September 21, 2014
The Georgia Tech game - update 9/21 at 7:40 p.m.
Football: #HokieHuddle

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Virginia Tech Postgame Notes

• The Hokies had not lost home football games in back-to-back weeks since falling to Boston College and Cincinnati to start 1995 season before losing to East Carolina and now Georgia Tech in consecutive weeks.

• Woody Baron made his first collegiate start, coming in place of Corey Marshall (ankle) at defensive tackle. To combat the Georgia Tech offense, Kyshoen Jarrett slid to the whip linebacker spot and Donovan Riley started at rover. Chuck Clark got the start at cornerback alongside Kendall Fuller. For Riley, it was his first career start.

• True freshman Cam Phillips made his second collegiate start against Georgia Tech, but the first alongside true freshman Isaiah Ford. The last time Virginia Tech started two true freshman wide receivers in a game was in 2008 at North Carolina when Jarrett Boykin and Dyrell Roberts both started in the 20-17 win. In 2004, true freshmen Eddie Royal and Joshua Morgan started at No. 9 Miami. The Hokies won that game 16-10 to clinch the ACC title. Both Royal (San Diego) and Morgan (Chicago) are still playing in the NFL.

• Today was the 1,200th game in Virginia Tech football history.

• With the field goal in the first quarter, Virginia Tech has now scored in 247 straight games, extending its school and ACC record. The streak is the 11th-longest streak in FBS history and the fifth-longest active streak in the FBS.

• Joey Slye’s 42-yard field goal is a career long for the true freshman. He had three field goals in the game, a career high.

• Marshawn Williams scored his second touchdown of the season in the second quarter.

• Isaiah Ford became the first Tech player to hit the 100-yard plateau in receiving yards this year with his career-high 114 yards on a career-high eight catches.

• Eleven of the first 15 touchdowns on the season have been scored by freshmen (12 of 15 by underclassmen).

• Linebacker Chase Williams career-high 17 tackles, including 2.5 for loss.

• Willie Byrn tied his career high with seven receptions.

• Virginia Tech’s last two-point conversion came in 2012 at North Carolina when Logan Thomas connected with Corey Fuller. The Hokies converted one today when Michael Brewer hit Bucky Hodges for two points.

• Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas finished with 165 yards rushing. The last QB to run for 100 yards or more against Tech’s defense was UCLA’s Brett Hundley (161) in last year’s Hyundai Sun Bowl. Hundley was also the last opposing quarterback to run and pass for 100 yards or more against the Hokies.

• Virginia Tech has lost its last four home games against FBS opponents dating back to last year (Duke, Maryland, East Carolina and Georgia Tech). The Hokies beat FCS squad William & Mary to open this season.

• The last time Virginia Tech lost on the final play of the game came in the 2012 Sugar Bowl when Michigan’s Brendan Gibbons connected on a 37-yard field goal to win the game in overtime.

• Virginia Tech is now 19-4 in home conference openers under Frank Beamer.

• The loss is just Virginia Tech’s fifth in 27 home ACC Coastal Division games (22-5).

Georgia Tech wins on final play

Georgia Tech kicker Harrison Butker hit a 24-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Yellow Jackets past the Hokies 27-24 at Lane Stadium.

Virginia Tech had a 24-17 lead late in the game, but the Yellow Jackets tied things at 24 on a 31-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Justin Thomas to DeAndre Smelter with 2:03 left in the game.

On the ensuing possession, Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Brewer threw a pass that was intercepted by D.J. White, giving the Yellow Jackets the ball at the Virginia Tech 40. The Yellow Jackets then drove to the Tech 5, and Butker nailed the game winner.

The Hokies racked up 424 yards of offense, but Brewer threw three interceptions, and those three turnovers led to 17 Georgia Tech points. Brewer completed 28-of-39 for 297 yards, with three interceptions and no touchdowns.

Thomas rushed for 165 yards for the Yellow Jackets and threw for 125.

Georgia Tech moved to 4-0 on the season, 1-0 in the ACC. The Hokies fell to 2-2, 0-1.

Hokies keep the lead after three

The Hokies got some breaks in the third quarter, as an 80-yard touchdown run by Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas was called back because of a penalty. Then, on the same drive, Georgia Tech kicker Harrison Butker hit the upright on a 30-yard field goal attempt with 4:46 left in the quarter. So the Hokies kept a 16-10 lead.

Virginia Tech drove to the Georgia Tech 37 at the end of the quarter, but on third-and-1, tailback Marshawn Williams lost a yard, and head coach Frank Beamer elected to punt.

Neither team had much in the way of offense in the third quarter. Virginia Tech had just 68 yards of offense in the quarter, while Georgia Tech had 79.

The Hokies still hold nearly a four-minute advantage in time of possession.

Thomas has rushed for 149 yards in the game. No opposing quarterback has rushed for 200 yards against a Beamer defense.

Virginia Tech Halftime Notes

• The Hokies have not lost home football games in back-to-back weeks since falling to Boston College and Cincinnati to start 1995 season.

• Woody Baron made his first collegiate start, coming in place of Corey Marshall (ankle) at defensive tackle. To combat the Georgia Tech offense, Kyshoen Jarrett slid to the whip linebacker spot and Donovan Riley started at rover. Chuck Clark got the start at cornerback alongside Kendal Fuller. For Riley, it was his first career start.

• True freshman Cam Phillips made his second collegiate start against Georgia Tech, but the first alongside true freshman Isaiah Ford. The last time Virginia Tech started two true freshman wide receivers in a game was in 2008 at North Carolina when Jarrett Boykin and Dyrell Roberts both started in the 20-17 win. In 2004, true freshmen Eddie Royal and Joshua Morgan started at No. 9 Miami. The Hokies won that game 16-10 to clinch the ACC title. Both Royal (San Diego) and Morgan (Chicago) are still playing in the NFL.

• Today is the 1,200th game in Virginia Tech football history.

• With the field goal in the first quarter, Virginia Tech has now scored in 247 straight games, extending its school and ACC record. The streak is the 11th-longest streak in FBS history and the fifth-longest active streak in the FBS.

• Joey Slye’s 42-yard field goal is a career long for the true freshman. He had three field goals in the first half, a career high for field goals in a game.

• Marshawn Williams scored his second touchdown of the season in the second quarter.

• Isaiah Ford’s 79 yards receiving at the half are already a career high for yards in a game.

• Eleven of the first 14 touchdowns on the season have been scored by freshmen (12 of 14 by underclassmen).

Hokies go into halftime with 16-10 lead

Virginia Tech hit a field goal on the second play of the second quarter, getting a 33-yarder by Joey Slye. That made the score 6-3 in favor of the Hokies.

Then, after forcing a Georgia Tech punt, Virginia Tech put together its best drive of the game thus far midway through the second quarter. The Hokies converted on third-and-9 and third-and-11 in going 63 yards in 10 plays. Back-to-back runs by Marshawn Williams covering 17 and 6 yards ended the drive, as Williams 6-yard touchdown run with 7:04 left in the half gave the Hokies a 13-3 lead.

The Hokies had a chance to extend the lead toward the end of the first half. They drove to their own 45, but on first-and-10, quarterback Michael Brewer threw a poor pass that was intercepted by Corey Griffin at the Georgia Tech 30.

The Yellow Jackets then marched 70 yards in seven plays, scoring when quarterback Justin Thomas went in from 2 yards out. The extra point cut the Virginia Tech lead to 13-10 with 57 seconds left in the half.

Virginia Tech answered with a 56-yard drive toward the end of the half. That drive ended when Slye hit a 36-yard field goal with 2 seconds left to give the Hokies a 16-10 lead at halftime.

Brewer completed 17-of-23 for 207 yards, with one interception in the first half. Williams led Virginia Tech’s rushing attack with 26 yards on six carries.

Thomas led Georgia Tech with 90 yards on nine carries. Zach Laskey added 61 yards on nine carries.

The Hokies had a slight edge in time of possession, 16 minutes to 14 minutes.

Hokies-Georgia Tech even after first quarter

Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech were tied at 3 at the end of the first quarter, though the Hokies were driving at the end of the quarter.

Georgia Tech got on the board on its first drive, marching to the Virginia Tech 24. But on third-and-1, Tony Zenon lost two yards, and the Yellow Jackets settled for a 43-yard field goal by Harrison Butker.

The Hokies, though, answered on their ensuing possession, driving to the Georgia Tech 24. But on third-and-5, a Michael Brewer pass fell incomplete, and the Hokies got a 42-yard field goal from freshman Joey Slye.

The Hokies kept the ball for 8:53 in the first quarter – a good sign. Georgia Tech likes to keep the ball with its option-oriented offense.

Jarrett to be in the nickel role in Tech’s nickel defense

Tech defensive backs coach Torrian Gray did some juggling this week in the secondary, and the end result is that Tech rover Kyshoen Jarrett will be the nickel defensive back role when the Hokies’ defense goes to its nickel (five defensive backs) package against Georgia Tech.

Essentially, Jarrett plays the role that Kyle Fuller played against the Yellow Jackets last year. He will be the rover in Tech’s more traditional defensive packages.

Kendall Fuller and Chuck Clark will be the starting cornerbacks. In the nickel package, Donovan Riley will enter the game and play Jarrett’s rover spot. The whip linebacker – Derek Di Nardo or Ronny Vandyke – comes out of the game.

Cline, Parker on dress squad for Georgia Tech game

Exactly 74 players are on the Hokies’ dress squad for today’s Georgia Tech game, and the most notable name on it is tight end Kalvin Cline.

The sophomore from Boca Raton, Florida, missed the Hokies’ first three games while recovering from a knee injury. The staff figures to use Cline extensively given that tight end Ryan Malleck entered the Georgia Tech game as doubtful because of knee and ankle injuries.

Also, Carlis Parker, a receiver from Statesville, North Carolina, made the dress squad for the first time this season. Parker had been working through some personal issues before returning to the team on a full-time basis last week.

One other addition to the dress squad was kicker Michael Branthover. The senior from Dayton, Maryland, made the dress squad for the William & Mary game, but had not made it for any other game this season.

Dahman McKinnon, a backup backer, is not dressing for this game because of a knee injury. Nor is receiver Josh Stanford and safety Desmond Frye. The football program announced this week that Stanford was taking a leave of absence to take care of personal issues and that Frye was going to apply for a medical hardship waiver after undergoing season-ending surgery on his shoulder.

Important recruiting weekend ahead for the Hokies

Saturday’s matchup between the Hokies and Georgia Tech takes on significant meaning because it serves as the ACC opener for both squads. The Hokies will be looking to continue their recent mastery of the Yellow Jackets, having won four straight – though three of the four wins have been by a touchdown or less, including a 20-17 overtime victory the last time these two teams met in Blacksburg.

For the Hokies, though, this weekend is just as important for reasons beyond what may or may not happen on the field. Virginia Tech’s coaching staff has a huge recruiting weekend planned. In fact, a couple of Virginia Tech coaches say this is one of the biggest recruiting weekends ever at the school.

“When you talk about the number of guys who are coming and then the quality of those guys, it's a huge weekend," running backs coach Shane Beamer admitted earlier this week.

Eight prospects will be coming to Blacksburg on official visits. Three prospects who will be at the game are listed as 5-star recruits by various recruiting services, and some of those services rate one of those as the top recruit in the country. Ohio State, Florida State, Georgia, LSU and UCLA are just a handful of the schools that the Virginia Tech staff is recruiting against in trying to lure these young men to Blacksburg.

Winning the game isn’t necessarily paramount toward getting a commitment from any or all of these recruits – it’s more the comfort level that the recruits feel during the visit. But winning certainly helps.

“At the end of the day, I don't think it [winning] affects whether they choose your school or not," Beamer said. "No question it makes Saturday night better. It'll make dinner a lot more enjoyable on Saturday night. It'll make the time they spend with our players on Saturday night after dinner more enjoyable. It'll make Sunday morning’s breakfast more enjoyable, which in turn makes it for a better official visit – which in turn increases your chances of getting them."

A rowdy stadium certainly makes for a positive experience. That’s where Tech fans come in on Saturday. Beamer hopes to see the place packed and hopes Tech fans really bring it on Saturday. Right from the opening kickoff, too.

"Our fans were awesome last weekend,” Beamer said. “We'll need them to win a football game, but also show all those people what Lane Stadium is all about as well.”

Of course, it also helps that the Hokies’ staff has a track record of getting guys to the NFL. Currently, there are 23 former Virginia Tech players in the NFL and only two of those 23 – Nick Becton and Ryan Williams – are on practice squads, so a lot of former Hokies are making contributions on Sundays. Six of those 23 have been to the Pro Bowl (see the info graphic below this post).

Virginia Tech’s staff has a lot to sell. But it starts with a great environment on Saturday – and Tech fans can make that happen.

Today is the 60th anniversary of the first Tech football radio broadcast

It has been a season to celebrate a monumental anniversary, as the athletics department, its football coaches, players, fans and alums celebrate the 50th season of Lane Stadium.

But today, Sept. 18, also serves as the date for another anniversary. Today marks the 60th anniversary of the first radio broadcast of a Tech football game.

On Sept. 18, 1954, Virginia Tech played NC State in a game at Miles Stadium in Blacksburg. The Hokies went on to win the game 30-21. During that game, Joe Knakal took care of the play-by-play duties for the radio broadcast, while Bob Bradford handled the color commentary. A Radford radio station, WRAD, served as the flagship station.

Bradford (in the photo below) was a Blacksburg native who grew up a Virginia Tech fan. He remembers going with his father to Miles Stadium for games, and specifically remembers the Gobblers beating a good Georgetown team in 1941.

He got into radio while as a student at Washington & Lee, working for a local station in Lexington, Virginia. In the summers, he worked for WSLS, a television station in Roanoke, and one summer, he also worked for WRAD.

It was there where he and a couple of others came up with the idea of broadcasting Tech games.

“We got to talking one day with two Hokies who were there and my roommate from college, and we thought, ‘Why not see if we can get Virginia Tech on the air?’” Bradford said. “At that time, if you turn on the radio on Saturday, you’d hear Georgia Tech and Notre Dame and everyone else, but there weren’t many things locally.

“We went and talked to Coach [Frank] Moseley [who also served as the AD], and he was absolutely convinced that if we had a radio network, then people wouldn’t come to the game. They’d stay home and listen to the radio. We talked him into it, and we paid Tech a modest sum to carry the games. Then we went out and sold it to local stations.”

It was a bold move for two young men. At the time, Bradford was 23 years old, and Knakal was 22.

The first broadcast wasn’t exactly smooth sailing for them. For starters, no one knew they were coming – and they had to pay to get into Miles Stadium. No one had told the guy at the gate. Then, in the press box, the telephone company was installing the outgoing line. Also, there was no power.

But the group managed to get things going. The group consisted of Bradford, Knakal, Tom Gannaway, who was the engineer, and Ralph Price, who was the spotter. Price later worked in the Lane Stadium press box as a spotter for nearly 30 years.

Six stations ended up carrying that Tech-NC State game. Knakal and Bradford worked well together because they developed a rather unique system during the course of a game.

“Joe was pretty good. He later did play-by-play for VMI and W&L football and basketball,” Bradford said. “But he never noticed a flag when it was thrown. He’d keep jabbering, and I’d keep poking him. Finally, we decided that whenever there was a flag, I’d pull out my handkerchief and throw it in front of Joe. It was pretty high-tech stuff, you have to admit.”

Bradford and Knakal handled the broadcasts for three seasons and have many stories to relay from those days. The run ended, though, when Bradford was called to active duty. He served in the Army and expected to serve for two years once called to active status. He ended up serving just six months, but by then, the Tech athletics department had made other arrangements, replacing the duo with Frank Messer and Frank Soden.

Knakal ended up becoming an attorney in Lynchburg. Bradford, now 83, went on to work as the news director at WMAL in Washington, D.C., and he held several jobs over the past 50 years. He worked for two politicians, served a stint as the President of the National Restaurant Association and once worked as the President of the Food Marketing Institute. His last job was with Safeway, which took him to California, where he currently lives with wife Nancy. They live in Folsom, California, to be near their children and grandchildren.

Today, he subscribes to SiriusXM Radio and listens to the current radio team of Bill Roth and Mike Burnop at every possible chance. Like many others, he watches on TV, but turns down the volume to catch the radio broadcast.

“I still do,” Bradford said when asked if he missed doing radio. “When Joe and I were on the phone last week reminiscing about this, I thought, ‘Weren’t those the days?’ I don’t know how I’d do at it today. The technical side has gone way beyond anything I remember.

“Radio, as you probably know, you make enough just to buy bread, or you’re very, very rich. I wasn’t very, very rich. I had a family, and even the job I had at WMAL didn’t pay much. When I went to work for the Congressman [Dick Poff], my pay doubled. I had two young children, a family to take care of.

“But it’s hard to believe it was 60 years ago. My gosh.”

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