TechSuperfans!

TechSuperfans!

3 Key Plays

1) Branden Ore runs in from the 1 yard line to put the Hokies up 6-0. The extra point was missed but these were the only points VT would need on the day against an outmatched Duke team

2) From his own 10 yard line Sean Glennon rolls out to his left and fires a pass to Eddie Royal who outwants Duke CB John Talley for the ball and then proceeds to shuck and jive across the field for a 40 yard gain. Before this play, Glennon was 1-7 for 60 yards with a pick. After this play, he went 14-18 for 241 yards and 2 TD's and two of those incompletions were drops including a potential 3rd touchdown. This pass seemed to give him the confidence to throw to the receivers knowing they would make a play.

3) Kenny Lewis scores on a left sweep to cap off the Hokie scoring. This is critical because with the absence of George Bell from the team and Elan Lewis showing he isn't ready to be the #2 RB, and the fact that Kenny Lewis still had his redshirt on, the #2 RB position was a very weak point for this offense. But in a play that stirs the echoes of his old man, wearing #20 and all, Kenny Lewis scored a TD in his first game and established himself as the #2 back unless or until Elan Lewis gets his weight down and shows he can get it done.

Cincinnati Preview

The next step in the 2006 Virginia Tech season involves the classic "trap" game. A huge contest looms with Georgia Tech next weekend and if the Hokies lose focus this weekend thinking about that game, Cincinnati is a team that is plenty good enough to beat them. I have seen all of these ridiculous comments on the Internet about how the Bearcats are 0-5 in their last 5 games against I-A teams and they don't have the talent to play with VT. Make no mistake, this team is plenty talented and they are easily capable of pulling off the upset in Blacksburg.

Let's take a closer look at those last 5 games the Bearcats lost. Their opponents at the end of 2005 were - West Virginia, South Florida (the same team that woodshedded the Louisville Cardinals) and a MUCH improved Rutgers team and this year they've played Pittsburgh and Ohio State. Now THAT is a brutal schedule. A lot of teams would go 0-5 against that bunch. I watched the Ohio State-Cincinnati game when it was replayed, and I'm here to tell you that the Bearcats defense is for real. This is the first real test for the Hokies offense this season. The Bearcats held Ohio State to 6 points for 2 full quarters and they have 10 returning starters on the defensive side of the ball.

Offensively, Cincinnati is much worse off. They have the worst offense in the Big East and like the Hokies their weakest link is on the offensive line. Their coach Mark Dantonio does use a lot of different schemes and interesting plays to try and get his running backs out into space. This early in the season, the best plays for Cincinnati have been when the play has broken down and they’ve taken advantage of a lack of discipline by the opposing defense.

The key aspect that I will be paying attention to during this game is Virginia Tech’s focus. This is known in college football as a “trap” game because the highly favored team psychologically dismisses the team they are playing and gets caught in the trap as they look ahead to a big game the following week. The reason this happens in college football as opposed to the pros is because the talent level is different enough in college that the more talented team thinks they can just go through the motions and win the game. Sometimes that’s the case, but often enough the under-matched opponent plays their heart out and the power of emotion and momentum in college football can turn the tide enough to pull off the upset.

The main area of concern in this game is the offense. As I mentioned, the Cincinnati defense will be the toughest test yet for this offense. Sean Glennon had better have his confidence up from the coin toss on, because another 1st quarter performance like he had against Duke could be far more costly against these Bearcats. The perfect gameplan is to strike a balance on offense early, mixing the run and the pass. And then when the secondary has stopped creeping up in run support, the Hokies need to begin establishing a strong running attack. They need to physically overpower the smaller Cincinnati defense to neutralize their speed. The longer this game stays close the more Cincinnati gets the confidence and momentum they need to pull off an upset. Wearing them down with a physical running attack is a way to keep the Bearcats from having anything left in the tank at the end of the game.

Defensively, Tech should have no trouble as long as they play their assignments. I have watched the footage of defensive coordinator Bud Foster at halftime from both the Northeastern and Duke games. He keeps his players focused on getting better, he applauds them when they’ve given good effort and he points out the areas that they need to improve on in the second half. He’s a master at work, and I doubt he will let this defense lose focus during this game. Their new goal is a shut-out every game and they seem to be playing hard for that.

So can the Hokies maintain the focus and discipline needed to execute on both sides of the football? Can Sean Glennon make better decisions in this game against his first major challenge on defense? We’ll find out the answers on Saturday and they will determine the outcome of the game.

GO HOKIES!!!!!