Virginia Tech=38, Pittsburgh=21

Virginia Tech football got well soon; sooner, soonest.

The Hokies needed that one like a dead man needs a coffin. Whatever that means… As it surely meant a real live, look at 1 win prior to facing always defensively limiting BYE itself. Now some things are at least somewhat back on the table. @Tally looks iffy; and our Wake-up-call on fatigue max’ will be a truly ‘competitive’ or culturalization gut-check, max’. Though there Eye go again putting the cart before the horse. We did upset a needy Pittsburgh Panther squadron— as nighttime yet again proved to be the right time over in the New River Valley. Nevertheless, you wanna know who won and by how much, rights? So, read on… to finds, out! (Or, to see some *other* thingys that Eye, saw…)

1Q 10:52 remaining:
Although I do not technically go in for this my ownself?

We (collectively) needed this like several dead men need several coffins. And a mausoleum.

Watch as Cobra-Ky’ strikes hard and strikes first post-play as he gives the Pitt De a truly mouthy moufull after hitting this hanging though deft/soft Fly-Pattern downfield strike to his new B.Flanker Friend. As Drones and Felton might just have that *it* click working if they are not entirely careful.

And St.Noah himself woulda been proud of this high-hanging of a softer-than-expected rainbow-looking hurl. The pass was epic enuff; though it has been since half past the highland water moccasin of j.Evans fame since someone; anyone, in this club, took this job and shoved it. (Mo’ below…)

1Q last 12’ish Q’s duration:

See that top one?

 

 

Trick or Treat gone… save my (hot)-seat.

However, do understand; that you would prolly not be seeing many -if any- of these things if things themself were more traditional Power-Spread O normalized or ’23 five-by-five (5×5).

Desperate times do call for desperate or disparate measures indeed… in… O&M spades.
♠♠

1st 16 games duration:
Methinks some of what you are seeing is Doc’ Glanville’s Chem’ Laboratory football.

i.e., Pry is literally focusing his committee of one on learning how to Head Coach (the verb) itself. This is why you see him making so many situational notes to himself for himself to learn from and glean what to do in a similar situation down the ’24 to possibly ’27 road.

And although not real sideline in-game coachy, moody, yelly, screamy… he’s not a dumbazz.

It is rather that he is just home-schooling… himself!

V.P.I. O.T.J. gone J.I.T. victory dance delivery!

3Q 10:29 remaining:
Kinda the same drill here gentlemen…

“Football is an emotional game.”
—1951 V.P.I. team captain & Fb1 & Mike1 my, pops!

Tru dat pop.

And Eye ain’t the enemy of smiles or emotionality nor of blowing off a little steam, responsibly; here-n-there. However, I’d be lying like a rug if I said I heard anything other than your yelling of: “GET BACK IN THE HUDDLE” after any celebration by we.

Still yet… and although the No Fun League does not allow this; and although they looked the other way on the 1st one earlier on?

We prolly did clinically need this.
This spike.

As so much frustration, so much dysfunction, so much flood-plain irrigation of outcomes just within our reach and yet they got away from us again and again and again…

As this one is pretty much code for…

“Any Port in a storm.”
—Sailors Adage

Yups.
Sure enuff.
And this little engine that could {sic: formerly: not} stormed home when before it had tended to go AMTRAK and jackknife itself right off the… trax.

Now, are things officially back on track?
That Eye just don’t know. You?

Nevertheless, I do know that things were perilously close to getting outta… whack.

4Q 10’ish remaining last 2 or 3 games:
Really happy to see them NOT spit the bit and tap-out across an overall harsh-looking went 1 up against 2 down for our closing 10-minutes of work, trouble(s); recently @Rutgers and @Marshall alike.

Likewise, the harsh-azz Pitt droning recovery and whooping 12′ worth of advancement, that cut the game back down to a 1-play score.

Lesser men in an environment that just asks more would done that. Although they at least did stiffen a bit @Rutgers and again @Marshall at the close of work.

There were/are clinical Applied Sports Psych subjective signals here folks— it has rather been that they lacked and truly badly wanted objective positive reinforcement backing up on the scoreboard itself.

So, close yet so far away from me… or, Dire Straights football gone par excellence gone
Freudian lip-out boggy putt or… one-o-(n)one.

That could possibly be taken for a ≥ .333 sign.

And although recalcitrant to nominate that we are (yet) turning the proverbial corner…

…I am willing to hope that we now have at least a few toes out in front of the same.

All fingers (hopefully) point to that.

Time To Throw (TTT)©:

Virginia Tech:
Qb pressured=3
Qb hurried=2
Qb hits=22! (2 TD’s! 1 fumble. 4 big broken Tac’s!)
Sacked=2

Pittsburgh:
Qb pressured=7
Qb hurried=1
Qb hits=9
Sacked=4

TTT Analysis:
Well, we did sorta, kinda win this one. Still yet, there is an old 7o’s adage that goes… a Qb on the run is a Qb on his… bum.

As you’d have to bet the OVER on poor Kyron Drones Sunday whirlpool timer after any given Hokie football Saturday.

He is a stout one.
He is a willful one to be sure.
A Qb1 gone full monty headstrong 1o1.

Though he is a human one and at some point, you just gotta wonder how
humane this level of contacting can possibly be?

(o) (o)
V

Eye was also kinda surprised that Pitt stuck to Phil Jurkovec after a truly misfiring and wanting for velositizing opening half of play. He did not look right at all on that fully sleeved hind leg or plant leg in an orthodox passing case. May St.Philip bless. The kid is a gamer; nobody can fault his willingness to play hurt heart.

Godspeed @Phil.

He’s done about all he can P5 D-1, do.

Blocking Analysis:
So, these here up above blocking pie-chart grades you, see?

Well, they were as tough a grade to hold as I’ve seen in many a season plural indeed.

Eye objectively say that as we set a + or positive Crooky record to the pure checkmark count. Though the calc/stats savvy among you are already saying… ‘that’s a near break-even split’ which ain’t *that* good historically b.street.

(Though snapping was right as rain for the first time in a long time).
^^^STFU b.street^^^

Fair-play. Tru dat.
As Drones create some helpful and some hurtful blocking angles like with his sandlot selfie style.

#1 + #33 = 38?!? (really?)

The actual armchair Qb1a sage among you will already know that some of this is a simplified set of concepts for Drones. 1-n-done on some reads; or maybe two or so off any give R.P.O. when he actually has time to quick-look downfield and see if anyone is clearing or open itself. Though do recall that one of my four did say they thought he was making some playbook climbing signs late in the spring and again late in August camp. Kyron is our Kobe. Or a worker bee who drones on and on and on…

Additionally,  some of this mess was found in Cobra-Ky just be pure breaking blocking shapes in a very East-West, North, and occasionally Southron fashion. Some of that is a must-do on a pure lack of blocking redo. Just ask a season-high or new ’23 low-water blocking mark from our virtual have to play the whole game 1’s with no help from their caddying 2’s of… 18%.

As in… even at a really nice inflicting of your will in boxing offensive terms; play-count of 78 total Ty.Bow’ plays run… we still got tackled in our backfield on nearly 1 in 5 plays!
~Eighteen percent, get it?

That squarely struck, the blocking Hokiebirds experienced at least something of a bull market on efforting. In particular our formerly All Charmin Conference softies at Te1/Te2. They did at least try, and you can forgive peeps that bow their back and try harder more often and easier than the rest. They also showcased some original-school scissors plays with crossbuck elements that pulled the Panther D in more than 0ne 2-dimensions. (i.e., both east & west all at once).

Still yet, it was really up-n-down when you grade it 5-across and play-side sticter. Very uneven blocking. Basically from all of them.

The equally bizarre-o part is… try doing a scratch-mark chart on how often our oLine is not looking downfield. As their lines (pardon the pun) of sight are unsightly at times indeed. Some of it is on trying to reconnoiter where Drones be and/or is moving towards… and some of it is on a looksee for the guy they were supposed to be blocking, where do he be; see?

“LOOOOOK OUUUUUT” blocks we be.

(Tho’ our Rb’s do put shoulders into
peeps staying in on pass-pro’).

▄ ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄

As 1o5th best in TFL (tackles for a loss) allowed and literally sinking as I type might be a clue.

Eye mean there is helter-skelter, there is feast or fist or famine and there then was this. And this many herky-jerky blocking standards and mad-libs are just not a textbook look. Though they can be where you blindside did not see someone coming get hurt.

Pay attention to this when we face the remaining 2 or 3 nastier dLines we have coming up… as we currently have 0% of our G1’s starting and virtually 0% depth behind any and all of that. And frankly, I’d rather have mo’ footloose and fancy-free guys to try to keep shifting pace with the G.P.S. gone all over the place Drones.  Kevin Bacon and the dufus big blonde overalls plow-boy footballer -after the got his Ariel erected and learnt to dance- if you will.

…though for the 3rd straight week… I did like how we tried to at least sorta/semi-lunchroom bully peeps physically in the final 1o-minutes or so of play. ≈+513% in rushing in the bottom of the 9th would
seem to say so here. Though we shall see how that holds up as well…

Beyond that? Eye, just; don’t… know?

We may not know until Oktoberfest is tapped out to boot.

Longfield Management (Lo.FM)©:

Virginia Tech:
positive: |||| |||| |||| (2 big bomb TDs! 1 TD! 1 TD with spike flag! 1 bad Pitt penalty)
Swiss (neutral): ||||
negative: ||||  ||| (2 VT flags, 1 ugly fumble fo’ Pitt-6!)

Pittsburgh:
positive: |||| (1 VT flag)
Swiss (neutral): |||
negative: |||| |||| |||| (3 Pitt penalties. 1 Pitt fumble!)

Lo.FM Analysis:
Well(s)… as said and as will be said… Drones is a willful … “Shut yo’ mouf b.street!”

Or one determined and downright willful animal-mother.
A Full Metal Jacket Qb1 if you will.
A sonofagun.

And in all candor?
With ⅔’rds of our, Top-3 catch cadre down for the duration?

And with that ex-post-(Pattern)-Facto Qb1 who is still a bit gimpy; you just cannot sit this much willful willpower itself.

You could have the conversation if the grab-gang and that Qb1 were still keepin’ it one-hundred. Or, maybe you could even consider it per a week-by-week match-up basis or when you find a suspect pass-D like the one down in Tally be. (116th best!).

However, how could you (now) not say that Drones has earned his Qb1, stay?

As Drones made his bones and went to Owens Dining Hall and made the Hokiebird a chicken salad sammwich outta chicken (bleep), on a handful+ worth of impro’ times.
Not many can do that folks.

(He and King-Tut’, pure straight-razor scrappers like William Wallace or Braveheart ballers… may St.Cyrus and St.Lawrence bless, see: below).

I mean… what else can he and Atlas weight of the world, do???

Hit five, that’s (5) +Lo.FM TD tallies?!?

(o) (o)
V

On the other Lo.FM end… this one coulda been worse than it was. That is the fairer thing to say than to say: “we beat them worse than the score showed.”

As their next healthy Qb1 woulda been their 1st.
And the parcity of +Lo.FM’s from a veteran Pitty-pat Qb1 is unexpected to be sure.

And Pitt did battle back in their own right and they did not… (see: pic).

However, I was surprised that Marve & Co. did not go Marvel Comics and throw everything they had blitz-wise vs. the sadly clearly hurting Philip. Every bit as much as I was surprised that Pitt gave their kinda nice pocket-passing Qb2 no, game.

Go fig’ here?

Tackling Analysis:
Well, in all candor… the Pitt oLine was a shambles.

And as Col. Henry Blake once put it… (they) “…need to deshabilize.”
Now that’s not VeeTee’s fault… granted.

Even so, our at least a bit improved run-fills were to our, credit. Our Linebacking and Safety rotations seem to be coalescing.

And Pitt was a bite/baity set of Panthers on or around the edges of the play.
Glad we showed so much Hokie Respect and did not (mostly) take their bait.

As our tackling has been fair-to-middling all year long. It is rather our shaping or fitting that has been outta-shape or pretty damn much misfit itself. (Thus is not the same (grading concept) as what happens Coach Spock wise or after a defensive tally-ho’s and rallies to the ball on a 1st, contact). They were better here; and the Dt’s did a better job of: ‘stringing it out’ horizontally which buys time to seal the (correct) gap for the 2nd layer.

So, to have no legit C/F or true Fs ‘s playing Fs, and to have Cb’s and Safties playing Lb?

This is not unexpected; though it should only slowly settle in and then settle down a Euclidean mite.

🏈 👁️.Q. Award Winner:

Ty.Bow’ and the medium-O, Staff?!?

doh!

No Eye’ma not bleepin’ with yah.

As we won all 4Q’s of T.P.O. (time of possession).

We were only 1 carry removed from winning all 4Q’s of rushing.
And we hung in there and split the difference beyond a 4Q needy passing Pitt.

And it has been a long long long long time in a Galaxy Far Far away since Eye’ve
seen a VeeTee team box score signature ‘crawl’ just like dat.

xxx’s & ooo‘s

formulae football

From no less an authority on football than ‘bear’ Bryant his ownself says…

1. First, you learn to win @home.
2. Then, you learn to win @away.
3. Finally, you learn to win when you are not supposed to win.

• In ’22 terms… we knew how to lay down and give the B.D.T. away for keeps @home.
• Then we knew how to play Miami to within 1-full-play and the Wrambling Wreck to within 1-full-point.
• Though we did not know how to win. (In Lane).

That said… Eye am kinda wondering if we just got over the defending the home-folks first, hump?

We do need another data point or three here. (Cue: Wake, ‘Quse, State)…

Nevertheless, you do gotta wonder if they just learned how to break the backyard, seal.

the takeaway…

…the takeaway here is… Eye will be mo’ R.A.T.T. taken with this ’23 team if/when they take it to and preach truth to the power of the Winston-Salem Deacons.

That would really put far more credible post-season or bowling thoughts back on the December table.

Though ‘aye’… do enjoy and bask in this one for a bit… it has been a minute or three
since the scoreboard read thirty-eight.

(From: the good guys Eye mean).

“The Rest of the Story...“

Where’s the τau Σigma λambda I used to know?

Looks like the pay and free side are happier alike.

Don’t worry, be… Hokie! (Wells, at least until Friday or so…)

The sportlight…

All that to say if you ask me? And you did via reading these very words…. if you ask me?

Well, here n the sportlight we prefer a mo’ soberstreet approach to this 1-whole entire single solitary game(s) worth of a win-streak.

As Eye for one will not yield to this dopamine, endorphin, and yessing process.

To me this 1st BIG Bowen & Pry-bar 24o6o win merits a… second-check.
We must suss this single success out in plural… terms.
Only then will we know who sucks or not?

So, let us see where we move as the National Markers {sic: statistics} go during the OPEN week review.

Or, was this a helluva a turning-point win when we look back and survey the ups and the downs of ’23 itself?

Or, did we merely best a really bad Pitt-stop that could very well see its Alleghany bottom fall out?

The Closer...

Coach Rumsfeld football or: “We don’t know what we don’t know.“

At least not yet gents. And frankly, I would dare to say we will only know more once November rolls around, and prolly nothing super good validating before. And as the Speaker of the TSL House Eye can only assure you to put an O&M beige flag on it all. Let it cook and see how it end of Oktoberfest tastes.

As in… it is premature postulation to know either way…

…that all to say, Wake is a far more alarming contest.

As that one too will be yet another gotta-win one.
Must have ’23 football; again, 1o1 or 1-o-(n)one.

However, we did at least stave off the ‘decay’ and we did live to fight another day. As Brett Maverick’s pappy used to say…

"He who fights and runs away lives to run away another day."

As I can only assure you; we/VeeTee will only run as ’23 far as our #1 and #33, say.

💯

#wimps!

Virginia Tech=38, Pittsburgh=21

“LETS GO!”

“Hokies!”

bourbonstreet**