Hokie Hotline Notes for 12/8/08

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.

Where: Click here for a list of radio stations, and to find the link for listening to the show on the Internet (look to the right on the hokiesports.com page that loads when you click the link). You can see the show in person at Awful Arthur’s in Blacksburg.

• This ACC Championship is very special. The Hokies lost so many players off
  last year’s team, to the NFL, to attrition and to injuries. The team had to
  overcome a lot.
• The players always did what the coaches asked them to do. They got better
  each and every game. They are a special group of guys. Tech has had more
  talent before, but if they can win the Orange Bowl this could be the best
  "team" they’ve ever had.
• The offensive line felt challenged this week, and they responded. Coach
  Stinespring came up with a great game plan that helped them out. Boston
  College spent a lot of time talking about how they were tougher than the
  other ACC teams, and the Hokies took exception to that.
• Hite is extremely proud of Darren Evans. He gave it everything he had. He
  sold out in the first half, had to take an IV at halftime, and still played
  hard in the second half. He dished out punishment to some BC defenders.
• Evans is a big back with great strength and power. Josh Oglesby also got
  some playing time and did a good job.
• The Hokies are going to go back to work on Friday. They will practice
  Friday, Saturday and Monday. When Tech is in Miami for the game, their
  curfew will be 12am when they first get there, and then it will be pushed up
  to 11pm. Last year, the curfew was 2am, and then got earlier as the game got
  closer.
• In short, Virginia Tech is going to be all business in preparing for the
  Orange Bowl. They have to give their fans their best effort. They spend a
  lot of money going to these bowl games.
• The Hokies have a chance to win a 10th game for the fifth year in a row.
  That’s a major accomplishment.
• Hite is upset at the criticism of Bryan Stinespring. He is a great coach
  and a great recruiter.
• Kenny Lewis slipped in the shower about three weeks ago, and he had to get
  his Achilles operated on again. They are going to take him out of the cast
  on Wednesday and put him back in a boot.
• Darren Evans is running so well right now that it’s tough to get guys like
  Jahre Cheeseman carries. Ryan Williams is going to be a special running
  back. It was a great decision to redshirt him.
• Tyrod Taylor is like another running back. He’s getting much better at
  passing the football. He’s a major threat when he’s on the field.
• Vinston Painter is on the defensive line right now, but he’ll be back to
  the offensive line in the spring. He’ll be the first guy off the bus because
  he’s so physically impressive.

• Virginia
  Tech needs to sell 17,500 tickets to the Orange Bowl. As of Monday morning,
  Tech had sold just over 4,000. Last year at this time they had sold close to
  8,000.
• People do have the option to buy tickets and then turn them back in to
  charity. They would still get their Hokie Club points if they purchase proxy
  tickets.
• The fact that the game is played on a Thursday should help ticket sales.
  Fans will have a long weekend to travel home after the game.
• It’s important for Tech and the ACC to win this game. However, in the last
  weekend of the season, the ACC went 3-1 against the SEC. The ACC had big out
  of conference wins against Colorado, Notre Dame and Nebraska. This is a good
  football conference.
• Since joining the ACC, Tech has been to the Sugar Bowl, two Orange Bowls,
  a Gator Bowl and a Chick-fil-A Bowl. That’s very impressive.
• Tampa Bay did a great job with the ACC Championship Game. However,
  attendance will be helped quite a bit when the game moves to Charlotte. You
  have to have that game where people can drive.
• The ACC has complete revenue sharing. All of the bowl money is split
  evenly amongst the conference teams. However, Tech will get $1.6 million
  from the ACC for travel expenses.

• The players did a great job of improving each and every week. They stayed
  the course and got it done in the end.
• The defense peaked over the last few games of the season. They stayed
  healthy for the most part, and the experience gained throughout the season
  led the improvement.
• Tech changed their defensive alignment a bit. They really sold out to stop
  BC’s running game. They tried to force r-freshman Dominique Davis to beat
  them, and he couldn’t.
• Darren Evans has gotten better each week, just like everyone else. He’s
  not going to make a bunch of guys miss, but he is a bruiser. He always falls
  forward.
• Ryan Williams is the opposite of Darren Evans. He will make guys miss.
  Billy Hite will have an easy job with those two guys, plus Josh Oglesby,
  Kenny Lewis and Jahre Cheeseman.
• Vinston Painter has a bright future. He’s probably an offensive lineman,
  but it’s still up in the air. He will probably be an offensive guard, or
  maybe a tackle.
• Bruce Taylor is a very promising prospect. He’s had some shoulder
  problems, but they are hoping he can be healthy for the spring. He
  definitely has a chance to be a linebacker.
• Jason Worilds didn’t get a chance to practice much last week, but he still
  came up big in the game. His shoulder came out again. He’s really given it
  up for his teammates this year.
• Players are committing so quickly in recruiting these days. In the past,
  Wiles would be calling 20 guys a week at this point. Right now, he’s calling
  maybe four.
• Virginia Tech has backed off recruiting the state of Florida for the most
  part. Tech coaches can make easy drives in Virginia, North Carolina and
  South Carolina. That area has been open since the Hokies have joined the
  ACC.
• Tech didn’t make many halftime adjustments against Boston College. They
  felt very good about what they did in the first half.

Monday was Day 1,472 of Virginia Tech’s continuous possession of the
Commonwealth Cup.