Hokies Defeat Georgia Bulldogs 74-62 in Blacksburg

The Essentials

The Game


The Hokies held Georgia scoreless for the first five minutes of this game while starting on a 5-0 run.  However, Georgia battled back and thanks to a few Leslie Travis layups, the Bulldogs found themselves tied with the Hokies at the eight minute mark at 18 apiece.  But the Hokies used a nice 18-9 run over that last eight minutes to head into the half with a fairly commanding nine point lead.  The 2nd half was more of the same for Greenberg's bunch as Tech jumped out to as much as a 15 point lead before seeing it shrivel down to seven with just six minutes left to go in the half.  The Hokies rallied once more and went on a 10-2 run and was able to put the game out of reach with just over three minutes left.  Delaney missed a three-pointer with just a few seconds left and the shot clock running down but Tech had already wrapped up the 74-62 victory.

Stats:

Up Next:  VMI (12/09) - Blacksburg, VA


The Hokies are off to their best start under Seth Greenberg as Tech is currently scored at 6-1 on the year.  But, if the Hokies want to stay on this positive win streak they are going to have to defeat a strong and tough opponent in the high-scoring VMI Keydets.  VMI knocked off Kentucky last year so they have the ability to come into somebody else's place and ruin the afterparty.


The game isn't televised but if you have a ticket, head to Cassell Coliseum on Wednesday and cheer on the Hokies.

2011 Recruiting Update: Athlete Dominque Terrell

Dominique Terrell
Osbourn Park High School
Mannassas, Virginia
5'10", 165 lbs, 4.4 seconds
Offers: Virginia Tech, Maryland, Miami, Tennessee, West Virginia, NC State, UNC, Duke, and more.

Editors Note

Since the 2010 recruiting class seems to be wrapped up now with Furman being a silent commit to Michigan, I'm going to start focusing on some of the 2011 kids since they are now rising seniors.

Justin's Take

I've been debating on whether to do a post-season ranking of the top 2011 players in the state of Virginia.  If I don't get around to it, I do want to admit that Dominique Terrell would be my number one player right now.  Terrell is just so explosive with the ball in his hands and really reminds me of a smaller Ryan Williams with the way that he runs.


Terrell has the ability to play on either offense or defense but with his athletic ability most coaches probably won't commit to one position until they get him on campus.  The Hokies will be looking at Terrell as either a cornerback for Foster or a wide receiver for Coach Sherman.  With the ball in his hands, Dominque can do things that just make you say "wow" but If he wants to play at the NFL, cornerback may be the way for him to go.

Strengths:

• I love the way he runs especially when he can get to the outside and cut up the sideline.  He doesn't have the moves that some running backs have but he has enough speed that he really doesn't need those moves. 
• Terrell has that big play ability that most coaches look for now days, especially those in the SEC.  Through two years of starting, Dominique has five runs of 50 or more yards in just four playoff games. 
• Although he hasn't really played much receiver in his career, he does have a few plays on film where he's catching the ball.  He does seem to have good hands, which leads me to believe that some teams may try to get a leg up on the competition by promising him that he'll get the chance to start on the offensive side of the ball. 

Weaknesses

• For me, size is a bit of a concern.  Terrell is listed at 5'11" on his Rivals.com profile more realistically he's about 5'9".  What concerns me the most is that he's only listed at about 165 pounds heading into the season.  I think Dominique has the ability to play at about 190 pounds but at that weight it would all but rule out running back, especially in the system that Virginia Tech has. Can he bulk up, can he maintain his speed at a heavier weight?  Those are really the only concerns I have.  

As far as recruiting goes, Terrell is still wide open and hasn't taken any visits to date.  He claims to like the bigger schools such as Miami, USC, Florida, but also has expressed interest in both in-state schools.  The Hokies will have to battle if they want to keep this kid in-state but it will all start with getting him on campus for the junior day in February or for the Spring game in April.  If Terrell doesn't visit for either or both of those events, Tech will be in a deep hole that they'll really struggle to dig themselves out of.

Terrell's recruitment is going to be interesting to follow because if the Hokies want to take that next step and be able to compete with the SEC, they're going to have to get kids like Terrell to commit and come play in Blacksburg.  Also, it will be interesting to see if the new coaching staff at UVA will be able to make a play for Terrell as well.

Recruiting Update: Josh Furman Down to Virginia Tech and Michigan

Josh Furman
Old Mill High School
Millersville, Maryland
6'2", 193 lbs, 4.32 seconds
Offers: Michigan, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma, Maryland, West Virginia.

Justin's Take:

After watching this team's last 12 games, it's pretty clear we're in need of a few big time linebackers. Furman has the potential to bulk up and play either the WHIP Linebacker position being vacated by Cody Grimm or potentially either a Rover or Free safety.  With his size and speed, there's not many positions that he can't play although having him on the edge would be beneficial for a few reasons.  I personally would love to see him at the WHIP linebacker spot if he does pick Virginia Tech. 

However, at this point I think Josh is going to pick the Wolverines on December 19th, when he announces his decision at the Crab Bowl in Maryland.  For some reason, he just seems to give more glowing reviews to Michigan than he does VT.  Obviously I could be mistaken and with recruiting, you never know but right now, I think he's a Michigan lock.

Quotes: 

When asked about Virginia Tech:

"The program has been successful for a long time and they always seem to do well.  Virginia Tech has a really great atmosphere too. I really bonded with the team. The players are a lot like me. We had a good time together. They are all fun and outgoing guys and I felt like they were being totally honest with me. I felt a good connection with them."

When asked about his visit to Michigan earlier in the season:

"I had very good time.  The Big House was loud and action-packed. It is a great place and the crowd was great too. Having a chance to be around the players was nice. They are very outgoing and they were really trying to get to know me. They are the type of guys that are just like me. On our way to the game the streets were flooded with fans everywhere. I have never seen that many fans going to a game before."

 On how his relationship is with Michigan coach Tony Dews:

"I have a great relationship with Tony Dews.  He is my favorite recruiter. I call him up a lot just to say hi. He is my type of coach. Coach Dews is so down to earth that we can talk about anything. We talk about recruiting, but we also talk about life."

On his strengths and weaknesses as a player:

"My strength would definitely be my athleticism.  My weakness at this point is my coverage because in all my years (playing defense) I've only been rushing the quarterback. I just need the repetition. Then I'll get it down."

 

Regular Season Wrap Up Part 1 - The Superlatives

Team MVP:  Cody Grimm


Some are going to argue with me here and say Ryan Williams deserves this award, and really he does but what we were able to accomplish on defense this year all centered around the play of Cody Grimm.  Grimm leads the nation in forced fumbles and tied a Virginia Tech record with three forced fumbles in one game against NC State.  That was his MVP moment this season.  If it wasn't for his play in the first quarter of that game, the NC State game would have been too close for comfort.  Instead it forced the RB's and Russell Wilson to think about keeping two hands on the ball, forcing them down on first contact.  I'm going to save the majority of the stats for part two of this article but I also wanted to point out here that Grimm leads the team in tackles with 99, tackles for loss with 9.5 (tied with Jason Worilds), and of course leads the team (and nation) in forced fumbles with 7.  Impressive for a kid who decided to walk-on at Tech, turning down a few scholarship offers to do so.

Offensive MVP: Ryan Williams

The old saying "you can never have too many running backs" really rang true for the Hokies this season.  Exit Darren Evans, who set a school freshman rushing record last season with 1265 yards, and enter Ryan Williams, who easily broke that record in two less games.   Ryan was the heart of our offense this year and without him, I'm not sure I want to speculate at what our record would be. Williams set a school and ACC record this year, rushing for 100 yards in 9 of the 12 games this season.  Also, if Williams can grind out 111 yards in the bowl game, he will break Kevin Jones single season rushing record he set back in 2003.

Defensive MVP: Rashad Carmichael

This is the first time since 2003 that I have a hard time choosing who else on defense is really worthy of winning this award.  Our defense was really average this season, in 10 of the 11 spots.  Worilds had good numbers but didn't do anything eye-popping this season, same with Chancellor, Rivers, and Brown.  Rashad Carmichael is the only one I can truly say had a better year than I was expecting.  Replacing Macho Harris at the boundary is a tall task, especially when you practice all spring and all summer at the field corner position.  Carmichael made the best of it though, leading the Hokies with five interceptions, one of which led to the Hokies only defensive score this season.  Carmichael went from a truly unknown against Alabama to quite possibly the next in a great line of cornerbacks here at Virginia Tech.


Team Freshman of the Year: Jayron Hosely

After Ryan Williams muffed the first punt return of the year, Hosely replaced Williams and never relinquished the job.  Hosely finished the season with a 10.9 yards per return average and took one back to the house against Marshall.  While he mostly starred on special teams, Hosely also saw some action at cornerback in five games this season.  In those games, he registered 8 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, and two pass deflections.

Most Improved Player: Brent Bowden


Brent Bowden infuriated me at times last season due to lack of consistency and ability to shank punts.  This year was a completely different story as Bowden seemed to find his consistency and is one game away from setting a new Virginia Tech record for punting average.  The record is 43.1 and Bowden is setting at 43.9 heading into the bowl game.  If you were to ask me who our punter is going to be next season, I would probably shake my head and reply with "I really don't know."  But, after watching Bowden reel off booming punt after punt, I'm really going to hate having to hold my breath every time we call out or punting team next year.

Ryan Williams Named ACC Rookie of the Year

Congrats to Lil Sweetness on earning the ACC Rookie of the Year Title

Here's the link: http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/120109aac.html