Ohio State at Virginia Tech football Preview

#1 R.P.I. defending national champion “the” Ohio State @ #24  R.P.I. Virginia Tech:

Today’s word of the day is… revanche!

re·vanche

(rə-vänch′, -väNsh′)

noun.

  1. The act of retaliating, especially by a nation or group to regain lost territory or standing;new Orange lids
  2. revenge.
  3. 35-21*
  4. 7th.September.2015???

* and remember, (praise be @coach God)……….you did read it here, first!

As there is only one, as in, 1 sports writer in all the land who can still go 2-o in picking this series. And if all you uppity Buckeye sports writers, retinue, and not cognoscenti, who did such a great job calling the Hokie upset last year; in particular the ones who took the pre-game time to nag me regarding just how dum’ my prediction was……….and still is……….. if you don’t like that?

Than same as last year yo’…………. BUCK you and BUCK off!

As VT has a real live shot in this one, and try as Buckeye hacks and fans alike might,
you still can’s spell VicTory without little ole VeeTee.

Top-10:

  1. 100%! As in Frank Beamer enjoys a very VT.edu savvy 100% graduation rate of VT seniors since 2012!
  2. Two. This is one of 2 grass surface games for OSU this year.
  3. 1983. OSU football coach U.Meyer played 15 MLB minor-league games for the at shortstop for the Atlanta Braves affiliate the Pulaski Braves in 1983.
  4. .842. U.Meyer has the highest active winning percentage of all D-1 coaches with five or more years D-1 tenure.
  5. Five. 5 different starters, or possible starters for OSU, injured or suspended for this one!
  6. 6,293. Total departing VT oLine snaps between Gibson, Wang and Farris.
  7. 327. VT has forced more INT’s (327) since 1992 than any other D-1 college football team with 327!
  8. Eight-oh. As in U.Meyer is a perfect 8-o in his last eight revanche or revenge seeking games. YIKES!
  9. 139. VT has notced a staggering 139 touchdown’s via defense or special-teams under Frank Beamer. The most in all of D-1 football!
  10. Ten. VT is a 10.5 point underdog (VT+10.5) on Monday, compared to being a 22 point underdog when the line opened off-shore (VT+22)!!!

OSU Defense: (starters back=7)

  • 34th in rushing defense
  • 13th in team pass efficiency defense
  • 19th in Total D

    New Kid on the BLOCK
    VHT (very highly touted) indeed!

This was a very good Buckeye stop-unit men last year men. It’s just that it never (quite) got around to be completely great vs. the run.

Or should I say consistently great vs. the run. It is however a big, rumbling, imposing looking defense with only 1 front-line projected starter south of 275 lbs.! The new Mike Lb (#5 Raekwon McMillan) was only the #1 Lb’ing recruit in the whole USofA a year ago, so he prolly sucks. The new Cb (Damon Webb) was only the 5th ranked Cb outta high school in the nation. He prolly sucks too.

That said, the only credible bugbear I could find here was that State was 94th in first down defense last campaign. Curious as well that Meyer’s squad went stop-unit Christmas in autumn and freely gift-wrapped 28 defensive first downs on penalties last year.

  • forty-three base set, will Landry era Flex a Dt offset at times; Bosa maybe suspended, though Dt Washington is a Sunday baller; just like Monty Python’s Holy Grail “…run away!”
  • Lb’s typically with a very even 4-5 yard deeper offset look (harder and further to get to them), lotta read and react and out physical you, and they did move pretty well to be so big
  • Lb’s will shift one gap over to the Wide-side for a horizontal toggle or Wide overplay look
  • will sometimes toggle the Sam OLb forward and break the even look where the Sam red-dogs from the edge; loop or twist blitzing from the Mike when he does deal
  • accordingly, will use a flood-zone look from that deepest Lb stagger, lotta congestion here, ergo, using each sideline as a bonus 11th and 12th force you East-West defender(s)
  • Safeties play in halves, try to keep it all in front to eliminate the BIG play
  • Cbs’s generally prefer a medium-man set, will press-Man wide and off-Man short at times, will even mutually press-man as the remaining defending filed shortens; there is something of a an umbrella look here with 4-Man, all medium or deeper at times
  • there can be just a little outside edge opening(s) here and there vs. this internally crowded set; and M.Brewer just so happens to throw this variety of pass very very very, well!

Or in other words, does this out-athlete bend though don’t break defensive approach remind you of anyone? As it surely reminds me of the heyday 1990’s Miami Hurricanes who dared you to make 50-90 yards worth of opposing plays vs. The U’s superior athletes for the length of a full touchdown scoring field. As more often than not one of those superior Buckeye athletes will make a play and sit your offense down. Even if your offense did notch a first-down or even 3-4 in the process. (READERs note: the best De in America (Bosa) is suspended!)

Defensive letter-grade(s):

OHIO STATE D

(Defensive letter-grade: A-, as this side of the ball is just a scosche south of the Statie’s offensive side of the ball, and we are catching their 2016-2017 replacement starts at the best possible time, early on, before they settle in and sit down like studs)

State Offense: (returning starters=8)

  • 8th in Rushing O
  • 2nd in Passing Efficiency Offense
  • Total O=9th

    Better stop this one, before this one gets goin'...
    Better stop this one, before this one gets goin’…

Is there a deeper Qb trifecta in America? No. As in no way no how! (there are Pro teams not this deep in quality Pivots)

Is there a better Tb in America than #15, 6’0” 227 lb. Jr. Ezekiel Elliott and his 2,098 total yards in ’14? Prolly not.

Now that praise rightfully bested, recall that State deploys a good sized offensive line, though not quite a Miami U Jurassic Park sized one –the one that routinely gives us fits. Al 5 oLine starters do return however, and they are basically a laterally nimble, coach Grimy physically strong, as opposed to envelopment blocking A.E.P. high voltage powerhouse at the point of attack.

  • lotta shotgun Spread sets with a single split Hb
  • will go 4-wide, even Trips to the short-side flood
  • Elliot has great bounce to his game, tends to bounce it wide, almost al-la d.Wilson @VT; Elliot can fumble when I.C.B.M. hit, as #15 carries the rock high, at times
  • will pull G’s even the C for kick-outs | will Crackback block, De’s and OLb’s beware!
  • squat, down blocking system on runs, creates natural angles, Euclidean would be proud
  • little bit of an airplane Wing look to the oLine, more so in passing which is a tip of the hand; will H-back things circa T.Christianson of Oaktown Raider fame
  • O does have a HR deep passing vertical stretch element to it, Go, Zoom, Fly along the sideline and throw long
  • #12, c.Jones, does make the occasional throw behind the intended target mistake, relies heavily on his howitzer for an arm | deep 5-7 step drops even from the SpreadGun look tells you just how big his arm truly is! 65 yards from 1-knee, 74 yards in the air, from both legs!!!
  • #12, c.Jones very effective middle-zone ad lib runner from a passing set, very nice acceleration in this guys feets, he can move!
  • Meyer offense known for gadgetry and trick-plays to spice things up

Whomever emerges from the trifecta Qb1 derby is prolly the de facto best Qb in the Big-Ten. With the Buckeye Qb2 and Qb3 back-ups left to dicker it out in regard to where they slot in the Big-10’s Top-5 pivots overall. Pass catching is clearly less experienced, and might just be the least talented part of the Buckeye offense. That being said, that was a relative statement indeed. As pass catching slots somewhere between the highest possible B+ and lowest possible A—. And yah; most of the other 129 D-1 2015 men’s football teams would love to have Ohio State’s offensive problems. (READERS note: 1 starting Wr (broken leg) is out, and both H-backs are suspended)

Offensive letter grade(s):

OHIO ST O

(Offensive  letter-grade: A+++, as the State pitch-n-catch game will only get better, and you could very much indeed argue that the run-shape is already the 1st-best in all the land. This team is gonna score a lotta points in 2015 folks, with the obscene 700 total point plateau within reach, if not within grasp)

Buckeye Special Teams: (both K and P return)

  • 4th in Net Punting
  • 18th in Punt returns
  • 29th in KO returns
  • basically a 2 outta 3 FG Kicker (that could use some work)

(Special Teams letter-grade: yah; FG kicking could indeed be better; though beyond that Special Team’s foible? Not a lotta weakness here; and there is a whole lotta will start in a year or two or three, raw, chip, starts somewhere else right now; talent, an A)

Xfactor(s):

  • combatant’s entering health/discipline, advantage VT by 4-5 ballers!x Factor orange
  • weather=possibly rainy, (which would favor the superior rushing team or OSU)
  • motivation=modest payback edge to OH.State, (though VT will be sky-high as well)
  • surface: very mild advantage to VT’s natural surface familiarly, ditto the So.Endzone kick altering winds
  • Experience/Resume`: slight State advantage due to 3 extra games/practices last year
  • Homecourt: favor of VT, big-time! As this is already a hard tix to come buy.

The key to upsetting "the" #1 ranked Ohio State is ... what???

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Illation, conclusion(s) and OPT digits:
The Top-3 Qb’s in the Heisman Race this year you ask?
Could the all be from Columbus Ohio?
I know, I know…

That reads straight krazy, though is it? As that is just how loaded for bear this Buckeye squad is at Qb coming into the 2015 August Camp pre-season. 1 stud is gonna start at Qb on Labor Day night and 2 studs are gonna sit. Simple as that.

p.s. a  Wr, yes a Wr, had a 539.2 Qb Rating last year! (no, I’m not making that up)

However, “the” Ohio State has a few foibles here and there, and yes again: “I know, I know”. It ain’t many and and as I said above: most other teams would love to have “the” OH.State’s problems. That said, here are the few things that could make this game a contest and this contest and a hotly contested fight down in the New River Valley on Monday night…

  •  left-side defensive line, all gone! (and guess where W.Teller lines opposite up?)
  • MLb gonzo too.
  • 1 Cb to maybe pick on
  • 2 very experienced starting Wr’s have left the building
  • 65% FG kicker is back (in a pinch or close game I mean)
  • And yah people; I’m now officially reaching…

Why?
Because OH.State is pretty much at the point of “reload” in lieu of “rebuild”. All 5 starting offensive line-man return; this from the 8th ranked rushing O, and the 2nd ranked (with three, (3) different starting Pivots) and the 2nd ranked passing efficiency offense!

Supreme Court ...approved!
Supreme Court …approved!

 


the takeaway:
The takeaway is thus… yes, there are a few (as in not many) although a few areas to target for Bud Foster and coach Scot Loeffler in scarlet and gray 74,000 student terms. Albeit it not many. And there will be even less one would have to expect as the Buckeye season wears on and this defending national champion, matures.

Or in other words, if there is such a thing as a good time to play “the” Ohio State next year? It damn sure is in game no.1.

It may take the Buckeye’s hyper complicated offense a game or three to to get up to urbane or should I say: Urban full-speed.

It may take the rookie MLb and Cb reloading starters a game or three to get fully locked, cocked and ready to rock.

Or it may only take them a couple of quarters if they truly hit the ground running. As “the” Ohio State is the odds on favorite to repeat as defending national champs with good reason(s).

This team is loaded for Big-10 (and beyond) bear, make no mistake on that one folks. As it is tough to envision the Buckeyes getting dropped much more than once in 2015. Ergo, therefore, to wit, and to be quite R.A.T.T. candid? It is gonna take at least the VT O&M A-game punch to topple “the” Ohio State. Maybe no less than our A+++ punch of the season. Anything less than that and you have to like the Buckeye chances. Now, and that reality firmly in place, one of the things I did detect in last year’s Eye in the Sky series was a bit of Buckeye fatigue late in the game. Meyer does not exactly have a legacy Holtz kid reputation as cruel taskmaster extraordinaire as training camps go. The Meyer way is to say Dabo Swinney+.

Techbits:
Here is what I’m gleaming on film-study and swapping notes from an OH.State source…Grey Girl

  • Someone heard on the D.L. (down-low) that several teams posthumous to Virginia Tech tried to implement the bear or double-eagle Foster defensive front and therefore mime the defensing success of Bud Stout. They also heard that only one defense employed the overall quickness to do it, i.e. Virginia Tech!
  • Also hearing that U.Meyer is pretty dang unhappy about going 15-Virginia Tech for the year last year. Meyer -as you can see in the Top-10 above, is a dickens in revenge game vs. a previous foil.
  • However, they also heard that the State football team had basically written last years Hokie VicTory off as a fluke. They feel very confident that they will Julius Caesar Blacksburg, come, see, conquer if you will.
  • Alabama had the right idea -try to roughhouse “the” Oh.State- and make any football game vs. the high-powered Buckeye offense a pier-6 brawl. It’s just that even the uber physical Crimson Tide could not take OSU’s A-game offensive efficacious max’ offensive punch and live to tell the tale. (… a very sobering thought indeed)
  • That said, if the Heavens do open up, and if the New River Valley is a soggy or slippery one on Labor Day night, I don’t feel too bad  about Bud Foster figuring out a way to stop a one or 1.1 dimensional offense if OSU decides to ground-chuck VT’s defensive filet Mignon.

In this football game mighty Virginia Tech must not create its own luck, Virginia Tech must outright inflict it. Virginia Tech MUST win the battle of first down, and Virginia Tech must get this Ohio State offense off the field A.S.A.P. That means going for it on 4th and short as opposed to a long range FGA or faking a punt. Virginia Tech must hang hang hang and hang around some more. Becoming a pressure packed O&M milestone around the neck of  heavily favored Ohio State and keep this one close for the duration and then try to steal this one late.

Gonna take a perfect Hokie game to win this one men, and that’s prolly code for winning by 1 full play or less. Anything less and “the” Ohio States slowly wears a game and gritty Virginia Tech down and pulls away to win by just barely into double-digits in the final 10-20 minutes on a finishing scoreboard that will appear wider than the majority of the contest itself truly was. That said, right now? I have this one as a 1-score game.

closer:
I had (unofficially) predicted VT=3o, Ohio State=36 about seven weeks ago. In theMASH meantime however the Buckeye’s are down 4 or 5 starters and the Bosa suspension may have just kept our very own M.Brewer alive. Bosa is that damn meaningful to the game. Ditto the pass-catching depletion’s to the red-line R.P.M. Buckeye offense for this one. This however does simplify things and places even more of an offensive onus on quite possibly the best Rb in all of D-1 football. Some State fans will (actually) call that a good thing vs. the seemingly susceptible middle-defense or Mike-Lb of Virginia Tech.

In this one? The start=the finish men!

Either, “the” Ohio State starts fast, finds an offensive groove and does inflict some measure of payback in this one by the tune of a 10-20 point double-digit Buckeye triumph. Or, Virginia Tech makes this an ugly, meat-grinder of a phone-booth defensive struggle, and (hopefully) Hokie special-teams, turnovers, and maybe even some good ole fashion O&M pure luck turn the one-play tide.

So I’ma simply gonna claim a keyboarding typo moment and nearly reverse my former score… …and Frankly speaking?

This Urban ain’t very urbane, as this is one ego I’d like to see taken down a notch; or three. Ergo, to wit, it is time for some urbanization of this mouthy self-centrist scarlet and grey Urban sprawl!

  • The Theory of Evolution claims: only the strong shall survive.
  • The Theory of Competition says: just because their the strong doesn’t mean they can’t get their asses kicked!

pigskin IQ

(upset Index=29%)

OPT digits:
Virginia Tech
=3o, “the” Ohio State=23

LETS GO!

HOKIES!

bourbonstreet**

HLD snoopy

3 Responses You are logged in as Test

  1. Woooooo-woooooooo! I’m liking the pick B’st. Let’s hope that Dadi goes all Bobby Boucher on OSU and that you are the ONLY 2-0 prognosticator on Tuesday.

    p.s. I think that your score is a bit too conservative. 34-17 for the team coached by a humble gentleman. You KNOW that ain’t Urban.

    1. Will take a o.o1 victory on the corrupt Russian gymnastic judge’s scorecard right now; and call the whole thing off————>b.street

  2. This matchup is looking like a gridiron version of Rocky IV where the fav has all the measureables and a fawning press. One thing nobody measures though is that all important engine inside your chest the beats for a cause not for just the glory. This team loves the man from fancy gap and they know the drums will beat loudly if they are humiliated at home. OSU may have revenge in mind but that goes out the window the first time big Lu plants EZ. Judging by the size of one Michael Brewer’s ticker, I like the good guys chances to weather the initial fury and show the hawkeyes our southern hospitality by serving up another serving of that humble pie. Good call B Street!

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