When I attended Virginia Tech, we used to yell from the stands, "Whatever you do, don't kick it!" Those were the good old days of football. We were 2-8-1, and losing wasn't such a big deal. Our place kicker was so bad, that we almost always went for a 2-point conversion, and going for it on fourth down rather than attempting a field goal was the norm. Those days are coming back to Virginia Tech.

Yesterday, a lackluster defense, bad coaching, and back kicking really hurt the team. Not to take anything away from Syracuse, but VT's star running back Lee Suggs, only had 8 carries through the first three quarters. This doesn't seem too smart for a team whose bread and butter up until now has been running the football. Even before Kevin Jones was hurt last week, they had scaled back on rushing and seemed to be trying to force the pass. Obvious problems arise when you throw the ball on every down. Even bigger problems arise when you throw the ball to the same player on every down. Despite the obvious play calling, Ernest Wilford was still able to score 5 touchdowns.

Just like the old days, what hurt most was kicking. Kicking for both Syracuse and Virginia Tech was an adventure and comical at best. When it came down to crunch time, however, Carter Warley of Virginia Tech missed a short field goal with time running out in the fourth quarter, and again in the first overtime that would have won the game.