Tech Talk Live notes for November 19, 2013

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Jim Weaver

Weaver has been overwhelmed with the responses he’s received from fans since his announced retirement.  He thanked the Hokie Nation for making the last 17 years so great.  He plans to stay in Blacksburg after his retirement.  This is his home.

Weaver’s decision to retire was made in late September/early October.  He has to have surgery on both hips, and it got to the point where he couldn’t give all he needed to give to his job.

Ray Smoot will chair the committee that selects Weaver’s replacement.  Weaver will do whatever Smoot asks him to do to get the best available candidate.  This is a terrific job.  A lot of people will have a strong interest in this job.

The next AD needs to understand compliance and that it’s vitally important to the institution.  He should have experience in a major conference.

Weaver’s successor will have to choose Frank Beamer’s successor at some point.  That will be very important.

The ACC will sell tickets to the first day of the ACC Tournament for $35 for all three games.  There will be general admission seating.  It’s a great idea.  Hopefully it will work and help attendance.  It could also draw more younger alums and students to the event.

Weaver thinks the Music City Bowl or the Belk Bowl would be Tech’s most likely if the season ended today.

Chugger Adair

The women’s soccer team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.  They will host West Virginia on Friday.

It’s huge to be a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.  It’s big for all four #1 seeds to be from the ACC.

West Virginia won the Big 12.  They are a quality team.  They are very athletic.  Tech knocked them out of the tournament a couple of years ago.  This will be a battle.  Tech has to move the ball and make it a possession game.

Virginia Tech has grown athletically over the years, and the women’s soccer team has grown as well.  They have established a winning culture.

It’s a very exciting week.  It can be nerve racking, but Adair loves this part of the season.  They have created something great, and now they have to follow it up by winning.

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Charley Wiles

Tech isn’t that much better than anybody they are playing, so they don’t have a lot of room for error.  Tech should have had a touchdown early, but the officials didn’t get the call right.  The defensive end pinched down early in the game and allowed a big run.  It comes down to execution.

Tech did some really good things.  They played good defense.  However, he was disappointed in the overtime.  Tech should have stopped them.  A veteran defensive lineman made a mistake and went into the wrong gap, and that allowed a big run.  You can’t do things like that.  You have to execute.

The past is the past.  Tech plays UVA next, and that is always a critical game.

C.J. Brown had never been a big scrambler before, so Tech made an adjustment in the second half and used a spy in the middle of the field.  That helped for the second half.

Tech’s players bounce back quicker than the coaches.  That loss really stung.  Wiles is hurting.  But getting around the players helps him bounce back.

Everybody Tech has lost to is good (6-4 or better), and Tech doesn’t have a lot of margin for error.  However, they certainly could have played better and won those games.

Tech practiced on Tuesday, and will do so again on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Tech coaches thought Maryland fumbled early in the game.  However, it was ruled incomplete on the field, so they kept the call incomplete.  He can live with it if there wasn’t enough evidence to overturn it.  He still thinks it was a fumble, though.

Corey Marshall is mostly working on his academics right now.  He’s catching up before the end of the semester.

Tech has been an up and down football team.  They have to be more consistent.  Even A.J. Hughes, who might be an NFL punter, had a bad day on Saturday.

Wiles is thankful to have a great group of seniors this year.  It’s been great to coach them.  He really wants to beat UVA so they can go out on a high note.

Wiles is excited about Ken Ekanem and Seth Dooley.  Matt Roth is having some concussion issues right now.  Tech will be young on the defensive line next year, but they’ll be hungry.

Willie Byrn

Tech has to get more consistent.  Maryland played well defensively, but Tech needs to do a better job of putting it all together.

The Miami game was the most fun Byrn has had in a game.  UVA in 2011 is #2.  UVA came out and talked a lot of trash, and then Tech beat them 38-0.

The tailbone injury for Byrn is probably the most painful in-game injury Byrn has ever had.  It hurt a lot.  The bye week will help him a lot.

It does seem like Tech plays to the level of their opponent.  That’s something they have to correct.  They have to play like they are playing Alabama or Miami every week.

Seeing the Commonwealth Cup each day this week is a big reminder of this rivalry.  It’s a different feeling.  It’s a huge game.  Tech can’t lose to this team.  The players know what this game means.

Tech’s focus right now is on UVA.  They can’t control all the other Coastal Division scenarios.  They have to beat UVA, and then let the chips fall where they may.

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James Johnson

VMI likes to play an uptempo, offensive style.  Tech wanted to play better defense, and they did in the first half, but then the players got caught up in playing VMI’s style more than their own style.

Jarell Eddie’s minutes have come down a little bit.  He’s been more productive with less minutes.  Getting Ben Emelogu on the floor more is big, but he has to stay out of foul trouble.

Johnson is still getting comfortable with the rotation up front.  Raines is starting, but Trevor Thompson is coming on and Joey van Zegeren is right there as well.

Having a bigger roster this year is a luxury, especially up front.  Tech didn’t have that option last year.  Adding C.J. Barksdale back to the mix helps a lot.  They feel good about their frontcourt depth, but they are a little concerned about their backcourt depth.

Devin Wilson wore down a little bit against VMI, and he had some unforced turnovers late in the game.  He’s probably playing too many minutes, and that’s a concern.  They have to rest him more and get Adam Smith a little more comfortable running the point.  Despite all that, Wilson has played well.

Tech has been talking to Rutgers and St. John’s about doing a home-and-home.  Playing in the New York area is fun, and Tech is interested in doing some recruiting up there.  At some point, JJ thinks the ACC Tournament will be played in New York.

JJ met with Marquis Rankin on Monday.  He doesn’t anticipate Rankin playing with the team in New York this weekend.  He’ll be welcomed back as soon as he’s ready.

C.J. Barksdale played well on Monday.  He didn’t try to do too much.  He just came back and fit right in.

JJ likes where Ben Emelogu is right now.  They practiced 34 times in the preseason, but he only practiced full-strength 12 times.  He was banged up.  It’s impressive he is where he is after missing that much time.

JJ is very familiar with Michigan State from his days as a Penn State assistant.  Tech has to play well in transition and rebound the ball.  They are a great team and very well-coached.  They are loaded.  Beating Kentucky was a huge win for them.  They are probably the best team in the country right now.

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Frank Beamer

Tech played hard on Saturday, but it was just one of those ball games.  Tech’s defenders ran into each other several times, etc.

Beamer can’t believe the replay official didn’t change the call early in that game.  That should have been a fumble.  There were five clips combined on the two big Maryland punt returns.  Beamer thinks the officials do a good job, but since the ACC added new teams this year, the ACC had to add new officials.  It’s a big stage for some new guys.  On Saturday, the missed calls happened to be on big momentum plays.

Beamer didn’t think there was a lack of focus on Saturday.  Circumstances get you sometime.  The Hokies hurt themselves, too.  They were about to go up 14-0, but they had an illegal procedure.  Then they missed the field goal.

Starting out next season, they plan to get more of their defensive players on the coverage teams.  They need to get some guys who are used to tackling and getting angles on ball carriers.

Tech has played a lot of young players this year, and young players play inconsistently.  Beamer feels like some of those young guys are going to be tremendous players.

You have to give the competition credit.  Maryland played very well on Saturday.  Tech could certainly have done some things better and made some more plays.  Every game is different.

Tech is going to have an extra “Wednesday” practice next week for UVA.  That’s an extremely important game for the Hokies.

Tuesday was Day 3,280 of Virginia Tech’s continuous possession of The Commonwealth Cup.

12 Responses You are logged in as Test

  1. Excuses, excuses and then there are more excuses. You know what happens to people who continually make excuse in the work place, they are gone. It’s getting about time.

  2. I was hoping they would do a send out for JW on the game sat, like they did for the pres. Got into game about 12:15, did I just miss it?

  3. They need to get guys used to tackling? Uhhh isn’t Frank the special teams coach. How about I need to get guys out there that are used to tackling.

  4. “They need to get some guys who are used to tackling and getting angles on ball carriers.” Frank Beamer

    These are the kinds of statements that are disconcerting to me when I hear them from a coach much more the head man himself about his ST unit because they are obvious facts. I don’t get it.

    1. One More thing. I don’t get it because this same coach has an empty National Championship Trophy case/shrine. You don’t have that and then make statements like this.

  5. CFB often talks up opponents to a level beyond their capabilities. Recently CBF commented that UMD was not a healthy team at this point of the season.

    I wonder whether or not this contributes to VT playing up or down to their competition.

  6. The Marquise Rankin situation is awfully strange. He tweets everyday like he is fine and then he can’t play in games.

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