Virginia Tech on September 27 sat 2-2 after a humiliating 45-10 home loss to Duke. Justin Fuente seat was getting warm, and some wondered if Bud Foster had lost his touch.
The Hokies looked like one of the ACC’s worst teams, and that’s saying a lot in this year’s ACC.
A hopeful bounceback year was on the verge of collapsing.
Then Justin Fuente and Bud Foster started righting the ship. It started with an improbable 42-35 win at Miami. Then there was a win over Rhode Island, but to me the win over UNC 43-41 6 OT is the game that turned the corner for Virginia Tech.
There was more excitement at the end of that game in Lane Stadium than we had seen in years. For a team that had slew of transfers and had a general air dissension the last 18 months, Hokie football looked fun again.
The Hokies followed that up with their best football of the year the last two weeks. The Hokies went to Notre Dame and held the Irish to 21 points. They came with within a last second drive of beating Notre Dame and defensively looked like a vintage Bud Foster defense.
Now this Saturday, they face a prolific Wake Forest offense. This was the ACC’s best offense outside of Clemson ranking in the top 10 in the country. Jamie Newman was probably the ACC’s offensive player of the year through the first 2 months, and Bud Foster dialed up another vintage game. The Hokies held Wake Forest to 17 points and 278 yards.
Bud Foster has turned this defense around in his final season, and it’s some of his best coaching in his legendary career.
A defense that ranked in the 90s last year has made a 30 spot improvement this year, and is continuing to show growth and maturity.
Even Virginia fans can respect his work, and that’s the highest form of praise.
I dislike VT but I have a lot of respect for Bud Foster and what he’s done there and that looked like a vintage Bud Foster defense today.
— Ryan Eisner (@eisner_ryan) November 10, 2019
Hendon Hooker is quickly becoming one of the ACC’s most dangerous players totaling over 300 yards of offense at QB.
Virginia Tech now controls their path to the Coastal Division Title and a trip to the Orange Bowl. If they win at Georgia Tech, beat Pittsburgh and win at Virginia, a season that seemed lost could be a fine way to send out Bud Foster.
If you are asking me, Virginia Tech and Miami are your non Clemson ACC Teams of the 2nd half of the season.
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