HERE'S ONE FINGER POINTED AT VCU FOR CARMAX DIFFERENCES

 WHAT DO I KNOW? I’M JUST A KID, BUT …

While the VCU president might deserve a tidy boost in salary, 

why then couldn’t the school come up with the, by comparison, 

peanut money promised a year ago to resolve its partnership 

with the Flying Squirrels to use new CarMax Park? Everything 

went downhill from there, leading to irreconcilable differences 

between the local baseball team on one hand ... and the city, the 

group entrusted with formation of the faltering Diamond 

District and VCU – not to mention assorted high-profile 

personalities – on the other … Now, the airborne rodents have 

taken their grievances to court in what appears to be a solid 

case … that figures to cost the taxpayers even more money. 

Way to go Richmond … yet another fine mess by your elected 

officials in action.

HOW EXPLAIN an ongoing reluctance to give TONY 

ELLIOTT and his Virginia, University of, football team little 

more than also-ran status in a bid for the ACC championship? 

… According to ESPN analytics, Miami is the runaway choice 

with 67 percent, followed by SMU (10 %), Louisville (5 %) 

then Pittsburgh and UVA, each at 4 %, withVirginia Tech the 

only other member given a chance with 3 % … Well, it says 

here take the Cavaliers lightly at your own risk. How quickly 

most people who don’t bleed orange and blue forget Virginia 

finished first during the regular schedule a year ago with a 7-1 

record en route to 11-3 overall (and a school record for 

victories) … Elliott was selected conference coach of the year 

… and it appears his latest edition is the best – by far – since 

arriving in C-ville five years ago from Clemson where he was 

offensive coordinator. Stay tuned.

YEAH, SO  RUSS HUESMAN said he was embarrassed by 

Richmond’s lack of effort in last week’s 73-0 loss at N.C. State. 

He should have been … yet the Spider coach had lots of 

company on this very long, rain-delayed occasion, not the least 

of which was the work of television’s talking heads assigned by 

the ACC … Instead of emphasizing the obvious differences in 

talent between the teams, JAY ALTER and TOM 

LUGINBILL gushed ad naseum about State and how well it 

responded to two weeks of hard practice following a season-

opening 34-7 setback at Virginia.

At one point, one of them said something about this being “the 

real Wolfpack team you’re seeing out there tonight.” Yeah, 

right. Against an opponent that didn’t block or tackle very well 

and, unlike most teams that have the score run up on them, 

didn’t have one personal foul penalty in anger or frustration? 

“An historic night in Wolfpack football history,” said Alter, 

coming out of break. “… seven rushing touchdowns, six plays 

of 40-plus yards, 600-plus yards … and we are still in the third 

quarter.”

By then it was 63-0, and State had 306 yards and three 

touchdowns in the air. The Pack finished with 734 yards of 

offense, 428 running the football – both school records. UR had 

six first downs and 110 yards total. 

“You get a bad taste in your mouth in the opener, then this: 

Total domination … and the offense is back on the field, 

looking for more,” said Alter, quickly adding. “And it’s not so 

much this is running up the score [and] embarrassing 

Richmond… this is legitimate … for N.C. State that are [sic] 

desperate to prove something.”

NEVERTHELESS, I’D BET Pack coach DAVE DOREN, who 

looked pretty grim leaving the field at game’s end, would rather 

have an extra week of running into and beating on each other 

than getting false hope from an overmatched rival ... which 

gladly accepted a $400,000 payoff to take what Alter called “an 

epic beatdown.”

When you think about it, Huesman should have been really 

embarrassed by that.

Until next time …