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View Full Version : Virginia Tech 20, North Carolina 17



CameronBornAndBred
09-20-2008, 06:41 PM
Well, I thought this was over before the 4th quarter. In the end, I haven't learned much from either team. I learned that I want Paulus as QB when they play Duke (Sorry Greg). Monumental collapse from Carolina, or great comeback from VT? Was not impressed by either team enough to think they were worthy of ACC title contention.

BoC
09-20-2008, 06:47 PM
At the end there, how was that not a safety?

CameronBornAndBred
09-20-2008, 06:51 PM
At the end there, how was that not a safety?

It was a total safety. Refs are lucky it didn't bite em in the butt.

RelativeWays
09-20-2008, 07:05 PM
I'm kinda glad we didn't play this weekend.

bjornolf
09-20-2008, 07:10 PM
I've been a Hokie fan for the last 10 years or so (basically since I started dating my wife, a hokie alum and HUGE fan) except, of course, when they play Duke. I thought this was a very impressive win for them, just from the resiliency standpoint. I've seen them blow leads cause they couldn't put a team away, and I've seen them get frustrated and give up MANY times in games just like this. Lee Corso said UNC definitely had the talent advantage in this game. If he is to be believed, then even though the Hokies are in sort of a down year, they played with a heck of a lot of determination in this game to pull off the comeback. And I was irrate that they didn't call intentional grounding there at the end. What did they end up call, in the grasp? That's the only way I can see them giving UNC the ball at the one yardline there. If it was really an incomplete pass, they would have had the ball out around the five, right?

Also, how dumb was it of the Hokie defender to intercept that ball? EVERYBODY knows that on 4th down you knock it down. Even barring the near fumble, he cost his team 20 yards of field position there. Maybe with the near fumble, Foster can use this as a teaching tool for his players. That should have been 1st and goal at the one!

RelativeWays
09-20-2008, 07:29 PM
Navy beat Rutgers today 23 to 21.

sandinmyshoes
09-20-2008, 07:34 PM
Everything changed when the UNC QB was injured. I know they scored shortly thereafter, but it was something of a fluke play. The UNC defense looked tough overall, but seemed to get conservative after getting the two touchdown lead.

Paulus just doesn't look ready. Maybe it would have been different if he hadn't been unexpectedly thrust into the game. I was hoping for the sake of the Paulus family that he would look good but that UNC would lose anyway. He didn't look terrible, but that first interception he threw was the kind of mistake you see from redshirt freshmen.

It looks like Davis has that program headed in the right direction. And with what coach Cut seems to be building, maybe the Duke/UNC football games will once again mean something beyond local bragging rights.

sue71, esq
09-20-2008, 07:55 PM
Navy beat Rutgers today 23 to 21.

Rutgers has hit suck-town this season (so far). Anyone wonder if Schiano is second-guessing signing the extension vs going to Miami (FL)?

PumpkinFunk
09-20-2008, 08:51 PM
I'm a bit of a Hokies fan, having grown up with a stepdad who went to Tech, but I think both teams played pretty badly all and all, and this showed again that the Coastal Division is way down. I thought this game showed two things overall:

1) Carolina, to be quite frank, can't play 4 good quarters against a solid team, and showed some serious weakness down the stretch. With Yates hurt, they have no good option at QB, and Tech's defense stifled them throughout the game.

2) Tech, while strong defensively, had similar offensive potency problems. Tyrod managed to bring it back in the 4th quarter, but their offensive capabilities in the first half were weak. They have a lot of room to make up, and are certainly way down.

I'm not sure who this bodes well for - Miami is certainly my thought (a dark horse for our Division) or possibly GT. For us? It's showing us the weakness of both teams, which hopefully will still exist the last two weeks of our season.

footballfan2
09-20-2008, 08:51 PM
the real interesting game will be the UNC vs Miami game next week. Miami looked pretty good against a below average Texas A&M team. The scary thing with Miami, if you look at their line-up. is that they are so young. I believe UNC is a better team than Texas A&M. So we shall see...

Also, NC State showed a lot of moxy today. That freshman QB looked very impressive. I had initially marked a "W" for Duke when they played NC State, but I'm not too sure.

Devilsfan
09-20-2008, 09:23 PM
Thanks Mr. & Mrs. Paulus for giving us the little guy who also plays basketball and letting the heels have the bigger, stronger qb. It seems to have worked out well so far.

davekay1971
09-20-2008, 09:30 PM
The 'Holes give up a 14 point lead late in the game at home and lose, despite the refs giving them a gift by not calling that safety? Priceless...:D

DevilWolf
09-20-2008, 10:36 PM
ECU's wins over VT and WVU not looking all that great now.

godukecom
09-21-2008, 12:21 AM
"I have no idea how they get the refs to do this for them all the time (they are not a very good football team), but they cheat for them consistantly. I remeber watching the ECU vs VT game last year (not sure if Cherry did that one), but the refs basically kept calling holding on ECU until ECU's O stopped moving the ball (4 or 5 times on 2 drives). This is nothing new to me, refs cheat for VT and this game is just another example."


Yep Yep, that is a verbatim quote from IC. Dont usually lurk there, but a friend sent this to me.

bjornolf
09-21-2008, 03:10 PM
The commentators mentioned how stubborn VT was in running the ball even when it wasn't working. By the 4th quarter, those 2 and 3 yard runs were turning into 10 and 15 yarders. As they say in the NFL, if you can run, even for small gains over time, you can beat the defense up until they can't stop you anymore at the end of the game. UNC's defense just wore down as the game went on.

If they want to keep Tyrod as the starter, I think they need to look into a more option-oriented offense to help open up the pass for him. I think he can evolve into a decent QB with enough time, but right now an option + pass offense would be the most productive for him and a VERY young Hokie team that lost MOST of their starters, particularly in the line and receiving corp.

And the refs kept calling holding because the Hokies were going through their line like a sieve, and they just started tackling them to prevent sacks. The UNC offense ground to a halt because they couldn't run except on gimmick plays, and they were sending guys into patterns to try to gain yards. Early in the game, it worked awesome, but by the end, even if Yates had stayed in, the hits he'd been taking all game were really wearing on him. I don't know how much he had left in him, even without the injury. The Hokies brought more than they could block. In exchange, they did the old Spurrier offense and sent everybody out on patterns. So, they had more receivers than the Hokies could cover early on. The problem is, like with the Spurrier offense with the Redskins, this was getting their QB KILLED.

Devilsfan
09-21-2008, 04:59 PM
I love asking my heel friends the question; "Isn't it fun having a Paulus run your team?"

TwoDukeTattoos
09-21-2008, 10:03 PM
I absolutely loved watching the Nursery Blues hand Beamer his largest comeback while at VT. Penalities killed the Nursery Blues, and of course the loss of the QB didn't help. Young team, though.

wolfpackdevil
09-21-2008, 10:20 PM
Ok, I am officially tired of listening to everyone in the country talk so highly of UNC football. For the past two months, talk on ESPN, and everywhere has been so great of the tar holes.

But honestly, I don't see what people are seeing in the team that beat McNeese State by 8 points.

Now, ill give them something. Brandon Tate, is one of the best overall Players in the ACC, probally the next Devin Hester.

But this is a team that people were predicting to do great things, and I just don't see it.

The Tar Holes start off with a less that average performance against McNeese State, who had a 7-5 record, in the FCS, 2 years ago.

Then they dominate a Rutgers team, who people made such a big deal of. Just letting you guys know, the same Rutgers team that UNC beat, loss to Navy last weekend. And we did beat Navy by 10 last saturday night.

And yesterday, they lose a 20-17 game to Virginia Tech, where they basically choked. They blew a 17-3, 4th quarter lead, and blow a huge upset. But Virginia Tech, is a team who lost to East Carolina, needed a 2nd half run to beat Furman, and snuck past Georgia Tech. Now is'nt that ECU team that beat VT, the same ECU team that loss to NCSU saturday?

I just don't see what everyone is so exactic about unc football

davekay1971
09-22-2008, 08:19 AM
Ok, I am officially tired of listening to everyone in the country talk so highly of UNC football. For the past two months, talk on ESPN, and everywhere has been so great of the tar holes.

But honestly, I don't see what people are seeing in the team that beat McNeese State by 8 points.

Now, ill give them something. Brandon Tate, is one of the best overall Players in the ACC, probally the next Devin Hester.

But this is a team that people were predicting to do great things, and I just don't see it.

The Tar Holes start off with a less that average performance against McNeese State, who had a 7-5 record, in the FCS, 2 years ago.

Then they dominate a Rutgers team, who people made such a big deal of. Just letting you guys know, the same Rutgers team that UNC beat, loss to Navy last weekend. And we did beat Navy by 10 last saturday night.

And yesterday, they lose a 20-17 game to Virginia Tech, where they basically choked. They blew a 17-3, 4th quarter lead, and blow a huge upset. But Virginia Tech, is a team who lost to East Carolina, needed a 2nd half run to beat Furman, and snuck past Georgia Tech. Now is'nt that ECU team that beat VT, the same ECU team that loss to NCSU saturday?

I just don't see what everyone is so exactic about unc football

The national media has been salivating over UNC football ever since Butch Davis became the head coach. While I think Tarhole football is definitely on the upswing, and I have no doubt Davis will have the 'Holes competitive as long as he's there, I've been perplexed by the rush, by the media, to crown them division champions. And, if you think the national media lovefest for the 'Holes has been bad, you should listen to the Charlotte media. You'd think Carolina was challenging USC for the national title.

UNC has talent - clearly Nicks and Tate are fantastic players, and the quarterback is good. But they have no running game, and the defense hasn't faced a solid offense yet this year. The 'Holes have received accolades they haven't earned yet.

whereinthehellami
09-22-2008, 08:36 AM
Good job by the Hokies. They have looked better each week. Remember they lost 8 players to the NFL last year. IIRC, that was the most in college football. Beamer is aso now 7-1 against Davis. Beamer has never been known as an X's and O's coach, so that tells you something about Davis.

sandinmyshoes
09-22-2008, 09:13 AM
Honestly, have that many of the national media "crowned" UNC as champions of the division? Mostly I saw them being looked at as a possible contender for the (weak) division. And they just lost by 3 points to another contender. It's not like they got blown away.

However, while I haven't seen anything in the media, my UNC friends are saying that their QB is out for the year with a micro fracture. That's going to put a lot of pressure on Paulus, who didn't look ready against VT.

There are some games in this pathetic division that the Devils can steal. If they can sneak in a few more wins than expected, it would help a lot on the recruiting trail.

davekay1971
09-22-2008, 09:21 AM
Honestly, have that many of the national media "crowned" UNC as champions of the division? Mostly I saw them being looked at as a possible contender for the (weak) division. And they just lost by 3 points to another contender. It's not like they got blown away.

However, while I haven't seen anything in the media, my UNC friends are saying that their QB is out for the year with a micro fracture. That's going to put a lot of pressure on Paulus, who didn't look ready against VT.

There are some games in this pathetic division that the Devils can steal. If they can sneak in a few more wins than expected, it would help a lot on the recruiting trail.

I'm not sure I'd call the Coastal pathetic...

As much as I loath the 'Holes and scoff at them, they do have talent and will be a tough win for Duke (but win we shall! - imagine that in a Henry V or William Wallace type call-to-victory roar). Virginia Tech is young, but has talent, and is improving. Their D is solid. The same can be said for Miami. Georgia Tech looks good, plain and simple. The only team in the Coastal that remotely qualifies, so far, as pathetic, is Virginia. And we need to take care of business with them on Saturday.

bjornolf
09-22-2008, 12:09 PM
Good job by the Hokies. They have looked better each week. Remember they lost 8 players to the NFL last year. IIRC, that was the most in college football. Beamer is aso now 7-1 against Davis. Beamer has never been known as an X's and O's coach, so that tells you something about Davis.

They lost their best three receivers. They lost their amazing linebacker tandem. They lost one of their top two cornerbacks. And their offensive and defensive lines were decimated. It's not easy to come back from that in just a year. These guys, particularly their receiving corp and BOTH lines, need time to gel and learn to play together. It doesn't help that they can't seem to pick a QB, which only makes it tougher on the receivers. I really do think Tyrod Taylor has the potential to be good, but he's basically a freshman experience-wise. He is ALMOST as athletic as Vick, and has a more accurate arm. I think that for this year though, a more option-oriented offense would be better for him production-wise, and help open up the passing game for him a little more. But this team was deconstructed between graduation and the NFL. It'll take time.

whereinthehellami
09-22-2008, 02:08 PM
They lost their best three receivers. They lost their amazing linebacker tandem. They lost one of their top two cornerbacks. And their offensive and defensive lines were decimated. It's not easy to come back from that in just a year. These guys, particularly their receiving corp and BOTH lines, need time to gel and learn to play together. It doesn't help that they can't seem to pick a QB, which only makes it tougher on the receivers. I really do think Tyrod Taylor has the potential to be good, but he's basically a freshman experience-wise. He is ALMOST as athletic as Vick, and has a more accurate arm. I think that for this year though, a more option-oriented offense would be better for him production-wise, and help open up the passing game for him a little more. But this team was deconstructed between graduation and the NFL. It'll take time.

I think the key for VT is injuries. Their Oline is still at least a year away from being back to dominant form. They have a solid 1st string now that DeChristopher is back but they are 1 injury away from really struggling again. And Tyrod got his ankled rolled in the UNC game. For his game to work, he has to be 100%. VT is looking at next year and the year after to make another run at a big BCS game. Being in the thick of the race this year is just great experience for Beamer's young team.

sandinmyshoes
09-22-2008, 02:36 PM
I'm not sure I'd call the Coastal pathetic...

As much as I loath the 'Holes and scoff at them, they do have talent and will be a tough win for Duke (but win we shall! - imagine that in a Henry V or William Wallace type call-to-victory roar). Virginia Tech is young, but has talent, and is improving. Their D is solid. The same can be said for Miami. Georgia Tech looks good, plain and simple. The only team in the Coastal that remotely qualifies, so far, as pathetic, is Virginia. And we need to take care of business with them on Saturday.

Pathetic is probably too strong a word, but does the division have a top 20 team? Or a top 30? It's mediocre, but with some programs showing signs of improvement in Miami, Duke and UNC.

As for VTech's youth and inexperience, I think we should remember that those kids practiced against some awfully good players in their redshirt and freshmen years. That is really the gap between a program like Tech's and that of UNC or our own Devils. That's why I think if we can steal a few more games than expected, coach Cut can start building some of that sort of depth.

NYC Duke Fan
09-22-2008, 02:40 PM
UNC Quarterback T.J. Yates will be out 6 weeks according to Coach Davis. Mike Paulus could very well be the new starting QB

hc5duke
09-22-2008, 02:49 PM
UNC Quarterback T.J. Yates will be out 6 weeks according to Coach Davis. Mike Paulus could very well be the new starting QB

It probably doesn't help that it was his first game (I think?), but M. Paulus looked horrendous out there last game against VTech. I don't know whether to wish him luck... I think I can live with this: I hope that Paulus throws for 5 TD each game but his team would still lose :D

wilko
09-22-2008, 03:10 PM
The best part of the game for me was watching Butch walk the sidelines in Duke blue.

(I know it not technically Duke Blue, but its closer to it than that shade of piss-pot blue they normally wear..)

I mentioned that to my unc buddy I was watching the game with. He didnt mind when they were winning. (or was it the 1st 10 x's I said it...?) but when they started losing it became like twisting the knife that much harder.

terrifically enjoyable afternoon of football chili and beer.

wilko
09-22-2008, 04:02 PM
I plan on supporting MP to my UNC buddies.
A frosh thrown to the wolves.... the outlook isnt incredibly optimistic for wins.

I wish him well and hope he plays great in loses.

Then when BB season rolls around... I get to LORD my support over MP them cuz I know they wont reciprocate and give GP any love at all.

Devilsfan
09-22-2008, 04:04 PM
There goes the season, hopefully!

davekay1971
09-22-2008, 04:49 PM
I hate to see Yates go down like that. As much as I loathe Carolina, it's usually just their fans I despise. Tough break for a kid who was having a strong start to his season. Hopefully he'll recover in time for Duke to beat his pottymouth!pottymouth!pottymouth!pottymouth!pottym outh! in November.

davekay1971
09-22-2008, 04:54 PM
It IS pretty funny that, in trying to reinvent their football program, they've gone away from Carolina Blue. Is this an admission by the 'Holes that the traditional Carolina blue is a soft, fluffy, dare-I-say wimpy color, incapable of inspiring intimidation or fear? Are they finally conceding that a darker, more Duke-ish, blue is simply a better color?

whereinthehellami
09-22-2008, 05:16 PM
I wouldn't want to be a redshirt freshman getting my first start down in Miami. As long as Miami is motivated, they will be, their defense is going to swarm thru the soft smurf-like underbelly of the UNC offensive line.

CameronBornAndBred
09-22-2008, 06:08 PM
It IS pretty funny that, in trying to reinvent their football program, they've gone away from Carolina Blue. Is this an admission by the 'Holes that the traditional Carolina blue is a soft, fluffy, dare-I-say wimpy color, incapable of inspiring intimidation or fear? Are they finally conceding that a darker, more Duke-ish, blue is simply a better color?

Do you know how annyoing it has been to walk into Walmart of late, see a huge stack of dark blue shirts in the sports section, and walk over in anticipation of them actually having some Duke merchandise, only to turn it around and see it emblazoned with "Crapolina"? Stick to your baby blue you bastahds, and leave the dark end of the spectrum to it's rightful owners. Sigh. Even in the Durham Walmart, there was no true Duke blue attire. But at least it didn't say "UNC".

RelativeWays
09-22-2008, 08:30 PM
Maybe Mike will surprise us and have a good game, you never know. UNC player or not, I'm kinda rooting for the kid, I'm not doing anything our starting PG isn't.

footballfan2
09-22-2008, 08:51 PM
isn't Paulus a redshirt freshman? If so... it's not like he's thrown to the wolves. He's been there for over a year.

Devilsfan
09-22-2008, 09:48 PM
If I were the U coach I'd BLITZ, BLITZ,BLITZ. Hope they throw everything at the backup qb.

footballfan2
09-22-2008, 10:04 PM
If I were the U coach I'd BLITZ, BLITZ,BLITZ. Hope they throw everything at the backup qb.

well i think UNC had 53 yards rushing against Virginia Tech with 50 of those yards coming in one play. I haven't really seen Virginia Tech's D-Line but i don't think it's any better than Miami's. Add in the fact that Miami really likes to send in the blitzes, and Paulus will be starting his first game... it could be a very long day for UNC.

Wander
09-22-2008, 10:13 PM
I hope the kid throws ten interceptions. Every game for the rest of the season. And fifteen against Duke. What's wrong with you guys?

footballfan2
09-22-2008, 10:52 PM
I hope the kid throws ten interceptions. Every game for the rest of the season. And fifteen against Duke. What's wrong with you guys?

lol. I don't really understand why they are rooting for him either. Doesn't he play for UNC?? Isn't that reason enough to hope he throws five INTs? He had every chance to goto Duke or a different program... yet he chose UNC. Kinda like mud in Duke's face if you ask me.

NYC Duke Fan
09-23-2008, 02:33 AM
I hope the kid throws ten interceptions. Every game for the rest of the season. And fifteen against Duke. What's wrong with you guys?

What if it were Johnny Dawkins' kid who went to UNC to play football, or Danny Ferry's, or Dick Groat's, or Jeff Mullins'.....

( Don't know if they have sons etc , but it is just to make a point )

Would you still feel the same ?

CameronBornAndBred
09-23-2008, 08:26 AM
Would you still feel the same ?
If they played for Carolina? Probably. Just because their dad or brother might be on my wall doesn't mean I'm going to change my attitude for them about wearing the baby blue. When my two favorite teams are Duke and anyone playing Carolina, that means I will enjoy them screwing up along with everyone else on their team. I have nothing against them as people, but I hold no punches against them as athletes. I hope Paulus turns the ball over so much against Duke that they pull Yates off his crutches to finish the game.(If Yates isn't already back by then)

bjornolf
09-23-2008, 11:03 AM
If one of the Duke greats had a kid go play for UNC, I would hope he'd be red-shirted his freshman year, then decide UNC sucked and transfer to Duke, or heck, anywhere else.

Wander
09-23-2008, 11:13 AM
What if it were Johnny Dawkins' kid who went to UNC to play football, or Danny Ferry's, or Dick Groat's, or Jeff Mullins'.....

( Don't know if they have sons etc , but it is just to make a point )

Would you still feel the same ?

Absolutely.

whereinthehellami
09-23-2008, 01:52 PM
Bottom line is that Mike Paulus and UNC are going to get killed on Saturday. What I gathered from the VT game, is that Paulus has a strong arm, moves decently, and knows the playbook but doesn't have enough game experience reading the defensive schemes at this level. That is a big problem. In the VT game, he completed 4 or 5 passes in a row and then got baited into the interception by a VT player who runs a 4.4 forty (he covered about 10 yards while the ball was in the air). Paulus didn't see that in HS and it takes time to develop at this level, especially when you are getting second team reps. Miami is alot faster than VT (might not play smarter) and they are going to have running for his life all day. I would not be suprised to see him knocked out of the game if Davis is not careful with the protection (having a RB stay into to help block).

bjornolf
09-24-2008, 10:27 AM
I doubt Miami is much faster than VT. Their d-lineman were hitting Yates and then Paulus all day. VT has some pretty darn good athletes, they're just still VERY young. So I think Miami's players MIGHT actually play smarter, but wouldn't be a LOT faster.

As for UNC keeping a RB in to help block, that's a two-edged sword. I didn't watch closely to see how UNCs RBs blocked in the passing game, but that is OFTEN a weak spot for college RBs. Unless they're in a system that teaches that and does it a lot, they might not help that much and might be more useful as a safety valve than as a blocker. A RB has to read the rush just like a QB has to read the defense. It's not that easy to do if you don't have the experience/training at it. A lot of NFL RBs aren't very good at it. We'll see.