Virginia Tech football Notre Dame Eye in the Sky

Virginia Tech football went to up to historic, fabled, even legendary Note Dame and came home with the hard-fought and ultimately hard-won triumph.

Try as the Irish might, they still can’t spell victory without Vee Tee! As this was one helluva a grim, gutty, and ultimately gimpy come from behind cardiac kids Hokie win up in South Bend. This indeed was a helluva a win, although it was a costly win in particular in forth quarter terms; as an already wounded Virginia Tech got dinged-up, dented and then saw poor Mars’ Williams season come to a harshing end as football continues to be the paramount or Alpha terminal contact team sport. Still yet, we did win, we showcased tremendous guile, grit, guts and a downright gamey attitude and it took all of that and more to pull this 17 point deficient outta the bogus leprechauns fire. Read on to find out how Virginia Tech football did it, and at what, cost…

1Q 11:47 remaining:
As #18 of ND found out the hard way; even having beefy Tim Settle land on you, when you do manage to tackle him, can be hazardous to your, health. (Godspeed @ 1, 8)

2Q 11:38 remaining:
Steven Peoples is a lot of things– a hard downhill runner, possibly an even harder blocker and he just may be the hardest hard-selling play faker at Tb in many a year. Steven did this twice -at least to me- in terms of having me thinking that he (Peoples) had the rock. Notice he even sells the left-side stiff arm striking a Heisman pose to bait-n-switch the N.Dame second-layer onto keying him; thereby freeing Evans up to jaunt the initial 15+ yards totally unmolested. This Peoples kid got tackled a lot on Saturday afternoon; including at least four times when he did NOT have the ball. wow!

2Q ~9 remaining:
If you wanna see a Three Mile Island raised to the Love Canal raised to the Russian Navy’s Kursk meltdown, here’s a good one! As I took this to be a necessary technical foul self-inflicted as a savvy “Red” Auerbach used to do when the ancient keltics needed a foundering in-game spark. The whistle was questionable, it may have even been ‘rong; although methinks we needed this applied sports psychology kick in the pants at this frangible (last weeks Word of the Day) moment — more on this in several moments, down below…

2Q 6:54 remaining:
A chilling play on a brisk day, as I did not realize poor Adonis’ neck snapped this far ~90° clockwise or to his right on this stop; damn.  And God Bless.

Game duration:
Including last week, starting C Eric Gallo has played just a little better of late; in particular folding to the 2nd-level and pulling/trapping and kicking out on the edge. Nothing epic, nevertheless, enough to catch my Eye and cross the detection threshold. Conte however is playing on a pretty bad right-wheel (ankle) and McLaughlin has been downright soft looking at times on film in the last few weeks; like he’s not mentally in the game 25/8, or nursing something debilitating; physically. Alternatively, Wr or seal blocking on the edge, may not have been textbook perfect, although it just may have hit a seasonal high-water mark on Satiruday. And this was critical on such a low-contact, low temperature quality day; PROPS @coach Wiggins!!!

3Q 3:52 remaining:
As I’ve been seeing this all year, because we’ve been doing this all year, I just can not taking seeing this any more. Why am I seeing so may blocked or semi-blocked Hokie defenders turn their back towards the blocker –and even worse towards the vector of the ball-carrier himself? I bring this up as I virtually never saw these posterior turns or self-shields in prior years; and if this were hoops I’d almost say we are trying to draw the charging violation. Though this is tackle, not tuba, and in gridiron terms, this looks extremely catty on film; as in very. Which makes me wonder how this Playtex move has crept in, in the first place? As I serially doubt we are gonna draw a cliping or a block-in-the-back friendly whistle for our troubles here. READERs note: it is not just the obvious guy in the screen cap’ above | I’ve seen a buncha secondary guys pulling this stunt as well.

4Q 13:11 remaining:
Let me tell you something men… #60 Woody Barron is playing some beautiful football right now in pure quantified textbook technique and mechanically cat-quick terms. To mix my Marlin Perkins Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom metaphor even more, Woody Barron is playing like an F’n dawgg right now! Just watch as he defeats not one, two full blocks here (ND C’s initial rub-block, then the trap of the pulling ND right-G) while caroming and pin-balling off of each of them; somehow keeping his balance, and going Pugsley upside Adams’ Saturday night head for a sensational would not be denied TLF of –4 on this one as a one man Hokie army. Yah; I heard Woody’s had the lunch-pail for a while, though they may wanna offer him a dinner bucket too. wow!

4Q 9:55 remaining:
Here is the already wounded Conte (re)injuring his right side as he correctly and willfully picks up the knifing good politically incorrect slant by the ND monsta sized Ng and simply buries the Ng across the pass-blocking pile-up over top of a fallen Gallo. Thing is, Conte buried him (the Ng) so deep that he (the Ng) accidentally leg-whips poor Conte as Conte is: big tree, fall down, go boom, at the end of this pancake block. God Bless 72’s right leg (looked low to me, prbabaly dinging his already bum right-ankle). Because, in case your Eye did not catch it, Conte has a custom black orthodic on his left-ankle, worn outside his sock, and what looks like a orange club foot or nearly a soft-cast on his right one –all prior to this (re)injury on this play. Damn. (p.s. notice that Chung -a C by trade- is the replacement right-G after this; and that Wyatt left the game after the next play at left-G for reasons(s) the Eye could not see)

4Q ~1o minutes remaining:
“He actually went back in and played,” Fuente said.
“We didn’t know about it until yesterday. Talked to him yesterday and said, ‘Marshawn, you went back in the ballgame??!’
He said, ‘Yes, sir. I wanted to win.’”

WOW!
Super wow!
Suit him up in the Beamer tribute #25.
Honorary Team Captain… goes out by himself to call the coin-toss.
Then give him the final play, deep in the VicTory formation… just like, Cyrus…

(thank you: j201111c, GusDaMan, bburgnative and MCL3 Hokie for the idea synthesis here)

4Q (deadball) 8:30 remaining:
Evans looks like he’s missing some right index finger skin here to me. Almost looks like a burn of sorts –be that pigskin carpet or domestic. (and this is prior to the facemask anchor divot above the hind index throwing finger knuckle). Toughest and most hit Hokie Qb since Sean Glennon’s spine vs. everything Boston College could throw at it. (READERs note: and yet this was Evans best throw game -in the November elements- with a lame release hand, in many weeks! Strange game this oblong spheroid)

4Q, seconds (9) remaining:
So you got beat, you got hit and lit up in a terminal contact sport, while intentionally ducking under the blow itself. What should you do to demonstrate sportsmanship and civics and class and maturity as you exit the field? Hmmmmm, well, let’s see, if I were a betting man -and I am- I’d wager you don’t say… this. (Hover your mouse to see what girlfriend had to say, at least twice, according to my lip-reading skills… same to you miss. kizer! Same to you!)

(post-game) 0:00 remaining:
Anyone else noticing how coach-Fu has YET to take his first O&M Gatorade bath so far? Tells you a little something-something clinically about how these Tech baller’s view this coach… and just in case you did not just connect those applied sports psych dots… they either fear him, or reverence him, or both.

Time To Throw (TTT)©:

Virginia Tech:
Qb pressured=2
Qb hurried=2
Qb hits=18
Sacked=1

Notre Dame:
Qb pressured=14
Qb hurried=1
Qb hits=24
Sacked=1

As subtleties go, the TTT metric has uncovered something per its old school T-account scratch-marks… coach-Fu’ is going green and practicing conservation of Evans, at least early on. As his Hit count is way way down for 1Q in particular, and for the first-half in general. Then it increases by nearly 300% in the final 30 minutes of scrumming –a word to the, wise.

Someone heard a few things about some defensive toggles at halftime, Eagle this, Bear that… although how about what nobody else is telling you? How about the vertical (towards or away from the LOL (line-of-scrimmage) coverage toggles pre-snap? As there is a lot of shifting coverage movement here, and you can actively see the communication going on between the hind-4 (sometimes the hind-5) ballers. Not YELLing that so-n-so is out of position. This is the signature textbook elevatering into and out of zone (which we did favor in the first-half) into various combination and rolling coverage’s. The gridiron cognoscenti among you will also point out to me that we went for the ball a lot more after intermission. Yes, that’s part of shifting away from so many variable and semi-variable zones and into more island or iso’ daredevil man looks. And that says something to me with possibly our best (and most daring for sure) Cb dressed out in civis, his replacement Cb (Adonis) playing after getting his proverbial bell, gonged -not just rung- and all of this vs. a Qb who most say could be the alpha quarterbacking talent in college football right now. I beg to disagree on that though that’s no better than tangential, what remains on target is that we adjusted, and from what someone heard, the Staff listened to some baller feedback at halftime and let them (the ballers) self-adjust into more man looks and guess what? The ballers (nearly) always know the score; and to their enormous credit, they held neuter lame to 14% on third downs, 5:25 TOP (time of possession) in the third, a 4:17 TOP in the decisive forth, and seven, that’s (7) yards or less on five or 72% of the Irish’s second-half drives! WOW! That’s (bleeping) going B.O.H.I.C.A. on an offense after halftime when that very O had chased you ’round the Bend for virtually three large (or 299 yards) in the first-half. Maybe that was not Bud’s best game of coaching in composite terms, however; it sure as hell was one of his better second-halves. All because his staff, listened.

Notice as well that for the first time n weeks, we won the Qb hits segment of the Time To Throw metric. Notice further what someone wrote about Ken below, and that we totally shellacked the N.Dame very loquacious and likewise mouthy Kinzer Qb kid in the first inning with eight Qb hits alone. That’s when you got to start beating that damn Qb ass, just as soon as he steps off the buss or A.S.A.P. as the opponents’ initial offensive series begins. Because the sooner you give him something to physically think about, the better –and the more beat-up in accumulation terms he will be the later. Bud Stout hit the Kinzer kid four times on the first series and four times during the second series one as well. It may not have looked like it at the time; nonetheless, we were wearing this all-world N.f.l. prospect down from the word go. Finally, a quick TTT shout out to the Vice-squad; as they enjoyed their best passing V and sometimes U shaped cup of the year. As a nearly invisible two Qb pressures is a season low by a whopping 500% and we plum got after Kinzer 700% more often than the Domer’s got after Evans.

Longfield Management (Lo.FM)©:

Virginia Tech:
positive: |||| ||| (2 VT TD’s, 1 ND penalty)
negative: |||| (1 VT flag)
Swiss (neutral): ||||

Notre Dame:
positive: |||| |||| |
negative: |||| |||| || (1 ND whistle)
Swiss (neutral):

Gotta give the Kizer kid some first 30 minute love here, as he hit number of downright salty looking Lo.FM positive plays for Notre Dame which helped stake them to their difficult looking 17 point lead. As for Evans, notice one thing, and then file another thing away for 2017 use. As for Evans? Well, he’s right on Lo.FM schedule as it is typically the penultimate year of play (Jr. or r-Jr. campaigns) when most Qb’s purge those bed-wetting, trying to make a play, when they are really only forcing things that are juxtaposed at best –or turnovers at worst; when they purge those hateful plays from their passing game. It is typically the final season when you see a M.Brewer or a ’17 J.Evans start to make BIG, good plays happen while chasing the sticks. Nonetheless, Evans has hit three Lo.FM TD’s with bad field position in the last fortnight of scrumming. Which seems to hint that his 2016 is already matriculating or slowing down in 2017 terms today.

On the other hand, and least ^that^ dearth of + or positive scratch-marks look disparaging for Evans, remind yourself of this… we only allowed 1, that’s o, n, e, one, single solitary Notre Dame Tackle for a Loss and inflicted seven of the same upside the Irish! As the Brit’s like to say… “It’s all in the maths.”

Since it is boohoo rivalry week, here are a few scoops…

Conte is out there banging away with a very bum right-ankle. Someone wrote about the initial roll like in week#2 or at least September; though they did not now how bad it was. He’s going Mister Scott and giving you all his powerful mechanics, though limited talent(s),  and hurting ankle gots. Gallo -of all people- is slowly showing some signs; not great, though he is grading better and better. Ken’s bad -and I mean bad, pec is better, someone heard him say this is the closest he’s been to 100% since the bizarre thumb-catch in the ‘Cuse guys belt that tore it up in the first place. And this tear is up near the shoulder attachment point. Bet the under on Ken’s bench {sic: press} right now. And he did miss no thanks to that bum right-side on a Qb sack in the second-half; though he himself says he is doing better (finally). Nigel however does not look right on film. I wish we had saved him for uva; or the A.c.c. game. Contrary to the pic above, Tua was filling gaps better overall; and then he really overshot that escaping TD that Adams popped. That can be fixed; although his getting enveloped on the block probably can not. He’s just really narrow upstairs to be a Mike. I’m 47, in my r-6th-season of middle age, and I have broader shoulders than ‘drew. And what was Vinny doing on that play? He took nobody. Not the Qb, not Adams; nobody. That did not help.

This was not the nuclear knee injury play; tho’ the Irish Ss belted Mars’ Williams in the 3rd. One of the worst hits I’ve seen a Tech Tb take (and he was blocking, not carrying). Brave kid to get up from that caliber shot; Godspeed @Mars’! Evans looked vastly better; and he looked more padded, too. Those of you with 15-20 field-vision like Chuck Yeager may have seen this, although for those who did not… Evans shed his double closed patella knee braces and picked up twin shin pads that kinda look soccer ‘esque. Do observe the heavily taped right-ankle however, he’s still got to have some issues to be using both an internal (inside the shoe) and an external tape job such as this. As this is basically last resort short of the whirlpool and/or wearing a sweatsuit as opposed to a uniform. Teller did not have the best second-half, as he sure is a hit-and-miss A.C. D.C. kinda high voltage baller. Either is is all 240v industrial direct powerhouse current or it is less than 120v and an alternating blocking current at best. As there were numerous pulls/traps that he was no better than late to the spot in the final 20 minutes or so. What a mercurial mental specimen this is; even though the body and American Electric Power mutually remain most willing. Ditto his Tarzan looking newfangled hairstyle; wow! Nigel (same as Conte) is playing on two rolled ankles not one –and the left-one looks worse on film. Nevertheless, the senior warhorse gutted both ankles out and finished the game out there, leading from the front, upright, on his feet, and generating a Qb hurry at probably 75% give/take just like a champ. p.s. my boy Settle is just a Brahma bull-(rushing) force; and if he ever learns and then prefects some real live techniques? Hello Sunday $cratch.

the takeaway…

The takeaway here is that of an old-school boxing corner-man, or pugilistic adage that goes something like this…

“…class shows.” (eventually)

As in, the longer a fight goes, the more it tips in the favor of the better fighter itself. Or to put it another way, the time for an inferior fighter to deal with the superior fighter is early on. And I for one will give credit where credit is due. After the first inning, Virginia Tech had amassed 12′ that’s twelve freakin’ feet of total O. Whereas Notre Dame had rolled us up for a staggering 172 yards of total O in the initial 15 minutes of scrumming.

---

Then a funny thing happened along the way to the golden domed Irish car-bombed candy shop. Heart happened, as coach-Fu’ (shin) kicked and neck-punched a certain stalling O&M football team with his first ever Three Mile Island meltdown -as a Hokie- and suddenly Virginia Tech out-fought and out-gained Notre Dame to seal the superior deal from there on out.

That’s assiduity 1o1, or a systematized approach to motivation –and here is *the* key point gents… it freakin’, worked! You blow your top like that chasing 17-nil and you get pumped good-n-hard from there on out and you can forget about having an textbook referent power from there on in. 2♦, 3♦, 4♦, 5♦, … 7♥ … off-suit and your emotionalized drama-queen routine went cinderfella and got it’s low-ass mental game bluff called when you should have folded and waited for the (hidden) new cards at halftime. Not our coach-Fu’! He was all 5 of clubs and the Ace of spades baby.

***

Or in other words, I could not be more clinically impressed with the applied sports psych side of coach-Fu’; because when he (coach-Fu’) pulled Virginia Tech’s chain, Virginia Tech… barked. Coach Fu’ and Virginia Tech are like 27 credit hours per semester …all, class. Notre Dame was a community college at best and now we move on to the other high education institute in in-state terms… Summa, Cum, Laude that one all my Bronco busters at uva. As those of us with real live Y-chromosomes? We aim to please and we’re coming at you!

Virginia Tech=34, Notre Dame=31

“LETS GO!”

“Hokies!”

bourbonstreet**

V.A.D.A. approved