The Hokies 2018 season started on a high note. Justin Fuente took his troops down south and, with the help of Bud Foster, coached the team to a dominant 24-3 win over Florida State. Fast forward nine weeks and Virginia Tech sits at 4-4 with an embarrassing loss to ODU. Not to mention, all four losses have been by double-digits. You have to go back to 1992 to find the last time Virginia Tech failed to win seven games. However, with Pitt, Miami and UVA to round out the year, the Hokies are in real danger of a losing season.
If that occurs, is it time to move on from Justin Fuente? We'll leave that up to athletic director Whit Babock. As for the fans? They may not be so forgiving. From 2004 through 2011, Virginia Tech won ten games in each season, won four ACC championships, appeared in five BCS games and won one. For that stretch of eight years, Hokie fans became accustomed to dominating ACC opponents and competing a national stage. Every year started with hope of a return to the National Championship game. Winning seven games and/or reaching a bowl wasn't a goal...it was an expectation.
When Justin Fuente was hired to replace legendary coach Frank Beamer, he was hired to return the program to national prominence. Needless to say, his third year in Blacksburg has been a massive disappointment. Should fans panic though? Before you send your next tweet, or decide to not renew your season tickets, take a look at Notre Dame's 2016 season.
Much like Virginia Tech this year, the Irish entered 2016 with high expectations. They started the year ranked 10th in the preseason rankings, had a favorable schedule, and returned their exciting quarterback, Deshone Kizer. By late September, it was clear that those expectations would not come to fruition. Notre Dame started off the year 1-3 and endured a home loss to Duke. Their typical stingy defense allowed 28 points per game, and their offense was wildly inconsistent. Not to mention, there was constant friction between Brian Kelly and Deshone Kizer. Then to add insult to injury, Kizer announced his intentions to forgo two years of eligibility and declared for the NFL draft. Instead of competing for a playoff, the Irish didn't even reach a bowl. Fans were outraged...and had a right to be.
So, what can the Hokies learn from Notre Dame's abysmal performance just two years ago?
For starters, remember the number 80,795. That's the capacity for Notre Dame stadium and it's the amount of seats that were filled for all six home games. The team may have been awful, the fans may have been frustrated but they didn't give up. Virginia Tech may not have the history behind their program that Notre Dame has, but if you want to be a top-tier program, you have to act like one. One of the Hokies' biggest advantages over the years has been their home field. Keep it that way.
At the conclusion of the 2016 season, many Irish fans wanted to move on from Brian Kelly. To be honest, they had enough reasons to let him go. Instead, athletic director Jack Swarbrick put his reputation on the line and retained Kelly. While fans were upset, it was the right call. The commitment to leadership not only impressed recruits, it showed current players the dedication to Kelly's system. Fuente has proven that he can recruit, he's proven that he can lead the offense and of course, Bud Foster has proven he can lead the defense. The season has been disappointing but commitment to to the coaches can go a long way.
Kelly took blame. Even though he retained his job, Brian Kelly said “But if I answer this question one last time, which I will, I think that there are, in my mind, as I reflect (on last year), there are no bad football teams. There’s just poorly-led football teams. And I think I led this team poorly. And I think that’s probably what I learned more than anything else.” Remember, this is a Notre Dame team that endured injuries, quarterback issues and fired their defensive coordinator in the middle of the year. Considering everything, Brian Kelly could have blamed any number of people for the disappointing year. He didn't though...he took full responsibility and committed to be better. Fuente doesn't deserve to be fired but even with the injuries and dismissals, he needs to take responsibility.
Kelly changed. For most of his coaching career, Brian Kelly was known as rigid. His practices and training were physically and mentally exhausting. He often appeared irritable at press conferences and not open to the press. The start of the 2017 marked some notable changes in South Bend. Kelly loosened up and focused on creating unity in the locker room. No, the team didn't get relaxed. They continued to commit to details but Kelly changed the culture and it paid dividends. Fuente and Foster shouldn't mimic the exact changes Notre Dame made, but it is time for a change of culture in Blacksburg.
Every program goes through adversity. Michigan struggled from 2007 through 2014, Alabama from 2000-07, Florida from 2002-04, Georgia in 2010, 2013 and 2016. And yes, sometimes when a program faces adversity, it's time to find a new leader. Firing can't always be the answer though. Justin Fuente has a solid track record and has earned at least one more year.
