Williams, Boykin Close to Making History

Just a small nightcap here, but following up on a story I started last week, Boykins 6 reception, 174 yard game against the Pack only moves him closer to a milestone that he's destined to break.

Boykin now has 66 receptions in his career and through only two seasons he is now over halfway to becoming the Hokies most productive wide receiver in school history.  See the chart below:

Also, after Ryan Williams 8th 100 yard rushing game of the season, he too is close to making history.  Williams is just 292 yards shy of tying Kevin Jones single season rushing record.  Although that's a lot of yards to gain with just two games left on the schedule, I wouldn't bet against the kid.  See below.

 

 

Also, no chart for this but after Cody Grimm stripped three fumbles in Saturday's 38-10 victory over NC State, Grimm now leads the entire country in forced fumbles with 7 on the season.  Congrats to possibly the future 2009 ACC Defensive player of the year. 

2009-2010 ACC Bowl Predictions

Since there are only two weeks left in this 2009 regular season, it's time to figure out who is going where.  Obviously, with 2 weeks left a lot can still happen but as long as Clemson takes care of UVA this weekend (and with Clemson always finding a way to choke, who knows) but the ACC Championship game is all but set, Clemson will take on the Yellow Jackets in Tampa Bay.

But as you can see from the below, there is still a lot to figure out in this bowl season as there appears to be 7 ACC teams that will end up bowl eligible by the end of the regular season.  Have a look below.

Predictions:

Orange Bowl - Georgia Tech vs TCU

I'm picking GT to win the ACC even though I think Clemson has the best chance to give them a run for their money.  But, if this holds true it appears that the Yellow Jackets will more than likely face one of the Non-BCS teams, either Boise State or TCU.  At this point, it seems like the Fiesta Bowl Group wants Boise St, so that will send an undefeated TCU team down to Miami to play the winner of the ACC.

Gator Bowl: - Virginia Tech vs Notre Dame

The Hokies really have three options, Champs Sports Bowl, Gator Bowl, or the CFA bowl.  The CFA bowl loves Virginia Tech but will take a look a long look at the loser of the ACCCG.  Since Virginia Tech has already come to town twice this year, their may be some doubts on whether or not the Hokies will bring as many to say Orlando or Jacksonville.  As long as the Hokies win their final two games, they will more than likely end up in the Gator Bowl against either Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, or possibly West Virginia.

Chick-Fil-A Bowl - Clemson vs Auburn

If Georgia Tech happens to lose the ACCCG, I would look for possibly South Carolina being their opponent, but with Clemson and South Carolina playing each other here in a few weeks, the bowls won't force a rematch.  The middle of the SEC has been pretty average this year and their are six teams with either six or seven wins right now.  So at this point, the Tigers could play Ole Miss, Kentucky, Georgia, Arkansas, Auburn, or even Tennessee.

Champs Sports Bowl - Miami vs Northwestern

The Hurricanes have a very passionate fanbase, but their fanbase is one of the most national fanbases in America along with UNC, Notre Dame, and USC.  That, unfortunately, means that the Hurricanes will be regulated to a lower tier bowl just because the top two ACC tie-ins will probably pass on them due to ticket sales.  The Hurricanes should be able to bring about 15-thousand fans to Orlando which is why I'm picking them here.  Miami will get matched up with a middle of the road Big 10 team.  The options are either Michigan State, Northwestern, Minnesota, or the Wolverines of Michigan if Richrod can pull off an upset of Ohio State and get that elusive 6th win.


Meineke Car Care - Boston College vs South Florida

Boston College only brought about 10-thousand fans to last years bowl game so I could see them falling a little further if the this bowl group doesn't mind bringing back UNC for the second straight year.  The Eagles have a few options on who they might play here with Rutgers, South Florida, West Virginia, and possibly even UCONN being able to sneak in and grab up this bowl bid.  Odds are the ACC teams opponent will be either USF or WVU.

Music City Bowl - North Carolina - Tennessee

Played in Nashville, Tennessee; this would be almost a dream scenario for this bowl and would probably draw a lot of media attention.  However, both teams may have other options if they would like to play elsewhere.  The ACC team would likely face either Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, South Carolina, or possibly Mississippi State if they can win their final two games.

EagleBank Bowl - Florida State vs Central Florida

Located in Washington D.C. and not even played in a football stadium, this is definitely one of the lower tier bowls, but if this bowl group can some how lock up Florida State, they could actually be able to sell some tickets this year... possibly even more than the Nationals did in RFK this year.  The Blue Devils of Duke may be an option here if they get their 6th win, same goes for NC State who has to win out.  But at this point this looks like an FSU vs MAC, CUSA, or WAC type of bowl.

Emerald Bowl - Duke vs UCLA

Hell of a basketball matchup but too bad this game will be played on a baseball field using football rules.  Duke needs just one win in their final two games (@ Miami, Wake Forest) to go to their first bowl in a very, very long time.  The Blue Devils could face a few different teams depending on how UCLA does and how the Pac-10 finishes.  The Blue Devils could play Cal, Arizona, or UCLA at this point, or possibly a bowl eligible WAC team if UCLA does not finish bowl eligible.

Hokies To Play Cincinnati at Fedex Field in Washington D.C. in 2012

According to Heather Dinch at ESPN.com the Hokies have agreed to move the game from Ohio to Fedex field, so all in all this is a no brainer for the Hokies. 

Tech defeated the Bearcats 20-7 in last years Orange Bowl and with the Notre Dame job opening up this year, odds are Cincy will lose Brian Kelly and their program will take a step back.

You can read Heather's article Here

Game Review: Hokies Defeat Brown 69-55

Overview:

The first game of the year is over and done with and Tech is now 1-0. That’s really all you can hope for with this bunch. The Hokies struggled mightily in this game as Tech was plagued by sloppy play and senseless turnovers. Also, Tech failed to really find a 3rd scorer this year, something that’s going to be a season long
issue.

But for now, Tech is undefeated and honestly, this isn’t a bad starting point. Delaney played very well, as you can see below and some of the Hokies supporting cast has improved their games from last season.

The starting five for this game was Malcolm Delaney, Dorenzo Hudson, Terrell Bell, Victor Davila, and Jeff Allen. That group scored 62 of the Hokies 69 total points in this one. Erick Green added a 3-ball, Boggs added a jumper, and Thompson added a layup to round out the 69 points.

Hokies Jarrett Boykin on Record Breaking Pace

If you're looking for a recruiting success story, then look no further than the Hokies own Jarrett Boykin.  The Virginia Tech coaching staff was high on his high school teammate, Eddie Whitley who dazzled the scouts earning First Team All-District player in his junior season at Butler High School in Matthews, North Carolina.

However, after Whitley committed to the Hokies, he told the coaching staff to take a peak at Butler's 6'2" wide receiving prospect.  That prospect was Jarrett Boykin.

Jarell Eddie, Tyrone Garland Sign with Virginia Tech

Early signing day is here for the world of College Basketball as today is the first day that current High School seniors can sign with the respective college of their choice.

The Hokies received two big commits from Forward Jarell Eddie and Guard Tyrone Garland.

Jarell Eddie is the highest rated player (according to Rivals.com) that the Hokies have ever brought in.  Eddie is ranked 63rd nationally in the Rivals150, which is 26 spots higher than Malcolm Delaney in 2007 and 16 spots higher than Jeff Allen who was also in the 2007 class.

(To read the entire article click here -> Read More)

Virginia Tech Nike Pro Combat Uni's Unveiled

You can see more over on www.hokiesports.com but honestly, I think they look pretty sweet.  Leave a comment below and let me know what you think.

Daily Discussion: Focusing on the Positives

Sitting at 6-3 overall, the Hokies are far from where they wanted to be at this point in the season.  Even though things haven't gone according to plan, Tech has still accomplished a lot this year and we've seen the return of some familiar sights in Blacksburg as well.

After writing my "What the Hell is Wrong With The Hokies" article last week, I've decided to spend my Monday talking about some of the positives from this season.  Obviously, when you're 6-3, you've still had a pretty good year.  Win out and you're probably a top 10 team by the end of the 2nd week in January.  So Tech still has a lot going for them and since Tech will return 12 starters next year, the Hokies are still in contention for a top 10 starting spot again in 2010.

But for now we'll keep it focused on this season.

Hokies Survive Trip Into Pirate Territory, Win 16-3

From the Associated Press/ESPN

GREENVILLE, N.C. -- Freshman Ryan Williams ran for a season-high 179 yards and Virginia Tech (No. 23 BCS, No. 22 AP) avoided its first three-game losing streak in six years, holding off East Carolina 16-3 on Thursday night.

Tyrod Taylor had a 13-yard touchdown run, Matt Waldron kicked three field goals and Williams atoned for his critical miscue last week against North Carolina by cracking the 1,000-yard mark for the Hokies (6-3).

They had a 379-277 advantage in total yardage, forced three turnovers and made just enough plays on offense to bounce back from losses to No. 10 Georgia Tech and the Tar Heels while also avenging last year's loss in Charlotte in which the Pirates turned the tables on Beamerball.

Daily Discussion: Where the Problem Lies

This last week has been a tough one for Hokienation as fans have gone from booking trips to Pasadena to planning their two-hour car ride down to Charlotte for the Meinikie Car Care Bowl.  Obviously, with four weeks left in this college football season, a lot can still happen (VT still has a shot at winning the ACC, can you believe that?).

However, since the Hokies have a non-conference game this weekend, I'm not going to dive into the psyche of the ECU Drunkin Pirates, instead I'm going to do some soul searching on what exactly is wrong with this Virginia Tech team.

The Virginia Tech fanbase has become spoiled over the past few years.  Going into this season, Tech was alone with USC and Texas as the only schools to win 10 or more game each of the past five seasons.  So, it's no secret that Tech fans have become accustomed to winning.  But, with the Hokies now losing two straight, some fans have pulled out their guitars and began their Kumbaya chants while other have resorted back to burning Stinespring statues in effigy.