I'm not going to say that Virginia Tech's 16-3 win over ECU was a good game. I simply cannot say that. What I can say is that I'm proud of our guys for gutting out an ugly victory on the road, and I'm proud they kept their heads up after back-to-back losses. The defense let up a few sizable plays, but for the most part they held their ground and got turnovers when they were needed. Now, you could argue that ECU had more to do with those turnovers than VT did, but it's all semantics when looking at the win-loss column.
I had some friends over to watch the game, and admittedly we were more concerned with our own conversations and eating a fantastic spread of appetizers (shout-out to my wife) than the actual game. It was just boring to watch. Our offense struggled mightily against a team that has won a few games, but has really lacked a win against a quality opponent. They got beat down by both West Virginia and UNC, so for all the talk I heard about ECU being the probable winners of Conference USA, that distinction is like saying that out of all the guys who hunt for scraps with metal detectors, you're the absolute best. Congrats, here's a shiny nickel for you.
All in all, it's tough to get pumped up about a 16-3 game where craptastic ECU would continuously get in good field position for a score, then hand the ball over to us (once without the aid of any of our defensive players). The offense continued to look lackluster. Tyrod was driving me nuts... and maybe I just couldn't see the whole play, maybe his wide receivers were really struggling to get open, but it was frustrating to see TT hold the ball for so long only to unload a bad pass after getting 7-10 seconds of protection. I expect better than that. No. I DEMAND better than that! You're the starting quarterback for the best team in the ACC. Let's see you zip a pass into a tight spot instead of constantly throwing behind the receiver and making him adjust.
Urgh. Sorry, I need to apologize for the negativity. I am just still severely disappointed in our back-to-back losses. I thought our team had a legit shot at the National Championship game this season, and maybe I shouldn't have fooled myself. This defense hasn't been spectacular at any point of the season, and the offense is only a shade better than past seasons, so the obvious conclusion should be that we will be just as good as last year. I guess, being a Cleveland sports fan, I just want to be a fan of a team that is relevant towards the end of the season. Thank goodness for the Cleveland Cavs, otherwise I'd probably hop into the bathtub with a plugged-in toaster.
I take that back... way over the top. But for the first time in what seems like ages, the VT football team is out of the ACC championship hunt and we're going to have to settle for a mediocre bowl, at best. Meineke Car Care bowl anyone? Blah. It's tough to eat ramen noodles again when you've been eating steak for so long. My focus will probably shift more to player development at this point. Jason Worilds is a stud... does he come back next season? I would assume so. Nekos Brown is solid, but is he NFL draft-worthy? We have some promising interior players like Antoine Hopkins. Can he develop into a front-line force? Cody Grimm is one of my favorite players ever to don a Tech jersey, but is he anything but a special teamer at the next level? Will anyone besides Ryan Williams step up and assert themselves on offense? What happens next year when Darren Evans comes back? Those type of questions all of a sudden become much more intriguing than, "Will we win next week?" Because at this point, it doesn't seem to make that big of a difference.
But hey, I'll still be rooting for another 10 win season for Frank. GO HOKIES!
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