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Mailbag overflowing after Tech's loss to Pittsburgh
The 
Roth Report
Roth Report
November 5, 2001
By Bill Roth As you can probably imagine, there was no shortage of suggestions, creative comments, and criticisms of Virginia Tech's football team waiting here at Hokie world headquarters when we returned from Pittsburgh after the game. The official count: 56 e-mails, eight phone mail messages, and one fax from Hokie fans who ranged from irate to disconsolate. And that was just at my desk. As you know, there are more Hokie fans than ever out there - you can tell by season ticket sales, Hokie Club donations and the parade of maroon flags whippin' in the wind on vehicles on I-81 every Saturday morning. That means there are some folks who've endured a new experience the past couple of weeks, and it hasn't been a pleasant time for them [and, evidently, they all have computers]. While some of the correspondence we received was predictably of the Îlet's make wholesale changes' variety, most of it was actually interesting to read. Many of the notes were supportive too, which was also fascinating. Here are some Îedited' examples: Bill,
I've been watching Tech play for years, and have not seen silly penalties, poor play-calling, and lack of intensity and toughness like this before. I was never sure we were a top-10 team to be honest, but there weren't many Division I teams we could've beaten last Saturday. Why weren't we ready? Well, Pittsburgh was ready for a war, and Tech wasn't. That was evident in the first quarter. It's hard to get into the heads of players, so your guess is as good as mine. Pittsburgh has had little problem moving the ball against Tech since Walt Harris became the Panthers' coach and the Hokies' staff was worried about this one going back to last summer. On Friday night before the game, we did hear an interesting comment from Pittsburgh radio commentator Bill Osborne, a former Panther player who was on a sports talk show. "You can take it right to Virginia Tech," he said. "They've got a lot of speed, but physically, you can take it to them." Hey Roth,
You need to call it like it is: "From the blue waters of the Chesapeake Bay to the Hills of Tennessee, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights are on the air." Clever. Write back when Rutgers wins a bowl game. Bill and Mike,
You guys failed to bring up the key point in all of this following the game. Tech was simply overrated. We lost Vick, Suggs and four offensive linemen. Still, the polls had us in the top five, and as Hokie fans, we bought into the Rose Bowl talk thanks to people like Lee Corso, who predicted Tech would finish 11-0. We've got a young football team, with an inexperienced offensive line, and we are not as talented at quarterback and tailback as we thought coming into this season. There's not a team in the country which would not be affected by the loss of Michael Vick and Lee Suggs. Without those two, are the Hokies a top-10 team? Obviously not. Bill and Mike:
Is there anything Rickey Bustle could do - anything - which you would criticize? You stick up for the coaches regardless of the situation. On his radio show, Rush Limbaugh can jump all over Hillary Clinton. That's his shtick, but it's not the way we run our operation. Listen, use any yardstick you want - rushing, passing, total yards, scoring, etc. -the most productive offenses ever at Virginia Tech have come with Rickey Bustle calling the plays. Should Tech throw more on first down and take advantage of more one-on-one coverages? Probably. And that will likely happen because head coach Frank Beamer said so following the Pittsburgh game. Bustle doesn't tell us how to broadcast, and we don't tell him how to call plays. Hey, it's hard to look good on offense without efficient quarterback play and clearly last week was not a good day for Grant Noel. They'll be better at Temple. You watch. Bill,
Two weeks ago, I was looking forward to next year's schedule with Texas A&M and LSU. Now, I'm thinking we might be over-scheduled, especially with all the losses on defense. Wow, I can just hear it now. Callers to the Hokie Hotline, telling Jim Weaver that the schedule is too tough. Road games at Miami, Boston College, Syracuse, Western Michigan and Texas A&M will be exciting, but a real challenge. LSU and Pittsburgh at home will be tough at Lane Stadium, you can be sure. And don't forget about Marshall. That's a good football team, which will come to Blacksburg next September. Still, Tech has plenty of skill on this team and the Hokies will have a lot of talented kids on their defense. I expect Tech to sign at least one junior college defensive linemen and welcome Kevin Lewis back as a key guy on that defensive front. Bill,
You are around the team enough to know this-did the loss to Syracuse totally take the confidence and fire out of the Hokies? Can they get it back for Temple? Tech safety Willie Pile categorically denied that the loss to Pittsburgh had anything to do with the Syracuse game. Football is a game of emotion, and since the third quarter of the BC game, the Hokies have played with the spirit and desire of a warm, flat glass of Coke. No zip, no emotion, and no focus. Tech has been outscored 80-21 over its past 10 quarters. But knowing Beamer and his staff as I do, I'll bet they'll be ready for Temple. I'll maintain what I said last week: This team will not pull a 1997 el-foldo. There's too much leadership in that senior class. Coming off two tough losses, you'd like to have guys like Ben Taylor, Larry Austin, Jake Houseright, David Pugh and Chad Beasley on your side. They'll be back. Bill and Mike,
Tried to get through on the Point After but the line was busy. Tough game for the Hokies at Pittsburgh. I thought this team had more heart. Win or lose, we'll be with them next week at Temple and at UVa too. Where is the best place to get a cheese steak in Philly? Now, here's a question that Mike and I can really get our teeth into! We have three favorite places in Philadelphia for authentic Philly cheese steaks. Pat's and Geno's are next to each other in South Philly. Take Broad Street to Passiunk and you can't miss it. These are authentic Philly cheese steaks served with cheese whiz, onions, and just the right amount of arrogance from the cook. When they ask you Îwith or without,' they are talking about fried onions. The other is a little place next to the Doubletree Hotel in the theatre district. Mama Leone's bakes their rolls and loads up on the meat. See you in Philly. Mr. Roth
The officiating is horrific. Teams must be expected to make up for a couple of bad calls, but it's hard for even the best teams to make up for three, four and five bad calls - like those called against Tech last week and the ones called already today [against Pittsburgh]. With such poor play calling, you take away any defensive opportunity on the pass. Our boys' confidence is shaken already after their incredibly poor performance last week - this takes away their power to change that. The officials missed some calls the past couple of weeks and I agree that pass interference calls can make a defensive back gun shy. But complaining about officiating following a 38-7 defeat doesn't sound real legit to the outside world. Give Pittsburgh credit. They deserve it. Bill and Mike,
You need to add more phone lines to the Point After. The line is always busy. In 1997, I was in Jacksonville for the Gator Bowl game and saw the Hokies get dominated by a highly ranked North Carolina team. That loss was not totally unexpected. Today, I just saw the Hokies get killed by a 2-5 Pittsburgh team that had defeated East Tennessee State and Temple. Can you tell me a worse loss for the Hokies than today? Hard to say. When Tech lost to Temple in 1998, we left the stadium feeling like a huge upset had occurred. Saturday in Pittsburgh, that didn't look like an upset, did it? It did remind me of the '97 Gator Bowl game. Bill,
This e-mail is probably one week early, but I think this year's Tech-UVa game will be the most important played between the two teams in a long time. I'm not sure what direction UVa is headed, but I know UVa has lost five straight games, including a home loss to Wake Forest. All things considered, a loss to Virginia this season would be an absolute killer to the progress Tech has made in recent years in its in-state recruiting and its growth on the national level. If we play in Charlottesville like we did at Pittsburgh, we'll get run out of Scott Stadium with another big loss, and I don't know of many fans or Hokie Club members who are ready to stomach that this year, considering UVa could be 3-7 coming into that game. I'll be there, supporting the Hokies! Well, you are a week early. I think this week's Tech-Temple game is the most important played in a long time. Re-read your note and replace ÎUVa' with ÎTemple' and you'll likely agree that Tech faces a must-win this week at the Vet. As for the UVa game, I've never met a Hokie Club member who wanted to Îstomach a loss' to Virginia. But thanks for your support. The players and coaches appreciate it. Bill,
I want you to pass this on to Hokie fans who have been calling the shows and posting on internet sites. Win or lose, we'll greet you with a glad returning. You're the pride of V.P.I. There are too many bandwagon fans out there. Let the players know we are behind them, and now, after losing two straight, they need our support more than ever. Well, there are never enough fans, and there is always room on the Tech bandwagon for more. As for the players, they'll be the first to admit they stunk up the joint at Pittsburgh. But the great thing about sports is there is always next week. We'll see how they bounce back Saturday at noon.
The Roth report appears weekly in hokiesports.com-the newspaper and is
posted for the general public on hokiesports.com.
The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer and do not
necessarily reflect the views of the Virginia Tech Athletics
Department, hokiesports.com, or it's advertisers.
By Bill Roth As you can probably imagine, there was no shortage of suggestions, creative comments, and criticisms of Virginia Tech's football team waiting here at Hokie world headquarters when we returned from Pittsburgh after the game. The official count: 56 e-mails, eight phone mail messages, and one fax from Hokie fans who ranged from irate to disconsolate. And that was just at my desk. As you know, there are more Hokie fans than ever out there - you can tell by season ticket sales, Hokie Club donations and the parade of maroon flags whippin' in the wind on vehicles on I-81 every Saturday morning. That means there are some folks who've endured a new experience the past couple of weeks, and it hasn't been a pleasant time for them [and, evidently, they all have computers]. While some of the correspondence we received was predictably of the Îlet's make wholesale changes' variety, most of it was actually interesting to read. Many of the notes were supportive too, which was also fascinating. Here are some Îedited' examples: Bill,
I've been watching Tech play for years, and have not seen silly penalties, poor play-calling, and lack of intensity and toughness like this before. I was never sure we were a top-10 team to be honest, but there weren't many Division I teams we could've beaten last Saturday. Why weren't we ready? Well, Pittsburgh was ready for a war, and Tech wasn't. That was evident in the first quarter. It's hard to get into the heads of players, so your guess is as good as mine. Pittsburgh has had little problem moving the ball against Tech since Walt Harris became the Panthers' coach and the Hokies' staff was worried about this one going back to last summer. On Friday night before the game, we did hear an interesting comment from Pittsburgh radio commentator Bill Osborne, a former Panther player who was on a sports talk show. "You can take it right to Virginia Tech," he said. "They've got a lot of speed, but physically, you can take it to them." Hey Roth,
You need to call it like it is: "From the blue waters of the Chesapeake Bay to the Hills of Tennessee, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights are on the air." Clever. Write back when Rutgers wins a bowl game. Bill and Mike,
You guys failed to bring up the key point in all of this following the game. Tech was simply overrated. We lost Vick, Suggs and four offensive linemen. Still, the polls had us in the top five, and as Hokie fans, we bought into the Rose Bowl talk thanks to people like Lee Corso, who predicted Tech would finish 11-0. We've got a young football team, with an inexperienced offensive line, and we are not as talented at quarterback and tailback as we thought coming into this season. There's not a team in the country which would not be affected by the loss of Michael Vick and Lee Suggs. Without those two, are the Hokies a top-10 team? Obviously not. Bill and Mike:
Is there anything Rickey Bustle could do - anything - which you would criticize? You stick up for the coaches regardless of the situation. On his radio show, Rush Limbaugh can jump all over Hillary Clinton. That's his shtick, but it's not the way we run our operation. Listen, use any yardstick you want - rushing, passing, total yards, scoring, etc. -the most productive offenses ever at Virginia Tech have come with Rickey Bustle calling the plays. Should Tech throw more on first down and take advantage of more one-on-one coverages? Probably. And that will likely happen because head coach Frank Beamer said so following the Pittsburgh game. Bustle doesn't tell us how to broadcast, and we don't tell him how to call plays. Hey, it's hard to look good on offense without efficient quarterback play and clearly last week was not a good day for Grant Noel. They'll be better at Temple. You watch. Bill,
Two weeks ago, I was looking forward to next year's schedule with Texas A&M and LSU. Now, I'm thinking we might be over-scheduled, especially with all the losses on defense. Wow, I can just hear it now. Callers to the Hokie Hotline, telling Jim Weaver that the schedule is too tough. Road games at Miami, Boston College, Syracuse, Western Michigan and Texas A&M will be exciting, but a real challenge. LSU and Pittsburgh at home will be tough at Lane Stadium, you can be sure. And don't forget about Marshall. That's a good football team, which will come to Blacksburg next September. Still, Tech has plenty of skill on this team and the Hokies will have a lot of talented kids on their defense. I expect Tech to sign at least one junior college defensive linemen and welcome Kevin Lewis back as a key guy on that defensive front. Bill,
You are around the team enough to know this-did the loss to Syracuse totally take the confidence and fire out of the Hokies? Can they get it back for Temple? Tech safety Willie Pile categorically denied that the loss to Pittsburgh had anything to do with the Syracuse game. Football is a game of emotion, and since the third quarter of the BC game, the Hokies have played with the spirit and desire of a warm, flat glass of Coke. No zip, no emotion, and no focus. Tech has been outscored 80-21 over its past 10 quarters. But knowing Beamer and his staff as I do, I'll bet they'll be ready for Temple. I'll maintain what I said last week: This team will not pull a 1997 el-foldo. There's too much leadership in that senior class. Coming off two tough losses, you'd like to have guys like Ben Taylor, Larry Austin, Jake Houseright, David Pugh and Chad Beasley on your side. They'll be back. Bill and Mike,
Tried to get through on the Point After but the line was busy. Tough game for the Hokies at Pittsburgh. I thought this team had more heart. Win or lose, we'll be with them next week at Temple and at UVa too. Where is the best place to get a cheese steak in Philly? Now, here's a question that Mike and I can really get our teeth into! We have three favorite places in Philadelphia for authentic Philly cheese steaks. Pat's and Geno's are next to each other in South Philly. Take Broad Street to Passiunk and you can't miss it. These are authentic Philly cheese steaks served with cheese whiz, onions, and just the right amount of arrogance from the cook. When they ask you Îwith or without,' they are talking about fried onions. The other is a little place next to the Doubletree Hotel in the theatre district. Mama Leone's bakes their rolls and loads up on the meat. See you in Philly. Mr. Roth
The officiating is horrific. Teams must be expected to make up for a couple of bad calls, but it's hard for even the best teams to make up for three, four and five bad calls - like those called against Tech last week and the ones called already today [against Pittsburgh]. With such poor play calling, you take away any defensive opportunity on the pass. Our boys' confidence is shaken already after their incredibly poor performance last week - this takes away their power to change that. The officials missed some calls the past couple of weeks and I agree that pass interference calls can make a defensive back gun shy. But complaining about officiating following a 38-7 defeat doesn't sound real legit to the outside world. Give Pittsburgh credit. They deserve it. Bill and Mike,
You need to add more phone lines to the Point After. The line is always busy. In 1997, I was in Jacksonville for the Gator Bowl game and saw the Hokies get dominated by a highly ranked North Carolina team. That loss was not totally unexpected. Today, I just saw the Hokies get killed by a 2-5 Pittsburgh team that had defeated East Tennessee State and Temple. Can you tell me a worse loss for the Hokies than today? Hard to say. When Tech lost to Temple in 1998, we left the stadium feeling like a huge upset had occurred. Saturday in Pittsburgh, that didn't look like an upset, did it? It did remind me of the '97 Gator Bowl game. Bill,
This e-mail is probably one week early, but I think this year's Tech-UVa game will be the most important played between the two teams in a long time. I'm not sure what direction UVa is headed, but I know UVa has lost five straight games, including a home loss to Wake Forest. All things considered, a loss to Virginia this season would be an absolute killer to the progress Tech has made in recent years in its in-state recruiting and its growth on the national level. If we play in Charlottesville like we did at Pittsburgh, we'll get run out of Scott Stadium with another big loss, and I don't know of many fans or Hokie Club members who are ready to stomach that this year, considering UVa could be 3-7 coming into that game. I'll be there, supporting the Hokies! Well, you are a week early. I think this week's Tech-Temple game is the most important played in a long time. Re-read your note and replace ÎUVa' with ÎTemple' and you'll likely agree that Tech faces a must-win this week at the Vet. As for the UVa game, I've never met a Hokie Club member who wanted to Îstomach a loss' to Virginia. But thanks for your support. The players and coaches appreciate it. Bill,
I want you to pass this on to Hokie fans who have been calling the shows and posting on internet sites. Win or lose, we'll greet you with a glad returning. You're the pride of V.P.I. There are too many bandwagon fans out there. Let the players know we are behind them, and now, after losing two straight, they need our support more than ever. Well, there are never enough fans, and there is always room on the Tech bandwagon for more. As for the players, they'll be the first to admit they stunk up the joint at Pittsburgh. But the great thing about sports is there is always next week. We'll see how they bounce back Saturday at noon.
