I'm over our ranking. A week of sulking and eating chocolate chip cookies has perked me up and now I'm ready for happiness and sunshine again. What can be better than the ACC Championship game? And it's sponsored by one of the best drinks in the world, Dr. Pepper! It's just what the Doctor ordered for my sulking. And, it tastes good with Captain Morgan, FYI. I, of course, have had to ban the Captain from my cabinet after a horrible incident involving shots many, many years ago. But, it was still a tasty beverage. I highly recommend it if you'll be riding this one out on the couch with me on Saturday.
We're back in our home away from home: The NC. Not to be confused with the OC... but similar in that there will be a lot of Clemson fans there who think they are better than they really are.
Dear Mr. Swinney,
Oh Dabo! What happened, buddy?? You all were so pumped up at the beginning of the season... and now, well, now you are pretty darn lucky to still be ranked, AND, you are lucky to be playing us in the ACC Championship game. We took that horrendous loss on October 1st (see Frostbite, Failure... and Fireworks? if you need a little reminder) and have won 7 consecutive games. You Tony the Tigers, on the other hand, have won 4 and lost 3 - to Georgia Tech (understandable), NC State (a little more painful) and South Carolina (wow, that one must have really hurt). If you look at my post pre-October 1st (see It's All in the Numbers), you can tell that I was afraid of you. But you know what, Dabo? Who's afraid now?
We lost 3-23 on that fateful October night. It was rainy. It was freezing. My toes are still recovering from the frostbite scare and I still have nightmares every once in a while about the Super 8. We were at home and we looked "inept". It was the defining moment of our season. Second-half Giraffe made it the defining moment of his college career. Do you remember the Miami game? That's how I know it was our defining moment. We didn't let it ruin us like the Boise State game did last season (not that last season was bad, but we did lose to JMU). I know it's cliche, but we ARE a different team now.
Dear Logan Thomas,
I have evaluated your in-season play and have decided that you are no longer the "Second-half Giraffe" or the "First-half Giraffe". You have graduated to simply, "The Giraffe". Congrats, buddy. You deserve it. Thanks for deciding that this whole QB-gig could be a good thing. Keep on hitting 'em hard and falling forward on the third-and-shorts. Thanks!
Need more proof that the October 1st hideousness was pretty much in another lifetime? Let's round up a few things that prove our awesomeness:
1. Danny Coale was awarded the ACC's James Tatum Award. He's the first Hokie to ever receive it. He graduated in the fall of 2010 with a degree in Finance (with a 3.3 GPA), and he is now going for his second undergraduate degree in Marketing Management. The award is given to the ACC's top scholar-athlete. Coale, the man of many hats, is also a member of SEED at Tech. It is a student group that manages the $4.3 million Virginia Tech Foundation. It's the largest student-run investment portfolio. Did I mention how bad our punting was on October 1st? You know how we fixed that? D. Coale. I'm gonna miss him so much next year... it's not even funny.
2. David Wilson, the BEAST, was named the ACC Offensive and Overall Player of the Year. He's 5th in the nation in yards per game, and well, we've all seen the back flips. Tyrod got the award last year, and Bryan Randall got it in 2004. Wilson is in good company.
3. Blake DeChristopher and David Wilson were named to the All-ACC 1st Team. Jaymes Brooks, The Giraffe, James Gayle, Jayron Hosley, and Eddie Whitley were all named to the 2nd Team. Getting Honorable Mentions were J.R. Collins, Antone Exum, Cody Journell (yeah, I know what you're thinking), Greg Nosal (our own Bear Grylls), and Bruce Taylor. I hope that Bruuuuuuce was stuck in this category either due to his age or his injury, but the fact that he only got an honorable mention is ridiculous.
4. Blake DeChristopher is the 2011 ACC Jacobs Blocking Trophy recipient. He's also the first Hokie to receive this award. It is given to the most outstanding blocker in the ACC. DeChristopher has started for us 4 years, is 6'5", and weighs 312 pounds. He's pretty awesome, too.
5. Try to keep a poker face for this one: Stiney is a nominee for the 2011 Broyles Award for the top assistant coach in college football. (Sorry, that makes me gag a little. At least he's out of the booth.)
The ACC title is so close you can taste it. It tastes a lot like Dr. Pepper for some reason. This is our 5th trip to the ACC title game. Both Boykin and Eddie Whitley are from Charlotte, so look for big things from them tomorrow. Boykin needs just 2 catches to break the season pass reception record for Tech which is currently held by another awesome Hokie, Ernest Wilford. Wilford had 55 in 2003.
During our last meeting against the Tony the Tigers, we were ranked 11th and they were 13th. Now we are 5th (sorry, excuse the gag reflex) and they are lucky to be 20th. Ohhh, how times have changed! What is left of the burnt orange and northwest purple? Did you try the chutney recipe? "Tiger Rag" is still lame. Littlejohn Stadium is still hilarious. And "Death Valley" is still ridiculous. But can Mike O'Cain step up this time and beat his alma mater? QB Tajh Boyd is having issues. WR Sammy Watkins is still good, but can't do much if Boyd decides to not show up. RB Ellington is having a decent season, but I don't see him doing much with our D. So, where does that leave us?
Payback. It's that dirty 7-letter word that Dabo is dreading and Boyd is having nightmares about. I'm glad we lost to them this season. We needed it. The Giraffe needed it. Now it's on. Now we know how to bring it, regardless of how many injuries we have or how crappy and inconsistent our play-calling is. It's funny how they got our colors right this time on their game notes. Remember how last time they left the colors on for Florida State? I guess that's what #5 in the nation gets you... Respect. This game is ours. I can feel it. If you can't feel it, you need to find the youtube video from the last couple of minutes from the Miami game, and then you'll be OK.
We eat our own on game day. No one says ass-kicking turkeys don't also eat Tiger. I think they do. I'm not looking for a dark corner. I'm going to play Enter Sandman and jump on my own, because as far as the team is concerned, this is a home game. This is punishment for the misery of October 1st. This is the way Hokies say "thank-you" for season-defining moments.
By the way, did you see Jack Tyler last Saturday? I don't know where he's been hiding, but he reminded me of Cody Grimm. I'd love to see more of him tomorrow.
Let's do this thing. Game faces on. Enter Sandman ready on the mp3 or computer. Let's show the BCS what we're made of.
Go Giraffe!
Love seven-letter words,
The B.S.C.
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