Collegiate Times

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.

During last Wednesday’s afternoon press conference, neither Beamer nor any of the interviewed players seemed to have a clue about the Dukes’ style of play. To say they were pressed for preparation time would be an understatement.

The Hokies are still in the ACC race and, as of Wednesday afternoon, 20-point favorites over East Carolina.

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A version of this article appeared in the Sep 17 issue of the Collegiate Times.