A short story on the "Yard Dogs" and what it means to the Virginia Tech defensive line core
Specific mantras define teams; they give them a way to express themselves in a variety of different ways. Of course there is the "Dream Team" of USA basketball, or the Fierce Five which earned the USA it's second ever gymnastics gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics. However, thanks to Virginia Tech defensive line and associate head coach J.C Price, there is a new, maybe less sleek name in town, the "Yard Dogs"
Nestled at the point where West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky meet in Huntington, WV, is Marshall University. This is a school all Hokie fans should know as the Thundering Herd is a common opponent of the Hokies, with the two locking horns seven times since 2002. It is even more commonplace for Price, who spent eight years in various defensive roles for the Herd.
While at the Hokies media day, I overheard current defensive tackle Josh Fuga talk about this "Yard Dog" name the defensive line room had adopted, and he led us to believe it started during Price's time at Marshall.
Price then enlightened me on what it meant to be a "Yard Dog" through a story of a former player of his, Alex Bazzie, who, despite his lack of frame in comparison to his peers, would always earn the starting d-line spot because his teammates were house dogs while he was different. Price states that it was a certain mentality that always drove competitors away from Bazzie's top spot and that one day, when Price questioned why no one could pry the first string away from the walk-on. Bazzie explained, "He's a house dog. You guys let him in on the furniture. You let him up on the couch. You let him.
In the air conditioning, I said ok, so why do you play?" Said Price inside the humid Beamer-Lawson Indoor Practice Facility. "He said. Well, I'm a yard dog, I'm out in the dirt, I'm on the porch. I'm ready to bite the mailman." "And that's exactly where that came from." quoted the leader of the Hokies front five, the new "Yard Dogs".
