By Aaron Pyre
SouthernPigskin.com Mid-Atlantic Columnist
SouthernPigskin.com Mid-Atlantic Columnist Aaron Pyre breaks down the Virginia Tech era of the ACC.
Virginia Tech’s first 5 years in the ACC were special, almost magical for the football team. Hokie fans since the beginning of time it seems wanted to be in the Atlantic Coast Conference and finally it happened. In those five years, VT won 3 conference championships, played for a 4th and arguably was the best team in the conference the year they didn’t make it to Jacksonville. In 5 seasons Virginia Tech was 34-9 in conference games, including ACC Championship Games, that’s a 79% winning percentage, averaging less than 2 conference losses a season. Now with the Hokies all but eliminated from playing in the Championship game, I am thinking of the future. The question I am pondering is the dominance, for a lack of a better word over? No, I am not saying the Hokies are going to fall down, but it certainly seems the Hokies aren’t above their league mates anymore.
Why the Hokie era is over:
• First the competition is getting better. Georgia Tech is only going to get better at running the spread option and the defense has to improve. Miami is reloading their coffers with South Florida talent. Clemson looks to finally be realizing their talent. UNC’s talent is increasing; they recruit as well as anyone in the ACC. B.C. continues to be a tough, physical out that will almost always contend.
• Virginia Tech is slipping on defense, not a lot mind you but enough. The defense is noticeably down this season and next year they lose 6 starters, so it’s looking like more of the same in 2010.
• The offense for all it’s improvements still has issues with passing, pass blocking and general predictability. Anyone who thinks that is going to change needs to look at 2 decades worth of Frank Beamer history at Virginia Tech to change their minds.
The case that the ACC Championship still goes through Blacksburg:
• Continuity. Virginia Tech has had the same coaches in what seems like forever. They’ve won a lot of games together, this isn’t Tallahassee they haven’t forgotten how to get off the field with more points than the competition yet.
• The stable of running backs at Virginia Tech is loaded with all underclassmen. Ryan Williams a r-freshman is killing it as freshman is the best pure running back in the conference, right now. Next year last year’s 1000 yard rusher Darren Evans returns from a knee injury along with a maturing promising freshman David Wilson. If the Hokies are going to continue winning, they’ll do it on the ground.
• Bud Foster is still the Defensive Coordinator and that means well coached, never quit defenses, no matter the talent. Even in a down year (ranked 23rd currently) he’s coached this unit up to be a good bend, don’t break unit.
How next season plays out will answer my question more than this season. Georgia Tech, Miami and likely North Carolina will be picked ahead of the Hokies in the ACC Coastal next year. Next year will either confirm the pack has caught up to Virginia Tech or that Frank and company will regroup and figure it out again.
Of course I want the Hokies to win the conference again, but in the big picture for the conference it is best if 2 or 3 other teams stepped up. The conference badly needs multiple top 15 teams fighting for the bid to the Orange bowl each season. So while I think this 5 year run may be over, at least at previous dominance, I do hope if that run is up it’s because other teams came up to VT and the Hokies falling down to them. Either way, I will remember those 5 years very fondly … every Hokie will.
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Stories written by SouthernPigskin.com columnists are done independently. Views do not always coincide with those of the remainder of the staff or the ownership of SouthernPigskin.com.
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Good points, but the Hokie fans heard this in 1997 and, again, in 2003. You’re right...Coach Beamer is conservative and will not change his philosophy, but he is not stupid. I expect moderate to signficant “tweaks” in the system during Spring and Fall practice just like we saw in 1997 with the offense and in 2003 with the defense.
We’ve seen that those adjustments turned out pretty well.
Aaron.... I should add, though, that I agree UNC and Miami, in particular, have closed the gap. GT looks great! We’ll see, though, if CPJ can recruit to maintain the level of play after the Big 3 (Nesbitt, Dwyer, Thomas) that he inherited are gone. I, also, have no doubt that Clemson will get back to being a major player and seem to be on their way. With all the turmoil, FSU may be a few years off.
All in all, the talent in ACC is improving and making things a lot tougher for VT. The ACC is getting much, much better and will only continue on that path.
