Virginia Tech Hokies: Road to Turning Around Misfortune

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Defense: The Difference Maker

-The Hokies utilized a top-notch defensive game-plan to spoil Homecoming for the Hurricanes-
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Blacksburg, VA (AP) - Two of the ACC's premier schools squared off on Saturday night, as the #3 Virginia Tech Hokies traveled to Miami to take on the #7 Miami Hurricanes. With the game having major ramifications on who would represent the Coastal Division in the ACC Championship Game against Florida State, it was definitely championship atmosphere at the Orange Bowl.

After a decisive victory at home one year ago, the Hokies were looking to follow up that success, and repeat that performance again, but this time on the road. By half-time, it looked like it would be an exact repeat from a year ago, as the Hokies ran the Hurricanes right out of the stadium. Major thanks should be given to Coach Dick Bumpas, as he brought together a lights-out defensive game-plan, and locked-down the Hurricanes throughout the first half, as they enjoyed a 24-0 lead at half time. All night long, Bumpas put a lot of pressure on Richmond Johnson, the back-up for Dewayne Baldwin at quarterback. Defensive end Michael Chavis had another stand-out performance, as he added 2 more sacks to his resume in this night:


-Chavis recorded his first sack on the night-


-In similar fashion, Chavis tallied his 2nd sack of the night, and 10th sack of the season-

To this point in the season, Michael Chavis has had one of the best performances of any freshman defensive player in quite some time. He now has racked up 10 sacks on the season, and leads the country. His 24 tackles for loss to go along with the 10 sacks ranks 3rd nationally, and with these types of stats, Chavis should be a shoe-in for Freshman All-American.

While Johnson did face pressure all night, he delivered a very solid performance, filling in for Baldwin, and giving the Hurricanes a chance to win. Johnson finished the night going 23-32 for 251 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. Another negative to add to the pot for the Hurricanes was All-American running back Tommy Thomas getting injured in the 2nd quarter, and being put out for the rest of the game. He started out strong, but was unable to finish the night. He carried the ball 8 times for 53 yards. His back-up, Tony Green, picked up the slack and ran the ball with a purpose. Green racked up 75 yards on 17 carries, and helped the Hurricane offense make a late push in the game. It was the interceptions that ultimately killed the Hurricanes, though, as the Hokies were able to capitalize on their mistakes, and punch them both in for touchdowns. Two crucial 4th down stops deep in Hokie territory also doomed the Hurricanes, as they had to fight out of a 24-0 hole after half-time.


-Matthews celebrates after 1 of his 3 touchdown runs-

Unfortunately for the Hurricanes, that hole was dug deeper, as Brian Matthews did not exactly help out their cause, as he broke off a 74 yard touchdown run in the 3rd quarter, and gave the Hokies a 31-0 lead.


-Matthews breaks off a 74 yard touchdown run in the 3rd quarter-

Matthews continues his push for the Heisman chase, and has entered the talks to being one of the candidates to attend the presentation in New York at season's end. Matthews racked up 165 yards on 32 carries for 3 touchdowns, and added 2 receptions for 42 yards. On the season, Matthews leads the nation, carrying the ball 220 times for 1,532 yards and 18 touchdowns. With 4 games remaining, it looks as if Matthews will achieve his goal that he set before the season of eclipsing the 2,000 yard mark (barring some type of injury). Not only that, but he could be sporting a lot of hardware by the end of the season (one of those pieces could be very popular trophy that many dream of).


-Matthews takes a counter in behind his blockers for a touchdown-

The second half of the dynamic duo, Brandon Reid, also delivered a solid performance, as he went 13-20 for 284 yards and 1 touchdown. That lone touchdown was caught by his favorite tight end target, Trae Fisher in the first quarter.


-Reid stands tall in the pocket and connects with Trae Fisher for the touchdown-

While Reid didn't have a stand-out performance statistically, he did spread the ball around and kept the Hurricane offense off balance all night. Every one of his receiving targets caught the ball, with Lee Hendrix and Molokai Okole leading the way for another week.


-Molokai Okole hauls in a pass on the sideline as the defender helplessly looks on-

While the Hurricanes defense finally stepped up and forced 2 turnovers in the second half, and the offense made a late push and was able to score two touchdowns to pull closer, a failed onsides kick with 4 minutes remaining ended all hopes of a comeback for Miami. With the running game clicking on all cylinders, the Hokies were able to run out the clock, and secure a solid victory over a formidable opponent.

Final Score: Virginia Tech 31, Miami 13

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Next-up: Virginia Tech will travel to take on the 2-6 Deamon Deacons of Wake Forest in ACC Conference play. With 2 conference games remaining, and a win over Miami, the Hurricanes control their destiny in the ACC. With a win over Wake Forest next Saturday, the Hokies will secure the Coastal Division, and will be taking on the Florida State Seminoles in the ACC Conference Championship in December at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC. On top of that, the Hokies kept their National Championship hopes with the big victory against Miami, and are right where they want to be with 4 games remaining.

Big Games On-Tap This Week: It is a big week for the AP Top 25 teams, as there are a hand-full of important match-ups that could help shape the BCS picture as we close into the last quarter of the season.

• #2 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. #20 LSU Tigers
• #1 USC Trojans vs. #4 Washington Huskies
• #7 Utah Utes vs. #17 TCU Horned Frogs

With these match-ups, there is a guarantee that 2 of the nation's unbeatens will fall, and a possibility for a 3rd as LSU will look to upset Alabama at home. Last week, #9 previously unbeaten South Carolina Gamecocks lost in an upset that went to over-time with the Arkansas Razorbacks. Alabama is the only team left from the SEC that is unbeaten, and LSU will attempt to change that this week. TCU is getting no respect in the polls, as they are currently 9-0 on the season, and will be looking to knock Utah off their pedestal. USC and Washington will go to battle to decide the top team in the PAC-10, and without question, the winner could be looking at a spot in the BCS National Championship game in January.

Big week coming up college football fans! Make sure to tune in next weekend, and hope that USC and Alabama will get upset, and that our Hokies will move into one of the top spots in the nation!

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[Size48]

Utter domination.

[Trakan31]

I really enjoy this dynasty, it is beyond and above awesome! Only thing make it better if it was a team builder team lol. Just like to see them grow! Maybe start one with your highschool alma mater. Keep up the good workk mm

[Tombstone31]

Call of the Hokies!! VTech is straight up killing it this season This is a very good dynasty man good job! Here Comes Da Boom!!

[mm boost]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate it. It will resume tonight, will be playing the Wake Forest game. Should be playing UVa, and then Wisconsin tomorrow and Thursday night. Trying to get through this season, because I have a good feeling I am going to extend it and go one more season after this current one (2017 season), so it will give me time to practice with NCAA 12 to get my rosters 100% correct, all uniform configurations set-up, all my schedules figured out, custom stadium sounds, and of course sliders. Then I will start a new thread and start a brand new dynasty! But for now, I am planning on finishing my current 2016 season, and going on more year and sending out all the guys I have developed on their senior seasons. I am actually really attached to this dynasty, and I really do not want to end it. I know once I start NCAA 12, though, that I will never pick NCAA 11 up again, so I am trying to suck every second I can out of this game before I retire it.

Be on look-out for the Wake Forest game tomorrow.

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Hokies Bully The Deacons;
Over By Half-Time

-The Hokies invaded Wallace Wade stadium in Winston-Salem, and delivered a 35-point rally in the second quarter to defeat the Deamon Deacons convincingly-
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Blacksburg, VA (AP) - On a cold and blistery Saturday in Winston-Salem, the #3 8-0 Virginia Tech Hokies invaded Wallace Wade Stadium, and utilized a 35-point second quarter rally to defeat the Wake Forest Deamon Deacons 70-24. Led by a solid performance from Seniors Brandon Reid and Brian Matthews, the Hokie offense clicked on all cylinders and were able to score at will. However, the story was special teams, as they were able to pick up three touchdowns, and squander all momentum the Deacons were able to muster.



Brandon Reid led the way for the Hokies, as he was precise in the passing game, and flat-out dangerous in the running game. Whenever the pressure reached Reid, he used his escapability skills to evade the surge, and gave the Deacons a headache all afternoon. Whenever Reid had time in the pocket, he was nearly flawless spreading the ball around, and sharing the yardage, as Reid went 17 of 21 for 212 yards, and tacked on 9 carries for 42 yards and 3 touchdowns. As one of the most dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks in NCAA history, Reid gives opposing team's coaches headaches every week. He can torch a defense through the air, but if they begin to hone in on the passing game, Reid can take off using his lightning speed, and pick apart the defense. In the open field, his 6'6" frame makes it hard to take him down as he will run over you if he has to.


-Reid runs the WR-Mountain Option and runs over a defender before pitching it to Anthony Washington for the touchdown-



Reid's better half of the dynamic duo, Brian Matthews, continued his push for the Heisman this week, as he ran his way to another 200+ yard performance, as he carried the ball 31 times for 216 yards and 3 touchdowns. If Matthews can deliver an identical performance in the game next week against the UVa Cavaliers, Matthews will reach his goal of a 2,000 yard season with still 2 games remaining. The season this kid is having is impeccable, and definitely deserves to be mentioned with the NCAA's best for the Heisman trophy. If these performances continue, it will be hard to keep this kid from gathering all the votes.


-Matthews takes the pitch, and connects with two high-powered spin moves to leave the defense grabbing for air en-route to a 34 yard touchdown run-

Wake Forest did give it a valiant effort, though, as they come out swinging in the first quarter, putting up a 73 yard touchdown to open the game, and then following that up with a 66 yard touchdown run from Seth Herring. The Hokies were able to rebound each time, and tied the score at 14 going into the second quarter. However, after the start of the second quarter, it was all Hokies from here on out, as they tacked on touchdown after touchdown, scoring 35 points in the second quarter alone, and running away with the game by half-time.

In regards to Seth Herring, he did deliver a stand-out performance for the Deacons. Herring carried the ball 18 times for 195 yards and 2 touchdowns. One of those touchdowns came right before half-time on a 3rd and short run, in which he broke through the Hokie defense, and ran to pay-dirt from 64 yards out:


-Seth Herring dissects the Hokie defense, and carries it 64 yards for a touchdown before half-time-

Matt Grant also ran the offense with precision, as he went 18-29 for 214 yards and 1 touchdown. Normally, 24 points is enough to defeat a team, but when going against the #1 scoring offense in the country (52 points per game), 24 points is just a dent in the deficit. All things considered, Grant and Herring delivered stellar performances for the Deacons, and put the pressure on the Hokie defense early and often. Herring's touchdown before half-time gave the Deacons momentum, and put them in position to make it a game.

However, the one name on the Hokies that has been quiet for some time has been Greg Arnold. The Deacons forgot all about his play-making abilities, and kicks the ball to him after the touchdown - bad mistake. Arnold fielded the kick at the 11 yard line, and hits the jets and leaves the kick-coverage sitting like yesterday's garbage, and scores the 4th kick return touchdown of his career, and 2nd of the year:


-Greg Arnold returns the kick-off 89 yards for a touchdown-

While Greg Arnold has been quiet this year, he is still having a stand-out season by anyone's standards. With 2 kick return touchdowns and 1 punt return touchdown, Arnold now sits at 11 total special team-recorded touchdowns in his career. Without question, this young man will go down in the history books as one of the most dangerous returners since Deion Sanders.

While Arnold delivered the spotlight play for the special teams with the kick return touchdown, Terrance Garner delivered another highlight for the special teams, as he jets down the field on a routine punt, and absolutely unloads on Cameron Dukes to separate him from the ball, as Carlos Woodard swoops in, and returns the fumble for a touchdown in our Crunch of the Week:



Nestle's CRUNCH of the Week


-Terrance Garner unloads on Cameron Dukes, forcing the fumble that is picked up by Carlos Woodard, and returned for a touchdown-

Final Score: Virginia Tech Hokies 70, Wake Forest Deamon Deacons 24

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Next-up: The Hokies return home to Lane Stadium in Blacksburg after a 3-week road trip to host the Cavaliers of Virginia for the Battle of the Commonwealth Cup. The Hokies have dominated the Cavaliers over the last decade, and it looks like things will not change this season. With the Hokies playing like a team possessed after being left out of the National Championship picture last season, they are out to prove a point, and have done so with authority. With the #1 offense in the country, and scoring 52 points per game, the Cavaliers will do good just to put points on the board, much-less keep the game close and have a chance at knocking off the #3 school in the country.

Back to Charlotte: With the victory over the Deacons, the Hokies have secured the ACC-Coastal Division for another year, and will be returning to Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC for the ACC Championship Game in December to take on the Florida State Seminoles. The last 2 seasons the Hokies played against Clemson in the Championship, and this year, they will be getting a new opponent in Florida State. The game is sure to be a good one, as both schools are ranked, and ran the table in their respective divisions.

2 Schools Fell From The Unbeatens: Last week was a big week for the Top 25, as two schools fell from the unbeaten list. Previous #4 Washington Huskies upset #1 USC Trojans 38-28, and have now taken over the #1 spot in the country. With games against Standford, and current #5 West Virginia remaining, they have their work cut out for them. Elsewhere, Alabama survived a scare from LSU, as they defeated the Tigers 52-45 in a nail biter. TCU was knocked off in embarassing fashion, as the Utah Utes ended the Frogs perfect season with a 52-13 loss.

All eyes will be on game of the week this week, as the #5 West Virginia Mountaineers will travel to DKR Stadium in Texas to take on the #4 Longhorns. In a battle of the unbeaten's, one team will keep their National Championship hopes alive. Texas is the heavy favorite to win, but cannot forget the loss to Utah last season on their home turf. West Virginia will try to finally sneak into a National Championship after going undefeated the last 2 seasons, only to end up in a BCS bowl game. If West Virginia wins, the game against the #1 Washington Huskies will be for all the marbles, and will surely secure one of the spots in the BCS National Championship game. However, if Texas wins, all they will need to do is survive against Missouri in the Big 12 Championship Game, and they should get their shot at one of the spots.

The next 3 weeks will be crucial for Washington, Alabama, Virginia Tech, Texas, and West Virginia. Each school controls their own destinies, and with 3 of the schools playing in Conference Championship games, anything can happen as this season comes to a close.

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[nredfoot]

Man that Reid kid is a beast! Looks like if you don't get screwed by the BCS (which we know can easily happen) you might finally get to play for the Crystal Trophy! Also love your pics, they look so realistic

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I don't know man, it's up in the air right now. Surely if Texas beats WVU they will go ahead of me. And if WVU defeats Texas, then they will probably pass me. Washington still has to play WVU to end the season, so I still have a chance there. But Bama has ran the table and will be playing against Georgia in the SEC Championship. That should be a gimme for Bama, so the way things are looking, I could get screwed again. BUT, on my defense, I still have to play #11 Wisconsin and #10 Notre Dame my final 2 games, and then a ranked Florida State in the ACC Championship. So i might sneak in?

Thanks!! I try, I spend a lot of time on my pictures getting them just right. On my NCAA 12 dynasty, I will do the same, but create a youtube account for my highlights so it's better quality. And yes, Reid is an animal.