Purple Rain

I could feel it in my bones early on---and it was more than just the steady rain and wind pelting Lane Stadium Saturday afternoon.   

Virginia Tech's Hokies were struggling.   Five days after a heartbreaking loss on national television that dashed any hopes of bringing that coveted crystal football to Blacksburg, Beamer's boys tried to right themselves against an in-state 1-AA opponent with nothing to lose.

I felt the same thing in my bones on a sunny October day in 1998.   Tech's name was being bandied about as possible MNC fodder when they welcomed a woeful Temple team to town.   The Owls were playing with a freshman QB who had never started a game; going up against a defense that featured beasts like Corey Moore and John Engleberger.

Tech opened moving the ball well, but falling short on a few critical drives.   They still managed to build a 17-0 second-quarter lead against a team that was not their peer.   Then, the football Gods intervened.   Temple turned a short pass into a 70-plus touchdown late in the second to give them momentum at the break.   In the second half, Tech was stuck in neutral as Temple methodically cut into the lead, and took it midway through the fourth.   A last-ditch drive by the Hokies fell short, and they lost to a team that was a 38-point underdog.

The similarities on Saturday were eerie.   Tech came up short on a couple of long drives and struggled to a 13-0 lead.   Then, disaster hit.   JMU took a flare pass that should have resulted in a five-yard loss; took advantage of sloppy Tech tackling, and ran it in from 77 yards for a score.   Tech opened the second half with a long drive that resulted in only a field goal.   Then the defense gave way.   JMU's option befuddled Tech's young but vaunted defense.   The Dukes took a 21-16 lead, then forced a late Tech turnover to seal the deal.

It shouldn't have happened, but it did.   I saw it.   There's no denying it.

So what next?  Wholesale changes?   Not likely in mid-season.   Perhaps this will result in a little less pre-season braggadocio from the coaching staff---more realistic expectations from fans---maybe even a re-evaluation of who were are as a football team.

I can accept a hard-earned loss.   I can NOT accept a team that consistently performs well under its ability.  Congrats to the Dukes, who proved that mistake-free football can take you far.   For my Hokies, your high-school "Rivals" rankings mean exactly jack-shit now.  Play hard!