The Roanoke Times sports columnist Aaron McFarling and Tech football reporter Mike Niziolek share their thoughts on Justin Fuente's flirtation with Baylor and how Tech handled the situation. Plus, schedule thoughts and much more. Please note this was recorded before Tech had five players enter the transfer portal on Jan. 22. Support the show: http:…

The Roanoke Times sports columnist Aaron McFarling and Tech football reporter Mike Niziolek revisit the Belk Bowl, the Lynn Bowden situation, Bud Foster's farewell and discuss what they will remember about the 2019 season. Support the show: http://www.roanoke.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

The Roanoke Times sports columnist Aaron McFarling and Tech football reporter Mike Niziolek discuss Justin Hamilton's big promotion, turnover on the Hokies' staff, the team's Belk Bowl invite and look back at the Commonwealth Cup. Support the show: http://www.roanoke.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

The Roanoke Times sports columnist Aaron McFarling and Tech football reporter Mike Niziolek share their thoughts on a second straight shutout, which Hokies should get All-ACC recognition, Bryce Perkins vs. Hendon Hooker, the keys to Friday's Commonwealth Cup and much more. Support the show: http://www.roanoke.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for pr…

The Roanoke Times sports columnist Aaron McFarling and Tech football reporter Mike Niziolek discuss the significance of a shutout, the Hokies offensive line living up to their motto, Saturday's matchup against Pittsburgh and much more. Support the show: http://www.roanoke.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

The Roanoke Times sports columnist Aaron McFarling and Tech football reporter Mike Niziolek share their thoughts on a wild win over Wake Forest, Bud Foster Day, the team's final three-game stretch and more. Support the show: http://www.roanoke.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

The Roanoke Times sports columnist Aaron McFarling and Tech football reporter Mike Niziolek share their thoughts on the team's near upset at Notre Dame, the team's fourth quarter approach, the quarterback situation and preview a huge showdown against Wake Forest. Support the show: http://www.roanoke.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info…

The Roanoke Times sports columnist Aaron McFarling and Tech football reporter Mike Niziolek revisit Tech's wild win over North Carolina, discuss the team's quarterback situation, struggles after recent off weeks, preview the team's trip to South Bend and much more. Support the show: http://www.roanoke.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in…

The Roanoke Times sports columnist Aaron McFarling and Tech football reporter Mike Niziolek discuss Tech's two-game win streak, Hendon Hooker's quick start, the Hokies' struggling pass defense and why UNC-Tech is "juice city." Support the show: http://www.roanoke.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

The Roanoke Times sports columnist Aaron McFarling and Tech football reporter Mike Niziolek discuss Tech's embarrassing loss to Duke, the team's lack of identity, a renewed quarterback competition, the fanbase's frustration with Justin Fuente, preview the Miami game and more. Support the show: http://www.roanoke.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for…

The Roanoke Times sports columnist Aaron McFarling and Tech football reporter Mike Niziolek share their thoughts on escaping Furman, Tech hiring Jerry Kill, areas of concern at the bye week and preview the Friday night matchup against Duke. Support the show: http://www.roanoke.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

The Roanoke Times sports columnist Aaron McFarling and Tech football reporter Mike Niziolek share their thoughts on Old Dominion hanging around against Tech, biggest surprises through the first two weeks and the Hokies' struggles in the run game. Plus, what to expect from Furman. Support the show: http://www.roanoke.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener…

The Roanoke Times sports columnist Aaron McFarling and Tech football reporter Mike Niziolek share their thoughts on Virginia Tech's mistake-filled loss to Boston College, the team's biggest concerns going into Week 2 against Old Dominion and more. Support the show: http://www.roanoke.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

The Roanoke Times sports columnist Aaron McFarling and Tech football reporter Mike Niziolek share their thoughts on Bud Foster's retirement announcement, the Week 1 depth chart and preview the Hokies matchup against Boston College. Support the show: http://www.roanoke.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

The Roanoke Times sports columnist Aaron McFarling and Tech football reporter Mike Niziolek share their thoughts on where the Hokies stands heading into fall camp. What are the key position battles? Who are the players to watch? What's the vibe like in Blacksburg? All that and more is in the latest episode of the Lunch Pail Podcast. Support the sho…

The Roanoke Times sports columnist Aaron McFarling and Virginia Tech football beat writer Mike Niziolek discuss the Hokies' loss to Cincinnati in the Military Bowl, 2019 scheduling changes, Trevon Hill's statement and much more. Support the show: http://www.roanoke.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

The Roanoke Times sports columnist Aaron McFarling and Virginia Tech football beat writer Mike Niziolek discuss Frank Beamer's hall of fame career, a wild finish to Virginia Tech's 2018 regular season and the underwhelming bowl matchup against Cincinnati. Support the show: http://www.roanoke.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

The Roanoke Times sports columnist Aaron McFarling and Virginia Tech football beat writer Mike Niziolek discuss the twists and turns of the 100th Commonwealth Cup, where the game ranks in the streak and turn their attention to the Hokies' upcoming showdown against Marshall. Support the show: http://www.roanoke.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for p…

BLACKSBURG - The Roanoke Times sports columnist Aaron McFarling and Virginia Tech football beat writer Mike Niziolek discuss a pair of Hokies players leaving the program, if the distractions will hurt the team, preview the Commonwealth Cup and weigh which streak (bowl appearance or wins over Virginia) is more prestigious. Lunch Pail Podcast Episode…

The Roanoke Times sports columnist Aaron McFarling and Virginia Tech football beat writer Mike Niziolek discuss the Hokies' disastrous defense, fan complaints about the coaching staff and preview the Miami game. Intro (0:00-2:19) What's the defense problem? (2:20-7:20) Should coaches be on hot seat? (8:35-16:20) What do you want to see in final two…

The Roanoke Times sports columnist Aaron McFarling and Virginia Tech football beat writer Mike Niziolek discuss the Hokies' recent offensive struggles, what went wrong against Boston College and the biggest challenge facing Pittsburgh. Lunch Pail Podcast Episode 9 Intro - (0:00-0:57) Takeaways from Boston College game (0:58-10:27) How will Virginia…

BLACKSBURG - The Roanoke Times sports columnist Aaron McFarling and Virginia Tech football beat writer Mike Niziolek discuss whether Virginia Tech's season is on the brink, preview the Boston College game and break down the race for the Coastal Division title. Lunch Pail Podcast Episode 8 Intro - (0:00-1:05) What happened against Georgia Tech (1:06…

The Roanoke Times sports columnist Aaron McFarling and Virginia Tech football beat writer Mike Niziolek discuss the Hokies second half setbacks against Notre Dame, the team's chances in the Coastal Division and preview the North Carolina game. If you have any feedback or questions for Aaron or Mike, email us! Look for new episodes on every Wednesda…

The Roanoke Times sports columnist Aaron McFarling and Virginia Tech football beat writer Mike Niziolek discuss the Hokies dominating Duke on the road, the keys to that win and look ahead to Notre Dame Lunch Pail Podcast Episode 6 Intro - (0:00-0:35 Reaction to Duke win (0:36-4:30) What impressed you more Virginia Tech's offense or defense? (4:31-1…

The Roanoke Times sports columnist Aaron McFarling and Virginia Tech football beat writer Mike Niziolek discuss one of the biggest upset losses in Hokies history, what's next at quarterback and take a shot at predicting what will happen at Duke this weekend. Lunch Pail Podcast Episode 5 Intro - (0:00-1:05) Reaction to Old Dominion loss (1:06-6:50) …

The Roanoke Times sports columnist Aaron McFarling and Virginia Tech football beat writer Mike Niziolek discuss the No. 13 Hokies unexpected layoff and preview this weekend's visit to Old Dominion. Lunch Pail Podcast Episode 4 - Intro - (0:00-1:55) - Concerns about layoff (1:56-6:30) - Any financial impact to losing game? (6:31-7:40) - What will Vi…

The Roanoke Times sports columnist Aaron McFarling and Virginia Tech football beat writer Mike Niziolek break down the Hokies' 24-3 win over FSU on this week’s Lunch Pail Podcast. The reporters share their impressions from the game and what it means going forward. Plus, plenty of discussion on the week’s Virginia Tech football-related news and Satu…

The Roanoke Times sports columnist Aaron McFarling and Virginia Tech football beat writer Mike Niziolek break down the Hokies' Week 1 depth chart. The reporters also turn their attention to Monday’s ACC showdown against Florida State and make predictions. Lunch Pail Podcast - Episode 2 Introductions (0:00-2:46) Depth chart surprises (2:47-10:49) De…

We are relaunching the weekly Virginia Tech football podcast for The Roanoke Times with columnist Aaron McFarling and football beat writer Michael Niziolek. In the debut episode, the two writers discuss the end of fall camp, pick breakout candidates for 2018 and discuss standout storylines of the preseason. Episode 1 Introductions (0:00-2:40) Bigge…

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It's a surprisingly packed podcast for early June, with the news that Josh Jackson's status is up in the air as the university looks into an academic matter leading things off. We talk about the latest there and how long it might take to reach a resolution. We also talk about the Hokies' recent recruiting success, Tech adding Middle Tennessee to th…

Andy Bitter and Aaron McFarling touch base again to discuss the attrition news in the Hokies' secondary. We talk about the impact of the Adonis Alexander/Jeremey Webb news, who might be next up, how much that changes the ceiling of the Hokies' defense and more. We answer a few listener questions, including who would be on our All-Kicked Off the Tea…

Back by popular demand, Evan Watkins of VTScoop is back on the podcast, talking with Andy Bitter about Hokies recruiting as the summer approaches. We chat about running back Devyn Ford's decision to go Penn State, what that means for Virginia Tech's perception in the state and who the Hokies are targeting now at running back and other positions. We…

Andy Bitter and Aaron McFarling hit a lot of ground in this week's podcast, starting out with some recruiting reflection after Virginia Tech saw a couple of big-time recruits in Virginia head out of state (both to Penn State). We talk a little bit about Andy's interview with athletic director Whit Babcock and the firing of long-time softball coach …

The day Aaron McFarling has been waiting for is here, with the federal ban on sports betting being overturned earlier this week. He and Andy Bitter talk about what that means for the state and sports leagues in general in the first third of this week's podcast. We touch a little bit on some recent over-under win totals released for the ACC before t…

Former Virginia Tech offensive lineman Dwight Vick joins Andy Bitter on the podcast to talk about a variety of topics, starting with how relations with football alumni could be improved. Vick talks about his recruitment in the early '90s, the best Hokies rivalries in the old Big East days, particularly Miami, the best and most underrated players he…

It's a downtime in the football season but we tried to liven things up on the podcast this week anyway. Andy Bitter and Aaron McFarling start out by talking about some of the ubiquitous offseason lists that are out there that rank all of the returning starting QBs in the country and the Power 5 coaches. We transition to some reader questions, talki…

Andy Bitter and Aaron McFarling are back to talk about what was an eventful week in Blacksburg, starting with co-defensive coordinator Galen Scott's surprise resignation. We move on to the NFL Draft, where the Edmunds brothers had a historic night and several other Hokies were selected. We touch on the strange bit of animosity out there for Josh Ja…

Andy Bitter and Aaron McFarling are back for a podcast largely powered by you, the listener. We start off talking about the NFL Draft and where the Hokies, most prominently linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, might end up going. Then we turn things over to some listener questions, with topics ranging from how strained the relationship is with some footbal…

Andy Bitter and Aaron McFarling are here to talk about the Hokies' spring game, starting off with our thoughts on Ryan Willis' big day and if there's any way he can challenge Josh Jackson. We hit on the receivers who played, what's shaping up to be a young defense once you get past most of the starters, if Coleman Fox has a role on this team and, o…

Andy Bitter and Aaron McFarling get amped for the Hokies' spring game, talking about what Andy saw at the open period of practice on Tuesday. We touch on quarterback Ryan Willis and Hendon Hooker's progression, Silas Dzansi's move up the depth chart, Adonis Alexander's health status, the tight end situation, Jarrod Hewitt's love of Big Squat Friday…

Andy Bitter and Aaron McFarling discuss all the latest happenings in spring ball for Virginia Tech, which is looking for more explosive plays out of its running backs, a starting five on the offensive line and more reliable play from the cornerbacks. We talk about Michigan canceling its football series with the Hokies and Florida State opening as a…

Andy Bitter and Aaron McFarling are back with spring ball in full swing at Virginia Tech. We talk about Josh Jackson's goals this spring, the outlooks of two other quarterbacks on the roster (Ryan Willis and Hendon Hooker), how Devon Hunter fits in and what the linebacking corps might look like come September. We introduce our potential replacement…

Andy Bitter and Aaron McFarling are back from the road after covering the NCAA Tournament last week. It was a short postseason for all the commonwealth's schools. We talk about Virginia Tech's loss to Alabama, if it means the program stalled a little bit and what the outlook is for the Hokies and Buzz Williams next season. We give our thoughts on U…

Andy Bitter and Aaron McFarling and I are in Pittsburgh covering the NCAA Tournament this week, so we figured we'd put together a podcast. We talk about Virginia Tech's matchup with Alabama and what a win would mean for the Hokies' program. We touch on Radford's first-ever NCAA Tournament win and how much the Highlanders have enjoyed the last coupl…

Andy Bitter talks to an on-location Aaron McFarling this week from the ACC Tournament in New York, a city the country columnist has grown to love over the last couple days. We talk about why Aaron's had an awakening to the Big Apple, the merits/drawbacks of having an ACC Tournament in New York and the Hokies' unlucky draw with a likely Notre Dame m…

Aaron McFarling and I are back to talk about Virginia Tech's big basketball win against Duke, which all but locks up an NCAA Tournament berth for the Hokies. We touch on Buzz Williams' "Quit cussin'" request, take a look ahead at where Tech might finish in what's are tight ACC standings and rank the NCAA sites the Hokies could visit. We touch a bit…

Andy Bitter and Aaron McFarling are back for another podcast. We start off talking about the Hokies basketball team's latest win against Clemson and how its tournament chances are looking better and better. We also touch on Louisville vacating the 2013 title, and if that kind of punishment means anything. Then it's listener questions galore, talkin…

This is a potpourri podcast, with Aaron McFarling and Andy Bitter talking about the Hokies basketball team's topsy-turvy week, first with a win at Virginia, then with a blowout loss to Duke. We discuss Virginia Tech's NCAA Tournament outlook as it comes down the stretch. We hit a little bit of football, touching on signing day, some on Tech's recru…

With the regular February signing day upon us, we branch out on the podcast this week. Andy Bitter is joined by Evan Watkins of VT Scoop to talk about Virginia Tech's 2018 signing class. We discuss several big targets that the Hokies will try to close in the next week, including what's the latest on Dax Hollifield, before going back to review the k…