TechSuperfans!

Game Review (with a twist at the end) - Sugar Bowl VT vs. Michigan

2012-01-05T20:00:00.005-05:00

Well my friends, I've re-watched the game and I still can't believe Virginia Tech lost this game. It might go down as the strangest loss in the history of the program. The Hokies dominated on offense and defense as much as they did, if not moreso, than in the 38-0 beatdown of the Cavaliers. But instead they lost 23-20 in overtime. It took some of the most ridiculous and ill-timed errors on special teams one could believe, one bad coaching decision, another absolutely jaw dropping bad coaching decision and several mindblowing bad calls by the officiating crew to allow Michigan to win this game. Knowing the outcome ahead of time and then watching these plays, it seemed as if fate had decided that no matter what, Michigan was supposed to win this football game.

The game could hardly have started off any better for Tech. They kicked off, forced a three-and-out, went down and kicked a FG to go up 3-0. The next series, they intercepted Denard Robinson and drove down to the 4 yd-line for 1st and goal. On the next play, RB David Wilson made an enormous mental error and lost 22 yds. This was awful but even more horrendous was the fact that the Hokie wide receivers were absolutely RUINING the Michigan secondary and yet, in the red zone, the Hokies weren't taking any shots at the end zone. Not a single fade pattern or slant route. Jarrett Boykin and Marcus Davis could have and would beaten any Michigan defender for a one-on-one ball, or gotten pass interference called against the defense. So while I thought Wilson's decision was awful, I was unimpressed with the playcalling the redzone. Either way, Tech got another FG and went up 6-0.

Even after that, the defense only gave up one first down and forced Michigan's third punt. The Hokies, keyed by a 32-yd run by Wilson, drove right back down the field into the red zone, and again no attempt at letting their experienced, bigger, receivers who completely outmatched the secondary get a single chance at a ball. So the drive bogged down at the 4.5 yd line and here was my first sign that someone had slipped something into Coach Beamer's water bottle.

Any football fan knows that there is a HUGE difference between being up by two scores vs. one score. Football basics are this - if by kicking a FG you can increase the number of you scores you are up on an opponent you ALWAYS. and that means ALWAYS, EVERY TIME kick the !&#$^*#@&!$^ FG. It's just a fundamental law of football and you just don't break that rule. If the same situation had arisen, 4th and a yard and a half from the 4.5 yard line with the score only 3-0, I would have been fine with Beamer going for the first down. But up 6-0 the circumstances are completely different, and I was losing my mind about the Hokies not trying the FG the moment I saw the offense on the field. Success on 4th and short this year be damned, you take the FG in that situation every time. And they didn't. And they got stopped.

And not only did the QB sneak up the middle get stopped, but the QB sneak was not very successful throughout the game. Do you think Brady Hoke is a complete moron? Or do you think he spent two entire weeks of practice working on stopping the QB sneak up the middle? There would have been one possibly excusable reason to go for it on this 4th down, up 6-0. If they had faked the QB sneak and then Logan had just stood up and thrown it to the most wide open player in the history of football - TE Drager - who would have drifted into the end zone, THEN I would probably have been OK with going for it on that play. Demonstrating that level of creativity would have given me hope. But that wasn't the call and the Hokies got stopped.

Of course the defense stopped Michigan again. But this time, Coach Beamer called for a punt block and James Hopper landed on the plant foot of the punter, giving Michigan a chance for their lone real scoring drive of the game. Which - by the way - came on 3rd and 14 and involved QB Denard Robinson just throwing the ball up on a prayer that was answered by WR Junior Hemingway. Again, I have no way of understanding why Coach Beamer went for the punt block in that situation. And to continue the special teams disaster theme, RB Tony Gregory fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Michigan, after being absolutely outplayed for a half, was ahead 7-6 with a first down on the Hokie 26 yd-line. What did the Hokie defense do? Shut the Wolverines down cold on three straight plays.

Now fate looked down and smiled on Michigan. Because Brady Hoke made his own idiotic coaching decision and tried for a fake FG. This, despite having all the momentum on his side, he wanted to give Virginia Tech a chance to recapture it just before the half when the Hokies were going to get the ball to begin the second half. It blew my mind. And then the fragments of my mind that had been blown by Hoke's decision burst into flames when the refs didn't throw a flag on the kicker for a false start on the fake kick. And then the charred powder remains of my burnt mind were snorted up the nose of Captain Insanity as I proceeded to watch Kyle Fuller and Alonzo Tweedy try and INTERCEPT the @#$&^@#~!! ball instead of knocking it down. As they collided into each other and knocked the ball up into the air it nestled right into the hands of the Michigan snapper, which gave Michigan first and goal from the 8 yd-line. I don't know how often the word "apoplectic" has been an understatement in describing someone, but it certainly was in describing me at that moment. And in that moment, I got the sense that Virginia Tech would not win this football game.

But even with that chill down my spine, I couldn't help but be reinvigorated as the Hokies overcame a great interception early in the 2nd half by Michigan's freshman defensive tackle and a great throw and catch from Robinson to Hemingway in the back of the end zone to go up 17-6. VT proceeded to mow Michigan down, again on offense and defense, and bring the game back to a 17-17 tie in the 4th quarter. And then with 8:20 minutes left in the game, the refs struck again.

RB David Wilson took the handoff on 2nd and 5 from the Hokie 48 yd-line, sprinted left, lost his footing and then regained it and rumbled down to the Michigan 48 yd line. It would be 3rd and 1. But the head official blew his whistle and said that Wilson's knee had touched back at the line of scrimmage. Now note that the player attempting the tackle on Wilson when he lost his footing didn't indicate that Wilson was down. The two officials closest to the play didn't think he was down and went to mark the ball on the Michigan 48 yd-line. This was the head official who was standing on the opposite side of the field from the way the play went who blew the whistle. Instead it was 3rd and 5, Logan Thomas came up a yard short and with 7:21 left in the game, Coach Beamer called a timeout.

Football is about circumstances. I think calling a timeout and then going for a run/punt option was the worst call of Coach Beamer's career because he tipped his hand to Coach Hoke so that Hoke could prepare Michigan for the possibility of a fake. And I believe that the failed 4th and 1.5 yards from the 2nd quarter was on Beamer's mind so he didn't want to try another sneak. But he apparently had a burning desire not to just punt this ball. Of course, even without the timeout, not just kicking the ball and pinning Michigan deep was inexplicable. The Wolverines had a total of 154 yards of offense to that point in the game. They weren't going to suddenly drive 55+ yards for a FG or 80+ yards for a touchdown to win. And if they did, the Hokies would have gotten the ball back with a chance to tie or win the game anyway. This decision was all risk and it had little if any, reward. Say Coale had gotten the first down. The Hokies still weren't in FG range, would still need another 20-25 yards to kick a FG and even if they did score, Michigan would still get a chance to drive the field to tie or win. Beamer didn't admit this call was his worst one publicly, other than to say that there are some play calls that he would like to do over. But he took responsibility for that decision in the locker room with his team. That is admirable, however the fact remains that no coach, who had any sense in big games would make that play call.

Of course, Beamer did, Coale was stopped, the Wolverines got their 20 yards, kicked a FG and then QB Logan Thomas had to work his magic yet again. Down 3 points, starting on his own 9 yd-line, with 4 minutes left, Thomas led another masterpiece of a drive. He took the Hokies down to the Michigan 13 yd-line where Justin Myer made his 4th FG of the night to send the game to overtime. I still, for the life of me, cannot figure out why Coach O'Cain didn't give Thomas a play to take one shot for the end zone on 3rd and 7 from the Michigan 13 yd-line, but he didn't.

Anyway, you all know what happened in overtime. Coale made a catch and I'm not saying that because I thought it was a catch. In real time, I thought it was incomplete. But the ref thought it was a catch and ruled it so. I think Iceman Wrenn's post on the topic covers my view as well. Looked incomplete in real time, ref says it's a catch, replay, if anything supports that, but even if you don't agree, it's awful hard to say that replay indisputably shows it wasn't a catch. Anyway, I figured the Hokie defense just had to hold on. I know that they would have. But they didn't get the chance to defend a 7 point lead because the booth overturned the call. And despite that, and Myer missing his FG (can't blame the kid, he played a solid game), it appears that one blown call wasn't enough to win the game for Michigan. They needed another.

After the Hokie defense stoned the Wolverines on three downs (yet again), Michigan lined up to kick a game-winning FG. And just like on the fake FG at the end of the first half, the Michigan kicker false started. You want to review that on replay Mr. Booth Official? Because that video clip IS INDISPUTABLE video evidence that the kicker took a step, the ball was then snapped and then he ran up to the ball and kicked it. False start, 5 yards, try again from 42 yards. Michigan 23, VT 20 and that was that. The pain began.

Actually I say the pain began, but I'm not 100% sure it was pain. I mean, I've felt various things after Hokie losses in the past, some combination of the following - numbness, pain, sorrow, depression, anger, nausea - depending on who the Hokies were playing and how they lost. Live, after the game, my feelings were hurt but I was also in denial. I just felt like the police were going to escort the replay booth official out of the stadium on camera having uncovered evidence of him being paid off. The Hokies couldn't have lost a game they beat their opponent so badly in. It would have been as if Virginia Tech would have beaten Stanford last year despite Stanford doing what they did in the 2nd half to the Hokies. Unimaginable.

Today, re-watching the game, I just felt a sense of calm. I've had a moment of clarity and it's all about acceptance. Here at TSF we've talked about this before (a whole damn lot) and I always blamed Coach Stinespring for the Hokies' failures to take the next step on the college football ladder. And I'll argue to my dying breath that he was awful at implementing an offense and even worse at calling plays. But this year, Coach O'Cain was a world apart from our offensive shortcomings of the past. He could have done a lot better in the Sugar Bowl in abusing the MIchigan secondary, taking more shots at the end zone, etc, but over this season, the offense was nearly unrecognizable when compared to the train wreck it was under Stiney's tenure.

Tuesday night, despite the team being EXTREMELY focused, well-prepared and more talented than their opponents, the problem was that Coach Beamer was unable to make the basic coaching decisions in the big game to help his team win. It's the heat of the moment and he get paid to make those decisions. He understands that and he understands that he lives with the consequences where fans like us get to second-guess him (although I was first-guessing him a lot in the Sugar Bowl). Coach Beamer is a big enough man to accept that this is the way that it is, but he's not at any risk of losing his job over this. Why? Because the expectations of Hokie Nation have been met. Year in and year out, Tech competes for the ACC title and THAT'S where the real bar is. It's not where my bar has been, I've wanted more, but that is like saying I've wanted a lifetime supply of MacAllan Scotch, or the Hawaiian Tropic girls to work at the barbershop I go to. Wishing and wanting will not make it so.

Listen, it takes everything to win a national title. You have to get lucky, you have to have some NFL caliber first-string talent, you have to have depth, you have to have team chemistry and you have to have great coaching both in preparation and during the game. I think the Hokies need a little more elite talent, not because their starters aren't good enough to win a title but because you're going to have injuries and in the SEC, another elite talent just steps into the spot which is why the SEC has won the past 5 titles and will win their 6th in a row. But for the most part, I think VT can check a lot of those boxes which is why I always expected them to compete for a national title. By replacing Stinespring as offensive coordinator, it just exposed a different Achilles' Heel: Coach Beamer himself. Face it - most of the mistakes on Tuesday night were special teams errors and poor decisions by Coach Beamer. He might have just had a bad day at the office, we all do sometimes, but let's say that the Hokies have a miracle season in 2012, and David Wilson returns and their entire first string on offense and defense stay healthy, to where they get to play for the national title. What makes you, the Superfan, think Coach Beamer will be able to make the right calls in that biggest of big games? Do you think he will? The calls he blew in the Sugar Bowl weren't debatable calls. They weren't "could have gone either way" types of deals. They were fundamental, obviously poor decisions that can't just be written off as inexperience.

So in that light, I've come to a very difficult and long-thought-over decision about how I am going to adapt to this new reality (at least it's a reality in my mind). I've given this a lot of thought since the ACC title game and I've decided that this Michigan game will very likely be the last Virginia Tech loss that I watch on TV. I will adopt a strategy that involves recording every Virginia Tech game that I can't go to live. I will wait to see if the Hokies win or lose, only checking the score after the game is over, and if Tech wins I'll watch the game and if they lose I'll delete it.

I understand the reaction from some of you might be that I am no longer a Superfan. I agree that this is fair-weather fan behavior. I have seen Virginia Tech come so far under Coach Beamer that it really bothers me to think that while he was able to get the Hokies to this level, which is fantastic, I don't think the team will win a national title on his watch. And for reasons I don't understand, while I enjoy ACC titles and am proud the Hokies have won them, they are not enough for me because I think the team is capable of more and that dissatisfaction is spilling over into what I'll call "real life".

During games this year I have noticed that I'm setting a bad example for my kids - who are now old enough to begin to understand poor behavior. On top of that, it can't be good for my health to get so worked up like this. Even in wins, where I wasn't sure the Hokies were going to win, the stress damn near causes an ulcer (and it just might have caused an ulcer, I am going to make a doctor's appointment this week). I'm apparently just incapable of watching Hokie football, not knowing the outcome, and somehow remaining calm. So this plan is what works for me. And while I am a little sad about it, I also feel an accompanying sense of relief.

How will this impact my involvement in TSF? TBD at this point. We will huddle in the off-season to discuss and of course I'll still participate in a full recruiting breakdown and spring ball review for this and every offseason. Perhaps next season, I'll exclusively do game previews and a freewheel here and there. Who knows? I still consider myself a Superfan, I still know that the next time VT does play for a national title, I'll be there no matter who the Hokies' coach is, and I'll close by saying that nobody on this planet hopes that I am more wrong about Coach Beamer, and his ability to win it all, than I do. He is a good man, who has worked hard and has a real knack for developing players and it'd be a great reward for his long and illustrious career.

GO HOKIES!!!!!!

Highway Robbery

2012-01-04T23:56:00.012-05:00

This season, I've had to devote my time to some non-TSF things that I couldn't do concurrently with producing well-written articles. EhhTee and MadJay have both carried the water this year, and they have done a great job. However, events in overtime of the Sugar Bowl have brought me out of hibernation to author this piece. My primary reason for writing this I withhold until the near end, but please indulge me. This is not the game review. That's coming from MadJay.

Full disclaimer, I am a Hokie fan. I cheer for them every game of every season, and I felt no differently about this game. However, I am an objective fan in regards to officiating. I want the Hokies to win on good calls, and if I see a bad call that benefits the Hokies, I'll say it, sometimes to the frustration fellow fans in the same room. I apply that same objectivity in my comments written for this article.

The Incident

During the Hokies' only overtime possession, quarterback Logan Thomas put a pass in the air that Danny Coale caught with a spectacular dive in the endzone, sending Hokie fans into a cheering frenzy. An official instant replay review overturned the call, bringing up fourth down. The Hokies went to kick the field goal, but third string Justin Myer, who had kicked perfectly thus far on the night, missed the field goal. Michigan kicked a field goal in their first overtime possession to end the game.

Many have cried foul over a bungled overturned call, and many have also claimed that the Hokies made mistakes that they should not have made and thus allowed Michigan to keep themselves in the game. Both are valid claims. For example, calling a time out prior to a fake punt and later going for it on fourth down at midfield baffled me beyond belief. However, this does not erase the Hokies' entitlement to fair officiating, the very crux of this article. That's true for any team for that matter. Pundits who dismiss poor officiating for games where the losing team should have played better dismiss the fact that football has rules that should apply to both teams alike and fairly. In no way shape or form do the Hokies' mistakes give any fan or pundit reason to shrug off errors by officials.

The Catch

Before going forward, let's clearly state the rules of instant replay review. Overturning a referee's call requires indisputable evidence of an erroneous call. An instant replay review can have one of three outcomes. One, it can confirm the call on the field, meaning the referee made the correct call. Two, it can allow the call to stand, meaning the instant replay officials can't verify the correctness of the call and neither can it identify an error. Three, it can identify an erroneous call and overturn it.

Number three happened to Danny Coale's overtime catch. The instant replay booth gets it wrong from time to time. That fact alone does not make this instance stand out. What makes this instance stand out from others is the egregiousness in the error of the instant replay officials' overturning of the call as well as the timing of such an error. Let's examine the video evidence.

Shot 1

Shot 1 clearly illustrates that Coale lands in such a manner that his body obstructs the view of the official, on the right in the shot. The official had no way to verify that Coale did not use the turf to control the ball; therefore, the play warranted review. This shot also shows that Coale initially has both hands and arms around and his chest surrounding the top half football while the bottom half of the football is exposed.

Shot 2

Shot 2 shows the orientation Coale's upper body, arms, and hands all wrapped around the football. You can also see that the football comes into contact with the turf as he lands; however, there is an if, and this is a very big if. The positioning of Coale's body, arms, and hands indicates that the turf did not contribute to his control over the ball. If he did use the turf to control it, the football would have changed its orientation with respect to his body upon impact. Such a change did not occurr. (full motion footage below)

Shot 3

Shot 3 shows Coale's elbow coming into contact with the turf in bounds within the endzone. You can see his elbow just behind the football touching the turf. He has the top half of the ball lodged between portions of his forearms, hands, and chest, and he keeps the ball between them during his landing. Again, in the full motion footage the ball does change its orientation with respect to Coale's body.

Shot 4

Just in case you're still not convinced, Shot 4 shows Coale after he has landed on the ground in mid bounce upward at the very beginning of a tumbling roll out of bounds, resulting from the momentum he had in a dead sprint for the ball. Notice that in mid bounce he has the ball completely in his possession and the same portions of his hands, forearms, and chest grasp the ball, primarily the top half. Given the laws of Newtonian physics and friction, there is no possibility that contact with the ground aided in his hold on the ball. On the contrary, it made his hold on the ball more difficult. Again, you really need to see the motion clips, particularly the frame-by-frame clip, to observe this.

Clip of the full motion footage

Frame-by-frame clip

This instant replay review did not happen in the middle of a regular season game. It happened during an overtime possession of a BCS bowl. Furthermore, the footage confirms the original call. Erring on the side of caution, I could understand a replay official ruling that the original calls stands on the simple basis that the ball comes into contact with the turf. But overturning the call robbed Danny Coale of the credit for one of the best catches --maybe even the best-- of his entire career as a Hokie. Of course it also robbed the Hokies of an earned and deserved six points in overtime. Even Michigan coach Brady Hoke confessed he didn't expect an overturning of the call in a post-game interview

This is highway robbery, nothing less. NCAA football introduced instant replay to correct egregious errors in officiating, not create them. The simple fact is that as much as the Hokies deserve it, we can't call the respective squads back to the Superdome, award the Hokies the six points they earned, and finish the game. Although, I wouldn't object to a few lengthy petitions delivered to the NCAA's mailbox. (That's not a joke.) The NCAA should re-examine the protocols and parameters defined for instant replay review. Even if doing so amounted to no substantial changes, the act of doing it would send the message to the officials in the booth to do things by the book, because based on the evidence I do not believe that's what happened on Tuesday night.

3 Key Plays

2012-01-04T19:28:00.002-05:00

There were countless player mistakes and bad coaching decisions and bad ref calls in this game (the Michigan kicker took 2 steps before the snap on the fake FG. How on EARTH is that not a false start?) But I think these three, had they gone the other way, would have transformed the game into a Hokie win. Actually I believe that if ANY of these three plays doesn't happen the way that it did, the Hokies would have won. They were that dominant.

1) 7:00 left in the 2nd quarter and the Hokies were already up 6-0 and had a 4th and a very long one yard from close to the 5 yd line. Going for it on this play instead of kicking the FG had incredibly enormous repercussions on the rest of the game and it was the wrong decision. I am not second-guessing, I said so at the time before the ball was snapped ("said" is the wrong word. I was foaming at the mouth, hopping around, hurling epithets and remote controls in every direction). I will elaborate more on why below and in the game review, but it was the wrong call to go for it, it failed and it set in motion an incredibly bizarre sequence of events that turned a 6-0 lead into a 10-6 deficit in the last 7 minutes of the half.

2) 7:30 remaining in the 4th quarter and the Hokies faced 4th and 1 at the Michigan 48 yd line in a 17-17 ballgame. In a move that will undoubtedly go down as his all-time worst in-game coaching decision, Coach Beamer proceeded to call a timeout, setting off the Michigan radar, and then called for a rugby punt/fake punt option play for Danny Coale. This was a real 4th and 1 and Beamer wanted to go for it badly for some insane reason. And don't think for a second that the Hokies' failure to get a yard and a half on 4th down in the 2nd quarter didn't shake Coach Beamer up and force him into this cockamamie move as opposed to lining up with Thomas on another sneak. (See? That first play was incredibly critical) Much less kicking the ball and pinning Michigan deep where they had no chance to score on a defense that was feasting on them.

3) It's been reviewed and said ad nauseum and so I hated putting this play in here but the facts are the facts. 3rd and 5 in the first overtime and Logan Thomas delivered a ball to the left side of the end zone. Danny Coale made a leaping, total sell-out catch that should have been the exclamation point on his remarkable career. The ref right there in the end zone agreed and called touchdown. The replay official overturned the call and said it wasn't a catch. Everyone has their own opinion on whether it was a catch or not. The only thing indisputable about the replay is that Danny Coale caught the ball in the air and landed on his left elbow IN BOUNDS. What happened after his elbow hit is up for debate so what I'll say is this - it is unthinkable to me that the replay booth could overturn the ref's call either way. Had it been ruled incomplete on the field, you'd have a hard time convincing me the replay is indisputable evidence that Coale controlled the ball all the way through enough to overturn the call on the field. Just the same, having ruled it a catch on the field, it's impossible for me to imagine the replay booth official's mindset in thinking he saw something in the replay that could convince him it wasn't a catch. Coale's elbow hits, the ball touches the ground with his hands on it and he appears to maintain control but there is nothing indisputable about any of the 10 angles the catch was filmed from. We've all seen replays where it's clear that the wrong call was made on the field and that's what replay is for. Having rewatched this particular play 100 times, I still can't figure out what the official in the booth saw that made him sure enough to overturn the call on the field. The view of the ref on the field is supposed to be the default call and if there's any doubt in the replay, the call needs to stand. The fact that it didn't opened up the booth official and the entire officiating crew to embarrassing scrutiny and conspiracy theories. Had the catch stood, I'd lay 20-1 odds that the Hokie defense would have kept the Wolverines out of the end zone to secure the win.

The Heisman

2011-12-11T14:38:00.003-05:00

Just a quick note before we begin work on the Sugar Bowl preview regarding last night's Heisman presentation. I have belittled the Heisman on this blog quite often, because there have been countless times that the award hasn't gone to the most outstanding player (hell just the past two years it's gone to a player who should have been ineligible in Cam Newton and a RB on the national title team instead of the best defensive tackle that's played college football in 15 years). It's only fair that I give credit when the award finally goes to the right player.

This year, in a chain of events that even I find unbelievable, the Heisman committee made the right choice and awarded the Heisman to Robert Griffin III. If you watched him play at all this year, you would agree. The number of big throws he made in big games, in leading traditional doormat Baylor to their best record in ages, all while playing with essentially a non-existent defense (they were #114 in the nation), deserved to be recognized. There was a point in time 3-4 games into the season when the guy had more touchdowns than INCOMPLETIONS.

And though I think Andrew Luck is going to make a better NFL QB and he can wipe away his tears with $100 bills in April, RGIII was the most outstanding player in college football this year and I wish him the best whether he stays in school for his senior year to try and win it again or comes out in the draft in April.

Shots Fired On Campus; Policeman Shot, One more victim

2011-12-08T13:23:00.001-05:00

Please visit vt.edu for latest information.

Update - 13:47 -
If you have any information regarding this incident, please call the tip line at: 540-231-6411.

Update - 13:55 -
Officer and second person shot and died. During a routine traffic stop in the Cassell Coliseum parking lot, a police officer has been shot by suspect. Suspect took off on foot in the direction of the Cage. Suspect is at large and is potentially armed and dangerous. Shelter in place. Stay indoors.

Update - 14:16 -
No news from campus at this time. Roughly two hours into the incident. Andy Bitter was in the middle of his live chat at the time the incident occurred. Andy Bitter

Reaction by Virginia Tech administration was immediate and swift. Alarms signalling the lockdown were blaring across campus within minutes of the initial incident. Students and faculty were immediately alerted via text, twitter, and the web.

This is an ongoing matter as students prepare for finals which are scheduled to start tomorrow.

Multiple jurisdictions of officers are on site. Virginia State Police has taken over investigation. Police are sweeping building by building. Reports indicated Squires Student Center has been cleared.

Montgomery County Public Schools are also on lockdown. Parents being informed that schools will not be let out on time this afternoon.

Multiple reports of additional shootings are unfounded. Right now, only known shootings are the original two.

A Wahoo just brought up a good point. Unless you are directly affected, try to stay off of vt.edu so that those that are can get access to the site for information that they need.

Finals for Friday Dec. 9th postponed.

Update - 15:12 -
Virginia Tech spokesperson Mark Owczarski reports that status of suspect is unknown. Information about second victim is still unknown.

Update - 15:56 -
Montgomery County Schools are being dismissed. Expect school buses to arrive home 60 to 90 minutes late.

High schools and middle schools will be dismissed first. Followed by elementary schools. Parents can pick up children in an orderly manner at the schools.

Update - 16:27 -
Press conference starting shortly. Unconfirmed report coming from NBC-Washington that the gunman is the second body found in the Cage.

Virginia Tech Police confirm that a weapon was found near the second body.

From Virginia Tech on Facebook: "Law enforcement agencies have determined there is no longer an active threat or need to secure in place. Resume normal activities."

Update - 16:39 -
Confirmed from LEO, suspect is the second victim. Suspect is also suspected of an armed robbery and carjacking in Radford, VA.

Live stream of press conference.

Police not releasing name of slain officer nor information regarding the second victim found in the Cage due to on going investigation.

Suspect was not in the vehicle that was stopped by the officer. According to VA State Police, the suspect "walked up to the officer."

VT ALERT was used 6 times, including within 7-8 minutes of the initial 9-1-1 call.

The press conference is winding down. Campus appears to be safe. Blacksburg Transit has resumed service.

I'm going to sign off for now. I will see what more I can find out and update you as I can. The official word is that campus is now safe and the case is still under investigation and details are not being released as of yet.

TSF - Final Regular Season

2011-12-06T17:03:00.001-05:00

Well, we seem to agree. OSU got snubbed.

1	LSU (3)	75
2	Oklahoma State	72
3	Stanford	68
4	Alabama	67
5	Boise State	61
6	Oregon	59
7	Southern Cal	51
7	Wisconsin	51
9	Arkansas	49
10	Southern Miss	44
11	Virginia Tech	43
12	Kansas State	42
13	Michigan	38
14	Georgia	36
15	Michigan State	34
16	South Carolina	30
17	TCU	29
18	Clemson	25
19	Baylor	24
20	Oklahoma	23
21	Nebraska	22
22	West Virginia	11
23	Houston	10
24	Cincinatti	6
25	Arkansas State	3

Clemson Aftermath - The Review

2011-12-06T11:55:00.001-05:00

Now that I've had a few days to take in the highs and lows of the weekend, I feel I'm ready to say my piece about the Clemson game. As MadJay pointed out, we can look back on this game and clearly see that one play defined the entire feel of the game. From that moment on, my entire gut kept saying the Hokies were done for.

The Logan Thomas fumble as it would be, was what it was. However, the thing I keyed on most was his reaction to the play on the sideline. He was frustrated and that frustration carried on to the field not only through Thomas, but others such as David Wilson and Jarrett Boykin and much of the offensive front.

Offensively, the Hokies had moments that made you think there was hope. The 45 yard pass to D.J. Coles to tie the game late in the first. The drive for the field goal late in the second was one of only two really good drives the Hokies could muster all game. The other came in the fourth quarter, but ended in a Jonathan Meeks interception at the 10-yard line. But one thing was clear, and Herbstreit was pointing it out all game, the Tigers defense was keying on the running game and not allowing anything on the ground. While he kept pointing out that the vertical routes would force Clemson to back off, Thomas and the receivers never could get into sync long enough to allow for any kind of adjustment. Wilson would finish the day with a measly 32 yards rushing and between he, Thomas, and Josh Oglesby they mustered a total of 56 yards.

The frustration of it all led to some key Hokie mistakes. The push off for offensive pass interference and the spiked ball unsportsmanlike by Boykin were the biggest of such that I can think of. Now, we can talk about some of the missed calls: the horse collar on Thomas, the tipped punt that would have negated the running into the kicker, the [offsetting, each team was guilty of one each] missed calls on helmet to helmet contact, but these were minor compared to the 87 yards of penalties the Hokies accumulated.

Defensively, the Tigers came in well prepared to exploit the weakness the Hokies had in the secondary. To pour salt on the wound, Jayron Hosley went out early with a stinger. I remember screaming at the television, "Tell me Hosley will be able to come back" as the Tahj Boyd ripped apart poor Detrick Bonner and to some equal success Cris Hill. Bonner and Hill, inexperienced as they are, were no match for the Clemson receivers and with Boyd hitting his mark for the first time in five games. It was lights out in the third quarter as the Tigers scored 21 unanswered and eventually 28 unanswered points.

While I, once again, agree with MadJay that the one fumble to open the game was the only key play, I would like to leave you with these two plays to ponder.

First, down 31-10 with roughly 1:30 to go in the third, the offense remained on the field for a fourth and 2 on the Clemson 30-yard line. Thomas's pass to Chris Drager falls incomplete. and the ball goes over on downs. Had the Hokies converted, and had they scored, the game would have been a two score game going into the fourth quarter. Instead, the Tigers took the turnover and in six plays scored another touchdown.

Second, on the ensuing drive, the Hokies were moving the ball well. They'd marched fifty yards to the Clemson 32-yard line. Thomas, under pressure, heave the ball into triple coverage. The ball was intercepted by Meeks and he returned it 41 yards.

All in all, this game left a worse feeling in my stomach than the previous loss did. But the news of late Sunday evening had me feeling so much better. How sweet it is to be going to New Orleans!

Go Hokies! Beat Blue!

BCS gives up all pretense and drops the "C"

2011-12-05T21:57:00.003-05:00

Bear with me my Calm and Beloved Reader, I have a lot to get off my chest here. This weekend took a heavy toll on me. It started with the Hokie loss in the ACC Title game where they didn't play well and got whooped in front of the entire country in primetime. It followed with a Dallas Cowboy loss on Sunday and then a young Hokie basketball team played their worst half of basketball of the season in a 2nd half collapse while hosting Kansas State, and lost that game as well. I've said it before, but it only gets more true - I am getting too old for this sh...tuff.

And then I sat there and saw the impossible happen - Virginia Tech had been selected as an at-large selection for the BCS. All I felt at first was pure elation, pure joy. "Karma!!" I shouted. Karma for the Hokies getting snubbed in 2000 for a ridiculously terrible Notre Dame squad that proceeded to get smacked by Oregon State. Karma for the awful, dreadful weekend of sports I had just suffered through. And yet, lurking there in the back of my mind was this voice that has chimed in every year at this same time "The BCS is completely and thoroughly garbage." And it wouldn't shut up. And the more I look at it, no matter how happy I am about the Hokies being in the Sugar Bowl, the more it has crystallized the BCS for me. A system I've long viewed as an insane joke actually isn't a joke at all. As you will see, the BCS does EXACTLY what it is meant to do. But I'll get around to that in a bit.

First, let's look at the confluence of events that put the Hokies in the Sugar Bowl. First of all, the BCS national game had to be Alabama-LSU. Because if LSU-Oklahoma State had played for the national title game Alabama would have been the Sugar Bowl's first choice and Michigan would have been the easy matchup to choose. And there's no way VT gets into the Fiesta Bowl over Kansas State or Boise State due to distance. An LSU-Alabama rematch is preposterous to be sure. The TSF poll and any shred of common sense would tell you that Oklahoma State and LSU HAVE to play for the national title.

Think about it like this - what if Alabama and LSU were in different divisions of the SEC and that great 9-6 game (which I thoroughly enjoyed) had occurred in the SEC title game on Saturday between the two undefeated squads? The answer is obvious, it would be LSU-Oklahoma State for the BCS title. Now why on earth should it matter that instead of the SEC title game, Alabama and LSU played earlier in the season in the same division?!?!?!?!?!?!? I mean, it's RIDICULOUS. Alabama had their shot at LSU and lost. They did not even WIN THEIR DIVISION OF THE SEC, much less the SEC itself. I still can't believe this re-match is being allowed, but it is.

And then look at all the other things that had to fall into place. Oklahoma State did actually have to beat Oklahoma, because an OU win would have put them AND Oklahoma State into the BCS, knocking the Hokies out of consideration. Southern Mississippi had to beat an undefeated Houston to knock them out of the BCS and they did. And while Michigan State and Georgia both lost their conference championship games, they stayed ahead of TCU in the final BCS rankings because coaches like Chris Peterson of Boise State voted TCU lower in order to preserve his own team's chance of getting the BCS bid!!! If TCU had finished 16th or better, TCU would have been guaranteed a spot in the BCS and VT would surely have been the team to get knocked out. Boise State wasn't guaranteed a spot because they weren't conference champions. So wait a minute, if you are a non-AQ conference you have to be conference champion to get the bid but if you are playing for the national title than being a conference champ doesn't mean anything?!?!

So now let's get down to brass tacks. The BCS is designed to do one thing - maximize the revenue/profit for the BCS conferences. It isn't intended to get the best 8-10 teams playing at the end of the season. It isn't intended to matchup conference champions and let the two best conference champions play for the title. It isn't intended to create a plus-one scenario. In short, the BCS is not intended to generate a true national champion. If LSU wins the game this year, yes the best team in the country will be national champion, but that is a by-product of the BCS not its true intent. Just look at the comments by Sugar Bowl chairman Paul Hoolahan - "Virginia Tech's proven history of bringing fans to New Orleans was extremely important". Psst. That's code for "It's all about the Benjis, baby."

The problem is that most college football fans think that the BCS is broken because they think it's SUPPOSED to matchup the best teams. It's supposed to generate a true champion. The BCS's mission statement in fact is to do just that - to create a champion without having to go to an actual playoff. In all of the lower college football divisions where there's no money to speak of at stake, they settle the championships via a playoff. And while college football fans hate seeing that hypocrisy waved around right in front of their faces, through our wallets and tuning in on TV, we all provide the BCS with the fuel they need to continue to operate in this way.

Fox and ESPN don't bid gazillions of dollars for television rights for these games and then just cross their fingers for "name" matchups. They do it because they want viewers to sell advertisers on. The BCS bowls don't pay out millions to the participating teams as a way to help support the cause of higher education. They do it because they want to maintain this monopoly with the BCS conferences every bowl season, which drives tourism and fuels their local economies. So you put the TV people and the bowl people together and all they want, all they care about is having matchups in their bowl games that will a) bring TV ratings and b) bring traveling fan bases.

In order to maintain this autonomy over the matchups that we, the fans, are presented with every season, they have to take good care of everyone up the food chain. In the Five Boroughs of New York back in day, this was known as paying for "protection". Witness the "protection" John Junker and his staff paid for at the Fiesta Bowl.

Now do any of you actually believe that the Fiesta Bowl administration was the only bowl game involved in this sort of skid-greasing? University presidents and AD's go on cruises put on by the Orange Bowl. The Cotton Bowl hosts grand parties every year in Texas. And do you think these bowls are at any risk of losing their status or participation in the BCS? Kind of unlikely when the NCAA panel gets to participate in these junkets as well.

I hope this doesn't all come across as too black helicopter-tin-foil-hat for some of you. This is just the way the BCS (and the world actually) works. ESPN gets to drive all this "controversy" over the selection of Virginia Tech to the Sugar Bowl. Think that will increase ratings a little? There may be some football purists employed at the "worldwide leader in sports" who are unhappy about this choice, but the bean counters love it, I can assure you. I freely admit that Virginia Tech doesn't belong in the BCS over Kansas State this year. But that doesn't mean I'm not happy about that extra $6 million the ACC is going to get for sending a 2nd team to the BCS. I care about the Benjis, too.

That said, if it were up to me, the BCS would be blown up with a huge batch of dynamite. A plus-one, 4 team playoff would be all that is needed. Keep the BCS rankings and formula exactly the same, and the top 4 ranked conference champions should decide the whole thing on the field. Of course, that's not the way it is and most of the time VT has been on the outside looking in on these political backroom dealings. It's a strange feeling watching a system I've lamented for so many years actually turn in the Hokies' favor for a change. This year, the Hokies got a seat at the table and while I think the system that put them there benefits the TV networks and bowl administrators instead of the fans, I also know that as long as all college football fans do is complain while still watching on TV or traveling to the games, the system won't change.

In closing, let me swear that I'm not making a political statement here but the situation seems to describe my feelings about the BCS this year. Back in 2007 when Ron Paul was running for President the 2nd time, he appeared on Meet the Press. Then-host Tim Russert asked him about his position on earmarks. Dr. Paul, as a Congressman, had requested hundreds of millions of dollars in earmarks for his district to be added to bills over the years and then proceeded to vote against the bills. Paul's response was (and I'm paraphrasing a little) "Congress is going to spend the money anyway, I represent people from my district who are asking for their share back. It's like the tax system. I disagree with our current tax system, but I still claim my legal tax credits every year." The BCS is a bad deal, but when the cards come up blackjack, I'm happy to take the payout!

GO HOKIES!!!!!!

3 Key Plays - VT vs. Clemson

2011-12-05T21:37:00.002-05:00

There were a lot of big plays in this game. Some critical penalties and missed penalties (the pass interference call on Jarrett Boykin was EXACTLY the same type of play that the refs flagged as pass interference on a Clemson defensive back later in the game and in both cases there was no pass interference by either player on the play), a blocked punt that was called roughing the punter, missed horse collar, missed late hit, etc. The Tigers also executed some fantastic plays on offense that were big-time well-run plays. But after watching the game an excruciating second time, I honestly feel deep in my heart this game was won and lost on one play. I'll explain afterwards, since many of you will disagree.

1) 12:03 left in the 1st quarter and the Hokies took over for their first series. First play from scrimmage after all the hype and hubbub and what happens? For the 2nd time this season, a Logan Thomas fumble on the first Hokie offensive play. And the Tigers recovered and went on to score.

There are several reasons I boil the game down to this play. The Tigers came into the ACC Championship game with very low confidence. The Hokies were riding high on a 7 game win streak looking to avenge their only loss. The Tigers got the ball first....and proceeded to get stopped short of midfield. They punted and the Hokies took over. A good first drive for even a FG would have planted the only seeds of doubt the Hokies needed. Hell, even a few first downs and a punt wouldn't have given Clemson the spark it needed to get out of the 4 game funk they had been in.

And what play was it that the fumble occurred on? A read-option. Playcaller Mike O'Cain proceeded to avoid that read-option play like the plague, only using it twice more the entire first half. The read-option was a critical cog in the Hokie offensive machine in the latter part of the season and a bad result on that first play kept them away from it.

As the first half ended 10-10 I really felt like the game was lost when I was watching it the first time. Because Clemson had all they needed to know - they were in the game. As I said in the preview, that confidence was the only thing lacking because they certainly had all the weapons. If you've ever played competitive sports you understand the critical importance of psychology. It affects one's ability to focus and to execute. Good plays feed on themselves and so do bad plays. In fact a sign of great coaching is the ability to convince a team to forget the last play and move on to the next one.

Against Clemson during the regular season, early game mistakes convinced Clemson they belonged in the game, in that type of hostile environment in Lane Stadium. They played with confidence and they had (and have) a ton of great weapons. The result was 23-3. In the ACC title game, this early mistake by the Hokies jolted the Tigers out of their slump and while I'll concede that if the game had been refereed fairly and Jayron Hosley hadn't gotten injured, who knows what would have happened, I will still conclude that if the Hokies had NOT turned that ball over but instead had gone on a good drive, the Hokies would have been ACC champs.

Game Preview - ACC Championship 2011

2011-12-02T19:43:00.003-05:00

Life has a funny way of turning out some times. In 2007, I watched in the pouring rain as the the Hokies lost one of the most heartbreaking games I can remember, 14-10 to Boston College. We didn't know it at the time but it ended up keeping the Hokies out of the national title game that year. However, in the postgame locker room, team leader Macho Harris gathered the team around him and said "This is a minor setback for a major comeback". That line - from a Dirty South record by Lil' Keke - was on Macho's iPod at the time and he had listened to it before the game. He turned that line into a mantra for the team and they responded, winning the rest of their games and going to the ACC title game where they faced Boston College. They capped the season by defeating the Eagles in the rematch and Harris' prophetic words came true as the Hokies won the ACC title.

Earlier this year, after the Hokies devastating defeat to the Clemson Tigers in Lane Stadium, they were knocked out of national title contention again. Very painful, life-shortening type of stuff for old men like me. But this time in the postgame locker room, despite the fact that individual players were very emotional, they didn't have the team gathered around them. David Wilson raged and Logan Thomas tried to accept responsibility for the loss. But it wasn't a player who rallied the team, rather it was Coach Beamer who put the team on its current mission. I have never heard Beamer say anything like this to his players but he told them "I promise you, if you will stick together, don't blame this guy, or blame that guy but stick together and I promise you, go write it down, we will get another chance to play them in the ACC Championship game."

Now, in technical terms - win or lose on Saturday - Beamer's prophecy has already come true. The Hokies responded winning the rest of their games and they now face Clemson in a rematch for the ACC title game. But let's face it - he wanted another shot at the Tigers because he knew that his team hadn't played very well. The key plays came early in that game and the Hokies never rebounded. I don't think it's enough for these Tech players just to play Clemson again. I think they are going to come into this game on Saturday focused and as ready to play as they have been in a long time. The problem is that Clemson is so talented, if they also play up to their ability it is going to be one helluva tough football game to win.

Special Teams -

Now that K Cody Journell appears to have somewhat recovered from his quad injury he is kicking the ball well in from close. He has obviously lost a good 5 yards of range, but from 35 yds and in he looks money. Clemson K Chandler Catanzaro was first-team All-ACC and is obviously a good kicker as well so that's a wash. The key here is field position in the kickoff and punting game. With the return of a healthy Sammy Watkins in the return game it is nothing short of CRITICAL for Justin Myer to take his 4th best touchback percentage and eliminate Watkins from the kickoff game. And whoever punts it just simply can't kick it to Watkins. The Hokies have the edge of kickoffs and Clemson has the edge in the punting game so a mistake by either team on special teams could prove enormous.

Virginia Tech offense vs. Clemson defense

There is zero doubt in my mind that Virginia Tech is going to play better on offense against Clemson than they did in Blacksburg. I expect David Wilson to run like a man possessed and Logan Thomas is healthy. Unlike many others I didn't feel like Thomas was to blame for much of the failure of the offense against Clemson. I thought his injured shoulder hampered his running threat, but remember that early in the season he hadn't been nearly as involved in the running game. The receivers played their worst game of the season, Coach O'Cain got out of sync after those early turnovers and David Wilson had trouble hanging on to the ball. I feel as if those issues have been resolved for the most part (though Wilson still has dropped the ball a little too much for my liking).

Clemson's defense is 63rd in the country in total defense and 66th in scoring defense. Their linebacker play has been terrible though they get good push on the defensive line and they have speed in the secondary. That said, the Hokie offensive line play particularly in the passing game has been the best they've had in 6 years. I think Tech can block this front 7 and I know for a fact that the receivers have a chip on their shoulder about this game. The opportunity to score some points is there.

Clemson offense vs. Virginia Tech defense

The question is how many points will be enough? And the answer to that question is actually dependent on another question - which Clemson offense shows up for the ACC title game? If it shows up with the 5 NFL-caliber players ready to go (RB Andre Ellington, TE Dwayne Allen, WR's Sammy Watkins and Deandre Hopkins and C Dalton Freeman) like they were the first 4 games of the season, well we already know what they are capable of. They will try and run and run and run and then hit you down the seams with the TE or deep with Watkins and Hopkins.

However, if the Clemson offense that has shown up the past 3 games is what comes to Charlotte, the Hokies could be feasting. The Tigers have had turnovers, missed blocks, dropped balls and given up sacks. Even superior talent and a very clever offensive scheme can't overcome lack of execution. For that reason, I don't think I can EVER remember a game where the first quarter will be so absolutely critical. If the Hokies can come out and put up a score or two and shut the Clemson offense down for a few possessions or create a turnover, I think Clemson will fold. Their confidence is already shaken and that would likely be the nail in the coffin.

But we all know that sharp first quarters are NOT historically what Virginia Tech has delivered. The UVa game was so refreshing to see Tech play so strong early in the game. But it was rare. And if Clemson can regain some confidence by moving the ball and scoring a few times in the first quarter to early 2nd quarter, they are incredibly dangerous. I think Clemson is bringing an "us against the world" mentality to this ACC title game. I don't expect them to play very tight. I just think a few mistakes by either team in the first quarter would be enough to practically decide the game.

Wrap-up

Coach Beamer and his staff have been here many times before playing for a conference title and there are quite a few players from last year's ACC championship squad who will play on Saturday. Coach Swinney has only been to this game once, they lost and there are almost no Clemson players who have been on this stage before. That is another edge that the Hokies bring to this game. But when the starting gun sounds, all that psychology could get thrown out of the window because it's going to be about buckling chin straps and going out and executing. Can VT get an early round knock-out of an already reeling Tigers' squad or will Clemson find it's early-season mojo and go 2-0 against the Hokies this year? We'll all see at 8:02 PM EST on Saturday night.

GO HOKIES!!!!!!!!!

One last bonus post

2011-11-28T22:34:00.003-05:00

I only post this on TechSuperfans because this was in a game between Marshall and ECU this past weekend and the Hokies played and beat both of them earlier this year. Anyway, prior to this game, the best two catches I ever saw in my life were this catch by Tyrone Prothro 5 years ago and this catch at the 1:45 mark of this video by Charles Rogers 9 years ago.

But on Saturday, I bumped those catches down one spot because this is now the greatest catch I've ever seen.

Game Review - VT vs. Virginia

2011-11-28T21:51:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving doesn't get much better than that does it? Two Hokie wins in basketball and one of the worst smashings in the history of the Virginia Tech-Virginia rivalry as they blanked the Wahoos 38-0 in Charlottesville. It was the first shutout of the season for Coach Foster and Co., the first home shutout for the Cavaliers in DECADES and a proud weekend for Fighting Gobblers everywhere to be sure. Let's get to the meat and potatoes.

What struck me as I watched this game live and then even moreso going back to the tape was not just that the Hokies won, but the WAY in which they won. Nearly every physical contest on a given play was won overpoweringly by the Hokies. There were so many plays where a Hokie defender just threw the Cavalier player out of his way. Or where David Wilson dismissed a tackler by pushing him away or running over him at the end of a run. Or Blake DeChristopher just flattening a linebacker. Defensive end James Gayle actually summed it up nicely when he said after the game that he was a little let down because after all the hype about Virginia he expected it to be more of a battle.

The game started off like I wish more Hokie games would - with VT playing with focus and effort from the opening whistle. This happens all too rarely, but I'm glad Tech chose this past weekend to decide to do it. After kicking off, the Hokies forced a punt, and then opened their series with an all-too-predictable play action bomb, although this time WR Marcus Davis just totally outmuscled All-ACC First Teamer DB Chase Minnifield for the ball (on which Minnifield received a defensive pass interference flag too boot) and made the catch. They proceeded to bash their way downfield, ending on a beautiful read-option by Thomas for a 14 yard touchdown run.

The Cavs made FAR too many successful big plays in the passing game and after a few of them on their second drive they found themselves facing 3rd and 5 from the Virginia Tech 10 yd line. Then came the critical two play sequence of the game. QB Michael Rocco tried a QB draw to get the first down, and had a clear path to get it, but DT Derrick Hopkins threw off his blocker and leapt for Rocco's feet, dragging him down short of the first down. This set-up a 4th and 2 and in a physical match-up, the Hokies came out on top. LB Jack Tyler read the play and flew through the line of scrimmage knocking RB Kevin Parks off balance and he was tackled short of the first down.

The end of that series defined the entire tone of the game. From that point on, the Hokies were smashing into Cavaliers everywhere. This showed up in the crushing blocks the Hokies made the rest of the game as well as the aforementioned runs of Wilson. You got the sense that both teams understood what that 4th and 2 play meant - the Hokies were going to be relentless and tough for the entire game and the Cavaliers didn't seem to want any part of it.

How can I say that? Well just look at the next two series. The Cavs got the ball at midfield and were just stoned on 3 straight plays. They punted the ball down to the Tech 4 yd line and for the 5th time this season (that has GOT to be a Virginia Tech record) the Hokies marched more than 90 yards for a touchdown. Just as he has been the past 6 games, Logan Thomas was clutch on third down all three times they faced it on the drive. On the final third down he threw yet another NFL caliber pass to WR Jarrett Boykin, threading a 3 player UVa seam to deliver a 16 yd TD strike.

Other than a COMPLETELY inexplicable jet-sweep to Danny Coale deep in UVa territory that went for a 2 yd loss, the playcalling in the first half was crisp. The Hokies weren't picking up the run blitz very well, but they would make the adjustments at halftime and simply smashed Virginia's face in throughout the second half. David Wilson ran rampant for 153 yards and two touchdowns.

The Cavs had one scoring threat in the 2nd half. Facing 3rd and 3 from the Hokie 10 yd-line it looked like the shut-out was at risk. But James Gayle and fellow end Zack McCray got great pressure and Gayle finally sacked Rocco for an 11 yd loss leading to a missed 38 yard FG. Other than that drive, in the 2nd half, the Hokies were as dominant as they have been since the 2nd and 3rd quarters of the Wake Forest game. And I think a shout-out is deserved for a few of the unsung Hokie players who contributed to that level of dominance.

DT Skip Hopkins played beside two freshmen for almost every snap of every game since his brother went down to an ACL injury and in the UVa game he was a disruptor and essentially all over the field. For him to not make the All-ACC squad this season is just a joke. LB Jack Tyler has quite simply played outstanding football in every game he has taken the field for Tech. He filled in wonderfully for Bruce Taylor in the ACC Championship game last season and that experience should pay off bigtime on Saturday against Clemson. Against UVa he was ferocious, and had a great nose for the football. Tyler made big hits, recovered a fumble, knocked Parks down on that key 4th down early in the game and was awarded the defensive gameball by his teammates at the end of the game. Aside from a late hit penalty in the Georgia Tech game I have been nothing but ecstatic about Tyler's play. And finally, how about Kyle Fuller? The guy played cornerback, nickel back and whip for the Hokies at various points during the season, and played a hybrid of nickel and whip against UVa on Saturday. RB Perry Jones for the Cavs who was such a huge part of their offense in the passing game coming into this contest? Try zero catches. Thanks to Fuller and Tariq Edwards, Jones was WIPED from the game plan.

It was players like these that represent what Virginia Tech is all about. They give everything on the field for their brother and though there were mistakes made on various plays, it certainly was never due to lack of effort. You can be sure these guys will leave everything they have on that field in Charlotte now that they have another shot at Clemson. And it was players like them that made me proud to be a Hokie watching that game against Virginia on Saturday afternoon. No matter what else ever happens in VT vs. UVa games, on Saturday November 26th 2011, Tech went up to Charlottesville and won 38-0. It was absolutely delicious. Or if you're a Cavalier fan reading this let me put it in terms you might understand - the game had some floral notes on the nose, a bit of citrus on the palate and left a warm, sweet finish in my mouth.

GO HOKIES!!!!!

3 Key Plays - VT vs. Virginia

2011-11-28T21:41:00.003-05:00

1) After going up 7-0, the Hokies were unable to keep the Cavaliers from marching down the field on the Cavs best drive of the day. The Hoos took it 73 yards down to Hokie 7 yd-line where they faced a 4th and 2. Trying to make a statement, Coach London decided to go for it and called the same running play that won the game against Florida State the week before. It was the Hokies who made the statement, instead. LB Jack Tyler who played great football all day, knifed in past the guard and got enough of RB Kevin Parks' leg to knock the back off balance where he was finished off by a contingent of Hokies short of the first down. The Hokie offense didn't do anything with the ball, but the tone for the day had been set. The defending ACC champions had made their point.

2) The Hokies were ahead 14-0 late in the 2nd quarter when the Cavs mounted their 2nd best drive of the day, getting all the way to the Tech 20 yd line. With less than a minute to go in the half, QB Michael Rocco dropped back and Kyle Fuller came on the blitz. Fuller made a spectacular play, getting both hands on the ball and knocking it to the ground and Mr. Everywhere Jack Tyler was there to fall on the loose ball. The UVa threat ended, the Hokies went into halftime with all the momentum.

3) The momentum was evident as the Hokies drove the field on the opening possession of the third quarter. With 11:00 left in the third, RB David Wilson took the handoff and dashed 27 yards into the end zone, delivering a dismissive stiff arm on the UVa safety at the 3 yd line. This was the dagger in the heart for the Cavs as they seemed to lose all their steam and realized the fate that awaited the Commonwealth Cup was a trip back to its 8-yr home in Blacksburg for yet another 365 days.

TSF Poll (through games ending 11/26/11)

2011-11-28T10:41:00.001-05:00

Controversy. Is Tech as good as it's #3 ranking in the Coaches Poll. The computers like Oklahoma State better. One could say that OSU has no defense. One could say Tech has beat no one. Clemson and Georgia Tech didn't help Tech's case this pass weekend either.

1	LSU (3)	75
2	Stanford	71
3	Alabama	69
4	Oklahoma State	63
4	Virginia Tech	63
6	Boise State	60
7	Oregon	53
8	Southern Cal	51
9	Houston	50
10	Georgia	47
11	Arkansas	45
11	Michigan State	45
13	South Carolina	39
14	Michigan	38
15	Oklahoma	35
16	Wisconsin	34
17	Kansas State	27
18	Nebraska	20
19	Baylor	19
20	Texas	18
21	Clemson	12
21	Penn State	12
23	West Virginia	10
24	Texas Christian	9
25	Cincinnatti	4
25	Southern Miss	4

Whew!

2011-11-26T19:48:00.001-05:00

Real quick... I'm glad I don't have to remove that counter to the right for at least another 366 days!

Go Hokies! Beat Clemson!

Commonwealth Cup and More... Much More

2011-11-24T10:35:00.001-05:00

Bedlam. The Iron Bowl. The Red River Shootout. The Great Cocktail Party. The Backyard Brawl. Sibling Rivalry. Army-Navy. The Holy War (the Boston College vs. Notre Lame one). Border War (which, by the way, is a football game that has traditions that lead back to an actual war between Missouri and Kansas that started before and led into the Civil War). These rivalries and more are among the reasons why I love college football.

The Commonwealth Cup earns its place among these games as one of the great storied rivalries. The Cavaliers and Hokies have met ninety-two times with the Hokies taking fifty of them. The first of these games took place back before they had the Internet in 1895. Early on, the Cavaliers dominated -- winning the first eight meetings. To be fair, the Virginia Agriculture and Mechanical College Fighting Gobblers were a young squad back then. Only coming into existence three seasons prior, the Gobblers got blanked 38-0 to open that season. [The Cavaliers started playing football in 1888.] Despite the loss, the Gobblers were able to achieve a 4-2 season that year!

I know right! Only six games in a season!? [Later that season the school was renamed and so was the mascot.]

Of late, the Hokies have dominated. Winning eleven of the last twelve, including the last seven match-ups, the Hokies are well on their way to making a future freshman Wahoo class have to say the last time the Cavaliers won was before they were born. Among these victories was my first visit to Scott Stadium in 2005. I never did get to watch the end of that 52-14 butt-kicking because my Virginia alum friend didn't want to sit through fourth quarter with the score already 52-7. I guess since she was my ride and provider of shelter, I had no choice.

Last year, the Hokies dominated in similar fashion, only to give up the shutout with 3 minutes left to play. However, things are very different now. The Hokies have had the luxury of Al Groh for nearly a decade. The Mike London era began after Groh was fired at the end of the 2009 season and I remember turning to MadJay and Where's The Ice and saying simply, "Uh-oh."

No longer can we look upon the Wahoos as bromidic adversaries. London did the best he could with the team Al Groh left him in 2010. But, with a year of recruiting and a year to install his defensive oriented styles, London has taken his team from not only from 4-8 to bowl eligible, but also in contention for the Coastal Division title and a chance to win the ACC.

The winner of Saturday's game will go on to Charlotte to face Clemson in the ACC title game. Not since 2007 has this game held major significant to both squads in any way.

Offensively, the Cavaliers come in with the dual attack of Perry Jones and Kevin Park. The two backs have accumulated 1514 yards on the ground and 500 yards through the air. These two have been a major driving factor in the Hoos march to an 8-3 record.

Jones, the leading back, will be especially tough to guard. He's caught 41 passes this year and when he leaks out of the back field it'll be tough for the linebackers to cover him. Tariq Edwards, who had a less than spectacular game against the Tarheels, will be covering the backs for the most part. Beyond that, it'll be in the hands of the mike, safeties, and corners. Eddie Whitley, at free safety, will probably garner the lot of the coverage on Jones beyond Edwards' coverage. Containing Jones and Park is key number one to success on defense for the Hokies.

At quarterback, Mike Rocco is night and day over his performance last year. The confidence that the Wahoos have in him this year is enough to keep me awake at night as this game approaches. Rocco has had great success rolling out and generally escaping the pocket. Containing him in the pocket will be key number two for Foster's defense.

Rocco hits a number of different receivers week in and week out. His elusiveness was key in Virginia's game winning 75-yard touchdown drive against the Seminoles.

The traditional style of offense laid out by OC Bill Lazor lends itself well into the hands of Bud Foster's defense. They have had most of their success through the use of power running and the swing pass to the backs. With injuries being what they were this year, Foster's defense has had its share of struggles. Despite it all, the Hokies have managed to scuffle past it and use the offense to make up for some of the defensive issues.

On offense, the corners will be tough overall to deal with. Demetrious Nicholson and Chase Minnifield each play well in pass coverage. Minnifield has three interceptions and 47 tackles with 6.5 of those for losses. He also has 1.5 sacks. Nicholson has 2 interceptions and 50 tackles. Despite their youth, they seem to have great football instinct and are always around the ball. The Hokie receiver corp will have to work hard against the talented Virginia secondary.

David Wilson has had two games with some major issues putting the ball on the ground. I'm going to say that I don't think that fumbles will be an issue in this game. Wilson seems to be able to put that all behind him. He's a very goal oriented individual and losing the national lead in rushing yardage, not getting to 100 yards in the first game since doing so for seven straight games, and not getting to the end zone will motivate Wilson to excel.

Virginia at 8-3 (5-2), managed to squeeze by Florida State last week in one of the most bizarre endings, I've seen in a long time. Poor clock management killed Florida State's chance to win the game with a field goal. The Cavaliers have squeezed by a lot of opponents on their way to their record. And yet, the same could be said about the Hokies. The clock was a factor in Tech's potential loss to North Carolina.

The Commonwealth Cup is on the line and Friday will mark the day 2,553 that the Hokies have held possession of it. In either stadium, this game brings emotion and excitement out of every fan, player, and coach. It's a leap year this year, which is great -- Hokies make it another 366 days!

Go Hokies!

One closing note. This week Kirk Herbstreit came out and made comments about the ranking. Specifically, he called out Tech's position at number four in the Coaches Poll, "I love Frank Beamer and his staff and his team, but who have they beaten to deserve to be up at No. 4 in the coaches’ poll?”

“It’s amazing to me me how many people just look at the scores and if you lose, you drop," continued Herbstreit, "and if you win, no matter who you play, no matter what the score is, you move up."

While I agree that the system is broken, it isn't the Hokies fault. They've lost to a very good Clemson team who just happened to pulling off "A Clemson" as the season comes to a close. While, the Hokies in many aspects are playing some of the best football in the country, I personally don't agree with a number four ranking but I leave you with Logan Thomas' comments regarding wanting Virginia to beat Florida State last weekend:

"We want to play the best teams possible. I think it looks better for us and it makes us better as a team. And to be where we want to be we gotta play the best teams and become better as a football team... I think Virginia has done a great job becoming who they are, finding an identity -- great offensive play and a very strong defense. So, in that aspect, it's going to be a tough game for us. But, I know if we come out there and play as good as we do and we execute and are disciplined we can win any game."

- Logan Thomas

TSF Poll (Week ending 11/19)

2011-11-22T10:36:00.001-05:00

Upset Saturday has us all scratching our heads. LSU vs Alabama is the obvious choice right now for the national title. I think few would argue that they are the best two teams in the nation and despite it being a rematch it is the right game to play. Unless of course, Arkansas manages to knock of LSU...

1	LSU (3)	75
2	Alabama	71
3	Stanford	68
4	Arkansas	66
5	Virginia Tech	63
6	Houston	60
7	Oklahoma State	52
8	Oregon	51
9	Georgia	46
9	Southern Cal	46
11	Boise State	44
12	Michigan State	41
13	Oklahoma	39
14	Kansas State	36
14	South Carolina	36
16	Wisconsin	32
17	Michigan	28
18	Penn State	27
19	Clemson	23
20	Texas Christian	21
21	Nebraska	15
22	Baylor	14
23	Virginia	7
24	Georgia Tech	5
25	Rutgers	2

Tech Escapes Senior Day Scare

2011-11-22T09:14:00.001-05:00

First of, I apologize for the late review. Various factors, including fixing the toilets (yes all of them) in my house before 30 people descend upon my house for Fogo de Turkey (a Tuesday night version of Turkey Day.) So, secondly, I apologize again for this review will be short and sweet.

Basically, this game boiled down to one play in my opinion. MadJay likes to put out three key plays and I'm sure he thought the same thing when he saw it happen. His key play number one was the Derrick Hopkins fumble recovery on the Hokies 3-yard line that saved a 14-0 North Carolina lead.

The one play allowed for momentum to swing toward the Hokies for long enough that the Hokies could score what eventually ended up being an insurmountable lead. But, I'll tell you this: boy was it close. North Carolina scored two quick touchdowns in the fourth quarter and all but a missed field goal and the clock prevented the Tarheels from tying or worse winning this game.

Don't get me wrong. In the second and third quarter the Hokies looked phenomenal. Logan Thomas led the team with two touchdowns through the air and one on the ground. In the two interior quarters, the Hokies averaged 50 yards a drive. In the first and fourth, their average drive went for less than 10 yards.

Coach Beamer after the game knew that they were lucky to come away with a victory. Had the Tarheels had an extra minute on offense at the end of the game, we might be talking about a different game all together.

Now with the added Virginia bizarre victory over Florida State, the Commonwealth Cup becomes the de facto Coastal Division playoff game. It'll be an exciting Turkey weekend.

3 Key Plays - VT vs. North Carolina

2011-11-19T14:02:00.002-05:00

1) At the 2:28 mark of the first quarter, things were looking TERRIBLE for the Hokies. Trailing 7-0, they saw the Tarheels taking a snap on first and goal from the 5 yard line. UNC RB Ryan Houston got the carry, Luther Maddy grabbed his legs and Antone Exum playing from the rover spot for the first time this season, came in high and hit Houston. The ball popped out and Derrick Hopkins fell on it, causing a GINORMOUS swing in momentum which carried the Hokies on the best drive they've had all season - a 95 yard TD drive to tie up the game 7-7. Basically it was a 14 point swing on the fumble and transformed the game.

2) WIth 4:49 left in the 2nd quarter, UNC RB Giovani Bernard took the carry off the left side and ran 11 yards for a first down. It gave him 10 carries for 45 yards at that point and he was badly hurting the Hokies throughout the first half. But this time there was unintentional helmet-to-helmet contact on the play and Bernard left the game with a concussion. The UNC offense would go dormant until the 4th quarter, not scoring a point until there were 7 minutes left in the game.

3) This play is the very definition of the 3 Key Plays segment. One of those plays that you just don't realize at the time how huge it is. With 12:10 left in the game, the Hokies were ahead 24-7, but UNC was driving. The Heels had 2nd and 9 from the Hokie 13 yard line. Kyle Fuller came off the right side on a blitz and popped UNC QB Bryn Renner for a 7 yard loss on the play. The subsequent play on 3rd down was incomplete and UNC kicker Thomas Moore came in to try and 37 yard FG. It fell 2 yards short. If Kyle Fuller doesn't get that sack, the FG would have been long enough. And what was the final margin of victory for Virginia Tech? 3 points. It could very well have been a game-winning sack and it came with 12 minutes left in the game.

Game Preview - VT vs. UNC

2011-11-15T22:07:00.003-05:00

This game coming up on Thursday against the Tarheels is an odd game. If the Hokies win, they keep their momentum going, on a Thursday night home game when the crowd will be nuts, and it will put all the pressure on Virginia to have to beat Florida State on Saturday. If they lose.........they can still reach the goal of the ACC title game by beating Virginia the following week no matter what happens in the Virginia-FSU game on Saturday.

The key will be whether the Hokies can stay focused enough on this week's game against an immensely talented UNC Tarheel team to win even when their backs are not up against the wall. Despite the talent that the Heels are bringing to Blacksburg, they have underperformed this season, no doubt due to the crazy distraction of NCAA investigations and the ouster of their coach on the eve of the season. But all that said, let's look at the matchup anyway, because at this point, already eliminated from the ACC title game, this is the final big game of UNC's season. National TV, all eyes on the program and their pride is on the line. They will play hard and when you see how many playmakers how they have, you will probably be as nervous as I am. Ok well maybe not that nervous (I hope not for your stomach's sake) but you will be uneasy anyway.

Special Teams

UNC has a total of 1 touchback on kickoffs this season. Hokie kicker Justin Myer is 4th in the country with 44% of his kickoffs resulting in touchbacks. UNC is 109th in the nation in punt returns, the Hokies are 34th. UNC is 116th in the nation in punting, the Hokies are 120th, BUT that's because the Hokies inexplicably used Scott Demler for the first several games of the season. Freshman punter Michael Branthover would rank 85th in the country if he had enough punts on the year to qualify. Not great, but a far cry from very last in the nation. Overall the Hokies' edge in special teams looks dominant on paper. I'd like to see them actually field a kickoff return cleanly for a change, but this should help in the battle for field position.

VT Defense vs. UNC Offense

If I'm UNC QB Bryn Renner, I would bring an extra few Advil for this trip. He was knocked out of the NC State game with a concussion, and he now faces the 3rd best pass rush in the country. Even when the Hokies don't sack Renner, you can be sure they are going to get his jersey dirty. The UNC offensive line is FEARSOME big, and have done an excellent job clearing running lanes for freshman RB Giovanni Bernard, but they are a step slow in stopping the pass rush as they rank 86th in the country in sacks allowed. Uh-oh.

Of course, the Tarheel coaches recognize this and I expect there to be quite a few max-protect formations to give Renner time. And if he does have time, there could be trouble because the UNC receivers are incredibly talented. Dwight Jones is one of the top receivers in the country and Erik Highsmith and Jheranie Boyd are big, physical targets who have combined to catch 7 touchdowns on the season. This is the best receiving corps the Hokies will face this season (outside of the one they go against in practice everyday). Clemson's WR corps has a better player in Sammy Watkins but overall UNC's is better. The Heels will try and set-up the pass with the run so it will be critical for the freshmen tackles (Maddy and Marshall) to really hold their own in the trenches. It will probably be a relief for LB Tariq Edwards to face a "normal" offense after the poor showing he had last week against the Yellow Jackets. He needs to be a playmaker in this game as I-formation offenses almost always require excellent gap control. This game is a much better fit for MLB Barquell Rivers, who may have lost a half-step, BUT he's always had good instincts for moving through the "trash" in the trenches to fill holes. Unfortunately, this is a game where the Whip gets a ton of action in making plays from the blitz and in the flat and Kyle Fuller will likely have to play the spot again with the absence of Alonzo Tweedy and his lingering ankle injury. Fuller is a stud but he's undersized in a game like this.

Renner is a gunslinger at QB. If he gets hot, he can be very, very hard to stop. The Hokie pass rush has to stop that from happening, because on the flip side, he will make some ill-advised throws if he's not hot and that can lead to some turnovers. We'll see if Coach Foster can continue to work the magic.

VT Offense vs. UNC Defense

After my last post about Coach O'Cain and his "flexible" approach to offense, it will be interesting to see how he gameplans for this week. The Tarheels are VERY stout against the run with their usual NFL stable of linebackers led by Zach Brown and Kevin Reddick who are #1 and #2 in tackles on the team. The Hokies always want to get David Wilson involved, but this UNC defense is LAST in the league in pass defense and 9th in the league in passing touchdowns allowed. I hope to see the passing game set-up the run this week. I expect UNC to load the box up to stop Wilson and give Thomas a chance to get the receivers involved in a ball-control passing game like we saw against Arkansas State. Recall that last year's game in Chapel Hill was a breakout for Marcus Davis. He has been ridiculously inconsistent this season, but he has fantastic ability and if he can get the ball in space against UNC, he can make them pay again and again. And DJ Coles has been a revelation this season with the ball in his hands, so I hope that continues.

I'd love to see the Hokies break the record for 400 yard games in a season, but more than that, I want to see them continue to dominate in time of possession. UNC does not have a quick strike offense, and you can keep a streaky QB very cold if you can keep him on the sidelines. That's why I alluded to a ball-control passing game above. Screens, slants, quick outs these are the order of the day. Keep the chains moving behind the blitzing 8 man fronts that UNC will likely employ to keep Wilson from getting yet another 100 yard game. If the Hokies can do that until UNC is forced to back that safety up, well we all know what Mr. Wilson is capable of.

I don't see this being a big opportunity for Chris Drager in the receiving game, but Tech sure will need him in protection. Drager has made some key catches the past few weeks, but he isn't fast enough to shake these LB's and will be much more useful in keeping Thomas upright and letting the receivers do the damage. And I'd also expect to see less running out of Thomas himself this week. The read-option play is just not going to be very effective against such an athletic front seven. I do, however, think I know what play to call on third and inches.

Wrap-up

So how do the Hokies focus enough on the game to play at the level needed to win on Thursday? It is so hard to win in the ACC, week in and week out against teams as talented as the Tarheels, much less when you feel like you "get a mulligan" if you lose. This is where Beamer's mantra this season "keep getting better" will be tested. Has this phrase sunk in? Do the players understand how important it is to keep the momentum going? They sure don't want to go into the game in Charlottesville coming off a loss. It isn't about BCS bowls and at-large bids or any of that ridiculous talk. It's about continuing to improve and play harder and better every week so that if they get a chance to defend their ACC title they will be playing their best football. We'll see if this team truly buys into that on Thursday. Until then,

GO HOKIES!!!!!!!!!!

Allstate Tailgate Tour

2011-11-15T13:14:00.001-05:00

I'm posting this only because it sounds fun and I wish I could be there for it.

WHAT: The Allstate Tailgate Tour, a unique and interactive fan experience visiting college football stadiums across the country, is heading to Blacksburg this week as the Virginia Tech Hokies take on the North Carolina Tar Heels on Thursday, November 17.

The Allstate Tailgate Tour features a variety of family-friendly activities, including the College Football Legacy Museum. Fans can also take pictures of themselves with the legendary Allstate Field Goal Net or create special signs in support of the Hokies or Tar Heels.

At the tour, fans will be invited to enter the “Allstate 60 Seconds of Mayhem Sweepstakes” for a chance to win a trip to the 2012 Allstate BCS National Championship in New Orleans and a 2012 Buick Regal GS. During halftime of the game, the finalist will also have a chance to kick a field goal to win an RV, boat, motorcycle and a $30,000 home makeover.

WHEN: 4:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. ETThursday, November 17, 2011

WHERE: Circle driveway outside of Cassell ColiseumLane Stadium265 Spring RoadBlacksburg, VA 24060

Game Review - VT vs. Georgia Tech

2011-11-14T23:05:00.004-05:00

There's a new feeling in the air around Virginia Tech football. Yes, the Hokies beat Georgia Tech 37-26 on Thursday to take a commanding lead in the ACC Coastal Division, but that isn't new territory. After all, the Hokies have either been in position to win or won the Coastal Division every year since joining the ACC in 2004. And every year they've beaten the Yellow Jackets, they've won the Coastal Division. But that new feeling this year? It's OFFENSE.

To put it bluntly, this is a game the Hokies would have lost anytime between 2006 and 2009. During those years, the defense REPEATEDLY gave the offense the ball in great field position with a turnover, scored themselves (Beamerball anyone?) or the special teams would get a great punt or kick return. There is no secret that the Hokies always ranked far higher in scoring offense than they did in total offense and it was always because of the dominance of the defense and special teams. The Hokies won two ACC titles during that time which is the reason Bud Foster deserves a statue on the campus of Virginia Tech already.

Now I will grant that against Georgia Tech, the Hokies defense was inspirational. Coach Foster and his staff might have worked their greatest masterpiece on defense this season, cobbling together line-up after line-up due to injuries and trying to matchup with the different offenses he has faced. But against the Jackets, it wasn't the old dominant Hokie defense. They didn't cause a fumble or create an interception and they gave up their share of big plays (mostly due to some unbelievably bad play by Tariq Edwards which I will address later). I won't overlook that huge stop on 4th down at the beginning of the 4th quarter, but for the remaining time in the 4th quarter, why was the Hokie defense so effective? Because the Jackets were playing from behind and were forced to throw it, which they STINK at when you know they are going to throw it.

The fact of the matter is that the Hokie offense was forced to take over deep in their own end several times in this game due to poor punt or kickoff returns. In those situations, the offense either went on scoring drives or flipped the field. They held the ball for 34:13 in the game and scored 37 points. This, against the same defense that, on the same field in Atlanta two weeks ago, held the Clemson Tigers to 17 points. And then they had a BYE WEEK to prepare for the Hokie offense.

So this begs the question - how did the Hokie offense, which has had similar talent level comparing the past 4-5 years to this year's squad, suddenly become the unit that doesn't just avoid losing the game, capitalizing on what the VT defense gives them, but can in fact take the game on their shoulders and WIN IT? Well let's look at the Georgia Tech game film.

The first thing that leaps off the screen at you is how much better this offensive line is at pass blocking then they are at run blocking. They have allowed a total of 1 sack/game - good for 17th in the country. And against the multiple looks of a blitzing 3-4 defense from Georgia Tech, they remained cool, communicating on the road and picking up the blitz wherever it was coming from. They also were winning their one-on-one battles. Blake DeChristopher is having an All-ACC season and he is just shutting down any player coming off the edge on his side of the line.

Run blocking has been extremely inconsistent, not only game-to-game but even play-to-play. Fortunately, when you have a superhero at running back like David Wilson he can break a lot of tackles and get a ton of yards after first contact. I counted SEVEN TIMES that a Georgia Tech player came through the line either untouched or poorly blocked and had a clean shot on Wilson. He was stopped by that player only twice. The Hokies need to clean this up, but I think the problem is that both guards (Jaymes Brooks and Greg Nosal) are playing hurt with ankle or leg injuries. They both look slow on zone stretch plays or when they have to pull and I bet it hurts their drive on straight ahead/bulldozer plays as well. Center Andrew Miller is a fighter and certainly the most physical center we've had since Ryan Shuman, but he is getting beat off the snap too often for my liking. Plenty to clean up but certainly better play than the past few seasons has seen on the line.

The second key to the offensive performance against Georgia Tech was Logan Thomas. Listen, I only know one NFL scout and I only know him well enough to talk with him every few months, especially when it's mid season like this. But after the Georgia Tech game, he responded to an email I sent him and told me that there is starting to be a buzz around the NFL on Thomas after quite a few people watched him play on Thursday. I'd say if Thomas doesn't get hurt, he's a very likely high draft pick in the 2013 NFL draft after his junior season. The two throws to Danny Coale were carbon copies of the type of throw that successful NFL QB's make on Sundays (that TD strike to Coale at the end of the first half had a vapor trail and hit him on a dead run 37 yards downfield). And the touchdown throw to Boykin showed that even just during the course of this season he's developed a very nice touch, because he had to throw it over three Jacket defenders but not too high so that Boykin could make the grab and stay in bounds at the back of the end zone. And of course his running was an X-factor in the game, which by the end, had tired out Georiga Tech's defenders so much they couldn't even get low on him, and the result was big run after big run right up the middle.

But I really think the entire key to the offense this season and particularly in the GT game has been the impact that Coach O'Cain has had on the offense. From the very first blog post I wrote after the very first game against Appalachian State, I said that this offense had a different feel. It was organized. Thomas' reads made sense when watching them on replay. Offensive linemen aren't tripping over themselves or each other on the running plays. Just look at O'Cain's play calls. If you ever saw 2nd and 6 facing the Hokie offense over the past 4 years, it was a running play 90%, maybe 95% of the time. Against Georgia Tech, the Hokies were extremely unpredictable. The free-running Georgia Tech defenders I outlined above weren't because they knew which play was coming (at least sometimes), it was because a pulling guard or fullback (I'm looking at you Joey Phillips) flat-out missed their block.

While Coach O'Cain's scheme feels cohesive to me and pretty well-executed (minus a few series the offense sleepwalked through that I just have to ascribe to these being college kids) but there's an ingenious adaptability to it. An offense needs a clear identity to succeed. "We are power running game" or "We run the spread" or "We pass every down", etc. O'Cain has taken one of my all-time favorite kung-fu masters - Bruce Lee- and adopted his tactical approach. Here's Bruce explaining and demonstrating it as only he can.

When Georgia Tech tried to protect their cornerbacks with safety help in the passing game, O'Cain began the ground and pound game with Thomas and Wilson. When the safeties came up to help on the run, O'Cain dialed up some deep balls. And in seven cases, he called combo play calls, giving Thomas the control at the line of scrimmage to put them in a run or pass providing the ultimate flexibility. Even listening to Coach Beamer's language this year - "We feel like we can run it pretty well and throw it pretty well" - is a huge turn from season's past where he's always wanted to run the ball first and foremost.

Against Georgia Tech, Thomas threw it 13 times, as the Hokies worked the time of possession game. But those passes were big plays. Against several opponents, including Boston College with their dynamic LB's, Thomas has thrown it 30 or more times. The result has been the most 400 yard games since Virginia Tech's national title game run back in 1999. Is it mere coincidence that Bryan Stinespring wasn't running the offense back in 1999, too?? I think not, but you can make your own decision.

Now on to the defense. First of all, how about all the guys playing new positions on Thursday night??? Jack Tyler at MLB played his ass off, leading the team with 12 tackles, J.R. Collins moving inside to defensive tackle was a force all night and Kyle Fuller continues to make a push for defensive MVP this season as a true sophomore, filling in at whip for the game and making plays all over the field. The one player who's played well this season but gave up a TON of big plays to the Jackets was Tariq Edwards. There were literally FOUR DAMN TIMES that he had QB responsibility and didn't hit Tevin Washington on the option. He either tried to drag and play both Washington and the back, or he flat out went for a pitch fake and gave up the QB. I couldn't fathom why he wasn't hitting the QB to force an early pitch and let the Hokie speed get to the edge to shut down the pitch man. But even Edwards, who gets the goat of the week this week redeemed himself, as he was the guy who blasted Washington on the QB dive on 4th and 1 at the beginning of the 4th quarter which did give the Hokie the offense the ball deep in Georgia Tech territory.

The real key to the defense in this game was getting off the field on 3rd down. The Yellow Jackets led the nation on 3rd down conversion going into the game and the Hokies were tops in the ACC in stopping 3rd downs. Irresistible force meets immovable object? Not so much. The Jackets were held to a 38% conversion rate and dropped to 3rd in the country in 3rd down conversions. The Hokies D stayed on top of the ACC. Those drive-enders were a big factor in keeping the defense rested and tilting the time of possession into the Hokies favor. And that rest really paid dividends by the time the 4th quarter rolled around.

So here we are again - Hokies control their destiny in the Coastal Division. As the Georgia Tech game fades in the rearview mirror, that new feeling in the air is captured by a new stat - the offense is ranked 35th in the nation in yardage while the scoring offense is 47th (thanks as always cfbstats.com). And as the defense gets shuffled around again in preparation for yet another offensive scheme from UNC this Thursday, the offense plans on continuing to do exactly what they've been doing. Be water my friend.

GO HOKIES!!!!!!

TSF Poll (Through 11/13/11)

2011-11-14T10:57:00.001-05:00

With Boise State and Stanford losing, there was some shake up at the top. We're down to three undefeated teams (2 in AQ conferences.) The Hokies move up two spots with the Tigers close behind. There are still two regular season games to play and each are very important for the Hokies if they wish to ponder the rematch in the ACCCG.

1	LSU (3)	75
2	Oklahoma State	71
3	Alabama	69
4	Oregon	65
5	Arkansas	59
6	Stanford	58
7	Virginia Tech	57
8	Clemson	56
9	Houston	55
10	Oklahoma	50
11	Boise State	43
12	Georgia	41
13	Michigan State	31
14	South Carolina	30
15	Southern Cal	29
16	Kansas State	27
16	Wisconsin	27
18	Nebraska	25
19	Michigan	22
19	Southern Miss	22
21	Penn State	21
22	Texas Christian	18
23	Arizona State	5
23	Cincinnati	5
25	Florida State	4

3 Key Plays - VT vs. Georgia Tech

2011-11-12T14:48:00.002-05:00

This was the easiest 3 Key Plays I can ever remember doing. There were dozens of plays made all night long by both teams but the three most important in the outcome of the game were blatantly obvious.

1) After taking over at their own 12-yd line, the Hokies were in the midst of one of their most promising drives of the season. They were in the process of answering a Georgia Tech score that had cut VT's lead to 21-19 and were re-capturing the momentum with several huge third down conversions. And then, at the 7:31 mark of the 3rd quarter, after driving all the way down to the GT 19 yd-line, RB David Wilson took the ball on 1st and 10 and after scooting through a hole, Yellow Jacket LB Julian Burnett got his hand on the football and knocked it out. Georgia Tech recovered and the air came out of the Hokies' sails. Wilson has had a remarkable season but these fumbles can be game changing and he just has to carry that ball tighter to his body when he runs on the inside like that. This fumble led to another GT touchdown which gave them the lead and all the momentum back.

2) After recapturing the momentum, GT had the Hokies pinned deep on a 3rd and 19. Trailing 26-19, things were looking ugly for the Hokies. QB Logan Thomas dropped back at the 3:15 mark of the third quarter and not finding anyone open he took a hit for a sure sack. The game was slipping away. But Logan Thomas didn't give up. He didn't quit driving his legs and fighting the three Yellow Jackets trying to bring him down or take the ball away. Finally as the refs blew the whistle, Yellow Jacket LB Jeremiah Attaochu punched Thomas in the head out of frustration. The scene was eerily reminiscent of J.R. Collins losing his temper and throwing the ball at Jacory Harris in the Miami game, giving the Canes a free first down when they had been stopped. In this case, the personal foul gave the Hokies a first down and they proceeded to drive the field, converting it into points and a lead they would never relinquish. And Attaochu assured himself of a suspension for next week's game.

3) With 11:54 left in the game and VT clinging to a 1 point lead, they faced 4th and 1 from the Georgia Tech 22 yd-line. Yes, the Hokies had just stopped the Jackets on a 4th down play a few minutes earlier but it would be for nothing if they didn't convert here. Logan Thomas, on a QB sneak, DROVE the pile forward for 5 yards and a first down. VT would go on to score a critical touchdown on the drive. Coach Beamer showed a lot of guts, not kicking the 39 yd FG to make it a 4 point game. He really put the entire game on the offensive line and Thomas' shoulders. And those young men delivered.

Triple Option Smoption

2011-11-08T14:48:00.000-05:00

Here we go! The battle of the Techs once again has big implications in the ACC title race. Since the formation of the divisions the winner of this game has gone on to represent the Coastal Division in the ACC Championship Game. While neither team can lock it in with a win, the winner will definitely be in the drivers seat.

What's more, both teams will be coming off bye weeks. Both teams will be rested. Georgia Tech is returning some key starters on offense (see Hokies on Defense). In all, this is a big test for the Hokies.

The nation's 2nd best rushing offense vs. the nation's 6th best rushing defense. Not only is a potent offense it's also one that most teams rarely face and have trouble preparing for. Rushing for 328 yards a game, the Yellow Jackets come out with the spread option offense. This is a very intelligent offense that can cause several headaches if executed to the level that Coach Paul Johnson has been able to. Despite slipping two games to Virginia and Miami, the Jackets bounced back knocking off Clemson with 383 yards on the ground. Quarterback Tevin Washington had 176 of those yards -- a Georgia Tech record for a quarterback -- and knocked the Tigers out of contention for the national title.

Hokies on Offense

The talk of the town is one thing: time of possession. The Hokies and the media are all emphasizing how important it is for Virginia Tech to hold the ball on offense to keep the Yellow Jacket offense off of the field.

"We have to control the ball in order to win this game," Blake DeChristopher said in today's press conference.

Coach Frank Beamer today shrugged off suggestions that the Hokies might hold the snap deeper into the play clock to accomplish the desired time of possession. "The key to doing so is execution."

Execution means staying out of bad situation. "They don't put their corners in a bind... they make you earn your points," Logan Thomas said emphasizing the need for the Hokies to execute and be patient and willing to take what the defense gives you.

"Every quarterback wants the deep ball." Hitting the short route passes that keeps you moving forward and out of 3rd and long situations will give the Hokies breathing room on defense.

Bringing it all together the Hokies will need to get into a rhythm that they feel comfortable in and move the ball in order to keep the Jackets off of the ball. All that said, the Hokies will also need to finish these drives and score points as another 14 point game as in the one against Duke just won't cut it.

To do that they will have to contend with a very stingy defense. One that allows 23.3 points per game and is 16th nationally against the pass. With 11 interceptions on the year, Thomas will have to be accurate against a backfield that spreads the love equally with three DBs with at least two interceptions.

Hokies on Defense

The key to defending any offense is playing assignment football. Play where you're supposed to be and the offense will struggle to move the ball on you. This is ten times more important against the triple threat offense which comes at you at with leading rusher Washington. But it doesn't end with him. The Jackets have 7 players with over 30 carries this year. With almost 3000 yards on the year, this offense is driven by the run. The return of center Jay Finch and guard Will Jackson to the Jacket's front line, getting at the rusher(s) will be all the more difficult.

But what this does is set up defenses for disaster. Defenses creep up and Washington is able to find receivers deep. He has thrown at least one 35-yard or more touchdown in each of their first five games. The Hokies will have to play with an awareness that this can happen and prevent it by first having proper match ups in single coverage as Foster is likely to stack eight or more in the box. Second, not getting burned by the option pass by keeping those match ups tight.

"Everybody's ready to take on the challenge of this unique offense," said Kyle Fuller who will be moving from corner to Mike LB once again for this game. He did so as a freshman in last year's game against Georgia Tech. This is one of many changes coach Foster is making to deal with the unique Georgia Tech attack.

Jack Tyler will come in at ILB and J.R. Collins will move from DE to DT. Corey Marshall takes Collins place at DE. The reasoning? Speed. “It’s a combination of some experience and speed,” Foster said. “That’s the bottom line: just trying to get our best people on the field.”

Hokies on Special Teams

Thank Jebus Cody Journell will be back for this game. Tyler Weiss was not very useful against Duke and Journell was missed. Michael Branthover is showing signs of improvement and believe you me he really, really needs to have a stellar game to ensure the Hokies aren't fighting the field position game.

On the receiving end, the miscues of dropped balls and running in the wrong direction will have to be nonexistent. There were far too many close calls against Duke with the ball ending up on the ground.

Final Word

"You need to be at your best in November." --Frank Beamer

Virginia Tech hasn't lost on the road in two years. Eleven straight victories on the road. That last loss came in Atlanta against the Yellow Jackets...

In October.

TSF Poll (through 11/06)

2011-11-08T11:27:00.001-05:00

1	LSU (3)	75
2	Oklahoma State	70
3	Alabama	68
3	Stanford	68
5	Boise State	64
6	Oregon	57
7	Arkansas	56
8	Houston	53
9	Virginia Tech	50
10	Clemson	48
11	Oklahoma	46
12	Penn State	45
13	Cincinnati	41
14	Michigan State	28
15	Georgia	23
15	Wisconsin	23
17	South Carolina	22
18	Georgia Tech	21
19	Texas	20
20	Southern Cal	19
21	Michigan	18
21	Nebraska	18
23	Kansas State	17
24	Southern Miss	16
25	Arizona State	5

TSF Poll (through 10/29)

2011-11-03T10:05:00.001-05:00

Clemson's loss dropped them six spots. It really is a shame because they were playing so well. Georgia Tech will be tough next week.

1	Alabama (2)	73
2	LSU	72
3	Oklahoma State (1)	69
4	Stanford	67
5	Boise State	64
6	Michigan	49
6	Nebraska	49
6	Oregon	49
9	Houston	47
10	Virginia Tech	46
11	Arkansas	44
11	Clemson	44
13	Oklahoma	43
13	South Carolina	43
15	Penn State	40
16	Kansas State	36
17	Cincinnati	31
18	Michigan State	21
19	Wisconsin	17
20	Georgia	15
21	Southern Miss	11
22	Southern Cal	10
23	Texas	9
24	Arizona State	8
24	West Virginia	8

Hokies Squeeze Past Duke

2011-10-31T21:44:00.000-05:00

Get on the bus and get the [bleep] out of Dodge.

The Hokies managed a victory against the Blue Devils but it wasn't pretty. Turnovers, penalties, and a whole mess of issues should have resulted in a massive defeat, but the Hokies were able to hold on and leave Durham with a 14-10 victory.

This was a game as ugly as it was good as it was bad.

The Good

The Hokies moved the ball well through the first half. On the Hokies first drive, Logan Thomas threw his first of two interceptions (see The Ugly), but moved the ball very well otherwise in the first half. No one can accuse the Hokies of getting off to a slow start. The Hokies scored first on an ugly but effective Tom Brady style shovel pass to TE Eric Martin. After allowing the Devils to move (or rather giving them free yards, see The Ugly) the ball on their longest drive of the game at 80 yards for a touchdown, the Hokies marched once again for another touchdown capped by a Josh Oglesby run.

Conversely, the Blue Devils had the Hokies pinned on their half of the field for almost the entire second half. With an average starting position of the Virginia Tech 13.5-yard line through all but the last two possession of the half, the Hokies struggled to move much past midfield. Despite the ineffectiveness of the offense through most of the second half, the Swiss cheese defense was able to hold Duke to just a field goal the entire half. That and the inability of Duke placekicker to hit three of four attempts gave the Hokies a squeaker. The defense really stepped up big in the second half to cover for the lack-luster offense.

The lack-luster offense did step up towards the end of the game with Duke needing a score, the run game came alive for a bit allowing Wilson to make some big gains and run a big chunk of clock. Once again though, the Hokies had to give Duke one last shot. To which, the defense once again answered, intercepting a 4th and 1 last ditch effort by Sean Renfree.

The Bad

David Wilson still struggles to hold on to the ball. He bobbled the post-Duke touchdown kickoff return giving the Hokies terrible field position. Wilson later would fumble out of bounds despite not even being touched on the play.

The run game did fairly well in the first half. Wilson did have 74 yards at half time. But Duke was able to key on him through most of the second half. He put up 148 yards, but the majority of the second half was a rush defense clinic led by safety Matt Daniels.

The injury bug is killing the Hokies. It's been discussed here ad nauseum, but Tech is severely banged up. Tyler Weiss took the place of injured place kicker Cody Journell who is expected to return for the Georgia Tech game. Journell has made steady improvement, but did not make the trip to Durham. Weiss, a senior, made one attempt, his career first, and missed. Also, Danny Coale came up with an injured hand early in the game but did return to play. These, on top of the existing injuries, the Hokies will gladly take the win and the extra long break to recover for the Georgia Tech game next Thursday.

The Ugly

The ugly starts with the turnovers. And it continues with the penalties.

First, Thomas had two interceptions in the first half. While neither resulted in points for Duke, the results could have been worse. The same could be said for the fumble he turned over late in the first half. The Duke defender decided to fall on the fourth down fumble rather than attempt to scoop it up and run for it. The mental mistake cost the Blue Devils points. Add that to the Wilson fumble that went out of bounds, you have four potential scoring opportunities that could have changed the game completely. Add that still to the 12 points that the Blue Devils left on the field with their missed field goals and the Hokies are just flat out lucky to get out with a win.

Forty-five of the 80 yards gained by the Blue Devils on their one touchdown drive were given to them on pass interference and personal foul calls. One could argue against one or two of these calls, but regardless, this isn't the first time we've seen this lack of discipline by the Hokies.

Overall, the Hokies were penalized for nearly 100 yards. Comparability, Duke was penalized for 15.

This Duke team is not the same team that everybody beats on. This is a good football team that made perhaps as many mistakes and miscues as the Hokies did and could have easily walked off the field with the upset. The Hokies can keep its state of North Carolina unbeaten streak alive but need to do better next week in Atlanta.

3 Key Plays - VT vs. Duke

2011-10-30T16:12:00.002-05:00

1) Again, early plays in this game set the tone as the Hokies had the ball on 3rd and 10 from the Duke 15 yard line on their opening series. They had intercepted Duke QB Sean Renfree and an early score here would have been just the type of play to knock the belief out of the Blue Devils. Unfortunately WR Marcus Davis, who has been alternatively spectacular and lazy, chose Saturday's game to be lazy. He didn't run his route on this play and Duke safety Matt Daniels who has stood out this season and was particularly phenomenal in this game, was all too happy to step up and intercept the ball on the 2 yd-line returning it 40 yards and ending the Hokie threat. If the Hokies come out this flat against Georgia Tech in two weeks, they will get crushed.

2) The Hokies were protecting a 14-10 lead but Duke had the ball and a 3rd and 5 from the Hokies' 13 yd-line with 12:45 left in the game. Duke found their TE Cooper Helfet out in the flat with an easy path to the first down and maybe more. CB Kyle Fuller came flying up and got low on Helfet, making an huge open field tackle and stopping the Devils 3 yds short of the first down. Duke settled for a 29-yd FG attempt which K Will Snyderwine missed, making Fuller's stop even more huge. It wasn't his best play of the game, however.

3) You guessed it - 4:45 left in the game, Duke down 14-10 has a 4th and 2 from the Hokies 15 yd-line. QB Sean Renfree rolled out on a run-pass option (something I wish Tech would do more on offense), but Kyle Fuller made one of the best plays of the season. He saw the RB was headed to the flat to be the pass option, so he hit him at the line of scrimmage and the back fell down. Fuller was knocked back by the contact but kept his balance and then ran down Renfree and made another huge open field tackle to prevent Renfree from making the first down and essentially preserving the win.

Uh-Oh Cavs Look Dangerous

2011-10-27T22:37:00.001-05:00

It looks like the Mike London era may have jump-started itself a bit earlier. Virginia might be a real threat this year.

Mike London was hired as the head coach at Virginia after our all-time favorite Cavalier coach Al Groh was fired at the end of the 2009 season.

Working with a team that Al Groh mustered, London managed only a 4-8 record in 2010, but one of London's specialties is recruiting. He is focusing on rebuilding the Wahoos into a competitive team and with last week's win over ranked Georgia Tech and tonight's victory over the Hurricanes, the Cavs come within one win of bowl eligibility. Worse for the Hokies and perhaps a motivation for the Wahoos, the Hoos are in the running for the Coastal Division title.

Oh, if you don't think London is the real deal, he took the Spiders of Richmond to victory in the FCS national championship in his first year as head coach.

Game Preview - VT vs. Duke

2011-10-26T21:09:00.005-05:00

This game between the Hokies and the Blue Devils on Saturday is the very definition of a trap game. The Hokies have made it through the first part of their schedule and despite losing tons of different players at various points during the season due to injury (most of whom are on defense) they have made it to this point with a 3-1 record in the conference which puts them on top of the Coastal Division. And next week is a MUCH, MUCH needed bye week where some of the banged up players will get a chance to recharge their batteries as the team gears up for an enormous divisional game against Georgia Tech in Atlanta on a Thursday night.

That combined with the fact that Duke has historically not been very competitive in the ACC makes it far too easy for the Hokies to overlook this week's opponent. And while Duke is the weakest ACC opponent the Hokies will play this season (BC only lost to the Blue Devils because of a fluke miss on a 19 yd-FG attempt), I think we've seen what can happen when the Hokies don't come to play with the necessary concentration and effort. The game-that-won't-be-named from last season was in Lane Stadium and was against an opponent far worse than the Blue Devils. So it's obviously possible for Tech to lose a road game against an ACC opponent. And the only thing that works in Tech's favor this time, as crazy as this sounds, is the injuries.

I think it's the fact that so many players are hurt on defense that will help keep Tech focused on this game. The remaining starters on defense will want to pick up the slack, the youngsters filling in for their hurt teammates probably won't play as well but I doubt they'll lack for effort. And the offense, recognizing that the usually stout defense isn't at full strength, will likely feel the burden of victory lies with them (just like in the Miami game). So let's take a look at our opponent.

Special Teams

Duke's special teams this year have been bad (48th in punting, 104th in FG's and 70th in kickoff returns). BUT there is an asterisk that goes there because K Will Snyderwine was injured the first half of the year and he is much better than his 6-for-10 accuracy would seem to indicate. The Hokies meanwhile are struggling in the return game with the loss of Dyrell Robert on kickoffs and more recently Jayron Hosley on punt returns. And while new P Michael Branthover can obviously get the job done, he is a freshman and is apparently prone to a 9 YARD DAMN PUNT every once in a while. For the record, I can actually kick the ball farther than 9 yards. I tried it on Sunday after watching the Hokies vs. BC game again. I kicked the ball 21 yards. OK so I nearly pulled my groin and broke my ankle, but the point is this kid needs to keep his head on straight because the defense needs a little more field position help than usual. Duke has no real threats in the return game, so this battle of field position will really come down to if Branthover can punt it well or not. Keep your fingers crossed.

VT Offense vs. Duke Defense

The Duke defensive line is the weakest defensive line the Hokies will play this season. They just don't have any playmakers at that position. Now the first half against Boston College was by FAR the worst-called half of football Coach O'Cain has had all season. Why he wouldn't run some trap plays against the back of BC's blitz or get Drager involved in the short passing game (BC's linebackers were blitzing from all over the place) was enough to make me wonder if Stinespring had somehow snuck back up into the booth. I was highly pissed to put it mildly. Fortunately, O'Cain is able to actually make in-game adjustments (I know, astonishing, right?) and while he kept Drager in for pass-protection in the second half, he also committed to the run and the results spoke for themselves.

So against Duke O'Cain needs to recognize this defensive line won't be able to get a push and while Duke will try and key on David Wilson, hopefully we don't stay away from the run for an ENTIRE HALF. Wilson is too good and you have to give him his touches. Meanwhile, Duke plays a ton of nickel with a tweener named Matt Daniels who would be a good fit at whip for the Hokies. He's a big hitter (leads the team in tackles) but fast enough to cover TE's and the flats. Still there aren't any All-America candidates in this secondary and as long as Logan Thomas can continue his incredible run he should be able to make some plays downfield to a newly rejuvenated Jarrett Boykin and the always open Danny Coale. By the way, I just want to highlight how good Thomas has been this year - his first ever as a starter. He now has the record for the most consecutive games with over 260 yards passing in the Coach Beamer era. Not Tyrod, not Marcus Vick, not Bryan Randall, not Michael Vick, not Jim Druckenmiller. Logan Thomas. Wow.

All that said, this is a road game. And for just ONCE this year, (ok twice counting App State) I sure would like the Hokie offense to come out firing on all cylinders. An early lead could help puncture whatever emotion Duke will be playing with at the outset of the game. I would trade the past few game opening drives the Hokies have had for a bag of asses. That trend needs to change this weekend.

Duke Offense vs. VT Defense

If the Hokies were taking the field with their opening day lineup on defense, I would have very little concern about this game. Duke's running backs are all banged-up and so is their most talented player QB Sean Renfree. Renfree is a very effective leader and a solid passer. He is patient and makes few mistakes. But he's got a bad hip and you can be sure Bud Foster will have whoever's in the game frothing at the mouth for a few hits on Renfree. Duke's receivers are very talented but if the Hokies can shut down the running game and get pressure on Renfree, it wouldn't matter if Duke had Calvin Johnson at receiver with no one able to get him the ball. Ok, if they had Calvin Johnson, they probably would be able to get him the ball because Calvin Johnson has a gravitational field around him the somehow transports the ball into his possession. But they don't. AND Tech gets superstud Jayron Hosley back this weekend from his hamstring injury (assuming he doesn't re-tweak it this week during practice, knock on wood, throw salt over your shoulder, say three Hail Mary's and every other superstitious thing you can think of).

Nick Dew is going to be a beast at whip during his career. But right now he's still struggling to know his assignment on each play. Fortunately, with Duke throwing the ball so often, the Hokies will be in nickel a lot and Dew will probably only be on the field for 10-12 snaps. All we can do is hope that he can hang on for dear life. At linebacker, I feel a lot better because even though All-ACC LB Bruce Taylor got Lisfrancked, Barquell Rivers is effective enough to play 75% of the game at LB. His injured quad has cost him a half-step but it didn't get rid of his incredible instincts. And Jack Tyler had a fantastic game against Florida State in the ACC title game when Taylor left that one with a shoulder injury, so when he comes in to give Rivers a series off, there will be very little drop-off. MLB ought to be OK. I do have serious concerns up the middle at tackle, because the Blue Devils are very strong up the gut on the offensive line. If James Gayle isn't fully recovered from his ankle injury, there isn't going to be a lot of heat off the edge and the tackles will be needed to collapse the pocket. Skip Hopkins can obviously do that but he will get a double team on most plays, so true freshmen Luther Maddy and Corey Marshall are going to have to win some one-on-one battles. I think how many points Duke scores will be directly related to how well that defensive line can get pressure in the pass game.

Wrap-up

Coach Cutcliffe is the right coach for Duke. He is changing the culture of their football team. Right now, he's battling as many injuries as the Hokies are and unlike Tech, the backups aren't quite talented enough. If Tech stays focused on the task at hand and plays up to their ability, they should win this game. But that's the reason they play on Saturday instead of just putting an "X" in the win column. Because these are college kids, and there is a slim chance they are overlooking Duke and that would be a catastrophic mistake. Coach Beamer had better not be letting off this week. The bye is NEXT week, Coach.

GO HOKIES!!!!!!!!!

TSF Poll (Through games ending 10/22/11)

2011-10-25T10:33:00.001-05:00

Once again the three of us are split on our number ones. Wisconsin fell seven spots. Look who they're tied with! Michigan State! The team that beat them this past weekend.

1	LSU (1)	73
2	Alabama (1)	72
3	Oklahoma State (1)	68
3	Stanford	68
5	Boise State	61
5	Clemson	61
7	Kansas State	59
8	Virginia Tech	47
9	Oregon	46
10	Michigan State	43
10	Wisconsin	43
12	Arkansas	38
13	Houston	37
14	Michigan	35
14	Nebraska	35
16	Penn State	34
16	South Carolina	34
18	Oklahoma	33
19	USC	22
20	Cincinnati	21
21	Texas A&M	13
22	Georgia	6
23	Illinois	5
23	Texas	5
25	Arizona State	4

Another Slow Start Victory Against Eagles

2011-10-24T12:57:00.001-05:00

The Hokies once again found themselves working against themselves. After a stalled drive, Michael Branthover shanked the punt in what can only be accounted for as a freshman mistake. The Eagles took advantage and scored from the 35-yard line in three plays. Thankfully, the defense stood up and did not allow another point until the fourth quarter.

In fact, the defense did not allow a drive for longer than 47 yards causing six punts in a row including two three and outs. The 47 yard drive resulted in an interception by Tariq Edwards. In short, the defense ran a clinic. The Hokies had another game where they held the opponent to few than 100 yards rushing. Chase Rettig managed 13 of 30 for 181 yards but really most of that came on the first and second to last drives -- the two scoring drives.

Offensively, the Hokies came out sluggish. Two straight three and outs, two field goal kicks and three other drives that led to punts, the Hokies found themselves down 7-6 at the half. David Wilson had just 3 catches for short yardage and only six carries for 19 yards.

Coming off the field at the end of the first half, Wilson knew he had to have more carries to get the team going. "Let's run the ball," Wilson recalls saying to running backs coach Shane Beamer.

And run they did. Wilson carried the ball 11 times in the second half including three of the five plays on Tech's first touchdown drive. Wilson gained 50 of the 60 yards on the drive on his way to another 100+ yard game.

The run in the second half also opened up the passing game. Logan Thomas completed 11 of 24 for 153 yards in the first half, but throughout that half, the Hokies failed to make the end zone.

Conversely, Thomas completed the same number of passes 11 on just 12 throws in the second half. He'd throw for another 115 yards but the difference was the Hokies made the end zone three times in the half.

The Hokie offense is dangerously becoming a second half team. The defense has been able to hold down some of the lesser opponents to keep things manageable through the early parts of the game. With stronger teams, and some road tests ahead for the Hokies, the offense will have to get in gear earlier to put some of these games away sooner.

3 Key Plays - VT vs. Boston College

2011-10-23T12:40:00.002-05:00

1) After doing absolutely nothing with the ball on their first series, the Hokies still had a chance to keep the momentum balanced. Unfortunately, freshman punter Michael Branthover showed that he is, after all, still a freshman. Despite averaging 42 yds/kick coming into the contest, Branthover shanked a 9 yarder off the side of his foot giving BC the ball on the Hokie 30 yd line. The Eagles converted that into a TD, which despite being their only score of the first 55 minutes of the game kept them in it for most of the game. A good punt could have changed the entire complexion as the Eagles just couldn't break the Hokie defense the rest of the way and there's no reason to think they could have moved it 70-80 yards on that first possession either.

2) 3rd and 3 with 12:25 remaining in the 3rd quarter. The Hokies are down 7-6 but have at least shown a little life at the beginning of the 2nd half. QB Logan Thomas runs the option, splits two defenders, makes a perfect pitch to RB David Wilson and Wilson is off to the races. He gets a great block on the edge by Danny Coale and another by Marcus Davis and Wilson breaks a tackle at the 10 yd line to stay in bounds and leap into the endzone giving the Hokies a 13-7 lead they would never relinquish.

3) 1st and 10 at the Hokie 22 yd line, BC is driving in response to the VT score. Only down 13-7, it looks like the Eagles are going to get either a FG or a TD out of this drive, making it a close game yet again. With Hokie defenders dropping like flies due to injury, one man steps into a role he's familiar with. Sr LB Barquell Rivers, a starter on the 2009 squad, filling in for Bruce Taylor now, rushes BC QB Chase Rettig, forcing him into a throw as he takes the hit. Fellow LB Tariq Edwards makes a leaping grab for the interception at the Hokie 11 yd-line. The Hokies would proceed to score on the ensuing drive, essentially putting the game out of reach. A rich reward for Rivers who has fought so hard to overcome a devastating quad injury that took the NFL out of his future. He made a play for his brothers and helped the Hokies get the win.

Boston College Woes Likely To Continue At Tech

2011-10-21T14:14:00.000-05:00

Boston College has had a miserable year to date. At 1-5 (0-3), their only win was against an FCS team, Massachusetts. Their first three losses were to teams that have a combined record of 8-10. Their last few losses were to Wake Forest and Clemson.

Boston College is 105th in scoring offense. Statistically, they find themselves in the bottom third of all FBS teams in almost every offensive category. Chase Rettig managed to complete 13 of 20 passes but only for 129 yards in their last game, a loss to Clemson. On the ground they rushed for 126 yards.

Defensively things don't get much better for the Eagles. Falling once again in the bottom half of FBS teams statistically, the only shining light for this defense is junior LB Luke Kuechly. Kuechly leads the nation with 99 tackles. However, only 7.5 of them have been for losses.

Conversely, the Hokies are resurging. Despite a slow start against Wake Forest, the Hokie offense is clicking. Scoring 28 unanswered points, the Hokies have found new momentum since the Clemson loss. Logan Thomas has shown that he is focused. He scored four touchdowns in the game against the Demon Deacons, two each through the air and on the ground.

On defense, James Gayle will return from injury though Jayron Hosley will remain on the sidelines. The return of Gayle will certainly help the injury plagued defense. However, despite all of these injuries, the Hokie defense has been still holding up to that Bud Foster yardstick. Seventh in the nation against the run, the Hokies are allowing just 83 yards per game. Against Wake, the Hokies allowed just 59 yards on the ground.

This tailed rivalry between Tech and Boston College has had its share of drama throughout its time in the ACC. Battling in inter-divisional play, the Hokies and the Eagles have faced each other in the regular season every year and twice in the ACC Championship. In both seasons, the Hokies lost to the Eagles only to beat them in the championship game. Storied finishes from a Matt Ryan winning touchdown pass with 11 seconds to go stunning the Lane Stadium crowd in 2007 to a perfect season ending victory in 1999.

Unfortunately, the Eagles do not field a team that will compete on these levels. If the Hokies take care of business and do not allow themselves to lose focus, they should easily take care of Boston College in what is sure to be a beautiful afternoon in Blacksburg.

Tech SuperFans 2011 Poll Debuts

2011-10-18T17:54:00.001-05:00

#	Team (# first place votes)	Pts.
1	Alabama (1)	71
1	LSU (1)	71
3	Wisconsin	67
4	Oklahoma State (1)	66
5	Stanford	63
6	Oklahoma	61
7	Boise State	56
8	Clemson	55
8	Kansas State	55
10	Arkansas	41
11	Oregon	40
11	Virginia Tech	40
13	West Virginia	37
14	Nebraska	34
15	South Carolina	31
16	Michigan	25
16	Michigan State	25
16	Washington	25
19	Georgia Tech	21
20	Penn State	20
21	Houston	16
22	Illinois	11
23	Cincinnati	9
23	Southern Cal	9
25	Auburn	7

Game Review - VT vs. Wake Forest

2011-10-17T11:00:00.004-05:00

The Miami game last week was the one of the top 5 Hokie football games I've ever seen. But the Hokies 38-17 victory over Wake Forest on Saturday in Winston Salem was Tech's best performance of the season. The way this entire team played from the 2nd quarter until the end of the game was phenomenal. If they can play at that level the remainder of the season, then competing for an ACC Championship is definitely possible. Unfortunately, they also showed in the first quarter that they are capable of being as flat as a pancake and as unfocused as my 3 yr old. If they play like that, they are also capable of losing the rest of the games on their schedule. But before I go through some of the details of the game, I'd like to highlight a coming of age moment that may not have been plainly obvious at the time how big it was, both in terms of the outcome of the game and maybe even the course of the season.

If you've ever played a sport you understand why momentum is such an enormous factor in determining who wins and loses. It has to do with psychology. Even in games where one team has more talent or ability or is better coached, over the course of one game, momentum can determine the outcome. The reason is that a sequence of three or four positive events in a row can lead one side to have more confidence in themselves while at the same time causing the other team to lose some of their confidence. The combined effect of these two changes in confidence or mental projection often builds on itself until the next thing you know, one team comes roaring back from behind, or an underdog finds a way to beat a favored opponent. One of the harder things to do is face down a run of these positive events and create a few of your own to recapture momentum.

For YEARS, the Hokie defense and special teams have been the units that have had to make the plays to recapture the momentum whenever the Hokies have had to have it. A team will make a run on Tech, and it will be a huge sack, or a big punt return, or a blocked kick or a forced turnover and suddenly the momentum is back on the Hokies' side. The offense was just there to capitalize on these huge plays and limit the mistakes of their own. I'n not saying the offense never made these plays, but it was usually the defense or special teams.

Last week, of course, the offense responded time and time again to beat Miami, which was a sight to see. And then came this week's gut-check. After a SCREW-UP of epic proportions (on special teams of all units), gave Wake another shot at 4th down and then a poor play on defense, the Deacs scored a TD and climbed back to within 28-17. The ensuing kickoff was mishandled by David Wilson and he only made it out to the 10 yd-line and then on top of that RB Daniel Dyer committed a ridiculous block in the back pushing the Hokies back to the 4 yd line. After a 3 yd run by Josh Oglesby, it came to 2nd and 7 and you could feel the momentum shifting to Wake Forest as their crowd got back into it. If the Hokies went three and out here, even with a good punt, Wake would have the ball near midfield at the beginning of the 4th quarter trailing by only two scores and all the momentum back on their side.

Logan Thomas proceeded to stare down Big Mo' as he calmly dropped back and delivered a perfectly thrown ball to WR Jarrett Boykin for 26 yards to the Tech 33 yd-line. Three plays later he rushed for 10 hard earned yards on 3rd and 10. And three plays later he threw a strike to DJ Coles that, as Coach Beamer correctly described it, Coles had no choice but to catch almost out of "self-defense" as the ball would probably have embedded itself in his chest it was thrown so hard. On that throw in particular, you can see the defensive back get extremely frustrated after the play, as he had great position on Coles, but he couldn't get his hand on the ball it was thrown so hard. And then of course the way to cap all of that off was another perfectly thrown deep ball to Marcus Davis on 3rd and 9 from the Wake 30 yard line for the touchdown, capping the most magnificent 96 yard drive you'll see.

Just like the winning drive against the Canes last week, the plays made on that 96 yard drive in the face of Wake's momentum are like deposits in the "confidence bank" for this offense. They now know that they are capable of playing at that level and given tough situations later on this season - and there were certainly be some - they can make a withdrawal when needed and respond.

Of course, back to the cold water for a second, there will be a LOT of tough situations if they come out in the first quarter like they did against Wake and act like they don't know what this oblong leather thing is and hey who's that guy wearing a different color jersey? I mean, talk about ineptitude! While the defense was busy missing tackles on backup RB Brandon Pendergrass (I heard that Jim Grobe himself had to pull Harris aside in the pregame locker room and tell him he wasn't playing, so I was wrong about that one), the offense couldn't get a first down. As in 8 yards and zero first downs for an entire quarter!! As great as they came together later in the game, that sort of sleepwalking on offense just isn't going to get it done.

In addition to missing tackles, the defense was lined up wrong, Antone Exum was all over the place pre-snap and to top it all off, Jayron Hosley tweaked his already sore hamstring on Wake's deep touchdown pass. If I'm Coach Beamer, Hosley sits against Boston College so that he can get back to full. Just look at what that week off against Marshall did for Jarrett Boykin when he tweaked his hamstring.

Now, once the defense settled down, they really played unbelievably well. You can always count on Bud Foster to throw some MadJay Fever at those guys on the sidelines and to make some nice in-game adjustments. I think bringing the extra man pressure from different places really threw Tanner Price for a loop. He had time initially but the heat was coming from the edge sometimes and up the middle sometimes and Price looked very uncomfortable the final three quarters of the game. At one point the defense forced Wake into four straight 3-and-outs and in fact held the Deacons to just 1-13 on third down conversions for the game, moving them up to 13th in the nation on 3rd down defense. DE Tyrel Wilson is still ineffective in the run game due to this size, but he has a ton of heart and a lot of quickness which lets him put pressure on the QB in passing situations. It is very telling to me that Wilson is the backup for Gayle here instead of Zack McCray who is so big and fast. But by all accounts, McCray just doesn't have the wick turned up high enough to get much playing time for Coach Wiles. If he had Wilson's intensity, McCray would be a budding star right now on defense. Alonzo Tweedy who had me so very nervous heading into the matchup still played like a deer in headlights at times, BUT he was only on the field for 20 snaps or so due to the heavy amount of nickel the Hokies played. I think that was less about Tweedy than it was about the offensive personnel Wake was using. And there was one running play where Tweedy showed he can also run like a Deere (product placement, much?), bursting through the line and bringing Pendergrass down for a big loss. Tweedy needs more reps and he'll likely get all the reps he can handle next weekend against run-heavy BC, which will be good for him.

So the defense settled in and the offense began clicking and that's good. But let's give a quick shout-out to a huge difference maker in P Michael Branthover, who earned the special teams gameball from the team on Saturday. He was the guy who pinned Wake deep at the end of the first half where they subsequently threw that costly interception. He was the guy who kicked a 58 yarder that was almost downed inside the 5 yard line. THIS is what Branthover brings to the game. His punting helped the Hokies win the field possession battle on Saturday, averaging 42 yds/kick and downing 3 punts inside the 20 yd line. That extra 9 yards/kick over what the Hokies had been averaging in the PB era (Pre-Branthover) is almost an entire additional first down the opponent has to get. Just huge. Shop S-mart indeed.

From an intangible standpoint, I like how the team has come together. They have confidence and when they aren't making mental mistakes, they obviously have the ability to move the ball and shut down the opponent. I think the most interesting development, shown further in the game against Wake is the execution in the passing game. One thing I did get right in the preview was that Drager was a dagger against the Wake blitz. But the credit here goes to Thomas to know to look there and then get him the ball. I always felt Tyrod Taylor was like a magician when he ran the offense. Lots of smoke and mirrors and leave it to Taylor to pull a rabbit - and just about every other damn critter you can imagine - out of a hat, which he was able to do more often than not. But with Thomas, you can watch him progress through his reads, guys are getting open and he is putting the ball on the money, particularly on third down. The key here is that the routes make sense to him, he's checking to the right plays (that first big throw to Boykin in the 2nd quarter was a check when Thomas recognized the coverage and sent Boykin long) and as I said in the preview the players are being used in a way that takes advantage of their strengths. Sure Thomas has pulled it down a few times and what a weapon he is when he gets a head of steam running with the football. But as he learns about throwing the ball away when nothing's there to avoid a few of those terrible sacks he's taken (the one against Wake was really bad because he had so much time), he is going to keep getting better and more dangerous. And that's a great thing for Superfans everywhere.

GO HOKIES!!!!!

3 Key Plays - VT vs. Wake Forest

2011-10-17T10:20:00.002-05:00

1) 9:52 left in the 2nd quarter. The Hokies were down 10-0. Logan Thomas was 2 for 9 for 21 yards at that point and the Hokies had a total of one first down up to that point in the game. They had the ball in good field position thanks to a rejuvenated punting game and then a stellar stop by a defense down 4 starters due to injury. But on the road, with visions of the Clemson game dancing in their head, the offense needed a play to get going. Facing 2nd and 6 from the Wake 40 yd line, Logan Thomas dropped back and rainbowed a well-thrown deep ball to WR Jarrett Boykin who caught it at the 7 and ran it down to the 1 "smidge" line, dragging a tackler. The Hokies would punch it in to make it 10-7 and the offense was off and running, on the way to 28 unanswered points.

2) 2nd and 7 from the Hokies own 7 yard line with 1:33 left in the third quarter, the Hokies were in danger of letting Wake back into the game. They were deep in their own end and Wake had just scored a touchdown to make the score 28-17 in favor of the Hokies. Similar to the first key play, except to the opposite side of the field, Thomas dropped another well-thrown ball in just over the outstretched hands of the Wake defender to Jarrett Boykin, giving Tech a first down at the 33 yd-line and out of the shadow of their own goal posts. This was the catalyst for one of the greatest drives of Tech's season thus far - a 96 yard drive to go back up 35-17.

3) Wake Forest had a 4th and 17 at the Hokies 42 yd-line with 7:30 left to go in the game. Trying to answer Tech's score with one of their own, QB Tanner Price dropped the ball off to the FB in the flat who was tackled well short of the first down and the Hokie victory was secured.

Game Preview - VT vs. Wake Forest

2011-10-14T20:59:00.003-05:00

To any of those Logan Thomas doubters out there, don't worry, I'm not going to say I told you so. There's no time. It's the next game and the offense is going to have to be EN FUEGO again as Dan Patrick used to say, because the defense is a M.A.S.H. unit right now as the Hokies prepare to take on a tremendously improved Wake Forest squad in Winston Salem.

As usual, let's take a look at the three matchups:

1) Special Teams

Well, I have no idea what took Coach Beamer so damn long, but he FINALLY made the switch to Michael Branthover at punter and despite the true freshman kicking a 32 yarder out of the end zone on his second attempt, he boomed a 51 yarder on his first kick. As we said over the past month, unless Beamer was convinced this kid was just going to turn around and kick the ball backwards out of the Hokie end zone for a safety, there was just no way to keep on letting Demler kick the ball. And the timing here is good, because Wake is about the only team punting as poorly as the Hokies were, and with Branthover in there now, there's a chance for the Hokies to have an edge in the field position game. Kickoff specialist Justin Myer is far better than his counterpart for Wake - Jimmy Newman (thanks as always to cfbstats.com). That said, Newman is the 2nd leading FG kicker in the nation right now and so even though the Hokies have return threats in Jayron Hosley and David Wilson, I'm still putting the special teams matchup as even.

2) Wake Forest Offense vs. Hokie Defense

If the Hokies were going into this game with the starting lineup on defense that they had opening week, I would feel very good about this particular matchup. As we are all too aware, that isn't the case and the backups that are going to have to take the field against Wake are doing so at a particularly bad time. You see, Wake Forest relies on a bunch of trickeration on offense. There's tons of motion, reverses, double passes and all-around tomfoolery. And before you start to snicker, you need to recognize that they lit up Florida State's defense for 35 points last weekend as a result.

QB Tanner Price is the trigger man and he bears almost no resemblance to the trembling freshman who took the snaps against the Hokies in Lane Stadium last season. He's one of the top QB's in the ACC this year and frankly if he hadn't gotten hurt against the 'Cuse in the 2nd half of that game, Wake would almost certainly be undefeated right now. I'm also sure I don't have to remind any Superfan of the single best rushing performance by a player against a Bud Foster defense - Josh Harris' 241 yards last year. He's listed as doubtful with a tight hamstring but if you think he's not going to take the field on Saturday, well I've got an unbelievable investment opportunity for you in Nigeria with my long-lost Dutch uncle. Call me after you're done reading the blog.

So against this whirlwind of playaction and misdirection from the Wake offense steps 3 untested players into the breach. DE Tyrel Wilson will be filling in for dynamic playmaker James Gayle whose sprained ankle prevented him from even making the trip to Winston Salem. Probably because the coaches understood that if Gayle was on the sideline, he'd find a way to steal a uniform and helmet and sneak into the game. Now Wilson is way too small to be a defensive end, but he's fast and he plays hard. It's a tall order, but if he can somehow muster the discipline to maintain his lane and prevent the reverses or QB roll-outs, instead of chasing the ball, he could hold the fort down for this weekend at one end. I'm extremely nervous that he's not going to be able to do that.

The play of Corey Marshall at DT filling in for lost-for-the-season Antoine Hopkins was so bad last week against Miami that Coach Wiles had to put re-converted offensive guard Courtney Prince back onto the defensive side of the ball at the end of the game. Think about that. Prince, who was recruited at defensive tackle and was so poor at it that he was moved to offensive guard, was brought BACK over to tackle for one week of practice and with the game on the line, he was in there instead of Marshall. What did Marshall do wrong? Try a little of everything. He lined up in the wrong place. He ran the wrong direction after the snap. He even lined up too far off the line of scrimmage one time. Now in his defense, he is a true freshman, trying to fill-in at tackle even though he's a natural end. Marshall is very strong and fast and will make a great end in the future but he has got to get his head together and learn the defense first. Fortunately Luther Maddy is beginning to recover from the high ankle sprain he suffered a few weeks ago and looks like he will be able to go against Wake as the tackle. Maddy is also a true freshman, but he is far more instinctive at the position, having played it throughout high school. I don't like the thought of a true freshman seeing this offense for the first time, and having to play against it, but at least at defensive tackle his responsibilities will be less varied.

I'm nervous about Wilson and Marshall as they step into their roles on Saturday. But my nervousness PALES in comparison to how sweaty-palm, water gulping, drymouth, horrified I am about having Alonzo Tweedy being the starting whip in this game. Let's recall that Tweedy is the more physically gifted whip LB who hasn't been able to wrest the starting spot over JGW. And why not? Because he has proven time and time again in practice and his limited game action that he isn't playing within the scheme of the defense. He is very fast and always just runs around trying to make a play on the ball. As whip, that's great when you're on the blitz, but sometimes you have to play the outside leverage to turn a run back inside. Sometimes you have to see through the play fake and fade into the flat to cover the RB. And Tweedy has not done that consistently enough. So he's been put on punt coverage as a gunner. They say "Tweedy run down the field as fast as you can and tackle the guy with the ball." He's good at that, but against Wake Forest if he gets caught looking for the ball instead of playing his responsibility, he is going to get lit up like the proverbial Christmas tree. And his backup for this game is another incredibly physically talented player in redshirt freshman Nick Dew who has never played a snap at Whip in a game. So we've got that going for us which is nice.

The rest of the defense is going to have to step up, tackle very well, hit the bejeezus out of Josh Harris whenever he carries the ball and hope for a few miscues by the Demon Deacons. I don't see anyway that Wake scores less than 20 points in this one. Which of course brings us to:

3) Wake Forest Defense vs. Virginia Tech Offense

Wake's defense this year is EERILY similar to Virginia Tech defenses from the early 2000's. There is a ton of pre-snap movement, lining up in various combinations of players who are all kind of tweeners and blitzing you from the minute you get off the team bus. The ends can be linebackers, the linebackers can play some safety and it's all designed to confuse the opponent because they aren't big enough to just line up and stone you. They play bend don't break in the secondary and are very opportunistic whenever the QB makes a bad read. Wake is 15th in the nation in turnover margin, which was always a hallmark of those old Hokie defenses.

Logan Thomas is coming into this matchup off of one of the best games I've ever seen any QB play at any level. {I told you so}. But Miami tries to out-talent their opponents, whereas Wake is going to try and out-scheme you. The receivers should be able to get open but the critical part will be if Thomas can recognize where he needs to go with the ball in time. And this sounds crazy but I would actually make Tony Gregory the primary kick returner this week, because RB David Wilson needs to be a bellcow on Saturday. He needs 25 carries and he needs to be able to help that offensive line wear down an already smaller Wake lineup. If Wilson can get it going and force Wake into some pure man-to-man on the outside, players like Boykin and Marcus Davis are going to make some plays.

And while I'm talking about receivers, let me point out one of the most obvious improvements the Hokie offense has seen in handing the reins over to Coach Mike O'Cain. How many times on this blog, (and don't try and count because it was well over 500) did I scream, cry, beg, plead, whine and moan about the poor utilization of the physical skills that the many talented Hokie receivers brought to the table from 2004-2008? I still have nightmares, literally, I do, of deep jump balls thrown to 5'9" Eddie Royal and bubble screens to 6'4" 230 lb Justin Harper. Sideline routes for the strong beefy Josh Morgan and crossing routes to small wiry Josh Hyman. And despite having Greg Boone and Cory Holt, both former QB's in the lineup, the Hokies called no fewer than 3 plays in that timeframe that required WR Eddie Royal to throw the football. Now? Now we throw the deep ball to Jarrett Boykin who has great ball skills. They throw slants to the athletic Marcus Davis. They throw the bubble screen to a former RB in DJ Coles. And you can throw any type of route to Danny Coale because he's always open and he's always going to catch it. I may have been unhappy with O'Cain's development of QB's, but I really have begun to rethink how much of that may have been hamstrung by a dreadful offensive gameplan and playcalling. Even against Clemson, I really felt like the game was called well and the execution was just far too sloppy. His imprint on the offense has been nothing short of a revelation, and the Hokies will need every bit of it on Saturday against Wake because it will come down to whether they can hang a lot of points on the board or not.

We will learn whether the Miami game was a springboard for this offense or a one-off performance. Now Thomas won't have the same type of performance against Wake that he did against Miami, not because he's not incredibly talented but because it's just not possible to be in that much of a zone for two straight games. But he will need to make a few plays and Wilson needs to run wild. Hopefully the receivers have put that case of the drops from early in the season behind them because it's going to take a very well executed performance on Saturday as, unlike Miami, Wake is not going to beat itself with stupid penalties. I'd also really like to continue to see Chris Drager get involved in the offense as the tight end can always be a weapon against a blitz.

Wrap-up

Wake Forest is a good team this season, don't let the name fool you. I actually think they are better than the Wake team that won the ACC Championship in 2006. The Hokies beat that squad 27-6 in Winston Salem, but that year's Hokie defense was full of talented veterans (by the way Eddie Royal threw a pass in that game. It was intercepted. I was there watching in horror.) This much younger squad of Hokies will have to play beyond their years in order for Tech to come away with a win in this one. I'll be crossing my fingers and toes.

GO HOKIES!!!!!!!!!!!

These People Are Losing Their Minds

2011-10-12T11:46:00.002-05:00

Miami Game Review - Instant Classic

2011-10-10T21:21:00.000-05:00

What a game! What a bounce back for Logan Thomas and the offense after a terrible showing against Clemson the previous week. While allowing Miami 35 points the Hokies found a way to win this game 38-35. It became clear towards the end that Miami's gigantic offensive line at a whopping 313 lbs average was causing the Hokies some trouble as Miami was able to run on the Hokies with ease in the late minutes of the game. Antoine Hopkins presence was definitely missed.

The first half of the game was a clinic. Thomas and the offense dominated the Miami defense. The defense was able to contain Lamar Miller to just 20 yards. Miami's only touchdown came after a big play in which Jacory Harris hit Allen Hurns for 41-yards.

First, Tech is very prone to letting go a few big plays in each game. This is a natural trade off of having a defense that is as aggressive as Bud Foster's unit. Save for this one play, it looked as if the Hokies were just going to roll over the Hurricanes.

Second, that was not a catch. The call on the field was incomplete and there was no indisputable evidence that the receiver's right foot was on the ground. In fact, the video confirmed that it was not on the ground. Also, the next play, the touchdown, was also not a catch. The ball was being juggled and fought for as Hurns and Antone Exum slid out of bounds. That aside, the Hokies were up 21-7at the end of the half.

Thomas went 23-25 for 310 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran in two touchdowns. This might have been the best performance by any Virginia Tech quarterback... ever. Thomas was composed and calm in the pocket. Miami was rarely able to pressure him and he went into the locker room with a virtually clean uniform. The only blemish on this near perfect game was a fumble that led to the Hurricanes touchdown drive in the first half. He would also fumble in the opening drive of the second half after a near sack. He clearly was careless with the ball -- holding the ball low and behind him. However, OT Andrew Lanier earns himself a stat by picking up the ball and gaining two yards.

Thomas hit seven different receivers including TE Chris Drager who caught two passes which doubled his total for the season. Jarrett Boykin and Danny Coale shined with 120 and 91 yards receiving respectively. Each scored a touchdown as well.

David Wilson had another 100+ yard game with 128 yards on the ground on 23 carries.This was his fifth triple digit game bringing him to 767 yards. This puts him at fourth overall in FBS play.

The second half started with a stalled Hokie possession. This is important for one reason. The Hokies had to punt and the punter to take the field was none other than true freshman Michael Branthover. Branthover left the field to a standing ovation after booting it 52 yards. Let's not rehash the troubles Tech has had in the punting game, but rather lets revel in the promise Branthover showed.

The next Miami touchdown came on another big play. Eddie Whitley went for the ball and missed. Travis Benjamin took the ball for a 78-yard touchdown. Once again, Tech's tendency to gamble bit them. However, had Whitley been a split second earlier, it would have 6 points in the other direction.

After tacking on 3 more points the Hokies were up 24-14. The next Miami series was a key series. The Hurricanes spent most of the drive on the ground. Pushing the defensive line back as Miller and Mike James traded off rushes and moved steadily down field. The series took 5 1/2 minutes off the clock, but it was the first hint that the defensive line was winded and struggling without Hopkins.

The Hurricanes scored but what hurt more than that was the offense came out and scored on the very first play from scrimmage. Thomas hit Boykin for a 60-yard touchdown. This was exactly what the defense didn't need. I'm all for racking up points but after being pushed around on the previous drive, the defense was not going to be able to play well. Lamar Miller dragged tired Hokies down field on the first play for 37 yards. He did it again for 22 yards. Harris and the Canes would score and score again after the Hokie offense stalled for a 3 and out. The offense just did not give the defense time to rest and the Hokies now found themselves down 35-31 with less than 3 minutes to go in the game.

At this point, that familiar feeling of dread set in. You know the feeling. Here we were again. We knew that the offense has been playing well, but the last few drives weren't looking good. But Thomas and the offense didn't let us down. With the ball set at 4th and 1, Thomas on the keeper trotted untouched 19 yards into the end zone.

The only complaint we could possibly have with this drive is that they scored too quickly. With the defense as tired as they were, the 56 seconds left on the clock and all three time outs, Harris would have plenty of time. Miami did make a huge mistake. With that much time, they easily could have given the ball to Miller for a few rushes. The Hokies had not been able to stop him and it likely would have caught the Hokies off balance. Instead, the defense stepped up and held their ground. Time expired and the Hokies won!

One last thing. I would like to send a special shout out to the fans and the staff controlling the PA. To the PA guys, well done playing Enter Sandman during the timeout with 5 seconds to go. To the fans, holy moly were you loud. Announcers Craig James and Mike Patrick were speechless and all they could say is "Look at this. This is just spectacular... These people are losing their minds."

Lose your mind every week Hokies! Every week!

3 Key Plays - VT vs. Miami

2011-10-10T21:03:00.003-05:00

How epic was this game? Put it this way - our annual open enrollment at work for the various benefits (insurance, dental, etc) is this week. After watching me watch this game against Miami, The Blonde has instructed me to bump up to the next life insurance level. I may also need to add a few things to our house insurance plan in case they "accidentally" get broken. Now, on to the 3 Key Plays.

1) With the Hokies ahead 14-0, the Canes faced a 3rd and 18 at their own 44 yard with 3:45 left in the 2nd quarter. The Hokie offense was looking dominant and the defense was getting the job done as well. The Hokies would get the ball back with enough time to drive down and get a FG before the half and even if they didn't, they would get the ball to begin the 2nd half with a 14-0 lead. Canes QB Jacory Harris made a huge heave down the sideline and for some insane reason (again this was 3RD AND 18!!!!), DB Cris Hill had let Miami receiver Allen Hurns get behind him. Fortunately, Hurns couldn't get a foot down in bounds, the refs ruled it incomplete and the Miami punt team took the field. Mission accomplished. The replay booth decided to review the play. Again, fortunately the replay showed that while the ball first touched Hurns' hands just as he picked up his back foot which was in bounds, he didn't actually pull it in and make a catch until the back foot was in the air and then his front foot came down out of bounds. After watching several replay angles, I was satisfied and went upstairs to get my phone so I could call some fellow Superfans at halftime and discuss the first half. When I came back down, an absolutely i-dont-think-that-word-means-what-you-think-it-means inconceivable thing had happened. The replay booth had somehow not only seen the evidence that the catch hadn't been made, but somehow overturned the call on the field by determining that the INSTANT the ball touched Hurns' hands, that somehow meant it was a catch. If this is in fact, the case, the replay booth is obviously using a different rulebook than the official NCAA rule book regarding a catch. Let's turn in our rulebooks to Rule 2, Article 4, Section 1(a) - talking about the definition of a catch.

"A player 'gains possession' when he secures the ball firmly by holding or controlling it while contacting the ground inbounds. The ball is then in player possession."

There is no wording in there that even SUGGESTS that the instant a player touches the football, it is considered a catch. And this blown call gave the Canes the ball on the Hokie 15-yd line which they converted to a touchdown on a proper, if disappointing application of the rulebook regarding simultaneous catches. The Hokies did go back down and score a touchdown going into halftime, but the Canes got their hope from this scoring drive and it changed the entire complexion of the game. It should never have happened and Coach Beamer has sent this play in to the ACC. Don't expect to hear anything from them on it.

2) With the Hokies having recaptured the momentum by going up 31-21 at the 12 minute mark of the 4th quarter, they brought a halt to the Canes' offensive execution and stopped Miami on a great sack by JR Collins on 3rd and 12 knocking Miami back to their own 38 yd line. Amazingly, after the sack, Jacory Harris stood directly over Collins, taunting him as Collins was LAYING ON HIS BACK and the referee was standing a grand total of 4 inches away!!! Collins made an inexcusable error in throwing the ball in Harris' face, but at worst this was offsetting penalties. Obviously, Harris was committing unsportsmanlike conduct and Collins did as well. Now this was different than most unsportsmanlike calls, where the second guy gets busted. The reason is that the refs usually miss the first guy and just see the retaliation. In this case, the head referee was literally standing there watching Harris taunt Collins and did not throw a flag on both players, but rather just on Collins. I will not defend Collins. In that situation, you absolutely must do whatever it takes to get off the field. Let your performance do the talking and if Collins had just laughed at Harris, the ref might have even thrown the flag solely on Harris. But even if the ref had called it properly in this case, as dead-ball offsetting penalties, it would have been 4th and19 and the way the Hokies offense was playing, the game very likely would have been over. As it played out, the Canes converted that into another touchdown drive to get them back into the game. I just couldn't believe how bad the call was by the ref, but if you're Collins, you literally could have singlehandedly cost your team the football game and despite how well he played in that game, if you fight for your brother to the core, you can't let a jerk like Harris get to you.

3) 1:01 left in the game. Trailing 35-31. 4th and 1, and the game, and some might argue the season, hung in the balance. One of the most well-executed plays in recent Hokie history was pulled off and QB Logan Thomas, who even if the Hokies had lost, had the game of a lifetime, capped it off in a fashion that took his performance from phenomenal to legendary. He galloped 19 yards and into the history books, leading VT to a 38-35 win in one of the great games that Lane Stadium has ever seen.

Game Preview - VT vs. Miami

2011-10-06T20:34:00.003-05:00

Coach Frank Beamer has never started a season 0-2 in conference play during his coaching career. That is the most meaningless stat I think I’ve ever read. The number of circumstances that go into one’s own team, the schedule of who you play the first two conference games of any season, injuries (and the list goes on), means that it’s impossible to glean anything useful from that stat and apply it to the game on Saturday against Miami.

What matters against Miami and whether the Hokies will win or not can be determined by considering three areas:

1) Special teams play

In this phase of the game the Hokies have been dominant in games against the Canes going as far back as I can remember. Whether it’s limiting/eliminating big plays in Miami’s return game, outkicking them on field goals, blocking Miami punts, the Hokies have always had a big edge in this department against Miami.

Not this year. This year, placekicker Cody Journell is still learning to get consistent, while Miami’s kicker, Jake Wieclaw is 4-4 on his attempts. The Hokies best returner, Dyrell Roberts, is out for the season with a broken arm while Miami averages 22.6 yds/return. And since you’re reading this, it’s very likely you are a Superfan, and therefore you already feel all the pain and suffering about the punting game that I do. Scott Demler has the worst average of any punter with more than 20 punts in the past 5 years at any school at the Division I-A level. Coach Beamer has lost his mind on this one. Football is about performance. I don’t care who you have sitting on the sidelines, they cannot do any worse than Scott Demler and therefore they deserve a chance. Ethan Keyserling, Michael Branthover, Danny Coale, someone else needs to be punting. I think this game will be close and I honestly believe that poor punting could literally be the difference in the game.

2) Which Miami team shows up?

This has been the question every year since Randy Shannon took over as coach of the Canes. With new coach Al Golden there, I am rather certain that this characteristic of Miami teams will go away and in a year or two he is going to have an extremely tough and talented team taking the field that will play much more consistently. But old habits die hard and with this many seniors on the Canes who have ridden so many ups and downs during their career not the mention the Nevin Shaprio disaster, their Jekyll and Hyde nature continues this season. They have looked alternatingly dominant (2nd-3rd quarter vs. Ohio State) and clueless (first quarter against Bethune Cookman). The talent for Miami, as always, is there, but despite being extremely fast on defense, they don’t always play their responsibility. And despite being massive up front on offense, they don’t always execute the cleanest running plays. And of course, there’s Jacory Harris who can look like a Heisman trophy candidate or an interception machine depending on the day. We’ll see which Miami team shows up on Saturday but because their play on the imaginary “Focused Team” spectrum can range from “As tight as Rush on the album Exit Stage Left” to “As messy as Joey Chestnutt at an all-you-can-eat-sloppy-joe-buffet”, it is impossible to make a confident prediction in the outcome of this game.

3) Will the Hokies grow-up on offense?

I find myself defending Logan Thomas early in his career the same way I defended Tyrod Taylor early in his but for different reasons. Tyrod Taylor was an incredible football player who, during the 2007 and 2008 seasons was mired in the most poorly-run offense I have ever seen. The growth he experienced during that time which allowed him to become such a star in 2009 and 2010 was due solely to his ability to scramble, improvise and throw extremely accurately. The offensive playcalling and schemes didn’t improve later in Taylor’s career, but rather he learned to flourish from experiencing constant chaos on the football field.

Logan Thomas is a special player, in whom I also see NFL-caliber talent. He is in a much better designed scheme and one that is called more appropriately on gameday than Taylor could have dreamed of. Thomas’s problem is lack of reps. Where Taylor was a QB his whole career, Thomas has literally been asked to play high level QB only since he got to Tech. He was always a receiver or TE, and even when playing QB at Brookville High, he was mainly a weapon pulling the ball down and running with it. But Thomas is a quick study and he is learning the nuances of the game as well as the different types of throws. And he will continue to get better and more accurate the more reps he gets. So while I like Mark Leal and feel very comfortable with him as backup QB, Logan Thomas is a special talent and these calls by fans for benching him or saying that he’s not good are beyond ridiculous, preposterous and I say they mostly come from a place of pain that the fans feel after losing so badly on national TV to Clemson.

But I do agree with Coach Beamer (at least in this area). Football is about a few key plays. It really and truly is. And the outcome of those plays makes all the difference in the final score of a game. Think back to Miami 2003. The Hokies won that game 31-7, but imagine if the Miami TE had caught that easy touchdown on the fake field goal at the end of the first quarter and gone up 7-0. Who knows how the rest of that would have unfolded because the Hokies couldn’t move the ball at all against Miami in the first quarter of that game. But the Canes became unraveled. The same thing happened to the Hokies early in the game against Clemson last week and they never were able to refocus on offense and execute their entire way down the field. And it’s going to come down to that on Saturday as well – offensive execution.

So yes, Logan Thomas was partly responsible for that interception to Jarrett Boykin, but he didn’t fumble the ball on the next possession and he didn’t false start at the Clemson 2 yard line. The entire offense – including Thomas - has to grow up and execute each play at a high level. But at least the offense makes sense to me now. I finally have the feeling that players know what they are supposed to do on a given play, and while I saw some missed blocks by both linemen and receivers (I’m looking hard at you right now DJ Coles), I only really felt like there were two or three playcalls I didn’t agree with. Can we stop for a second and appreciate how enormous a difference that is from offenses gone by? I know that the results still sucked but at least I have hope. If the Hokies can actually execute these plays, I think O’Cain can avoid being an obstacle to victory (something Stinespring was terrible at). I also believe that losing like they did to Clemson made it very real for these Hokies in terms of what happens if the players don’t focus like they know they are supposed to. You can hear yelling and screaming from the coaches, but feeling the pain of that loss is the best teacher of all.

I know that injuries might jump out to some of you Superfans as a key area, but frankly, both teams have lost key players so I view this as a wash. Hokie WR Jarrett Boykin and WR Marcus Davis are battling injuries but will play. Yes superstud DT Antoine Hopkins is out, but the Canes are also minus their starting tackle Marcus Forston (Coach Wiles would call that guy their “bellcow”) and their starting middle linebacker Ramon Buchanan. So injuries don’t look like they’ll swing the game one way or the other.

To tie everything into what I opened this post talking about, the far more important stat than how you open conference play is what your record is in conference play at the end of a season, and in that department, Coach Beamer has been extremely successful. The team knows how big of a game this is. I mean it’s Miami, it’s in conference, and it will speak volumes about the directions that each team is headed. The Hokie defense this year is very stout and if the Hokies grow up on offense and catch some sporadic play by the Canes, they could turn this into a romp. Conversely, if the Canes play up to their talent level and the Hokies don’t improve on their execution on offense, it could be another ugly loss. We’ll all find out what is what Saturday afternoon. Until then,

GO HOKIES!!!!!!!

I'm Not Going To Say It... Clemson Review

2011-10-03T16:13:00.001-05:00

While Marshall struggled (and I mean struggled badly) in the run game, Cato was able to find open receivers. As Tech opens ACC play against a juggernaut through the air, I fear that the defense will not be up to the challenge.

These were my words when reviewing the Marshal game. Sitting at the tailgate, these words kept echoing in my head. I knew that defensively we'd be challenged. I knew that offensively, despite what MadJay and many of you other SuperFans have been saying, Logan Thomas has not shown much promise.

The game was clearly a game of an oversized, faster, more athletic team wearing down their opponent. However, in doing so they failed to do what is truly important in games like this.

Again, I will reiterate that I saw Logan Thomas improving throughout the first four games. But I never saw him truly challenged. He never once saw a secondary that covered his receivers well enough that by the time he looked off his first, second, third options, he was in trouble from the incoming pressure.

Statistically, the Hokies were well matched with the Clemson in the game. But the ability to finish drives, either when in the red zone or due to turn overs, the Hokies failed to get in the end zone in this 23-3 loss to the Tigers.

While that may work for the Dallas, the Cowboys have a field goal kicker worth a damn. For that matter they have a punter worth a damn as well.

There's a lot that went into this loss. Very little of it goes towards the players and some of the plays they made. Jarrett Boykin tipped a pass giving the ball up to Xavier Brewer after the Hokies drove down field. David Wilson, who I know is kicking himself for it, fumbled after another good drive. Scott Demler for dropping the ball during a punt and lets face it for not really belong as a punter in a top-tier program. The secondary for being out of position on three big plays that led to the touchdowns.

Tajh Boyd's pass to Sammy Watkins for 23 yards. This play was due to blown coverage. I could clearly see the secondary yelling to the sidelines and each other not knowing where to be.
When Boyd hit Dwayne Allen, Jeron Gouveia-Winslow could be seen waving off the pressure and moved into man coverage. JGW had his man tight, but Eddie Whitley was playing Allen way too softly.
Mike Bellamy's run for 31 yards for the last touchdown was clearly a result of one tired offense that had been on the field a lot despite the fact that Virginia Tech controlled the clock with nearly 35 minutes of possession.

But outside of those three plays, the defense played lights out. This was an amazing display against a very formidable offense that just had a little more gas than they did at the end.

No, the blame for this loss is clearly on three groups of people. The first group is the couches. Offensively, the play calling was suspect at best.

The first play call that I'd love to mention was the decision to punt from the Clemson 32-yard line. Demler is about as accurate as a drunk blind man who just spun around on a bar stool for twenty minutes. Yes, your defense is killing it, but the best that you will get punting is a punt inside the ten. The worst you'd get with a field goal attempt or even going for the first down is giving them position at the 32. (Unlike the NFL, the ball is placed at the line of scrimmage after a missed field goal.)

From the 32-yard line, Justin Myer would have been looking at a 49-yard field goal. Sure the conditions were wet, but at least he would get a shot. Better yet, keep the offense on the field and try to get the first down. Either decision would have been better than punting.

Throughout the game, there were many head scratching decisions made. MadJay mentions the false start penalty on a 3rd and 2 after a Clemson timeout. A bigger slip up was the play calling on the previous play. With the ball inside the 2-yard line on 2nd down, with momentum on our side, instead of punching it straight up the middle, with the conditions wet and slippery, the play call took the ball to the outside where Wilson actually ended up out of bounds a little behind the line of scrimmage.

The second group that just leaves you head scratching is the entire special teams unit. Demler's punts went for 28, 32 (net 12), 35, 11, 28, 29, 29, and 44 yards for an average of 27 yards. Demler's average of 33.1 yards makes him the 144th best punter out of 159 currently playing in FBS. To compare, Dawson Zimmerman's average over 8 punts was 41.375.

Punting aside, kick returning is something that really needs help. Kyshoen Jarrett not only had trouble holding on to the ball but Jayron Hosley is a bit directionally challenged. The east-west running for net losses needs to stop. This wasn't the first game where he's done it.

And now this brings me to the last group that I blame for this loss. Those that cheer and those leading those that cheer. First, the cheerleaders only led the fans in one rendition of "LETS GO" "HOKIES". ONE! Once! AND IT WAS BEFORE THE PLAYERS WERE ON THE FIELD! It was clear from the start that the fans were cold, wet, and miserable. They needed to cheer and they needed to be led in cheer.

Outside of the cheerleaders, I am still disappointed in our fans. Yes, I know it would have been nice to see some razzle dazzle to juice up the crowd, but it works both way folks. We needed to juice up the players as well. I spent all game focusing my yelling directionally at Tahj Boyd but felt there wasn't the rumble around me. There wasn't the rumble that I felt and heard in that 2003 Miami game that, since suffering significant hearing loss, now requires me to wear hearing protection to games.

In closing, I would like to directly address Mr. David Wilson. Keep your head in the game son. Remember, your goals in regards to the fumbles. Remember all of your goals for this year. That play you made for 19 yards after you almost lost 25 yard was AMAZING! Just don't friggin' do it again!

Go Hokies! Beat Miami!

3 Key Plays

2011-10-02T09:38:00.003-05:00

Don't think that this wasn't still the TerrorDome after last night's game. In the first half, Clemson did what all of it's opponents usually do in that environment - they struggled. And that is always when the Hokies build a lead, get the crowd even more fired up and then during the 2nd half, when the opponent is one-dimensional, the Hokies typically feed off of that and put the game away. That's why all of the Key Plays from the game, happened in the first 25 minutes of the game, because they set the tone the rest of the way.

1) 3rd and 4 from the Clemson 41 and on the Hokies first offensive series they were looking GOOD. The Hokie defense had stopped Clemson on a three and out, and then had to overcome an insane roughing the kicker penalty to stop them AGAIN. Impressive. Meanwhile, the Hokie offense was getting chunks of yardage, on David Wilson runs and catches. And on 3rd down, Mike O'Cain dialed up the perfect play and Logan Thomas made a not-so-great but definitely catchable pass on a slant route to Jarrett Boykin. Boykin however, tipped the ball up into the air for an interception and it killed the drive. If the Hokies had gotten in to score on this drive, I promise you, they win this game. The environment was that electric.

2) At the 5:55 mark of the first quarter, still scoreless with the Hokie defense playing lights out, David Wilson bursts through the line at the Clemson 48 yard line on 1st and 10 - and fumbles. Great hit by the Clemson player but Wilson has GOT to keep that ball covered up. Again, with the way the offense was moving the ball early, if the Hokies hadn't turned it over, they were moving the ball at will, and the defense was still crushing the Tigers at that point. Instead, Clemson gets the ball in great field position and scores a FG.

3) The critical error of the night. Following a Jayron Hosley interception, the Hokies again easily moved the ball down to the Clemson 2 yd line midway through the second quarter. On 3rd and goal, Clemson called a timeout and the Hokies had time to determine exactly what play they wanted. AT HOME, the Hokies were flagged for a false start as C Andrew Miller didn't snap the ball when he was supposed to and the rest of the team went. The 5 yd penalty moved them back and the Hokies settled for a tying FG. After the phantom personal foul on the following kickoff, the Tigers took over at the Hokie 48 yd-line and were able to recapture the momentum, but scoring a TD and going ahead 7-3, I promise you would have changed the outcome of the game.

So there you have it. Three critical errors, usually reserved for the visiting side in the first half of a night game at Lane Stadium. Make no mistake, the game was lost at that point and I knew it. You could tell from Coach Beamer's frustration level, that he knew it, too. He knows the formula: get ahead early, put all the pressure on the opponent, keep the crowd in it and win the game. Had the Hokies not committed these three mistakes (only one of which was created by the Tigers) it's very reasonable to imagine that the Hokies go in at halftime in the WORST CASE, ahead 13-10, and more likely, 17-3. As I said in the preview, I hoped the moment wasn't too big for these players, but it was. They had the ability to beat this very good Tiger team, they just didn't go out and do it. And I'm absolutely disgusted.

Game Preview - VT vs. Clemson

2011-09-27T21:09:00.006-05:00

Oh my. Oh my goodness. This. Is. A. Big. Game.

This is the level of Miami coming here in 2003 and 2005, Clemson coming to Lane on a Thursday night in 2006, or FSU and Boston College visiting in 2007. Clemson's 2011 squad is every bit as good as those aforementioned teams and except for the final 2 minutes of the Boston College game in 2007 and the Miami game in 2005, every one of those teams came in on this enormous stage and left not only in a loss, but got MANHANDLED by the Hokies. The Boston College ending was the result of a superhuman effort by a Heisman-worthy QB in Matt Ryan. The 2005 Miami game? We'll come back to that later.

The point is that Lane Stadium at night is no stranger to huge games and it has been one hell of a tough place to come in and get a win for opposing squads. Believe me when I tell you that Saturday night, Lane Stadium is going to be as raucous and "TerrorDome" as it has ever been. And after reviewing the Tigers' game footage in their wins against Auburn, Wofford and Florida State you also need to believe me when I tell you that the Hokies are going to need every bit of that intensity to help them in this game.

Let's start by taking a look at the unheralded matchup of the two special teams units in this game because I genuinely believe that despite getting no press in the lead-up, the hidden yardage and points from special teams could play a big role especially if the game is a close-fought affair.

The FG kicking looks like it's about a wash here. Clemson's Chandler Catanzaro is 4-of-6 but only had 1 big FG on the season that he's made and that was in the Florida State game last week. He has a history of missing kicks in big games from last season and going up against the Hokies FG blocking unit, on the road, at night is not the easiest circumstance to nail a FG. Unfortunately Hokie kicker Cody Journell has never kicked in a big game in his college career and while I think he has the talent to get it done, he's only 4-of-7 on the year in kicks and we won't find out what he's made of until Saturday.

The kickoff unit is a definite advantage for the Hokies. Justin Myer has a nearly 50% touchback rate on his kickoffs which is preposterous. On kickoff returns, the Hokies average 24.5 yds/return (not counting the returns from all-time VT kickoff return leader Dyrell Roberts who's out for the season). Meanwhile, Clemson's kickoffs only are touchbacks 28% of the time and they are getting 21 yds/return on the kicks that they are fielding themselves.

The real concern here is in punting. Clemson's senior punter Dawson Zimmerman is averaging 43 yds/kick. Meanwhile Hokie P Scott Demler inexplicably keeps trotting out as the starting punter as he's done yet again this week somehow, despite being benched for WR Danny Coale against Marshall. Look, I know putting a freshman punter in Michael Branthover out there sounds crazy, especially in the first home night game, but this is Coach Beamer's FAULT!!! He's had multiple opportunities to give Branthover a chance to kick in games where a botched punt wouldn't cost the Hokies the game and he hasn't done it. Demler's only averaging 35 yds/kick and that just doesn't cut it at this level of football, PARTICULARLY at a school known for its special teams. Yes, the Hokies are 2nd in the nation in punt return coverage (allowing -4 yards/return) but that is misleading. Most of the punts aren't returned as they are just going out of bounds 25-30 yards downfield and then there was one return for huge lost yardage in the ECU game where their returner muffed the punt.

So looking at the special teams, on paper, both teams have advantages/disadvantages in different areas but all it takes is one screw-up on special teams to completely change the complexion of this big game. A made or missed FG, an electric return by Jayron Hosley or David Wilson in the kicking game, a poor punt by Demler, any of these can turn this game on its head. And I'm sweating about it already, like at near sauna levels of sweat.

Let's next turn to the Hokie offense vs. the Clemson defense (just to build the suspense for that matchup that everyone's talking about between the Hokie defense and Clemson offense). It is at this time that I'd like - actually I wouldn't like, but I feel compelled - to dig up a painful memory: the 2005 Miami game. That game featured an undefeated Hokie squad hosting #5 Miami in a similar atmosphere. The Walk for that game was the most epic one I've ever seen. The Hokies were very potent on offense that season and despite already feeling a sense of dread about Coach Stinespring as offensive coordinator, we felt like the reins might eventually be turned over to QB coach Kevin Rogers (get better soon Coach) and the bottom line is we were all very psyched up about the Hokies and how they matched up with their opponent on defense.

But the size of the moment was too big for that Hokies' squad. They played some of the worst football I've seen any Hokie offense play and if you have followed this blog for not even a month, you should have a sense of just how bad that was. The Hokies had 8 penalties that night, 3 of which were holding calls and they fumbled the ball a nearly incomprehensible 5 times (losing 4 of them) despite not a drop of rain. It was as if all the good things we'd seen up to that point in the season didn't matter. QB Marcus Vick, who had an otherwise stellar season that year, played like it was his first game ever. It was just a comedy of errors and it happened at night. In Lane Stadium. In a big game.

That's the cold shower that tempers my excitement about this Hokie offense. They certainly look like they matchup well against this Tiger defense. The defensive line for the Tigers is solid, but their back seven is either inexperienced or not playing very well. I thought the Hokie pass blocking up to this point has been absolutely phenomenal. If they give QB Logan Thomas time, he has the arm and seems to be making great reads on most of his plays (while still having a few boneheaded throws towards the end of some recent games) which could really hurt Clemson. And it looks like WR Jarrett Boykin will be back against Clemson, which helps the depleted but talented receiving corps. But I'm going to go ahead and spring the biggest key to this entire game and here it is buried in the middle of the review. It's like a hidden treasure if you think about it (or would be if I could write worth a damn).

The single biggest key to this game boils down to the Hokie's possessing the ball. They are 2nd in the nation in time of possession at 36 minutes per game. And it hasn't been by moving the chains with the running game other than in the 2nd half of the East Carolina game. It has been through a possession-based, 3rd-down-converting passing game. The focus hasn't been on huge plays in the passing game, but in just keeping the chains moving. The reason this is so critical against Clemson is two-fold.

First of all, the obvious is that it keeps the potent Clemson offense off the field while simultaneously keeping the Hokie defense rested. But more subtly, it wears down the Tiger defense. And right now, the Hokie offensive line isn't getting enough push at the point of attack to run the ball effectively early in games. It has been painfully obvious against both Arkansas State and Marshall, that the line of scrimmage didn't move forward and in some cases, was even pushed backwards. OK so Arkansas State had some real talent and experience on their d-line but MARSHALL?!! Their line was a joke and a rested RG Jaymes Brooks and C Andrew Miller seemed to be the only two who could consistently move their opponent around on running plays. So if the Hokies are going to have any success running the ball it is going to come at the end of the game against a hopefully exhausted Tiger defense. Remember that the Tigers' offense is not on the field for very long usually. They are a deep-shot, big-play offense and then BAM their defense is back on the field. If the Hokies can string together some long drives, it could really open up the running game in the 4th quarter when RB's David Wilson and Josh Oglesby could start pounding away on the Tigers for one of those will-crumpling drives that can either protect a lead or take a lead if need be.

Time of possession also hinges on that crucial point that I was making about the '05 Miami game - focus. The Hokies just cannot turn the ball over against Clemson. They have got to play physical, mistake-free football on offense and churn some clock in order to give Tech a chance in this game. The moment hopefully will not be too big for these players and it's one of those deals where, despite liking what I've seen out of Thomas, Wilson and the rest thus far this season, we won't know how they'll respond until they take the field on Saturday.

And now we come to the main event, the top of the card, so to speak. When the speedy, talented Clemson offense takes the field against the speedy, talented VT defense. I have already alluded to the quick-strike capability of the Tigers. And the disadvantage for a defense playing against the Tigers is that you know they're going to take deep shots, but you don't know when, and in the interim they are going to be bashing you with a running game featuring jet sweeps, draw plays, handoffs out of the I-formation, oh and one more thing, they don't ever huddle and try and run 80 plays/game. I like the middle of the Hokie defense (the Hopkins' brothers at tackle and Bruce Taylor at MLB) getting a good push. And I like the Hokies on the edge with Tariq Edwards and Kyle Fuller (who will play the majority of this game at nickel). I think Antone Exum and Bigtime Eddie Whitley are really going to be tested in this matchup to properly read the run vs. pass especially with All-Universe Freshman WR Sammy Watkins running around like a jackrabbit. But I don't think that's the key when these units are on the field.

No, my Calm and Beloved Reader, the key is going to involve Coach Foster having to do something that I don't know if he is able to do but in order to win this game, he may have to. That key is - trust the 2nd stringers. We've all heard about the dropoff of the first string to the second string from Coach Foster and the other coaches. However, there are positions that I feel good about the backups. You may be thinking to yourself "No big deal MadJay, Coach Wiles rotates defensive linemen regularly, we can do this."

Actually, it IS a big deal, because from what I can see, the way the Tiger offense works, as soon as the ball is spotted, they line up. Yeah, they might not snap the ball until the play clock shows 19 seconds or so (which is still fast) but they are actually lined up on the ball with the clock still showing 26-27 seconds. Then their offensive coordinator Chad Morris looks at the defense and makes the playcall out of the formation they're in and sends it in to QB Tajh Boyd. You almost never have time to change out players mid-drive because they could always just go to a quick snap and catch you completely out of position or maybe not even set-up yet.

What this means is that, in the first half, I view it as mission-critical to get a player like Telvion Clark in for Tariq Edwards and Jack Tyler or Barquell Rivers in for Bruce Taylor for an entire series. Maybe not all at the same time, but get them a break nonetheless. And while I am not the world's biggest James Hopper fan, I'd even give him a series in the first half to sub out for either Exum or Whitley since he knows both positions and he's been in big games before (like the ACC Championship last season). Those snaps could be huge late in the game, especially if the Tiger defense starts to wear out and the Hokie defense can be more fresh as a result of getting a break in the first half. I recognize this is a risk, but all it takes is a moment of exhaustion to cause a coverage bust or being unable to make a tackle on a game-deciding third down. That's worth the risk of a backup not making a play that the starter could in the 2nd quarter. And I think, particularly in the case of Clark and Tyler/Rivers, that these guys aren't much of a dropoff to the starter and if they're on the field with the rest of the starting defense, I view it as a low risk vs. the huge reward of having starters that can play at their very high level late in the game. It also gives these backups meaningful snaps if god-forbid there are any injuries to the starters later in the season.

This game and season are marathons, not sprints and Virginia Tech isn't going to win or lose the ACC Championship on Saturday no matter what the outcome. Having said that, I do believe we are going to learn a lot about the make-up of the team because Clemson is going to come in here swinging. I am proud to know so many Superfans who are going to be at this game, I wish so much that I could be there with them this weekend, because these are the kinds of games that made Lane Stadium famous. In fact, it was 1999 when Clemson came in to Blacksburg at night and an unknown defensive end named Corey Moore went nuts and basically singlehandedly won the game for the Hokies that the term TerrorDome was coined. Who will help Tech carry on that legacy on Saturday night? Or will Clemson and their amazing speed both in players and game tempo come in and run VT into the ground? My stomach is already getting ulcer-ific and it's just Wednesday. Get excited for Saturday and....

GO HOKIES!!!!!!!

Meh. Tech Defeats Marshal to Get To 4-0

2011-09-26T16:32:00.000-05:00

What can I say about this game? The defense was once again phenomenal against the run. They let their opponents have their obligatory one touchdown. However, they pummeled the run game of a team already struggling in that department. The offense moved the ball well and racked up points quick in the first half, but struggled in the second half only to score once. The special teams story continues to get weirder as Danny Coale came in to punt.

Tech's performance in this 30-10 victory over the Thundering Herd cannot truly reflect on how they might do next week as they open up conference play against the red hot Clemson Tigers. The Hokies got a win in a game where it never was in question. There were some good plays, some bad plays, and definitely some ugly plays.

The game began in good fashion. If I were MadJay, I'd say the third play from scrimmage was one of the 3 key plays in this game. Jayron Hosley was burned on an out that allowed Rakeem Cato to hit Aaron Dobson for a 32 yard pass. However, Hosley closed the gap and punched the ball free from behind. He was able to recover the fumble. The catch would have put the Herd in scoring position and instead gave the Hokies the ball. They would end up not capitalizing, but this was just the first in a series of plays that resulted in Tech's favor. I'm going to talk about this play some more when I preview this weekend's game against Clemson.

The Hokies quickly racked up touchdowns on the ground in three of their first four possessions. By early in the second quarter, the Hokies had racked up 20 points and looked as if they were going to run away with it. The Hokies skirted another dangerous momentum changing moment on the PAT for the second touchdown. The PAT was blocked and nearly run back for the 2-point conversion, but was tackled at the fifteen.

David Wilson was able to rack up yards early and finished with 132 yards and 1 touchdown. Josh Oglesby had his fair share of carries and had 75 yards and two touchdowns. Logan Thomas went 22 for 33 for 229 yards and a rushing touchdown.

One thing, I am very happy about on offense is the great mix of play calling. It's super refreshing to see an offense do what works and stick with it. One must wonder whether missing Jarrett Boykin and Dyrell Roberts had much of an impact on Thomas's target selection. His main target has been Coale and this weekend's game was no different. He hit Coale for 107 yards on 7 receptions. D.J. Coles had 66 yards on 8 receptions. Outside of that, he hit 6 other receivers including Eric Martin and Chris Drager. I for one welcome the return of productive tight ends.

Special teams struggles continued in this game. Scott Demler was able to hit his first punt for 51 yards. But when his second barely cleared 25 yards, Beamer made the change. But not the change one would have expected. At some point, the Hokies will need to test freshman Michael Branthover. However, true to the depth chart, Beamer put in Danny Coale at punter. He didn't fair all that well, but at least Beamer is acknowledging there's a problem. Another area in which I wouldn't expect to see problems, Justin Myer struggled with the kickoff. There was only one touchback, and many balls that were low line-drives that didn't go very far through the air. One of which landed at the 25-yard line before bouncing its way further.

While Marshall struggled (and I mean struggled badly) in the run game, Cato was able to find open receivers. As Tech opens ACC play against a juggernaut through the air, I fear that the defense will not be up to the challenge. All Clemson has to do is look at the Marshall 38 second touchdown and all the breakdown in coverage especially to last play. Deitrick Bonner let Dobson slip behind him and there was no safety help over the top. Dabo Swinney and Chad Morris need only to look at this drive to see how to move the ball. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The game was clearly a game of an oversized, faster, more athletic team wearing down their opponent. However, in doing so they failed to do what is truly important in games like this. That is, they failed to show improvement.

Narf! Mega Conference Redux

2011-09-22T09:45:00.002-05:00

With Brian "Where's the Ice?" on hiatus as he tries to get himself more edumacated, MadJay and I find ourselves in a weird pattern where one of us is doing the review of the previous weekend's game and the review of the upcoming game. That leaves one of us without much responsibility for a week. Knowing us that's just dangerous. If you're thinking what I'm thinking, where are we going to find a duck and hose at this hour?

A little over a year ago, I discussed a theoretical layout of the mega conferences if they were to happen. It now appears that the last few weeks of shuffling talks might be settling down and it's a little scary how some of those predictions are coming true. Here's what we're looking at:

PAC-12. The PAC-12 has decided to remain a 12 team conference.
ACC: Pittsburgh and Syracuse will join the ACC, but no sooner than the 2014-15 academic year. Up to eight other schools are being considered to fill two more spots bringing the ACC to 16 teams. Strong rumors have surfaced that Connecticut and Rutgers are strong possibilities. More on this in a bit.
SEC: Texas A&M has made a bid to join the SEC. Some Big-12 teams, such as Baylor, have threatened to sue as they feel that the departure would violate an agreement made to keep the Big-12 intact. I would imagine that, in the end, this will go through. I would also imagine that the SEC would look to add, at least, a 14th team.
Big East: "Where's the Ice" disagrees with me here, but good riddance. On the departure, of Tech, BC, and Miami, the Big East scrambled and added Cincinnati, Louisville, and South Florida. These were all good additions. Should the above four teams depart, the Big East would be left with several questions.

Do they fold football operations and let the remaining four programs fend for themselves?
Do they go with B.E.A.F, the Big East Armed Forces Conference? This, for one, would make my day!
Or do they, as Baylor and other Big-12 teams have suggested, form a conference with the remaining Big-12 teams. This scenario becomes less likely since the PAC-12 closed its doors to teams like Oklahoma and Oklahoma State who were looking to make the move there.

Regardless, the Big East Football Conference, for its entire existence, has been a joke. A basketball first conference cannot survive in the big boy world of football first conferences. As long as Villanova, St. Johns, Marquette, Georgetown, Seton Hall, DePaul, and Providence have a say in how the conference operates, the Big East will forever waddle in the shallow end of the AQ conference pool. Quite honestly, the MWC deserves an AQ spot more than the Big East does.

If all four teams join the ACC, the Big East would be down to four teams. The team I feel most sorry for is West Virginia. And here's where I will tell you the ACC should reject Syracuse's application and go after West Virginia.

First, because we know it's all about the Benjamins, Syracuse adds nothing to the ACC. The upstate New York market will add little to the bottom-line. And before you say, that it would add the New York City market, I present you with Rutgers and Connecticut. Those teams would do far more in that regard.

Second, adding Pittsburgh without adding one of its true rivals, WVU would be a true shame. Also, WVU has a solid rivalry with Maryland and a once glorious rivalry with Virginia Tech. (I miss ducking flying batteries.)

Third, Syracuse sucks. Oh, and the football team is no good either.

Actually, my ideal Big East gutting, would be to take Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Rutgers, and South Florida. I would love to have Connecticut too, but I think the one NYC school would be enough. South Florida is already developed into a solid top 50 team and has standing rivalries with her sister Florida schools, Miami and Florida State.

All in all, it's an exciting time in college football. It'll be interesting to see how the realignment to mega-conferences will affect the bowl season. Well, enough about the big picture and do what we do everyday:

Try to take over the world, NARF!

Go Hokies!

Game Preview - VT vs. Marshall

2011-09-21T20:53:00.004-05:00

This may just be the shortest game preview we've ever done here at TSF. This Marshall team that the Hokies are going to face is the worst team they will play all year. Yes, even worse than Appalachian State - who I still think is a good team that was just overwhelmed by the moment against Tech. I will admit from what I've seen in watching Marshall highlights from games this season, that they have some decent athletes. For example, there is speed in the backfield in true freshman QB Rakeem Cato and RB Tron Martinez along with another true freshman RB Travon Van who was a University of Florida recruit until academics got in the way. Now, now, Hokie Respect prevents us from making any jokes regarding the academic credentials of our esteemed opponent this week. So there will be no comments of any kind about what did the Marshall graduate say to the Virginia Tech graduate? (do you want fries with that?) Ok, I digress.

Despite talent in a few places on offense and also at defensive end, Marshall appears to be far less disciplined than Arkansas State. Their offensive line has been overpowered in every game and the QB is a true freshman who doesn't always know where to go with the ball. Uh-oh.

They have had busts on the offensive and defensive side of the ball with some regularity this season leading to lots of big plays for their opponent. The only team they've beaten was Southern Miss and in that game Southern Miss out-idioted them. Now Marshall's troubles could be inexperience, or they could be poor coaching, only time will answer which it is, but regardless of the reason, Marshall is just not going to line up and beat Virginia Tech down. If the game is close, or if Marshall wants to win, it is going to have to be because the Hokies will have played the least focused game of their lives. They'd have to have penalties like against ECU, the lack of offensive line push as in the Arkansas State game, they'd have to go bring back Sean Glennon from the 4th quarter of the 2006 Chik-Fil-A Bowl to take all the snaps at QB and put Bryan Stinespring back up into the box to call the plays. Bud Foster would need to be landed on by the paratrooper coming in before the game and Coach Beamer would have had to take several hits of nitrous oxide both before the game and during halftime.

Let's review the stats as to why I would throw around such tomfoolery:

The Hokies are #8 in the nation in scoring defense, #4 in rush defense, #25 in pass defense and #8 in total defense. They are also #4 in time of possession on offense (my goodness when was the last time the Hokies were rated this high in time of possession? EVER?!). Marshall is #107 in scoring offense, #94 in rush offense, #90 in pass offense and #105 in total offense. They are #58 in turnover margin and #110 in time of possession. And that's the week AFTER playing Ohio.....

Of course, having seen all these shenanigans...
"I will pistol whip the next guy that says "shenanigans"

... one could be forgiven for thinking - "well the Hokies can sleepwalk through this one". The answer to that is ABSOLUTELY NOT. Even forgetting the game-that-shall-not-be-named from last season, this game is an opportunity for the team to get better and they'd better take advantage of it. In the end it's still a road game and good experience for the younger players. There is so much the Hokies have to work on from the first three games that if they let this slip past, not only could they still lose the game but even if they win ugly they will not be going into the ACC slate on a good note. As we saw last year, a football season can be all about momentum. It's pretty evident which teams play with it and which ones don't. And a 17-14 win on Saturday isn't what Superfans are looking for in this game. I don't know what type of score is acceptable but I'll know it if I see one that isn't.

GO HOKIES!!!!!!!!

Game Review - VT vs. Arkansas State

2011-09-18T14:16:00.003-05:00

Behind another suffocating effort by the defense and a creatively called (if poorly executed at times) gameplan on offense, the Hokies stifled a FAR tougher than expected opponent - the Arkansas State Red Wolves - 26-7 on Saturday in Blacksburg. But you didn't come here to read that. You already know that. After all, you are a Superfan.

There were some things in this game that were so positive as to make me think the Hokies could win the ACC title this year, and there were some things that were so negative that I am worried about the game next week at Marshall. But before I get into what I saw from Virginia Tech, I'd like to address Arkansas State for a second.

To put it plainly, the Red Wolves are the best team that the Hokies have played this season, and frankly are probably better than half the teams in the ACC. They are substantially better than East Carolina and I know that because the score of the two games was similar but the Hokies played far better against Arkansas State. The ASU defense is undersized but as fast as lightning. And the offensive unit is going to have great success this season, they just happened to run into one of the top 5 secondaries in the country in the Hokies. I just cannot believe how well coached the Red Wolves were. So I looked at the coaching staff bio and it started to become clear. Half the staff has coaching experience in the SEC, including Head Coach Hugh Freeze who was at Ole Miss for several years and was actually their interim head coach at the end of the '07 season. Chris Kiffin is the son of NFL defensive genius Monty Kiffin (and brother of major d-bag Lane Kiffin) and worked for his father in the Tampa Bay Bucs organization. Defensive coordinator Dave Wommack was the defensive coordinator for Georgia Tech when they won the ACC title in '09 and was a two-time nominee for the Frank Broyles award for best assistant coach in the country. I don't know how Freeze recruited a staff of that caliber to the likes of Arkansas State, but that program isn't the perennial doormat from the '90s anymore.

Take that coaching staff and add in a lot of speed and experience and you end up with the Red Wolves that Tech played yesterday. Their defensive line played with incredible leverage all-game, keeping low and preventing the Hokies from getting any real push. The linebackers were undersized but EXTREMELY fast and so was the secondary, and the back 7 always seemed to be in position to make a play. They might not have made it every time as the Hokie skill players were stronger, but they were in the right place to do so. Having 10 seniors on defense will do that for you.

On offense, the Red Wolves would have had a lot more success if VT hadn't already lined up against two variants of the spread offense already this season in Appalachian State and East Carolina. ASU has an NFL-caliber receiver in 6'5" Josh Jarboe and they get their players out in space to make plays. Their QB is very fundamentally sound and does a tremendous job with ball-fakes in the running game and looking off safeties in the passing game. As I stated above, however, all four players in the Hokie secondary are probably first or second team all-ACC caliber players, and they have an All-American at corner in Hosley.

So now that we know how good Arkansas State was, one could understand how excited I was at some of the plays that the Hokies made on Saturday. Let's start with the Hokie defense:

First of all, the 51 yard gain on the first play of the game for Arkansas State ended up being 20% of their entire offensive output for the day. After that mistake on the opening play, biting on the play fake, Kyle Fuller played like a man possessed. He, Jayron Hosley and Cris Hill all had at least 2 spectacular pass breakups each and only allowed a 44% completion with two INTs (both by Hosley). The defensive line - specifically both Hopkins brothers at tackle - ate up the running game all day. The defense forced a safety and had seven 3-and-outs. And in the most important stat of all, they only gave up 7 points. With all that goodness, how could I still be so nervous and irritated at the defense?

Well, the answer lies in the fact that in a later game on Saturday, the Clemson Tigers lit up the defending national champion Auburn Tigers for 38 points in a big win, using a VERY similar offense to what the Red Wolves ran. And there were two repeated mistakes the Hokie defense made, that while against Arkansas State might have just extended a few drives, against Clemson could cost them the game.

The first mistake was that the defensive ends or the whip, depending on the formation, are supposed to keep edge responsibility and didn't. On at least 4 OCCASIONS, the gave up the edge and let an ASU player get outside of them with the ball. JGW gave up the edge on ASU's lone touchdown keeper by the QB which was sickening. But it wasn't just him. James Gayle, Zack McCray and Duan Perez-Means each made the same mistake when it was their job to keep outside. Now I did see McCray and Perez-Means both make the correct play later in the game, so I feel somewhat better, but those lapses in focus will be deadly against a team with far more speed like Clemson. Yes, Arkansas State QB Ryan Aplin is great with the ball fake, but that's no excuse.

The second mistake was uncoordinated pass rushes. I got so sick of seeing both Bruce Taylor and JGW rush around the outside when James Gayle was also beating his man to the outside. This REPEATEDLY allowed the ASU QB, who has good feel in the pocket, to simply step up and deliver a ball with no one in his throwing lane. I couldn't figure out who was supposed to be staying inside but someone damn well should have been. For most of the game, the Hokies kept dialing up pressure and while they had 3 sacks, one of them was for intentional grounding. The QB was able to make a throw most of the time, it was just phenomenal coverage that prevented the Red Wolves from executing well on offense. At the end of the day, the line of scrimmage was controlled by the Hokie defensive middle but they couldn't generate enough pressure despite bringing it all day.

Ironically, this is exactly what happened when the units were reversed and the Hokies were on offense. While the pass protection for VT was very solid for the most part, one of the most frustrating aspects of the game yesterday was the Hokies' inability to get a push at the line of scrimmage in the running game. This offensive line was getting stood up. Now yes, this was an extremely well-coached, senior-laden defensive line they were up against but I still can't believe that with the depth on O-line that they couldn't wear Arkansas State down during the course of a game when VT held the ball for 13 MINUTES more than their opponent. The Hokies didn't get any push at the line of scrimmage all day and that quite simply isn't going to cut it as the level of competition increases.

Having said that, the problems in the running game paradoxically lead me to what I was so excited about with this Hokie offense. With Arkansas State 100% committed to stopping the run with 8-9 man fronts and not backing off of that no matter how much success Tech had passing the ball, I was flabbergasted to see VT actually do the right thing and stay with the passing game. Just as in last week's game, where running the ball late against East Carolina was absolutely what the game called for, against the Red Wolves, Offensive Coordinator Mike O'Cain stuck with the passing game and actually utilized a ball-control passing game that I frankly had no idea the Hokies had in their arsenal. I think the peak of this entire game came for me (and this might be the offensive highlight of the past 4 seasons) at the 12:25 minute mark of the 3rd quarter. Facing 3rd and 1 from their own 44 yard line, the absolutely unbelievable sight of a play action call on this down and distance, something I've been pleading and begging for for at least 5 years, left me looking at the TV like this. Thomas hit TE George George on the seam route with a perfectly thrown ball for a 37 yard gain. It must have caught Arkansas State equally by surprise as George was WIDE open. Now, one could be forgiven for thinking I'm nuts, getting all worked up about a 3rd and 1 play action call. But hold on for a sec. Yes I am nuts, but when was the last time you can recall a play action pass on 3rd and 1 from Virginia Tech? The 4th and goal play action from the 1 early in the game was a nice call and should have been a TD, but I was in denial about O'Cain possibly being a good play caller until this 3rd and 1 choice.

And the other thing that was so exciting about the playcalling on offense was watching the growth of Logan Thomas. Sure he still had some bad plays. That first interception on a ball intended for Marcus Davis would actually have been a touchdown with a better thrown ball. The interception on the ball thrown to Danny Coale was just a bad decision. It was the same play as Thomas hit Coale for a big gainer early in the game, but with the game nearly locked up in the 4th quarter and the Hokies driving for the icing field goal (or touchdown), that was no time to take a shot because they were moving the chains very consistently. But I have made my decision about Thomas, and I am certain that he is the real deal. If you want any further proof, go to ESPN3.com and load up the game to the 5:44 mark in the 1st quarter. On 1st and 10, the Red Wolves dialed up a run blitz again, but it was picked up on the edge. Unfortunately, Andrew Miller, the center, picked up the wrong guy and his man came free up the middle. Thomas felt the pressure and outran the lineman and a linebacker to the sideline and then, while running full speed to his right, he found a man and threw a strike 35 yards downfield back across his body, hitting Randall Dunn in a dead run right in the hands. Should have been a touchdown and Dunn dropped it. Thomas didn't hang his head, came back the very next play and threw a perfect screen to DJ Coles, also hitting him on the run, allowing Coles to utilize a great block from Danny Coale to cash in on a 49 yard touchdown pass play, before my jaw could even get off the ground about the previous play.

When Tyrod Taylor had that miracle play at the end of the Nebraska game on the pass to Dyrell Roberts (big shout-out to Roberts for a healthy recovery from his broken arm in yesterday's game so he can redshirt and come back next year to mentor all of the young receiving talent coming to Blacksburg), I said on this blog, it was a play that 5 QB's in all of Division I-A could have made. I will repeat myself and say that the play Thomas made on that pass to Dunn was one that maybe 5 QB's in all of Division I-A could have made. Thomas again seemed to be very comfortable in game management as far as formations, no delay of game penalties, etc. He will see a lot to learn from on film, but the makings of a special QB are already there.

Special teams shared in this mix-bag-of-emotions type of day. Justin Myer had 4 of his 5 kickoffs either go to the back of or completely out of the end zone for touchbacks which is ridiculously awesome. But Cody Journell was only 1 for 2 on his FG tries and needs to improve his consistency as neither FG he's missed has been a very long one. The Hokies will have some close games coming up where a FG here or there could be all the difference in the world, so I'm nervous about that. And JUST WHAT THE HELL IS COACH BEAMER THINKING, not giving Michael Branthover a shot at the punter's job?!?!?!?! P Scott Demler had a miserable first punt and no really good punts the entire day!!! I was dumbfounded. Just what would Demler have had to do for Branthover to get a chance - turn around and kick the punt backwards out of the end zone for a safety???!?! Damn that made me angry. With this impressive defense, keeping opponents deep in their own end is just the type of edge that can win a game for VT and 35 yards a kick is absolutely not going to get the job done. I can kick a ball 35 yards (ok with like a 2 second hangtime) but I am old and terrible and I've only punted one time WHICH WAS OUT IN THE CUL-DE-SAC YESTERDAY TO SEE HOW FAR I COULD PUNT. Unacceptable and if this continues it's going to get a lot more attention in Hokie Nation. I agreed with giving Demler a chance, instead of having Danny Coale kick, but Demler's had his chance and hasn't delivered. Branthover deserves a shot.

So while 26-7 doesn't look super, Arkansas State is VERY good and the Hokies left 17 points on the board due to a dropped 4th and goal pass, a bad Thomas interception and a missed Journell FG. That's two weeks in a row that the score should have been more, and while these have both been wins, you just have to capture those points when given those opportunities in conference play. That said, the offense looked like it was able to adapt for the 2nd week in a row to what the defense was giving it. Making adjustments in game has been the hallmark of Bud Foster coached defense forever and at the same time been painfully lacking for the offense lo these many seasons and I'd be lying if I said it didn't bring a tear to my eye yesterday seeing that it's possible for this offense to be good without an improvisational magician like Taylor taking the snaps. They haven't arrived by any stretch of the imagination but they're on the right course.

Another road environment awaits these youngsters on Saturday, and it's the final chance to work the kinks out before ACC season starts. But if this team can put all facets together for a game, it feels like they're capable of something very special.

GO HOKIES!!!!!!

Tech Tries to Recover from Mistakes Against Arkansas State

2011-09-14T13:09:00.000-05:00

"The big thing is that when we needed to do it, we did it."

- Coach Frank Beamer

In order to get a full preview of what we can expect against Arkansas State this weekend, I could rehash all the penalties. I could talk about how we've all established that this was a fluke and that Beamer will not tolerate any screw ups in practice this week and in next weeks game.

I could rehash the dropped balls, which after skimming the footage from Saturday, I'm starting to be a little more convinced that they were, in fact, drops.

Jarrett Boykin himself said that the wide receivers were out of focus. He said during the player's press conference that the struggles in the passing game on the shoulders of the wide receivers, himself included. They dropped too many passes.

We know what Tech needs to improve on. The bottom line is, as Coach Beamer said, when Tech needed to get things done, they did them. They pulled off the win, and they'll address the major issues.

Beamer apologized for not preparing the team mentally for the East Carolina game. He and his staff are correcting these mistakes and will be sure to have the team ready both physically and mentally every week here on out.

Looking at Arkansas State as a team we have to start with the defense. The defense has 10 senior starting. They had 10 players with at least one tackle for loss against Memphis last week. This unit is fast and will cause some trouble in the back field for Logan Thomas and the running backs. This is a team that likes to blitz, accumulating eight sacks in two games, so this may be a big test for the offensive line.

Tech will have to establish themselves early against Arkansas State. Last week was a step backwards in a way and they will need to get back to weekly improvement. They need to put the mistakes of the ECU game behind them and carry on.

The 47-3 win over Memphis gave Arkansas State a solid win against their main rival. Arkansas State put up 611 yards of total offense against Memphis. Their quarterback Ryan Aplin was 19-of-21. The backup Andre Smith wasn't to shabby either at 10-12. Offensively, they can rack up points quick. Tech's defense will have their work cut out for them guarding against this air assault.

On special teams they have an amazing kicker Bobby Zalud who kicked a 56 yard field goal in the game against Memphis.

One note about Virginia Tech punting. Questions were raised in the media when Beamer announced that Michael Branthover will be dressed for the Arkansas State game. Scott Demler has been struggling managing just one kick over 40 yards against ECU. Beamer said Monday that he's considering the change, but yesterday said that Demler will likely get another shot.

Tech will need to step up and put last week behind them. The weather is calling for mild temperatures and light rain. It'll be a good day for football in the good ol' 'Burg!

Go Hokies!

To Coach Bowden...

2011-09-14T00:26:00.000-05:00

My hat is off to you sir. Coach Bowden you are a warrior. Over the years, I've gone from hating you to appreciating you as a coach to out right respect for what you mean to college football. Today, with your announcement of being a cancer survivor while continuing to think of nothing but the best for your team, you solidify your place amongst the top reasons why I love college football.

May your cancer remain in remission and may you continue to be an icon in this game we love.

Your truly,
Tech, but more importantly, College Football Super Fan,
Anand "EhhTee" Trivedi

Penalties; Low Confidence Struggles The Story In Win

2011-09-11T13:21:00.009-05:00

I don't know what some folks are talking about. After briefly discussing the game with MadJay and seeing comments from Illinois Hokie, I was expecting to see more dropped balls than orientation day at Carrot Top's Juggling School For The Blind. I just didn't see it.

As a side note, I didn't get to watch the game live but watched it Saturday evening after the awesome Notre Lame loss.

First off, I wish the coverage wasn't pushed back due to the Iowa State and Iowa game going to triple overtime. I missed what I think is three drives plus a bit of the fourth. In those drives, I only noticed two incomplete passes in the play-by-play.

Second, thank you, thank you, thank you and another thank you to the defense. This game could have been pretty ugly and, with the offense struggling, the defense answered the call. Five sacks, nine tackles for losses, and countless hurry-ups caused Dominique Davis and the East Carolina offense 92 negative yards. With that, the Pirates netted -15 yards on the ground. Through the air, Davis barely managed to break 127 yards. The coverage (for the most part) was phenomenal. There were a few dropped balls by ECU receivers that could have caused problems. Overall, this was one of the best defensive performance that I have seen in a long time. (Again, I didn't see the touchdown drive.)

A last note about the defense is that they actually committed five of the twelve penalties the Hokies accumulated in the game. Two pass interference calls (one of which was bogus), and four offsides (one of which was declined.) I want to speak more on the penalties in a bit.

Notable offensive accomplishments include Jarrett Boykin becoming the all-time Tech leader in receptions with 129 receptions. The previous record of 126 was held by Ernest Wilford.

Boykin finished with four receptions which was half of the total eight receptions (two by Danny Coale, and one by David Wilson and Marcus Davis respectively.) These eight came off of 20 attempts by Logan Thomas. He also threw four passes that should have been intercepted (one of which was.) This leaves eight incomplete passes to which one could refer to in discussing whether the receivers were to blame for the poor passing performance.

The first of these (that I was able to see) was during Tech's second drive. After two excellent completions, Thomas tossed one up in the end zone to Danny Coale. Emmanuel Davis covered the route well and as Coale caught the ball he managed to strip the ball out of Coale's hands. This was just good defense. One could argue that Coale should have been able to fight off the strip, but I'll leave that to you.

On Tech's third drive, Marcus Davis had to adjust to a ball that was behind him. Derek Blacknall did well to knock it out of Davis's hands with his helmet. I think we have the same situation here by which I mean one could say it was good defense or just sloppy ball handling.

In the third quarter, a pass to DJ Coles was super low on 2nd and 8. This one was clearly not his fault. The following 3rd and 8 play had Thomas throwing to Boykin. This was the first pass that I saw that was completely the fault of the receiver. Boykin should have caught this ball and, had he done so, he had a clear lane for some serious yardage.

Thomas was visibly uncomfortable in the passing game. Coach Mike O'Cain obviously noticed this and the play calling became extremely one dimensional. The running game did have success. David Wilson ran for 138 yards, Thomas for 66 and Josh Oglesby for 46. Oglesby scored both of Tech's touchdowns. Wilson had his second 100+ yard game on his way to his goal of 1,700 yards for the season. The most impressive thing about all of these runs was the yards after contact. All three runners bulldozed their way past one, two, even three would be tacklers. A lot of this is due to the shear size and athletic ability discrepancies between Tech and ECU.

The coaches realized that they were not prepared and went back to what they know best: power football that wears down your opponent. This works well when you're facing lesser opponents that will, in fact, tire from such a constant assault. Coach Frank Beamer knew that this was not a well prepared for game and even offered an apology, "Mentally, we were just not where we need to be, and that's my fault."

Another problem area was Beamer's baby: special teams. We already knew the Hokies would struggle in the kicking game. Punter Scott Dempler started things out with a short punt that gave the Pirates key field position that led to the Pirates only touchdown. Cody Journell failed to hit a field goal from 30 yards, though he later made up for it by hitting one from 39 yards. But the real problem was when receiving the ball.

Many poor decisions were made in returns. Jayron Hosley returned punts for 3, fumbled (and recovered) his second while the Hokies received a block in the back penalty, and ran backwards 12 yards on yet another.

And lastly, let's address the penalties. The Hokies doubled the average yards the Hokies were penalized in 2010. This was also more yards in penalties at 92 than yards passing at 91. Twelve penalties is also twice the average number of penalties in 2010. These penalties came at some crucial moments. An offsides penalty that offset an interception, another with a third down incomplete pass, three false starts on third and manageable distances, and a [BS] pass interference on an interception all gave ECU more life than they deserved.

Overall, the Hokies were lucky to walk out of Greenville with a Frank Beamer's 200th win. There are a significant number of things to address before the Arkansas State game if the Hokies want to continue to win.

Game Preview - VT vs. East Carolina

2011-09-08T18:34:00.003-05:00

My, oh my, what a difference a year makes!!! Going back and watching last year's VT vs. ECU game in preparation for this preview, an entire flood of memories came back. If you haven't fully repressed the horrors, you too may recall where you were sitting as the Hokies prepared to take on East Carolina in 2010. Tech was 0-2 and I was as bad off as I can remember feeling as a Superfan (certainly back to the loss to Cincinnati in 1995).

I remember writing the blog post after the game-that-shall-not-be-named referencing that very feeling (warning some of these are graphic but so was how bad I felt). And yet I somehow still was able to conjure up a sense that the Hokies - because of who Frank Beamer is - might just be made of the sort of stuff that would allow them to go on and have a remarkable season. Sure enough, they were and they did.

But while re-watching that 2010 matchup against ECU, I vividly recall conjuring up a sense that I was stupid. The Hokies were down 17-7 and facing a 3rd and 20 on their own 19 yard line. Tyrod Taylor as he did so many times during his remarkable career stepped up and with the game - and I don't think it's an exaggeration to say the season - on the line, delivered a strike to Jarrett Boykin for a first down......and Boykin fumbled. An ECU player landed on the ball and had he held onto it, who knows what would have happened? But it came out and Andre Smith fell on the loose ball. The Hokies went on to score a TD on that drive to make it 17-14 and turned everything around (at least until the following week against NC State when David Wilson and Tyrod Taylor had to pull rabbits out of their hat all over again).

To say that play was an emotional roller coaster for me would be accurate if the roller coaster you were referring to was this one.. But ironically, it is the steadiness of Taylor and Beamer and their effect on the team that led the Hokies to the big win against ECU as the first of 11 straight victories they ripped off. And THAT is really the key to the entire game this weekend against ECU in all three phases of the game. Let's break it down:

Hokies Offense vs. ECU Defense

I had to watch the ECU game against South Carolina for comparison here because the Pirates switched defensive alignment from 2010 to 2011. Now playing in a 3-4, they theoretically are much better prepared to defend run gaps and mix their coverages and blitzes up. The problem I saw against South Carolina was that the Pirates may have switched schemes but they don't quite have the personnel to execute this defense. The 3-4 defense relies on a massive and powerful nose tackle to take up space and people in the middle so that an extra LB is always free to make a tackle. The Pirates don't have that yet and QB Stephen Garcia and RB Marcus Lattimore took advantage of big gashing runs up the middle, especially in the 2nd half.

The Hokies should similarly be able to press their advantage in the running game to draw the entire secondary up and allow Logan Thomas to get some 1-on-1 situations with his receivers that he can take advantage of. From what I've seen out of O'Cain in the booth, I have a lot more confidence in some accurate playcalling here.

However, Logan Thomas is not Tyrod Taylor. And I don't mean they are just physically different. Taylor, against ECU last year, was a senior who'd been through it all. He was able to stay steady and deliver play after play even with the Hokies down 10 points. Can Thomas do the same thing this weekend? The fact is I hope he doesn't have to. If the Hokies get down early, on the road, with Thomas in there facing a blitz and some pre-snap movement by the defense, can he stay calm and deliver the ball where it needs to go? And what if I'm wrong and O'Cain still hasn't knocked all the rust off as a playcaller? Can Thomas do what Taylor did last year and make something happen when a play doesn't go as planned? He doesn't have to do it the same way as his toolkit is different than Taylor's. He showed me a lot last weekend in moving around inside and out of the pocket, but that was Appalachian State. Yes they were good and yes they ran a 3-4 defense but East Carolina is probably a little bit better overall athletically than the Mountaineers were (and I don't say that sardonically, I do mean "a little bit better").

So the Hokies have the talent and ability to put up quite a few points in this game. How they play early and how well they maintain their poise will be a HUGE key to that.

Hokies Defense vs. ECU Offense

The closest that ECU comes to matching up with the Hokies is when their offense goes against Tech's defense. Watching the 2010 matchup, this offense was very dangerous even before they really knew what they were doing and young offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley knows how to attack a defense (learned, no doubt, from his mentor Mike Leach). Then last week against South Carolina, they hung 37 points on the Gamecocks and it would have been a lot more if not for 4 turnovers. QB Dominique Davis has faced the Hokie defense twice already and knows how important it is to get the ball out of his hands quickly.

And quickly is right, because this Hokie defensive line is serious. They get a lot of push up the middle and James Gayle and JR Hopkins are coming off the edge, and they are fast. I expect them to be able to generate similar pressure as they did against Appalachian State, but it won't result in as many tackles for loss because Davis isn't going to hold the ball long enough. The Hokie linebackers and secondary are fast enough to keep up with the receivers and backs out of the backfield so speed isn't going to be the problem here.

In fact, the Pirates don't really have much of a running threat at all but they spread you out so wide that it doesn't take but a broken tackle at the line of scrimmage to hit a big gainer. The passing game tries the same philosophy - spread you out, short passes, break that one tackle for the big gainer. So the key to this matchup is - which unit loses patience first?

If Davis gets frustrated early and the Hokies get ahead, he may start to press, which is what happened in last year's game in Blacksburg. He may stop taking the short routes and try and hold the ball a little longer to hit a bigger play. That's when the line can start getting to him. Or he may try and force a ball allowing the Hokies' opportunistic defense to get a pick.

On the flip side of the coin, the Hokie defenders may not stay fundamental in their tackling. Or a DB might try and jump a route early in the game to get an interception. A pass rusher may not maintain his lane and allow Davis to scramble for key yards. This will be about maintaining discipline and choosing the right time to attack on defense (like Rock Carmichael did last year in the 2nd half on his game changing pick-six). They have the playmakers to make plays if they can stay patient and force ECU to try and execute their offense all the way down the field repeatedly.

Hokies Special Teams vs. ECU Special Teams

Field position will be big early in this game and on kickoffs, kickoff return and punt return the Hokies have a big edge here with players like K Justin Myer, and returners Dyrell Roberts, David Wilson and Jayron Hosley. ECU's kicker is a senior but Hokie kicker Cody Journell looks to have a bigger leg. That said, it will be important for Journell to continue kicking the way he did against Appalachian State. The wildcard, of course, is Hokie punter Scott Demler. If he thought he was jittery in the game in Blacksburg, wait until he faces this hostile crowd in Greenville, NC. He HAS to find his poise and deliver good kicks here. The Hokies won't need an All-ACC punting performance Saturday but they can't have that 32 yds/punt garbage they got last weekend either. Don't forget (as if you could) that a blocked punt at the end of the 2008 game in Charlotte was a huge play that helped ECU beat the Hokies that day.

So it comes down to poise. I like what I'm hearing out of the Hokies so far this week; phrases like "we're going to take care of business" and "it's not so much about what they do as it is about what we do". It's one thing to say it during gameweek and it's another to go out and do it on the road with as much youth as there is on this roster. Out of the 72 players going to Greenville, 45 of them are headed there for the first time as members of the football team. They need to play beyond their years and stay steady and poised to allow their physical offensive line and speedy defense to slowly wear down the Pirates and come out of there with a big win.

GO HOKIES!!!!!!!

Game Review - VT vs. Appalachian State

2011-09-04T14:02:00.003-05:00

3 Key Plays will return once ACC season starts, but for now let's take a closer look at the Hokies huge win on Saturday against the Mountaineers of ASU: 66-13.

Perhaps the best way to review this game is to look at the 3 big questions that we asked while wrapping up pre-season camp:

1) Is Mike O'Cain an improvement as the offensive coordinator (whatever you want to call him, that's what he is in practice)?
2) Will the lack of depth at rover, free safety or defensive line rise up and bite VT or will these young players come up to speed quickly?
3) Is Logan Thomas ready to demonstrate what he's shown all offseason - that he is a top-flight QB - or will all this pressure and inexperience get to him?

Let's start with the last question first. QB Logan Thomas has a long way to go to answer just how good he can be, but the simple fact is that the pressure and inexperience CLEARLY had no negative impact on his performance. He looked calm, he managed the game flawlessly and he even had a few plays that demonstrated both his athletic ability and his arm strength and accuracy. Unfortunately, Thomas's stat line didn't reflect the level of his performance: 9-19 for 149 yds, 2 TDs and 0 picks.

Now, reviewing that stat line gives me a chance to express the level of frustration I experienced with the drops from the wide receivers yesterday. There were 4 DROPS of Logan Thomas passes. Had those been caught, his line would have read 13-19 for 266 yds and 3 TDs, which is much more reflective of the way he played. I hurt my hand pounding the table on each one of those drops, not because they impacted the results in this game, but because they could play CRITICAL roles in games in the future.

The first drop was by Joey Phillips, the FB, on a 2nd and 9 very early in the game, deep in ASU territory. Phillips caught everything during camp and even earned a scholarship, only to drop his first pass in a game when it counted and the Hokies had to settle for a FG. The 2nd drop was a stunner. Logan Thomas escaped from the pocket and while running to his left, squared his shoulders and fired a 22 yard DART to almost-all-time-leading-receiver-in-VT-history Jarrett Boykin who juggled it along the sideline and dropped it. The third one was a breathtaking ball to WR Marcus Davis who had gotten behind the defense and it hit him square in the hands on a dead run which would have been a long TD. And the 4th was on 3rd and 20 and a scrambling Thomas running to his right, threw back across his body to WR Dyrell Roberts who could have made a catch for the first down but it bounced off his chest.

Now in each case, (except for Phillips) the WR's atoned for their mistake by making other good catches, but these are absolutely must-have catches. The only example I can think of where a WR dropped a key catch in a close game and it didn't lead to a Hokie loss was when Dyrell Roberts dropped that 4th down pass at midfield with 2:30 left left against Nebraska. Ok so we all know how that ended (Miracle in Blacksburg)., but I think everyone would admit that isn't going to happen everyday, so you can probably understand how I hurt my heel kicking my table after these drops. And that was even before WR Corey Fuller got in with the 3rd string and dropped two gorgeous QB Mark Leal throws (I'd be stunned if Leal throws to Fuller any more this season and I'm not kidding about that). So, so frustrating.

Backing on up to the 2nd question about the youth at rover/defensive line, that question also wasn't completely answered on Saturday but the great news about the Hokies playing so well and getting out to a huge lead is that 6 true freshmen got to play meaningful, significant minutes in the game. Players like Luther Maddy and Corey Marshall got to show why they had earned the right to be in the two-deep. And Boye Aromire showed why Coach Gray was so nervous as he played pretty poorly at rover. But again, the defensive coaches got to empty the bench and give everybody snaps. The 2nd stringers got nearly an entire quarter of play and the third stringers each had a series or two. Players and coaches now get to see these players on film in competition for the first time. The players can see their mistakes the coaches will have plenty of teachable moments and it really puts a boost on the learning curve for the young players this season.

And now the big question - was Coach O'Cain an upgrade at offensive coordinator? Before I address that let me offer a rebuttal to all the Monday Morning Quarterbacks who claim that one can't draw many conclusions from this game because of how outmatched Appalachian State was. Admittedly, ASU didn't play very well early in the game against VT, but they have a lot of talent on that Mountaineer squad and frankly I think they'd beat the bottom 20-30 teams in Division I-A. The fact is that the level of execution by VT's offense was in an entirely different league than what we've seen the past few years. I think that Tyrod Taylor was an absolute magician and Ryan Williams/Darren Evans and these same receivers were similarly dynamic. But the offense in the past few years performed solely on the basis of their talent.

Just looking at how many open receivers there were (and yes, Logan Thomas missed several of them which he will see on film and gain an enormous amount from) was something I haven't seen the past few seasons. Also consider that the pace of the offense was crisp, breaking the huddle with 12-15 seconds left on the playclock almost every single play. That is a HUGE aspect of offense that demonstrates how much more smoothly the machinery was running. Play calls were being communicated quickly from the booth, to the sidelines, to Thomas (how many times did we see Tyrod Taylor rolling his hands in frustration trying to get a play call earlier in the play clock last season?). That is important because with a young QB there are shifts and motions that he needs time to let develop before the snap, which helps him and the linemen identify the type of defense and coverage the defense is in. Running the playclock down too low doesn't give those time to materialize. The repetition also helps get the offense in a rhythm, let's the QB mess with the snap count if he wants to to try and draw offsides and it helps reduce penalties (there weren't any procedure or delay of game penalties on the offense).

The mix of running and passing was going to look effective simply because of how successful the plays were, but look a little deeper. The linemen ran the correct way and weren't tripping over themselves or each other. And another fundamental difference that I witnessed was that the defense didn't know what play was coming. How many times last season was a linebacker filling in behind a pulling guard to drag a running back down in the backfield? That doesn't happen due to more or less athletic talent. The linebacker shoots that gap because they know a run is coming and to which side. I only saw that once against the first string offense yesterday (obviously later in the game, runs were far more prevalent). And then there were the aforementioned wide open receivers, some of whom were open in the middle of the field which is actually being utilized by Coach O'Cain and Thomas.

I have openly and publicly railed against Coach O'Cain as a QB coach but I was so overwhelmed with what I saw out of the offense yesterday that I am half-wondering if he wasn't just hamstrung in helping his QB's improve on fundamentals and reading coverages simply because of how sloppy the offense used to be executed. I will withhold judgment on that until I see several more games. Next week the game is on the road against a better team, which will be a completely different environment for the offense to have to execute against so if we see this same level of play if the number of points is less, that will speak volumes. It is already apparent that O'Cain is far more than just a new playcaller. He has developed new plays and the offense looks and feels different. And I've heard that Coach Stinespring actually LOVES this new structure. He was involved in game-planning and film review during the week and he enjoyed immensely being down on the sideline with the team during the game and having more time to focus on recruiting. Titles notwithstanding, I bet he doesn't miss a bit having the offensive coordinator responsibilities on his shoulders anymore.

At the end of the day, it's worth restating that ASU was fast and strong, but the level of execution on defense and offense by Virginia Tech on Saturday was exceptional. If you still have any questions about the level of competition, think back to 2008 or 2009 against teams like Western Kentucky and Furman and how much better the team looked on Saturday. Aside from the punting, it was the most complete game I've seen the Hokies play since the 2009 Chick-Fil-A Bowl against Tennessee. On special teams, Justin Myers was CRUSHING the ball out of the back of the end zone every time and Cody Journell looked very solid at kicker. Jayron Hosley put on a punt returning clinic and about the only weak spot - Scott Demler - seemed to be all nerves because the coaches swear he is super-consistently hitting 40-45 yard punts in practice.

So we learned some things about the team this week, but in the final analysis this was just like getting the first question right on a 12 question exam. It's good to get it over with, but there's at least 11 more to go and they're not going to go your way just because the first one did. That said, the confidence of the team should be high in the first road game and one can be sure that Hokie Nation is going to turn out in droves to support the team in Greenville, NC next week against ECU.

GO HOKIES!!!!!!

Preseason is over - Roster Breakdown for Opening Day

2011-08-31T16:15:00.003-05:00

[Editor's note: The original post by MadJay had disappeared while EhhTee's post was uploading. Thankfully, I had a backup]

"Dancing days are here again
As the summer evenings grow
I got my flower - I got my power
I got a woman who knows" - Led Zeppelin

Saturday....Hokie football season is upon us on Saturday and I quite simply am beside myself with anticipation. But what self-respecting blog would let the season begin without an in-depth roster breakdown filled with interviews from the coaching staff, highlights of the scrimmages and clever witticisms about each position group? None would. However, since we're no self-respecting blog, you're left with my stale attempts at humor....... and a barely readable summary of the position groups. But cheer up - kickoff is at 12:30 EST on Saturday!!!

Special Teams:

Kicker - Cody Journell becomes the first non-fifth-year senior in 4 years to serve as the kicker. What does that mean? Two things - a) the Hokies can count on developing a top-shelf kicker who can finally prevent the kicking carousel from lasting only one season and b) this young man might not have the poise and maturity of a fifth-year senior which could possibly lead to a few early-season struggles. That said, the kid has a leg and has kicked accurately much of the spring and summer. Kickoff duties will be handled by Justin Myer who has an NFL-caliber leg and the accuracy of this guy.

Punter - Yeah everyone wanted to see Danny Coale become the first WR/Punter in college football history, except it was never going to happen as he is needed as a super-productive possession receiver and punt returner. In steps Scott Demler who wears one glove and while not having the leg of last year's Brian Saunders, has demonstrated remarkable consistency at knocking out 40 yard punts with great hang time.

Defense:

CB - Jayron Hosley becomes the next great cornerback in VT's long line and steps into the boundary corner role. Kyle Fuller's back after a very successful true freshman campaign to man the field corner spot. He will be attacked early and often this year as teams try and run at Hosley and throw at Fuller. Good luck with that. Depth is already waiting in the wings with senior Cris Hill, redshirt freshman Detrick Bonner (who really had a great offseason) and superstud freshmen Kyshoen Jarrett and James Farrow.

Rover - BigTime Eddie Whitley slides over from his free safety position to take on rover duties. He keeps his role as defensive adjustment maker but he gets closer to the line of scrimmage. This kid has been a star his entire career and look for him to make play after play from rover. He is essentially the opposite of last year's rover Davon Morgan - Whitley might be a few pounds smaller and half a step slower than Morgan was, but he is 10x more instinctive than Morgan and better at getting the defense lined up. Unfortunately this position is not deep because the guy with the most experience is James Hopper and he is too small, and the big stud freshman rovers (Boye Aromire and Ronny VanDyke) don't have the mental part of the game down yet. Come on Whitley, stay healthy.

Free Safety - Antone Exum gets to expand his range and make more plays on the ball from the free safety position without having to handle all the playcalling duties (since Whitley will cover that from rover). However it sets Exum up for the 2012 season to step into the leadership role at free safety when he'll add playcalling responsibilities. Unfortunately there is also no depth at safety with an injury setback to freshman Michael Cole bringing his super-encouraging early play this preseason to an premature end. If Exum gets hurt, Whitley comes back to free safety and Hopper plays at rover. Come on Exum, stay healthy.

Linebacker - This has to be the deepest position on the team. Bruce Taylor is All-ACC caliber in the middle and he is backed up by two super instinctive players in Barquell Rivers and Jack Tyler who both have proven bigtime game experience. The major upgrade here is at the Backer position where Tariq Edwards and Telvion Clark waged an unbelievable battle this preseason for the starting role. It was so fierce that despite Edwards winning the starting role, Foster has promised Clark some playing time. Both players are a tremendous physical upgrade from the instinctive but slow Lyndell Gibson. Expect a lot more out of the Backer position this season. Even further depth is found in redshirt freshmen Brian Laiti and Chase Williams. Wow.

Meanwhile Whip LB which we all know was an Achilles Heel for this defense last season saw another intense battle between Jeron Gouveia-Winslow (JGW) and Alonzo Tweedy. Winslow by everyone's account seems to have absolutely turned it on and he won the starting job. That is some impressive character from a kid who could have gone into the tank after what happened last season. Tweedy, as always, remains the physical talent who just misses a play here and there and causes the coaches to have ulcer-inducing rampages during practice. The future here is Nick Dew who Coach Brown and others feel has star written all over him as he is as athletic as Tweedy but more instinctive. Give him another season to get the defense down and then look out.

Defensive Line - This is a simple one. The starting defensive line has the ability to be the best in the ACC this season (which is RIDICULOUS when you consider the lines at Florida State and UNC). James Gayle and JR Collins had monster camps and the Hopkins brothers were wrecking balls at the tackle positions. The key here, though is the backups. Wiles loves to substitute tackles to keep his guys fresh and the defensive tackle duties fall to two true freshmen - Luther Maddy and Corey Marshall. Don't expect to see them in the game at the same time very often but they will both get a lot of playing time on Saturday. The ends feature super physical beast Zack McCray who is starting to have the light turn on, but not fully yet and the very undersized, but very spirited Tyrel Wilson. I would expect the starters to get more snaps than Wiles wants early on, but if the Hokies can blow-out a few opponents and get these backups a lot of live snaps that could be HUGE later this season.

Offense:

Offensive Line - The offensive line is out of excuses. They have depth, they have size, they have talent. This year, with a new starting QB, they had better deliver the goods or all of the weapons on offense are going to go useless and Hokie Nation is going to have a collective heart attack. Superfans like us are going to have quadruple-bypass heart attacks and that is never good.

Suffice to say LT Andrew Lanier, LG Greg Nosal, C Andrew Miller (who by all accounts is an upgrade over last year's dependable Beau Warren), RG Jaymes Brooks, and RT Blake DeChristopher will be closely scrutinized by yours truly on Saturday. Their backups are LT Nick Becton, LG Courtney Prince, C Caleb Farris (true freshman), RG David Wang and RT Vinston Painter figure in a lot this season in an attempt to keep the starters very fresh and allow for a punishing run game in the 4th quarter of ball games. That is a hallmark of good Virginia Tech teams of the past and it was dependent on good depth on the offensive line. 2011 is a chance to relive some of that glory on the O-line. It is also a chance to fall flat on their face and put me in the hospital.

Tight End - Hmmmm. This position is an enigma. Chris Drager is back and showing flashes of his previous greatness at the spot. His 40 times show why he had to come back from defensive end (no shot in the NFL at end) but he is a great blocker and dependable in the passing game. Eric Martin really came on early in preseason and then hurt his shoulders. Thankfully superstud freshman Ryan Malleck showed enough to justify getting into the mix. That is one fluid kid with the ball in his hands (as we noted in his recruiting breakdown). But in all honesty, there has definitely been some question about the TE's in camp lacking solid depth with Malleck being so young, that the fullbacks have begun to figure in to the offense for the first time in 4 years.

Fullback - Josh Phillips and Martin Scales. Huh? That's exactly what you probably thought when you ready those two names. The fact is that these kids are absolutely dynamite. Remember the days of Jarrett Ferguson and Cullen Hawkins? Those guys were killer blockers and actually could get more than 1 yard with the ball in their hands. Plus they were great weapons out of the backfield. Last year Kenny Younger gave us a glimpse of what could be in store, but he was playing on two bad knees. Phillips and Scales both got put on scholarship this year and both block like a load of bricks, catch the ball well out of the backfield and can actually do a little something with the ball in their hands. Look for the fullback in the lineup FAR more often than a two TE-set this season.

Running Back - David Wilson. The End.

Wide Receiver - What better situation to break a new QB in than to have this lineup of WR's? SE Jarrett Boykin and DJ Coles are big strong WR's and Boykin is about to break the alltime receiving record at Tech. Flankers Marcus Davis and Danny Coale bring different things to the table but they are both bigtime playmakers. This group is filled with big, tough kids with tons of big game experience and to top it off they are all excellent blockers. Oh yeah and Dyrell Roberts is back from his leg injury just to help ice the cake and handle the kickoff return duties. Meanwhile, freshmen like Demetri Knowles, Kevin Asante and transfer Corey Fuller set the table for the future. And that's before superfreak Robert Lockhart joins the team (he is taking a prep year this season). Receiver is a strength of this team this season to be sure as Coach Sherman spent most of his preseason worrying about the battle for the 6th receiver position.

Quarterback - The Logan Thomas era begins. The only question marks that remain to be seen is what does he do when they yellow jersey comes off? He hasn't been hit all preseason. Sure, when he tucks the ball and runs he is going to be delivering the damage, but what happens when he takes that first big hit from a defensive end? Will his decision making in the pocket remain sound? If so, if he's indeed made of the right stuff, and he stays healthy, he could have a fantastic season. If he doesn't stay healthy, the reins fall to Mark Leal who, while obviously not having the physical abilities of Logan Thomas, played all spring from 4th on the depth chart to 2nd. And he did it against the starters on defense. And he did it without a yellow jersey meaning he's been hit and had to make good live decisions with the ball. His delivery is a bit unorthodox but he's accurate and has great pocket presence. JuJu Clayton, who I thought had some Bryan Randall in him, did in fact have Bryan Randall in him. Unforunately for Clayton it was that first-year-Bryan-Randall who looked good taking practice reps but couldn't play worth a damn in scrimmage or live action situations. This is the Thomas-Leal show now. And it looks exciting from here.

With a new, revitalized coaching staff the team has a very green feel to it. These kids are HUNGRY. As I said before, the media picking FSU to win the ACC this season was the best thing they could have done for Virginia Tech. Losing to James Madison last year is a pain that will never fully go away for me, but the flipside of that coin is that I know that hurt sticks with the players just as bad and they will use that to fuel them for the opening game. We're left with the following 3 Key Questions coming out of pre-season camp:

1) Is Mike O'Cain an improvement as the offensive coordinator (whatever you want to call him, that's what he is in practice)?
2) Will the lack of depth at rover, free safety or defensive line rise up and bite VT or will these young players come up to speed quickly?
3) Is Logan Thomas ready to demonstrate what he's shown all offseason - that he is a top-flight QB - or will all this pressure and inexperience get to him?

Well, another offseason is gladly left in the abyss called the past. And my heart soars like an eagle. Hokies football season openers are the rejuvenation of my soul. What a man walking through the desert feels when he comes upon the oasis........ok for god's sake that's enough already, LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOKIES!!!!!!!!

Two Words

2011-08-31T16:02:00.004-05:00

You know, I started to write this preview of the Hokies season opener against the Appalachian State Mountaineers with the intent of doing a deep analysis of the Mountaineers and the team they're fielding this year and how the Hokies will handle them.

I thought I could talk about dual threat quarterback DeAndre Presley and how he led the team in rushing yards with 1,131 yards and threw for 2,631 yards.

I could talk about the spread offense that head coach Jerry Moore has successfully used to earn the team six consecutive Southern Conference titles. The same spread offense that the Hokies have continued to struggle against year-in and year-out.

I could talk about the masterfully executed 10-3 season they had in 2010 that continues their streak of six consecutive 10-win seasons.

I could even talk about how, in 2007, the Mountaineers became the first of only two FCS teams to defeat a ranked FBS team at home when they traveled to the Big House in Ann Arbor. This being an experience the Hokies know well as they, last year, became the second of such ranked FBS teams. I, for one, recall thinking after that fateful day just one week short of a year ago, "Hmm... the media is going to have a field day with this one when they start to talk about our 2011 opener."

But, then I thought this game really just boils down to two simple words. Beyond these two simple words, the game will be less about the game itself, but rather more of a device by which we can gauge what the Hokies will look like throughout the rest of this season.

MadJay already gave us a great detailed preview of the key positions on the depth chart for the Hokies. Because of these two words, I think Saturday's matchup, which will be streamed from Lane Stadium on ESPN3.com at 12:30 PM EDT, will be a chance to really analyze how these guys will react on game day when they ramp up to full speed beyond the speed of scrimmage.

When I think of these two words, I know two things about this game. The first is that the Hokies will win this game. The caliber of this win is to be determined by several factors. Does Logan Thomas (who shall not be called LT until he earns it) have the ability to lead the offense. We already know he's got the talent.

It will be determined by the speedy David Wilson and his moment in the sun as he takes on the number one tailback role.

It will be determined by a receiver corp that, I swear we say this every year, has the potential to be the greatest group of receivers in Tech history.

It will also be determined not by ridiculous claims that Danny Coale could be the Hokies' punter, but by a special teams unit that is starting to resemble the units fielded by Frank Beamer back in the mid-nineties.

Beyond the caliber of the win, or perhaps a result thereof, the second thing I know about this game is we will see Mark Leal or Ju-Ju Clayton at some point during the later parts of this game. How will they react to game play? Who will emerge as a true backup to Thomas?

We will see others, as we reflect on these two words, from deep in the depth chart where second and third string questions still exist. Who will truly backup Jayron Hosley at boundary corner? Can Detrick Bonner solidify himself as a redshirt freshman as he steps into the shoes of such greats as Rashad Carmichael, Macho Harris, and DeAngelo Hall?

Sure our starting d-line can be considered one of the greatest in the country, but who's gonna step up behind them?

These are the questions that we will look to answer as we watch this game. By now you're probably dying of me talking about these two words without actually revealing them. By now, if you are a SuperFan, you probably already know these two words. For those who haven't guessed them your wait is finally over. The two words you have been patiently waiting for are the words that this game boils down to and by no other means does anything else mater.

Those words, my SuperFans, are:

James Madison.

Youth Movement

2011-08-28T13:37:00.005-05:00

During Coach Beamer the Elder's current bowl game streak (17 games and counting), the formula has been simple but extremely well-executed - Play some of your starters on special teams, play the toughest sons-of-bitches you could find on defense and have a top-flight strength/conditioning program where your upperclassmen could go from underrated recruit to star player by the time they'd been in the program 2-3 years.

What this has meant is that true and even redshirt freshmen very rarely make the 2-deep roster each year. Last year, one true freshman and three redshirt freshmen were in the opening roster 2-deep. The year before, one true freshman and four redshirt freshmen were in the 2-deep on opening day.

When you consider that the true freshmen in the two-deep the past two seasons have been Derrick Hopkins, Kyle Fuller and Jayron Hosley, that should give you an indication of the level of player it takes to make that two deep. Hell, even Mike Vick didn't play until his redshirt freshman season.

Now look at what has happened this preseason camp. The two-deep for the game opener against Appalachian State has four true freshmen, and three redshirt freshmen. Let's identify them here for your convenience:

Mark Leal - QB (redshirt freshman)

Caleb Farris - C (true freshman)

Zack McCray - DE (redshirt freshman)

Luther Maddy - DT (true freshman)

Corey Marshall - DT (true freshman)

Boye Aromire - Rover (true freshman)

Detrick Bonner - CB (redshirt freshman)

So what does this tell you about the Hokies program? Have they fallen on desperate times? Did they recruit dogs the previous few seasons? Just what exactly is going on here?

The answer is - as is the case for most questions - a combination of a few things. First and foremost, the recruiting classes the past two seasons have been absolutely dynamite. Some of these players are able to come in and compete physically right out of the gate which bodes VERY well for the future. The ones who have been able to handle the mental aspects of the game as well, have earned the right to make the two-deep. It's not as if previous classes have been poor recruiting efforts, but the staff has really gotten good at choosing players that fit the Hokie mold. Namely, they are very athletic, not always the top of the top, but certainly very physically gifted, and in most cases, the game comes naturally to them. On top of all of that, they are willing to work hard. In fact, hard work seems to have become the common thread that Coach Beamer and Co. are looking for among the level of athlete they can choose from, and as we've seen over the years mentality plays as much a role on gameday as the physical ability of the player.

A second factor in this youth movement has admittedly been need. Particularly at the rover position and defensive line, the bodies ready to play those positions are few and far between. Graduation depleted five rovers and defensive tackles the past two seasons, and the heir apparents at defensive tackle and rover (Kwamaine Battle and Theron Norman respectively) have each suffered so many injuries that at this point I'm half-convinced there is a medicine man chanting around a bonfire and sticking their voodoo dolls with poison pins somewhere down in Guatemala. How would I know about such a medicine man, you might ask? Well, let me say that I categorically deny ever taking part in such a ceremony regarding voodoo dolls that represent any players on the Virginia, Notre Lame or Florida State squads. Those are vicious rumors that have never been substantiated.

A third factor that has led to so much youth in the two-deep this year is a bit more subtle. The coaching staff is adapting to a change in the recruiting process and the college football scene in general. High school students almost all come out thinking "I don't want to sit. I am the best. I can play as soon as I get on campus." That's no different than it's ever been, but with advances in the training/coaching/facilities available in high school these days, it is actually true in some cases that the kids are physically ready (have any of you SEEN Corey Marshall? Good heavens). And many of these very top recruits coming out of high school don't just want to hear platitudes about how "We'll let the best players play" and "Every position is an open competition each year". More than just the words, they want to see evidence of this philosophy as it will definitely impact where they go to school.

I doubt it's a coincidence that two of the coaches most resistant to that mentality - Coach Cav and Coach Hite - find themselves promoted into the front office. As a result, Coach Gray and Coach Wiles (secondary and defensive line coaches) have specifically been outspoken about making the competition truly about what they see on the field and in the film room and sure enough the results are showing up in the depth chart. It also isn't a coincidence that they are two of the best recruiters on the staff. I expect the replacements for Cav and Hite to the staff - Coach Brown and Coach Beamer the Younger - to carry this mantra out in word and in deed, as well.

Adding together everything mentioned above I don't necessarily believe this youth movement to be a one season fluke. Now there is so much youth and so little loss to graduation this season that next year we might not see seven true and redshirt freshmen in the two-deep like this year but I'd expect most years going forward, that we'll see more freshmen ready to contribute sooner rather than later.

Speaking of sooner rather than later, this is GAMEWEEK!!! We will do a full breakdown on the roster this week along with the game preview against Appalachian State. I've noticed a lot more spittle in my words and an elevation in my voice volume as the season approaches. It's time to get excited and

GO HOKIES!!!!!!!

Scrimmage #1 highlights

2011-08-20T11:11:00.002-05:00

Scrimmage #2 is underway, but if you want to go ahead and get fired up, watch this.

Pre-season camp #1 - The Interpreter

2011-08-17T20:52:00.006-05:00

So with all the talk these days about conference realignment and the Miami Hurricanes receiving $10 gazillion in improper benefits from boosters over the past 8 years, I get the sense that the focus isn't as much on the field as I think it needs to be. After all, the season is only two weeks away. This is a young Tech team and we need to look more closely at each position group. So who better to turn to than the VT coaching staff?

After all, I'm sure if you're a Superfan, you've read the countless blog posts, Twitter accounts and news stories that various media hacks have run these past few weeks, and the coaches have offered plenty of soundbytes and lines for those stories. The problem is that the coaching staff has a dialect to their language that can be difficult for normal American English speaking folks to understand. It's kind of like watching any Guy Ritchie movie - sure the British gangsters are speaking English, technically, I guess, but with that dialect, you could barely get every third word.

So what I'll do is take a look at how each position group's coach has assessed his group and/or specific players thus far through various quotes and then I will translate from Coachspeak into American English for you, my Calm and Beloved Reader. Awright den? (Sorry, had to get one more Guy Ritchie shot in there).

Coach Mike O'Cain - QBs and "Gameday Playcaller"

"I thought we threw the ball well in individual routes and I thought we were okay throwing it in our team work."

Translation: So basically when there's no defensive backs around or defensive linemen rushing the QB, the QBs can throw it pretty well, but add back in those other variables and everybody except Logan Thomas sucked.

Coach Kevin Sherman - WRs

"It was great to see Dyrell Roberts back out there running around and competing. We've moved him to X (Split End) because of injuries to get him on the field and to get him some work."

Translation: So Dyrell Roberts hasn't fully recovered from his injury and since he can't stretch the field from the flanker position with his old top end speed, I've moved him to split end where he can use his experience to try and get open.

"I'm trying to find my sixth receiver. I have some guys fighting hard for that position."

Translation: Life is so good right now with my top 5 guys I'm like a kid in a candy store. Yeah, let me go see if I can work with the 6th receiver a little bit since the several of the rest of my guys are NFL talents. My toughest decision here is whether to burn the redshirt off freshman Demetri Knowles who is running past everyone out there including Jayron Hosley, but are we really going to waste a year of his as a 6th receiver?! Tough call.

Shane Beamer - RBs

"Right now I think Josh Oglesby has had the best preseason. He's been consistent. He's been very focused, trying to take a leadership role - couldn't be happier with the job he's done. Having said that, Tony Gregory and Michael Holmes are showing flashes."

Translation: If Oglesby wasn't a senior who has given everything for this football program including moving to fullback last year and told he was going to get some touches but he barely did, he would be my #3 back. He's going to be our 3 yards and a cloud of dust back this season while we groom Gregory and Holmes to battle it out for next year.

"Wilson is a special player and I think he's about to have a big, big, big year."

Translation: Wilson is a special player and he's about to have a big, big big year.

Curt Newsome - Offensive Guards and Center

"Vinston Painter had a solid scrimmage. Vinston is a lot better. He's getting close."

Translation: This dadgum sumbitch is a physical monster on par with any player on any line in college football right now, but football just doesn't come naturally to him and as much as I want to get him on the field, when Blake DeChristopher comes back from his pec injury, Painter will be the third-string tackle.

"I really like where these younger guys are. I'm anxious to get Blake DeChristopher back."

Translation: Thank God we've been recruiting talented offensive linemen for a few years or I would have had a 2nd heart attack this preseason already. Our mix 'n' match philosophy on offensive line in scrimmages is wrecking our opportunity to get chemistry going and I need to get my full starting offensive line some reps before the season starts.

Bryan Stinespring - Tight Ends, Offensive Tackles and some weird version of Offensive Coordinator even though O'Cain is designing and installing the plays in camp and I'll be on the sidelines on gameday instead of the booth.

"Will Ryan Malleck play this fall? Well, I think he's going to be an outstanding player at Virginia Tech. The only question is when? At one time, I thought I might have to rush him along, but I'm not thinking like that now."

Translation: One thing I can do is recruit and coach tight ends and I'm glad that Chris Drager and Randall Dunn have really stood out this camp because I want to put in some time with this Malleck kid and turn him into the second coming of Jeff King.

"The guys who did get it will gain a lot from it. Problem is, we didn't have enough of those. Don't get me wrong, it's not an overall wasted opportunity. We just needed to get more out of it than we did."

Full disclosure, in order to write this blogpost I used one of those automated translators that they use in the United Nations where you put on the headset and hear in your language what the other person is saying. Yeah I know, I couldn't believe they had a downloadable catalog of the Coachspeak dialect, either. Anyway, when I played this clip of Stinespring, all I heard through the headphones was "Yeah, I have no idea what I'm saying."

Cornell Brown - Whips

"Alonzo Tweedy was very solid with three tackles and two assists. He would have had a great day because he was flying around, but he had two big mistakes. He was offsides on one play and then lost his man on a touchdown by reading the wrong keys."

Translation: We all know that Alonzo Tweedy is a more physically talented player than JGW but until he quits making mental mistakes, I'm going to keep JGW as the starter. At this point we're all just waiting for Nick Dew to have the light turn on, because when that happens he is going to be a monster at whip.

Torrian Gray - Defensive Secondary

"The scrimmage wasn't as precise and as good as I wanted it to be quite frankly. Glad we've got two weeks out. We're not very good right now with the younger guys and a lot of that is to be expected of freshmen, but we've just got to watch it on film and get better."

Translation: The thing that's so impressive to me about Coach Gray is that you don't really need the Interpreter for him. What you read is really usually what you get. The starters are All-ACC caliber talents and he is going to make them work their asses off and not accept anything less, and the backups at rover and free safety are all too young, making way too many mistakes right now, so he has Whitley and Exum both learning each other's position so he has flexibility in case of an injury.

Charley Wiles - Defensive Line

"If you look at his numbers and look at his body, he's gotten a lot bigger. He is more physical. I wouldn't call him an overall physical kid but he is more physical."

Translation: I am trying everything I can do to get Isaiah Hamlette out of 2nd string defensive tackle because he's so soft he belongs on defensive line at UVa. I lost Kwamaine Battle to a knee for the 2nd straight year and Dwight Tucker for 2 weeks with a knee. Nick Acree moved to offensive line and now I'm having to move freshman stud defensive end Corey Marshall inside to battle for that spot with Hamlette because Kris Harley is a year away and Luther Maddy has locked up the other backup spot.

"He improved markedly from that first little scrimmage. Football makes sense to the kid. He's definitely in the two-deep, if we play tomorrow, he's playing."

Transation: Just because all the recruiting services thought Kris Harley was a super stud at defensive tackle and Luther Maddy was an afterthought doesn't mean anything. And that moron MadJay over at TechSuperfans who REALLY thought Maddy was a reach doesn't know sh-t from shinola because Harley is going to need to be redshirted to get in shape and Maddy is ready to play right now as a true freshman.

Bud Foster - Linebackers, Defensive Coordinator and Walking Deity

"So I really like our first unit, there are some guys on the second unit that I'm pleased with but we need more to step up because we're lacking depth."

Translation: The first unit is about to unleash an entire offseason's worth of my frustration about finishing 52nd in total defense on Appalachian State. If those guys give up so much as a single point in that game you can be sure they are going to hear about it from me on the sideline when they come off the field. Last year's "take it easy on the young guys" mentality is gone now that these players are veterans. And the 2nd string has talent but they are going to receive personal dirty-pond-water enemas from me on a daily basis until I see them learning this defense at the level I expect it to be played.

Frank Beamer - Special Teams and Head Coach

"If Demler was the punter, we'd always feel very confident we had a great backup in Danny Coale. We'll see where it goes. I want to make a decision pretty quickly. I've been please with the way Demler has hit the ball in the preseason for the most part."

Translation: If you hacks think for one second I'm going to let my starting flanker and backup punt returner be the starting punter and serve as an additional media distraction you have bumped your damn heads.

"I think the summers show you the intentions of your players. If they're out there working hard, then their intentions are that they want to be successful. I think this group has been working hard all summer."

Translation: For God's sakes lets put the pads and helmets on and go out there and get this season started already.

Couldn't have spoken it any better myself, Big Whistle. In Coachspeak anyway.

GO HOKIES!!!!!!!

Virginia Tech In Lockdown

2011-08-04T09:55:00.001-05:00

Follow CNN's feed on campus lockdown.

A gunman is reportedly on campus and the administration is taking no chances having learned from the tragedies of April 16th, 2007.

More to follow...

Hokies Football Eve

2011-08-02T17:55:00.006-05:00

Twas the night before football, when all through my house

Not a wink I was sleeping, Googling "big hit Aaron Rouse"

The jerseys were hung by the chimney with care

Knowing that Saint Beamer soon will be there

Yes my Dear and Beloved Reader, it is the eve of a new Virginia Tech Hokies football season. 2011 brings the usual excitements and fears, but this year in particular, the swings of excitement and fear are wider thanks to the many unknowns on this team. The pit of my stomach feels more acidic than usual - both from anticipation and worry. Hello Rolaids my old friend. I've come to see you once again.

The coaching staff has been shuffled around, incredible talent runs throughout the team albeit without a lot of experience in some key areas, and maybe most importantly of all, the schedule shapes up to be very winnable for a young team that needs to improve greatly as the season rolls along.

While I can't remember exactly what happened in the first two games in September 2010 due to the human coping mechanism that forces repression of memories that are too tragic and painful to be recounted in detail, I do know this - I got kicked all in the jimmy during that time and it was REALLY painful. In a year where I used up a total of 3 sick days at work, 2 of them were due to illness over those two losses to start the season.

So this season, I have required myself to try and temper expectations. The QB looks great but he's never started a game. The TE position has no depth. Blake DeChristopher just tore his pec muscle which means a new right tackle will be starting the season and the defensive line has two new starters and no experienced depth. This is going to be rough and tumble for a few games at least, to get that irreplaceable game experience which allows 11 players on a unit to play as a group.

But despite my tempered expectations, I will admit that giving the playcalling duties to Coach Mike O'Cain has allowed a little bit of crazy to infiltrate my thoughts. Stinespring has been such an equalizer for Hokie opponents for so long, that the possibility that O'Cain could actually make some reasonable play calls during the course of a game is so tantalizing........but I digress. He is still after all, a subpar QB coach, so maybe he'll stink at playcalling, too.

The real focus these next few weeks will be on how the players and coaches prepare. By all accounts, including Coach Gentry and our source in Blacksburg, the players - particularly on defense - went absolutely insane in the weight room this summer. Picking FSU to win the ACC was the best thing the media could have done at Media Days in Pinehurst as that found a way to restore the old chip on this team's shoulder, despite being the defending ACC champions.

However, we won't just be watching the team's physical ability, but also their temperament. How do Coach Beamer the Younger with the backs and Coach Brown with whips differ in their on-field personas from their predecessors (Mssrs Hite and Cavanaugh in case any Wahoo spies are reading)? How does Logan Thomas look in the hudde? How ferocious are the middle drills? And one that I'm particularly going to watch closely - how much less tolerant will Coach Foster be with his starters?

All these questions begin to be answered tomorrow. And while we won't know anything concrete until kickoff on September 3rd, all of the unknowns and excitement about Hokie football make tonight Christmas Eve for me and Superfans everywhere!

GO HOKIES!!!!!!!

Virginia Tech Research Provides Crucial Research on Helmets

2011-07-21T20:25:00.002-05:00

Gregg Eastbrook posted this article about how VT's research could and probably will influence every equipment manager in the game, even the NFL.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=easterbrook-110719_virginia_tech_helmet_study&sportCat=nfl

Another HokieNotes Post

2011-07-21T12:07:00.002-05:00

After a scare at West Virginia -- I can't believe I didn't write about that game -- the Hokies continued their march to the national championship game and went up to Philadelphia with an 9-0 record. The previous year, the Temple Owls stunned the Hokies with a major upset. Back then, it was the worst loss in Tech's history as a top 25 team. As of last season, we now all know that is no longer true.

Taken from HokieNotes 01.014 on November 18th, 1999:

Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Cold
Philadelphia, PA -- Homecoming. A 5-0 season. A possible clinched tie for the Big East championship. October 17th, 1998: the darkest day in Tech history.

One year, one month, and six days later, Tech will have its chance to take apart the demons that caused it.

The Hokies will travel to Philadelphia to take on the Temple Owls. The Owls, who are 2-7, shall have they're hands full as Corey Moore and the rest of the Hokies won't let them forget how much that hurt last year.

Corey Moore will also be on everyone's case to put in 100 percent all game long.

I want a hundred points.

The Owls took the first possession of the game down the field for a touchdown and all of a sudden folks were murmuring "Can it happen again?" Well, the Hokies did not allow them to score again and while they didn't score 100 points, they did manage 62.

This video shows both the good and the bad of Michael Vick. It also highlights how atrocious Tech's offensive line was that year.

In The Year 2000...

2011-07-13T13:31:00.005-05:00

Okay, 1999 really.

While we wait for summer practice to begin I thought I'd post a bit of nostalgia. In the next few weeks I'll post little bits of the past. HokieNotes, the original name of TechSuperFans started out as an email to a bunch of die hard fans. From there, it became a newsletter posted first to what was then called onelist.com but now is called Yahoo!Groups.

I wrote the following passage in HokieNotes Vol 01.006:

Blacksburg Bound
This time tomorrow, I will be a Sharky's Supermug drinking, Record Exchange CD purchasing, Mike's Grill Calzone eating, Drill Field lounging, at the game voice-losing, good-times having, Clemson fan bashing, ESPN ranting, Hokie fool. Hoping to catch a glimpse of something in Vick that will show me why he's been hyped so much.

Hmm, 31-7 was a good score for the day. However, Vick wasn't spectacular. In fact, he was borderline disastrous. He had 3 interceptions in 17 throws. He completed only 7 passes for 88 yards. Clemson netted 67 yards on those three interceptions. Ouch.

I remember the game vividly. My friend Matty and I were nervously clutching onto hope and fearing the obvious turn in momentum late in the fourth quarter with the Hokies barely holding on to a lead as Shayne Graham kicked a field goal to give the Hokies a 17-11 advantage. But Clemson had had success driving down the field and were doing so again with their drive that started with 5:00 to go. But then, the miracle that is Corey Moore happened.

Two almost back to back plays (the only thing in between was the PAT, the kickoff, and two completed passes; but I will always remember them as back to back -- it's more epic that way) by Mr. Moore gave the Hokies the definitive win. The first was a sack that forced Clemson's Brandon Streeter to throw the ball into the hands of Ike Charlton. Charlton ran with it into the end zone. The second sack force a fumble and, well, Moore decided he wanted to take that one to grandma's house himself.

By the way, Corey, I'm pretty sure you know this, but Lane Stadium isn't a dome.

As it once was and as it will forever will be: "Llamas are not included."

Hokies/Terps at M&T Bank in 2014

2011-06-29T16:51:00.002-05:00

It's no secret that two of TSF's writers live in Washington, DC. So it's always a treat to be able to go down to Blacksburg for as many games as possible each year.

That said, one thing we do look forward to is the game in College Park that is to occur every five years as the Hokies and Terps exchange a home-home as part of the rotating inter-divisional schedule.

However, the Terrapins recently announce that they will be playing two more games in Baltimore at the Ravens' M&T Bank Stadium. On September 21, 2013, they'll play rival West Virginia.

The other game is the regularly scheduled home game with Virginia Tech in 2014. The Hokie game's exact date will be announced when the official ACC schedule is announced for that year.

The Terrapins hosted Navy at M&T Bank Stadium in 2005 and 2010.

Granted the hour trip to Baltimore is no five hour trip to Blacksburg. But if I'm gonna travel for the game, I'd want a Special Greek and a Super Mug.

Alabama Rematch 2013 a Possibility

2011-06-24T13:44:00.004-05:00

Kyle Tucker is reporting that the Virginia Tech Athletic Department is currently discussing a potential rematch of the 2009 Chick-fil-A Kickoff in which the Hokies lost to the Alabama Crimson Tide. Hokies athletic director Jim Weaver has said that he is talking to Alabama and Chick-fil-A to iron out details for the possibility of revisiting the game to start the 2013 season. However, Weaver made certain to point out that these are only discussions at this point.

"It's nothing that's set in stone," said Weaver.

This has started some discussion amongst staffers and loyal SuperFans. What do you think?

Tech has been involved in games of this nature since 2004 and all but one, last year's Boise State squad, have gone on to win the national title. Alabama, LSU, and USC all won the title after taking out the Hokies in the opener. Some say that this is harmful to the Hokies chances for their own run on the BCS, specifically citing that 2013 will be Logan Thomas's senior year. Thomas is the presumptive starting quarterback for the upcoming 2011 season.

Personally, I believe these games gain the program more, even as losses, than not playing them at all. First, the exposure is momentous. These teams the Hokies play are the elite and will bring fans and TV. Note, the talks for the Chick-fil-A Kickoff include ESPN for nationwide coverage.

Second, to be part of the elite, you have to beat the elite and you can't beat the elite if you never play the elite. Now, I know that this often leads many to add a 'c' before Hokies, but playing the Appalachian States of the world won't gain us much street cred.

Sure we keep losing these games. But as we can see with some of the changes happening this year, maybe we'll see improvement. Throw enough stones in the lake, eventually you build a bridge.

Please Excuse Our Dust...

2011-06-08T15:53:00.003-05:00

While TSF is being remodeled. We'll still have the same great commentary. Our look is going through a modernization.

Feel free to let us know what you think during this process.

Some departures from VT football

2011-06-07T22:09:00.003-05:00

Two Hokie football players have decided to stop pursuing their football careers at Virginia Tech. LB Quillie Odom and DB Lorenzo Williams are still enrolled at Virginia Tech but they are not going to be playing football this fall.

Quillie Odom was recently identified here on TSF as one of the players that we were most wrong about in our annual recruiting breakdowns. He had all the talent in the world, but unfortunately didn't have the maturity to play linebacker the way that Coach Foster demands (i.e. with intensity and listening to coaching even if the message is being delivered loudly and close to your earhole). He came around last year but at that point was already moved to defensive end where he gave a good effort but just doesn't have the size to play that position and get on the field. We wish Quillie the best and trust that he'll go on to finish his degree and have success.

Lorenzo Williams was one of those players that just couldn't catch a break. Williams had the size and speed to be effective at rover or whip but could never stay on the field long enough before being injured. And every time he came back from injury he would just get hurt again. It would have been great to see what Williams could have done had he stayed healthy, but it was finally a never-healing foot injury that permanently ended his career. Again, we hope Williams goes on to make us proud as Hokies in whatever field he chooses.

Summer practice is 7 weeks away so we'll start getting revved up here at that point. Until then, it's back to the weight room.

GO HOKIES!!!!

A Look Back - Recruiting 2007-2010

2011-05-09T20:37:00.002-05:00

Here at TSF we've been doing recruiting class breakdowns internally for years. Starting in February of 2007, we decided to capture those thoughts and put them out for public consumption. It was always an irritating thing for us to see those national recruiting services award "stars" to recruits and rate classes and in some cases, the people doing those evaluations didn't have the background to be doing it. They just relied on what people "in the know" told them about different players and often times awarded stars based on the prestige of the programs that were recruiting them.

Additionally, people subscribe to these recruiting services and rarely are they told how accurate the service is at rating players in RETROSPECT. Where do you go on the internet to get the most accurate predictor of future success of high school football players? The answer is: nowhere. Because rating services can't take into account all the other factors that go into a player's success - their ability to stay out of trouble off the field, their willingness to work hard, the fit of their skill set to the coaching staff they end up playing for, etc.

With that in mind, we don't assign "stars" to the Hokie recruits. We tell you what we see on film and hear from people in the program, just like those services you pay for. The difference is that knowing the coaching staff and the type of player that succeeds in VT's program, we can evaluate film of a player in terms of something in addition to their athletic ability. We consider the current depth chart, the type of offense or defense the player played in high school, how long they've played football, their football IQ, etc. Of course athletic ability still counts for a lot as well.

And now that we've been publishing these predictions for a while, it was suggested (smartly) by a reader, that we take a closer look at how we've done. So what you will see is for each class the percentage of time we were right about a player in that class. If we called for success, the player had to make it into a starting role at some point during their career. If we called for a failure, in order for us to be right, the player had to have never started a single game in their entire career - for any reason. Injury, transfer, or just not being good enough, all were taken into account on both sides of the prediction. For the 2010 class, a success is considered as making the two deep instead of having to have started a game because most of the guys from that class who've already made it into the two-deep will likely start a game at some point in their career. We will leave the 2011 class alone as those players haven't even shown up on campus yet.

Finally, after the percentage accuracy, we will highlight our three biggest misses since we've been doing this (and a miss could be from either side of the coin), as well as our most accurate predictions. So without further ado, here's the breakdown:

Class of 2007 - 67% accurate

Class of 2008 - 69% accurate

Class of 2009 - 55% accurate (assuming the current depth chart holds true for the fall and Cody Journell, James Gayle, Logan Thomas and Tariq Edwards all start)

Class of 2010 - 48% accurate

Three Biggest Misses: (the original write-up on each recruit follows their name).

1) Class of 2010, Skip Hopkins -

"There was great discussion and disagreement within TSF about Hopkins. Just last year, we typed that we couldn't think of a single miss that Coach Cav had in the past 3 recruiting classes. Well, this might be his first in a while. 5'11" 270 lb. defensive tackles don't usually earn scholarships to Virginia Tech. However, back when the Hokies landed Skip’s older brother Antoine (who has turned out to be quite capable) the word on the street was "yep, Antoine is a stud, but you should see his little brother..." And yes, Demetrius Taylor just came off of a very solid senior season at about the same height and weight as Skip. The difference is that Taylor was a converted linebacker who happened to be one of the strongest men to ever play football at Virginia Tech. We’ve read that Skip Hopkins compares favorably to Evan Hailes in the trenches, which is saying something considering the hype behind Hailes' recruitment this year, but the footage on Hopkins doesn’t really seem to show anything more than great athleticism. Hopkins' size and strength just don't seem like they belong at Virginia Tech. Maybe he’ll grow into it. We want to give Coach Cav the benefit of the doubt based on his amazing track record, so just color us confused on this one."

This is what I get for doubting Coach Cav. And to Recruitnik D's credit he was the one who really liked this signing. Hopkins was obviously capable of contributing right away and should be even more of a force this season as a starter.

2) Class of 2008, Quillie Odom -

"One of our favorite players out of the 2007 class, Odom took a year at Hargrave and wow did things change. He became a VERY highly rated recruit due to a stellar campaign at Hargrave and the Hokies are fortunate that Odom has re-commited to Tech because there were some other school pursuing him in the background. We're going to have to use that word again - playmaker. Slightly undersized, Odom is a holy terror with a bloodhound's nose for the ball and the speed and agility to get there quickly. Nothing is surefire in recruiting because of the other off-the-field variables that can affect whether a kid gets the playing time, but Odom looks just about surefire to be in the 2 deep for the Hokies in '09. Coach Bud Foster - who is not known for sending a lot of sunshine up people's tailpipes - offered this tidbit when reviewing Odom's highlight reel - "he's got some of the most impressive tape I've ever seen." Um.... we don't need any further info. Do you? "

All the physical tools but it took him until this point in his career to actually take to coaching and he's plugged in at defensive end where he's too small to be a star. Yes we highlighted the possibility of "off-the-field" variables in the original write-up but we all thought Odom was going to be a bigtime player for Tech and he quite simply wasn't.

3) Class of 2009, Jerrodd Williams -

"It must just get scarier and scarier to be an offensive coordinator in the ACC trying to figure out how they are going to throw the ball on the Hokies. Eddie Whitley and Stephan Virgil look like the next big things at cornerback (Virgil has really already arrived) and in this 2009 class, Williams and Jayron Hosley look to carry on what is fast becoming a direct line to the NFL. Torrian Gray is red-hot right now, both on the recruiting trail and in coaching the secondary and he's the one who landed Williams. So many top corners in high school just get by on being great athletes. Williams is a great athlete who also has a nose for the football. He always seems to be in the right position to make a play on the ball and then he usually does so. Like Hosley, once he has the ball in his hands he has a way of finding the end zone. It's fun to see athletes this talented choosing Virginia Tech over ACC programs like Clemson and UNC."

Well, Williams wasn't fast enough to play corner, didn't want to move to safety and transferred to Clemson. Basically a non-factor from the get-go.

Three Best Picks (ignoring the easy ones like Logan Thomas and Ryan Williams who were so obviously going to be bigtime).

1) Class of 2008 - Dyrell Roberts -

"Playmaker. Put the ball in Roberts' hands and get out the popcorn. Roberts wins the award for most underrated recruit in the class. Think a taller Eddie Royal and you'll understand the potential Roberts has. Coming in to a WR corps losing 4 seniors, Roberts has the physical ability to play as a freshman in the 4 deep. Speed and size are 2 things you can't coach, and Roberts has lots of both. Coale, Terry, Luckett, and Dillard may play well enough to keep a redshirt on Roberts but it doesn't seem likely. Now, this will completely depend on his commitment and dedication to learning the offense and playing his hardest, but just watching his tape, he's breathtaking. He scored from the QB position, RB, WR, and kick returner. A kid like this is one that we hold up to make our annual mockery of the recruiting services that people rely on so greatly. Roberts is a 2 star recruit and Giselle Bundchen has a nice smile. Please."

Until his leg injury in the Georgia Tech game in 2010, Roberts was a playmaker throughout his career in every sense of the word - reverses, kickoff returns, big catches (Nebraska 2009 anybody?). Honestly, Roberts and 2011 WR recruit Robert Lockhart are very similar in that both got no credit because they were under the radar and if they had been spotted by schools like Alabama or LSU they would have been 4-5 star recruits (and unfortunately for Tech probably would have gone to those schools). And though this view may be controversial for some, for Roberts' sake, he ought to take a redshirt in 2011 to get a full recovery from that leg injury. That would allow him to be the senior leader and #1 guy at receiver in the 2012 season. Plus he'd get to mentor the wealth of young WR talent headed to Blacksburg this summer.

2) Class of 2008 - Jake Johnson -

"We bet Jake Johnson reminds Bud Foster of himself when he was younger. This kid is all intensity and he brings a pile of bricks to the football. Fundamentally, however he needs a lot of work. He reaches a lot and makes horse collar and jersey tackles and sometimes on his monster hits he doesn't wrap up. Now in high school that about knocks the RB or QB out, but in college you need to be sound in your tackling. The super-exciting thing about it is that Johnson has the things you can't coach - size, intensity, football instincts. And to address his fundamentals he merely has the best linebacker coach in the country (and we make no reservations about saying that) in Foster to guide that talent into a tackling machine at Virginia Tech. It should be interesting to see where Johnson ends up on the defense. You will hear us say this a lot during this recruiting analysis - sorting out the immense LB talent in this class and the '07 class and getting them into the right positions is a great problem that Coach Foster has."

Probably my favorite write-up. Johnson was the guy that everyone was raving about and he had intensity, no question. But the tape showed the flaws that ended up costing him his starting job and moving him to defensive end (and eventually out of the program). It's surprising he didn't take to Foster's coaching, but from what I heard, he and Foster were too much alike - another aspect we picked up on in this assessment. Goes to show that even a blind squirrel can find an acorn now and again.

3) Class of 2009 - James Gayle

"And now we come to the #1 Most Underrated prospect in the 2009 Class. Gayle was not even covered by most of the recruiting services at all (although Rivals to their credit gave him 3 stars). We hope the recruiting services never notice that if Jim Cavanaugh is recruiting a defensive player, then that player is something special. We said earlier that J.R. Collins is the most ready to take the field at defensive end right now, but James Gayle has the most upside of any of the ends in the '09 class. If Collins reminds us of the solid, productive Orion Martin, Gayle reminds us of the explosive, playmaking Corey Moore and down the road he could be that type of difference maker. Gayle is shot out of a cannon when the ball is snapped, he plays the position violently and with purpose and he demonstrates an uncanny ability to know where the football is going. His speed looks breathtaking, although at 215 lbs he'll need to put on a good 25-30 lbs or more without losing much of that quickness, which sounds like a tough Mike Gentry project. However, if he is able to do so, expect to know James Gayles' name by 2011 at the latest."

We hit two homeruns on this one with the comparison between Collins and Orion Martin and Gayle with Corey Moore. No Gayle hasn't been a starter yet, but by every account he is going to have a monster season barring injury. Usually the spring buzz is about an offensive superstar (think of what we heard when Michael Vick, Tyrod Taylor or Ryan Williams were having their big springs). This time, it's about James Gayle and all the offensive linemen are talking about what a force he is. This is a great legacy as one of the last recruits from Coach Cavanaugh in his long and decorated career of recruiting.

One last accurate prediction I want to throw out there (outlining the past 3 accurate predictions has apparently made me feel full of myself) went against a lot of grain. In 2008 and even up through mid-2009, there were a lot of fans who were unconvinced about the GREATNESS of Tyrod Taylor. Yes, people acknowledged his athleticism, but they questioned whether he would ever be more than Bryan Randall. A good QB and good leader.

From the minute I saw Taylor's performance against LSU, I knew he was a future star and would be better than good. He would be GREAT and I said so. When the coaches tried to redshirt him again in 2008 (and cost the Hokies that game against ECU), I railed against it. Throughout Taylor's career, I have said that he was an NFL talent, struggling to find a place within an incompetent offense and developed by a subpar QB coach. This was my closing point in a post after the 2009 Nebraska Miracle in Blacksburg.

"For all those fans who are saying that the offensive struggles are because Tyrod can't throw the football, let me explain why that is not the case. Sure he had some bad throws on Saturday, there can be no doubt of that. He wishes he had some of those back. But there were several key drops on some good throws and several other stupid formation and holding penalties that nullified very good pass plays. With the game on the line, Taylor's throw to Coale was as he was getting hit by a first round NFL defensive tackle and it travelled 60 yards in the air and couldn't possibly have been thrown more accurately. His play to Roberts, I am telling you for a fact, is a play that probably five quarterbacks in all of Division I-A football could have made. Tyrod Taylor is a physical talent who has had the bad misfortune to play for a terrible offensive coaching staff. He's not being prepared for the next level and I hope you guys can get some sense of how sickening this is for me. There are many things I am not good at (I'm sure we could do an entire series of blog entries on that list) but one thing I can do is gauge football talent. Taylor has a lot of it. Enough to play in the NFL if he were properly coached. It's too bad he's not and on that note……"

Despite those obstacles, he became a 6th round choice of the Ravens and I'm convinced, given a shot, that he can be a starter in that league.

So that wraps up our uhmmmm, wrap-up. Now all you Superfans need to join us as we go hit the weight room in preparation for the start of summer practices in 2 1/2 months. Until then,

GO HOKIES!!!!!!