http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/college/news/2002/09/21/closerlook_vatech/

quote:

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Virginia Tech safety Willie Pile started the celebration a little early by getting his hands dirty after the game. Pile dug a chunk of turf from the Texas A&M end zone and placed it in an oversized lunch pail he still was carrying into the interview room after the game.
"This is Aggie turf,” Pile said. "It’s the 12th man. We’ll put in a collection as the season ends it will be overflowing with turf."
"I picked this up out of the end zone," Pile said. "You know, the part that was never touched."

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Obviously Beamer and the V-Tech coaches don't mind if their players brag to the media about vandalism. Thanks for condoning low class behavior Frank! Do you scum bags plan on sending a check to A&M for repairs to the sod you STOLE?!!

While I have some good friends who are Hokies, I will never watch another V-Tech game the same way. I'm an offical Hokie Hater from now on.

Careful....We aren't totally clean either, now are we? Review the final play of the game and tell me our receiver wasn't looking to hurt someone?

Watch the stones hitting that glass house.

Trey '89

[This message has been edited by Aggie Jurist (edited 9/22/2002 10:03a).]

It was the first time a WR did anything of consequence during the game. Why wait until the last play to get mean?

Aggie Jurist, there is a huge difference between these 2 events. The incident you refer to was something that happend on the field at the spur of the moment. I'm sure RC nor the players involved knew when the ball was snapped that the play would end that way.

The Hokie players bringing a box to an opposing stadium, digging up turf and bragging to the media requires forethought. The V-Tech coaches were aware of the situation and allowed it to happen. Aggie Jurist, there is no comparison to what you mention, objection denied.

Don't be bitter about the loss. We've done this every game for about the past 5 years, turf or no turf. Don't act like some of your players showed complete class with some of their comments before the game too. You're over-reacting, it was a good game between two class programs, lets leave it that way.

TopDogHokie, words are freely spoken. And I'm not bitter about the loss. I'm just a fan who had a great time at Kyle Field yesterday with my wife. My Ags lost to a team who played better, it's happened before and will happen again.

However, vandalism requires money to repair and more importantly it is illegal. Frank Beamer shouldn't allow such low class behavior, but I guess he's personally comfortable with criminal activity on his team.

Beamer should make the guy send back the sod with an apology. Regardless of anything else that was said or done.

VT did not exactly come in and dominate. It is a pretty arrogant thing to do.

Jurist, I saw that too. Absolutely classless. Number 2 I think it was? He doesn't need to be playing next week.

I no longer have respect for the Aggie offense.

Worry about our own team.

Give me a freakin' break! I wish our team only had the slightest bit of Va Tech's mentality of going on the road and beating a tough team in a hostile environment! What the heck is wrong with all you whiners about vandalism and breaking the law? He took some soil and grass for crying out loud! The kicked out butts! They deserve it!

I agree with what you that this "tradition" is a little riduculous when playing opponents with artifical turf, but this is something we do EVERYTIME we win an away game as I'm sure many other programs do. How many people were at the game 83,000 +, times $40 dollars a person, I think your program will be okay to fix the turf. If not, then I guarntee our atheletic director will gladly pay for all damages. Once again I agree with you that this is kind of a stupid to do, my point is that don't judge our program on this like you appear to be doing in your orginal post. Beamer is a class act, and if he would have known that this is something that was going to be a big deal he would have told our players not to do this. I hope you change your opinion about the "class" of Beamer and this program because I think both programs fans and teams show whats right with college football.

Tech does this everywhere they go. It does not matter. Of all the things that happened in that game, why take this bull**** so seriously.

Virginia Ag,
If I hadn't seen your post I would have repeated it verbatum(sp?). They deserve it. Actually we deserve to let them have it. Our offense is nausiating.

Hokies, take a picture. It doesn't pi$$ anyboddy off.

They do it every game, and leave all of them in the lunch box the whole season. So how big a piece could it be? It's not like he took a shovel and started digging. I guarantee there were bigger chunks churned up by people cutting, etc. during the game.

As for the comment about you not getting to the end zone, you obviously like it/encourage it when your defense displays a little attitude (as well they should, they are very good), that's all Pile was doing, after all, they played a pretty good game too. Defenses in big time college football have to play with an attitude, as I'm sure you guys know.

Good luck the rest of the season, hope you straighten out your offense and run the conference table.

I just say we upset their applecart next year and take several chunks of their field.

Well, yes to winning on their turf, but no to taking their turf.

Also, Hokies, we consider our field a memorial which is the reason we don't allow people to run onto it.....

As for bitterness at losing, its really the frustration at our own offensive ineptitude, but I will take solace in two things:

1) Miami will whip your butt b/c they have an offense. Containing our o doesn't give your d any kudos.
2) We'll play again next year.

Get over it. If we had the #7 team, and took sod from every field we conquered, we'd all embrace it and make it tradition. Hell, we would probably make shirts and carry plastic pails in the stands.

We are offensive...bottom line. A win yesterday and it never would have happened.

Gig 'Em.

not a big deal.

It's freakin grass. It will grow back.
How much will that cost?

Not a great move on their part...but give it a rest.

Gig 'em

CT Ag 94...

The M.S.C. is a true Memorial.

Kyle Field is a football field.

I do not condone what they have done. But, you guys are really sounding like poor losers.

Gig 'em!

It's freaking dirt and grass!!!

Heck he should be talking smack. I hope he sends RC a letter talking smack about how the Hokies treated our offense like an NYPD officer would treat a member of the Taliban if they were left in the same room alone for 3 hours. Maybe then RC would actually get pissed and make a genuine attempt to run a freaking offense. Our team looked like they were just happy to be there Saturday and the prevent offense looked like it's only goal was not to lose. There was no agressiveness. On the few times it's 2nd and 3 or 4 why not attempt a deep post or something to that extent? That's how the Hokies got their only TD, they threw on a rushing down and we got burned (heck, it didn't even have to be a deep post). I hope the Hokies send a letter of insult to RC. I hope they publish a freaking book about it. It certainly doesn't seem that winning or respect motivate RC, so why not try hatred or disrespect?

They came in and beat our team in our house.

They were the better team and earned our respect.

Taylor hurt that guy on purpose and flipped him off after seeing the guy lay on the turf. Classy move by a guy that can't make a play when the ball hits his hands.

How about we just shut up and take some of their turf next year?

If we had won the damn game this would not even be an issue.

It is just sod, for cryin' out loud. We need to fix the offense...SOON.

with all the positives that i have to say about my impressions of a&m and your people, i have to say that you folks need to get a life in some ways. vandelism ?? pay for damages?? and the worst is that some of you are serious !! go figure.

At the risk of getting banned: For all those complaining about this, what's your opinion of the incident at Memorial Stadium in Austin (which, by the way, is officially a memorial) where the turf surface was damaged much worse when the horns were cut off the Longhorn at midfield? Word is, those responsible are heroes among the Aggie faithful.

There are some noticeable differences, though. Your turf is natural and can be grown back, whereas at the time Memorial Stadium was artificial and had to be repaired at quite some cost. And, of course, the Va Tech player acted in the light of day, not under cover of night.

First of all horn, nobody was seen or caught doing damage to your sacred pasture, so get your a@@ outta here. As for Beamer, he is a class act and a very good coach. If we reduced some of the scholarship money given to these athletes that can't even play well, we would have enough money to replant Kyle on a weekly basis.

In response to J Taylor's hit on last play, hope you taped the game. My father and I saw #2 for VT take a cheap shot at an A&M receiver well out of bounds the play before, followed up by dancing and taunting. I am glad to see the Ags have the sack to protect their own. Officials let VT defense head hunt and RIP Famers helmet off on two first half runs without a fasemask penalty on either one and then hit A&M with 15 yarder on a play the commentators didn't see till replay. Not an excuse for the outcome, just an example of the abuse the Ags were subjected to all game. #2 got what he had comming at the most. You cannot continue to play the game by one set of rules and allow your players to be mistreated. There is a fine line between playing with class, and setting yourself up as a target because you don't hold the other team accountable for their own actions.

ACtually my loss of respect happened much earlier.

During the ENTIRE playing of The Spririt of Aggieland, their entire section was doing organized cheers.

It may just be a custom in our part of the country--but I was raised that was darned rude. I know some teams have accidentally run out at that time--but they always stop when they realize that this is our "school song" to use a high school term.

I know that IF they had brought a band, we would have stood in respectful silence for it--but they on purpose cheered and kept cheering.

I would not have lost respect if they had stopped once it was obvious we were singing the Spirit, but they did not.

This is cheap and low class--unless respect for the alma matre of the other school is just not a thing those east coast types do.

Who real cares about the missing grass? Maybe if the offense coaches take a shovel and start digging they might be fine a game plan that works.

If our offense took a big old chunk out each time we "hit paydirt", we'd still have a spotless endzone. I just wish they would have set some of the turf in front of the locker room so the offense could have at least set foot on it.

To all Va. Tech fans reading this, let me first say, congrats on your win! You guys have a great team. Hopefully we can come up with some sort of offense for next year's game. Cant wait to go to Blacksburg!

Now onto this turf business...your boys should be proud to take a little bit of the Kyle field sod with you in that pail. I have seen your team do this for a couple of seasons now and LOVE IT!!! You won and it wasnt an easy win so be proud of it. When your boys look back at all the sod they will no doubt collect this year, I hope that Aggieland sod stands out as being a little special. It was one hard fought game for both sides.

Your boys were great on the field, and more importantly you guys were great off of it as well. Dont let posts from a few freaks that grace every campus spoil any impression you had about Aggieland. See ya next year Hokes!!

Agreed, clone. Put up or shut up. VT put up--it's time for A&M to shut up (atleast about the VT game).

You're going to have that attitude due to one act by one player?

Puuuuuuhhhhhlllleeeeeaaaaasssssseeee!