Right now at the close of September business, I have VT slated to open up 4-o, and I bet most of you do to. No biggie,
no thin ice glazing over Duck Pond, nor are you out in the proverbial limb with that one. In fact, I’ve gone so far as to put my name beside VT opening up 4-zip sans both L.T. and my boy David Wilson. That’s how little me thinks of the opening four teams on our 2011 regular season docket.
Oktoberfest 2011?
“Not so fast my friends.”
I see three; yes not two teams, three teams here that can possibly upset mighty Virginia Tech, as the Hokies will be favored on the Vegas big-board while hosting all three of them inside the friendly confines of Lane Stadium. After that I see two more teams that Virginia Tech can beat yet again sans L.T. and my boy David Wilson. However, why three teams you ask?
The key here will be whether or not the 2011 Orange & Maroon (O&M) stop-unit finally return to full fledged fluentness in sprechen sie run?
That’s what I’m talking about … how much will Bud Lite improve down in the trenches coming off of their 25th best rush defense in Frank’s 25 hall of fame (in-waiting) years worth of putting defense first second and third? Listen … they will need to improve quite a bit in order to beat Miami, Klempson, and maybe even Boston College. Last seasons 62nd best run defense is just not part of our traditional defensive portfolio; and neither will wins vs. Klempson, Miami and Harris of B.C. unless we improve up-front along the line-of-scrimmage.
(1o.o1) home for Klempson in L.T.’s first real collegiate test after what amounts to basically four
glorified scrimmages. Or … “timing is everything”? Quite a bit of both in my book folks –if there is a team on the 2011 schedule that VT is surely catching at the right time that teams’ name is surely the Klempson Tigers. Klempson will be beat-up and worn down coming into Lane Stadium after hosting defending national champion Auburn and the likely pre-season pick to wear the 2011 A.C.C. crown in Florida State. According to my maths, that’s 120 minutes of consecutive high-octane football; and yes I will be betting the Klempson training room over the week before they play us. That said the more I studied Klempson the more upset I got with Kelmpson’s chances to steal one in Lane. The Tigers might just have the best oLine in the entire A.C.C. They almost surely have the best Center (Dalton Feeman) and the best right-side oLilne (McClain at G, and Walker at right-Ot) in the whole A.C.C. Behind that they have the sleeper pick for A.C.C. player of the year in Rb ‘dre Ellington (right), a 5`10“ 180 lb. game-breaker who only averages a first down every two carries with 2.65 yards to spare. (or 6.32 per pop). On top of that Klempson has no less than a top-3 Wide Receiving crops for much hyped rookie Qb and former Phoebus escapee Tajh Boyd (#10 above) to play pitch-n-catch with. Defense is a different matter as Klempson only returns 5 starting Tigers and appears to lessen as stoutness goes the further away you move from the line-of-scrimmage (LOS). Klempson is nothing if not big up-front and with three starting juniors the Tigers might very well enjoy the best secondary in the A.C.C. come 2012. Nevertheless, the Tigers Linebacking corps is thin on in-game experience as none of them are old enough to (legally) drink beer at this time. As a wildcard I give you Klempson Punter Dawson Zimmerman who might just be the best Punter in the entire A.C.C. He could very well win the battle of field position for the Tigers all by himself in this Atlantic vs. Coastal clash.
So I’ma gonna pick Klempson to upset VT in Lane, right? ‘rong, as VT is catching Klempson at just the right time; although this game could very well turn into something of an offensive shoot-out right before your very eyes, as both offenses will have the edge head-to-head vs. the given opposing defense in this one. Virginia Tech=33, Klempson=24
(1o.o8) home for Miami after the Canes play the powerhouse errrrrr, ahhhhh, I mean the fully discharged set of AA batteries otherwise known as Bethune-Cookman. Huh? How is that even legal? Shouldn’t someone ring up P.E.T.A.’s digits? Maybe bring F.E.M.A. in on a retainer for some consulting work? Dang, –can you say 4-o, vestive, nationally ranked and feeling no pain? Because that is precisely what new Head football Coach Al Golden’s Miami Hurricanes will be when they play us and that means that VT will be their litmus test to help determine if “the U” is finally back; or not.
Let’s see, what happened the last time we played the ‘Canes? Coach Shannon’s mind stripped a gear and mentally locked up after annihilating Bud Lite on the ground at the point of attack for 3 quarters and 262 on the ground and then suddenly put the game in the hands of a rookie Qb 3 games removed from having his red-shirt unceremoniously ripped. Yup, that’s what happened in one of the worst opposing coaching displays this side of Butch Davis that Frank and company have enjoyed in the post MV1 era. 
On the other hand Temple is like New York, if you can coach it there you can coach it anywhere; and right now anywhere is code for So.Beach in what Hurricane fans hope will be a new Golden era indeed. Accordingly, do not expect Miami to give this one away again, do go ahead and expect Miami and their carnivorous T.Rex sized oLine and their 1,600 total lbs. to run right at the Hokie stop-unit from the word go. Further expect to see all of this from the Philly version of a single back set with 2 fulltime Tight Ends (TE’s). The only question mark here will be the 1o4th ranked 2010 Turnover Margin of the Hurricanes. 27 INT’s from the cadre of ‘Cane Qb’s last year is nothing short of an atrocity. Mark my words, if Miami can hold onto the ball in 2011, Miami has the best offense in the A.C.C. hands down. Don’t believe me? Guess who out-gained the rest of the A.C.C. by 107 yards per game last year on average?
Over on the defensive side of the ball, Miami (still) has speed to burn and is good to great in all three layers. If there is one layer that is closer to only being good, that would be the ‘Cane Linebackers (Lb’s). However, the Miami defense if nothing if not experienced and well seasoned with a full 11 upperclassmen starters. That’s not half bad for the 22nd ranked Total D in 2010. Miami (like VT) must recycle two new kickers and avoid going green as rookie kicking game mistakes go. Other than that, this is a very good football team, and this is also a football team that I’d surely rather play sooner rather than later when the Hurricanes will begin to gel in earnest and nail down all of Coach Golden’s systemic alterations. Right now, I have this game pegged as the most likely L on the 2011 Virginia Tech regular season docket. Playing Klempson the week before will take something outta VT and so will these whirlwind Hurricanes and their rushing attack. Miami=26, Virginia Tech=17
(1o.15) @ Wake Forrest. 17. As in seventeen starters back down in Winston-Salem which is code for the second
most returning starters in the entire A.C.C. And yet I can sum this section of this 2011 regular season preview up in one note, a C-minor, or a C- at the very best for Coach Grobe and his r-sophomoric Deacs for the upcoming campaign. This is the third year of Coach Grobe’s fifth year red-shirt senior penta based cycle. Yes, 2011 Wake could prolly beat 2010 Wake head-to-head. However, they would not beat them by much as that’s about like Ralph Mouth punking Potsie Weber out, Bud Bundy beating himself up, or Meatwad beating Stewie up. Well, maybe that last ones actually the other way around? Nevertheless Coach Grobe is 2013 away from making his next mega experience driven sleeper pick A.C.C. run.
So what does all of that mean? It means +1 or four wins for Coach Grobe’s Deacs this season; a very hard to come by ticket for hosting Notre Dame (11.o5), and not much else. This Deacon offense is quite possibly the 12th best offense in the whole A.C.C. Yes, 4 senior starters up-front looks good on paper and stud Rb Josh Harris looked great vs. us/VT last season. Still yet, he (Harris) is only a sophomore as is starting Qb Tanner Price and his .875:1 ‘rong way passing ratio. On defense the Dec’s have two player who could start at Tech: Linebacker Kyle Webber (as a ‘backer) and the youngling Ng Mr. Nikita Whitlock, an impoverished man’s legacy Chris Long who is a perpetual motion hustle machine extraordinaire in either A-gap at only 5`10“ and 256 lbs. On offense left-G Joe Looney could start in Blacksburg, maybe; and Mr. Harris would be a handsome #2 Tb for 2011. That is it; and according to my 36 hours of McBryde Hall that’s only 4 Deacs give or take who would truly contribute in the New River Valle in top-22 baller terms. That’s what I call a sizable talent gap imbalance that tilts heavily in VT’s favor; even if this is the classical sports psych let-down trap game which will see VT put forth a workman like ho-hum kinda effort down on Tobacco Road. Virginia Tech=24, Wake Forrest=6.
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So right now we have things pegged at a none too shabby 6 up and 1 down sans: T-mobile, Ryan Williams, Darren Evans, Smitty, and our 2010 starting Center. As I wrote on the Pay Message Board the other day; I am catching a palatable whiff of a rush to anoint L.T. as the greatest thing this side of, Owens Dining hall sliced bread, Kylene Barker, the early 1990’s Hokie Bird getting his neck liposucked, and Arnold’s summertime back poach when Sidney was doing the hiring. VT just departed a boatload of offensive talent and offensive experience. The good news is that won’t matter much vs the bottom-8 defenses we will play in 2011. The bad news is that our 2011 margin of error is thinner than it has been going back to 2008.
Why? Because Bud Lite and our well-fabled Beamerball kicking game is 2012 away from reaching full maturity, maybe even 2013. Do not fret, we will still win our mandatory 10 games, it’s just that we are within reach of 1 or 2 extra teams with so much defensive youth and inexperience at Qb. I’ll be back in a few with part III and a preview of our games vs. Boston College, @ Duke and @ the X’s and O’s foible otherwise know as the Flexbone offense of Gah.Tech.
Happy 235th birthday to my favorite Uncle Sam!!!
Have a safe and fun Holiday weekend all.
“LET’S GO!”
“HOKIES!”
b’street
