October 20, 1999

17. This really sucks. If Tech can't even cover the spread against cupcakes like Duke and Carolina, how are we gonna do it against teams like Virginia and N.C. State? We're doomed!


1. Lighten up, Francis. Tech is, what, 5-1? And eighth in the country? And you're writing off the season already? Fugeddaboutit. Go take a couple of Tums and quit bitching.

It's helpful to remember that the 1990 national champions had to kick a last-minute field goal to defeat a 6-5 Virginia Tech team, were tied by a North Carolina team that won only six games, and also gave up 31 points to Duke. These things happen.

Buried within that kvetching, however, is a legitimate concern: Tech's performance on defense has definitely been a bummer. Giving up 55 points to two teams with a combined 2-10 record is nothing to brag about. Not to mention the fact that the defense let a slow-footed doofus like Spencer Romine scramble for yardage and TDs like he was some overweight white version of Joe Hamilton. That should not have happened; Romine should have been laid out flat on his back like some two-dollar hooker outside the student section at Sanford Stadium.

Some reasons for the letdown on D would include:

1. Tech is still paying the price for that 1-10 season back in 1994. If you remember, when O'Leary took over in 1995 he had to play practically all of his first recruiting class as true freshmen; he didn't have the luxury of redshirting any of them. As a result, Tech's defense was top-heavy with fourth-year seniors in 1998, which meant there weren't any fifth-year seniors available to return for the 1999 season. Had things not been so dire in O'Leary's first season, he might have been able to redshirt a few players like Delaunta Cameron, Jason Bostic, Jerry Caldwell, Rodderick Roberts and Jesse Tarplin and still have them around this year. That would added a layer of senior leadership to what is now a very young defense. Tech has guys starting on D who, 12 months ago, were playing at Parkview High School and similar venues. That's a big adjustment for a young player to make.
2. Tech had to play the past two games without Travares Tillman. Tillman is the best tackler on the team and a senior leader on defense. His absence made a big difference.
3. Some of the more experienced starters on defense don't seem to be playing up to the level they played last year. That also makes a difference.
4. College coaches, in general, seem to put their best athletes on offense, making it harder to build dominating defenses. Take the example of Jermaine Crenshaw, one of the most gifted athletes on the team who was recruited as a quarterback. According to Ralph Friedgen, the coaches decided that Crenshaw doesn't have a good enough arm to play QB at the college level. He's obviously too good an athlete to keep on the bench, so where does he go? Not to defense, where Tech is suffering this year, but to wide receiver, where the Jackets already had an overload of talent. Or look at Brian Camp. Wouldn't he be contributing more at linebacker than at QB? This is not a trend limited to Tech. With the possible exception of FSU, the best athletes at most programs seem to get channeled to the offensive side of the ball.
5. Tech may be suffering from the "curse of Lance Thompson." I remember hearing Jesse Tarplin on a talk radio show last year discussing Tech's success in sacking the QB. The main reason for this success, Tarplin said, was the pass-rushing techniques taught by Coach Thompson. Thompson, of course, has departed for Alabama, and some of the players he mentored don't seem to have adjusted well to the new regime.
6. Related to the departure of Lance Thompson is the fact that Tech has its third defensive coordinator in three years and two new assistants on the D-side. I suspect the new coaches are going through a period of adjustment just like the players.

No question, the offense has been carrying the team this season. There is a tough stretch of games coming up - against N.C. State, Virginia, and Clemson - where the defense is going to have to grow up or Tech can forget about running the table (Dr. Football is not as confident about this as he was three weeks ago). Coach O reportedly told the Macon boosters he is already demanding some player changes on defense, or there'll be some changes in coaches. Ted Roof, who filled in for the Big O on his most recent radio show, indicated there will definitely be lineup changes by the time of the N.C. State game. We'll see.

17. How badly will Tech miss Philip Rogers?


1. He will be missed quite a lot. Over the past two seasons, Philip became one of the best short-yardage runners Tech ever had. You could always count on him to bull for a first down on third and one, or to vault into the end zone from the two. Dr. Football will always fondly remember last year's Georgia game when Philip spent the entire fourth quarter bowling over all those "Top 5 recruiting class" linebackers Donnan had playing. He looked a bull in the Sanford Stadium china shop. When George O'Leary took over as head coach at the end of that disastrous '94 season, Philip was the very first high school prospect he visited. Rogers showed his faith in Tech by signing on to help Coach O rebuild the program. Tech fans shouldn't ever forget that. Philip Rogers contributed a lot to this program, and he will be missed.



17. Did you ever think Kelly Campbell would have the kind of breakout season he's been having?


1. Not to this extent. It was obvious last year that Kelly had speed to burn, but I'm as surprised as anyone at the numbers he's been piling up this season. He's also developed into a tough kid - although his jaw was broken by the Criminole thugs in the FSU game, Kelly had his jaw wired shut and kept on catching the ball. "I'm so proud of that kid," Coach Friedgen said. "I told George, 'We oughta lock some more of our players' jaws together.'" Dr. Football is laughing out loud at all those imbeciles from the Vent who, like brain-dead Moonies, keep mindlessly chanting that "Kelly Campbell isn't good enough to make Georgia's scout team." They ought to ask Cory Robinson how good Campbell is.



17. Now that we're at the halfway point of the season, how would you grade the team's performance so far?
1. Well, since you asked:

Offense: A-minus. If not for all the turnovers against Duke and Carolina, you'd have to give the offense an A-plus grade. Even on a bad day, they can still score 38 points.

Defense: D-plus. If not for those fourth-quarter stands against Carolina and Duke, this would have been a failing grade. There's lots of room for improvement here.

Special teams: C-plus. There have been some lapses: that long kickoff return by Maryland, those missed field goals by Luke Manget, the fumbled punts by Marvious Hester. On the other hand, Luke did nail that last-second field goal against Carolina, and Hester is destined to bust a punt return for a touchdown one of these days. I see this grade getting better by season's end.

Training table: A-plus. Coach O, the Fridge and Wes definitely have not been missing any meals. I guess they're bulking up for that stretch run.

Most pleasant surprises: Kelly Campbell and Greg Gathers blossoming into impact players. Bill Madigan stepping in as a starter at OG. Sean Gregory taking over when Joe Burns and Philip Rogers went down with injuries. Jon Muyres and Jermaine Crenshaw giving the team two more quality wide receivers (Dr. Football was especially impressed by Jermaine's catch on fourth and three to keep the drive alive for the tying field goal against Duke).

Playing up to high expectations: Joe Hamilton. Dez White. The offensive line.

Missing in action: The tight ends. Does the Fridge ever plan to call for a pass to them again?

17. Is Joe Hamilton still the frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy?
1. Probably, although Drew Brees and Shaun Alexander are still hanging in there. If Joe wins the trophy, the two people most responsible for his winning it will probably be Tommy Hilfiger and John Chavis. It was greed for designer clothing that knocked Peter Warrick out of the running. Now, Hamilton has to hope that Chavis, the Tennessee defensive coordinator, can devise some schemes that shut down Alexander when the Vols meet the Tide.



17. Has any coach ever made a dumber call than Woody Widenhofer having Vandy go for it instead of punting on fourth down against Georgia?


1. Never, not in a million-billion-zillion years. The worst thing about Widenhofer's mistake was that it kept Vanderbilt from springing a big upset on Georgia. For that he should be crucified, castrated, and exiled to Somalia.