When Virginia Tech suffered a shocking loss to FCS James Madison and fell to 0-2, a disastrous start in a season of great expectations, coach Frank Beamer was quick to deliver a history lesson.
He told his team about 1995, also a year of high hopes, when Virginia Tech started 0-2 and had an equally humiliating home loss in the rain, 16-0, to then-lowly Cincinnati.
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That wasn’t the end of the story. Behind Jim Druckenmiller, Virginia Tech rallied to win 10 straight, claimed a share of the Big East title, beat Texas in the Sugar Bowl and captured its first top-10 ranking in program history.
Fifteen years later, are the Hokies beginning a similar run?
Wins on the road against previously unbeaten Boston College and North Carolina State suggest Virginia Tech (3-2, 2-0) has recovered from its dubious start and is ready to contend for an ACC title.
“If we’re gonna enter in this ACC deal, we’ve got to continue to get better,” Beamer told reporters. “That’s been the history of our program — we continue to get better throughout the year.”
With its next four games at home, Virginia Tech has a rare opportunity to gather momentum without leaving Blacksburg, before playing tough ACC tests in November at North Carolina and at Miami.
Generating steam is a Virginia Tech trait. Since 2004, the Hokies have been 23-6 in September, 16-6 in October, and 20-2 in November.
To keep the trend going, Virginia Tech much remedy a recurring problem — starting slowly. The Hokies have been outscored by opponents in the first quarter, 41-14.
“People game plan for us,” Beamer said. “They come out and do some things a little bit different.”
Case in point was Saturday’s game at N.C. State, in which the Hokies fell behind 17-0 before staging the biggest comeback of Beamer’s 24-year tenure for a 41-30 win. The catalysts were senior quarterback Tyrod Taylor (three touchdown passes, 121 yards rushing), sophomore running back Darren Evans (15 carries, 160 yards, two touchdowns) and sophomore cornerback Jayron Hosley (three interceptions).
Virginia Tech hopes the N.C. State game will be its season in microcosm — terrible start, great finish. After all, the Hokies know the formula.
