Wow...another crushing loss for the ACC. First, No. 15 Georgia Techloses to Kansas, now Virginia Tech is 0-2.
After a strongly-played season opener against Boise State, a game thatthe Hokies could have won, they dropped their home opener against the Colonial Conference’sJames Madison.
The Dukes’ head coach Mickey Matthews noted earlier in the week that "[i]t’s kind ofcomical to thinkyou’re going to go down there and beat them.” Well, we’re all laughing now... just not at you.
Saturday afternoon’s bout between Virginia Tech and the Dukes of JMU was a true game ofsquandering and/or capitalizing on mistakes. The Hokies turned the ball over three times. Thelast turnover, though, was the killer.
On the Dukes’ 12-yard line trailing 21-16, Virginia Tech junior running back Darren Evans fumbled the ball, giving it over to JMU. The other two turnovers came way of quarterbackTyrod Taylor, one interception and the other a fumble.
Virginia Tech never punted, and only committed four penalties for 48 yards. But the threeturnovers squandered any hopes of scoring.
The Dukes showed great control by coming back from a 10-0 deficit. Prior to tonight, JamesMadison had lost ten straight games against FBS opponents.
No single person stood out for the Dukes’ offense. Quarterback Drew Dudzik was 5 of8 for 121 yards and a score. The leading rusher for James Madison was Jamal Sullivan,who had 49 yards on 20 carries. Dudzik added two rushing scores as well.
In the end, this loss may very well end up hurting Boise State more than the Hokies.
The Broncos have been and still are the clear-cut favorites to win the Western Athletic Conference. The Hokies are still in contention for the ACC title...but the season-opening win for Boise State over Virginia Tech now has less value with each winthe Hokies hand out, especially to a FCS program.
How can Boise State’s win over Virginia Tech hold any validity if a Division 1-AAteam in James Madison can beat the Hokies in Blacksburg? The computer rankingsand systems won’t forget this loss, even if the coaches’ poll remains constant.
I wonder howChris Petersen and Frank Beamer will prepare their polls? Alabama headcoach Nick Saban spoke out on Boise State earlier in the week, and hispoint of view might now reign supreme.