#13 Virginia Tech=17, East Carolina=10
Gotta say, this was a fascinating final 30 minutes of film-study to dissect; as yet again I am seeing a deluge of things in slo-mo that I missed watching
Norfolk State at wvu courtesy of FOXSports Net in real-time.
Among them, the Virginia Tech defense and the Virginia Tech power running attack, spearheaded by a revitalized homecoming Josh Oglesby and a dinged and dented and altogether worn down David Wilson –are just not getting the credit that they deserve. Nor is the starting Virginia Tech offensive-line who went carpi de season and seized more than just the day, on an afternoon that saw E.C.U. drop a whopping 28 points (3 potential INT returns, and 1 dropped TD throw) worth of passes that would have put a pirated biscuit in a very upsetting basket.
And yet, the Hokies simply mauled these Pirates by the tune of a virtual 3:1 ratio as total yards gained goes.
This 2011 Virginia Tech football team is just not ready to win with style (i.e. throwing the ball).
However, it can win 10+ games with physically imposing substance (i.e. rushing the ball) and a reborn Bud Lite defense.
Although the loss of David Wang and the already damaged-goods otherwise known as Michael Via has left us critically thin internally speaking as this 2011 oLine goes. So you had better hope that the Top-5 guys all stay healthy and don’t wear down for the duration.
Accordingly, I for one am most curious to see how play-calling morphs -or not- in our next 8 quarters of scrimmaging in what basically amounts to two glorified scrimmages that VT really should win.
That said; let’s take our usual uncensored and unfettered look at some O&M Yin and some O&M Yang in the second-half of play.
3rd quarter, 11:55 remaining:
What a piece of S cheap-shot by #98 of E.C.U. on Lanier at the end of this physically blistering run by Josh Oglesby. Watch ninety-eight leap over the pile and commit A&B as he mugs a defenseless Lanier. Football already enjoys enough of a cattle mentally as is, whereby people=property. This type of deliberate injury oriented version of participation need not apply as the Conference U.S.A. referees swallowed their E.C.U. whistle(s) once again.
3rd quarter, 10:55 remaining:
Man-o-man was there some hittin’ going on on this play! First up #6 of E.C.U. simply unloads on Josh Oglesby as Josh takes this one across the goal-line for six. Note on the replay, that Josh straightens is upper-body up about 2.5 yards out and looks like he intends to coast safely right on into the corner of the endzone. Never, ever, not once, not ever, do you take your foot off the gas-pedal in a contact sport. #6 kept his pedal to the metal and blasts a decelerating Josh right onto his wallet 4 yards out of bounds.
3rd quarter, 10:21 remaining:
Correct me if I am ‘rong, although it seems like someone wrote about E.C.U. having been coached up to strip the football during pre-game film-study. Watch #56 of E.C.U. do just that as my boy commits the very first fumble of his VT career.
3rd quarter, 5:55 remaining:
The drop-athon otherwise know as the 2011 VT @ E.C.U. football game continues as #35 the Hb for E.C.U. drops a wide freakin’ open TD
pass that hit him right in the hands. Seems like someone said that the VT second-layer was not all that when it came to pass coverage back in August… and it also seems like none other that B.Taylor his ownself told KT that he (Bruce) needs some pass coverage work.
3rd quarter, 5:22 remaining:
For all of his bio-mechanical foibles (3), a lack of luck is not among them; as #3 L.T. was very lucky he avoided the accidental roll-up by #56 at the end of this failed reverse attempt to M.Davis.
4th quarter, 11:52 remaining:
Here is the rib injury to my boy David Wilson, as #11 for E.C.U. legally crunches four’s right flank good and hard at the end of this outside-zone carry as Wilson attempts to spin free. You can even see the Umpire asking Wilson if he needs an injury timeout as he could see that #4 was almost down for the count. (big PIC link)
4th quarter, 11:11 remaining:
To be a juvenile as he is, L.T. is not half bad when it comes to carrying the football on the Qb keeper part of the Read-Option. Watch him bounce this one smartly to the outside to his left; and then use a shudder-move downfield to partially freeze the short-side Cb #38 for E.C.U. L.T. may never be a pure runner, although he can run better than you think.
4th quarter, 7:32 remaining:
Josh scored the game clinching TD –right? I’m not so sure as it sure looked to me like a hustling downfield block by Lanier kick-started Josh’s stalled momentum at about the 3-yard line and drove this one right on in for the game winning score. Technically speaking, this is a no-no or an Illegal Block as an offensive lineman may not push a Rb ahead for a score. Guess VT finally got away with one on a day that saw the yellow flag count read: VT=12, E.C.U.=zero. Yah, right; and if you buy that one I have some ocean-front property that I’d like to sell you out in East Dakota.
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Time To Throw (T3):©
Virginia Tech:
Sacked: zero!
Hit: |||| || (plus 11 carries)
Pressured: |||| ||
Hurried: zero
Dropped passes: |||| (1 TD)
East Carolina:
Sacked: ||||
Hit: |||| |||| ||| (plus 2 carries)
Pressured: |||| ||||
Hurried: || (1 INT)
Dropped passes: || (1 TD)
Let‘s begin with the end in mind for a change. VT won, and won ugly –simple as that.
VT also pass protected much better as C.News and his senior heavy (80%) oLine are off to a fine start, and make no mistake, they took the game over and put this team on their back late in this contest and won this one for dear ole V.P.I. Additionally, the TTT metric is artificially skewed when playing a up-tempo air raid Spread offensive set that is predicated on throwing so often in the game and so early after the snap. Listen, it’s unheard of to rack up a whopping 5 sacks vs. E.C.U. That is beyond stellar when you are going up against an oLine that only gave up 15 sacks for the entirely of 2010! Bravo to Bud Lite who may indeed need a new nickname for 2011 if they keep this up. Finally, be cognizant of the fact that my TTT rap-sheet on E.C.U. had nearly no scratch marks on it for the first quarter of play. Before Bud Lite unleashed a punishing array of stunts, loops, twists and a few 5 man blitzes that really grounded this Pirate air raid offense for the final 45 minutes of scrimmaging.
On the other hand, Logan Thomas and his heretofore unpublished Qb grade of 85% for the day is nothing short of stellar as well. Let’s see, take his 40% passing, double that, and award 1.67 points per every INT that he had dropped that had nothing short of green-grass and smooth sailing out in front; as all three E.C.U. picks would have easily been returned for 6. That’s an 86% day? No Sir, that is however stellar applied sports psych 1o1 and if Logan Thomas merits an eighty-six after about as inaccurate of a second half of football as I can recall, he will prolly be in the neighborhood of a 300% kinda day once he does get all of these foibles and mental issues worked out when he becomes an all-A.c.c. Qb after the 2013 season is complete.. Yes, that will still happen folks. The raw physical tools are all there; and yet “raw” is the operative word indeed; as L.T. is still a very raw looking specimen based thrower who has a whole lot of work out in front of him before he becomes a phenomenal purified pocket passer.
Do note the above TTT scratch marks for L.T. He had plenty of time to throw more often than not. However, now also observe that L.T. took contact on 18 different occasions. That’s a lotta hits to absorb for any Qb; much less a rookie year r-sophomore one in his very first road-game ever. Accordingly, I saw an L.T. that got a bit ruffled in the second half of play as he missed on 5 errant throws in a row in the third quarter, four of which were way off the mark, one of which was a good 20 yards off the mark; as was his final clutch throw to D.Roberts with about 4 minutes left in the game. My in situ sources all report to a man, that L.T. was very down on himself post-game as he felt the Staff took the game away from him in the second-half of play. Will’s always epic Monday Thoughts documents the play-calling delineation of such rather eloquently. So I will humbly refer you to that if you seek verification of such.
Game#3:
Now, all of that to say, I am most curious regarding this upcoming home standing game vs. Arkansas State. I am curious to see what could be the best Center (Tom Castillaw) we will face all year. I am curious to see the next alleged small-school version of Randy Moss (Wr, Dwayne Frampton). And I am curious to see 17th ranked Passing Offense that just hung a kool 47 on Memphis if you need ‘em.
Well actually, I’m not really all that curious about any of that, as VT will win this one by 20+ at home, and this just in: rain is still rumored to be wet. What I am truly curious about is the upcoming VT play-calling and participation sequence. What will Coach O’Cain do with L.T. after such an inauspicious debut road game that did not improve as it went along? Do you ease him back into the offense? Do you simply decide to pull a Lombardi and run for daylight? Or do you give him extra pass reps and hope he works (pun intended) his way though this inaugural 43% passing debut –at the risk of kindling a real live “confidence crisis” if Arkansas State (and Marshall) sour the soup? What about my boy and his dinged up left-shoulder and his now recently dented ribs? Do you give Wilson any rest? Do you try to keep him fresh for the meat grinder otherwise know as Klempson and Miami where you will very likely need him to carry the mail and mind the store a good 50+ times combined? If you give Wilson a few series of R&R, how does that affect L.T.? I don’t know.
I do know however that there is more than meets the Eye to the next couple of games.
“LET’S GO!”
“HOKIES!”
b’street