Rutgers, Virginia Tech Set To Lock Horns In Russell Athletic Bowl
ORLANDO, Fla. (CBSNewYork/AP) — A lot has changed since the last time Rutgers and Virginia Tech met on a football field.
The Hokies dominated the Scarlet Knights during their time as Big East Conference rivals before Virginia Tech left for the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2004.
But as they prepare for their 15th all-time meeting in Friday's Russell Athletic Bowl, Rutgers is no longer anybody's whipping boy, while Virginia Tech is the team with something to prove following a disappointing season.
The Scarlet Knights (9-4) are in a bowl game for the seventh time in eight years and are looking to win their sixth straight bowl game after just missing out on a Bowl Championship Series berth following in loss in their regular-season finale.
Friday is an opportunity for them to not only win 10 games for the first time since 2006, but go into their final Big East season next year with momentum after announcing plans to join the Big Ten in 2014.
"I think 10-win seasons in college football are the standard for elite programs," first-year coach Kyle Flood said. "I think that puts you in an elite status, and certainly at a university where it's only been done twice in the past, I think you better take those things very seriously. These opportunities have not come around as often for us as maybe for Virginia Tech, but this is an opportunity for us to do that."
For Virginia Tech, 10-win seasons were pretty much the norm. The Hokies had eight straight before and 11 in the past 13 years this season.
To say the Hokies (6-6) have had a disappointing season is an understatement a year after appearing in the Sugar Bowl. They stumbled out of the gate losing three of their first seven, and dropped three straight conference games before winning their final two.
It's a tumble that coach Frank Beamer said isn't lost on his players, and particularly a senior group that is trying to avoid Tech's first losing season since 1992 as it makes its 20th straight bowl appearance.
"They're very aware of that," Beamer said. "I'm really proud of this football team because we've lost some games in tough ways, we've had some unusual things happen, we haven't always played great or as well as we need to play. And had some disappointments, had some setbacks, had adversity.
"But the football team always stayed together. They never pointed fingers; they always stayed together, played hard for the most part and ended up winning their last two games when things just didn't look very good. So if we win this game it would make a statement."
To do that, the Hokies will need a big effort from quarterback Logan Thomas.
The redshirt junior saw all his key passing numbers drop from a year ago as he struggled at times to mesh with a new group of receivers, following the departures of top targets Jarrett Boykin and Danny Coale.
Rutgers' defense is also expected to try to limit his rushing ability with a group that features the Big East Defensive Player of the Year in senior linebacker Khaseem Greene. The Scarlet Knights ranked 14th in the nation in total defense, surrendering 321.25 yards per game.
Thomas said he isn't worried about anyone who thinks the Hokies will have trouble moving the ball in this game.
"I'm not really offended by it," Thomas said. "We take pride in what we do, just like everyone else does, and we're excited to go play ball and hopefully we can show that it won't just be a defensive game.
"We've had times when we've been unstoppable where we've had series where whatever we did worked. And there have been some times we've been bad, just inconsistent."
Whatever the Hokies do produce, the Scarlet Knights will try to counter it by leaning heavily on sophomore running back Jawan Jamison, who became just the third Rutgers player since 1976 to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.
Flood said he is as close to 100 percent as he's been since a mid-November ankle injury, and Jamison said he and his teammates are eager to prove they aren't the team that lost its final two regular-season games.
He said their goals are clear.
"To show everybody that we didn't get down, that we're not hanging our head," Jamison said. "We can still get the job done. Virginia Tech is a really good team and we just got to come out and let them know we can play with the best of them."
Thomas said his teammates are equally aware of the magnitude of this game, and are getting their confidence from their experienced coach.
"He knows what he's doing," Thomas said. "He's been here 20 straight times now and that's a testament to him. He understands what's going to happen when we step on the field on Friday. He's had all week to prepare now, 20 times. So it's nice to have his experience on our side."
The Hokies have been practicing with a helmet decal to honor the lives lost in the university's 2007 massacre and this month's tragedy in Newtown, Conn. A smaller version of the decal will also be worn during the game Friday.
What's your prediction for the game? Be heard in the comments!
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