Virginia Tech=1o, North Carolina=41

Virginia Tech football is in flux.

The Hokies sure look fluxed-up.
And frankly, they may look this way for some time to come. Harsh and or sad as that may read… don’t hold your 2o22 (or even 2o23, possibly even 2o24) breath and risk turning sky-blue in the O&M face. This is not a good program right now folks. It is not even an average program right now men. And it may trend less than that before anything could potentially get R.A.T.T. any better. As on-trend here is a negative slope. It dang well may be a spell before anything Techster can ‘rise’ up and outrun so many ills, issues, and conundrums. Nonetheless, here however is where real men congregate and speak truth to the power. The thingy is, this is a 9v tongue-touch of a look. As I do not really have a lot to poison pen game say… and there will not be a lot to say for some measure of fortnights to come.

1Q 15:00 remaining:

…props @my peeps.

That is a helluva a pre-game between the eras is the ultimate “game of inches” game call.

…and where will all that go the longer this all goes, on?

1Q remaining:

2Q remaining:

2Q remaining:

multi-game duration:
Don’t wanna hit this too hard, as some of this really should be ‘rong. “So say we all.” —Coach William “Bill” Adama
K?

That said, some of our ‘dings’ just do not look that awful upon breaking tape. So, either they are not that awful; or, we are just eaten alive with them. Full Monty eaten alive 25/8. Although, that would represent a multi (3-4) year trend. That would span two different regimes no less. That we do hope is bogus.

Still yet, on film, this harkens back to roller-derby in the 1970’s vintage fall down (all the time) and go boom. Is our Hokiebird now mo’ parts LA T-Birds?

3Q remaining:

3Q remaining:

3Q 4:20 remaining:
Here is my attempt at comedic relief, of 3rd-base satire…

…to mix my sporting metaphor if you will.

 

 

4Q o:oo remaining:

See below: …tho how is this advancing or ‘player development’ aiding and abetting any 2’s or 3’s?

Time To Throw (TTT)©:

Virginia Tech:
Qb pressured=8
Qb hurried=1
Qb hits=7 (1 TD tho’!)
Sacked=2 (both: Brown).

North Carolina:
Qb pressured=8
Qb hurried=1
Qb hits=15!
Sacked=nil.

TTT Analysis:
Well, that is how the Owens Dining Hall cookie crumbles…

…as the TTT pet metric just took its fourth L -that’s (4th)- in my now (unsurprisingly) fourth decade on TSL.com. That attempt at levity or self-deprecation aside, how ’bout this instead: “Thx” St.William and St.Christopher insert (________), here; check.

Now, the savvy among you is already pointing out that “Maye-day! Maye-day! Maye-day!” tallied a triskaidekaphobia or fear of 13 savvy thirteen northward carries. He is not exactly upfield shy to look nearly bean-pole or string-bean upon breaking tape, is he? Tho’ maybe that ‘blow’ he took along the sideline scamper near the endzone might just season some of that out of him a bit. And ‘aye’ Eye see that he does average right at 12-totes per contest thus far this campaign.

Still yet, flushed or on single-shot play-side reads with scripted safety-value so-called ‘go’ keepers aside… I’ma kinda surprised that they beat us this much if I only examine the TTT vital itself. What is even mo’ surprising is that Maye-day just set a nubile career high for QBR (the stricter of the two Qb rating metrics) while taking more than his share of incoming fire.

File that one away for ’23 or maybe even ’24 use if/when Drake sticks around.
He good, possibly; very!

(o) (o)
V

…on the other side of the Pivotal line-of-scrimmage, you ask?

Well, do recall, that we went back and backtracked the g.Wells’ penchant for putting up a stinker of a game historically. It was p=.24.

At Virginia Tech, however, it is p (meaning probability in stats), or p=.8o. Or four in five odds or 80%.

Or, rather all while rummaging or scrumming behind the 28th ranked pass-pro’ line in all of D-1 ‘ball. Not just P5, D-1 people.

Go fig’ on that?

As ‘yes’ he gets a few throws tipped, tho’ there have not been *that* many drops. The catch cache has been decent; middleocore. There have been however quite a few -if not a near slew- of misses. I chart this having been on the receiving end of the same for 12-seasons my (‘thx” @Coach God), self. So, what my charting is show… is… he has missed a lotta throws, high or tall, or outside the target (leading them too far). Not so much behind, or late, or plum underthrow short. So, arm strength does not seem too bad. It was oversold pre-season by nearly everyone less one. Tho’ it is north of a C letter grade. The only debate would be C+++ or maybe closer to B—?

Not bionic or a Bradshaw bullet, tho’ more than serviceable enuff out to say 40-45 in the air. Which are all most deep patterns needed as air under them in atmospheric terms go. Grant has adequate zip on his near to medium looks. Like JAX+++.

The blurry part is Grant has regressed since he arrived @Blacksburg, Va. compared to Huntington, WVa.

…and frankly, I might dare author: “slumped”.

As being nearly 20% redacted or worse in the mo’ severe RTG index, down nearly ∼7% on completion percentage, and then down close to a whopping ≅30-points in the looser or mo’ liberally graded QBR vital would each conspire to agree.

As it is either slumped, or he is just a poor Bowen throw-fit or juxtaposition.

(Barring there is some kinda phantom injury or hurt?)

Blocking check:
I was not sure what to make of the PFF blocking grades when I first saw them.

They are partially correct at least.
As our pass-pro’ or Vee-shaped cup does not really leak all that much. So, that fact checks a-okay.

We did not give up a metric ton of TFL (tackles for a loss) infected by the so-so U.n.c. D. So, that fact checks out well enuff as well.

We did not however generate much of a true downhill push on our run shapes. Which were very moderate at best, or at most. As we logged one, that’s (1) Rb tote north of 9′. When I ran the numbers, both negative and positive plays increased alike. So, you could spin that as a little better in pass-pro’ and not so better in trenching itself. In spite of the fact that our Rb’s only went backward for –9′ itself. We were just not able to dislodge what U.n.c. had in front of us at the point of attack.

Lotta stalemates and chicken-fighting in old-school blocking terms.

Longfield Management (Lo.FM)©:

Virginia Tech:
positive: |||| |||| |
Swiss (neutral): ||||
negative: |||| |||| ||| (3 VT penalties, 1 U.n.c. flag).

North Carolina:
positive: |||| |||| |||| | (2 big TD! Two 4th down gets!)
Swiss (neutral): ||||
negative: |||| |||| |||| (3 U.n.c. flags).

Lo.FM Analysis:
Most unexpectedly enuff… to have been beaten -some would have me say: blown out- by 30-something in a kinda lopsided looking 4-score-n-change margin of a game?

VeeTee hung Lo.FM. around for mucho longer than Eye could have ever expected. Or, for a good 4o-minutes and change.

Did not seem like it, did not even vaguely feel like it in-game, tho’ yet again; this is why you run the maths, not yo’ mouf!

Or in other words, poor g.Wells managed what precious little surrounding Talent he courts in a princely enuff matter. Whereas Maye chaperoned his vastly superior surrounding Talent(s) into numerous crowing or northward plays that really infected the aforementioned ‘feeling’ that this one was well outta hand.

The Hokies did clean a few things up yellow-kerchief-wise, to their credit. Tho’ U.n.c. hit four big ole positive Lo.FM plays. Good for two 4th-down converts and great for 14 full points. That is not automatic, that’s ridin’ clutch. Makes you wonder what Maye will be ridin’ come 2o24, doesn’t it?

(o) (o)
V

Tackling check:
Well, it continues to be a bit better than it was in ’21. And frankly, the 2’s that did get in for the last series or three were pleasantly sharp here. Clearly, Pry & Co. are not south of quite reasonable on halting itself.

DAX in particular is both a little mo’ nimble and even a little mo’ stronger between the tackles. Have not really seen him trucked this year as well. Not epic, tho’ hitting his career apex stride all the same. (Hope he merits some 3rd-string All-A.c.c. love too).

(mid-script: …curiously, some of these guys tackle pretty dang low on 1st-contact, and Coach Spock and I did not see that upon off-season Prybar n.Lion review… likewise curious to see if this continues?)

Not a perfect game, tho’ above average and generally kinda solid stopping by the bye.

🏈 👁️.Q. Award Winner:
Eye guess the U.n.c. Staff. They did isolate their very skillful guys a few times; although every bit as much as they also left at least two big plays out there to boot.

“The Rest of the Story...“

This storyline is where, or @O.d.u. Look, that really hurt this attempted cultural reboot.

The same ole same ole— you did not consummate and there you go… (back downhill).

WINS are the only recipe to validate any cultural kick-start.

That Monarch game is not just a real live shame– (as we at least coulda still won).

It could be a cultural reboot, bane.

***

The sportlight…

…here in the sportlight, we have a serious question to pose to you poser firebug types…

Which one has mo’ objective, proven, measurable, science-fact data points?

1. Talent(s), or lack thereof?
2. ’22 coaching the verb, or lack thereof?
3. Or, culturalization the process, or lack thereof?

So, to us, two of those three are substantially more in situ. Be that pro/con, yin/yang, birdie/bogey.

Our national and A.c.c. Talent {sic: recruiting or developing and retaining} metrics are all down.
More than a scosche in the last decade give/take… including the really poor national
class from two years back.

Our culture is even mo’ objective. As we are now easily and sadly alike, on-trend as L’ers!

We are now –5 games under .5oo in the last ≅3.5 years of balling.

Very likely on our way to –8 games under .5oo or getting close to a full season of L’ing.

However, the pitchfork crowd is also already hammering away at Ty’ Bowen & Bradley Glenn; right?

Why is that you ask?

Why? ’cause try as you might you cannot #FIRE Talent!!!

And although you can technically attempt to fire a culture, chemistry, and Talent(s), the clinician caveat for the Applied Sports Psych’ among you is… that they can tend to linger.

They can even resurface after ugliness such as this… ➡️

…Eye mean how do you validate a cultural reboot, ultimately?

Performance, right?

Or in our environmental or gridiron scaling case… Wins.

So, …just how valid are, we?

–oOo–

the takeaway…

…hard to be taken with a lot right now, n’est-ce pas?

Then Raleigh -to his credit- chimed in with this…

…the oddball vis-à-vis part being…

Well, if you are taking the long view -which I prolly can still support- go’on and take it in full!

Play tomorrow’s ballers today. Kick 2o23 and its 19-game slate off right now.

NOT what you see above at the expiration 4Q o:oo remaining marker of an already decided contest.

Or, did that just make too much this sport ain’t rocket surgery, sense?

3-D chess… “Queen to Queen’s level III.“

Then St_Andrew dropped this little nugget gone…

1. Man-o-man… that’s just plum scarry. Tho’ is it possible? Time=tell, tho’ I can tell you that it is not entirely umpossible. And that should scare you all the mo’.
2. “Aye.” This is why this is really year (n)one. And maybe purging some of the leftover culture could potentially be culturally preferred. Maybe? Tho’ yes, you could view this as an organizational temporal mulligan, or even a step backward. And just how far back can you step before you add too many steps to eventually get there and actually arrive at your cultural reboot?
3. 2-3 years? Could be. Beyond getting a couple of catching lightning in a bottle caliber recruits? 2-3 years might be the best case in all candor. And in even mo’ candor… what if we are, done?

The Closer…

Think of it this way… there are about 20 Sr’s and r-Sr’s in the rotation right now.
Of the handful that could come back– however, why would they desire to return if we continue upon (this) negging trend?

• Now think of ’22 as the year (n)one.
• Then think of ’23 as year-zero.
• And then ’24 as year no.1.

---

TSL Surgeon General’s Warning: (Danger! Danger!)

“IF you are a P.A.T.T., if you are preggers with a P.A.T.T., or if you and Will Robinson feel you may preggers each other with at… P.A.T.T.?

This may not be the final two sentences for you!

Meaning… this could get worse gents. Harsh as that may feel.
Eye’ma not even joking/stirring anything either.
As ’23 and prolly ’24 look a lot less, mature.

And this daystar may or may not,
ever… dawn.

Ergo, therefore, to Whit: …do try to enjoy anything you ’22 possibly, can.

(Before those 20 odd seniors hang up their cleats).

#wimps!

Virginia Tech=1o, North Carolinia=41

“LETS GO!”

“Hokies!”

bourbonstreet**