)

North Carolina @ Rutgers
This is probably the second-most intriquing game in the ACC this week. Two well-coached teams, but Rutgers has the edge in this on even without Ray Rice as their star runningback.
7:30 PM | ESPN

Other Articles About the ACC’s Slow Start

• Baltimore Sun | ACC bigger, but certainly not better
• Boston Globe | ACC stumbles out of starting blocks
• BleacherReport.com | ACC Wide Open After Disappointing Week 1

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Game Highlights | Game Stats

We’re sorry it took so long to get this recap of the game up on the site, but we seriously needed to take a step back and calm down before we put our thoughts on the Web for all eternity. We might have written something we couldn’t take back. So, here goes the PG version…

Tough loss. No doubt about that. There isn’t a Hokie fan anywhere that isn’t hurting right now. Even though most knowledgeable fans knew that ECU was capable of beating us, not many of thought the Pirates actually would. Surprise.

Neither team played a great game, but ECU certainly looked better on offense putting up 369 yards to Virginia Tech’s 243. It was the fourth worst offensive production for the Hokies in their last 15 games. And 62 of those 243 came on one play, a bomb from Sean Glennon to freshman Dyrell Roberts – the lone offensive highlight. Not to be outdone by the offense’s poor play, the young defense gave up the fourth highest yardage total in its last 15 games (389 vs. Boston College; 380 vs. Clemson; and 589 vs. LSU).

OK, so what went wrong?

Breaking Down the Offense:

Things got off to a bad start when offensive right tackle Blake DeChristopher left the game in the first series with a deep thigh bruise. But, the Hokies running game looked good early. Kenny Lewis, Jr. rushed for 28 yards on Tech’s first drive, but it stalled when Sean Glennon, the undisputed (for now) starting QB, threw an interception on his first pass of the game. Glennon’s first pass of the 2007 season, against ECU, was also an interception. Ouch.

The Hokies got the ball back on their own 44 and slowly moved the ball to ECU’s 14. But the Hokies couldn’t get in the endzone (or a first down) and turned the ball over when they went for it on 4th and 1 and got stuffed. Glennon went on to throw another INT that was returned to the Hokies 1 yard line and ECU later punched it in to pull within 14-7 at the end of the first half.

The only positive offensive play, as mentioned earlier, came in the third quarter when Glennon threw a perfect pass to true freshman Dyrell Roberts who was streaking down the sideline and made the over-the-shoulder grab in full stride. That set up a 3-yard touchdown run by Darren Evans. That was it offensively.

When the Hokies needed to run time off the clock late in the fourth quarter, they passed instead of running the ball. And when they got the ball back with 1:52 left, down by five, they went four and out including a fumbled center-QB exchange on the final play.

Immediately following the game, sports Web sites all over the place started asking the question, “Will Beamer take the red shirt off Tyrod?” Let the great debate begin. VTHokieFans.com will weigh in on this in the days ahead, so stay tuned.

Breaking Down the Defense:

For just the fourth time in the last three seasons, the Hokies defense was unable to sack the opposing team’s QB; East Carolina and Florida State last season and Duke (of all teams) in 2006. I think the fact that ECU held the Hokies’ 2007 defense (with Ellis, Hall, Adibi, Powell and Flowers) without a sack speaks volumes for the talent level of its offensive line. Still, you’d think that Bud Foster would have been ready for them this year.

The defensive front for the Hokies managed just ONE (1) QB hurry and as I mentioned earlier, no sacks. ECU QB Pat Pinkney was never pressured and had plenty of time to complete 19 of 23 passes (82%) for 211 yards. Meanwhile the running attack used three tailbacks to pile up 134 yards rushing – Pinkney added 24 yards to give ECU 158 total rushing yards. Tech’s young and inexperienced secondary got torched today. They definitely missed Brandon Flowers and Macho Harris, but that’s how these guys will get better – with playing time.

Still, the lack of QB pressure and a young secondary were not what killed the Hokies on defense today. No, that would be the inability to tackle, which is how the Pirates got the majority of their aforementioned 158 rushing yards. Honestly, I think we’ve seen better tackling in a flag football game. I was reading Kyle Tucker’s post-game blog and Beamer addressed the poor tackling by the young defense.

“We have to tackle a lot better. We missed a lot of tackles today. A lot of tackles. I bet when we go back and count the number of missed tackles, it’ll be a bunch,” said Beamer.

The lone highlight for the defense was Stephan Virgil’s 30-yard scoop and score fumble recovery for a TD in the second quarter to give Virginia Tech a 7-0 lead. Virgil also returned a blocked PAT for a 2-pt. conversion score.

Breaking Down the Special Teams

With the exception of the blocked punt returned for a touchdown that gave ECU the win, Tech’s special teams played well. They blocked a PAT (point after try) and returned it for a two-point play that gave the Hokies a 16-13 lead instead of tying the game at 14-14.

The return teams did well averaging 21 yards per return (5 for 105). [EDITED 9/1] Surprisingly, though the Pirates punted three times in the game, Virginia Tech was not able to return a single punt. Tech’s kickoff coverage team did a good job holding ECU to just 11.5 yards per kickoff return and recovered a fumbled kickoff return following the Hokies first touchdown. The Hokies’ punt coverage was not as impressive allowing a 22-yard per return average.

[UPDATE 8/31/2008] There were some troubles with the kicking game including a missed 44-yard field goal that hit the upright and the missed extra point. But, with rookie kickers, none of whom are on scholarship, this was to be expected. I really fault Beamer for not letting Dustin Keys kick the FG on the Hokies second drive of the game when they were facing 4th and 1 at the ECU 5 yard line. That would have been a huge confidence boost for the kid playing in his first college game. Instead, Beamer trots him out there for a critical 44-yard field goal, which he missed by hitting the upright.

It’s unfortunate that Tech played one of its best “Beamerball” games in recent memory and ended up getting beat at their own game. We’re not sure what will happen with the QB situation, but you can bet the Hokies will be working on punt blocking and tackling this week as they get ready for the Furman University Paladins on Sept. 6.

That’s all for now, but we’ll be back with more breakdowns and previews in the days ahead, so stay tuned and keep your heads up. We like our odds next week!

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Well Hokies fans, our worst fears were realized today in Charlotte. I think like most of you, we’re still in a state of shock and are trying to make sense of what happened. We are working on a recap of the game along with analysis, but right now, we need to take a step back and breathe. We are physically restraining ourselves from hitting the panic button, but it is awfuly hard to do. Check back with us later and we’ll have a much more calm and rational recap. If we wrote it right now, no good would come from it. See you guys later tonight. Feel free to vent on our comments section below. Stay strong Hokies!

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If you were expecting a clever re-write of Clement Clarke Moore’s 1823 classic, sorry, but it’s been done before … Google (yes, it’s a verb) “Twas the night before kickoff” and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

This is the night before my beloved Virginia Tech Hokies open their 2008 season in Charlotte, N.C., against the media darlings, East Carolina Pirates. Yes, you heard me – media darlings. ECU is the trendy pick amongst sports writers and talking heads to beat the Hokies tomorrow. The Detroit Free Press wrote that “ECU may have more the more talented team” and predicted an ECU victory. The Washington Post’s Kevin Blackistone said that ECU would win because the Hokies were too inexperienced and had Sean Glennon as their quarterback. Ouch.

It’s hard to hear “respected” sports journalists picking against my Hokies, especially when it’s a team like ECU. No disrespect to Skip Holtz and his team, but Tech should win this game … shouldn’t they?

Hokie fans usually fall into two categories; realists (a.k.a. pecimists) and dreamers (optimists). The realists remember humiliating losses (at home no less) to Temple and Miami (of Ohio). They remember getting blown out in bowl games by the Vols and the Tarheels.

Realists know that as long as Bryan Stinespring is the offensive coordinator of the Hokies, our offense will never amount to anything special and talent will continue to be wasted a la Eddie Royal, Josh Morgan, Josh Hyman and Justin Harper. All four of whom are in NFL camps, two of whom are likely to start in their rookie years. But if you look at their college numbers, they’re not that impressive. Why? Two letters; B and S.

Then there are the dreamers, or the eternal, rosey optimists. The blind faith followers whose credo is “I trust in Frank Beamer and the coaches because they know more than us.” Dreamers. They play their part. They try to bring the realists up from the depths of despair. I admire them because their sense of hope seems unbreakable.

I guess in the end, having the realists and the dreamers balances things out, which is important when you look at the big picture.

Tomorrow, the Hokies will take the field. I will be a nervous wreck, sitting at home on my couch, monitoring the Hokie chat rooms and message boards, watching the realists implode with every incomplete pass or Tech turnover; and the optimist get all flowery when Glennon completes a pass to the guys wearing the same color jersey. It’s like a dance and for the last 15 years, I’ve watched it (and participated at times) up close and personal for each and every game.

You’d think that since I’ve been down this road before, that I wouldn’t get so nervous and physically sick before kickoff, but I do. And I suppose I always will, as long as there is breath in my lungs and I’m coherent enough to remember that I am a Hokie fan, God willing.

So, I will retire for the evening and stare at the ceiling while I listen to every ESPN podcast I can download and then I’ll get up in the morning, have breakfast with my little boy and prepare for one of the most nerve-racking season-openers in recent memory. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to grab some Pepto.

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Hey Hokie fans! If you are like us, you are completely pumped up for the big game tomorrow! We are t-minus 14 hours and counting until kickoff and we want to know what YOU think is going to happen in tomorrow’s game! You can leave a comment below, or, even better, hop on over to our vtfanfoc.us’s ECU Prediction Forum, vote for you who think will win and post your thoughts about the game while you’re there!

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Virginia Tech and East Carolina kickoff the 2008 season in about 26 hours, and for those Hokie fans who won’t be able to make it to the game in Charlotte, check out our list of more than 125 bars and restaurants that have been designated as “Hokie-friendly” by your fellow Hokies. Here’s the link: Where to Watch the Hokies.

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I know it sounds ridiculous, but it’s true; the Hokies are slowly becoming the underdogs in tomorrow’s season opener against the ECU Pirates. Even the Detroit Free Press writes, “ECU may have the better team,” and then predicts a 20-19 win for the pillagers and plunderers.

If you’ve been reading all of the articles and pregame matchups and predictions, you know that 41 percent of Virginia Tech’s travel roster has never played a snap in a college game. Meanwhile, ECU returns everyone and their mothers, their brothers, sisters, third cousins twice removed, etc. ECU is riding high on an 8-5 season capped off by a dramatic 41-38, last-second win over annual BCS party-crasher Boise State. It’s a great time to be a Pirate … arrrrgh!

Skip Holtz’s team has depth at virtually every position except tailback, where it will likely play without two of its top three RBs. On the other side of the field, the Hokies have no returning starters at wide receivers or runningback and the defense is having to replace two of the most profilic linebackers in school history – Xavier Adibi and Vince Hall; not to mention the loss of All World cornerback Brandon Flowers. We may also be without Macho Harris who sprained his foot last Friday. The defense has talent, but lacks experience and they will be tested. This game is going to be very ugly for the Hokies.

Let’s break it down quickly…

Tech’s Offense:

Sean Glennon is the man (but not as in, “you da man”), but can he do more than dink and dunk and throw the obligatory pick or two? ECU’s secondary is the chink in the armor, but with inexperienced wide receivers, I’m not sure the Hokies can exploit that weakness. The offensive line is improved, but will come under heavy fire from ECU’s returning front seven – the same guys that wreaked havoc for the Hokies OL last season and held us to one touchdown. The wide receivers and flankers are all rookies and untested … that’ll change tomorrow. The runningbacks have plenty of depth and versatility, but virtually no experience (sensing a theme) and no single guy took over the fall competition. Bummer. Bottom line, who the hell knows? Maybe they come together and blow the doors off Holtz’ crew, or they struggle to find their rhythm like they did last year. Your guess is as good as theirs.

Tech’s Defense:

Two new linebackers, two new cornerbacks, a new rover, three new defensive lineman,  and a partridge in a pear tree. My head is spinning. Senior defensive end Orion Martin anchors this young, talented group, but even he is nervous about how they will play come Saturday. (Read Techsideline.com’s Indepth Preview) We (Tech fans) seem to go through this every 2-3 years when we lose a cluster of seniors to the NFL and are left staring at the depth chart, looking around the room and asking, “Who ARE these guys?” But in Bud’s tenure, has he ever let us down? Not that I can remember. Reload, not rebuild. There’s no doubt that these guys on Bud’s lunchpail defense can play and they’ll get to show their stuff tomorrow. Personally, I think they’ll be just fine. They might be a little shakey in the first series or two, but Orion and Bud will get ‘em right.

Tech’s Special Teams:

ECU is likely starting a freshman kicker. I can practically hear Frank Beamer in his office right now … sshhh – listen … “Mwuhahahahaha!” Oh yeah, you know Frank is licking his chops at the chance to get his guys on that field and just crush the Pirates’ kicking team. TailgateFever.com said it best, “We could do psychological damage from which he [the kicker] may never recover.” ‘Nough said.

What does it all mean, Basil?

So, ECU has all the experience and depth and the Hokies are the untested and unproven wannabe big-time football players who just happen to be wearing jerseys that an 11-3 team wore last year. Hmph. Impostors. How in the world can the Hokies win this game? Here’s how…

Being untested and questioned is what will drive the Hokies to shock their fans and their detractors. Virginia Tech has something to prove, not ECU. Normally, the Hokies come out heavily favored and let us down. The team last year was supposed to be solid. We returned everyone for the most part and they came out and laid an egg. This team has no expectations of greatness. Half of these guys have never played a snap in college Most people are expecting a down year, especially after Tyrod got redshirted. Shoot, at this point, an eight or nine win season would be welcome.

But these kids have more pride than that. They have the talent and they have the desire, and when they step on the field tomorrow at noon, they are going to put on a show that will impress everyone. The receivers will light up the secondary and Glennon will throw darts on a dime. The offensive line is going to trample their critics as they rip open gaping holes for the runningback-by-committee as Tech pounds the Pirates defense with a steady diet of Lewis, Oglesby, Evans, Cheeseman and Williams. Inside, outside, down their throats; I think Billy Hite’s boys will punish the vaunted ECU defense.

And when the Pirates stack eight men in the box and try to shut down the running game, here comes Greg Boooooooooooone over the middle for a 50-yard catch and run, dragging four would-be tacklers with him. Tech has the weapons. Skip knows this. What he doesn’t know, is how good these kids will actually be. Will they be good enough to win? I think so. I think we’re going to see some stars shine tomorrow. We’re going to catch a glimpse of the future of this program in the present. And when it is done, the critics will do a 180 and proclaim, “Watch out ACC, the Hokies are back … again.”

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From HokieSports.com:

BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Virginia Tech football team will wear a special white uniform when they take the field vs. Furman on Saturday, Sept. 6. The white uniforms will feature components of past uniforms in honor of a group of former Virginia Tech head coaches and teams from 1961 to 1986. The helmets will be white with an orange state of Virginia displayed on the sides.

Following the game, each player will autograph his helmet to be put up for auction on hokiesports.com. The auction will begin at 7:00 p.m., Saturday night, Sept. 6, and will continue through until Sunday, Sept. 14, at 5:00 p.m. Anyone wishing to bid on these helmets can do so by going to hokiesports.com/auction. There will be a minimum bid of $200 and all orders will have a $25 shipping fee added to the end of the bid. All proceeds will go back to the Virginia Tech Football program.

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Not that Hokie fans need a reason to get pumped about Saturday’s season, but here’s a short video of my son proudly showing his love for the Hokies. This was recorded last winter when he was still 2 years old. He’s been to several Hokie basketball games, two spring football games, a baseball game and a soccer match. Poor kid never had a chance! GO HOKIES!

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