Duke, Virginia Tech More Alike Than You'd Think

Photo by Zachary Tracer/The Chronicle

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium rises like an alien object over a rural, mostly cow-populated landscape. There is literally nothing else here-these people live and breathe Hokie football. I have never seen fans as dedicated to their team as these were.

The game time temperature for Duke's eventual 14-3 loss was officially 28 degrees, but  if you factor in the wind (which was gusting mightily) I would put it at closer to 10. And yet, at the beginning of the game, there was a packed, extremely loud stadium-chants of "Let's Go, Hokies" for instance, are still ringing inside my skull. Before the contest started, Metallica's Enter Sandman blared from the speakers, and literally everyone in the stadium, from6-year olds to 60-year olds, jumped up and down, creating one of the most intense atmospheres any opposing team could imagine. These fans were loyal-even as the game progressed into a defensive snooze-fest, the vast majority stayed and cheered on their team, in the process braving both extreme cold and extremely bad offensive football.

And, of course, they were passionate. During a typical ACC public service announcement that came on the scoreboard (and is played at Wallace Wade Stadium every week), several kids talked about the values of sportsmanship while wearing jerseys from various teams around the league. The one in the University of Virginia jersey? He was greeted with a resounding chorus of boos. It really is no wonder that Hokie head coach Frank Beamer, in his opening remarks at the post-game press conference, spent a good amount of time in the beginning talking about how important the fans were to their victory today.

I say this not really to just sing endless praises of the Hokie's home crowd, but to draw the conclusion that Duke could be more like Virginia Tech than you'd think. Duke is blessed with an old stadium that is both close to the field and beautifully luxury box and upper-deck free, meaning that students, alumni and common fans cheer together side by side. Wallace Wade has  a new sound system and scoreboard, with the athletic department promising Cutcliffe that more improvements are on the way. And, of course, Duke has an abundance of passionate fans (see: Stadium, Cameron Indoor).

During the first couple of games at Wallace Wade, there were newfound signs of fandom. Cameron Crazie chants and the free blue shirts given out at the JMU game gave the student section a look of die-hard supporters like I saw at the VT game. Alas, the enthusiasm seemed to dissipate as the season went on, with most still suffering from the after-effects of Tailgate or, worse, apathy. When, at the N.C. State game, there was more red than blue in the crowd, I knew that the Duke football fad was over--at least for this season. Because next year, Cutcliffe and Co. should be able to draw even more attention. And when they do, Duke should look to Virginia Tech as a model.