Roth Report
Pete Dye River Course Cam
Television & Radio
Travel Center
Tech now gets ready for difficult portion of '06 slate
The 
Roth Report
Roth Report
September 25, 2006
By Bill Roth A month into this 2006 football season, Virginia Tech finds itself unbeaten, highly ranked, and clearly improving each week. That's the good news. Truth be told, however, the Hokies have beaten Northeastern, North Carolina, Duke, and Cincinnati. That foursome has combined for a 3-12 record, with all three wins coming against I-AA teams. The group is winless (0-9) against 1-A opposition for the season. As of today, Virginia Tech is the only top-10 team whose foes have a .000 I-A winning percentage. That's Zero-point-zero-zero, matching Bluto Blutarski's GPA at Faber College. Well, that's about to change. In the next five games, the Hokies will face Georgia Tech, Boston College, Southern Miss, Clemson, and Miami. All five have comparable talent to Virginia Tech and - at some positions - far more experience than the Hokies. Against their first four foes, the Hokies had a margin for error. Opposing quarterbacks missed on some open receivers. Tech was able to use its team speed to compensate for taking a bad angle on tackles. Frank Beamer's team had a big advantage in depth in each game. Well, that margin for error decreases, or is completely eliminated, starting this week when Georgia Tech visits Blacksburg. The Yellow Jackets' veteran defense will give the Hokies their biggest test of the season. Same with Jackets' quarterback Reggie Ball and receiver Calvin Johnson. BC, USM, Clemson and Miami also will pose different challenges far more imposing that anything Cincinnati, UNC, or Duke could throw at the Hokies. On paper, Virginia Tech could win each of the five. Of course, Tech could lose all five, too. More realistically, expect something in the middle. "I think we're going to have some more games like the one we just had," Beamer said following the Cincinnati game. Tough, tight, and dramatic. As several other columnists, including our own Jimmy Robertson, have written since the Cincinnati game, the Hokies are likely better off having been tested by the Bearcats. There's no question the Hokies are a better team today than they were when camp opened in August. But they're going to have to play their best game of the season on Saturday to remain unbeaten. Six keys to success against GT
Bill:
During the Duke game, the TV commentator's trivia question was the name of the Tech cannon. They reported the Corps' cannon was named 'Skipper' to honor President John F. Kennedy because he was a PT boat skipper and was shot in 1963 when we introduced the cannon. This is totally incorrect. Skipper is the old corps name for a senior cadet without rank - in other words, a senior cadet private. The cannon was named in honor of these cadets. I was a VT freshman cadet in 1963 when the president was shot. During my freshman year, the corps collected uniform brass from cadets to make the cannon. However, the foundry (in Lynchburg, I believe) said the brass was too soft for casting a cannon. So the corps collected money from cadets to finance the purchase. I believe the cannon was first used in the fall of 1965 in Lane Stadium, but it's been more than 40 years so it is hard to remember the exact year (it could have been in '64 at Miles Stadium). I do remember the roar from the corps the first time it was fired after a touchdown. Can you send the correct information to our publicity department?. Cal, Virginia Beach. Cal,
I passed on this question to Colonel Rock Roszak, the Alumni Director of the Corps or Cadets. His response: "There is no clear answer here. Yes, part of the reason the cannon was named 'Skipper' is because that was the name given to a cadet senior with no rank and the founders wanted to honor that concept. "However, one of the two alums most credited with creating the Skipper - Homer "Sonny" Hickam of Rocket Boys/October Sky fame - has told me that he also intended to honor JFK with that name as he was the skipper of the PT-109. The cannon was first fired at the VT-VMI game in Roanoke on Thanksgiving Day in 1963. President Kennedy had been assassinated on the Friday before Thanksgiving and so at least some of the cadets considered the name 'Skipper' to be also applied in his honor."
Myself and three other Hokie alumni are currently living and working in Melbourne, Australia, for a year, which is great but means that we miss out on all of Hokie football season. We were wondering if there is any way that we could get tapes or DVD's of the Hokie football games sent to us. Currently, the Yahoo.com radio broadcast does not work for us, so we are completely cut off from Hokie football. Thanks for any help you might be able to offer. GO Hokies!!! Gobblers in exile, Ryan Felts, Sam Tuttle, Geoff Eddy and Kathryn Perkins. Melbourne, Australia. Ryan, Sam, Geoff, and Kathryn,
You can see Virginia Tech Sports Today every week on line. The show is archived each week on this site: VT Sports Today. As for seeing all of the games, I'd suggest asking a family member or friend to record the games or Hokie PlayBack each week and ship it over so you guys can enjoy the season. As of now, we don't have a Melbourne Hokie Club, but you guys could certainly start a grass roots effort to gather other Hokie alums who are currently living in Australia. Good luck, and thanks for writing.
I was wondering why Virginia Tech doesn't try a throwback look sometime? Maybe the early-mid 1990's looks with the stripe on the helmet. The Hokies and Nike don't seem to have any problem wearing the unsightly half-orange, half-maroon jerseys, so maybe they could try a positive uniform change. P.S. Your articles are great! I really enjoy them. Go Hokies! Mark, Raleigh. Mark,
Tech did wear throwback's a few years ago. They were essentially the same jerseys Tech wore in the 1960's, with piping around the shoulder pads, and were made by Nike. I'll pass on your suggestion to Tech's Lester Karlin, who handles Tech's jerseys.
What about junior CB Roland Minor? What will be his status after he returns back to the field from his wrist injury? Brendt, Baltimore. Brendt,
Roland is still working himself back into shape. Hopefully, he can see some action in the next couple of weeks.
This is in response to your suggestion to the person who is going to be in London over football season. Yes, you can go to the Sports Cafe in London to see football. However, I regret to tell you, it is better to listen to the game on the Internet. My personal opinion is the Sports Cafe has no redeeming quality and the beer is poor. Mostly lager and not a good selection of real ales. However, I do know of a good place in Paris to watch the games. It is the Moosehead near Blvd. St. Germain, Odeon or Mabillion metro stop Line 4 & 10. Other than that, I have enjoyed listening to the games at home. However, I do a bit of tailgating (OK, pub stop) at my local that serves nothing but real ales. Ward Reading England. Ward,
Thanks for the tip.
I would like to play Enter the Sandbag at my son's birthday party. Where can I get that record that they play at Lane Stadium? They didn't have it at our local record store. Barbara, Williamsburg. Barbara,
Umm ... yeah. Hmm. Well, the name of the song you hear is actually "Enter Sandman," which was recorded by the band Metallica. You can find it at just about any record store. Good luck!
Have a question for Bill? Submit it on-line
The Roth report appears weekly in hokiesports 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 A month into this 2006 football season, Virginia Tech finds itself unbeaten, highly ranked, and clearly improving each week. That's the good news. Truth be told, however, the Hokies have beaten Northeastern, North Carolina, Duke, and Cincinnati. That foursome has combined for a 3-12 record, with all three wins coming against I-AA teams. The group is winless (0-9) against 1-A opposition for the season. As of today, Virginia Tech is the only top-10 team whose foes have a .000 I-A winning percentage. That's Zero-point-zero-zero, matching Bluto Blutarski's GPA at Faber College. Well, that's about to change. In the next five games, the Hokies will face Georgia Tech, Boston College, Southern Miss, Clemson, and Miami. All five have comparable talent to Virginia Tech and - at some positions - far more experience than the Hokies. Against their first four foes, the Hokies had a margin for error. Opposing quarterbacks missed on some open receivers. Tech was able to use its team speed to compensate for taking a bad angle on tackles. Frank Beamer's team had a big advantage in depth in each game. Well, that margin for error decreases, or is completely eliminated, starting this week when Georgia Tech visits Blacksburg. The Yellow Jackets' veteran defense will give the Hokies their biggest test of the season. Same with Jackets' quarterback Reggie Ball and receiver Calvin Johnson. BC, USM, Clemson and Miami also will pose different challenges far more imposing that anything Cincinnati, UNC, or Duke could throw at the Hokies. On paper, Virginia Tech could win each of the five. Of course, Tech could lose all five, too. More realistically, expect something in the middle. "I think we're going to have some more games like the one we just had," Beamer said following the Cincinnati game. Tough, tight, and dramatic. As several other columnists, including our own Jimmy Robertson, have written since the Cincinnati game, the Hokies are likely better off having been tested by the Bearcats. There's no question the Hokies are a better team today than they were when camp opened in August. But they're going to have to play their best game of the season on Saturday to remain unbeaten. Six keys to success against GT
- Ore is gold: Hokies' tailback Branden Ore is not only getting 5.5 yards per rush, but over 25 yards per reception. Whether he's running the ball, or catching it on screens against blitzing defenses, Ore is the Hokies' key guy. He's averaging 6.9 yards every time he touches the ball. He rushed for 170 last week and leads the ACC in rushing at 99.8 yards per game.
- Be unpredictable: On 24 first-down plays against Cincinnati, the Hokies ran the ball 16 times and passed only eight. Of those 16 rushes, nine gained two yards or less. "We need to throw the ball more on first down," Beamer said. "We need to get our quarterback moving a little bit. That's going to be important to our offense."
- Gray's Anatomy: As a star safety at Virginia Tech, Torrian Gray played in big games and covered terrific receivers. Now, he's the Hokies' secondary coach and his defensive backs get the challenge of covering the Yellow Jackets' Johnson on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets' star will get his catches. He had five receptions for 123 yards against the Hokies last year in a 51-7 loss. He'll make some plays and Gray's kids have to understand that.
- Score on special teams or defense: In their last two games against Georgia Tech, the Hokies have scored four touchdowns on returns: three interceptions and a blocked field goal. The Hokies have blocked four kicks and scored two defensive touchdowns already this season. Beamer's hoping for more of the same this week.
- Don't give GT a Choice: In other words, make Ball throw the ball. Yellow Jackets' tailback Tashard Choice is getting 4.5 yards per run, and if the Hokies can stuff the Jackets' rushing game and force Ball to throw, they've got a shot. If Choice has a big rushing day, that makes Ball and Johnson even tougher to defend.
- Win the turnover battle: The two "Techs" are tied for the ACC lead in turnover margin. The Hokies have forced 11 turnovers in four games, while the Yellow Jackets have forced eight. This will be a tough one to win for either team that puts the ball on the ground.
Bill:
During the Duke game, the TV commentator's trivia question was the name of the Tech cannon. They reported the Corps' cannon was named 'Skipper' to honor President John F. Kennedy because he was a PT boat skipper and was shot in 1963 when we introduced the cannon. This is totally incorrect. Skipper is the old corps name for a senior cadet without rank - in other words, a senior cadet private. The cannon was named in honor of these cadets. I was a VT freshman cadet in 1963 when the president was shot. During my freshman year, the corps collected uniform brass from cadets to make the cannon. However, the foundry (in Lynchburg, I believe) said the brass was too soft for casting a cannon. So the corps collected money from cadets to finance the purchase. I believe the cannon was first used in the fall of 1965 in Lane Stadium, but it's been more than 40 years so it is hard to remember the exact year (it could have been in '64 at Miles Stadium). I do remember the roar from the corps the first time it was fired after a touchdown. Can you send the correct information to our publicity department?. Cal, Virginia Beach. Cal,
I passed on this question to Colonel Rock Roszak, the Alumni Director of the Corps or Cadets. His response: "There is no clear answer here. Yes, part of the reason the cannon was named 'Skipper' is because that was the name given to a cadet senior with no rank and the founders wanted to honor that concept. "However, one of the two alums most credited with creating the Skipper - Homer "Sonny" Hickam of Rocket Boys/October Sky fame - has told me that he also intended to honor JFK with that name as he was the skipper of the PT-109. The cannon was first fired at the VT-VMI game in Roanoke on Thanksgiving Day in 1963. President Kennedy had been assassinated on the Friday before Thanksgiving and so at least some of the cadets considered the name 'Skipper' to be also applied in his honor."
Myself and three other Hokie alumni are currently living and working in Melbourne, Australia, for a year, which is great but means that we miss out on all of Hokie football season. We were wondering if there is any way that we could get tapes or DVD's of the Hokie football games sent to us. Currently, the Yahoo.com radio broadcast does not work for us, so we are completely cut off from Hokie football. Thanks for any help you might be able to offer. GO Hokies!!! Gobblers in exile, Ryan Felts, Sam Tuttle, Geoff Eddy and Kathryn Perkins. Melbourne, Australia. Ryan, Sam, Geoff, and Kathryn,
You can see Virginia Tech Sports Today every week on line. The show is archived each week on this site: VT Sports Today. As for seeing all of the games, I'd suggest asking a family member or friend to record the games or Hokie PlayBack each week and ship it over so you guys can enjoy the season. As of now, we don't have a Melbourne Hokie Club, but you guys could certainly start a grass roots effort to gather other Hokie alums who are currently living in Australia. Good luck, and thanks for writing.
I was wondering why Virginia Tech doesn't try a throwback look sometime? Maybe the early-mid 1990's looks with the stripe on the helmet. The Hokies and Nike don't seem to have any problem wearing the unsightly half-orange, half-maroon jerseys, so maybe they could try a positive uniform change. P.S. Your articles are great! I really enjoy them. Go Hokies! Mark, Raleigh. Mark,
Tech did wear throwback's a few years ago. They were essentially the same jerseys Tech wore in the 1960's, with piping around the shoulder pads, and were made by Nike. I'll pass on your suggestion to Tech's Lester Karlin, who handles Tech's jerseys.
What about junior CB Roland Minor? What will be his status after he returns back to the field from his wrist injury? Brendt, Baltimore. Brendt,
Roland is still working himself back into shape. Hopefully, he can see some action in the next couple of weeks.
This is in response to your suggestion to the person who is going to be in London over football season. Yes, you can go to the Sports Cafe in London to see football. However, I regret to tell you, it is better to listen to the game on the Internet. My personal opinion is the Sports Cafe has no redeeming quality and the beer is poor. Mostly lager and not a good selection of real ales. However, I do know of a good place in Paris to watch the games. It is the Moosehead near Blvd. St. Germain, Odeon or Mabillion metro stop Line 4 & 10. Other than that, I have enjoyed listening to the games at home. However, I do a bit of tailgating (OK, pub stop) at my local that serves nothing but real ales. Ward Reading England. Ward,
Thanks for the tip.
I would like to play Enter the Sandbag at my son's birthday party. Where can I get that record that they play at Lane Stadium? They didn't have it at our local record store. Barbara, Williamsburg. Barbara,
Umm ... yeah. Hmm. Well, the name of the song you hear is actually "Enter Sandman," which was recorded by the band Metallica. You can find it at just about any record store. Good luck!
