Saturday, November 24, 2007
Four quarters we all want to see
Aaron McFarling
Recent columns
Throw out the records.
For so many years, we've heard this. Throw out the records when Virginia Tech plays Virginia. Doesn't matter who's up, down or sideways coming into the game.
Well, it's all been a lie. Records do matter. They matter to the team that has the good one, the team that has the bad one and the fans who invest so much time and passion into both.
Records shape perception before, during and after the game. They skew the rivalry in one direction, tilt the poker table to one side, spilling most of the chips on the fortunate's lap before the cards are even dealt.
So let's try something different this year, shall we? Let's hold on to the records.
Let's enjoy them for a few more hours.
Nine and two overall, six and one in the ACC.
Say it for the Hokies, and say it for the 'Hoos. Say it all the way until noon, when the ball sails in the air and a sellout crowd begins to shake Scott Stadium with noise.
Say it until the records change.
Frankly, these teams have made our jobs easy this year. There is no need for manufactured hype, no digging for that hidden angle. The stakes are all right there: A 10-win season, a berth in next week's ACC title game, another 365 days of bliss.
Throw out the records? Don't be silly. This year, we'll clutch them tightly.
For a fan, this is how it's supposed to feel: Driving north on I-81 and east on I-64, honking at others displaying a like flag, all of you hoping to beat the traffic, none of you having the first clue of what you're about to see.
This is how it's supposed to feel: People gathering in bars and living rooms, friends for a lifetime, enemies for a day, both sides armed with legitimate hope.
This is how it's supposed to feel: Wahoos placing their Hokie buddies on speed dial, ready to call when the first UVa touchdown is scored. For years, the only calls they've had to worry about have been the incoming ones. Today, who knows?
The players have it easier, too. For too long, the heavily favored Hokies have had to capture the motivation wherever they could find it. Maybe they conjured up rage by thinking about somebody they know from the other side, or by remembering some slight during the recruiting process, or by reflecting on some extended family member who calls Charlottesville the closest thing to Eden. Coaches delivered speeches on the meaning of the rivalry, hoping it would set in.
No need this year. This year, motivation is everywhere.
"Coach Beamer told us that this is probably the biggest one that he's coached in a long time," said Tech linebacker Cam Martin, who grew up in Martinsville and followed the rivalry all his life. "Coach Beamer's been in a lot of games. So if he tells you that, you have to take his word for it.
"It's going to be a big one. Everything's on the line. Our goal was to make it to the ACC championship, and the only thing that's standing in our way is UVa."
The matchup itself is one of might vs. magic. The Hokies, bullies of the series in seven of the past eight years, have discovered an offense worthy of taking the field alongside their head-knocking defenders. The Cavaliers, dismissed after an opening-day loss at Wyoming, became kings of the close win, setting an NCAA record with five victories by one or two points.
"They know how to finish games," Tech quarterback Sean Glennon said. "If we get in the fourth quarter in a dogfight, they've been here before. They've done a good job of finishing out those games. We'd have to be aware of that and know that we've got to come out and play."
He smiled.
"Obviously, the plan would be to try to get a decent lead early," he said.
Last year, Glennon caused a minor stir during Tech-UVa week. He talked at great length about his strong dislike of UVa. But given a chance to rehash that theme this week, he declined.
He knew there was no need for it.
"I know a lot's on the line when we're both 0-10," Glennon said, "let alone when we're 9-2 fighting for an ACC championship."
So let the other rivalries throw out the records.
We'll keep ours this year, thank you.
