Boise State 33, Virginia Tech 30: What They're Saying

A collection of links and quotes on the Hokies' loss to Boise State.

Face the Nation

Boise State Vs. Virginia Tech: Five Easy Pieces (SB Nation)
"Virginia Tech joins the ranks of teams that scheduled large in a week when most could have backed off and played a patsy (say Rice, San Jose State, and Miami of Ohio, for instance.) Remember them fondly and specifically in your voting down the road, especially if this is their only loss. Bravery goes both ways, and VT showed plenty in both scheduling the game and in the way they played in it. Remember this in December, however, is something few may do."

The Broncos are who we thought they were (Dr Saturday)
"There will also be a not-so-sudden abundance of haters spinning Monday night's win as a fluke, or questioning the value of beating the dominant program in the ACC over the last six years in its own backyard, or belittling Boise's hypothetical prospects against a schedule full of Pac-10 or SEC heavies in some nonexistent fantasy world where that might be possible. This is small and petty."

Roadblock No. 1 Passed, Survived (Pre-Snap Read)
"I don’t mean to downplay Virginia Tech by focusing on the Broncos, but Tech’s time will come during A.C.C. play. I think nothing less of the Hokies after the loss, and believe we’ll see from this year’s team the same we’ve seen from most of Frank Beamer’s recent clubs: consistent improvement throughout the season. I still believe the Hokies the class of the Coastal division, if that means anything."

Boise State-Virginia Tech post-game thoughts (College Football Talk)
"On paper, a loss to Boise State might get you an eye roll or two, but Virginia Tech has nothing to be ashamed of with a loss tonight. Sure, it's disappointing if you're a Hokie fan, but it could have been worse. You could be Ole Miss. Boise is a great team, but so is Virginia Tech. If they played the way they did tonight, expect the Hokies to make a run at the ACC title game."

The question: 12-0 Boise or 12-1 SEC, ACC champ? (Mr. College Football)
"Where it gets fun, though, is if there are only two undefeated teams–Boise and somebody else–and if the SEC, ACC, Big Ten or Big 12 champ is 12-1 having played a conference championship game. We’ve seen those championship games push teams over the top of teams without championship games in the final BCS Standings (Remember Georgia in 2007?) THAT will be a fun argument."

Virginia Tech Beat Writers

Outcome was not shocking or unexpected (Aaron McFarling)
"Still, the flip side is this: All the concerns about Tech's retooled defense were warranted, and the special teams continue to harm as much as help. As a result, momentum could swing wildly all year when the Hokies match up with strong teams."

Quick assessments of Tech's new starters (Norm Wood)
"Coming into Monday night's season-opener against No. 3 Boise State, we all wondered how Tech's first-time starters would fare. Considering there were 12 new guys on the field to start the game, it seemed reasonable to assume they would play big roles in the outcome. They did...and they didn't exactly produce the kind of results that are going to make the coaching staff rest easy that the future of the team is in good hands."

Postgame reaction from Virginia Tech’s stunning loss (Darryl Slater)
"But for another year, Tech will be haunted by the what-ifs. Anything can happen in college football, of course. But the Hokies now need Boise State to lose—there is no way the BCS would rematch Tech and Boise State—and hope there isn’t more than one undefeated major-conference team out there. And if there is one undefeated team, a one-loss team from the Southeastern Conference would still probably get the other spot in the BCS title game instead of Tech. Oh, and the Hokies have to win out, too."

Thoughts (mine and theirs) on VT's 33-30 loss (Kyle Tucker)
"QB Tyrod Taylor, aside from the early fumble, was pretty special. Finished 15 of 22 for 186 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, and ran for 73 yards. WR Jarrett Boykin was also excellent: 6 catches, 102 yards, a TD. That (and a heckuva first start for new FS Eddie Whitley: 7 tackles, a huge forced fumble that keyed the comeback) was the good news."

Tyrod Taylor: 'We beat ourselves' (Mark Giannotto)
"Virginia Tech's offensive line had a shaky performance against a tough Boise State front four. It seemed senior quarterback Tyrod Taylor never could get comfortable in the pocket, and if it weren't for his maneuverability, the Broncos would have finished with more than just three sacks."

Virginia Tech Bloggers

Tomorrow Is Another Day (The Key Play)
"As for the Hokies, when your program's philosophy is predicated on tenacious defense and special teams you can't arm tackle, miss a field goal and have a punt blocked. Aside from an atrocious decision by Bryan Stinespring to call a designed Taylor run on 2nd and 6 during our second to last drive I thought the offense played well enough. We controlled the clock for 34:20, got Ryan Williams his touches and let Tyrod zip the ball around. Simply put we looked like a team that hadn't played a football game since New Year's Eve and need to execute much better going forward."

Virginia Tech Loses to Boise State in Final Seconds (VT Fan)
"With the defensive line failing to get pressure and the defensive backs having to play so deep downfield, the Broncos established their plan and worked it to perfection. Yet sadly, the Hokies still had a chance to win in this game. I think that’s the worst part about this loss. We had a lead heading into the 4th quarter and were starting to move the ball on offense. Yet on 3rd and eight with 2 minutes left, the Hokies couldn’t come up with the final first down they needed to win this game. Tyrod threw an incomplete pass and caused the clock to stop forcing Tech to give the ball back to Moore."

Special Teams Not So Special in Loss to Boise State (Tech Sideline)
"Overall, the blocked punt led to one Boise State touchdown, and the roughing the kicker penalty on D.J. Coles led to another. Throwing in the missed chip shot by Hazley and the out of bounds kickoff by Justin Myer, special teams directly cost Tech 20 points in this football game."