As strange as it might sound, Saturday’s 31-7 blowout loss in Blacksburg might have been a blessing in disguise.
It was only a matter of time before our football team would fall back down to earth. Realistically, the Hurricanes weren’t going to finish undefeated. No team can execute at such a high level for 13-14 games. Ask USC, California and Penn State.
Isn’t it better to lose a game now against a quality opponent than down the road when facing Wake Forest or Central Florida?
Virginia Tech is now ranked No. 6 in the latest polls, and it’s easy to think that that could’ve been us. But with all the media hoopla surrounding Miami, it’s no surprise the Hokies were fed up by the time Saturday’s game rolled around. Va. Tech was the underdog at home where the program hasn’t lost in 11 games.
As a Hurricanes fan, it’s easy to ask the “what ifs”:
What if there wasn’t a massive rain storm across the northeast United States?
What if four of our defensive linemen weren’t out because of injuries and could’ve prevented those 272 rushing yards?
What if Jimmy Graham wore gloves and didn’t drop those two passes with the offense on the verge of making it a 21-14 game?
Graham and his teammates, who showed how great they are by consoling him on the sidelines, can learn from this game and use it as motivation, just as the Hokies did while hearing throughout the week about how great the Canes were. People forget that Virginia Tech is the two-time reigning ACC champion. Frank Beamer’s team also won the Orange Bowl last season.
So ESPN, stop talking about the swagger. Let No. 17 Miami get back down to business with the pressure of the entire bandwagon off the players’ shoulders.
This Saturday night No. 8 Oklahoma comes to Land Shark Stadium. The question of the hour seems to be whether Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Sam Bradford will make his return from a shoulder injury that has had him sidelined for almost four weeks.
Now is the perfect time for the Hurricanes to get back into the thick of things. With a win at home against the Sooners, we can storm back into the top 10 and make a run. The top teams in the country keep dropping at an alarming rate.
I’ll still be wearing my Jacory Harris jersey out in public because it’s only one game. Will you?