Hokie Dokie - Va. Tech Stuffs Noles 40-21

Thanksgiving came early today as the Hokies got their turkey early in the appearance of the Noles. As has been the case in many games this year, this was the tale of two halves. The Noles in the first half looked awful.The Noles and especially the defense came out with renewed intensity in the second. And what can you say about freshman Christian Ponder? He showed poise for most of the second half that is usually reserved for seniors. And he had never played a snap for the Noles until tonight.

The Nole stats for the first half showed a blow out brewing. Punter Graham Gano was the leading rusher with 24 yards on a fake field goal. Drew Weatherford before being knocked out of the game was a horrible 5 out of 15 for 46 yards. Let's not forget our third down conversions, The Noles only converted 2 out of 10 third down plays. And last but not least, the Noles had 40 yards in penalties. In sharp contrast,the Hokies had 20 points,152 yards passing, and 106 yards rushing.

The lesson for the Noles was that you can in some situations win with a freshman but more than likely you will lose with a freshman. Ponder's fumble and interceptions in the fourth quarter showed a quarterback who made freshman mistakes. But the Nole loss cannot be placed on the freshman. This was a game that showed numerous blown coverages by the FSU secondary that resulted in long pass plays by the Hokies. The Noles ran up against a Hokie defense that ranked 4th in scoring defense,10th in rushing defense, and 11th in total defense.

The fourth quarter could have been a late Halloween trick. This was worse than Nightmare On Elm Street as the fourth quarter was a nightmare for the Noles. Turnovers late in the fourth blew the game open for the Hokies. This game showed that the Noles have a ways to go as they attempt to regain some respect. That respect will come in baby steps and the Nole Nation will be left wondering when the big steps will come.