Virginia Tech at Duke football preview:

  #57 R.P.I. Virginia Tech @ #18 R.P.I. Duke:

Today’s word of the day is…Regicide

reg·i·cide  (rj-sd)

(Latin) n.

  1. The killing of a king.
  2. One who kills a king.
  3. The King is Dead.
  4. LONG live the King.

Oh wait, unless of course he’s not, …read on to find out just how much life is left down upon the throne in Blacksburg Va.

Duke Defense: (starters back=6)

  • 4-2-5 Trips Safety base set (NOT a 3rd Cb pure Nickle)
  • VERY cutesie or gimmicky defense on film!
  • Duke toggles between techniques (down-lineman alignments) almost play by play. Even 1/2’s or less that full techniques. Toggles in and out of 4, 3 and 2-point stances as well.
  • Gap plugging/clogging rather than upfield pincer attack oriented front-4.
  • NOT a very deep dLine.
  • This D is riddled with subtle T.Landry NY.Giant and subsequent Dallas Cowboy Flex-elements.
  • 2 full time ILb’s, sometimes in stacks. Curious tendency to over-shift field or wide-side at or right before the snap, could allow for counters going short.
  • Even saw a Lb I-formation look or double-Stack with a Safety cheating up, –again, lotta little cutesie things here, designed to (BLEEP) up your blocking assignments via Design | in lieu of pure Manpower right at the point of attack.
  • MUST must must be mindful of assignments however, this is a heady set to get ready for, OPEN week should help
  • Opens with medium-man, and a shorter Cover-2 look behind that. Has the look and feel of a run-first Set, in terms of spacing from the LOS (line-of-scrimmage)
  • Will run-blitz a Safety or two, tended to be the shortside one a bit more often than not.
  • Fs (or traditional Ss) do not cover lateral ground particularly well, and they do not appear to be tasked into help(ing) as often as I expected. Kinda has a Foster Island element on the edges to it in point of fact.
  • Less pure overall stop-unit talent than before, no bulwark on the front-line, no true stud in the secondary on edge (as we’ve faced in the last 2-3 years)
  • Strength is in the tirade of twins at ILb and Mister Cash at Safety; almost an arrowhead of strength right down the middle.
  • More read-n-react, not overly exotic in coverage(s), a keep it in front of you umbrella approach (all the aforementioned front-4 or front-6 toggling not withstanding)
  • A solid thinking-man’s  D’, does not make misQ’s even if this Duke defense does not make a whole helluva a lotta plays, either

14 Duke D

Duke Offense: (returning starters=8)

  • single Setback, 3-fulltime Wideout look, with a little Ace here and there.
  • pure counter-punching signature Coach Cuttcliffe set; takes what you give.
  • hits you all over the field. North-South, East-West, no Gap or Hole is left uncalled in a game, you must secure your entirely of defensive real-estate both laterally and vertically vs. Duke.
  • Accordingly, a tough offense to KEY pre-snap, as the ball can and will go anywhere and everywhere. That said, hip pocket on the pulling G was as useful as anything I could find on breaking tape.
  • Lotta Gun or modified Spread looks, will motion behind the play for a play-side element to the Read Option. Boone sells this really well!
  • Tends to be Tb through a A to B-gap or Boone off-tackle in the C-gap or beyond. Rinse, recycle, repeat.
  • oLine=strength, maybe a Top-3 oLine we will face all year. 2 maybe even 3 Pros have set up camp here. Slight Airplane-wing look pre-snap. With the acumen of coach David, one has to think this to be intentional.
  • Caught a reading on my Finesse Geiger counter, although this is not a paper-tiger uva set. This O plays hard and plays until the echo of the whistle, which is positively un-Duke like.  Kinda reminded me of the best richrod wvu sets on film.
  • Qb is their B.Randall during BR’s final 8 games his senior year. Not an epic Pivot, though Boone is downright good enough. Does not wet the bed, either. p.s. Boone tends to miss behind the target, note to Coach Gray!
  • Still a bit of a refugee West Coast quick(er) hitting passing set. Though it will stretch you further downfield than most. Lottsa angular patterning here accordingly.
  • Smaller Tb’s which I like match-up wise on paper, although they sure as (bleep) ran hard and they stay 100% fresh with a trifecta of a platoon for the duration.
  • 1 stud Wideout, and better than average guys -if not great- after Crowder. Te=sleeper.
  • Realllllly liked the compressed or Bunch look, Cuttcliffe is the master of disguise here.

14 duke O

Duke Special Teams: (both return)
#1 Kicker according to Rivals outta high school who is also 100%. That’s one-hundred percent on FGA’s and P.A.T.’s alike this campaign. As Duke’s Kicker (Ross Martion) is straight butter, perfect! Call me a P.A.T.T. 3/2’s full, or even an optimist, however, my sources hint -and strongly- it does not get any better than 38 for 38 on Point After’s, nor going 13 for 13 on FGA’s. Making K Ross Martin more than just a certifiable weapon, such makes Ross Marion “…the bomb!” Not bad work if you can get it, from a K who has four 50+ makes, is 85% for his career on FGA’s and a puny looking 99.3% all-time on P.A.T.’s! And he was born on my Birthday, BOOM, outta here! (READer’s note: interesting Kicking mechanics, almost a downward, chopping punch shot of a mid iron swing of the leg; to borrow on Golf)

This Saturday William Monday will be punting for Duke. Mr. Monday was 2nd team all-conference last year. A 45 yard average with a long of 65 is not too shabby. Monday was the #1 Punter in America according to Scout, do you see the pattern, yet? Monday has completed both of his pass-attempts at Duke, so the Fake Punt is always in effect. Monday is also two-time Academic All-ACC selection –three cheers for that!

Overall, Duke is 33rd in Net Punting, 17th in punt returns and 2nd in KO returns. While applying the 22nd ranked punt coverage unit; although the suicide squad on KO coverage is not so hot-to-trot, checking in a mere 90th best. Currently we see: 0 kicks blocked by Duke and Duke opponent’s alike. Crowder (punt return Ace, who will fumble when blown-up) and Edwards (KO returns) were only all-Americans last year; and they’ve only combined to score 36 returning point in their career’s! They suck. EPIC downfield Punt Return blocking, keep your head on a swivel or Duke will decapitate it or Dr. Guillotine it for you!

Special Teams letter-grade: (I’d give this Dukie ST’s unit an A+++, however, that’s not high enough for the best ever ST’s unit that I’ve ever studied, so I suppose they have have to settle for me giving them the #1)

X-factor(s):

  • Hokie health, or lack thereof (Jon McOffensive Tackle, now gonzo as well)
  • coaching: VT is not the winner here, any team with David Cutcliffe, is.
  • momentum: more than 2 ships passing in the night, Duke is hot like the Sun, whereas VT has showed sign(s), and yet needs a break through VicTory!
  • Weather: 47f high, 0% chance of precip’ n the forecast
  • Coastal: Duke is in command, although with one more L VT is in elimination mode

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Illation, conclusion(s) and OPT digits:

“If you are looking for change for a dollar, don’t ask the Hokies. They only have three quarters.” -local sports writer, this week on our game @Duke-

What a “wimpy” thing to say! Or rather an inexpensive shot fired across the Duck Pond bow with wvu now on the snide as well. Such is the inherent nature of the Bobby “the brain” Heenan beast, as it was the very same Pro Wrasslin’ manager turned commentator who once intrusted us all to: “…kick ’em while they are down because they are easier to reach.’

***

Virginia Tech is indeed easier to reach these days, to say anything else is to say that America was actually ahead on points on the morning or December 8th or revisionist history at best. Me? I’m part of the Virginia Tech can win this game underground bunker movement. Because it is actually Duke who is within reach… no wait, I’m not kidding, check it out…

Duke pwned

Duke is not bad, Duke is above average and quite possibly the best coached football team at the D-1 level in the whole entire U.S.of.A. Mea culpa, I confess.

However Duke is also getting by, or rather just barely getting by on skates. Don’t believe me? Just look at the negative total yardage marks above people! Duke was out-gained by a staggering 140 yards per game in the four games prior to visiting the ‘Quse up in Will’s Jiffy Pop Dome. Even if you add in the meager total yardage advantage against the Orangemen, Duke is still being out-gained by over 104 yards per week since the middle of September!Duke it out


See what I mean? Duke is really not all that and a snap; not when you apply the every 10 yards of total O = 1 point in total scoring rule of thumb. Duke is also allowing a highly user-friendly 2o6 yards of rushing per game in their last three! Contrary to popular belief, this is just not a good Duke football team men. It is an average team overall, with way above mean, median and mode special-team’s play, ditto turnover margin, likewise yellow flag personal responsibility.

It is also a football team that is long overdue to get beat. It’s all in the math’s. Virginia Tech has Mars’ Williams back, Virginia Tech has a +6 edge in R&R and then we come to our old friend the handy-dandy Forum Guide of Graham Houston fame.

Based upon scrumming against common opponents head-to-head this season, which team would you say enjoys a +145 total yardage advantage overall? The all uppity feel good 8-1 football team or the (bleep) kicked football team coming in on a 3 game L streak at 4-5?

If you said 8-1 Duke you kind Sir are are dead ass ‘rong! As it is actually coach Cutcliffe’s crew -for all of his X’s and O’s wizardry- that is actually within reach. I like Virginia Tech to simply out-athlete the highly cerebral S.A.T. bowl assassins down at Duke; almost the same way Miami did early this year. Albeit it by not quite as much in the final analysis.

LONG live the king!!!

(Upset Index=52%)

Virginia Tech=17, Duke=16

LETS GO!

HOKIES!

bourbonstreet**

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