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Virginia Tech hasn't played very many current 1-AA teams since Frank Beamer took over as head coach. In fact, just six, soon to be seven. Five of the six games have been played against James Madison, a team that is very close in proximity to Virginia Tech. The other was Florida A&M, whom the Hokies beat in 2004.
Virginia Tech has shut out their last three 1-AA opponents. If Northeastern manages a score against the Hokies on Saturday, they would buck a trend that has been going for the better part of a decade. Virginia Tech's most famous battles with 1-AA teams have come against the in-state schools. Besides James Madison, Tech used to play Richmond, William & Mary and VMI on a regular basis. The results were generally in Tech's favor, but there were a couple of stunning upsets.
As you can see, Tech didn't have much trouble with William & Mary the last few times they played. Only once did the Hokies fail to score 40 points, and none of the games were even remotely close. The teams haven't played since 1985 (back when TSL General Manager Will Stewart was a junior at Tech, and I was two years old), but they'll meet again next season in Lane Stadium, on September 22. Here are the results of Tech's most recent meetings with Richmond.
The Hokies struggled with the Spiders in the 1980s, with the exception of the 1983 meeting. Each game was competitive. Richmond even pulled the upset of the Hokies in 1985…in Lane Stadium…at night! Can you imagine that happening now? Not so much. One of Tech's most famous rivalries is now extinct. The Hokies used to play VMI every season, but they stopped after the 1984 game.
Many of you remember that 1981 game. I'm guessing some of you sat through it. But I bet a lot of you, who are younger and more recent Tech fans, don't even know that game took place. Well, it did, and I bet it was ugly. I didn't see it, and I have no idea how the Hokies could get shut out by VMI, no matter the era. In fact, I don't want to even think about it anymore. Happy tailgating!
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Updates From the Past Week
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Normally
the preview articles focus on Virginia Tech's opponent, but with little
information -- and interest -- on Northeastern, I will take a different
approach with this article and concentrate on key factors that may
influence the Hokies' success this season. These "keys to the
season" should give fans certain critical aspects of football to
watch during the season and some statistics that will be crucial to Tech's
success.
A
few moves have been made on the latest Virginia Tech depth chart. Some are
very subtle, and others are not. The most noticeable is that Ike Whitaker
has beaten out Cory Holt for the backup quarterback position. The
r-freshman is listed as Sean Glennon's primary backup on the latest depth
chart. Holt, a r-sophomore who suffered a bruised hand about a week ago
that set him back, is currently third string. In addition, Richard Graham
(right) has made a surprise move up the depth chart at left tackle.
10
teams will qualify for the new 2006 Bowl Championship Series. Each week I
will take a look at the Top-10 teams, two on the B.C.S. bubble and maybe a
B.C.S. dark horse or two. Here is my pre-season bourbonstreet championship
series Final-14.
Jamar
Jackson, a 3-star standout linebacker/defensive end for Varina (VA), has
narrowed his list of schools to five. This weekend, Jackson, who is one of
Tech's top remaining targets, will take the first of his five official
visits.
Malcolm
Delaney, a 6-3, 170-pound shooting guard out of Towson Catholic
(Baltimore, MD) will be on the Virginia Tech campus this weekend on an
official visit. Delaney is rated a four-star prospect by Rivals.com and a
three-star recruit by Scout.com.
There
certainly was a lot more hype over the last two season openers, wasn't
there? In 2004 the Hokies took on #1 USC in FedExField in Landover, MD, a
highly anticipated game by Tech fans. Last season Tech played at NC State
in a Sunday night nationally televised game to open the season. This
year's opponent, D-1AA Northeastern, doesn't inspire the same sort of
excitement.
Five-star
quarterback Tyrod Taylor and the Hampton Crabbers do not take the field
for a regular season game until September 8th, but the defending 5A state
champions did have their first scrimmage recently. TechSideline.com caught
up with the 6-2, 200-pound signal caller for his thoughts heading into his
final high school season.
Finally,
it's time for game week. Everyone has made their predictions for the
season. Most are picking Miami or Florida State to win the ACC. Clemson is
a popular sleeper pick, while Lee Corso has cast his lot with the Hokies.
There will be a lot of good teams vying for the eight ACC bowl spots, that
much we know. Predicting how they will finish is another story.
Monday's
Hokie Hotline broadcast featured defensive coordinator Bud Foster,
athletic director Jim Weaver, and head football coach Frank Beamer. Foster
talked about his defense (including who's got the lunch pail, and is it
even the same lunch pail?), Weaver gave out some information about
improved access into the stadium, and Beamer updated the status of some
injured players and the backup quarterback situation.
North
Miami Beach (FL) star Doug Wiggins admits he is not concerned too much on
recruiting right now. Instead, the four-star prospect is focused squarely
on his team's next opponent and his senior season, one he hopes will be
special. He and his teammates are off to a good start.
In
an effort to cover the ACC more closely this season, TSL is pleased to
announce the addition of a new feature: "Bourbonstreet's ACC
Capsule." Bstreet, as he is known on our boards, is our most prolific
poster and has a wide array of sports knowledge. We're tapping into
Bstreet's college football knowledge for two free weekly columns covering
the ACC and the nation. The national college football column will run on
Thursdays, and today we present week one of "Bourbonstreet's ACC
Capsule", predicting the ACC season and covering week one's games.
I
have a friend who cracks me up. He can't wait for the Virginia Tech
football season to start. He lives locally, and he drives by his
tailgating spot every day, like it's a house under construction that he
needs to monitor. "I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas," he
confesses. And I am reminded again that college football is the greatest
sport on earth, and Hokie football is the greatest part of the greatest
sport.
On
Thursday night, Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer appeared on “The
Best Seat in the House”, hosted by Jed Williams on WINA 1070 AM in
Charlottesville. Jed provided TSL with an audio capture of the interview,
so log on and listen to Coach Beamer's thoughts on the upcoming season
(MP3 format, compatible with Windows Media Player and MP3 players, 8.2 MB,
8:34).