Pittsburgh 17, Virginia Tech 13

♫“This is the end, beautiful friend
This is the end, my only friend, the end
Of our elaborate plans, the end…

Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
I’ll never look into your eyes, again…” ♪

–Jim Morrison, The Doors–

(Prayers at the Stewart family for the soul of Will’s reposed mother-in-law are humbly offered…)

 1Q 15:00, remaining:

You gotta admit, the Pitt belly-dance with the team was pretty funny to watch pre-game.

Although I’m not real sure how much this fires anyone up,  I am sure it fired Pitt up just enough.

 2Q 12:45 remaining:

Here is something coach Scot does beautifully, and never quite gets his come up’ins as credit goes for it. Scripting guys open or creating space to a tertiary or quadratic target; in very particular if said target just so happens to be a Te. Notice how the old-school drag route on the even older-school Boot Play still works like a charm, decades after its initial inception, plural.

Try however not to notice poor #5 Cam Phillips who gets totally stolen by a hustling #30 of Pitt on the pinball steal at the end of the Bucky crossing route along the Hokie sideline –hey this happens, and at least #5 actually does try to block people.

4Q 0:oo remaining:

“…it wasn’t just the offensive line’s fault.” –b.Motely, post-game radio interview

Yikes! Listening live and at first I thought that was pretty severe and not exactly a good way to encourage them to actually block for you.

Then I watched the tape. Watch for yourself as nobody on this o-Line ever bothered to help the guy they got killed, up! Not that I saw anywhere in the 2nd-half anywho. Then notice how -and again- nobody wanted to sit with poor Motley no the Virginia Tech bench (see: below pic). As dude was clearly hurting or even injured on a eerily similar orthodox or throwing right-shoulder plant right into the Worsham Field turf that had shoulder sprain written all over it. And yet nobody bothered to help this poor 7 times sacked, 3 times Qb hurried, 9 times Qb pressured and therefore 24 Time To Throw (TTT)© times contacted and sometimes outright abused Pivot back up? Nobody? Not one? This brings us to Today’s word (or term) of the Day.

Lifeboat ethics

1. Lifeboat ethics is a metaphor for resource distribution proposed by the ecologist Garrett Hardin in 1974.
2. Hardin’s metaphor describes a lifeboat bearing 50 people, with room for ten more. The lifeboat is in an ocean surrounded by a hundred swimmers. The “ethics” of the situation stem from the dilemma of whether (and under what circumstances) swimmers should be taken aboard the lifeboat.
3. i.e. the rest of 2015???

***

Now, and that being said… I do get that this is/was Michael Brewer’s team, even Motley went outta his way to say so up at Purdue; to  Motley’s  credit. Though still yet, somethings not kosher in Denmark sports-fans when the only person I see check on Motley is #19 Fs Chuck Clark at the end of the game. What’s up with that?

“Somebody go help him up man!”
-FOX1’s color commentator-

Yah; no S on that!
Never leave your wingman. That’s just not the …Beamer Way.

Unless “…it is, every man for himself”?

Tech Thoughts:

• I saw the much maligned Tuaman play a bit better. No really, I did! I’m not making that up. He got to the ball better, he tackled a little better, he was even more vocal. Maybe the block shedding will eventually come; maybe it just won’t; however there were other improvements here, in particular in the final 30 minutes of scrumming. And make no mistake folks, Bud Foster really really loves his #54.Why I do not know, just be aware of that, and be aware that this was no real bad Mike-Lb game from a undersized guy who in in there at least a year too early, on 1.5 good wheels. 7 tac’s (player speak for: tackles), 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles, 2 1st-down saving solo stops in the open-field, too.
• 276 total yards allowed by Bud Stout yesterday would rank 11th best outta 128 D-1 teams in Total Defense … I’m jus’ sayin’ …
• 16th best! As in this Hokie O is 16th best in starting field position –don’t feel like it, do it?
• and yet…
• Bud Stout is only ranked 126th (outta 128 D-1 teams) in Defensive Explosiveness! (which measures how successful you are, and how potent you are when you are successful in the first place)
• the Tech run-game is 113th in: Rushing IsoPPP. Meaning we don’t break many tackles or have many Y.A.C. (yards after contact).
• the Hokie run-stop-game is even worse, 126th outta 128 D-1 mens football teams in Rushing Defense IsoPPP. (wow!)
• and we are currently: 115th best in Penalties!
• or in other words gents… …where are our helmet crashing shoulder-pad busting hits? Where is that explosion? Think about it… are you seeing any tomahawk missile type impacts at the game or at home on the telly? Me neither, nor is the Eye in the Sky and nor are all of the advanced statistical metrics designed to measure explosion and hitting.
• Now, everyone gather ’round, as I confess my sins… as it took me a couple of ho-hum weeks to realize that I was not seeing as many so-called “steals” on film from Virginia Tech. In point of fact? Sometimes I’m not seeing any at all! Nadda. None. Nil.
• Why? Why so BIG lick or BIG hit soft all of a sudden? That damn sure is not the way to be in a Terminal Contact Sport men.
• Think about that … I’d like some analysis from the fans here… where is our HIT?!?

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hucareshokiesrul asks:

Q. Are we a top 25 coaching job?

A. Actually, methinks that’s a fair question. Very fair, hear me out, as to why or how…

Virginia Tech’s football program’s momentum is trending downward. We my not quite be in the football recession the London Market is experiencing over at uva, nevertheless, we are mired in a .5oo mediocrity football recession here in the gridiron sporting New River Valley.

Make no mistake everyone, Virginia Tech’s  recruiting is dropping, not just downward; it is dropping, like a rock.

Or in other words, and for all you O&M change-agents out there? Whit may get tagged with a legacy of having waited at least 1 season too long.

And yah; I know, Whit will throw big buck$ at this problem. He is a fiscally liberal spender. I just wondering… will he have someone (still) interested who is truly elite to throw those big buck$ at?

As I’m sensing a pullback, a recant, or a renag on the Virginia Tech football head coaching job’s former rather rather inviting magnetism and/or attraction.

And that that will only increase if this season’s trajectory really does trac’ super sour. (and it damn well could). To reference the header in closing, Pitt many not be the end, however an L at home on national TV vs. State could very very well be the beginning of the end. And n outright spanking from the Woldpac would be the end. As this team needs a W Friday night like a dead man needs a coffin. As Tech has 2 home games remaining after State, and only 1 home game left in the month of November; as the Hokies close with 3 of their final-4 on the road!

Ergo, accordingly, and to Whit, This may or may not be the end, though another L at home with even tougher looking teams awaiting us out on the road will likely end the bowl streak and even I have to admit, that prolly will end Frank Beamer’s Hall of Fame tenure as head football coach at beloved Virginia Tech.

As Friday night is indeed: ALL HANDS MAN YOUR BATTLE STATIONS! THIS IS NO DRILL THIS IS NO DRILL!

It’s now or never Frank, lifeboats be damned … or … ♪“beautiful friend…“♫

(advanced statistical profile rankings):
Virginia Tech=70th, NC.State=52nd

Vegas Line: State+2 points

“LETS GO!”

“Hokies!”

bourbonstreet**