Blacksburg Beacon :: An Unofficial Virginia Tech Blog

This was originally posted in the Diaries section in the right hand column of the main page.

I sit in shock, and feel waves of sadness as I listen to the news
Of the tragedy that came today
To my school
I fight the tears and feel for the parents, friends and lovers
Of those lost today
At my school
I get angry at the news hounds trying to place blame and make sense
Out of the madness that happened
At my school

And I want to scream out "That's not my school!"
That's not the place of absolute beauty in a fall day
Of Hokiestone buildings, mountain settings, students and of course
Football, basketball and all the social events
That we remember so well

I will remember the loss, the hurt and pain, forever
I will hope for a memorial, different but hauntingly beautiful
Like the War Memorial
So we can remember those lost and wounded both physically and mentally

I will not forget to cherish the life we have to live
To hold my children dear in this world of no safe place
But I will not let this un-comprehensible disaster ruin what I hold on to

THAT'S NOT MY SCHOOL!
My school is a place of hope, acceptance, sharing and learning
My school is a place of honor, dignity, fairness and reward for hard work
My school is a place where `doing it right' is more important that `win at all costs'
My school is a place where we will remember our past,
And have high hopes for tomorrow
My school is a place to see the future in the faces and people that walk the campus

This is a site devoted to Virginia Tech athletics as part of Sports Blogs Nation. The site was on hiatus until the upcoming football season, but because of the tragic events of April 16, 2007, we at Sports Blog nation wish to let all Virginia Tech students, alumni, family and fans know you are all in our thoughts and prayers in this difficult time.

Hokie fans definitely weren't passing up this opportunity to rush the field. (Photo courtesy of Andrew Mager, Planet Blacksburg)

I'm not going to lie. Though I'm a true Hokie fan at heart, I'm still a realist.

Going into this one, there was no doubt in my mind that Clemson, the No. 10 team in the country as well as the nation's top scoring offense at 42 points a contest, was going to absolutely blow the Hokies out of the water.

Come to think of it, in hindsight, if worse came to worse for the Tigers, I thought they'd at least be able to cover the spread, which was set at a measly four points.

Two weeks to the day after getting absolutely demolished on ESPN's Thursday nightcap against Boston College, the Hokies got an against-all-odds win over the visiting Tigers, proving that they should still be in the running as one of the Atlantic Coast Conference's best.

What impressed me the most about the Hokies' play Thursday night was the performance given by Branden Ore and the offensive line against the nation's seventh ranked run defense, which came into the game allowing just 72 yards a game.

Down on the field for this game, I couldn't believe what I was seeing unfold right before my eyes. Play after play after play Virginia Tech was stuffing the ball into Ore's hands, solely relying on his ability to make a play as he carried the ball a career high 37 times for 203 yards and two scores.

The dominance in which the Hokies displayed in their running game against the Tigers was nothing short of spectacular, and in all honesty, it came as a bit of a surprise to me. Yes, an actual surprise, even after Ore's 207 yard performance just five days prior against Southern Mississippi. The reasoning behind this sudden shock was due to the fact that fresh on my mind were Ore's 59 and 71 yard performances in the Georgia Tech and Boston College losses, respectively.

Leading up to kickoff, it all boiled down to the fact that we were yet to see a game-breaking performance from Ore against a top tier team.

Obviously, that changed. Just another thing to check that off the redshirt-sophomore's 'To Do List'.

Clemson had absolutely no answer to countering, let alone stopping Virginia Tech's newly established running attack. Clemson's James Davis, the ACC's leading rusher, was utterly silent in his Blacksburg debut, carrying the ball just 12 times for a mere 30 yards. To his credit, he did give the Tigers their only points of the ball game, but his outing paled in comparison to his 216-yard, two touchdown performance the week before against No. 13 Georgia Tech in the 'A'.

So, how did Virginia Tech pull out this win, of all games? Seriously, was there anyone in the entire country who thought the Hokies were going to hold the Tigers to just seven points? On top of that, did anyone fathom the Hokies winning by 17?

By no means whatsoever did anyone on the college football landscape see this result coming, especially after witnessing the Tigers manhandle GT, just three weeks after the Yellow Jackets manhandled the Hokies. That isn't to say that it's fair to judge teams based on their performances against similar opponents, but there's no denying the obvious truth, we all use this manner as a way of measuring our team's respective talents.

The bottom line comes as that this win serves as a huge boost to the program, as the Hokies' toughest stretch of their schedule is set to approach in the upcoming weeks.

I know, I haven't been blogging much at all lately, please do forgive me. College has been pretty killer lately, but I've gotten through a tougher stretch of studying and projects, and should be good to blog uninterupted for now.

That being said, here is a story I put out yesterday with the Collegiate Times on VT punter Nic Schmitt, whom many Hokie fans have accepted as a fan favorite. Enjoy.

Warning: This article will make you want to eat some turkey sandwiches. Seriously.

Hokie punter makes a meal out of returners
by Andrew Kinney
October 18, 2006

There are typical punters, the marginally effeminate, 5'10" former futból-ers who scurry off the field after they've done their job.

Then there is Nic Schmitt.

With his massive 6'2", 276 lb. frame, Schmitt is the nation's largest punter -- an eye-catching statistic that Virginia Tech Head Coach Frank Beamer considers beneficial to his special teams unit.

"As far as I'm concerned, his size and weight just adds more power," Beamer said. "Typically, guys that big wouldn't have the flexibility to be a good punter, but in Nic's case, he's got it."

Along with his great degree of flexibility, Schmitt has built a reputation in the Tech weight room for his strength. To date, the redshirt senior maintains a 390-pound bench press as well as a 605-pound squat, a Tech kicking specialist record.

"I've always taken a lot of pride in the weight room," Schmitt said. "Just because I'm a punter doesn't mean I have to be weaker than everyone else. I do all the same lifts that the defensive backs, wide receivers and running backs do, so there's really no reason for me not to be as strong as them, if not stronger."

Schmitt's stature has caused many to take notice, including fellow special teams member and place kicker Brandon Pace.

"He's as strong as an ox," Pace said. "He trains and lifts just as hard as anyone I've ever seen, and it's paid off for him. He's used that extra strength to turn into a real good punter. He gets the ball up quick, kicks it high and gets some good distance behind it."

Schmitt's weight gain as a Hokie has been almost unparalleled.

Since arriving to Blacksburg from Salem High School in 2002, a mere 29 miles from home, Schmitt has added over 50 pounds to his already substantial frame through the Hokies' strength training program.

"I wasn't as big back then because I didn't really lift as hard," Schmitt said. "Once I got (to Virginia Tech) though, I just started going at it, lifting and training harder than ever. I also started eating more, and since then it has worked out for the better."

It's hard to argue with that kind of logic. But what do you eat to gain fifty pounds?

"Pretty much everything," Schmitt said. "I try to stay away from fast food, but just about everything else is fair game. During the mornings, I'll grab some fruit or something, maybe a turkey sandwich. Then, later in the day, I'll eat a few more sandwiches, and maybe go and get a foot-long sub or two before practice."

Of course, that's not the end of it.

Following his afternoon workout session, Schmitt typically rounds out the day with a "few more turkey sandwiches," followed by a satisfying supper, courtesy of his girlfriend Kelsey Hoffman, a senior catcher on the Tech softball team.

"At the end of the day, when my girlfriend and I get together, she'll put together a nice dinner," Schmitt said. "Usually she'll throw down something tasty like chicken or steak, plus mashed potatoes and green beans -- all that good stuff."

Last year Schmitt muscled a total of 43.2 yards per punt, giving him the third-best per-punt average in the Atlantic Coast Conference and the second-highest average in school history.

As Virginia Tech navigates through its toughest stretch of games, Schmitt looks to significantly improve upon that mark, not only for his personal satisfaction but for the team's overall well-being.

"Going into the harder stretch of the year, I'm focusing on getting more distance on my kicks and to not miss-hit any balls," Schmitt said. "Against Georgia Tech, I had a slip-up, which was strange for me because I've never hit a punt like that. It was a lack of concentration on my part, but now I've learned from it, (and) I'm going to move on. I want to do all that I can to help this team win."

Schmitt's "slip-up," a 14-yard punt in the first quarter of the Hokies' Sept. 30 game against the Yellow Jackets, was the first miss-kick of his Hokie career, and unfortunately, one of the most memorable.

Despite his recent miscue, Beamer remains adamantly confident in Schmitt's ability to deliver.

"Against Georgia Tech, Nic had a shaky punt, but that was just one kick," Beamer said. "I still have all the faith in the world in him, and everyone else here does too. He's always had power, but recently he's been working on his consistency. I admire the guy for how hard he's worked over the years. He's been great for our program, and I just want him to keep being consistent. That's the deal there, knowing what you're going to get from the kid every time."

Heading into his final semester, Schmitt has maintained a set routine specifically revolving around the three most important aspects of his life: schoolwork, football and Hoffman.

"If I'm not in class or at football practice, I'm spending time with the girlfriend," Schmitt said. "During the day, we barely see each other since we're so busy, but in the evenings, we'll meet up and hang out. We'll go out to eat or go to a movie, you know, ordinary stuff like that. Sometimes, we'll go to the mall out in Roanoke, seeing as she likes to shop, so I'll come out and just walk around with her ... Basically, we just enjoy being around one another."

That said, Schmitt also enjoys staying well-grounded with his family in Salem, who continue to support him as he embarks on his final season as a Hokie.

"With my family living fairly close to campus, we see each other more than often," Schmitt said. "We'll get together every so often and enjoy ourselves, and plus it's always good to have them at the games. I appreciate their company (and) in the end, I just want to make them proud. I just want to make everyone proud."

Following the Georgia Tech loss back in September, I wasn't truly aware of how much worse the Hokies' season could actually get. With the defeat, Virginia Tech fell from its near top-10 ranking all the way down to 22nd in the country, as well as losing its sole complacency amongst the top of the Coastal Division, but after last night's beating up in New England, I honestly don't know if things this season are going to get much better.

I'm sure the majority of you are reading this just to see the angle a fellow blogger takes after witnessing his respective team get absolutely massacred, and on a Thursday primetime national audience no less. I say this knowing that on several occasions I make it a point to glance around the blogosphere, just to see to what tune others address their team's play.

As I was somewhat defensive of the Hokies' performance in their loss to the Yellow Jackets, in no way am I going to acknowledge VT's cohesive assembly of horrific play last night as any bit positive.

Against the Eagles, every aspect of Frank Beamer's team was atrocious. Throughout it all, I only found two names even worthy of being commended for their performances: Linebacker Vince Hall, who was making plays all over the field and had he not been doing so, well, Lord knows how much more of a blowout the Eagles would have landed, and kicker Brandon Pace, by default, as he did what he was asked to do, going a perfect 1-for-1 from distance.

But that's pretty much how bad last night's game was -- I'm giving kudos to the kicker for making a 36-yard field goal.

The loss though really shouldn't come as that big of a surprise to Hokie fans -- I know I wasn't too shocked. We've been seeing the Hokies struggle (sporadically) since day one. If you think about it, Tech even had miscues in its season opener against Northeastern, so to realistically expect them to beat higher quality conference opponents such as Georgia Tech and Boston College, all the while making the same kind of mistakes, comes to me as unfashionably absurd.

Though Tech's struggles are a mild collection of a number of things, the Hokies' biggest flaw, it's youth and inexperience amongst the offensive line, is what's really shooting this team in the foot (or at least is the most obvious in doing so). In VT's first four contests, this setback was discreetly exposed, highlighted by the team's close result against Cincinatti. It would only be a matter of time before Tech's troubles up front would be severely exploited, and BC (as well as GT) did just that last night, taking advantage of numerous slipups in pass protection and poor run blocking to turn the tides in their favor.

Bottom line, this was a God-awful effort, not just by the o-line, but by the entire team all the way around. Having said that, offensive line coach Curt Newsome really does have his work cut out for him. If we don't see any any types of improvement this year, there's no telling how ugly things might just get.

Finally, on an off topic note, with receiver Josh Hyman getting a one-game suspension following a DUI early Friday, and this following the Morgan-Ellis incident of two weeks ago, I have to say, forget the on-the-field struggles, but are the Hokies' ever going to get their off-the-field act together? I mean, the antics have to stop, by everyone -- one bad apple can really spoil the bunch, and with this team, that is entirely the case, as exampled by Marcus Vick. It may be preaching to the choir, but I'm tired of seeing this school represented by a group of hoodlums who can't seem to stay out of the negative limelight. It's time for some change -- either start recruiting some guys with some sense and/or class, keep a stern eye on those who can't stay out of run-ins with the law, or both. Period.

Another one of my pieces for the school paper, the Collegiate Times, to add to Blacksburg Beacon, aka my convenient online portfolio.

As part of a season-long series focusing on the seniors of the Virginia Tech football team, I took the assignment of profiling Cary Wade, who along with serving as a backup rover to the Hokies, is a fellow friend of mine whom I've gotten to know off the football field.

Biases aside though, much is to be said of Wade. In addition to handling his full-time commitment as a football player, he balances his double major curriculum while also maintaining a part-time job at the school gym, McComas Hall, where I met and got to know the redshirt-senior. Overall, the kid is a true class act, and a hell of a worker.

Wade wards off worries in senior season

Andrew Kinney
Senior Staff Writer
September 27th, 2006

Over the years, Virginia Tech football has become known for its talented group of players exhibiting a strong, "lunch pail" mentality, playing every down to the whistle and making it a point to never take any plays off. These players, no matter the circumstance, come to work hard each and every day, giving it their all and after a hard day's work, hang their helmets having gotten the job done.

Cary Wade is one of these players.

A fifth-year senior at strong safety, Wade currently serves as one of Tech's most committed workers, displaying his puritan work ethic in a program he has come to love.

"Our mindset here is all about the lunch pail and what it represents," Wade said. "We all have a dedicated, hard-working mentality to get better, especially myself. Everyday I come to practice to work hard and take care of business. I just love being a part of this program and doing what I have to do to get better."

Wade, currently serving as a backup to starting rover Aaron Rouse, may go under the radar by some in terms of notoriety and fame. Those around him though, such as his position coach Jim Cavanaugh, know exactly how important he is to the team.

"Without a doubt, Cary is a very valuable guy for us," Cavanaugh said. "He's got a lot of experience and gives our secondary added depth. He brings the strength of a leader not only to the field but to our meeting room as well."

Adding to Wade's value for the Hokies is the rover's ability to perform at numerous positions on the field. Wade, who was converted to cornerback following his freshman year, added yet another position to his on-field résumé for the Hokies after having spent time this past spring at free safety.

"Earlier in the year, when (free safety) Cam Martin was out (with an injury), Cary was actually backing up both safety positions, at rover and at free safety," Cavanaugh said. "With as many reps as he has was able to get in, he was really able to get comfortable with our defense. That's what makes him such a valuable commodity to our program, because he's versatile enough to play both spots."

In addition to seeing playing time amongst the defensive secondary, Wade has served as a leading member of head coach Frank Beamer's special teams, particularly as a standout of both the kickoff and punt return units.

"Cary is one of our biggest weapons on special teams," Cavanaugh said. "Just a few weeks ago against Northeastern he blocked a punt for us. He's done a lot for us out there. I guess you can call him Coach Beamer's `Ace in the Hole.'"

Despite receiving complimentary words for his contributions, Wade has remained adamant in finding such titles unnecessary for personal motivation. "With whatever I do, I don't expect much praise," Wade said. "I don't need it either. I just go out there on the field and try to be the player who all my coaches have put their faith in ... they all know what I'm capable of."

That being said, no one knows more of Wade's true capability than himself. Heading into his final season as a Hokie, not only does the redshirt senior want to live up to the expectations of his coaches, but to his very own as well.

"With this being my last season, I don't want any regrets," Wade said. "I'm just going into every game with the mindset to let it all out (and) to not hold anything back."

Off the field, Wade, a double major in communication and sociology who is expecting to graduate this December, has been keeping the exact same state of mind in handling his academics.

"I prioritize my schedule down to every last, little detail and that includes schoolwork and all my classes," Wade said. "Basically, I'm not trying to waste any of my time. I know when I need to wake up, what I need to do, where I need to be, you name it. I just try to be prepared ahead of time for whatever I do so I'm ready and focused for that individual task."

Even with a tightly structured schedule, however, Wade has seen the passage of time increase dramatically with each and every passing day. "This year, the time has been flying by," Wade said. "I'm just trying to enjoy every bit of the time that I'm here (in Blacksburg). To be honest, I'm not too anxious for December to come around. Leaving is going to be tough."

As that moment is set to arrive, Wade stresses the fact that much of the season is still here for the redshirt senior to enjoy, and that football at the next level isn't just an afterthought.

"There's still a lot of the season left, so for now, I'm not ready to hang up this VT helmet just yet," Wade said. "I'm living it up; every week here is just another experience with Coach Cavanaugh and this defense. I'm just trying to embrace every moment of it, until the moment to leave comes. Hopefully after that, I won't have to hang up these pads for too long."

Yesterday, with the arrival of the newest rankings, Virginia Tech, despite having lost to the Yellow Jackets, actually ranked higher than GT in two out of the three polls (USA Today and Harris Interactive).

Only the AP poll had Georgia Tech (18) ranked above the Hokies (21), who fell ten spots from their week five ranking.

Both teams are 4-1, with Georgia Tech's lone blemish coming as a close, four-point defeat to the then-No. 2 team in the country in the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.Though the rest of GT's games to date (Samford, Troy, Virginia) are in the same boat as Virginia Tech's (Northeastern, North Carolina, Duke, Cincinatti), I think that because of the season opener alone that the Yellow Jackets deserve to be ranked ahead of the boys from Blacksburg.

First off, a look at the unit's statistics on the day:

Player	Rushes	Yards	Average	Touchdowns	Fumbles
Branden Ore	14	59	4.2	1	0
Elan Lewis	5	19	3.8	0	0

It's safe to say Saturday's showing against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets was to be used to gauge how good (or bad) Virginia Tech really was, giving the program and its fanbase an overall understanding of how the Hokies stood amongst the national landscape. When it was all said and done, it did just that, though perhaps not in the way any Hokie fan wanted to accept.

In taking on their first opponent with respectable talent, the Hokies were unfortunately exposed, showing they might not be as good as the perception cast off by their deceiving national ranking, posting the Hokies as high as No. 11 in the AP and USA Today Polls before heading into the Sept. 30 contest.

There's no doubt about it, in order for the Hokies to live up to their expectations, (realistically, anything less than a conference championship berth is a failure), certain aspects of Frank Beamer's team will need to quickly undergo improvements, the most obvious of them being the offensive line as well as the running game.

Perhaps the biggest issue needing attention for the Hokies that arose Saturday was the blocking up front, as well as the play of tailback Branden Ore. After having a breakout performance the week before in which the redshirt-sophomore had a career day, his contributions to the Hokies' cause were minimal, and aside from his first quarter touchdown, his play was below satisfactory, causing offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring to call upon Sean Glennon and the passing game (53) nearly four times as often as he did on Ore (14).

Typically, that kind of inbalance on the offensive end doesn't amount to much success for any football team, let alone for one along the likes of Virginia Tech, a program built on its reputation for relying upon the success of the running game, defensive turnovers, and special teams' play in order to pull out wins from week to week.

So in order for the Hokies to avoid the same fate in the weeks to come (an embarrassing loss at the hands of the struggling offensive line and running game), Tech's front five has got to grow up, and grow up fast.

Having lost four of the line's starting members to graduation, the unit is obviously young, so expect senior center Danny McGrath, the only lineman with any starting experience prior to 2006, to step up and speak out in attempts to unite this young group of linemen, which, though may contain loads of potential for the years to come, looks to be in complete disarray as of the moment.

Final Thoughts: Fortunately for VT, the Hokies follow up their loss with a chance to take out their frustrations on the streaky Boston College Eagles, who (thankfully) rank amongst the league cellar in terms of yards allowed per game (327 - 11th) as well as yards given up on the ground (115 - 8th). In my humble opinion, if the Hokies can't have a big day offensively and pull this one out (BC lost to N.C. State, who lost to Akron), the season is lost.

Tailbacks Grade: C-

Offensive Line Grade: F

As always though, your thoughts, praise, and/or complaints, are highly welcomed, so do let me know what's on your mind...

First off, a look at Sean Glennon's statistics on the day:

Player	Completions	Attempts	Yards	Percentage	Sacks	Yards Lost	TD	INT
Sean Glennon	27	53	339	50.9	4	45	1	0

Let me be one of the first to say that Sean Glennon did not lose this game for the Hokies. The loss Saturday was nowhere near entirely his fault, and if you don't agree, then you should at least hear me out.

Glennon's performance against the Yellow Jackets was in my mind, one of the few bright spots of the day. In fact, I believe he did an excellent job of moving the ball down the field for the Hokies, showing a great degree of composure throughout all the adversity thrown his way, all the while attempting to be one of the few benevolent contributors for Virginia Tech amidst an offense in utter chaos.

Quite frankly, all of the blame in regards to the Hokies' offensive woes deserves to be placed upon the offensive line. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

Against one of the best defensive schemes that Virginia Tech will see all year, the blocking up front for Glennon was downright atrocious. Time and time again the redshirt sophomore QB was flushed out of the pocket, forced to throw a much less accurate ball on the run while scrambling for his life.

I favor Glennon's performance so strongly because he did do everything he was asked to, given the circumstances. Okay, he did fumble twice, but both of those turnovers were a direct result of missed blocks on his backside, so there is no real fairness in blaming those on him. And yes, Glennon did nearly toss up as many misthrows (26) as he did completions (27), but that was due primarily to the fact that he couldn't even complete a three-step drop without being heavily hounded in the backfield.

Point being, when Glennon was actually given more than a mere second to drop back and eye his receivers, he made the right throws, delivering bullets right down the middle or lobs over the top with pinpoint accuracy, hence the main reason he finished having thrown for nearly 350 yards.

Amidst all this, let's not forget that the running game was a clear non-factor. After a strong touchdown run early by Branden Ore to put the Hokies on the board, the redshirt-sophomore at tailback was all but a ghost. His inability to open up the ground game for Virginia Tech limited the Hokies to a one-dimensional offense, putting extreme pressure on Glennon to perform. Despite that though, Glennon was able to prove he could move the ball down the field, and did so with a clear-cut resolve that I wanted to see. Down at one time by 25 points, Glennon's composure under center did not waver, as (with a little more help from the Hokie O-line) he calmly completed 19 of his 27 passes in the second half alone, all the while cutting Georgia Tech's gargantuan lead down to a total of 11 (which in turn, was two yards away from being cut to four, were it not for a shortage of time on the game clock).

Bottom line, I was not disappointed with Glennon's performance, and neither should any Hokie followers out there. For all you Glennon-haters out there who were booing or groaning following a misthrow from the redshirt-sophomore (who was in his fifth start, mind you), just give him a break.

Do you honestly think bringing in backups Ike Whitaker or Cory Holt is the best solution for the team? I mean, honestly, if it was, don't you think Frank Beamer and QB Coach Mike O'Cain, the man who sees these two practice on a daily basis and knows their exact ability would have looked into it by now? Obviously, Whitaker and Holt are nowhere near Glennon in terms of playbook knowledge or general talent and are not ready to be starters, and the sooner Hokie fans realize this, the better. Stop harping on the kid and just let him play. He has yet to self-destruct in a game, and he is only going to get better as the year goes on, so quite frankly, do us all a favor and shut up.

Final Thoughts: Keep the mindset: "In Glennon we trust". He will lead us to the promised land (Jacksonville, December 2, 2006). All in due time baby, all in due time.

Quarterback Grade: B

As always though, your thoughts, praise, and/or complaints, are highly welcomed, so do let me know what's on your mind...

Unfortunately, that would be as close as it would get in this one. (Photo courtesy of Heather McMillan, Planet Blacksburg)

Yes, I was wrong in predicting the Hokies would win this one. However, anyone calling Saturday's result a 'blowout' must not have actually watched the entire game, for they would know that this one was much closer than the score showed at times during the contest.

Had the Hokies capitalized on just a few crucial moments of the ball game, we'd most likely be looking at an entirely different result.

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