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Gee, what does it take for Virginia Tech to stay in the top 25 after a tub thumping thrashing (45-24) handed out to the North Carolina State Wolfpack? Did Fuente have to call a play to score that last touchdown to make it the actual 52-24 score? Of course the sports media drooled seas over Miami’s win against the completely hapless and now, suddenly awful, Florida State Seminoles. So the AP Writers got into full favorite homer mode to strut their stuff with a poll that made little or no sense. (AP Poll) Virginia Tech pulls in a meager 195 votes, like almost no one was paying attention to the score against a team that they were bragging about before the kickoff.
Well, the USA Today Amway Coaches thought a bit better of the Virginia Tech situation. Tech walked up a notch to #23 with them. The win probably deserved more, but it certainly didn’t deserve what the AP handed them.
It’s more than interesting to see the polls sort out, but ultimately frustrating when teams show up and bubble around for reasons having little to do with performance on the field. What the mental processes are, we are often afraid to ask. We aren’t big and influential enough to vote in the polls.
Well, last night’s victory should have counted for more. The Hokies were down 23 players, and 4 coaches. Tech played it’s #2 and #3 quarterbacks and even had a third string walk on long snapper - and the field goal unit still put up 9 points with two FGs in excess of 45 yards. The team produced 314 yards rushing at a 7.7 yard per carry clip. They were good for three rushing touchdowns, with a 4th probability abandoned in the waning seconds of the game. Khalil Herbert led with It wasn’t just rushing, it was passing, both Braxton Burmeister and Quincy Patterson II produced in the passing game with Patterson producing two touchdowns in the air and one on the ground. The defense held a supposedly high powered Wolfpack running game to a net 139 yards at a 3.3 yard per carry clip. What more the AP writers were looking for is beyond us.
Oh well, Duke awaits a suddenly confident, and definitely deep Virginia Tech Hokie team; and there will be some serious revenge going through quite a few Hokie players’ minds. Who knows? If at 7pm or so next Saturday, the Hokies put up another sterling performance maybe the sports writers will start taking them seriously.
We’ll just have to wait and see.