1: Do you really feel our weight program is up to snuff? I’ve seen us pushed all over the field at times.

Chris Coleman: Virginia Tech developed a reputation in the 1990s of taking lightly-recruited players and making them bigger, faster and stronger, and then those players would go on and beat Miami, Texas, Syracuse, and other program who had more overall talent. Even when the Hokies did get beat, such as the Orange Bowl against Nebraska, Tech’s starting lineup matched the Huskers from a physical standpoint.

That hasn’t been the case as much recently. We’ve seen Tech get stopped cold up front by teams like Austin Peay, Furman, Boston College, etc. The Hokies don’t seem as tough or as physical up front on the offensive line anymore, and even though Tech still has a very good defense, they don’t seem quite as physically dominating, though their modern scheme compensates for that.

Some fans point to the strength and conditioning program as a reason. I agree with that, though it’s not the fault of Mike Gentry and his staff. Gentry was on Tech Talk Live earlier this season, and he was asked if strength and conditioning programs are still given the same offseason freedom that they were back in the 1990s. Here is how we phrased it in our Tech Talk Live Notes from November 5. It’s not an exact transcription; instead, it’s a general synopsis of what Gentry said.

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