2009 Monday Thoughts: Maryland

This was the kind of game the Hokies needed. For the first time since the
Boston College game on October 10th, the Hokies dominated an opponent, did a lot
of good things offensively and defensively, and won without much effort or
without ever being threatened. But as the Hokies blew out a floundering opponent
on a sloppy field in front of a tiny ESPN360.com audience, two states away the
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets finished what they started three games ago and
eliminated the Hokies from the ACC Coastal Division race.

This game against Maryland had a bizarre feeling to it, for a number of
reasons. Narrowcast on ESPN360.com, it was essentially not on TV. That’s rare
for a November VT football game. The game was played on a sloppy field with
high-schoolish turf. The strange uniforms worn by both teams lent a fashion-show
quality to the game, as if what the players wore was more important than
what they did.

And the half-hearted effort put forth by a bad Maryland team, with the Hokies
calling off the dogs early in the second half so Frank Beamer wouldn’t humiliate
his buddy Ralph Friedgen, lent a who-cares quality to the game. The Hokies
played a game completely out of the spotlight, which has moved on to focus
elsewhere.

Did that make this game more enjoyable or less enjoyable? It depends upon who
you are. Each person will answer that question differently.

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