• It took a team effort to beat Clemson, and the Hokies played well on offense, defense and special teams.
• The difference between being a coach and a player is that you feel like you have more control as a player. You can prepare the players as a coach, but you can't get out and do it yourself.
• Gray decided at one point during his college career that he wanted to be a coach one day.
• The secondary is very coachable. Macho Harris, Brandon Flowers and D.J. Parker are all very hungry to succeed.
• There is a big difference between coaching pro players and college players. In the NFL, it's a job. You just give your players information and they go out and do their job to the best of their ability. College players require more motivation, and sometimes some yelling.
• There are a lot of defensive players who play at Virginia Tech who are going to make good NFL players one day.
• The way you beat teams like Miami and Clemson is to play disciplined football. Everybody has to stay in their gaps and the defensive backs have to cover their assigned areas.
• The front four did a great job against Clemson. They got off the ball very fast and played in the neutral zone. There were no seams for the Clemson running backs.
• The Hokies played smart football against Clemson. There were no personal fouls. The coaches stressed to the team that they don't have to do a lot of talking; they can just let their play do the talking.
• Gray said he is probably a little more demanding and a little less lax about the little things than his predecessor, Whammy Ward.
• Kam Chancellor will be a three year starter at Virginia Tech. He will start at either whip or rover next year. It's tough to get him time right now because Brandon Flowers is playing so well and the games are so close.
• The boundary cornerback gets to blitz a lot in Virginia Tech's defense. Brandon Flowers got a sack and forced a safety against Southern Miss, so that was a big game for him.
• Former Tech fullback Brian Edmonds called in to talk to Gray and told him he was proud of him for getting a good coaching job. Edmunds, who is living in Richmond, said he was working as a loan officer and is still a big Tech fan.

• When the visiting team has to call their first timeout before their first play from scrimmage, that's when you know the crowd is doing a great job.
• The fan who hit Tommy Bowden with an airplane bottle was spotted by a police officer and immediately removed from the stadium. He was a Clemson fan who bought tickets from a Hokie fan behind the Clemson bench.
• Tommy Bowden and Clemson could pursue charges against the man, because his name and address are known.
• Weaver doesn't know why the man wasn't arrested. Normally they would be arrested in a situation like that, but it “could be because he was from out of state and a Clemson fan.” He was ejected and not let back into the ballgame.
• Weaver used this time to reiterate that fans shouldn't drink too much alcohol before the game. “People think they have a right of passage to drink all day and make fools of themselves at the game. We had more people arrested for drunkenness and underage drinking last Thursday evening.”
• Paraphrasing the next part of Weaver's segment, he said he got complaints from six or eight Clemson fans about how they were treated and obscenities that were thrown their way. Nine out of every 10 happened by people who were drunk. Most weren't students; they were people in their 30s or 40s.
• Weaver said they are always looking to endow more scholarships. They give almost the full allotment of scholarships, with the exception of men's swimming and men's track.
• In three to five years, they will probably add women's golf because they already have the facilities. That will allow them to give the full complement of scholarships over all sports.
• The Clemson game had the highest ratings of any Thursday night game that has been up against a World Series game.

• Offense, defense and special teams all played very well. The Hokies had very few penalties during the game. Beamer is hoping to take that down to Miami this weekend.
• The football team is getting better. The offensive line is getting better, despite the loss of Shuman during the Clemson game. Brandon Gore did a solid job against Clemson when he came in after Shuman's injury.
• Brandon Holland has the potential to be very good. It's all new to him and he's not quite ready, but he can be very good. Richard Graham can be good as well. He really cares about football and he has a great work ethic.
• Not only did Branden Ore do a great job running the ball, but he was great in pass protection as well. He really stepped up and helped the team.
• It helps recruiting when a player coming out of high school can see that a school has put a lot of players at his position in the NFL. That helps Virginia Tech with defensive back recruiting.
• Brandon Flowers wasn't a super highly recruited guy, but he had some offers. He'll play in the NFL. He's smart and he knows what's going on.
• Pro scouts are in Blacksburg all the time evaluating players. They do a great job, but they still make mistakes. It's even tougher for college coaches to evaluate high school players.
• Louisville and West Virginia play this Thursday night. The winner could have the inside track to the National Championship Game. The last team to beat both of those teams is Virginia Tech.
• Beamer said he expects Louisville to stack the line of scrimmage and make Pat White complete some passes down the field.
• Aaron Rouse has some things on his mind. His grandfather passed away recently. He just needs to clear his mind and play football.
• Xavier Adibi and Vince Hall played a great game on Thursday night. You can turn on the video and see a lot of players playing great against Clemson.
• Anyone who knows Miami understands what kind of talent they have. The Hokies know they will have to play at the top of their game to knock off the Hurricanes.
• Bryan Stinespring was Branden Ore's head recruiter. There was never any question about whether the staff wanted him at Virginia Tech. Billy Hite also deserves a lot of credit for developing Ore and so many other great Tech backs.
• Ore is a complete player who does everything it takes to win. Those are the guys you want to lead your team. That's why Beamer chose Ore and Noland Burchette to talk to the team after the Boston College loss.
• Defending the pass is the responsibility of the entire defense. The secondary obviously has to play well, but the linebackers have to get in their zones and the defensive line needs to put pressure on the quarterback. Everybody is doing a good job in their assignments.
• Beamer noted that Kirk Herbstreit really likes the Virginia Tech program. When things don't go right, such as what happened during the Boston College game, it really bothers him. He does a great job as an analyst.
• Things are getting more equal across the board in college football. Larry Coker has talented players, but many of them are young. He has a great overall record at Miami, and people from Miami should not want him gone.
• Nick Marshman could see some time spelling Brandon Gore this week. At 357 pounds, it will be very tough for Gore to play the entire game.

Monday was Day 702 of Virginia Tech's continuous possession of the Commonwealth Cup.