Biff’s picture has spread far and wide on food blogs as the first “in the wild” proof that Chipotle was serving breakfast burritos. I’m pleased to share that the breakfast experiment continues here months later.

I stopped by the IAD location (unfortunately during dinner hours) and found out a bit more about the newest breakfast delicatessen in the B Terminal and closest restaurant to the soon-to-be-opened Dulles AeroTrain stop.

The staff led on that starting in January the breakfast menu will be expanded to include Chicken along with the current breakfast meat options and an additional rice-based ingredient unique to breakfast will also be added. For now it seems like the response has been positive especially if they are thinking of expanding the menu further.

And no worries if you don’t plan to make it to Dulles anytime soon - the inclusion of the breakfast-specific menu is actually written in to the lease at the Dulles location. We knew Dulles required all restaurants to operate breakfast hours but now it sounds like they require breakfast items during those early morning hours (6AM to 10AM), even if Five Guys just cheats by throwing an egg on a double stack.

The next time I make a comment on the breakfast burrito I promise it will be after actually eating one…

The Hokies men’s basketball team got revenge on PSU tonight, avenging a “Big 10/ACC Challenge” loss back in 2007 which stuck out as one of the worst loses of the season, keeping the team out of the march tournament. I would also point out that the Hokies have beat two Big 10 opponents this year, something Duke should be envious of.

The Hokies have are 8-1 as they approach the in-conference schedule and the last 2/3rds of the season. Compared to previous seasons this is one of the best starts in recent memory for the team.

There is obviously much more basketball to play and the team will have to show up well against the stacked ACC to make it to the big dance, but one difference from years past is that the Hokies don’t have a tarnished early season resume and that should help push them in over the bubble if they can hang out with the rest of the conference and win against the weaker teams. And the team has been able to accomplish that for in-conference games since Greenberg took the team in to the tough ACC forest.

ACC opener: @UNC on 1/10/2010

Fight For Old DC is hosting a FBI kiddie porn sting operation Hokie Photoshop Contest and I know that the four many readers of DT can put up some good Hokie-related photoshop bits to suck compete for the top-prize.

Send any entries to me an I will send them on to the contest admin and post a copy in this blog entry. Entries are due by December 19th.

Entry 1 by D.G.

Entry 2 by J.P.

Entry 3 by B.G.

JMU went for some Virginia school bragging rights by throwing a flash mob rave Sunday night in the lobby of their East Campus Library to help burn off some exam stress. The mob appeared about 9:35 p.m. and within minutes the sound system was overrun by a DJ bringing on crowd surfing and stage diving from the second floor.

JMU used to be where Hokies went to hunt down and tag a slump buster but now I think they just could hang out and party with us if they wanted to.

The Hokies are heading back to Atlanta for the Chic-Fil-E Bowl on New Year’s Eve. Note that the “Peach” part of the bowl name has been officially dropped, but we all know it’s the fucking Peach Bowl.
The Peach bowl pairing (like almost all bowl games) is about making as much money as possible (and in the Peach bowl’s case following the contract defined rules of which conferences they can take … ACC and SEC) but that aside I can see a lot coming from the VT/Tenn game:

1. They have been trying to get VT/Tenn to play an invitational +1 game at Bristol Motor Speedway for years and this may bring it one step closer to reality.
2. VT is happier to return to Atlanta when the alternative is that partial-birth abortion of a city, Jacksonville. Despite losing two times already in Atlanta this year alone, going to the Gator Bowl would feel more like a punishment than anything. Besides it will be right for FSU and Bowden’s swan song to be at home in their home state of Florida.
3. The argument is that the SEC’s mediocre can beat up on the ACC’s best (see GT/UGA or Clemson/USC) but this will be a good chance to test that theory when the Hokies try to extend their 10-win season streak.
4. Tenn is rebuilding and taking on a great team like Virginia Tech who is coming off a BCS domination over Cinci last bowl season plays favorably for viewers outside of the teams’ fanbases. I’m sure Tennessee is excited for the chance to get their team back in the limelight, regardless of the outcome.
5. VT last played Georgia recently in the Peach bowl so a rematch might not be as profitable or exciting for fans - myself included - and I’d rather play Tennessee than LSU or one of the even “dumber” SEC schools.

Side note: I’m very disappointed that TCU will be playing Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. I really wanted to see the David and Goliath thing play out against a major conference team like Florida. And apparently there was actual discussions of taking Virginia Tech OVER Cinci or Boise State for the last couple of bowl selections. As a Hokie fan I would have been very happy to see the BCS selection choose Virginia Tech over Boise State but I couldn’t straight-face call it fair.

Don’t dump freezing liquid on Uncle Frank, we need him to live another 39 years.
…. And what exactly are we celebrating again? Well I’ll tell you.

For only the second time since joining the ACC the Hokies will not be playing in an end of the season conference title game. However looking back now that we are at the end of the regular season it is important to note that the team did manage to make it a decent season:

• VT was ranked consecutively in the AP top 25 all season
• VT played the 7th hardest schedule of all 119 FBS teams
• The team uprooted Miami 37-10 (again)
• Previously untested and relatively unknown RB Ryan Williams rushed for 1538 yards (avg 5.7 yards a carry) and 19 touchdowns in relief of Evans who will be back next season
• Tyrod has matured in to a quarteback I feel “safe” with
• VT is the highest ranked 3 loss team and has a chance to continue the 10-win streak with a bowl game victory
• Our out of conference games included a team playing for a National Championship slot with Alabama, a Nebraska team playing Texas in the Big 12 Championship, a 8 win ECU team, and even a .500 Marshall team

Tech did put an explanation point on an otherwise down season with Saturday’s rout of UVA. Its always a satisfying Thanksgiving treat to know we retain the commonwealth cup another year. After the game this year however Al Groh packed up his office and said farewell to the head coaching position. He did manage to leave behind a pretty badass goodbye speech. As Hokie fans we will miss having him as the UVA coach only because things went so well against him while he was there.

This year’s woefully underachieving Cavalier team didn’t prevent the UVScum alumni from coming out to the game however. I have heard scalping horror stories from friends. One fan in search of tickets came upon a blue sweatered and creme blazer wearing DB who said “check out my seats - they are awesome” holding up some obnoxiously large and foil stamped box seats. The VT fan said he didn’t care where they were and just wanted to get in and so UVADB responded “well I’m not going in, you can buy them” the Hokie said okay and got through an ear to ear grin “for $800!… Which I know you can’t afford!” and then put his arm around his smug wife and pranced off, farting Tofurkey leftovers. In an unrelated event, another guy told a hokie fan if he would clear away some of his tailgating trash he would sell his ticket. He then began pointing out the difference in quality of automobiles between Tech and UVA fans to his entire tailgate. Apparently now we are counting minor degrees in Old Money in the UVA salary comparisons. But now I am off topic…

Anyway, it may not have been the best season but it could have been far worse given the injury to Evans and the first game loss to Alabama. As fans we have come to expect a lot of our beloved Hokies - and that is a good thing - it is a character trait all winning football programs possess and the kind of attitude that will ensure next year is even better than this - which again, wasn’t all that bad after all.

Let’s hope the Peach Bowl only adds more reason to look back on 2009 with a smile.

Beating NC State solidly was a change I didn’t expect. The Wolfpack is a team that always seems to give the Hokies trouble. Perhaps its a sign something is changing in the ACC. After all Clemson appears as though they could be BCS bound in two weeks time and four teams in the Coastal division alone are ranked.

But that’s not all, the Hokies just might be on track to becoming a defensive AND offensive team. In the past two weeks individual players have really started to click on all sides of the field. Tyrod has had his personal records broken, Williams continues to make a case for the best running back in the ACC while rewriting freshman Hokie record books, and Cody Grimm is popping out so many fumbles you’d think he was sneaking extra footballs on the field. The most frustrating thing about the end of the season success is that it doesn’t carry us anywhere better than the Peach Bowl.

N.C. State came into the game averaging 32.6 points per game, second in the ACC, but the Hokies held the team to 10 points and for first three quarters in which scoring was our goal we played with a sense of urgency I haven’t seen in a long time. Granted I only watched the first half thanks to the new Mario Bros game, but I’ll dig up the replay at some point.

If we keep this up we should have our 9th win of the season this Saturday against UVA. UVA is basically playing for the same reasons as VT in this match — one last thrill before the end of the season but as in year’s past I think they will keep their wine corked and bowties prim and proper and walk away with a big fat L.

Eat your turkey and cheer for the Hokies. Score Prediction: Virginia Tech 36, UVGhey 7.

Apologies in advance for my reference to a 1985 Budweiser slogan. According to a number of news outlets, Bud Foster is once again expressing interest in head coaching positions outside of Blacksburg.

In referring to an opening at Conference USA’s Memphis program Bud Foster said “That might be a job I might be interested in, I think there’s a lot of things that are attractive about it.” Well, I might be shitting myself, Bud.

Foster showed interest in head coaching jobs at Clemson and NC State last year which ultimately didn’t pan out but there is more of a connection to Memphis for Bud given his relationship to current athletic staff and his high school roots in Illinois. For now however there hasn’t been a formal announcement by Memphis that they are considering Foster.

Though Bud has shown he is mortal when it comes to recreating dominating defenses this season, a momentary decline in his otherwise stellar record, it doesn’t seem as though his attitude is any different than it was last year. He is eager to be a head coach and will consider just about any opportunity that will allow him to accomplish that goal. It doesn’t sound as though Weaver/Beamer did much this season to anchor our Defensive Coordinator to Virginia Tech and its only a matter of time before a school decides he is the right fit and pulls him away from Lane Stadium.

Translation to all of this: “Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shi…”

Oh boy, its that time of the year again! This Saturday the Hokies get to travel in to College Park to take on Maryland. Its like the day you lose an hour of sleep thanks to daylight savings - its a necessary evil but it must be done. Now don’t get me wrong, I can’t think of a more enjoyable Saturday afternoon than going to a football game with 51,000 screaming Jersey douch smear rejects of SUNY-Plattsburgh who are spitting in my face that they will make my mother air-tight as they are flash shockers from behind the ultraviolet safety of their aviator sunglasses.

But you know, something always makes me want to crush the living shit out of Maryland, I can’t quite figure out what it is. Perhaps its that I don’t like that there is even a conversation happening that Maryland/VT should be considered a “rivalry” - face it, Maryland is about as significant to Virginia Tech as a trip see old ass relatives to make sure they smile once more before dying somewhere in upstate New York.
… Which is why it makes this season’s match-up all that more concerning…

we must crush them

If this season has showed us anything up to this point its that we have found a great way of playing down to our competition.  Sure, we beat ECU on Thursday Night Football and the broadcasters highlighted our defensive power in the red zone (mind you they gave just as much attention to a cereal based snack created by Coach Holtz’ wife called “Pirate Treasure Munch”) and seemed content to fluff Tyrod’s balls during the entire game but remember we only mustered 16 points in a game in which Ryan Williams was setting season-high rushing numbers. This has to improve. In time for what you ask? Well I’ll be damned if after a season that began with legitimate mention of the words “National Championship” we have our throat stomped in by some shit team like Maryland.

The ONLY team Maryland has BEAT this entire season is Clemson (who clearly had someone personally make death threats to all those who are voting in the AP because somehow that turd on wheels is in the top 25). Sure, you COULD claim that Maryland also beat JMU… but to take your home opener in to overtime against a CAA school with a losing record is about as much of a win as eating Jimmy John’s subs and not shitting blood.

And we do have some new snazzy uniforms thanks to Nike (I personally like the gloves). But don’t think for a second that these slick new threads will make the play calling any different, or magically erase our love for 3-and-outs, or stop us from jerking each other off as we sputter and fail to score at first and goal from the five. This team has run out of time to “find itself” in 2009 and at this point we are playing for confidence and experience heading in to the 2010 season and with it a renewed shot at the ACC title and beyond.

So here we are, going up against a team that historically we are about .500 against (15-14 all time), who’s coach has given up more on his team than he has portion control, and a team who’s stupid shitty mascot who holds a big M to his chest to let us all know that M stands for “rapist cock whistles… Uh… Mmm-hmm” and I can’t help but fear what could happen.

In sum, we need to win this game because we have plenty to lose against an opponent which we horrible outmatch on paper and should equally outmatch on the field. This is the home stretch of three games before we head in to the bowl season (oh boy, I can’t wait to see if its the tire bowl or blooming onion bowl) and we still have a shot at holding our heads in the air with a 10-win season.

Let’s not let up now Hokies, not against this stain of a team.

Score Prediction: Virginia Tech 24, Maryland 0