Virginia Tech at Alabama

[LarryW]

The first half was some of the best college football I'd seen in a while. VT was consistently performing in defense and continued to hammer at the offense. They played classic Beamer football. In the second half the depth of Alabama came thru for them, despite over exhuberance (stupidity) by some of their defensive backs. If you look at the yards, the Tide should have clobbered them (< 200 for VT vs 490+ for Alabama). It took a lot of gas to get over the mountain, but over it they went.

Lesson: Endurance adds up to a lot. Spirit and heart allow the physical size and strength to work, but nothing surpasses (or beats you quicker than the lack of) endurance. The Tide just kept at it. Hokies darned near pulled it off, but it was the relentless attack that won the day for the Tide. Not the first time (or theater) this lesson was taught or learned.

Well done and good luck to both. Thanks, it was a great game.

[Buffalobob]

Roll Tide Roll!!!!

[Slantwire]

The first half ended with Virginia Tech up 17-16, but you could see the impending outcome.

Add up a pair of of 3-and-outs by the offense, a kickoff return for touchdown, and a muffed punt, and the Tech defense was on the field far too long. The tackling was getting poor by the end of the half, a sign of fatigue (and things to come).

After getting a breather at halftime, Tech's D looked sharper in the scoreless third quarter. But it continued - more offensive ineptness, a fumbled kickoff return, and accumulated time. Alabama was still trailing five minutes into the fourth quarter, but won going away as Tech's defense wore down. Eighteen points and about 200 of those 500 yards came in the fourth quarter.

Tech had its chances, but Alabama was the better team and wins that game at least three times out of five. Congratulations to them and I wish them well on the rest of their season.

------------------------------------

(All of the above is sufficient to explain why Tech lost. I intentionally left out the SEC officiating. I know holding happens, to some extent, on every snap of football. But several big Alabama plays included on OL flat-out tackling a DL who was in position to make a play. And two scoring drives were sustained on 3rd downs by penalty: a pass interference call where the WR ran into a stationary FS, and an unnecessary roughness penalty on a LB who tackled a scrambling quarterback - in bounds. And going the other way, a ticky-tacky holding call to kill an important third down conversion. But, to quote Sigaba, I'm not bitter.)

[LarryW]

Good observations, Pinhead. When one plays the SEC they'd better be on top of their game. VT was whupped-up on by a rolling Tide that came ready to give it their all. Endurance and bench strength were the keys. An old Bear Bryant lesson. ('Course, the SEC officials did their part, too !)

[Viking]

Hell yeah! I hope it's a good season. Roll Tide!!!!!!!