Any idea on the VT players?
- Thread starter Irish
- Start date
cannot confirm validity but only thing I saw on this was that Beamer just said none of the 6 were on the 2-deep
Ok the guy I know close to VT said that the suspension was done in a "matter of fact" way that no one seemed to think it was a starter. I was concerned because the special teams consist of a few no makers and I wanted to make sure it wasn't someone that could be involved.
Thanks
Irish
Thanks
Irish
In the final Tech Talk Live of the weekend, Bill Roth and Mike Burnop were joined by wide receivers coach Kevin Sherman and running backs coach Billy Hite at the Rivals Waterfront Grille.
Roth and Burnop noted that the playing surface at Sun Life Stadium is as good as it gets. Everything is setting up for a great football game. The Hokies have had great senior leadership and a great week or practice. Going out with a win would be a great feather in the cap for Tyrod Taylor and the seniors.
Sherman said the receivers know what type of challenge they'll have against Stanford. They've had a very good week of preparation on the practice field and in film study. They are ready to play. The Stanford defensive backs are very good, and they don't give up big plays. Sherman is challenging his players to create big plays.
Taking a month off is always a concern. It could affect the timing of the passing game. Sherman said the wide receivers and quarterbacks were all together during the month of December, and the team focused on keeping the passing game sharp.
Sherman said that Dyrell Roberts is in Miami, but he's not practicing. He is still rehabbing, and he is getting more flexibility in his leg. He should hopefully be ready to go again by spring practice.
Behind Dyrell Roberts, Danny Coale and Jarrett Boykin, the Hokies do have some guys who will have to shoulder the load in 2012. That includes Xavier Boyce, Marcus Davis, D.J. Coles and Austin Fuller. E.L. Smiling, a freshman who is redshirting, shouldn't be counted out of the mix as well.
Sherman said that Jarrett Boykin has had a great year. He got banged up against UNC and he's worked hard in the training room to keep himself on the field. He is going to get challenged by the Stanford defensive back. He will probably be matched up against Richard Sherman, Stanford's best corner. Bill Roth noted that Boykin needs just nine catches to set the school record for career receptions.
Sherman agreed that the turf at Sun Life Stadium is as good as it gets. The Hokies are familiar with it, as they played the Miami Hurricanes in that stadium in late November. Burnop noted that it's tough to find a field like that on January 2.
Danny Coale and Tyrod Taylor have great timing together, Sherman said. Both players have great trust in the other. Sherman can't say enough about Coale. He is a very good player with a great work ethic.
The coaching staff has been watching Stanford film for a month now. They have a very good defense. The Hokies are going to run the football and try to make plays in the passing game. Sherman has challenged his guys to make big plays, but at the same time they have to be patient and let the game come to them. Stanford is very well-disciplined and well-coached. They are physical. They remind the Tech coaching staff of the Boston College defense.
Sherman can't speak for Stanford, but he likes the fact that this isn't Tech's first game in Miami or Sun Life Stadium. The Hokies already played Miami in that stadium, and they also played there twice in 2008 and once in 2007. Going to Miami isn't new for Virginia Tech.
Roth brought up the point that Tech can't take Orange Bowl trips for granted. In 1980, Clemson won the National Championship in the Orange Bowl, but haven't played in the game since. Tech is playing in the game for the third time in the last four years. Sherman said the coaching staff does their best to keep the players humble and hungry. It doesn't get any better than the Orange Bowl. Coach Beamer keeps the coaches even keeled, and they do the same for the players. It all starts at the top.
Burnop noted that Virginia Tech was amazing on third down against Florida State. Sherman said that was an area of focus for the Hokies going into that game, and it worked out. They have to be good on third down again against Stanford. This game is all about the quarterbacks, and it should be a great game.
Billy Hite said that Ryan Williams tweaked his hamstring the day before the team left for Christmas break. He has gotten better each day since the team arrived in Miami. He got faster each day. Hite is going to start Darren Evans, but he plans to play Williams early in the game to see what he can do.
Hite is disappointed to see David Wilson get suspended for the first quarter. He's one of the greatest kids Hite has ever coached. Wilson has never done anything wrong, and that's why he's still in Miami: he's never been a problem before. He seems very humbled and sorry, and he learned a valuable lesson. Rashad Carmichael will return kicks in place of Wilson in the first quarter. Hite feels very comfortable with him back there.
Hite doesn't know what Darren Evans and Ryan Williams will do. They are very much focused on Stanford right now. It's a decision they will have to make based on what is best for themselves and their families.
Roth noted that UConn coach Randy Edsall looks like he is going to take over the Maryland program. Hite said he didn't care for the way the Maryland people handled the firing of Ralph Friedgen. They were about a play away from playing for the ACC Championship Game. Randy Edsall does a great job at UConn, according to Hite.
Hite said the team has been moved to their new hotel for the night before the game. The coaching staff will eat breakfast with the team on Monday morning, and then go over their teach tape. They will spend about three hours with them on Monday, and the coordinators and Frank Beamer are working with the players on Sunday night as well. They are keeping their minds occupied to help prevent distractions.
Hite said that Tech and the coaching staff are very lucky. Their leadership starts at the top. From the school presidents, to the athletics director, to coach Beamer ... all of those guys have been critical to Virginia Tech's success. The assistant coaches at Tech are the luckiest coaches in America to play for Frank Beamer. Hite has heard plenty of horror stories from other coaches about working at other schools, and he doesn't want any part of it. No matter what happens, Coach Beamer is even keeled. There are no peaks and valleys with him.
Hite addressed a question about throwing the ball to the tailbacks. Many times, defenses will blitz the running backs, not the quarterback. Whatever side the tailback lines up on, defenses will blitz on that side to try to keep the tailback in to help pass block. That takes away a threat in the passing game, even if the blitzer doesn't get the sack.
Stanford is just like Virginia Tech. They got better every week, just like the Hokies. They are very well-coached, according to Billy Hite. Bill Roth noted that they only allowed nine points per game over the last five games. The big key for Stanford this year was the improvement of their defense. The Hokies have their work cut out for them offensively. However, Hite feels very good about the preparation Virginia Tech has put into the Orange Bowl.
This is the same situation Virginia Tech has faced all year long. To win, they have to run the football and throw the football down the field. They have to protect the ball and not turn it over. That's the best thing the Hokies have done this year ... they haven't turned it over. They also have to keep the chains moving and make plays on third down. Special teams will be key, because they can affect field position.
Tech has been playing football since the beginning of August, and the Orange Bowl is the culmination. If the Hokies can win the Orange Bowl, this group could become the most special group to ever play at Virginia Tech, in Hite's view. To win 12 games in a year after losing your first two games is absolutely unbelievable.
Roth and Burnop noted that the playing surface at Sun Life Stadium is as good as it gets. Everything is setting up for a great football game. The Hokies have had great senior leadership and a great week or practice. Going out with a win would be a great feather in the cap for Tyrod Taylor and the seniors.
Sherman said the receivers know what type of challenge they'll have against Stanford. They've had a very good week of preparation on the practice field and in film study. They are ready to play. The Stanford defensive backs are very good, and they don't give up big plays. Sherman is challenging his players to create big plays.
Taking a month off is always a concern. It could affect the timing of the passing game. Sherman said the wide receivers and quarterbacks were all together during the month of December, and the team focused on keeping the passing game sharp.
Sherman said that Dyrell Roberts is in Miami, but he's not practicing. He is still rehabbing, and he is getting more flexibility in his leg. He should hopefully be ready to go again by spring practice.
Behind Dyrell Roberts, Danny Coale and Jarrett Boykin, the Hokies do have some guys who will have to shoulder the load in 2012. That includes Xavier Boyce, Marcus Davis, D.J. Coles and Austin Fuller. E.L. Smiling, a freshman who is redshirting, shouldn't be counted out of the mix as well.
Sherman said that Jarrett Boykin has had a great year. He got banged up against UNC and he's worked hard in the training room to keep himself on the field. He is going to get challenged by the Stanford defensive back. He will probably be matched up against Richard Sherman, Stanford's best corner. Bill Roth noted that Boykin needs just nine catches to set the school record for career receptions.
Sherman agreed that the turf at Sun Life Stadium is as good as it gets. The Hokies are familiar with it, as they played the Miami Hurricanes in that stadium in late November. Burnop noted that it's tough to find a field like that on January 2.
Danny Coale and Tyrod Taylor have great timing together, Sherman said. Both players have great trust in the other. Sherman can't say enough about Coale. He is a very good player with a great work ethic.
The coaching staff has been watching Stanford film for a month now. They have a very good defense. The Hokies are going to run the football and try to make plays in the passing game. Sherman has challenged his guys to make big plays, but at the same time they have to be patient and let the game come to them. Stanford is very well-disciplined and well-coached. They are physical. They remind the Tech coaching staff of the Boston College defense.
Sherman can't speak for Stanford, but he likes the fact that this isn't Tech's first game in Miami or Sun Life Stadium. The Hokies already played Miami in that stadium, and they also played there twice in 2008 and once in 2007. Going to Miami isn't new for Virginia Tech.
Roth brought up the point that Tech can't take Orange Bowl trips for granted. In 1980, Clemson won the National Championship in the Orange Bowl, but haven't played in the game since. Tech is playing in the game for the third time in the last four years. Sherman said the coaching staff does their best to keep the players humble and hungry. It doesn't get any better than the Orange Bowl. Coach Beamer keeps the coaches even keeled, and they do the same for the players. It all starts at the top.
Burnop noted that Virginia Tech was amazing on third down against Florida State. Sherman said that was an area of focus for the Hokies going into that game, and it worked out. They have to be good on third down again against Stanford. This game is all about the quarterbacks, and it should be a great game.
Billy Hite said that Ryan Williams tweaked his hamstring the day before the team left for Christmas break. He has gotten better each day since the team arrived in Miami. He got faster each day. Hite is going to start Darren Evans, but he plans to play Williams early in the game to see what he can do.
Hite is disappointed to see David Wilson get suspended for the first quarter. He's one of the greatest kids Hite has ever coached. Wilson has never done anything wrong, and that's why he's still in Miami: he's never been a problem before. He seems very humbled and sorry, and he learned a valuable lesson. Rashad Carmichael will return kicks in place of Wilson in the first quarter. Hite feels very comfortable with him back there.
Hite doesn't know what Darren Evans and Ryan Williams will do. They are very much focused on Stanford right now. It's a decision they will have to make based on what is best for themselves and their families.
Roth noted that UConn coach Randy Edsall looks like he is going to take over the Maryland program. Hite said he didn't care for the way the Maryland people handled the firing of Ralph Friedgen. They were about a play away from playing for the ACC Championship Game. Randy Edsall does a great job at UConn, according to Hite.
Hite said the team has been moved to their new hotel for the night before the game. The coaching staff will eat breakfast with the team on Monday morning, and then go over their teach tape. They will spend about three hours with them on Monday, and the coordinators and Frank Beamer are working with the players on Sunday night as well. They are keeping their minds occupied to help prevent distractions.
Hite said that Tech and the coaching staff are very lucky. Their leadership starts at the top. From the school presidents, to the athletics director, to coach Beamer ... all of those guys have been critical to Virginia Tech's success. The assistant coaches at Tech are the luckiest coaches in America to play for Frank Beamer. Hite has heard plenty of horror stories from other coaches about working at other schools, and he doesn't want any part of it. No matter what happens, Coach Beamer is even keeled. There are no peaks and valleys with him.
Hite addressed a question about throwing the ball to the tailbacks. Many times, defenses will blitz the running backs, not the quarterback. Whatever side the tailback lines up on, defenses will blitz on that side to try to keep the tailback in to help pass block. That takes away a threat in the passing game, even if the blitzer doesn't get the sack.
Stanford is just like Virginia Tech. They got better every week, just like the Hokies. They are very well-coached, according to Billy Hite. Bill Roth noted that they only allowed nine points per game over the last five games. The big key for Stanford this year was the improvement of their defense. The Hokies have their work cut out for them offensively. However, Hite feels very good about the preparation Virginia Tech has put into the Orange Bowl.
This is the same situation Virginia Tech has faced all year long. To win, they have to run the football and throw the football down the field. They have to protect the ball and not turn it over. That's the best thing the Hokies have done this year ... they haven't turned it over. They also have to keep the chains moving and make plays on third down. Special teams will be key, because they can affect field position.
Tech has been playing football since the beginning of August, and the Orange Bowl is the culmination. If the Hokies can win the Orange Bowl, this group could become the most special group to ever play at Virginia Tech, in Hite's view. To win 12 games in a year after losing your first two games is absolutely unbelievable.
There are 120 teams in Division 1A football, and all but 14 of them are done for the year. The season is winding down, and the Hokies, for whom it started so poorly, have a great opportunity in front of them this evening. Stanford's good, but so is Virginia Tech, and it should be a whale of a game.
Most of the headlines for the Hokies in this last week of preparation have been bad ones: Antone Exum and David Wilson won't play the first quarter due to a curfew violation; six players who aren't in the two-deep are headed home for undisclosed violations; Ryan Williams has been battling a tweaked hamstring; Tyrod Taylor had a stomach bug earlier in the week; and -- maybe you've heard this one -- Virginia Tech is 1-18 against top five teams during Frank Beamer's tenure. TSL even picked the Hokies to lose, like most score predictions, local and national.
Combine it all together, and it doesn't sound good for the Hokies going into tonight's game. But I don't think the headlines are going to have much of an effect on this game. The six players who were sent home on the bus aren't anyone of any importance at this point in their careers, and I doubt their quick tickets home created much of a stir on the team at large.
Do you think anyone cared when Keith Short was sent home on a bus early during preparation for the 1995 Sugar Bowl? He was a redshirting defensive tackle, buried on the depth chart behind one of the deepest, most talented defensive lines Tech has ever had. Short went on to have a solid career, moving to offense and starting at center for the Hokies during their 1999 season, but his dismissal in 1995 probably created a few chuckles among his teammates, and that was it. I'm sure this is a similar situation.
The most lasting effect of the misbehavior of the Greyhound Six will be the lesson they leave behind: Don't mess around, or you're headed home.
The absence of Exum and Wilson could be more problematic. We'll never know what they might have done in the first quarter to change the game. A kickoff return for a touchdown by Wilson? A forced fumble or an interception by Exum? Nothing? Who can tell? Although if Rock Carmichael or Jayron Hosley fumbles a kickoff return, we'll wonder.
Ryan Williams approaches 100% readiness a little more each day, and Tyrod is over the stomach bug. All that leaves is that 1-18 record against top five teams.
Other people like to bring up that record of futility, and I suppose it's worthy of discussion. But what the Hokies do tonight won't change the perceptions surrounding that record one bit. Is 2-18 or 1-19 much different from 1-18? No. Lose tonight, and the record will be 1-19 and will be brought up the next time the Hokies face a top-five team. Win tonight, and the record will be 2-18 ... and will be brought up the next time the Hokies face a top-five team.
So I don't spend much time thinking about that record or this game's impact on it.
What I do spend time concentrating on, and this is difficult, is living in the moment. This season has its blemishes, but overall, it has been a very satisfying season. The Hokies are undisputed kings of the ACC, winning three of the last four championships and being the first team to go undefeated in the conference since expansion.
Virginia Tech's record-setting quarterback, Tyrod Taylor, is about to play his last game. We've gotten so used to Tyrod around here, from the time we ran our first recruiting update on him April of 2006, that it's hard to grasp that this is it. In just a few hours, Tyrod will never suit up for the Hokies again. Not in practice, not in games. We'll follow his efforts to make the NFL, and we'll always love him, but like Bryan Randall, he will become part of Tech's past.
That's true for all of Tech's seniors, of course. It's the seniors who have been here during this four-year period, when Virginia Tech took control of the ACC. After tonight, they'll all become past tense, part of the dense tapestry of Virginia Tech football.
But living in the moment is about more than appreciating the players and this season. It's about understanding how quickly things can all go south. We've become so accustomed to bowl games (18 straight) and ten-win seasons (seven in a row) that we take them for granted. And I'm not lapsing into the "we're so spoiled, blah-blah-blah" speech. I'm stating a fact: we take them for granted.
I try not to take the winning for granted, but most of the time, I fail. I look around, and I see the consistency in Tech's program, and then I see the flailing going on at places like Maryland and Virginia, the flashes in the pan like Wake Forest, the wannebes like North Carolina, and the failed experiment that was Chuck Amato at NC State (admittedly getting pretty far in the rear view mirror). And then there's Clemson, which as a program has turned making nothing out of something into an art form. Really? Dabo's better than Tommy? He just delivered Clemson's first losing season since 1998.
I look at all that and more, and I think: Virginia Tech's better than that. Indeed they are. You can't argue with that.
And I think: That could never happen to Virginia Tech. And there's the trouble. It can. It does. It happens to everybody.
Just look at Texas and Florida. Let's start with Florida, a program that won two BCS Championships in three years (2006 and 2008), and was in line for another one last year before losing to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.
But this year, Florida fell to a pedestrian record of 7-5, 4-4 in the SEC, before beating Penn State in the Outback Bowl to finish 8-5. This is a team that had three 13-win seasons from 2006-2009. The coach that brought them all that success is stepping down. The future is uncertain for Florida, though admittedly, no one weeps for the Gators. They've got the stuff to bounce back.
Texas fell further from grace than Florida did this season. The Longhorns, whom the Hokies unseated as champions of the ten-win season club, had won ten games or more every year since 2001, including a national championship in 2005 and runners-up in 2009.
This year, though, Texas was one of the stories in college football, except no one talks for long about losers. The Longhorns started out 3-0 and then imploded, losing seven of their last nine, to finish 5-7 and snap a bowl streak that stood at 12 seasons. Texas lost five home games. One of their two wins in the months of October and November was over 4-8 Florida Atlantic. Mack Brown was beside himself at times this season and has started shaking up his coaching staff to fix the "problem."
Think the Longhorns and their fans took the winning for granted? Of course they did. It gets so familiar that you never think it's going to go away.
Why spend so much time talking about Texas and Florida? Because, although both teams probably have issues that go beyond the quarterback spot, their plummet from the summit this season came after the departure of two of the best quarterbacks in college football: Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy.
Back in the preseason, I was annoyed with the national media, who seemed to think that both UF and Texas would just plug in new QBs (John Brantley and Garrett Gilbert, respectively) and stay in the top ten of the BCS. Florida and Texas were both top-five in the preseason AP Poll and top-four in the preseason USA Today Coaches' Poll.
But I didn't think I was that right. Who saw Florida and Texas going 13-12 combined? I didn't.
It all makes me wonder what happens when Tyrod Taylor exits stage left after tonight's game. Don't assume the winning will go on and on, because for once, it might not.
But this brief column isn't intended to be a cautionary tale for the future, or a downer a few hours before a big game. It's meant as a piece of advice: live in the moment. Enjoy tonight's game, because you never know when we'll pass this way again.
It's also hard to believe the season's almost over. Every fall, I wonder what memorable things are going to happen in a season. What plays are we going to remember? What games are we going to remember? What moments? Will it ever get here?
And then we're in it, and like most stories, we're so wrapped up in it that we can't imagine it ever coming to an end. But it's about to. So have fun tonight watching the game, whether you're in Miami, at home, or out somewhere. And let's hope Tyrod and his teammates finish the season in style.
Most of the headlines for the Hokies in this last week of preparation have been bad ones: Antone Exum and David Wilson won't play the first quarter due to a curfew violation; six players who aren't in the two-deep are headed home for undisclosed violations; Ryan Williams has been battling a tweaked hamstring; Tyrod Taylor had a stomach bug earlier in the week; and -- maybe you've heard this one -- Virginia Tech is 1-18 against top five teams during Frank Beamer's tenure. TSL even picked the Hokies to lose, like most score predictions, local and national.
Combine it all together, and it doesn't sound good for the Hokies going into tonight's game. But I don't think the headlines are going to have much of an effect on this game. The six players who were sent home on the bus aren't anyone of any importance at this point in their careers, and I doubt their quick tickets home created much of a stir on the team at large.
Do you think anyone cared when Keith Short was sent home on a bus early during preparation for the 1995 Sugar Bowl? He was a redshirting defensive tackle, buried on the depth chart behind one of the deepest, most talented defensive lines Tech has ever had. Short went on to have a solid career, moving to offense and starting at center for the Hokies during their 1999 season, but his dismissal in 1995 probably created a few chuckles among his teammates, and that was it. I'm sure this is a similar situation.
The most lasting effect of the misbehavior of the Greyhound Six will be the lesson they leave behind: Don't mess around, or you're headed home.
The absence of Exum and Wilson could be more problematic. We'll never know what they might have done in the first quarter to change the game. A kickoff return for a touchdown by Wilson? A forced fumble or an interception by Exum? Nothing? Who can tell? Although if Rock Carmichael or Jayron Hosley fumbles a kickoff return, we'll wonder.
Ryan Williams approaches 100% readiness a little more each day, and Tyrod is over the stomach bug. All that leaves is that 1-18 record against top five teams.
Other people like to bring up that record of futility, and I suppose it's worthy of discussion. But what the Hokies do tonight won't change the perceptions surrounding that record one bit. Is 2-18 or 1-19 much different from 1-18? No. Lose tonight, and the record will be 1-19 and will be brought up the next time the Hokies face a top-five team. Win tonight, and the record will be 2-18 ... and will be brought up the next time the Hokies face a top-five team.
So I don't spend much time thinking about that record or this game's impact on it.
What I do spend time concentrating on, and this is difficult, is living in the moment. This season has its blemishes, but overall, it has been a very satisfying season. The Hokies are undisputed kings of the ACC, winning three of the last four championships and being the first team to go undefeated in the conference since expansion.
Virginia Tech's record-setting quarterback, Tyrod Taylor, is about to play his last game. We've gotten so used to Tyrod around here, from the time we ran our first recruiting update on him April of 2006, that it's hard to grasp that this is it. In just a few hours, Tyrod will never suit up for the Hokies again. Not in practice, not in games. We'll follow his efforts to make the NFL, and we'll always love him, but like Bryan Randall, he will become part of Tech's past.
That's true for all of Tech's seniors, of course. It's the seniors who have been here during this four-year period, when Virginia Tech took control of the ACC. After tonight, they'll all become past tense, part of the dense tapestry of Virginia Tech football.
But living in the moment is about more than appreciating the players and this season. It's about understanding how quickly things can all go south. We've become so accustomed to bowl games (18 straight) and ten-win seasons (seven in a row) that we take them for granted. And I'm not lapsing into the "we're so spoiled, blah-blah-blah" speech. I'm stating a fact: we take them for granted.
I try not to take the winning for granted, but most of the time, I fail. I look around, and I see the consistency in Tech's program, and then I see the flailing going on at places like Maryland and Virginia, the flashes in the pan like Wake Forest, the wannebes like North Carolina, and the failed experiment that was Chuck Amato at NC State (admittedly getting pretty far in the rear view mirror). And then there's Clemson, which as a program has turned making nothing out of something into an art form. Really? Dabo's better than Tommy? He just delivered Clemson's first losing season since 1998.
I look at all that and more, and I think: Virginia Tech's better than that. Indeed they are. You can't argue with that.
And I think: That could never happen to Virginia Tech. And there's the trouble. It can. It does. It happens to everybody.
Just look at Texas and Florida. Let's start with Florida, a program that won two BCS Championships in three years (2006 and 2008), and was in line for another one last year before losing to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.
But this year, Florida fell to a pedestrian record of 7-5, 4-4 in the SEC, before beating Penn State in the Outback Bowl to finish 8-5. This is a team that had three 13-win seasons from 2006-2009. The coach that brought them all that success is stepping down. The future is uncertain for Florida, though admittedly, no one weeps for the Gators. They've got the stuff to bounce back.
Texas fell further from grace than Florida did this season. The Longhorns, whom the Hokies unseated as champions of the ten-win season club, had won ten games or more every year since 2001, including a national championship in 2005 and runners-up in 2009.
This year, though, Texas was one of the stories in college football, except no one talks for long about losers. The Longhorns started out 3-0 and then imploded, losing seven of their last nine, to finish 5-7 and snap a bowl streak that stood at 12 seasons. Texas lost five home games. One of their two wins in the months of October and November was over 4-8 Florida Atlantic. Mack Brown was beside himself at times this season and has started shaking up his coaching staff to fix the "problem."
Think the Longhorns and their fans took the winning for granted? Of course they did. It gets so familiar that you never think it's going to go away.
Why spend so much time talking about Texas and Florida? Because, although both teams probably have issues that go beyond the quarterback spot, their plummet from the summit this season came after the departure of two of the best quarterbacks in college football: Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy.
Back in the preseason, I was annoyed with the national media, who seemed to think that both UF and Texas would just plug in new QBs (John Brantley and Garrett Gilbert, respectively) and stay in the top ten of the BCS. Florida and Texas were both top-five in the preseason AP Poll and top-four in the preseason USA Today Coaches' Poll.
But I didn't think I was that right. Who saw Florida and Texas going 13-12 combined? I didn't.
It all makes me wonder what happens when Tyrod Taylor exits stage left after tonight's game. Don't assume the winning will go on and on, because for once, it might not.
But this brief column isn't intended to be a cautionary tale for the future, or a downer a few hours before a big game. It's meant as a piece of advice: live in the moment. Enjoy tonight's game, because you never know when we'll pass this way again.
It's also hard to believe the season's almost over. Every fall, I wonder what memorable things are going to happen in a season. What plays are we going to remember? What games are we going to remember? What moments? Will it ever get here?
And then we're in it, and like most stories, we're so wrapped up in it that we can't imagine it ever coming to an end. But it's about to. So have fun tonight watching the game, whether you're in Miami, at home, or out somewhere. And let's hope Tyrod and his teammates finish the season in style.
Actually, I found the articles listed by IE more helpful than the thread topic itself.
The 6 players were not identified nor expected to see any sig. PT.
The 6 players were not identified nor expected to see any sig. PT.
