Virginia Tech football Boston College Eye in the Sky

Virginia Tech football just opened an entire case, no, check that; they just opened an entire gross of vacuum packed whoop-ass upside Boston College’s head. To the tune of a 49-o blowout victory at home, and the worst ass kicking Boston College has taken in 74 years. That, and if anything; Virginia Tech football plucked the Eagles good and hard or even worse than the score showed.

built Ford tough!
built Ford tough!

The Hokies smoked Boston College and Chris Coleman of techsideline.com is correct; the Hokie fan base needed that one like a dead man needs a coffin. As lottsa things actually improved, a few things still need a bit more O&M spit-n-polish; and yet all and all that was indeed, a totally freakin’ epic Fighting Gobbler flavored day. And oh by the way, what would Virginia Tech-48.5 have paid out at the Vegas betting window had you got that wager in by 1:29 their time?!? Me too on: wish I had; …and me neither on not even in my widest dreams.

1Q 14:19 remaining:
If you want to see what a dream “+” mark in the blocking pie-chart looks like, take a look-see at this Evans ad-lib Qb tuck and scramble for a first down. First notice how right-Ot J.McLaughlin basically goes martial artist and uses the Eagles left-De’s very own momentum against him, to subsequently bury him and therefore spring Evans initially. Then notice how Ford comes back to the play to hook-blocks the B.C. boundary-Cb thereby creating a seal thereby creating an ally. Then of all things notice W.Teller hustling his ass off to steal big ole #97 downfield. To the untrained eye, this looks like the V-shaped coach Vice pass-protect cup sprung a leak; when it really is a helter skelter A+++ blocked play whereby four different Hokies busted a hump for good ole V.P.I. (BONUS: 1Q 11:11 remaining: watch if you like Teller flavored pancakes, as what Wyatt did to the right-side B.C. Cb is assault and battery in everyday life; seriously, and geez!)

Bing, bang, boom!
Bing, bang, boom!

1Q 9:14 remaining:
One of the best non-blocks on the McMillian TD catch that I’ve ever seen, as any block here would have been dicey at best –in terms of being flagged for a block in the back call against emerging Te Chris Cunningham. Who is said to have won the Te spot primarily due to his blocking acumen; and who now looks like he won the Te spot at least partly due to his football I.Q. As this was an easy custom made steal, (or a yellow flag), just begging to happen that most hot dogs would have poured the mustard on.

a very, testy, play!
a very, testy, play!

1Q 2:32 remaining:
T.McMillian and McMillan’s girlfriend might want a word with Phillips and his non-block on this one per the right elbow of #14 of B.C., as this one is how you get your family jewels racked. Or flipped -as the medical posture post play old-school suggests- in particular if you do not wear a jock-strap and/or a protective cup. O, U, C, HHHHH!

3Q 12:22 remaining:
Never ever seen such an exaggerated and totally hyperbole driven so-called: “chop-step” from McMillian to the left-side of Evans on the not yet hiked and past the mesh-point pre-snap faked jet-sweep; all just to draw a Dt offside’s before?!? Or in other words, clearly coach Corny saw something on film from #97; now the salesmanship has yielded fruit; and now coach Corny’s credibility or so-called textbook: referent power, the highest level of the five paradigms of power mind you– grows all the more.

3Q 7:15 remaining:
WOW! Talk about human-pinball and now you now why kick-coverage teams are called suicide squads folks; as Boston College finally hit sum-bodies, plural. Terrell Edmunds (twice, no less), Huselcamp and Deon Newsome all combine for the first ever quad-steal! WOW some more and then Hokie coverman S.Peoples snuck into the kick-coverage TV screen from behind and stole a B.C. up-man over the pile to at least redeem some measure of Hokie Pride & Joy. Just like Nevada day job Judge Mills Lane signature boxing referee nocturnal pre-fight instructions, “defend yourself at all times” in kick-coverage, keep you head(s) on a swivel, and be prepared to be joked and LOL at during film-study for this one. : )

The Single-wing?!?
The Single-wing?!?

boradcasting career duration:
MEMO to: former Texan Cb, Amhad Brooks, I may be behind the times as a Truman democrat; nonetheless, I do not ever want to hear the term: “… get a good ball get-off”, on national TV, ever again. Thank you!

3Q, game remaining:
Very impressed by the gap-integrity of both Settle and Walker once they got in and really got some reps about midway though the third stanza. Both either held their own or pushed the internal G-c-G blocking wedge of Boston College back into the Eagle Qb(s) given face. You can win a whole lotta wars when you can win that very first fast-twitch A-gap push.

4Q 14:12 remaining:
The original-school Giles County much vaunted and a deuce to to simulate in practice in only four days notice …Single Wing anyone?!?

4Q 10:33 remaining:
LOVE the hesitation or stutter move by Qb2 B.Motley down here that threw a already tiring B.C. defense further out of sync and help set 61’s legacy Chung’s block up, on this scripted Qb draw TD turned almost leisurely looking trot into the endzone. If this were baseball this would have been a epic off-speed pitch.

...net Gaines?
…net Gaines?

4Q 8:25 remaining:
O, M, G! And thank Christ that #38 got up after this one man. As Gaines just landed the biggest knockout punch on Worsham Field’s turf this side of Wayne Ward pulverizing the kaden kid of w.v.u.! WOW, just flippin’, wow!!! And check out the folding-chair effect on #38 ‘s legs. (drawn in) And yet was this a penalty and an ejection? It ain’t 2-hand-touch, you know?

Because if you don’t like physical contact there is a sport for you, as the last time I checked it is called… band. As tackle >>> tuba is where I file sissy facebook.ethos plays like this.

4Q 6:36 remaining:
Don’t recall seeing this one, ever before; either, as the Umpire (Danny Worrell) actually helps Mars’ Williams up after this right-side off-tackle rumble. May Saint Daniel, bless any zebra who reaches out like that!

Time To Throw (TTT)©:

Virginia Tech:bc-missed-tackles
Qb pressured=2
Qb hurried=2
Qb hits=12
Sacked=1

Boston College:
Qb pressured=12
Qb hurried=1
Qb hits=10
Sacked=o

A couple of defensive nuggets that have really opened my eye with 25% of the 2016 regular season now officially and objectively in the O&M books is…

First up, our run-fits and stop-unit gap integrity -meaning: how well are you individually stuffing, stopping, stomping, or at the very least, spilling, your gap to the play-side free defender… this has really noticeably improved on the inside folks. I’m not saying it is perfect, nor am I saying it is great; at least not yet. Although I will say is is seriously flirting with becoming very damn good. Vastly greater amount of raw, pure, vertical north-south pushing defensive inertia here than I saw on tape last year. ‘nother nugget I want to point out is: has anyone else notice the lowering (i.e. closer to the playing surface) of the tackle-point itself? I gotta think this is a coach-Fu refuge T.c.u. edict; from coach-Fu’s former time under the only other D-1 defensive mind in the #1 halt-unit conversation (i.e. coach Patterson at Texas Christian). This is not quite a shoestring and not quite a submarine tackle… as upon breaking tape, you can see that we are almost using so-called pea-hole tackles at times, or a lot more tackling below the waist and yet above the kneecaps to put it in more enlightened politically correct terms.  I’m seeing even more of this from the hind-4 or five when in the nickel look. As Mook’ and Alexander seem to take to this version of a take-down as a clam takes to mud. Additionally, this very effective way to tackle as it is extremely to not get tangled up and maintain forward vectoring of your rushing balance when hit like this. Only caveat being: just make sure you do “see what you hit” when you lead with the crown of your helmet.

Accordingly, notice our new and improved tackling metrics this year… where did all these ones and twos (missed tackles per quarter: Tac’s/Q) come from?!? To make it even moreover instructive, let us remind ourselves of the original ratio this website pioneered, of missed Tacs/play. As right now we are running at a very parsimonious or thrifty clip of .122 missed Tackles per play. Or a 254% improvement in stopping acumen over the normalized baseline of just over .3 missed tackles per play in the last two seasons of Bud Böck. Or in other words, that’s one hellicious improvement in putting peeps on their back.missed-per-play-bc

Also wanna cite coach Wiles bunch for a buncha Qb pressures sans, I repeat, sans contacting the Eagle Qb. Which last week drew a several totally bonehead flags for personal fouls vs. Tennessee. Former coach turned Oakland Raider G.M. Al Davis may be gone, although he’s still right in that: “…the other teams Korterback must do down and he must go down, hard.” Just make sure you put him on his wallet and in the dirt, legally! As this pursuit discipline from our front-7 overall was overtly improved this week.

Longfield Management (Lo.FM)©:

Virginia Tech:
positive: |||| ||
negative: |||| |||| (1 VT penalty, 1 VT INT)
Swiss (neutral): ||

Boston College:
positive: ||||
negative: |||| |||| |||| |||| (3 VT penalties, 2 BC penalties)
Swiss (neutral): |||| ||

The huge huger hugest thingy I saw in breaking tape -in particular regard to the ~90 minute old coach-Fu offense- was the mesh-point starting to significantly clear up. Like a new traffic cop on the job taking over for the 30 year main street intersection gumshoe veteran. Like General Patton getting down from his command jeep and literally orchestrating tanker traffic after the breakout of Operation Cobra. Coach-Fu got down from his O&M command (golf) cart and and re-directed this mesh point traffic this last week in practice. The results you ask? Same as Patton, all those t-bone collisions and lack of mesh-point timing ills got cleaned up and the surprisingly smart looking inherited Fu’fense tankers were cleared to start rolling North-South. Accordingly, the human Sherman Tank otherwise known as Mars’ Williams had a very smart debuting 2016 day: 15 for 82 and a 5.4 average, or a 1st-down and change every two carries.

Also, nearly all of our negative blocking grades occurred between the A-gaps or just about 1/2 a hole outside to either side of them. A source told me that the new Ng of Boston College (soph., Ray Smith) was the best Ng at Boston College since B.J. Raji. Yah; I’d have to say so, and methinks Wang and Gallo would both agree as big ole #96 was pretty dang close to the proverbial immovable object as trench-fighting went on Saturday afternoon. And yah; you might wanna file that number (96) away for future 2017 and 2018 reference men. As that nine-six can flat out play.

p.s. how much are we paying coach Vice? As you’d almost have to wonder if we can keep him, when you see this much improvement on film –and yes, I know some of it is the bang-bang “one-Mississippi” quick hitting elements of the always temporally pressing Fu’fense, though, still…

"...and you shake it all about."
“…and you shake it all about.”

the takeaway

…the takeaway here is, that’s the most improvement I’ve ever seen on film from game no.2 to game no.3; ever! Period, full stop, do not pass go, vacate Baltic Ave., game, over.

It’s not even close on this one sports fans. Hell, even our much maligned stop-unit second layer (i.e. Linebacking) played their ass’ off. In point of fact, I am left wondering if this rookie year coach-Fu team just got way way way too sky high, hit its emotional head on the International Space Station and was never the same after the 14-o teeth kicking they gave UTenn to begin?

And as someone so glibly and pithy published on the TSL.com pay-side message board already; this 2016 football team is not yet at its ceiling –despite what may actually be the ’16 apex performance game in statistical disparity terms. Don’t believe me? Then how do you account for five Hokie drops? One caused Evans first INT when he should have gone no less than 20 for 23 with 5 big TD’s and no picks. Likewise, Mook’ dropped an easy INT of his own over on D. We could still stand to get out of our own way can clean-up some of those bonehead Lo.FM penalties above. Our back-up Qb’s threw for 0% passing; and we need a better Center push –as you can just see future opponents watching the A-gap logjam that the beast of a Ng from the Eagles just created and attempting to parrot the same.

***

So we can indeed actually still get better, that’s the news; we probably will get better, that’s the good news. Feel better, Hokie nation. Don’t be a skeptic and be late to this all-night O&M rave reviews party. To paraphrase Timothy Leary: … get turned on, tuned up, and drop in.

the most pertinent improvement under coach-Fu has been.... what?

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Virginia Tech=49, Boston College=zip

LETS GO!

Hokies!

bourbonstreet**

V.A.D.A. approved

10 Responses You are logged in as Test

  1. Good call on Cunningham not throwing a dumb block on Travon’s receiving TD. I noticed the same. As I said in Monday Thoughts … er Monday Stew, Cunningham did a very good job blocking against the Iggles. Not an overpowering inline blocker, but very good in space, seals well, and stays engaged.

    1. Always welcome to see the boss-man stop by.

      That said, makes one wonder what this says about the other Te’s?
      Durkin in particular…

      b.street

  2. Not the first time on that TMac chop step. Started in the Liberty game, and believe it started that 5 in a row defensive offside penalty avalanche. Think we tried it twice against UT as well.

    1. First time I’ve seen the duration this exaggerated; I meant.
      (for clarity)

      Though good Eye.

      b.street

  3. B… you didn’t have the right option under “most pertinent improvement under Fu.” It’s helping players learn how to focus and make the connection between practice, discipline and winning on Saturday. Help me learn, give me confidence, and I’ll beat TN next time.

    1. Yah; that’s part of it.
      Almost a sporting definition of: accountability.
      From stem to stern.

      b.street

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