Back in the saddle

As a huge Hokie fan, this season has, until last night, been a dreary and unsatisfying slog. Too much hype, embarrassing losses and some really trashy play; there has not been a lot for Hokie Nation to celebrate. That changed quite a bit with last night’s defeat of #10 Clemson.

Everyone that follows college football knows that Lane Stadium on a Thursday night is a very hard place to play. When Tech fields a defense that is clicking, look out. The place is as loud as other stadiums twice its size. And that is just what Clemson got. The noise rattled the visiting offense to the point that Clemson burned all three timeouts in the first 10 minutes, including one taken before the first snap. The defense just killed them, holding the #1 offense in college ball to 7 points. The offense took care of business as well. Branden Ore rushed for over 200 yards and 2 touchdowns. Sean Glennon only coughed the ball up once.

But most importantly, there were no personal fouls, cheap shots or any of the other crap that has characterized so much of the past couple of years. The team just came out, played together, played clean, and played Clemson off of the field. With a little help, Tech may also have played its way back into the Division title hunt. Hokie Nation finally has something to cheer about.