TECH EAGER FOR TRIP
It’s a tough ticket, but some Hokies can’t wait for ODU
BLACKSBURG — Lafayette High alum Hezekiah Grimsley has a firm grasp on why No. 13 Virginia Tech’s trip Saturday to play at Old Dominion serves as a celebration of all things 757 area-code-related, but he’s done his best to stay removed from all the homecoming hype.
It’s not that he’s necessarily immune to all the buzz. He simply doesn’t think many of his friends from his native Williamsburg will be able to secure a spot at sold-out 20,118-seat Foreman Field, given that the average price of a ticket to the game as of Wednesday evening on Stubhub.com was $138.91.
“I don’t know,” said Grimsley, a sophomore wide receiver at Tech. “I probably have one or two friends going, but not a lot of people can get tickets.
“It’s a cool deal for everybody from the (757 area code), but it should be an exciting game for us.”
With 38 players (24 from ODU and 14 from Tech) and two assistant coaches (ODU’s Kermit Buggs and Tech’s Zohn Burden) who call Hampton Roads home, it’s little wonder a game that has all the makings of a total mismatch has been such a hot ticket.
Tech coach Justin Fuente has sensed anxiousness from players to play in this weekend’s game for a while — and not just because it will have been two weeks since the Hokies have played, because of
the cancellation of last Saturday’s scheduled game against East Carolina as a result of Hurricane Florence.
“It’s neat, for a lack of a better term, to take the band on the road here, to kind of reach out to our fan base,” said Fuente, who added he was uncertain regarding the game’s recruiting impact, since he doesn’t think many recruits decide based on one game.
“We played in the D.C. area, Northern Virginia last year. This year, we get a chance to play in the 757. Those people have been fantastic fans making that fourplus-hour drive to come see us in Blacksburg. I think it’s a great opportunity to come to them one time. … Part of it has to do with the venue and location, the other part has got to do with an opponent that accounted for themselves very well last year.”
The last time Tech (2-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) played in front of an audience smaller than what’s expected at Foreman Field was Sept. 20, 1997. Before an announced crowd of 12,056 diehards at Veterans Stadium, then-No. 18 Tech, which came into the game 2-0, won 23-13 against Temple, which was 1-2 entering the evening affair in Philadelphia.
Though only a few thousand more fans will cram into Foreman Field than showed up that night in Veterans Stadium, the atmosphere in Norfolk will obviously be far more festive. Tech defensive tackle Ricky Walker, a Bethel High alum, has been an unofficial Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce rep for teammates curious about what to expect.
“The more I sit back and think about it, the more I’m excited to play,” Walker said. “I’m actually going home to play, finally get some Tidewater air. First time playing at ODU, it’s going to be pretty cool for me. My family is going to be there. The stadium is pretty much going to be Hokies in there. …(Teammates are) asking me if the food is going to be good Friday night at the hotel.”
Tech will play ODU 11 more times after this season through 2031. Five of those games will be played in Norfolk.
Burden, who graduated in 2002 from Salem High in Virginia Beach, will be the only coach on the field with insight into both of the coaching staffs.
Serving under current Monarchs coach Bobby Wilder, Burden worked his first college coaching gig at ODU (0-3). From 2007-2010, he was the Monarchs’ defensive backs coach, before coaching at Richmond for a season and returning to ODU in ’12 to work for three seasons as the Monarchs’ passing game coordinator and receivers coach.
He’s kept in touch with Wilder over the years, sharing occasional dinners together at the annual American Football Coaches Association convention, but this weekend means a little more to Burden than merely reconnecting with former colleagues.
“It’s always great to go back home for me,” said Burden, who is in his fourth season on the Hokies’ staff. “To go back to Norfolk, it’s really exciting for me as a coach. Coaching there, I never thought I would go back and be playing against those guys, so it’s exciting. I can’t wait to get down there. It’s pretty big-time for me.”