The Hokie Hotline (football and basketball season)
When: every Monday from 7:00-9:00 during football season, 7:00-8:00 during
basketball season.
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Monday night’s Hokie Hotline featured Jim Weaver, Bud Foster, and Frank Beamer. Weaver answered questions abou parking for the Boston College game, as well as the men’s basketball team. Foster talked about the outstanding play of the Tech linebackers, and Beamer discussed a Boston College team that he believes is the best team Tech has faced this season.
Jim Weaver
Jim Weaver was the first guest on the Hokie Hotline. He began the show by talking about the outstanding Virginia Tech defense. The difference in the Maryland game was the Tech defense. Every time Maryland got the ball after a turnover, the defense stopped them. That is the mark of a great defense.
Weaver said he thought Vince Hall was the best linebacker on the field Thursday night. He is extremely underrated and gets no publicity, but he is a great player. His closing speed is outstanding, and it fun to watch him run from sideline to sideline.
Roth pointed out how hard it is to win on the road in a night game. Weaver said Tech has done a great job on the road. VT has yet to lose a road game in ACC play. That is a credit to the coaching staff.
Roth brought up the men’s soccer team, and said they are looking at an NCAA Tournament bid. Weaver said if that is the case, he would do all he can do to make sure the Hokies host a first round NCAA Tournament game. VT hosted Clemson in the first round two years ago.
Weaver said he thinks the Tech men’s basketball team has a chance to be very solid again this year. They have three junior leaders with a lot of experience. Seth Greenberg has done an outstanding job, and it would be great if the team could earn an NCAA Tournament bid this season.
Weaver was asked when fans can get to their parking spots on Thursday. Weaver said the university will close at 4pm. All lots are supposed to be emptied by 4:15 to 4:30, and the recommended time for Hokie fans to arrive is 5pm. That should give fans plenty of time to tailgate before the game begins.
Weaver also encouraged fans to enter the stadium earlier. A jam is being created, especially at the student entrance, by fans who are arriving to the game just before kickoff. If fans would begin arriving earlier, this problem could be avoided.
Weaver said it is his understanding that College GameDay plans to return to Blacksburg for the Miami game. It is a little to early to find out for sure, and their return is likely contingent on Virginia Tech defeating Boston College on Thursday night. It looks like that GameDay will return if the Hokies are undefeated heading into the Miami game.
Bud Foster
Bud Foster began his segment by saying he was very proud of the poise his defense showed when they were put in tough situations against Maryland. They were physically tough, but just as importantly, they were mentally tough.
Foster said Xavier Adibi and Vince Hall played an outstanding football game. James Anderson probably had the best game of his career. Carlton Powell was very strong on the inside, and he looks like he is starting to get healthy again. All the defensive ends played well, and the defense as a whole was pretty dominant. Foster said he can see his linebackers improving every week.
Practice has been going very well. The players were very upbeat following the Maryland game. The Boston College game is going to be very physical, so the Hokies must be prepared. The defense is injury free for the most part. There are some bumps and bruises here and there, but overall the health of the team is great.
Boston College has a very big offensive line, and they are very physical. Boston College always has the best offensive line that Tech faces each year. The game is even bigger now because both teams are in the ACC. It has developed into a great rivalry.
Roth asked Foster about Brian Toal, who plays linebacker and fullback for Boston College. Foster said Tech recruited Toal very hard when he was in high school. He is a pounding fullback who runs straight ahead on the goal line, and he is a good linebacker as well. He fits their offensive scheme very well when he is in the game in short yardage situations.
Foster was asked about the personal fouls. He said he was disappointed because all of Maryland’s points came after personal fouls extended their drives. They run the players 100 yards for every yard of personal foul penalties that they commit, and it doesn’t need to happen again.
Foster said the key to Tech’s defensive success against Boston College is to control the line of scrimmage. BC rushed for about 250 yards against Tech two years ago, and the Hokies must slow down the Eagles rushing attack to be successful on Thursday night.
Foster was asked about Justin Hamilton. He said Hamilton has been a very pleasant surprise. Foster has a lot of faith in him and he has been very pleased with how he has performed. He has been consistent and he is a pleasure to coach. He splits time with D.J. Parker, and they are both playing very well.
Roth commented that the Hokies look like they have two NFL safeties in the game with Hamilton and Rouse. Aaron Rouse is another guy who is getting better each week. He is really developing and is turning into a very good football player. The safeties are coached to keep every play in front of them, and Hamilton and Rouse are doing a good job of carrying out their assignments.
Foster said they aren’t doing anything different fundamentally against BC to offset their size advantage. The Hokies must get off the ball quickly and play a physical football game. The key is playing hard and playing lower than the BC offensive line.
Roth pointed out that Tech is #1 in the nation in scoring defense and #2 in total defense. Foster said Tech has a lot of depth up front, and it is important to stay healthy for the rest of the season. In 2002 the defense had some key injuries and the performance really suffered as a result.
Foster said the linebacker position is where the team is most improved on defense. The three linebackers are the top three tacklers on the team, and that is always a good sign. They have improved greatly in just one year.
Foster said Macho Harris is developing, but he must become more consistent. He will be in contention for a starting job next season, and playing on special teams this year will greatly help his development.
Frank Beamer
Beamer began his segment by saying that he was pleased with the way the team hung in there with Maryland. He was very concerned going into the game, and he is just happy to come out of there with a win. Tech didn’t always play well, but they did get the job done when they needed to.
Roth pointed out that Boston College is 13-3 in their last 16 road games. They have won their last five road games against ranked teams. Beamer said they have the right kind of team to do things like that. They are a big, tough football team and will really push you around. They have a good quarterback as well, and that is a good combination to have when trying to pull upsets on the road.
Beamer said BC is the best football team Tech has played this year. They play very well together and they really get after you. VT needs a great crowd behind them to beat Boston College on Thursday night.
Beamer said some of Vick’s running plays against Maryland were by design, and other players were just covered, so he took off and run. He really causes problems to defenses because he can run the ball and throw the ball.
Beamer said Cedric Humes looks good. He looks faster. Cedric said something about sitting out for a time has helped him to get some fresh legs. He will play against Boston College, and he looked good running the football on Monday.
Beamer said he isn’t sure Maryland could have scored if the Hokies hadn’t kept their drives alive with stupid penalties. The Tech defense made great plays to stop the Terps on third down, but then gave it right back to them with personal foul penalties. Tech can’t have that anymore.
Beamer said he doesn’t think the three interceptions against Maryland will affect Marcus Vick against Boston College. He is a good quarterback and will easily move on from the Maryland game. VT has put in a couple of new running plays for Vick this week, hoping to build off his performance of last Thursday.
Beamer complimented his receiving corps. Each player has a different set of skills, and they complement each other very well. He said he was very high on Jeremy Gilchrist, a r-freshman who hasn’t seen much playing time because of so many great players in front of him.
Beamer is worried about Boston College because they are so good up front on both sides of the ball. Their offensive line is huge and their defense is ranked fifth in the nation against the running game. Football games are won and lost at the line of scrimmage, and the Eagles do a great job on both sides of the ball.
Beamer was asked about the NCAA rulebook, specifically about an offensive player pushing the ball carrier forward, such as Reggie Bush pushing Matt Leinart over the goal line to beat Notre Dame. He said it is still in the rulebook that you can’t push the ball carrier forward, but the officials never call it. Beamer said if it is in the rulebook, then it should be called. If it’s not called, it should be taken out of the rulebook.
Beamer said his staff has done a great job of making adjustments on the fly during the games. Blocking schemes are changed, coverages are changed, and these things are difficult to do during a game. The Tech assistant coaches do an outstanding job coaching throughout the game.
- Monday was day 332 of Virginia Tech’s continuous possession of the Commonwealth Cup, day 388 of Virginia Tech’s continuous possession of the Black Diamond Trophy, and day 325 of Virginia Tech’s continuous possession of the ACC football championship.
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