Lottsa points stranded in Pirate terms or left marooned in Hokie vernacular out in the field in this one folks!
Anywhere between 20 and 40, maybe even a few more, as that massive “sigh” of relief you heard was from the Vegas sports-books that were set up to take a total stomping on the over, in what could have and maybe even should have been a most offensive made for TV electrifying fight to the finish.
As each head coach left game winning FGA’s and numerous other potential scoring plays shutout, down in the New River Valley.
Well, actually this one was a fight to the finish.
As it was the best of times and the worst of times in succession for each side.
Total feast or famine Dickens of a contest, and yet it was the Pirates who had precisely one more bone left to pick in the end.
PROPs @E.c.u.!!!
3Q duration remaining:
Notice the fresh athletic tape under poor R.Mallack’s left-knee after he got his already rebuilt left-knee twisted (on top of a bad ankle) down nearly our own endzone in the first-half of play. (big PIC link)
3Q 10:26 remaining:
Nice to see Seth Dooley hustling and stealing the little dweeby looking #86 at the end of this punt coverage play right at the very last mid-section second of your screen. As Seth has been a bit underwhelming as a relief-De thus far. (whereas Alford has pleasantly surprised and done a little better)
3Q 3:o2 remaining:
Watch Ford never ever take his eyes off of Brewer pre-snap as a tell-tale giveaway that the bubble-screen (to him) was coming. IF I am a Cb or Safety and I see this? I am gunning for the pick-6 all-day, all the way.
4Q season remaining:
Mr. Stroman (#3), is gonna break one, and take at least one Punt Return to the house. It’s not so much a matter of if, as it is, when. As this half-pint sized 161 lb. rail thin baller has some speed and he has some swivel in his hips to go with that. Most provocative Punt Return specialist since Victor “macho” Harris was on campus.
4Q 2:08 remaining: (pic below)
Add Jon McLaughlin to the injury list, and although the film is in a scrolling blind-spot at the instance of impact, it is clear that the E.c.u. Ng accidentally slid into big Jon’s left leg at the tail end of this one. (looks to be an ankle roll-up to me)
4Q game remaining:
Slick call by Carden here, “naked Qb 15-sneak, on one, on one, ready …BREAK!” Awesome salesmanship in the faked plunge element by Mister Tattoo endzone flex machine as well. +1 @Shane for this.
4Q 0:oo remaining:
An Endzone Hail Mary overthrow of a good 5-yards? Kinda like an N.b.a. inbouds pass that hits nobody and goes harmlessly outta bounds itself. Meh; although, at least we now officially know that my boy has at least a 51 yard arm, prolly more than that in point of fact.
Time To Throw: (TTT)©
Virginia Tech:
Sacked=3
Qb hurried=1 (1 INT)
Qb pressured=7
Qb hit=11 (1 INT)
East Carolina:
Sacked=4
Qb hurried=1
Qb pressured=2o
Qb hit=2o
On tape, all less 14 plays from E.c.u., Virginia Tech did everything less win this football game, including pressure and/or hit E.c.u. Qb Shane Carden all, day, long. As that sound you just heard, was the TTT metric going Lifetime hyphen three overall. As the much vaunted TTT just took its third L ever. (the Lo.FM stands in at lifetime-2)
As the early hits on Brewer (read: ~first 20 minutes and first four series) were pretty serial indeed. This left a lasting impression on the viewer and on the psyche of M.Brewer -who of all things- actually turtled on film, ducked a punch and went down on a phantom hit at one point in quarter number two! I omitted that in part I, as I like the kid that dang much. Even as one-man self preservation society as that looked on film … can you really blame the guy? Kinda like in boxing when we are taught to take a knee and take the full 10-count in lieu of getting coldcocked and therefore knocked the (bleep) out. Tough to win that fight when you wake up in your very own dressing room with a smelling-salt shoved up each nostril in a revival attempt that you would otherwise only have seen on an old-school U.H.F. channel number somewhere in the 50’s, on any given 1970’s Sunday morning.
So I’ll give my boy a free-pass (pun intended) just this one time. As he may have only been effectively self-electing to take a knee and make it to the bell and therefore live to fight another day. (and it is fair to wonder out loud if a kinder gentler Referee might have actually waved this one off, and stopped M.Brewer’s fight on a T.K.O. in the equivalent of the 4th round)
Blocking:
Further, and I wish I had officially charted this one in fully objectively quantified terms, nevertheless, Virginia Tech fielded at least 2-3 pass plays and no less than a solid 5-6 rushing plays that were 1 cut, 1 extra block or just 1 busted tackle from the endzone. As the Hokie staff had to be sick to their stomachs’ watching this one on film. As we left opportunity after opportunity out on Worsham Field turf through no fault of E.c.u.’s own.
Hopefully, that will all get ironed out and then actually get better; as this offense is nowhere near its ceiling, which is prolly a good 14-15 months away.
Tackling:
Tackling got better, no really, as in it realllllly got better folks. As see-what-you-hit, wrap-up and bring down improved by 209% if you are keeping score at home courtesy of our brand spanking new metric (PRAISE be to Conan on TSL).
As you can clearly see, tacking got downright sloppy @Ohio State, and only waned a bit in the final 15 minutes of play hosting E.cu. Notice as well, that no matter how tight or how sloppy tacking may be, (thus far) it generally tends to tighten up a bit on a Quarter by Quarter basis; as Foster subtly adjusts his on-field deployment geometry to move the spill-defender closer to the intended point of likely first-contact. That’s game-day strategic coaching taken to the nth Euclidean degree. (if you will pardon the pun)
Please welcome: The M.T.P. (mmm-tee-pee), or missed-tackles per play. ©
***
Odds-n-ends:
- a back-up Cb (Clark) is leading the team in tackles? Ahhhhh, ok, raise your hand if you called that one 3 weeks ago? Me neither.
- Whereas Andrew Motuapuaka has one more tackle, than, well, me!
- E.c.u. averaged an insane 19 and change per completion!
- The bad news is the Farris-wheel simply got pwned all day | the good news is the Farris-wheel won’t be facing another N.F.L. king sized Ng all year
- 2 deflections and 7 drops later or Michael Brewer could have easily been 71%, go fig’???
- VT is a absurd +9 minutes in TOP (time of possession) per game!
- and oh by the way, Michael Brewer has 567% more total yards than his nearest seasonal competitor!!!
Loading ...Virginia Tech=3 plays, East Carolina=4 plays
“LETS GO!”
“Hokies!”
bourbonstreet**
If CFB says he did not have the team ready for an early game, perhaps he should get practices started very early in the morning all week leading up to an early kick-off. Just how serious are the Hokies about winning? Wouldn’t they mind getting up a bit earlier and prep for a game if it means winning?
Yah; that was conspicuous, I’ll admit.
Why?
As we’ve never quite heard Frank say that one; before.
My take?
Frank was angling there a bit.
Saying something new to throw the 4th estate hounds off the scent.
And prolly trying to take the blame off the team itself.
Now if what he said is actually true?
Well that’s a whole ‘nother animal.
IF however Frank was only saying what he needed to say?
I have no real quarrel with that.
b.street
b.street –
Dude – if CFB wanted to take the blame off the team, perhaps the blame should be rightly assigned to the Coaching staff which graded out as a “C” on most web pages. Now why would that be? One obvious reason and one not so obvious. First, the not so obvious, and that is loyalty allowed the staff to play Mr. Facyson when he was not physically ready to perform and now he is being replaced on the depth chart prior to the GT game. Second, for over a longer time than I care to admit, all sports analyst have said the red zone strategy employed by all winning coaches is to take the three points (kick the field goal), rather than try to make a first down with limited room to work. Hands down this is the choice of most championship teams. What would the outcome have been if the Hokies had taken the three points when they were 4th and goal at the ECU 2-yard line?
Your thoughts please.
The offensive Staff you mean, correct?
I know some who ain’t too tall on two of them, with one mixed, and one pretty good.
BOTH coaches left FGA’s that would have each broken that 21-all tie.
Me?
FGA all the way.
(and if I go for it, it is on the best fake I have, and ALWAYS with a back-up Qb @Holder so you much always honor my Fake FGA).
b.street
Hey Street,
If we could just get the running game going it would surely preserve this QB from getting pounded constantly. It would have surely given the defense a bit of a breather vs ECU in that nightmare 1st quarter.
That would be priority #1 to me. Just think what this receiving corp could do against DBs that are worn down from tackling these big backs in the open field. Certainly our offensive coaches are trying to get us there.
Well, our quick-passing alla Ohio State helps as well.
And Brewer is quite comfortable in that as well.
b.street
The offense giving the ball right back to ECU with its inability to move the ball early was no less of a problem than the poor pass coverage.
B’St. I’ve been meaning to ask you this. Timeline this for me and drop your opinion. When was Loeffler’s latest child born? Was it either Sunday or Monday after the OSU game? If so, how might that have impacted our offensive readiness? Did Stiney slip in there to script the plays?
o9.o8 is the D.O.B.
That is our new off-day BTW.
So yah; it did not help any readiness.
My best guess? 10%? I doubt any more than say 20% or 1 in 5 work days if you will.
Though little Elizabeth came at the right time; as well. (the off day itself)
b.street