Leaving Lane Stadium and traveling elsewhere has been miserable for Frank Beamer and the Hokies. Virginia Tech is looking for its first road win of the season, which seems like a daunting task considering this is undoubtedly the biggest game of the season. But if history has taught us anything- the Hokies are 25-2 in ACC-play in November (thanks, Andy Bitter)- we may not see the same team that lost at Pittsburgh, Cincy (at FedEx), UNC, and Clemson.

It’s simple: the winner of this game has the inside track to the ACC Coastal Division title. Here are some things/statistics to look out for during the contest:

1. Hokies rushing yards

Miami is currently dead-last in the ACC in the following categories: scoring defense (32.4), total defense (499.1 yards), and rushing defense (249.2 yards). The Miami pass defense (sixth) isn’t a pushover, so the Hokies will have to beat the ‘Canes on the ground. Virginia Tech averages 157 yards rushing per game; if the Hokies are to win the game, you’ll need to see at least 200 yards on the ground.

2. Defensive personnel

After facing strictly spread offenses the previous four games, Bud Foster’s defense will face four teams that run some version of the pro style. That means that tonight will likely be the first game Ronny Vandyke sees significant time at the whip spot. Expect to see the nickel package as well with Michael Cole, especially if the Hokies build a lead.

3. Miami’s passing attack vs. Tech’s secondary

The Hurricanes boast the conference’s fourth-best aerial attack with 288 yards per game, and the Hokies have the second-best pass defense at 203 yards. Not much else needs to be said- whoever wins this battle will likely win the game.

PREDICTION

The Hokies rushing attack gets going, allowing Logan Thomas to finally utilize play-action passing as a weapon. Although it’s a close game throughout, Bud Foster’s revamped defense makes just enough plays to win, and cover the 1.5-point spread.

Hokies 31 Miami 23

Not much is expected from this year’s Virginia Tech basketball team. Nor should it.

ACC coaches expect the Hokies to finish 10^th in the conference… or worse. They have a new head coach that hasn’t had any head coaching experience after AD Jim Weaver fired two-time ACC Coach of the Year Seth Greenberg. Tech lost three starters, including ACC all-freshman and leading rebounder Dorrian Finney-Smith to the University of Florida.

But new coach James Johnson isn’t seeing the glass half-empty. He knows it’s going to be an uphill struggle. And he also knows this is a great opportunity to prove everyone wrong.

“It is what it is. People can say whatever, but we have to play the games regardless…whether we were picked 1st or picked 12th, you still gotta play,” Johnson said while addressing the media Friday before Tech’s first fall practice. “The first thing we’re gonna do is get better every time we take the floor, and everything else is going to take care of itself.”

While expectations aren’t high, there are some things working in the Hokies favor. Most teams with new head coaches struggle at first as players and coaches get to know each other, but that won’t be the case in Blacksburg. Johnson served as an assistant under Greenberg for the past five years, which gives him a unique advantage.

“It makes the transition a lot smoother for me and for the guys,” Johnson said. “They know me and what to expect from me. I know their strengths, their weaknesses, the things they need to work on…and I know the type of person they are.”

The transition has been smooth for a team that finished 16-17 last season, and it helps to have the ability to build around returning leading scorer Erick Green. The senior averaged 15.6 PPG (seventh-best in the ACC) after recording 11.6 PPG in 2010-11. Johnson believes his point guard can take his game to a new level.

“He’s gonna be a focal part of our offense, our entire team,” Johnson said. “We do look forward to him upping his point-per-game average, and in fact his total game. He’s our senior leader, and we all know what he needs to do for us. I think he’s up to it.”

Johnson mentioned that he wants the offense to “play as fast as we can” in an up-tempo offense that will sometimes feature three guards.

While much of the talk surrounded around the Hokies offensive look, Johnson (a Powhatan native) should make an immediate impact on the defensive side of the court. He was the primary defensive coach when George Mason shocked the world with its Final Four run in 2006.

“Defense is my staple. It was as a player (at Ferrum College), it was at my stop at George Mason…and we were very successful there. Defense is always going to be a big key for us.”

The first game of the James Johnson-era will be on Nov. 10 against East Tennessee State at Cassell Coliseum.

(photo credit: Matt Gentry/Roanoke Times)

For postgame quotes and a recap of the Hokies 38-17 loss, head on over to the Collegiate Times. With the Hokies falling to 4-4, hopes of a Coastal Division crown have fallen, but it’s not devastating.

Here’s some thoughts/notes on Saturday’s contest at Memorial Stadium.

1. The defense played good enough to win.

38 points says otherwise, but Bud Foster’s unit played outstanding. Of the two Clemson touchdowns in the first half, one was an interception return. The other was a 26-yard drive set up by the punt that hit Christian Reeves in the back of the leg. Despite allowing just 137 yards of total offense, the Hokies were down 17-10 at halftime.

In the second half, the defense forced five three-and-outs of the eight Clemson drives. Of course, those three other drives were touchdowns, but Tech wasn’t exactly winning the field position battle. The three Tigers’ touchdown drives: 52, 47, and 31 yards.

That’s not even taking into account the fact that Detrick Bonner stripped Sammy Watkins on the second touchdown drive, which may have been one of the worst reviews in the technology’s history. (We’ll come back to this.)

All in all, the defense allowed 295 total yards of offense. To put that in perspective, Clemson’s previous low for offensive output was 426 yards against FSU, and averaged 525 yards coming in.

2. Same story, different chapter. The run game ultimately hindered the Virginia Tech offense.

It’s not like the Hokies had to air out a comeback; Clemson never took a 14-point lead until 4:30 remaining in the third quarter. Virginia Tech even handily won the time of possession battle at 33:57 to 26:03. Logan Thomas rushed for a season-high 99 yards, but the four running backs (Gregory, Scales, Coleman, Holmes) combined for just 93 yards on 26 carries (3.4 yards per carry).

If it’s been said once, it’s been said a million times. It’s extremely difficult for Tech to win when it’s Logan Thomas vs. The Opponent’s Defense.

3. Refs don’t decide games, but they provided the contest’s turning point.

Down by seven points in the third quarter, Thomas appeared to get off a pass to a wide-open Coleman with a defender attempting to bring him down. However, the referee had blown the play dead as a sack, and the Hokies punted.

Two plays later, Bonner appeared to strip Watkins on a first-down catch that the Hokies recovered. During the review, clear evidence of the ball being dislodged before Watkins’ fanny hit the ground was shown. For the Hokie faithful, it seemed as if the offense would get another shot to tie the game. As we all know, the call wasn’t overturned, and the Tigers took a 24-10 lead 5 plays later.

4. Two coaching decisions didn’t cost the game, but it certainly didn’t help.

Up 7-0 and facing a fourth-and-a long one at the Clemson 18, Beamer elected to give the ball to Michael Holmes, who was immediately stopped in the backfield. (Martin Scales, anyone?) Getting a two-score lead in Clemson certainly seemed like the logical choice.

To add insult to injury, the playcall for the Marcus Davis-double pass was severely ill-timed. Beamer said that the play had been open earlier in the game, so they tried it again. Did it ever occur to anyone on the staff that somebody from Clemson saw what Tech was trying to do, and made a halftime adjustment for it? Or just the plain fact that the Clemson defense is expecting a trick-play of that sort up 14?

Oy.

The Hokies have a bye week coming up, and Florida State comes into town the following Thursday. It should be noted that the Hokies are 4-0 at Lane Stadium this season.

BLACKSBURG, VA – With just under six minutes to go in the second quarter Saturday, Virginia Tech had only a 7-0 lead, dark storm clouds were brewing over Lane Stadium, and Frank Beamer was probably experiencing a bit of déjà vu.

But unlike in 2010 – when the Hokies lost their second game of the year to James Madison only 5 days after their season opener – Virginia Tech made sure history did not repeat itself by beating Austin Peay 42-7 just 5 days after this year’s season opener.

“Last time we did that,” said a relieved Beamer after the game in reference to the two games in 5 days, “we were 0-2. At least we’re 2-0. It’s not easy. Georgia Tech just takes a lot out of you.”

The Hokies certainly didn’t make anything look easy early in the game, as midway through the second period,, they led only 7-0 and that score was created by Tony Gregory’s second career punt block. But then Tech’s offense came to life, scoring three touchdowns in a span of 12:44 to open the lead up to 28-0.

After noting that he played “like garbage” against Georgia Tech, quarterback Logan Thomas paced the Hokies attack by going 15-of-23 for 212 yards and 2 TD’s in the air and also added a 1-yard TD run.

“It was better,” Thomas said. “Still a long way to go but better. I had my feet under me on every throw, and you didn’t see many errant passes over the head or anything like that.”

Logan’s passing set up his 1-yard run to make it 14-0, then Thomas hit Corey Fuller on a 30-yard TD pass to make it 21-0 at halftime. Michael Holmes’ second rushing touchdown upped the margin to 28 midway through the third period, and while the Hokie defense lost its shutout when AP’s Terrence Oliver scored on a 10-yard run, Thomas tossed a 13-yard scoring pass to Randall Dunn, and Gregory would find the end zone on an 19-yard run to make the final 42-7.

Jack Tyler led the defense with eight total tackles and was named the Hokies’ defensive MVP. Virginia Tech forced five straight three-and-outs to start the game, but Tyler noted there is still work to be done before the next game against Pittsburgh.

“We would of liked to play a little better,” Tyler said. “It wasn’t our best effort, but we made plays when we needed to. We got the win, and that’s all that matters.”

It hasn’t taken long for South County graduate Ronny Vandyke to stand out during Virginia Tech’s preseason camp.

After Mark Gianotto of the Washington Post published an article regarding the possibility of Vandyke starting at the whip position, many anxious eyes have awaited to see how Vandyke would perform in camp.

The Hokies top-defensive newcomer of spring practice has taken one step closer to seeing the field this fall, as he passed Alonzo Tweedy for the number two spot on the depth chart today.

While witnessing some of practice today, I couldn’t help but notice that Vandyke was second in line for the individual drills after being third (behind Tweedy) in previous days. I also couldn’t help but notice the body language of Tweedy.

My thoughts were further evident when the redshirt freshman ran with the second-team defensive group in the team’s pass skeleton (seven on seven) drill.

Of course, those statements alone don’t mean that Vandyke passed Tweedy on the depth chart. The coaches could have just been attempting to get Vandyke more reps.

But after connecting with a source inside the team, it was verified that the two linebackers were indeed informed of the coaches decision before practice today.

The Hokies (unofficial) depth chart at whip is now as follows:

1. Jeron Gouveia-Winslow

2. Ronny Vandyke

3. Alonzo Tweedy

It now appears that the whip battle has transitioned into a two-man battle between Gouveia-Winslow and Vandyke, which contrasts the idea of Gouveia-Winslow being on the outside-looking in during camp.

Although it was a question mark heading into camp, Gouveia-Winslow has shown no ill signs of a Lisfranc sprain that sidelined him for eight games last season. Position coach Cornell Brown seems to be very impressed with the performance of the redshirt senior thus far while speaking with Hokiesports.com’s Andrew Allegretta.

While Vandyke is absolutely the long-term answer for the Hokies at the whip position, it certainly appears that Gouveia-Winslow has something to prove regarding the short-term solution.

If this writer had to take a guess, this is how the depth chart will look this season.

With that said, the coaches are definitely going to want to get Vandyke some playing time this year before he starts against Alabama in next year’s opener. The nickel-back position seems like it would be a perfect fit for Vandyke given his skill set.

We’re now less than three weeks away from Georgia Tech coming into Lane Stadium. (Be sure to start your stretching routine now in order to get prepared to JUMP!)

Photo courtesy of pycomall.com

UPDATE: Mike Barber of Richmond-Times Dispatch Tweeted at 10:05 EST that Vandyke is now officially the co-number two whip with Alonzo Tweedy.

It’s that time of year.

Collegiate football training camps have opened up for almost a full week now, and each team is seeking to ready itself for the grueling season that awaits. Position battles have only begun to develop, new faces are attempting to prove themselves, and above all: every team has (at least some) belief that they will contend for a championship.

In reality, only a handful of select teams across the country have the ability to capture truly remarkable achievements in the upcoming season.

The Virginia Tech Hokies are one of those teams.

It has nothing to do with an FBS-most eight consecutive ten-win seasons. Never mind the fact that the Hokies are 21-3 in conference play over the past three seasons, including an ACC title. Throw out the stat that shows a perfect 10-0 in road contests over the past two years.

Instead, let’s focus on the future.

A Hokie defense that was tied for seventh-best in terms of points allowed (17.2) in 2011 lost two starters in Eddie Whitley and current New York Giant Jayron Hosley. That same defense ranked 20th in terms of rushing yards despite losing three front-seven starters in Antoine Hopkins (ACL), Bruce Taylor (Lisfranc), and Jeron Gouveia-Winslow (Lisfranc) for the season. (we’ll go more in-depth previewing the D in a separate article)

Perhaps the most anticipated aspect of the Hokie team is dual-threat quarterback Logan Thomas.

The dark-horse Heisman candidate (titled by me) is in line to put up seriously-ridiculous numbers in 2012. He’s surely expected to throw even more given the fact that Tech is unlikely to have a back where you say, ‘We have to give this guy the ball 20-25 times a game.’

Last season, Thomas broke the school-record by completing 234 passes with David Wilson in the backfield. The second-team All-ACC performer passed for 3,013 yards, by far the best aerial show by a Virginia Tech signal-caller in the 21st century.

Dan Strock currently holds Tech’s record for most passing yards in a season with 3,243 way back in 1972. I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that Thomas surpasses that mark this year before moving on to play on Sunday’s.

It will be especially exciting to see the 6-6, 260-pound junior (updated from Monday’s weigh-in) bulldoze through defenders being one year older. However, the rate in which “LT” passes and runs will likely be driven by an unproven offensive line. (another aspect we’ll get into another time)

Head coach Frank Beamer is still looking for that elusive first National Championship Trophy. This is one of those years in which the Hokies have a chance to seize something special with a relatively difficult schedule.

A source has mentioned to me that the Hokies’ team motto this year is “Complete Control”.

If the Hokies are able to reach that status, we could be in for one hell of a ride this fall.

Photo courtesy of bleacherreport.com