Every Saturday – and occasionally some Thursdays – during NCAA football season, my boys and I gather in ritualistic fashion to assume our patronage…submitting ourselves to partake in our duty to support the Virginia Tech Hokies.

We enjoy the comraderie and conversation, and the ability to pledge our support to one of the upper class programs in the nation.  We do this of our own recognizance.

We do this with one caveat – and that is, that we reserve the right to be harshly critical of every misstep that occurs on the field.

But with a program that ends up hovering around the top 10 after the curtains are closed on each season, you would think that there wouldn’t be much to criticize…right?

To begin the 2010 campaign, the Hokies were voted into a preseason ranking spot of fifth.  In the nation.  An extremely high ranking for a team whose talent justified the ranking.  After all, their roster was about as loaded as one can expect in a non-financially compensated system – or at least, one that claims to be.  From the outside looking in, VT sported the following:

- perhaps the best dual-threat quarterback in the nation

- two running backs who, individually, could compete for All-American status

- an experienced receiving core with good hands and synergy with their QB

- an emerging lead cornerback to front a usually aggressive defense from Bud Foster

These points led coaches, sports writers and analysts to believe that Virginia Tech would not only be the favorite to win the Atlantic Coast Conference title – but that they would also vie for attention on a larger scale in the chase for a national championship.  Excitement loomed as fans across the country awaited the showdown between up-and-coming BCS contender Boise State and the Hokies.  It was an opportunity for the Broncos to show the world that they had the stuff to knock off real opponents.  It was also yet another opportunity for Virginia Tech to win a meaningful, non-conference game. 

VT offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring has broken the hearts of many faithful Hokie fans throughout the years.

We all recall what happened.  The Hokies fell flat on their faces in the first 10 minutes of the game.  In what equated to a home game for them, Tech came out of the tunnel unprepared, giving the Broncos 17 points.  The outcome of that unpreparedness was a 33-30 loss that took them out of consideration for a national title. 

Even more head-scratching was the reluctance to recognize what was working, and what was not.  Hokie series were filled with first and second down runs, and third down shotgun formations for Taylor.  Granted, Taylor’s athletic ability allowed him to convert a decent share of them.  But he was not put in a good situation due to poor playcalling, as Bryan Stinespring basically threw away two downs on each series.

But yes, during the game, in typical Hokie fashion, the team bounced back and demonstrated – - resiliency.  It’s a term that VT fans have become accustomed to…game after game.  Take note of these in-game deficits that the Hokies have endured and overcome:

Does this pattern tell us anything?  Perhaps that Tech is rarely prepared to play top-notch football after being so hyped-up, while blasting out of the tunnel hearing “Enter the Sandman?”  Maybe if this only occurred 2 or 3 times during the season, we could chalk it up to mental mistakes by players.  However, it has happened in six of the team’s nine victories – so it that good old Hokie resilience is needed to overcome what appears to be a coaching deficiency.

The resiliency theme also defines Virginia Tech from a seasonal perspective.  Many jumped off of the Hokie-wagon after the baffling loss to James Madison (which, ironically, was one of the few games that VT established an early advantage).  But the Hokies proceeded to reel off nine straight victories - resulting in their seemingly annual ACC Championship Game berth.  In a November 3 article featured on cnnsi.com that preceded the team’s 28-21 epic win over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Tyrod Taylor gave the following quote:

“I knew there was plenty of time for us to turn the season around. We took two tough losses, but they weren’t ACC play. Our goal was going to the ACC Championship and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

It’s good to see that Frank Beamer’s message of future resiliency had penetrated the team’s leader.  It was indeed encouraging to hear that after two winnable contests went sour, the Hokies were not going to give up on the season.  But as Taylor’s quote continued, something didn’t quite sit right.  And then I realized that the last sentence of the quarterback’s comment revealed more about this program than anyone wanted to admit.

Taylor stated that their goal was to go to the ACC Championship.  Two things in his statement immediately struck me:

Taylor's tenure at Virginia Tech has been marred by spotty, and sometimes, inefficient playcalling.

1. He said the goal was going to the ACC Championship- Notice that Tyrod didn’t say that their goal was to win the conference championship, but to go to the conference championship.  What kind of goal is that for a team that was already favored to win the conference?  What kind of goal was that for a team that was ranked #5 in the preseason rankings?  Sure, Virginia Tech had some unanswered questions on the defensive end of the field.  But they were still deemed to be the fifth best team in the country.  And when you look at the way that they are playing right now, is there any doubt that they have the ability to be that team?  Beamer’s bunch currently resemble a team of that caliber.

2. He said the goal was going to the ACC Championship- Notice that Tyrod didn’t say that the goal “is” to win the conference championship, but rather that their goal “was” to win the conference championship.  This indicates that it was their goal all along, and not something that changed after the two early season losses.  One might argue that being the ACC Champion would be inclusive of achieving the bigger goal.  However, my argument against that would be that the bigger, national champion goal would require the team to be prepared from the first minute on the gridiron.  Beamer was indeed smart enough to know that being the conference champion would not require consistent excellence – particularly if we are talking about the ACC.  Instead, it would only require his team to get better week after week, and perhaps, peak at some point toward the end of the season – as the Hokies seem to be doing now.  The first game was the one that would have kept them in the hunt for the bigger crown.  And by announcing a goal of making it to the conference title game (using Taylor’s words), Beamer – knowingly or not – had labeled the Boise State game as losable. 

Taylor’s quote dictates the sentiment of a team that could have achieved more, but only if its leaders led it to believe that it could. 

Look - this revelation is far from Hokie-bashing.  If anything, it is certainly a tribute to their resilience.  But it’s time to move past resilience – and time to aim for excellence.  Unfortunately, Beamer communicated goals that fell short of Virginia Tech’s full potential.

So, Hokie fans – as you assemble on weekends to witness the highs and the lows…the peaks and the valleys…just remember to do your best to enjoy the puppet show.

And don’t forget that the performance is always based on the people pulling the strings.    

T Lamont is the owner, administrator and author of all content for Ball or Nuthin\'. Feel free to contact T Lamont with a question or comment at ballornuthin@gmail.com.  All created Ball or Nuthin' content is the sole property of T Lamont. Read more from this author