2011 Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech Will Face Stanford in Miami
by furrer4heisman on Dec 5, 2010 11:53 PM EST
in Virginia Tech Football
Email
Print
Virginia Tech will face a tough challenge in its quest to win a third consecutive bowl game. The Orange Bowl committee has matched the Hokies up with the 11-1 Stanford Cardinal, who by virtue of finishing No. 4 in the final BCS standings were guaranteed a spot in a BCS game.
Stanford's only loss came at Oregon on Oct. 2 when the Ducks out-scored the Cardinal 28-0 in the second half to win 52-31. Since then, Stanford has won seven consecutive games.
The Cardinal are led by Heisman candidate quarterback Andrew Luck, who is 245-for-349 (70.2 percent) for 3,045 yards (8.7 ypa), 28 touchdowns and seven interceptions this season. The Stanford defense was second in the Pac 10 in total defense and first in scoring defense, giving up 17.8 points per game.
While Stanford and its fans will have to travel across the country to get to Miami for the game on Jan. 3, the Orange Bowl selected them over Big East champion Connecticut, which will face Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. The bowl game's CEO, Eric Poms, said during a teleconference they selected Stanford because it would be more compelling to a national audience.
The Hokies will have their hands full with the Cardinal in what should be a very competitive Orange Bowl. For more on Stanford, visit SB Nation blog Rule of Tree.
6 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Thank God
that we get to play Stanford and not UCONN. This is the best possible matchup that we could have gotten.
i dont think
you understand what he was trying to say. he didnt mean “easiest opponent,” he meant “best game.” and he’s right. stanford will put up a helluva fight while uconn wouldn’t. this is going to be a fun game.
A bullhorn, a bottle of whiskey and a dream. Gobbler Country | Twitter | Facebook
by furrer4heisman on Dec 6, 2010 2:13 AM EST up reply actions
I hope you're joking
Yes UConn is the easier opponent, but Stanford is the better matchup because you only gain respect for your program and your conference by beating tough, highly-touted teams (and Stanford is both of those). Playing UConn is a lose-lose scenario, because if you beat them no one cares because clearly you should have beat them. Lose, however, and then you face embarrassment on par with our JMU catastrophe, but in front of a national audience.
I’m happy we’re playing Stanford, and will be cheering for our Hokies to keep this winning streak rolling into next year!
Bring it, Jimmy Harbaugh
Let’s see what you got. This could be another mark on your resume toward getting an NFL HC gig.
Or not. :-)
If the thunder don't get ya then the lightning will!!
Robert Hunter
I like the matchup.
This has the makings of a PAC-10-style shootout, where offenses trade blows, and that favors Stanford. I think it’ll also be similar to the Boise State-Virginia Tech game where Boise State had a very talented quarterback and a solidly coached team that was very strong on fundamentals, especially on passing routes. This is the kind of strength that will give the Hokies fits. Kellen Moore was placing the ball where he expected his receivers to be, and I think Andrew Luck will probably do the same. Virginia Tech’s secondary is loaded with talented athletes but they rely on instinct and have often had to use their speed to catch up to a receiver who has gotten separation on them. Virginia Tech will have to counter this with creative blitz packages to force Luck into quick decisions before he is able to make his second and third reads. In the second half of the Boise State game (not counting the final drive), the Hokies were largely able to do this, and allowed them to come from behind and take the lead.
For the Hokies to be successful they’ll have to establish the run and use their ball-control offense to minimize the number of possessions that Stanford gets. When the Hokies have found ways to move the chains on third down this season, they win. Stanford has given up yards this season, but it seems like most defenses in college football have this year.
I’ve perused some of the message boards and am hearing a lot of smack talking from the Stanford fans (at least the ones who have been talking). I think Jim Harbaugh knows what he’s up against, just like Frank Beamer knows what he’s up against.
Bottom line: Stanford will get yards in the air. Virginia Tech will try to grind it out in the trenches. If it’s a shootout, Virginia Tech has shown it can hang with one of the more prolific offenses in the country (Boise State), but it will lose a NCAA basketball score game. If it’s a game like Stanford had against Arizona State, where Luck isn’t mistake-free and the Cardinal have problems getting into the endzone, then the Hokies will win.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Gobbler Country
Related FanShots on Gobbler Country
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
