Oh, you had best believe there will be a live blog today. I already mowed the grass and watched my kid’s soccer game, so that’s enough fresh air and sunshine for one day. Just me, the TV, perhaps a few libations, and all of you good people reading our humble blog.
I’m not going to be shy about things, either. We are better than Virginia Tech. 8 times out of 10, we would beat them. Let’s hope our positive run continues today. And if we cut out the dumb mistakes, this could be a blowout, like that fateful home 3:30 game against Clemson in 1986 (thanks for the memories, Erik Kramer and Dick Sheridan). This is our best chance at an ACC title since that season, so let’s take care of business.
3:36 – Pack will get the ball first. Need to get 7 and set the tone early.
3:38 – Nice start – 31 yards to Jarvis Williams. Great catch, and replay will confirm.
3:42 – Holy Lord, that was almost a disaster. But I think RW just picked it up.
3:44 – Like clockwork. Keep blitzing, Bud Foster. Doing that to Russell Wilson is just like tossing Brer Rabbit into the brier patch. He will drink your milkshake all day long. One hell of a job pass blocking by Mustafa Greene, too. 7-0, Pack. The exact start we needed. The exact start I expected. Folks, this team is good.
3:46 – Clemson’s going to lose. As long as we beat Florida State, it’s now much more feasible to win the Atlantic even if we lose in Death Valley. And we WILL beat Florida State. Count on it.
3:51 – Audie Cole sacks Tyrod Taylor, continuing his tour de force. I have never seen a player improve more over a single offseason than Cole. And the other team’s punter shanks one! Gee, it feels nice for that shoe to be on the other foot for once. Repeat after me: Go. For. The. Kill.
3:55 – Great play calling, but Spencer doesn’t run the route full speed. And the flag is only running into the kicker. Shit, that sucks.
4:00 – Welcome back, Nate Irving. And a Pick Almost Six for Barnes!
4:02 – Nobody outthinks Dana Bible. Beautiful play fake, and all Hokie defenders are worried about Wilson’s legs. And Dean Haynes is totally uncovered for the touchdown. 14-0, Pack. Virginia Tech is not designed to play from way behind. Cole and Irving have to be licking their chops!
4:05 – Great hangtiome on both of Josh’s kickoffs so far. Awesome.
4:12 – Audie Cole with more badass-ery, and the Hokies punt. Long field for RW, but who cares?
4:16 – Uh, it’s not a long field anymore! An absolutely perfect first quarter of football. Laying back in coverage isn’t working out any better for Foster’s charges. Like we hoped for – A STATEMENT GAME. Enjoy it. Savor it. Get used to it.
4:19 – The cats are napping on opposite couches, so I tried to get them to do the Wolf! Pack!! cheer. They were not amused.
4:22 – That’s the ugliest field goal make you will ever see (beyond extra point range). No idea how that wasn’t blocked. I think it’s 4 down territory inside the 30 for us the rest of the way. 17-0, but a bit of a moral victory for the Hokies there. They staunched the bleeding.
4:28 – Three and out. Tyrod Taylor is very athletic, but his instincts are for shit. Beautiful punt, but again – who cares about field position when you have Russell Wilson and our cadre of WRs? 24-0 sounds pretty good to me. I bet it does to Dana Bible, too.
4:36 – Nate Irving blows up the 3rd and short run. Hokies in total disarray.
4:40 – Moooooooooooose!
4:43 – Great play-calling, but poor execution. The reverse and the shovel pass each would have gone for big yardage. Instead, we have 3rd and 17 from midfield. Time to put up a deep jumpball, and whatever happens, happens.
4:45 – We do, and it’s picked off. But it’s the same as a pretty decent punt. Another good play call.
4:51 – But the Pack gives up a big play, then can’t come up with a 3rd down stop and hold VT to three. 17-7. Need to turn that into 24-7 before the half.
4:55 – Four down territory.
4:56 – Another great call, just a hair underthrown. Missing lots of opportunities here, and the crowd’s deflated.
5:01 – If there’s any justice, Owen Spencer is first team all-ACC.
5:03 – Don’t like that timeout. You don’t want to leave VT with any time left on the clock, especially if we are crazy enough to attempt a field goal in a few plays.
5:06 – Good observation by the announcer. State has been getting bogged down between the opponent’s 30 and 40 all season long.
5:10 – Just an awful 2nd quarter for Russell Wilson. Shades of UCF, for sure. At least we are spared another frightening FG attempt, and it should be 17-7 at the half. Very disappointing after such a great start.
5:14 – The Giants are laying down for the Padres and making all Braves fans very nervous. These last few seconds are taking an eternity.
Halftime – NC State 17, Virginia Tech 7.
5:18 – Just an aside, but is there anything more unrealistic than all the “Yay, we’re going to have a baby!” pregnancy test commercials? I would venture that 98% of all pregnancy tests puchased in the US are taken with fervent prayers for the minus sign. Show the happy negative people. Those are your target customers, damn it!
5:40 – Kickoff returned for six. Holy f-ing shit.
5:43 – Thank God – a first down. Need momentum back.
5:47 – Hokie DBs should try more coverage and less head hunting. And we get six on the next play. Na-ha (h/t Nelson Muntz)
5:50 – I will relax and be satisfied when the lead is up to 38-13. No reason in the world for it not to be.
5:53 – Much better kickoff. Much better coverage. Tighten up, damn it. No more drama needed.
5:57 – But the defense wasn’t listening, and a simple off-tackle play goes for 50+ and a TD. Two-pointer succeeds and it’s 24-21. Very, very bad football on those last two plays. It’s quite easy to flush away an early, big lead if you get soft like this.
5:59 – This is the first time since the opening drive by Western Carolina that I have been pissed off watching us play. We are a better football team. We should be kicking ass.
6:07 – A $#$@*&^$# field goal was NOT what we needed there. The Hokies have all the momentum, and their next TD would put them in the lead. This game is absolutely infuriating.
6:11 – East 20-yard pickup. I’ve started drinking now.
6:13 – Why the shit did we accept that penalty????
6:15 – We barely survive that stupid-assed decision, and it’s first down from our own 4.
6:19 – Just a terrible f-ing quarter of football. Disgusting, really.
6:23 – Everyone in the crowd seems to sense it. To go with some old school Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Give it away, give it away, give it away now…”
6:26 – The second half tackling has really sucked.
6:29 – We have absolutely laid down for Virginia Tech. It’s sickening. This has turned into last year’s team at the absolute most inopportune time. Why, oh why do we EVER get our hopes up?
6:32 – If you’re not drinking heavily, I highly suggest that you start.
6:39 – Unless we get a miracle, I could easily see the season unravel.
6:45 – And of course, multiple flags for TJ’s uber-dance heavy punt return. Can’t do anything right unless VPI just f-cks up. Maybe if their secondary falls down we can manage to score.
6:47 – Wow, is Les Miles ever going to get fired. He just gave the game away to Tennessee with remarkably stupid clock and personnel management on the two yard line (even by his own stupid standards).
6:51 – We are getting REMARKABLY favorable officiating. And holy crap, Tennessee had 12 men on the field for Les Miles’ dumb-f-ckery, and they get another play and score. Wow.
6:55 – It’s going to come down to a Hokie FG attempt. I would almost rather let them score and take my chances with the offense. But the offense has sucked as badly as our tackling in the second half. I am still incredibly steamed. Even if we win, I’m going to be pissed. We can’t keep gifting points and possessions like this.
7:01 – I loathe how we’ve played this half. Just awful.
7:04 – Thank God we screwed up the tackle again and let the WR score. And that he was too stupid to kneel on the one yard line.
7:06 – That 2-point stop was huge for those who got a bet in when the line was 5.5. Woohoo!
7:09 – And Russell completes the bed shitting. But don’t single him out – it truly was a TEAM bed shitting effort. Goodbye, signature win. Goodbye, program momentum. Goodbye, any scintilla of optimism.
Your Final Score – Virginia Tech 41, NC State 30. Congratulations, Pack. You really deserved this loss.
