Rivalry Week, Volume 3 (Hide Your Hokies edition) ...

It’s that time again, Hokies. That annual event that I consider one of the strangest traditions in all of sports. The day Virginia Tech fans feast on their own mascot.

You will tell me a Hokie isn’t really a turkey. I will tell you that the creature found dancing around the field on game day ... is a turkey.

Listen, there's no shame in cannibalizing the symbol of your school. It doesn’t happen often in college football, but Tech fans aren’t alone. I doubt Texas faithful frown on eating steak. And I enjoy a good batter-dipped chunk of gator when in Florida.

It’s just that there’s truly no other fan base in America that makes such a ceremony – a national holiday even – out of eating its mascot. Today is your day, Hokies, whether that’s weird or not.

Enjoy. Relax. Gobble.

For about 36 hours, I’m back home in Tennessee with family, enjoying my first Thanksgiving as a married man before racing back to Charlottesville for Al Groh’s swansong. It’s turkey time, so I’m done waxing.

I’ll leave you with a few Qs and As from a pair of players for whom Tech fans are truly thankful this Thanksgiving. They have combined to produce 3,582 yards and 32 touchdowns with only seven turnovers.

They are two of the major reasons the Hokies’ oft-criticized offense is on the rise, and why this time next year we could be talking about one or both being seriously in the mix for a Heisman Trophy ...

QB TYROD TAYLOR

ON FINDING OUT HIS THREE INTERCEPTIONS WERE TIED FOR THE FEWEST OF ANY STARTING QB IN THE COUNTRY: “That’s pretty much been the story all year: I learn something every time I come here.”

ON HAVING MORE INTERCEPTIONS THAN TOUCHDOWNS COMING INTO THIS SEASON AND WHETHER HE CONSCIOUSLY TRIES NOT TO THROW PICKS THIS SEASON OR MORE JUST TO PUT PASSES IN THE RIGHT PLACE: “Put the ball in the right place and just taking what the defense gives me. If you’ve got to check down to the back, that’s at least three yards and you live to the next play.”

ON WHERE HIS FALLING-DOWN THROW AGAINST N.C. STATE RANKS: “I didn’t really look at it too much until people started talking about it and it was on ESPN and all that. It was just another play. I tried to do the same thing in the Duke game, but the ball sailed on me.”

ON LAST SEASON, WHEN HE WOULD GET AUDIBLES FROM THE SIDELINE, HOW HE KNEW WHEN THE STAFF WANTED HIM TO AUDIBLE: “Actually, it was a dummy call in the huddle. You get up there and it’s a dummy cadence, then you look at the sideline and they give you the play call.”

ON HOW MUCH BETTER THIS YEAR’S SYSTEM IS, OF HAVING TWO PLAYS CALLED IN THE HUDDLE AND HIM PICKING ONE AT THE LINE BASED ON THE DEFENSE RATHER THAN LOOKING TO THE SIDELINE: “It’s easier for you to tip the defense sometimes when you break the huddle too fast. Some teams know that you don’t have a play call set and that you’re just going to look to the sideline. But when you’re in the huddle and you call a play and then you get to the line of scrimmage and get a chance to make different checks ... it’s difficult for teams to adjust.”

ON HOW HE HAS MADE THE TRANSITION FROM GOOD ATHLETE AND GOOD RUNNER PLAYING QUARTERBACK TO A MORE COMPLETE RUN-PASS QB: “I think it was just me working with the receivers over the summer and, like I said from Day 1, just trusting in those guys. When I first got here, I kind of thought that I had to make all the plays – maybe because of what I had to do in high school, trying to put the team on my back. That’s not what I have to do here. I can put my trust in my teammates and ... we can win as a team.”

ON WHEN HE REALIZED HE DIDN’T HAVE TO MAKE ALL THE PLAYS: “My sophomore year, becoming the starter. My freshman year, I felt like I was coming in pretty much to make plays – like high school. But as a sophomore, when I was a starter and playing full games, I had to put my trust in my teammates.”

ON HOW MUCH HE SENSES THE COACHES TRUST HIM: “I think they’ve put a lot of trust in me. Coach Stinespring has told me numerous times that I can be his quarterback any day.”

ON HOW NICE IT IS TO HAVE SUCCESS THROWING THE BALL: “Yes, it is. The guys are doing a great job of getting open and the coaches are calling good plays. It’s just my job to go out there and find them. I’ve been doing that lately.”

ON VIRGINIA’S STOUT SECONDARY: “They have a very experienced defensive backfield. Their two corners are very fast, know how to play the ball when it’s in the air. Their safeties are very talented. It’s going to be a challenge, but I look forward to the challenge. I believe our receivers can go out there and make plays against any defenders in the nation.”

ON WHETHER HE EVER CHECKS OUT UVA DURING THE SEASON AND WHETHER THIS SEASON IS ANY DIFFERENT FOR HIM: “Yes, of course, it’s a rivalry game. That always sticks out to you. As far as looking at them during the season, I don’t compare myself to them because I know at the end of the season we’re going to see them. And they’re going to be a different team. They always bring their ‘A’ game, just like we’re going to bring our ‘A’ game. It’s going to be a great game. It’s a lot for recruiting and fans.”

ON WHETHER THIS WEEK FEELS DIFFERENT THAN WHEN PREPARING FOR OTHER OPPONENTS: “It’s very intense. A lot of the guys on each team know each other. It’s very big in this state. I believe everyone in the state of Virginia is going to be watching this game. It’s big for recruiting for the two teams. There’s going to be a lot of recruits at U.Va. that’s going to be watching both sides of the ball.”

ON WHETHER HE HAS ANY SYMPATHY FOR THE VIRGINIA SENIORS WHO’VE NEVER BEATEN TECH: “No. Not at all.”

ON WHETHER HE COULD IMAGINE FACING THE POSSIBILITY OF BEING WINLESS IN HIS CAREER AGAINST HIS RIVAL: “That’s what you play the game. You can’t go off what happened in the past. You’ve just got to live for the future and play the game that’s ahead of you.”

ON CAVALIER PLAYERS SAYING THIS IS THEIR BOWL GAME: “I think they’re putting a lot on the game, just like we’re putting a lot on the game. It’s a big game for us. We want to finish the regular season with a ‘W’ and they want to do the same.”

ON SEEKING 10 WINS: “That’s very big. ... That’s what Coach has been preaching to us all week.”

ON MANY OUTSIDERS FEELING THERE’S LESS LUSTER ON THE RIVALRY GAME THIS YEAR THAN THE LAST TWO AND WHETHER THE TEAM SENSES THAT: “No, I think it’s still just as important as previous years, even if we’re not going to the ACC championship game. It’s for pride and even bragging rights. It’s still a big game in our head.”

ON COACH FRANK BEAMER SAYING IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE N.C. STATE WIN THAT IT WAS ‘ON TO UVA’: “Yes, just letting us know that it’s a big week coming up for the team, just the tradition and the game, letting us know the importance of it.”

ON PEOPLE SAYING RIVALRY GAMES ARE ‘FOR BRAGGING RIGHTS’ AND WHETHER HE EVER GETS TO USE THOSE RIGHTS: “Nah, not really. I don’t really get to see any U.Va. players except maybe in the summertime. But as far as family members, they’re always rooting for us, so it’s not like we’re going back and forth.”

ON SHOWING THE WILD TURKEY FOR THE FIRST TIME LAST WEEK, GIVING UVA SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: “Yes. We can use Greg at any time in the game, so it is something for the defense to think about. When me and Ryan come out and Greg comes in, you never know what’s going to happen.”

ON WHETHER HE GAVE BOONE ANY POINTERS ON PASSING AFTER HIS LONG INCOMPLETION LAST WEEK: “Nah, actually it was an OK ball. He could’ve put it a little bit more outside, but it was a jump ball. That’s all you could ask him for. He took a hit, but it was still a pretty ball.”

ON HOW DETERMINED BOONE IS TO THROW A TD BEFORE HIS CAREER IS OVER: “He’s very determined. I told him last week he is almost 0-for-2 with two picks in two years. But he can throw a touchdown pass and maybe it’ll happen this week – or in the bowl.”

ON HOW FAR BOONE CAN CHUCK IT: “When I first got here, I think I saw him throw it 82 yards. I heard at the Chick-fil-A Bowl (practice) he threw it 85 yards. He still has a cannon.”

ON THANKSGIVING ON CAMPUS COMPARED TO HOME COOKING: “It’s good, but it’s not the same. It’s not like my Grandma’s cooking, but it’ll do for the time being.”

ON WHETHER VIRGINIA WAS EVER REALLY IN THE MIX RECRUITING HIM: “They were in there for a little bit. Not too long. After the visit to Virginia Tech and seeing them play, I kind of fell in love with the way they play ball here. I’ve seen a lot of U.Va. games, going to watch Marques Hagans and Almondo Curry. I guess you could call those unofficial visits. But I think I just fell in love with the style of ball we play here and U.Va. was kind of out of my mind.”

ON WHEN, EXACTLY, HE CROSSED THEM OFF THE LIST AND WHETHER THEY EVER ACTUALLY OFFERED HIM A SCHOLARSHIP: “Yeah, they offered me. They were the second school. Tech was the first. I think they kind of offered me just because Tech offered me, because it came right after Virginia Tech.”

RB RYAN WILLIAMS

ON HIS IMPRESSIONS OF VIRGINIA FOOTBALL GROWING UP: “I can’t even lie. My freshman year, I didn’t know I was going to be as highly recruited as I was coming out of high school. My coach, Coach (Loren) Johnson (a former VT player), was real cool with Coach Dex – Coach (Anthony) Poindexter (a former UVA player and current assistant). He would be at the school sometimes, and they’d be talking and things of that sort, and I was real excited when those guys, especially coach Dex, told me how good I was as a freshman. It was funny, because we had a guy named John Carter and he’s now at Liberty, and we’re real cool, like brothers, and we always used to say our freshman year, ‘Yeah, we’re going to commit to UVa,’ because I didn’t know no better. I just thought that was going to be the only offer I was going to get coming out of high school. I was real excited. They were recruiting me pretty hard.”

ON WHETHER HE IS BEATEN UP FROM ALL THE WORKLOAD: “During games, or after games, it really doesn’t faze me. I don’t why, but I really don’t feel worn out. With running backs, some people talk about the wear and tear, but I really don’t feel it. I haven’t really been sore after games or anything like that. I just go out and play. I really can’t describe it. It really doesn’t faze me. All the hits I take, whether I take 15 carries or 30 carries a game, it just really doesn’t bother me at all. I don’t know why. I’m just out there having fun.”

ON WHAT KEEPS THIS A RIVALRY WHEN TECH HAS DOMINATED IT FOR A DECADE: “I don’t know. I really don’t know the history of the rivalry or anything like that. I just thought because it was two D-I, in-state schools. I really don’t know the history of it, but I would still think it would be a rivalry, because the games are always intense, from what I’ve heard.”

ON WHAT FEEDBACK HE GETS AROUND CAMPUS: “The feedback has been ridiculous. I mean, everywhere I go, I’ve just got people just always complimenting me, supporting me, always replaying plays from a certain game that they liked and things of that sort. I guess the best feeling I had was after the UNC game after that fumble, and I didn’t want to go anywhere, didn’t want to walk around campus or anything like that, and when I did decide to show my face one night, everybody was just like, ‘Look, it’s OK. You’re still my favorite player.’ Just supporting me to the fullest. It just feels good to have a great supporting cast around campus and even off campus of fans and things of that sort. It just feels good. On campus is just ridiculous. I could be walking to class and they could be asking for an autograph or a picture. It just feels good to have people really love what you do, because I love doing what I do.”

ON VIRGINIA BEING MOTIVATED BECAUSE THE GAME COULD BE GROH’S LAST: “Yeah, I’m sure it could light a lot of sparks in the players at UVa. I know it’s going to be an emotional game, a very intense game, and I’m sure all those guys love coach Groh, and I’m sure they’re going to play their hearts out for that game. We’ve just got to come out and execute like we’ve been doing and hopefully the game will result in our favor.”

ON JASON WORILD’S INTENSITY: “He’s always pushing me. Whoever has to block him, he’s always pushing them. I mean, he’s making sure whoever has to block him is working, working all the time. When I have to block him, which I don’t like doing, he’s making sure I’m doing my best because he’s not going to take anything light at all, so he’ll smack me in my helmet, he’ll do anything he has to do to make me work harder. Just before games when we’re walking though that tunnel, you’ll hear his voice more than anyone else’s, and if we’re out doing a team run or anything like that, his voice will be heard. He doesn’t really talk much, but on game days, I think he’s probably the most talkative on game days.”

ON WHAT WORILDS SAYS IN THE TUNNEL: “Just very intense, very loud. He sounds angry but hype at the same time. You can tell on game day that he’s ready to ball. You can just tell by his body language and what he is saying. Everybody feeds off of him.”

ON WHAT, EXACTLY HE SAYS: “He says quite a few things (grinning). He just makes sure everybody goes out there and is ready to play.”

ON WHETHER HE NOTICES THIS WEEK, RIVALRY WEEK, IS DIFFERENT: “Yeah, I do. Right after the N.C. State game, we started talking about the UVa game. The coaches, especially coach Beamer, he put an emphasis on how much this rivalry means and how big it is, and Coach Stinespring, too. For me personally, I realize that it’s a different type of game in a sense that it’s a big rivalry and those guys out there, they thrive off of beating us. That is a very, very big win and that’s a very, very big win for us also. For me personally, it doesn’t really spark anything. I’m just going out there and trying my best to help the team win. I’m not sure how any of the other guys feel, but this whole rivalry thing and everything like that is not going to make this game any more different than how I play any other game.”

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