#51 R.P.I. NC.State @ #68 R.P.I. Virginia Tech:

Today’s word of the day is… urgency!

ur·gen·cy

(ûr′jən-sē)

North Carolina State Defense: (starters back=8)

• 3rd in Total D! 6th in rushing defense. 9th in passing defense.
• 38th in TFL (tackles for a loss), 55th in sacks.
• dLine is 16th in Havoc Rate! (TFL with sacks, Qb pressures and turnovers)
• Lb’s do a lot of read-n-react, then flow to the ball.

  

• This from basically a forty-two or 4-2 Stack Base Set with a full time triple Safety (the Stack is the fun part, as the ILb’s will (sometimes) line up behind the given Dt in an old-school Stack, which (bleeps) with blocking angles/geometry)
• seeing 3 fringe all-A.c.c. caliber guys here upfront. Seeing 3 or 4 fringe guys in the secondary as well. Lb is the least of the Wolfpac’s 3 layers.
• will Press short-side or wide and not much less than Medium Man off of that, 3rd S is kinda a Bandit/Rover hybrid, and the two true Safeties (Fs and Ss) have much deeper responsibilities; and they play the run too shallow on their forward angles (i.e. their hard charging N-S contain can be broken for long runs)
• 3rd S will cheat up for a more even 4-3 look in rushing downs or Red Zone sets. Therefore kicking the Fs even further back, as a safety-net (so to speak) JIC.
• State has a 3-2-6 Dime look for obvious passing situations. (and they will deal or Cb blitz from same)
• Saw some extracurricular pushing/shoving and so-forth during and at the end of plays here.
• very efficacious well coached looking defense. Smart. Heady. Though tackling was a bit army, if the collision hit did not take hold in the secondary in particular. (go fig’?)

Defensive letter-grade:

State Offense: (returning starters=6)

• 1st in TOP! (time of possession: @  +7 minutes)
• 16th in Scoring O, 25th in rushing O.
• State has 5 ball carriers who average >4.1 yards per carry (VT, has 1)
• 72nd in TFL allowed, 78th in Sacks allowed.
• Qb, Jacoby Brissett was #1 in completion% until last week (11th, now). ONLY Has a 1.o1 INT% since 2013!

  

• starting junior Tb, Matthew Dayes, 5’8” and 197 lbs., runs much stronger than he looks, really big ole quads+hammies for his frame!
• will naked oLine at times (no Te) and a split Back from the  Gun.  With some heel-tap pre-snap motion looks shallow.
• State also has a unbalanced oLine (to the short-side) Qb under C look. Likes to Toss
  “Sweep Style play” here, same as our very own Bill Dooley once did. (with downhill zoning L or R). Likewise a balanced H-back set with a strange 2-point and 3-point stance mix up-front. (see: pic) (a 7 men on the LOS call anyone?!?)
• left-Guard Joe Thuney=bell cow here, rest are above average though short of Joe. Schooley is 2nd best at C, given State a pretty solid internal press.
• Saw Trips same side and normally at least 3 fulltime Wideouts, sometimes even 4.
• quite a few variable to semi-variable combination Fronts here to scheme for on a
  short-work week. Lotta counter or crossbuck action here. Kinda a trifecta Flex offense (jet-sweep, plunge, or Qb-keeper), except from under C.
• Most under C looks are atavistic I (formation). Will Pistol I from the short-Gun. (REALLY liked the inside Utah Pass here, Bud Lyte beware!)
• Wr’s are decent and they do block pretty dang well on edge.
• 2 of Top-3 pass catchers are Rb’s or H-back/Te clone!
• mid-range passing, with only 2 completes >33 yards thus far.
• interesting oLine, same as Pitt’s, will pull play-side or pull AWAY or opposite from the play-side be that run or throw. Lotta screening like this here.
• Ground troops will hit home-run plays. State can and has broken some long long runs! (NOTE: 2nd leading, 1st-team all-A.c.c. pre-season and power rusher Tb Shadrach Thornton=DISMISSED from program)

Offensive  letter-grade:

Wolfpack Special Teams: (0 return)
84th in Net Punting with no punt blocks allowed. State has had 1 FGA snuffed out with zero punts or kicks blocked from the Wolfpack themselves. 25% on FGA’s from shortie (5’7”) rookie K, Kyle Bambard thus far however is abysmal. Look for State to go for some 4th-n-mediums if field-position allows. Very spiritedly return teams: 22nd in Punt Return and an even better 13th in KO take backs.  EPIC coverage squads: 10th in Punt Return defense and 14th in KO coverage.

Special Teams letter-grade: (with just average FG-kicking this a an A-unit. However a supper B+++ seems right until they get place-Kicker cleaned up)

X-factor(s):

1. motive: should favor Win needy VT, in particular @Lane; should.
2. health: does favor State, the Rb Dismissal however did hurt.
3. surface: push, both scrum on real Grass.
4. weather: once again, and stop me if you’ve heard this before: RAIN is in the forecast! (edge: State per better reduced Bud Lyte tacking)
5. Penalties: MAJOR edge to 3rd place in flags Nc.State (VT is 111th, worst)
6. Brewer: could be an emotional B-12 shot in the O&M arm per his return.

Illation, conclusion(s) and OPT digits:

the takeaway:
The takeaway here is… this is gonna be a one tough football game, and this just in, rain is rumored to be wet. (MEMO to self: C&P then rinse, recycle, repeat, at least 6 more times this season!)

“Time is the greatest critic of all.”
-George Burns-

And honest to coach God, get a Prayer -no make that several- in for my poor boy Michael Brewer who is risking at least wing and limb on this heretofore 6 screw broken clavicle return! Thanks be to Nelsonia Hokie and to  MEHOKIE for their R&D heavy lifting here. As one study suggested that the athlete should be cleared to return to contact sports in only 16 weeks time. The other said contact sports in 4-5 months. You do the maths, and then tell me how much (more) poor MB12 need give for good ole V.P.I.?

***

As just like playing Pt.Guard in hoops? I’ll pass on saying this is a good idea. Though I’ll also surely cross my eyes, fingers, and toes and Pray to God he lives to fight another day. Tech has a special shoulder pad(ding) and old-school spider brace alike. Though sources did say there are two potential hits/falls they just can not protect against. Not with all the old-school white athletic tape in the world. And yet again, time will tell…

Now, and returning to the matter at hand, the OPT set of digits, in perusing and studying this game, I found the following things…

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1. The State offense has a delightful sense of timing on breaking tape. The Wolfpac’s salesmanship on misdirection is their precision timing, itself. Not just the play-fake, the 1/10th of a second timing itself. Very very well done. Best I’ve seen on film this side of P.J.’s flex-bone having its game of the year.
2. State has a stunning 16.1% advantage in completed passes. This has to count for something, at some point. Ditto 34 quarters and change since their last INT.
3. State’s leading rusher has rushed for 232% more yards than VT’s leading rusher, this too has to count for something, at some point.
4. 10th in 3rd down conversion% O and 12th in 3rd down conversion% D; how does that not count for something, at some point?

Do you see what I mean? Lotta little things favor Nc.State here, and a few little’s makes a medium and two mediums makes a large. Still yet, I hope Frank’s freak-out on the Staff creates a sense of urgency, and methinks Brewer’s return gifts us with some (re)found emotion. That should be enough to push things back towards near even, unless it don’t. As I have this as an pick ’em or draw on paper; and yet I just do not have a good clean feeling about this one. I won’t lie to you, as lying is for rugs.

In conclusion, I foresee two basically middleocore football clubs here even if one has the prettier incoming record.

Critical thinking itself posits a classical fenced either/or scenario; or possibly even a tied contest once regulation time runs out.

Either State is a bit soft and has clawed its way out to a deceptively shinny record thanks to a 119th S.O.S. ranking; and that should be enough for Tech to win at home, at night, in Lane.

Or our beloved Hokies have more than a few little to medium sized urgent-need things that could indeed be a new Staff away from being fixed. And that’s about as urgent as I can take…

upset Index=50% (I have it dead even, a draw)

Virginia Tech=3o, North Carolina State=37 (overtime)

“LETS GO!“

“HOKIES!“

bourbonstreet**