Hokies Week 11 Blog - College Park Showdown

There will be a huge showdown this Saturday at 1:00 EST in College Park, Maryland. We will see a matchup of two premier leaders on the football field. Both have prepared a long time for this matchup, and there is a lot of buzz going into this game. Where will you be when Nike and Under Armour throw down!?!?

Both Nike and Under Armour will unveil brand spanking new uniforms this week for the nationally televised VT/Maryland game. Nationally televised on your computer… What? You get good crystal clear coverage on your 11” laptop right? I’ll personally be at the game so I’ll let you know how awesome they are first hand.

But let’s break down this matchup. Nike comes in with all the experience and has been a dominant force for decades while Under Armour is still the new kid on the block. But Under Armour has had a lot of recent success, as it has made a huge splash in its first 15 years. Let’s take a look at some of the personnel between the two teams. Nike has some big time individuals with the likes of Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Adrian Peterson, Lebron James, Tom Brady, Roger Federer, Derek Jeter, Larry Fitzgerald, Lance Armstrong, Nolan Ryan, Barry Sanders, Back to the Future, Jerry Rice, Cal Ripken Jr., and Lil Wayne. Under Armour is led by Vernon Davis, Tommy Tubberville, Devin Hester, and that guy who yells a lot (and his creepy roided up younger version). How about a comparison of slogan? Again the edge goes to Nike with the simple but effective “Just Do It.” But how could Under Armour compete with “Click Clack”?

But enough about the history, what will be hitting the field on Saturday? Nike unveiled it’s second Pro Combat Uniform line at Virginia Tech last week (TCU was first) with a huge presentation done by the folks at Nike which brought Antonio Freeman and Bruce Smith into Blacksburg. They even rode in a huge motorcade with Frank Beamer to the unveiling. And the crowd of 100 went wild as Tyrod Taylor and Cody Grimm stepped out of a locker or something wearing these bad boys:


http://hamptonroads.com.nyud.net/2009/11/battle-brands
(you can click any image to make them bigger)

Nike’s theme for these is “Good guys wear white,” which is going against the blackout at Maryland. These are pretty snazzy uniforms for the most part, and I like how for the most part they look clean but are still edgy. I even like the two different width stripes on the helmet. Also, they are top of the line in terms of the science and engineering behind making football uniforms. According to Nike they are much lighter than the previous uniforms because the jersey material is 23% lighter, the pants material is 49% lighter and material wicks water away to make them 46% lighter than our old uniforms when wet. Also, they have improved ventilation and are more durable.


http://www.nike.com/nikeos/p/usnikefootball/en_US/rivalries09?school=vt&tab=uniform

The shoes are also state of the art and have so many improvements I won’t go into them.


http://friendsoftheprogram.net/2009/11/13/a-closer-look-at-nike-pro-combat-virginia-tech/

And the finishing touch are the Nike gloves:


http://friendsoftheprogram.net/2009/11/13/a-closer-look-at-nike-pro-combat-virginia-tech/

I’m not a fan of all the ridiculous wording on the jerseys though. Throughout the jersey there are VT sayings like Ut Prosim and Beamerball, which along with the wire mesh shoulder pads take away from the overall clean look. But they are designed to look fast and I think that is accomplished, and these uniforms are growing on me.
So what are Nike and the Hokies going up against? Under Armour is breaking out two new uniforms for Maryland and South Carolina this weekend. And what awesome new features and fresh looks are they providing? None… Yep, they’re pretty much the same jerseys as before with three small changes.


http://www.usnews.com/dbimages/master/13170/FE_DA_091020whispers-underarmour-commitment.jpg

Yes, those are camo sleeves. They’re rocking a black and desert camo uniform on Sat. And they’re going to wear camo cleats as well:


http://www.usnews.com/dbimages/master/13171/FE_DA_091020whispers-underarmour-cleats.jpg

And I’m sure that you're just like me and said “Ha, that’s lame, are the fans going to do a camo out too? They’re hard to see at home games to begin with!” But then you’ll feel like an asshole like I did. The little patch on the sleeves that you probably missed is for the Wounded Warriors Project. Under Armour teamed up with these guys to help spread the word to help push for legislation to pass to help soldiers injured after 9/11 in games near the DC (apparently rumors the Vice President and other big time congressmen might show up for the game) and on a primetime nationally televised game (Florida/South Carolina).

The only other change to the uniform is on the back, instead of having each player’s name, they will be replaced by a military word like “duty” and “honor.” The changes made to modify the uniform for Maryland is probably a fraction of the cost that went into making the VT one (and the 9 others that Nike will display throughout the rest of the season). So how do the two matchup? Virginia Tech’s Nike Pro Combat Uniform vs Maryland’s Under Armour Wounded Warrior Uniform.

Under Armour wins by a mile… Yes, Nike’s uniform is better looking. Yes, it is a better uniform to play football in. But Under Armour has the intangibles. Who cares if the VT uni has Ut Prosim “that I may serve”? It’s still just a bad matchup. Nike Pro Combat vs. Under Armour Wounded Warriors… Doesn’t that just sound terrible? Great move by Under Armour and a great cause. There will even be veterans doing the coin toss and halftime festivities promoting the cause.

Oh, there’s also a football game on Saturday… I’ll take Virginia Tech over a Maryland team that is 96th in scoring offense (20.8 points a game), and 98th in scoring defense (32 points a game). There is a lot of talk that this game will be really close, but I just don’t see it. Teams that run the ball well, destroy Maryland. Maryland really hasn’t stopped anyone on offense, and their best offensive player, QB Chris Turner, will be out due to a sprained MCL. The only way we lose this is if all the negative karma we have due to the uniforms takes over.

VT wins 38-13. Ryan Williams will run all over them and be the player of the game. Apparently I’m a broken record… Maybe I should start picking the 2nd Best Player of the Game! 2BPotG goes to Rashad Carmichael. I think that between Carmichael and Virgil, we get 2 or 3 picks and 1 for a TD.