VOLUME 006 ISSUE 004 (2005.09.23)
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Contents
Hurricane Katrina
Game Review - Ohio vs. Virginia Tech
Three Key Plays
Game Preview - Georgia Tech vs. Virginia Tech
ACC Standings
TSF Trivia
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Hurricane Katrina
Virgina Tech head coach Frank Beamer in cooperation with other
NCAA coaches has created a website for coaches to donate
money and coordinate their efforts to aid the victims of Hurricane
Katrina. You can visit that website at http://allcoachnetwork.com.
If you would like to donate your time or money to the Red Cross
to aid the victims of Katrina, you can do so via their website:
http://www.redcross.org.
Hurricane Rita now bears down on the Gulf Coast as well. TSF
has the people of this region in our thoughts.
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Game Review - Ohio vs. Virginia Tech
by "Mad" Jay
Result
Ohio: 0
Virginia Tech: 45
Virginia Tech's defense ran rampant all day against Ohio in a game where even the 45-0 shutout doesn't do justice to the Hokie defense. There should be negative points allowed for a defense as dominant as this. The Hokies forced two turnovers and actually dropped two additional would-be interceptions. The final score could have been worse. The same Ohio Bobcats that beat Pittsburgh in OT the week before were outmanned and outgunned when they were on offense.
On the other side of the ball, Virginia Tech's offense could only manage a stalemate against Ohio's defense for the first quarter. The Bobcats held the Hokies to a FG after a big pass play on the first series and later stopped a Hokies' 4th down try on the 4 yard line to keep the score to 3-0 in favor of Tech. However, once Ohio missed a FG, the momentum turned strongly in Tech's favor and the Hokies rang up two quick touchdowns to close the first half out. Ohio's heart wasn't in it after that point, but give credit to their defense (particularly their LB's) for making the first half more uncomfortable than it should have been.
The Hokie offensive line took well into the 3rd quarter to wear down
Ohio's defense and establish the line of scrimmage. In their defense,
they lost Reggie Butler in the first quarter to injury, but still, this was Ohio, not the high caliber Georgia Tech defense like the Hokies face this weekend. The level of play on the line must improve. The second half, including the 2nd string, finally showed some improvement on offense, and I was particularly encouraged by backup Cory Holt's leadership on a 96 yard scoring drive. Granted this was against the Ohio 2nd string defense, but it gives Beamer the option to redshirt Sean Glennon which is a true bonus as Hokies will appreciate him having this extra year later in his career.
I would just like to quickly comment on the Jekyll and Hide monster that is Bryan Stinespring's playcalling. The game highlighted some very nice plays including a well-blocked WR screen to Josh Morgan that turned into a big play, and a nifty FB-in-the-flat play on the goalline (reminiscent of the same pass Jesse Allen dropped in the Sugar Bowl) that was converted into a TD. But the recognition and response of the Hokies to blitzes is pathetic. Don't think for a second that Georgia Tech didn't watch the NC State game footage for the past two years. They will be coming after Vick and Stinespring has one more shot to prove to me that he can coach at this level. I am nervous that he is not able to and that it will cost Tech its season. I hope I am wrong.
Also worth noting in my review of the game footage is that Cedric Humes is not the "next level" back that we need. Count the number of yards that Humes gets after first contact vs. Mike Imoh, George Bell or Branden Ore. It pales in comparison. Humes wasn't even touched on his long TD run (the blocking of the line was very strong by then) at the end of the game. Humes hasn't been the same running back since he hurt his leg last year. I give him high marks for holding onto the football MUCH better this season, and for providing senior leadership, but our best bet this season is Imoh and George Bell. I know Humes will get the carries because Coach Beamer plays seniors but you heard it here first - Humes will not have a career in the NFL, both Ore and Bell will.
All in all, there are a lot of good things to take out of this game for Tech. The mental focus was there for this team on defense. No team will score more than 21 points on the Hokies this year. Nic Schmitt continues his All-ACC punter campaign and Marcus Vick is just astonishing under all this scrutiny. He is as "cool as the other side of the pillow" to steal from Stuart Scott at ESPN. The team took care of business and now can prepare for another week as "The Hunted".
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Three Key Plays
by "Mad" Jay
Each week TSF identifies the three most pivotal plays of the game.
1) In the first quarter Brandon Pace makes a FG to open the scoring at
3-0. This was the only scoring Tech would need to beat Ohio.
2) Ohio misses a FG wide right that would have pulled them to within a
touchdown. In their deepest penetration into Tech territory all day the Bobcats came away with nothing and the Hokies were revitalized, scoring another TD before halftime to make it 17-0.
3) Ohio puts together one last drive into Hokie territory in the 3rd
quarter but it ends on an interception by Roland Minor. This is the
final nail in the coffin for the Bobcats. Their starting quarterback is pulled after this pick.
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Game Preview - Georgia Tech vs. Virginia Tech
by Brian "Where's the Ice?"
The game that much of the college sports writing world has begun calling "Battle of the Techs" happens this Saturday. This will probably make for the Hokies' toughest contest of the season to date.
Last year's victory over the Yellow Jackets produced a landmark win that began making much of the ACC think that the 2004 Hokie squad could actually contend for the ACC title. Georgia Tech controlled the pace of most of the game while the Virginia Tech offense struggled to produce. Only in the last minutes of the game did Bryan Randall begin connecting with this receivers with some quick and explosive passing.
A win for the Hokies will place them as the lone first place team of the Coastal division. A loss will leave them with a tied record to the Yellow Jackets where Georgia Tech will have a leg up on the Hokies by having an U-word record to date. [Editor note: TSF does not use the U-know-what word during the season.]
Georgia Tech may have some handicaps of which Virginia Tech can take
advantage. First, quarterback Reggie Ball has had meningitis, and has a status of questionable (recently raised to probable) for this game. His backup, Taylor Bennet, has played well in the few snaps he has taken this season already throwing a touchdown pass to receiver Calvin Johnson during a game where he entered unexpectedly. This week, he has practiced a great deal with the team. Another note, the Yellow Jackets' defensive end Eric Henderson and tight end Mike Matthews also have a status of questionable.
After some well executed offense and stonewall defense, both will have a tougher opponent this week with whom to contend. This game marks the first game where the Hokies need the newly developing relationship with Marcus Vick as team leader to have progressed beyond early stages of development. Fans have watched a lot of that over the passed three games, but now the level to which this leadership role has solidified plays the most crucial piece to this offense's performance in the game.
The offense has kept their game very well rounded, and not just within
the types of offense they generate, but the players as well. Passing has evenly spread across Eddie Royal, David Clowney, and Josh Morgan. Mike Imoh, Cedric Humes, and Branden Ore have rotated through the running game. Only the clutch passing to tight end Jeff King really has one player standing out on his own for a given type of offense. Expect to watch an even rotation amongst these players early in the game, but as it continues Beamer will probably begin to lean more heavily on the key players more so than in other games this season.
On Defense, Jimmy Williams will have more than his work cut out for him in trying to shut down wide receiver Calvin Johnson. PJ Daniels lead the Ramblin' Wreck's rushing game against Connecticut last week gaining 114 yards. Damarius Bilbo also has put up some receiving yardage as well, so the Hokie secondary will have to keep him closely guarded as well.
Should Reggie Ball play this Saturday, the Hokies will have their hands full trying to contain him, even as the nation's fifth best defense by the stats. Ball will rely on Daniels, who stands 5'10" at 210 lbs with 328 yards this season, for the running game. Ball has two assets in the passing game: Johnson standing 6'4" at 225 lbs and Bilbo standing at 6'3" 220 lbs. They evenly match the tall players of the Virgina Tech secondary. Combined, they have 328 yards in passing.
ESPN College Gameday will come to Blacksburg for this game as well.
Originally, it scheduled to go to Baton Rouge for the Tennessee vs. LSU game, but with Hurricane Rita bearing down on the region, Gameday decided to relocate.
Time: Saturday, Sept. 24, 2005 3:30 p.m.
Location: Lane Stadium/Worsham Field, Blacksburg, Va.
TV: ABC
Satellite Radio: XM Radio
Other games to watch:
Maryland vs. Wake Forest, ESPNU, 3:30 p.m.
Colorado vs. Miami, ABC, 12:00 p.m.
Tennessee vs. LSU, ESPN, 7:45 p.m.
USC vs. Oregon, ABC, 4:00 p.m. PT (West Coast)
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ACC Standings
ATLANTIC DIVISION
Florida State 2-0 3-0
Clemson 1-1 2-1
Wake Forest 0-0 1-2
Boston College 0-1 2-1
NC State 0-1 1-1
Maryland 0-1 1-2
COASTAL DIVISION
Virginia Tech 2-0 3-0
Georgia Tech 1-0 3-0
Miami 1-1 1-1
Virginia 0-0 2-0
Duke 0-1 1-2
North Carolina 0-1 0-2
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TSF Trivia
by Brian "Where's the Ice?"
(1) Only two previous contents between the Ramblin' Wreck and the
Hokies have happened. Georgia Tech won in 1990, and Virginia Tech
won last year. The series has a tie at 1-1.
(2) The last time College Gameday came to Blacksburg, it also happened
for a Georgia Tech vs. Virginia Tech matchup. However, lightning prevented the game from starting, and lightning also struck Lee Corso's rental car after he predicted a poor season for the Hokies. I like to think that God begged to differ.
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---Writers:
"Mad" Jason Oakley
Anand "EhhTee" Trivedi
Brian "Where's The Ice?" Wrenn
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An EhhTee Production, llamas not included; 170.
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