Playoffs on the Line for Leal, Atlantic November 6, 2009 Back-to-back losses have put Atlantic's (Delray Beach, FL) playoff prospects in jeopardy, but hope remains heading into Friday night's contest against Palm Beach Central.
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Hokies Run Over Pirates 16-3 November 6, 2009 The Hokies got back to Virginia Tech football on Thursday night, controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball in a 16-3 win at East Carolina. Tech had over 200 yards of total offense at halftime, then spent the fourth quarter running out the clock. Ryan Williams finished with a career high 179 rushing yards, and with their sixth win of the year the Hokies are bowl eligible for the 17th consecutive season. Tech is now 6-3 on the season, and East Carolina dropped to 5-4. more
Keys to the Game and Matchups to Watch: East Carolina November 5, 2009 The Hokies travel to Greenville, NC to face the Pirates of East Carolina tonight in a critical game for both teams. Virginia Tech needs to turn around the two-game losing skid and regain the momentum lost in a once promising season, while ECU needs a big win over a major BCS team to increase its national presence. The Hokies, of course, will also have revenge in mind for last year's opening day loss. So what are the keys in this important Thursday night match-up? more
Senior Season Update: E.L. Smiling November 5, 2009 E.L. Smiling turned in a solid performance last season as a junior, hauling in 24 receptions for 391 yards and five touchdowns on the year. The 6-3, 185-pound Virginia Tech recruit has about 30 receptions in nine games in 2009, but he is also showing well on the defensive side of the ball. more
Offers Roll in for Osbourn Park Junior November 4, 2009 Having earned double-digit written scholarship offers two months into his junior year, Dominique Terrell has already become one of the most highly recruited juniors in the state of Virginia. Osbourn Park's (Manassas, VA) 5-10, 170-pound star athlete is not getting caught up in the recruiting process, something that impresses his head coach. more
Football Game Preview: #23 Virginia Tech at East Carolina November 4, 2009 Presented by Kent Square Condominiums: Virginia Tech is coming off two straight ACC losses, and now they must journey to Greenville to take on a tough ECU team on a Thursday night. This will be the biggest home game of the season for the Pirates. Their fans are excited, and their players have nothing to lose because it's not a conference game. Meanwhile, the Hokies have question marks on both sides of the football, and they might be suffering from some confidence issues. This is a scary game, if you're a Tech fan. more
UNC Game Analysis: Hokies Beaten on Both Sides of the Ball November 3, 2009 I am an optimist, but it is difficult to find a lot of positives in that loss to UNC. The Hokies were beaten at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. And the Tar Heels did it by beating Tech at their own game - they were more physical, they were tougher, and they were more consistent. The result was a surprising and rare Thursday night home loss to a team that had been winless in the ACC on the season. The Hokies need to get it figured out quickly because a once promising season now sits on the brink. more
Monday Thoughts: North Carolina November 2, 2009 You don't need me to tell you how far the Hokies have fallen in just two weeks. When the sun rose the morning of October 11th, the day after the Boston College game, the Hokies were ranked #4 and all things seemed possible. Two games later, we have a completely different view of this team, which has fallen out of the national championship race, out of the ACC championship race, and almost out of the rankings. more
Hokies Pursuing Hargrave Offensive Tackle November 2, 2009 Defensive back Theron Norman and defensive lineman DeAntre Rhodes are currently the only two recruits Virginia Tech has at Hargrave Military Academy, but head coach Frank Beamer and company hope to add another. The Hokies have offered 6-6, 300-pound offensive tackle Laurence Gibson. Gibson, an inexperienced but talented offensive line prospect out of Sierra Vista, Arizona, is currently considering seven scholarship offers. more
Around the ACC: November 2, 2009 November 2, 2009 With only the month of November remaining, there are still a lot of questions to be answered in the ACC. The Atlantic Division is still up for grabs. There are five teams in that division with either two or three conference losses. In the Coastal, Georgia Tech and Duke (yes, Duke) sit atop the standings with just one loss in ACC play. more
Tar Heels Upset Hokies in Blacksburg October 30, 2009 A late fumble by Ryan Williams gave North Carolina good field position, and the Tar Heels converted it into a last second field goal to walk out of Lane Stadium with a 20-17 win on Thursday night. The loss drops the Hokies to 5-3 overall, and 3-2 in the ACC. UNC is now 5-3 overall, and they have a 1-3 mark in conference play. more
Top Junior DT Talks Tech Offer October 29, 2009 Virginia Tech was one of the programs Warren Central (Indianapolis, IN) defensive tackle Kris Harley grew up following, so he was excited when he learned last Thursday that the Hokies were offering. He received the official letter from Tech on Monday. more
Junior Season Success Continues for Turner October 28, 2009 Three games into the 2009 season, 6-5, 310-pound offensive tackle Landon Turner, returning from a broken ankle that kept him out of the entire 2008 season, felt good about the way he was performing on the gridiron. Five games later, the Harrisonburg (VA) junior says that he has continued to improve throughout the year. more
Keys to the Game and Matchups to Watch: North Carolina October 28, 2009 With the Coastal Division title no longer in Virginia Tech's control after the loss to Georgia Tech, the Hokies must maintain focus against a young, but talented, North Carolina squad. Tech needs to forget about chop blocks and crack-back blocks and concentrate on a dangerous UNC team. Injuries and youth have limited the offensive effectiveness of the Tar Heels, but UNC's defense ranks as one of the best in the nation, so the Hokies better come ready to play. more
Two Official Visits Down, Three to Go? October 28, 2009 Roanoke Rapids (N.C.) defensive end Kareem Martin has now taken two official visits, and at this point the likelihood is that he'll make more before committing to a school. The 6-6, 240-pound senior, one of Virginia Tech's top remaining targets in the 2010 class, says he "most likely" will make all five official visits. more
Star Junior CB Up to Three Official Offers October 27, 2009 5-9, 165-pound cornerback Demetrious Nicholson is an important piece on a Bayside (Virginia Beach, VA) defense that is allowing an average of only 9.5 points per game. The speedy standout junior has gotten the attention of college coaches and is drawing interest from a number of FBS programs. Currently, three FBS programs have come through with official scholarship offers. more
A Rivalry is Born October 27, 2009 This is contentious stuff. Players and coaches saying they lost a game because the other team played outside the rules; coaches trading barbs in the media; the media going from one program to another, fanning the flames with tit-for-tat comments. This is positively... SEC-like. And in the span of just a few days, a nasty rivalry is born. more
Around the ACC: October 26, 2009 October 26, 2009 The Atlantic Division finally showed some signs of life this past week, picking up two big wins against the Coastal. Thanks to one of the upsets, Georgia Tech is now in complete control of the Coastal Division. The Hokies will have to hope for a Yellow Jacket loss if they want to play in the ACC Championship Game. more
Tech Becomes Warren Central OL's First Offer October 26, 2009 Warren Central (Indianapolis, IN) junior offensive tackle Kiaro Holts was one of the more impressive prospects at Virginia Tech's July 11th camp. His performance in Blacksburg paid dividends last Thursday, when the 6-5, 280-pound prospect received an official scholarship offer from Frank Beamer and company. more
Robinson Notes: Laiti Shines Against Westfield October 23, 2009 Robinson (Fairfax, VA) linebacker Brian Laiti turned in a monster 2008 season, racking up 147 tackles including five sacks as a junior. The 6-3 1/2, 205-pound prospect continues to impress and, according to Rams head coach Mark Bendorf, may have turned in his finest performance on the high school level in a 21-20 loss to Westfield on Monday. more
2009 Midseason Review: The Defense October 23, 2009 Bud Foster's defense isn't as highly ranked this year as it generally is. There are reasons for that, and some of it isn't in Virginia Tech's control. The Hokies have been facing much better offensive competition this year than usual. However, there are still some issues with the Tech defense that Coach Foster knows need to be addressed. more
Big-Time Junior LB Continues Success October 22, 2009 Hermitage (Richmond, VA) star Curtis Grant caught the attention of head football coach Patrick Kane as just an eighth grader.
"I saw him playing basketball. He was so much more physically mature than the other guys out there," said the Panthers varsity head coach.
Grant, now a 6-3, 220-pound junior linebacker/tight end, burst onto the varsity football scene late in 2007 and has since developed into one of the most highly recruited players in the state of Virginia’s 2011 class. more
2009 Midseason Review: The Offense October 22, 2009 With seven games in the books and a bye week coming up, this seems like a good week for a midseason review for the offense and the defense. We'll start with the offense, which has been inconsistent, though overall they are much improved from a year ago. The improvement has come at almost every position on the field, and the Hokies are a much more difficult team to defend this year. more
Georgia Tech Game Analysis: Jackets Stay Just out of Hokies' Reach October 21, 2009 This analysis is going to be a little different. Normally, I try to review the offense and defense evenly and mix in a break down of the big plays. I will touch on what was a disappointing first half performance by the VT offense, as well as cover a few of the big plays, but a large portion of this article will focus on Georgia Tech's option offense, how Bud Foster planned to defend it and the sequence of punch/counter punch adjustments that were set in motion in the second half of the game. more
Back-to-back losses have put Atlantic's (Delray Beach, FL) playoff prospects in jeopardy, but hope remains heading into Friday night's contest against Palm Beach Central.
The Hokies got back to Virginia Tech football on Thursday night, controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball in a 16-3 win at East Carolina. Tech had over 200 yards of total offense at halftime, then spent the fourth quarter running out the clock. Ryan Williams finished with a career high 179 rushing yards, and with their sixth win of the year the Hokies are bowl eligible for the 17th consecutive season. Tech is now 6-3 on the season, and East Carolina dropped to 5-4.
E.L. Smiling turned in a solid performance last season as a junior, hauling in 24 receptions for 391 yards and five touchdowns on the year. The 6-3, 185-pound Virginia Tech recruit has about 30 receptions in nine games in 2009, but he is also showing well on the defensive side of the ball.
Having earned double-digit written scholarship offers two months into his junior year, Dominique Terrell has already become one of the most highly recruited juniors in the state of Virginia. Osbourn Park's (Manassas, VA) 5-10, 170-pound star athlete is not getting caught up in the recruiting process, something that impresses his head coach.
I am an optimist, but it is difficult to find a lot of positives in that loss to UNC. The Hokies were beaten at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. And the Tar Heels did it by beating Tech at their own game - they were more physical, they were tougher, and they were more consistent. The result was a surprising and rare Thursday night home loss to a team that had been winless in the ACC on the season. The Hokies need to get it figured out quickly because a once promising season now sits on the brink.
You don't need me to tell you how far the Hokies have fallen in just two weeks. When the sun rose the morning of October 11th, the day after the Boston College game, the Hokies were ranked #4 and all things seemed possible. Two games later, we have a completely different view of this team, which has fallen out of the national championship race, out of the ACC championship race, and almost out of the rankings.
With only the month of November remaining, there are still a lot of questions to be answered in the ACC. The Atlantic Division is still up for grabs. There are five teams in that division with either two or three conference losses. In the Coastal, Georgia Tech and Duke (yes, Duke) sit atop the standings with just one loss in ACC play.
Roanoke Rapids (N.C.) defensive end Kareem Martin has now taken two official visits, and at this point the likelihood is that he'll make more before committing to a school. The 6-6, 240-pound senior, one of Virginia Tech's top remaining targets in the 2010 class, says he "most likely" will make all five official visits.
This is contentious stuff. Players and coaches saying they lost a game because the other team played outside the rules; coaches trading barbs in the media; the media going from one program to another, fanning the flames with tit-for-tat comments. This is positively... SEC-like. And in the span of just a few days, a nasty rivalry is born.
Bud Foster's defense isn't as highly ranked this year as it generally is. There are reasons for that, and some of it isn't in Virginia Tech's control. The Hokies have been facing much better offensive competition this year than usual. However, there are still some issues with the Tech defense that Coach Foster knows need to be addressed.
With seven games in the books and a bye week coming up, this seems like a good week for a midseason review for the offense and the defense. We'll start with the offense, which has been inconsistent, though overall they are much improved from a year ago. The improvement has come at almost every position on the field, and the Hokies are a much more difficult team to defend this year.
This analysis is going to be a little different. Normally, I try to review the offense and defense evenly and mix in a break down of the big plays. I will touch on what was a disappointing first half performance by the VT offense, as well as cover a few of the big plays, but a large portion of this article will focus on Georgia Tech's option offense, how Bud Foster planned to defend it and the sequence of punch/counter punch adjustments that were set in motion in the second half of the game.