2012-2013 Football Hokies: Bad News & Better News

With the 2011-2012 basketball season in the books, it's time to look forward to football season.  Unfortunately, the football program is being ushered in with a few clouds in the sky. Former VT QB Marcus Vick is back in the news, Telvion Clark is has been kicked off the team, and Tariq Edwards suffered a setback in recovery from his stress fracture, requiring a rod to be inserted in his shin to stabilize the bone.

Courtesy HokieSports.com

Marcus' recent (and past) troubles were documented in a previous blog, and Telvion Clark's recent St. Paddy's Day exploit included public swearing and intoxication. This is not Clark's only brush with the local traffic and criminal authorities. A search of the Montgomery County VA General District Court Online Case Information System revealed the following cases involving Mr. Clark:

• Driving Under a Suspended/Revoked License - Found Not Guilty at 10/24/11 Hearing.
• Expired Registration - Found Not Guilty at 10/24/11 Hearing.
• Failure to Obey a Highway Sign - Fine/Costs Paid on 3/19/12.
• Public Swearing/Intoxication - Hearing Scheduled for 5/03/12.

You may also recall that Clark was a member of the infamous "Greyhound Six" which was comprised of six players that were sent home on a bus ahead of the 2011 Orange Bowl for violating team rules.

On my Twitter account, I postulated that the coaching staff saw a "Marcus Vick trajectory"  in the works and decided to nip it in the bud by ousting Clark from the team before things got worse. Some took issue with this characterization, most notably Chris Coleman (from TechSideline.com), who described the situation as "much, much different than Marcus Vick".  I don't doubt that it is a lot different, especially when you have team leaders like James Gayle, Logan Thomas, and Antone Exum all lobbying on Twitter to have Clark reinstated with the team.  I have also heard from good sources that if the charge against Cody Journell is reduced to a misdemeanor, we may see him back on the team as a walk-on(!?). I guess when you mix alumni dollars with college football, there's no telling what can happen.

On the "better news" front, although Tariq Edwards is anticipated to be out 3-4 months and not available to participate in spring practice starting on 3/28/12, he is expected to be available by the start of training camp in August.

Now for the some positive news.  Anyone who watched the 2011 Orange Bowl game against Stanford, the regular season and ACC Championship games against Clemson in 2011, and the 2012 Sugar Bowl game against Michigan understands that the VT football program has some serious coaching issues against quality teams that need attention. ("So, how exactly is that positive, Ron?")  The positive part about those four losses is that the coaching staff themselves seems to realize that they have some serious issues that need attention and they are actively searching for ways to improve.  As a fan, that is a positive development.

Last month, the offensive coaches (including Bryan Stinespring, Micheal O'Cain, and Shane Beamer) visited with Texas Longhorn co-offensive coordinator (and previous Boise State offensive coordinator) Bryan Harsin in Austin.  Reportedly, they gained some insight in how to create more problems for defenses via the use of different formations and doing things to control game tempo and keeping defenses off-balance.  (A repeated criticism of VT's offense by many Hokie fans is that its offense is simply too predictable against opposing defenses.)

At the same time, Bud Foster and his defensive coaches spent time in Jacksonville, FL with the Jacksonville Jaguars and University of Missouri coaching staffs. While there, they focused considerable time learning how to execute and defend against the spread offense, which Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor--and Clemson--all run. Bud Foster and his team spent time with Missouri coach, and former Bud Foster compadre at Toledo, Gary Pinkel; and they exchanged tips and ideas in a two-way fashion.

Will this reap benefits for the 2012-2013 campaign?  Who knows. But one thing is for sure, it sure as hell can't hurt.

Go Hokies!

Marcus Vick: The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Sigh.  With Michael's little brother, Marcus, it only seems to be a matter of time before he gets tired of big brother getting all the headlines.  The AP reported today that Marcus has been sentenced to a 10-day jail term on contempt of court charges. The charge stems from his failure to appear at two court dates for a charge of driving on a suspended license back in 2010. Ironically, it was a similar "driving on a suspended license" charge that was the final straw for Frank Beamer and VA Tech when they booted him off the team in 2006.


During his tenure at the school, he racked up a total of nine traffic offenses, including speeding, reckless driving, and driving on a suspended license (mentioned above).  In addition to the traffic offenses, he was also convicted of marijuana possession and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.  In the 2006 Gator Bowl, he stomped on Louisville linebacker Elvis Dumervil's leg when he was defenseless and attempting to get up after a play; Dumervil did not return to the game.  The referees did not see the infraction until after the game on video replay, but stated that he would have been thrown out of the game had they seen it.  VT athletic director Jim Weaver issued a formal apology after the game.

Almost immediately after he was kicked off the team, he was accused of brandishing a firearm in a Suffolk, VA McDonald's parking lot.  After his one-season stint as a practice-squad player on the Miami Dolphins, his football career officially ended--but not his career of extra-curricular activities, as in 2008, he was charged in a single incident with DUI, misdemeanor eluding police, driving on the wrong side of the road, reckless driving, and driving on a suspended license.  He later pleaded guilty to the DUI, but his sentence was suspended and he was put on probation, and he was instructed to complete an alcohol education program.  


In 2009, a judge revoked his suspended jail sentence and ordered him to jail for violating the terms of his probation: he failed to complete an alcohol education program, he tested positive for marijuana at an appointment, he missed appointments, and he didn't pay court costs and fines.


Quite a resume--and he's still young.  As a VT fraternity brother of mine, Brian Sanchez, is fond of saying when he reads of Marcus' continuing exploits, "He's doin' us proud!"

Go Hokies!

"My Kingdom for a Made Free Throw!"

Another close basketball game, ultimately lost by the Hokies. Why do we need to talk about it?  Haven't we seen the script play out before? We know how it starts (ugly), we know how it progresses (false hopes are raised), and we know how it ends (badly). And so it was last night in Tallahassee.  Different night, different venue, same result.  "Check, please!"

Courtesy of "Learn2" tutorials

In the case of last night's game, the Hokies simply cemented another loss by missing an inordinate number of free throws at the end of the game.

Not so fast, white man.

If we look beyond the surface and stick our head in the water of last night's game, we see an entirely different dynamic.

We see a team experiencing yet more physical adversity, with two more players unable to play and sitting on the bench, senior Victor Davila and freshman C.J. Barksdale. We see an undermanned team playing its guts out against a ranked ACC opponent in a hostile (road) environment, getting turnovers, getting 50/50 balls, and scrambling, diving, and laying out for 40 minutes. Playing more minutes than they are used to, refusing to take a possession off, and refusing to concede any basket ultimately took its toll in terms of fatigue and muscle cramps (hamstrings). Cadarian Raines went down, and then Jarell Eddie.

Seth Greenberg went with the best game plan available late in the second half, with both his starting and back-up centers out of the game: milk the clock, continue to play strong defense, and try to hold the lead. The plan was working in terms of running the clock and playing defense, but the lead started to erode, primarily due to a combination of missed free throws and FSU scoring.

Things looked a little dicey when Erick Green missed the front ends of a couple of 1-and-1 free throws (with 2:12 and 1:55 left in the game): 4 points left on the table. But no problem: Jarell Eddie sinks two free throws with only 1:29 left in the game and extends the lead to 9 points. Things looked pretty safe at that point, right? (FSU was only scoring points at an average rate of 1 point per minute up to that point in the game.)

Then the bottom fell out. FSU hits a 3-ball, but then has to foul Dorenzo Hudson, who misses both free throws. FSU hits a 2-ball, but has to foul Jarell Eddie, who hits only one of two free throws. Then FSU hits a 3-ball, and the lead is only 2 points with 44 seconds left.  Finney-Smith misses a 3-point attempt, but Eddie gets the rebound and is fouled. Critically, Eddie cannot continue, as his hamstrings cramp up due to fatigue. He is unable to shoot his free throws.

FSU coach Leonard Hamilton chooses 68% free-throw shooter freshman Robert Brown to  shoot Eddie's free-throws with 10 seconds left in the game, and after two "clunked" attempts, FSU grabs the rebound, and Michael Snaer hits a 3-pointer with less than 4 seconds left -- game, set, match.

Damned disappointing? Yes. Worthy of criticism? No. A lot of guys were playing a lot of minutes, and playing HARD a lot of minutes.  As much as the announcers on ESPN (Elmore and Patrick) harped on FSU for their turnovers, the turnovers didn’t just happen by accident or carelessness; the Hokies forced most of them. They laid it all on the line, and at the end of the game, some of them cramped up and were forced to leave the game, and others missed free throws due to fatigue and physical exhaustion.  Nothing was on the line for the Hokies in that game but pride, and they hung in and left everything on the court.  It’s hard to complain about a bunch of guys with character like that – and it’s hard to complain about a coach that can elicit a heroic performance like that from them.

Go Hokies!

A Familiar Feeling

Maybe I've been in Washington too long, but I am feeling that empty feeling that I always get with the Washington Redskins "professional" football team. Specifically, after only 1/3 of the football season is over, the Redskins' season is already over. But I'm not talking about the Redskins, and I'm not talking about the football season; I'm talking about basketball season, and I'm talking about the Virginia Tech Hokie men's basketball team.

Similar to a typical Redskins season, the preseason was filled with hope -- the anticipation of a new season, bolstered by a generally positive finish of the non-conference schedule. There were also some (at present, false) indications that the Hokies' new highly-touted group of freshman would be able to make immediate impact on a team that just lost two irreplaceable stars, Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen; and a key contributor and understated playmaker, Terrell Bell, aka, "T-Bell" (or as I referred to him, "The Black Panther").


Well, after having played the first six games of ACC play, it's quite obvious that "we aren't in Kansas anymore". The season has barely started, but it's already over.


Other than Erick Green, the Hokies seem to be lost in space. During most of their games, they seem to be good for one-half of play; the other half is a disaster -- consisting of either a lot of sloppiness leading to too many turnovers or a lack of offensive production (compounded by a lack of rebounding awareness), or both.  During the first few games of ACC play, the team would come out of the gate quickly, only to lose focus or stamina in the second half of game.  More recently, and more disturbingly, the offense has been sleepwalking through the first half of games: no energy, a lot of standing around, no penetration, and no in-the-paint scoring. And with no second-chance opportunities (due to a lack of board presence), opposing teams have padded a big lead up front, leaving the Hokies deep in a hole by halftime.  Usually by the end of the second half, after an exhausting effort, the Hokies get close enough to make the score look "respectable", but it's a loser's facade.  Losing is losing, and this season's team is starting to get used to it, although I'm sure that more senior members of the team, like Dorenzo Hudson and Victor Davila, aren't comfortable with it.


Seth Greenberg, one of the smartest basketball minds in the business, is still juggling line-ups, benching former starters, and generally shuffling the deck to try to find something that will work. I think that he has run out of combinations, none of which have worked.


Last year, Malcolm Delaney would will his team to fight and overcome, even during a non-productive outing for him personally. This responsibility has been thrust upon Erick Green, and he is still growing into this role. This was evidenced in an article published earlier this year in the Washington Post, in which Green admitted the following:


“I was just blending in, not talking, and Coach (Seth Greenberg) was trying to get me to understand what being a leader is about,” Green said. “How I have to be there every day, even on the days I don’t want to be there or don’t feel like talking or feel like practicing. I still have to come because these guys are looking up to me. He taught me a lesson and it’ll never happen again.”

After the recent loss to the University of Maryland, Green called out the freshmen in his post-game comments:

"...when you step on the court you should already be fired up. Someone shouldn’t have to tell you: ‘Get up. This is a big game.’ . . . It should just come natural. We’re young; I’m not gonna use that as an excuse. But these young guys don’t really know what it’s like right now. So we got to get them ready.”

Anyway, all the Hokies can do at this point is try to work on selected elements of their offense and defense playbooks and try to extract something positive out of this lost season. Maybe they can actually steal a game from someone every now and then, or catch someone short-handed, like they did UVA.  

Does all this sound familiar?  It should; it's been the Redskins' mid-season mantra as long as I can remember. (But "just wait 'til next year!")

Go Hokies!!

A Ray of Sunshine Amidst the Clouds!

Nice to have something good to talk about in Hokie sports!  It wasn't pretty, but a win over an in-state rival is always something to smile about.  As you can infer from my previous post, my expectations underwent a serious reset mid-season after the first 4 games of ACC play. 

The win in Charlottesville last night against a ranked, but short-handed, UVA team doesn't change my previous assessment of where the Hokies are this season -- but it sure was a nice "bluebird".

One of the folks I follow on Twitter predicted an over/under score of 100 for this game; the combined score for both teams was 92 points; not a bad prediction.  He should be a bookie.  But this leads us to a reality check on the game: 47 points isn't going to win you a lot of games, even if you have a good defense.  The Hokies also benefited (greatly) from the absence of 7-ft-tall UVA senior center Assane Sene.  His presence would have changed the outcome, no doubt.

But given the serious injuries for key Hokies over the last few seasons (Hudson, Chaney, Thompson, etc.), it's all part of the game.  In the recent loss to Boston College, the Hokies were missing their leading scorer, Erick Green; but any "tournament team" worth its salt beats BC no matter who is missing from the line-up.

This gets back to expectations. After starting the season 0-4 in the ACC, including losses to woeful teams like Wake Forest and Boston College, I no longer view the Hokies as a tournament team, and probably not even an NIT invitee. As a result, any success in this "rebuilding year" is a plus, and something to be enjoyed. In the losses, I am just looking for some positives.

In last night's game, a lot of folks contributed to the win, and obviously not just on offense. I thought that Zo Hudson started looking like the player we expected him to be this season, and I saw some strides by Marquis Rankin towards becoming a valuable relief valve for Erick Green, who plays an incredible amount of minutes every game -- over 33 minutes by my count.

Upcoming games: BYU and UMD (I'm going to that one, courtesy of my oldest son!)

GO HOKIES!

Frustration and Disappointment

In terms of the VT sports that I follow (i.e., football and basketball), things have gone from bad to worse since my last post. I was hoping to hold out for something positive to talk about regarding the Hokie cagers, but I don't think that I can wait that long...

Erick Green, courtesy HokieSports.com

Last night was a low point for this season's team. Sure, we were playing a wounded UNC team ranked # 8 in the nation and coming off of a bad loss to FSU; but despite Seth Greenberg's assertions to the contrary, I could not identify many positives from that game. And yes, this season's unit has a lot of freshmen in the line-up, but so do a few other teams, and those teams are still finding a way to win in the ACC.


Again, I realize that UNC has superior starters and bench talent across-the-board compared to VT's, and the Hokies just ran out of gas in the second half. However, despite being up at halftime, we were never really in control of the game.  The first-half lead was a house-of-cards with a foundation based on the limited success of some low-probability outside shooting. Since the Hokies were unable to penetrate UNC's defense and get shots in the paint, once the outside shooting dried up, the team was toast.


A couple observations regarding VT performance in ACC play so far:

• The team is young, and should get better, but a few of the freshmen have regressed, instead of progressing.
• The lack of size (weight/height) of our centers makes us a non-factor under the basket.  After what UNC and everyone else has been doing to us under the boards, the prospects for being able to correct this during the season are dim.
• All of VT's players have their "moments", but Erick Green is pretty-much the only player that can be counted on to "ball-out" for the entire game and consistently be productive.
• Senior leadership is lacking on this team, period.
• I just don’t see any of Seth Greenberg’s “attitude” and toughness in this year’s team.  It’s going to be hard to get it (back) based on where we are now in the season.

This is most disappointed that I have been in a Hokie basketball team since I’ve been following them (after Greenberg arrived). In the past, there have been glimmers of hope sprinkled through most of the games, but in last night’s game, everyone knew that the fragile lead that we had at halftime would never hold up.

We have upcoming games against UVA and UMD; they are both probably licking their chops at thought of some home-cooked fried turkey.

GO HOKIES!!

The Word That Shall Never Be Spoken Again...

"BEAMERBALL"

That word used to mean something.  Now it is an oxymoron. I cringe whenever I hear it.  Non-Hokies may associate that word with quality special teams play; but it hasn't been that for a long, long, time now. Virginia Tech special teams are, and have been, mediocre at best.  "Beamerball" should be banned from the VT football lexicon -- forever.

I won't even discuss former VT kicker, Cody Journell, and the shame and embarrassment that he recently bestowed on the VT football program. His arrest and suspension was cited multiple times by the ESPN game crew in front of a national audience in a BCS game

And in the Sugar Bowl game tonight, VT special teams play and coaching was downright awful -- as was the offensive play-calling. In fact, the offensive play-calling was downright bull-headed. I thought that new play-caller (this season) Michael O'Cain was bringing something fresh to the table. Offensive Coordinator Bryan Stinespring came up with game plan which provided O'Cain the portfolio of plays to run, so I don't know which one to blame -- probably both.

In a nutshell, in tonight's game, VT did more than enough bad things to lose, and Michigan did just enough good things to win. 

Words cannot express how disappointing, embarrassing, and devastating that this loss was.  Hokie Nation will no doubt be expressing, in vitriolic terms, its reaction to the poor coaching on offense and special teams over the next few days.  If we ever lose defensive coach Bud Foster to a head-coaching position with another team, the program will be in even deeper caca.