There is no doubt operations within the Virginia Tech football program need to be a little more than tweaked after Saturday’s loss to James Madison.
Apparently, there are issues in the stands as well.
Where was the fan support come halftime on Saturday?
The transformation of the occupancy of the north endzone section from kickoff to the start of the fourth quarter was reminiscent of accounts of the First Battle of Bull Run, the first major land battle of the American Civil War.
On the morning of the battle, hundreds of socialites, prominent political figures, and reporters, making the short trip from Washington, D.C., to Manassas, Va., lined the battlefield to get a glimpse of what was sure to be a glorious victory for the Union army. It was an event that had been anticipated for months.
Initially, the Union army claimed the advantage on the field but a strong and unexpected counterattack from the Confederates ultimately forced the Yankees to retreat back to Washington.
Upon sight of the carnage inflicted and the panic in the eyes of their boys in blue, reality struck the civilians in attendance, who originally thought they would bear witness to something more along the lines of a sporting event or a play. In turn, they scampered back to their carriages and horses.
All of the Tech students who showed up Saturday thought they were going to erase thoughts of the heartbreaking loss to Boise State and christen the home football season by jumping up and down to “Enter Sandman,” eating a few turkey legs and experiencing the rumble of the cannon, Skipper, as it fired about a dozen times.
Then, James Madison’s quarterback Drew Dudzik connected on a 77-yard touchdown pass to running back Jamal Sullivan in the final minutes of the first half to cut Tech’s lead to three points.
Things started to get a little too real for Hokie fans, who began scurrying for the exits.
The caliber of support shown last Saturday is a testament to how greedy this team’s fanbase has become. The win was never out of reach for the home team, yet Tech fans did not seem to care. They did not want to see if their team could merely escape with a win over an FCS program. The game needed to be a blowout.
They were given the rare opportunity of watching a competitive football game inside the gates of Lane Stadium in mid-September but decided to pass.
Such is the concept of Hokie football — the expectation of a 9-10 win season does not need to be stated, and I am continually left wondering if anybody on this campus realizes how fortunate this school is to feature a football program that is always competitive and almost always declared the favorite.
It has been taken for granted way too often over the past decade and the loss over the weekend was, needless to say, a rude awakening for most.
But there is little need to fret, as the state of Tech football is not in complete disarray. Jim Weaver, director of athletics, and presumably head coach Frank Beamer decided to schedule a top FCS program five days after playing a nationally-televised game against the No. 3 team in the country.
It was a gamble that they lost. Boise State, on the other hand, was off last weekend. Believe it or not, these 20-year-olds into whom we put so much stock and faith are not machines.
A version of this article appeared in the Sep 17 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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I'm sorry, Tyrod hasn't proven much of anything, other than he's a great athlete. Great athletes don't always translate into good QBs. As for the Defense, look at the first half of the ECU game today. Where is this powerhouse Foster defense? Am I the only one who thinks this is missing this year? I'm pretty sure most of us reading this would be able to complete a pass against our defense this year. There is no EXCUSE. POOR PERFORMANCES ACROSS THE BOARD.
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Greedy? More like fed up. We are the ones pouring money into this football program and are tired of seeing season after season being squandered because of an incompetent Offensive Coordinator and complacent coaching staff. We have the best talent on offense that we've had in years yet we have the most terrible start that we have in years because we have 7 new starters on Defense.
Come on! When is Beamer going to wake up and fire this guy, you can't play the best in football on your defense alone. Ever heard the saying the best defense is a good offense?
Some of us have just had it, and we are done. Until we see actions and results, we're done. Sorry.
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Well put and I agree.
When I heard that Beamer gave Stiney "the riot act" I was even more disheartened. He actually thinks after way underperforming nearly every year it's going to change because he yells at him??
I know this sounds like "the sky is falling" talk to a lot of ppl. But I think we're on the edge of dropping out of any elite status we held, if we ever held it, for awhile unless things change. I'm not optimistic.
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maybe it had something to do with the cold and the soaking rain. or maybe it was too painful to watch
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The cold and rain shouldn't matter. True fans should be there through thick and thin and until the very end. No one had any problems staying until the end of the Miami game last year and it was even colder with heavier rains.
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