#93 R.P.I. Virginia Tech vs. #88 R.P.I. w.V.u.:

Today’s word of the day is… ‘eer!!!

–eer
suffix

genome: pejorative: from French -ier, from Latin -arius

1. (Forming nouns) denoting a person concerned with or engaged in an activity.
2. (Forming verbs) denoting concern or involvement with an activity.
3. (Foaming nouns) denoting the Mo-town, WVa. Fire and Police departments on rabid old-blue-n-gold Red Alert come Thursday midnite???

West Virginia Head Coach: Neal Harmon Brown: age=42, (18–2o @WVa. and 53–36 overall); has a rep’ for offense, velocity, Wr’s/Qb’s.
$3,055,000.oo

Baller Brown attended Boyle County High School in Danville, Kentucky, where he was an all-state wide receiver, baseball, and basketball player. At Boyle County High School, he finished his career as the No. 2 pass catcher in state history. dang!

Wr Brown played football at the University of Kentucky under head coach Hal Mumme and his assistants, Mike Leach and Tony Franklin, before transferring to the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He did earn all-S.E.C.edu honors as a Wildcat.

Student-athlete Brown earned his bachelor’s degree in business management and his master’s in business administration from Massachusetts. While at UMass, he was an Atlantic 10 All-Academic honoree and an NCAA Division I-AA Athletic Directors’ Academic All-Star team selection. Impressed!

After that baller Brown went Coach Brown started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at UMass, then Sacred Heart, and then Delaware. Then Brown caught his big break as Brown was named the offensive coordinator at Texas Tech under new Red Raiders head coach Tommy Tuberville. Then after a year as O’cord at Kentucky Coach Brown blew his first big whistle down at Troy.

At Troy Coach Brown tallied Troy’s first 10-win season since joining FBS in 2001 in 2016. He scored a massive upset over all-galaxy L.S.U. and he ended with 10, 11, and 10 wins again at Troy. Making him something of their mini-me Frank Beamer. He also improved his team’s G.P.A. and graduation rate every single season. Troy.edu props insert (_____) here. And has acquired something of a program-wide renaissance man’s tag for it to his sizeable credit.

Most curiously enough, Coach Brown is perfected in his bowl career. (4-nil). And he has been the betting ‘dog every time less once. This tells you the man can break a tape and really preps shrewdly on extra time. Even mo’ curiously… to be rumored to be an offensive-whisper, his Troy and his w.V.u. D’s have basically sparked their respective Os at each tour stop. What with… in seven combined seasons as a head coach, he has yet to field a top-70 offense. wow, and go fig’ on dat?

As this is one pretty dang educationally accomplished collegiate football coach folks.
Not many have anything anywhere near his curriculum vitae classroom props.

And curiously enuff, the sewing circle vibe is that this is that rarefied analytics/numbers guy (same as ohhh, saaaay, Fu’); who actually (still) gets the human element. We shall see on that… as 2o22 is the proving ground of that. As the coaching sewing circles whispers also say that Coach Brown was suffering from some hard(er) to manage Holgorsen kids who did not buy in and have been left out. Meaning, that this is now his team his way. Time=tell here on that…

Daddy Brown and his wife, Brooke, have two daughters: Adalyn and Anslee, and one son, Dax.

2021 record: 6 up 7 down and 4-5 in the Big-8

READERs note: (Eye found 2 different returning production metrics this year, so I used them, both).
(They do differ, accordingly).

DubVee Defense: (starters back=3)

• 41st in Total D.
• 51st vs. the run.
• 61st vs. the throw.
• Tho’… 97th best in Team Passing Efficiency D!
• 98th in zone D!
• 8 of 1o in dLine Havoc. Dt1 (legacy star) Dante Stills, De1 Taijh Alston are legit. Possibly very as a likewise quality 1-2 punch of Top-2 defensive down linemen punch goes. The caveat is… as noble as they two may be, the three or four behind them are lesser parts. That candor firmly placed, the 1’s are among the best ones in-league play. Make no misQ there. Including budding local (Bluefield Beaver) star Sean Martin at left-De2. Who plays with a very heavy shoulder. This is a physical, active front wall, they will go S.W.A.T. team on passes as well. w.V.u. does sorta toggle or flex into a 40-set with a hybrid De/OLb who will play with a hand in the dirt in more obvious rushing times. And odd-look enuff… this is not De-Ng-De. This is (wide)-De-Ng-Dt-(short). Good size here for it too. De is very handsome; nearly part thirty-four version of the S.e.c. metrics if you will.

  

• 3 in 10 in Linebacking Havoc. There are questions here… two pretty good ones are back and the rest are not so much as experience and as ratings go. C2 has already ghosted how poor their ’22 vitals have been. This 2nd-layer is in 3rd-place defensively. Lee Kpogba is prolly your lowercase alpha here. Not a real deep layer to boot. And they are most available threw the airwaves. Gotta work our Te1, Te1a, and our aTm refuge ex-Qb1 here. ’bout right sized less the Will who is a little light in the seat of the pants. There is Top-2 talent here, tho’ dang if they do not misQ and literally get outta linebacking position more than a scosche.
• 6.5 of 1o in Secondary Havoc. Of the seven defensive backs who saw at least 3oo snaps in 2o21; only one, (Cb1, Charles Woods) will take the field in 2o22. Transfers and attrition have nearly destroyed depth here and this is clearly a temptation for most any decent enough throw-fit 2o22 w.V.u. opponent. And prolly a bull’s-eye for any truly savvy opposing passing-fancy. ’cause old-gold-and-blue or not, there is a lotta green or unseasoned wood on the w.V.u. secondary fire here. Experience is wanting; big time. And that’s doubly true if sophomore S1 Saint McLeod needs extra time to recover from getting stabbed in Morgantown in early March; (Godspeed on dat). (UPDATE): 1st Team All-Big 12 Cb1 Charles Woods… had left-ankle surgery (St.Philip bless). Could be back before the year ends is the early word. Dang… S’s make a lotta stops, some of that is via schematic design/funneling and some of that is just too far downfield. Tho’ they will even, or cheat up and that is some of that as well. The caveat is, they get too far ahead (northward) of the play and miss stops for it.

  

• D overall: (D-film-study): Double nickels (#55) Stills is the truth on the inside. The WVa. dLine is very strong upstairs, a very handy lot and they control you when their hands get to you before your hands get to them. Secondary can be said to play a little soft at times and invite very short passing to keep it all in front of them. They do mix, roll, and disguise things well enuff behind that at times. They will go for the hit; a solid tacking team that just dabbled in attempted intimidation. Lb’s score lowest of all. Tho’ Eye saw them as being their own worst enemy more so than wetting the bed all over. Tho’ this is the least great layer either way. Frontline is 1st-best, Secondary is reasonably the middle layer or in 2nd-place here.
• ∑ (summary): returning D production=64% (81st most or below average). Dante Stills is your conflict defender here. He starts for the A.c.c. (on the whole). Of the nine defenders who recorded at least 500 snaps in 2021, seven are gone, including all four Top-4 defensive backs. Brown and coordinator Jordan Lesley still have proven disruptors like Dt1 Dante Stills, De1 Taijh Alston, and Lb1 Jared Bartlett, but the fact that Brown brought in seven transfers and three jucos on defense speaks loudly indeed. That said, the whispers say that the w.V.u. D younglings (i.e., replacements) are: faster, longer, and have a higher football I.Q. than before. Still yet, at the end of the day, at the beginning, and in the middle, 7 transfer D guys and 3 incoming JuCo D guys are still 7 transfer D guys and 3 incoming JuCo D guys. Meaning, this may all take a minute or three to inform… reform, and then take ’22 shape. This D is the strongest closest to the L.O.S. (line-of-scrimmage), and only weakens the further away you move from the front lines after that.

Defensive letter-grade:
Honestly, this D seems as if it should/could be a scosche or even a measure better. It did finally improve last week, however. Maybe they got too high pre-season after several nice halt-unit consecutive seasons from reading their own fumes? C—/C fenced.

mid-script: Wells tends to throw or miss high or wide when too juicy or pumped-up.
Mind the store on that here.

wVa Offense: (returning starters=6)

• 13th in Total O.
• 28th in ground O.
• 25th in aerial O.
• 55th in Passing Efficiency O.
• 22nd in zone O!

  

• O overall: Qb2: (Garrett Greene) is a darty good little water-bug Pivot. However, Qb1 times four, that’s (4), and heir apparent and fashion model on the side, one #18, J.T. Daniels; is da… truth! Seriously, as you do not win: Qb1, and Qb1 (again) at So.Cal, then win Qb1 and Qb1 (again) at defending National Champion Georgia just ’cause you suck. That said, Daniels’ ability to remain healthy has again and again been suck at times. (Lat’/oblique, shoulder, right-A.c.l.). As he has not courted a fully healthy season since 2o18. However, if he finally plays his way into better health? The best bet would be to put some wise money on this kid -and on his said to be: “world-class” arm- on possibly being the most dangerous Pivot we will see all season long. If not the best in point of fact. Or on the fact that he refers (ahem) to mo-town, w.Va. as… “dope”. “Ahem” some mo’… anywho… the word here is that J.T.D. has not L in an on-field appearance since… 2o18! Unbeaten ever since. Wild, (and wonderful), ain’t it? Eleventeen consecutive victories as two teams twice per team named starting Qb1 spread out across four, that’s (4) truly injury-riddled seasons! “Wild” and not so training-room ‘wonderful’ in spades. Nevertheless, lotta Qb2’s and Qb3’s and prolly a fair to middling number of Qb1’s wish they had his 4,840 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions (2:1 ratio) with a completion percentage of ≈64% career problems with the associated National Championship ring problems. The 4.91 forty, and the 28″ vertical are modest at best. Likewise, the near tricentennial career rushing deficient of –3oo yards on the ground. Although T.J. did add 25 and 45-Qb-rating-points to his Qb-rating down @Georgia compared to U.s.c.-West. That is called improvement in no small measure in my book. As his passing ratio was all the way up to a nifty 15:4 and his Qb rating peaked at a staggering 264.4-points; right before he got hurt, again. Again as in the third (some say fourth) significant career injury down between the hedges in Athens. Again, “availability is your best ability” and this kid has quite a bit of the latter if not so much of the former (Coach God Bless). On tape, Daniels is a quick hurler, though he is a very accurate guy once he gets it going. He was a pretty dang solid passer under pressure (which speaks to his hits accrued and injuries incurred alike). Though this backed up a notch or two under heat @Georgia. A bit mechanical at times on film, a solid pocketed guy, scans the field very well. Curiously (cleverly or not) slips the middle finger in with his off-hand on some wind-ups; (no joke). Strikingly enuff, coming into this year, all less four, that’s (4) of Daniels’ INT’s have come between the |hashmarks| —’wild’ again, ain’t it? Though he is most willing to push the ball down the field. As 20% of his attempts zoom 20-yards or better. Additionally, he works the even-side (i.e., right-side) virtually 200% more often than back-side or left-side throws. This too may very well speak to something physical or insalubrious itself. As does his nearly mind-bending: just one forced missed tackle in 4 years! In scholastic terms, T.J. -to his credit- graduated at 17 or in only 3 H.S. classroom seasons! He has his UGA.edu (psychology) undergrad hanging on his office wall already as well. A Mater Dei Catholic H.S. pocket-passer who nailed: 12,014 yards with 152 TDs in three, that’s (3) freakin’ seasons folks. Daniels was only named: The 2017 Gatorade National Player of the Year, The Max Preps National Player of the Year, and the National High School Coaches Association Player of the Year! Can you say “*****” or surefire 5-star kan’t miss recruit? As football factory Mater Dei only went 15-o in 2017, they only won the California CIF Division 1 title and the California State Open Division crown and they only won one Prep National Championship for it. This after only being named: (twice) The Gatorade California Player of the Year, and the year (Soph.) before! As I’ve read/studied some nutty numbers in my four, that’s (4) decades with TSL… though this is Planters raised to the Keebler elf power nuttiness. And thus, making his apex of 16th (247Sports) national ranking a squirrely one indeed. Also, there is a sizzling hawt to open games and then there is T.J. Daniels. As he was only 80% before halftime last year and yet only 60% after intermission. Go fig’ (unless health was wearing down a bit in-game) here? These trends have held up every single season too, as you won’t be getting this kid early; though there is a slight chance you might get the fading version of him, late. (As his Qb-rating drops by a virtually umpossible 73-points 1st-half to 2nd-half)!?! All dat from what sources called: “the smartest Qb West Virginia has ever had.” (This going back through Hostetler, mind yah!) And frankly from what we heard of him? This is their very own Will Furrer or rather bookish kid. The kind who loves the film room; a Hollywood Qb1 indeed.
  (2o22): J.T. is up right at 11% on completion percentage year-to-date. He is also up close to 3o-points on RTG and then up virtually 25-points of QBR (the mo’ severe metric of the Pivotal two).  This season so far… the caveat being… Daniels (somehow) cools from a hot hot hot Buster Poindexter 1Q of 86% passing to an extremely warm to not as hot 72% 2Q passing then down to a nearly modern-era nippy looking ~52% passing for both quarters of the 2nd-half (3Q and 4Q alike). The SAME as before… with 100% of his INTs occurring after intermission. Now, either they are bringing both barrels of their so-called: ‘go’ plays to bear early on (and subsequently running out later per the same)? Or, this strikes us as a bit of a throw-out or old-school tired-arm Qb1. As that is too much of a drop to be ‘just because’. Or, in final words… you really need to get at J.T.D. early on before J.T.D. early on gets at you.

  

• Rb1: un-der-ra-ted, (clap-clap-clapclapclap); or at least underutilized, Rb1 Leddie Brown is a lightning bolt out in San Diego now. So, now would be a good time for Rb’s Jaylen Anderson and Justin Johnson Jr. and all their VHT (very highly touted) swagg to, emerge. Tony Mathis Jr. is the highest returning rusher in pure 2o21 leftover terms. Likewise, VHT Clemson transfer Lyn-J Dixon may want to get a bit chippy, with that in his own right. This leaves Tony as the de facto alpha ‘back. No. 53 running back nationally by Rivals— so there is a drop-off here. Average to good H.S. digits seem to validate this additionally. Mathis Jr. has a senior-citizen history of dings galore. Not quite dents, though always nicked up and never in elite fighting nick itself. Kitchy Rb1 is the word here. Did finish 2o21 a bit better; can be a bit quick on tape. Not a pure explosive scare you athlete though. Has some long azz Predator dreds… very street kid. Very.
  (2o22): now we see that Rb1/Te1 hybrid: CJ Donaldson (6′2″, 244 lb., nugget or rookie year) is a bulwark or cinderblock of a lead-rusher. This is really a tree trunk thick kid in the neck/face. This is one of those rare throwback typea ‘farm-strong’ kids from yesteryear. And this was one helluva a scouting department emerald in the rough recruiting get: (247Sports lists him as the No. 46 tight end, ESPN the 152nd). As Donaldson played all over the field in H.S. Tho’ not too much as a ball carrier. This is an oversized load of an H-back with a surprising amount of voltage or burst to his vertical game. What with a whopping 73% of his rushing total on a mere 5% of his total rushing attempts! This cinderblock gets free and he can house you indeed.

  

• Wr1/Te1: Sam James Wr3, Bryce Ford-Wheaton Wr2, and Slot-Wr1 Sir Winston Wright all return. As does their collective: near 150-snags good for nearly 1,7oo yards last season. Well, they did, right up until the Wright Stuff, left; for F.s.u. Wright in particular does have the right stuff in his feet, as they accelerate go-game Saturn V style. Wr’s are athletic more so than soft-handed. All dat married to Chuck Yeager 15-15 eagle-eye open-field vision. As he’s a Pt.Guard in another life. This may indeed be Wr via committee, tho’ this is a very well-rounded committee. Squares need not apply. As w.V.u. does not want for depth; even if they could want for (Super)-star power here. They are 2-3 credibly deep at Outside-Wr and in the Slot alike. Not everyone can say that, either.
  (2o22🙂 Bryce Ford-Wright is the star here. Twice as many snags great for 400% mo’ points would seem to agry. ‘Stars shine’. And this kid has some pretty good mitts or hands. Seen him make several nice grabs upon breaking tape. Not a metric ton of P.T. for those behind the Top-3. Daniels wants to marry odd-side (lefty) Bryce Ford-Wheaton. He loves him that much. And they work and block the short-screen game very well. Like Ricky Bustle+. And this is a heighty grab-gang; pretty physically strong in the film room as well.
• oLine: hate dis ladies and gentlemen… although, and R.A.T.T.? This could be the best unit out on the 24o6o Field on Thursday nite. As the w.V.u. offensive line returns four players who were at least honorable mention All-Big 12 last year. Mutually they return ten, that’s (1o) of their 2o21 Top-10 upfront as well. Ergo, experience is not found blocker wanting here at all. As their Top-4 could/maybe be the highest collective Top-4 oLinemen we face in ’22; think about dat. Although they may be a bit better on the edges than inside. And this is a real live juggling routine upon breaking tape. w.V.u. is unsettled in terms of who (best) slots where and how to get their still pretty good Top-blocking-5 on the field together. This is strange… and disconcerting if you are for the Robert C. Byrd club in this one here. Nominally sized oLine (sizer on the even or right side); NO seniors work here. i.e., this front wall will only get better.
  O (overall): West Virginia (1-2) ignited its offense by scoring on all 1o of its possessions (nine touchdowns, one field goal) in a 65-7 romp over D-1aa foe Towson on Saturday. 624 yards of total offense later while emptying the 4 and 5 deep benches and they still never punted and you’d have to think they are feeling their flow. Catching their sexxy. Sean Puff Daddy Combs style. This O has Thunder (Donaldson), it has Lightening (Mathis Jr.) and it also courts six, that’s (6) pass-catchers averaging 12.2 ypg or better (up to: 18 ypc). They also enjoy seven, that’s (7) guys with at least 1-stretch play thus far this year. We? Well, we have two, that’s (2) guys who play who flow like dat. And we have 2-stretch plays to our (Blue and Smith’s) credit. Meaning… w.V.u. is basically somewhere in between 300 to 350% mo’ vertical than we are. Do file that one away sports fans… ’cause if we miss a tackle, take a bad angle, or blow a coverage? Their guys can and prolly will house us. Whereas we might go single-wide mobile-home on them. Eye say again… file that one, away!

  

  (film-study): …this team runs very well off-T. Really g00d sealing and folding to the 2nd-layer alike. Decent footwork/technique with just enuff voltage to finish the same. w.V.u. will up-tempo and try to iso’ any real/perceived run-fit advantages too. Mathis has really good quick darty footwork. He really changes/vectors directions well inside the Ot box. Like someone made him live the chop-drill life at a lower (footwork) level. Agile, nimble kid with at least backup Pt.Guard court-vision. Gets some YAC as well to be the smaller guy (Yards After Contact). Real swivel-hips to boot; prolly an office chair in another life. WVa. really elasticizes the run-box, lotta stretch waistband plays East-West be they from a pure Rb or not. They showed more near throw-points vs. Townson than Eye expected for such a howitzer-armed Qb1. WVa. Wr’s made plays too. Catches, and yards after the catch. Good catch-crew here. Daniels really throws a sharp only his guy can get to it ball as well. Donaldson -of course- is mo’ of an Iso’, Plunge, Wham guy between the T’s. He does not start super fast, tho’ does surprise downhill as high-end RPM’s go. Mo’ kinetic than he thick-set looks once he gets outta 1st or 2nd gear. p.s. Towson was one itty-bitty-titty-committee D. Reallllly small-boned. Finally, this is very quick to script O. It looks to quickly hit the spot it wants. Not a tertiary or quadratic O that goes threw multiple reads and needs a lotta pocket time. It gets the ball away, even on some deeper looks in a lobbing hurry. Bang-bang football— directed at a given match-up or a spot on the field. Now back that up with the lumberyard otherwise known as: Donaldson’s 9.5 yards per carry great for 36-points in a mere three games and you see what Eye mean.

• ∑ (summary): returning O production=48% (115th most! Pretty raw here). Although there is Talent(s) here. It is just green wood or unseasoned Talent. Sleep on the amount of Talent(s) here at your very own bet the Over peril. These guys appear to me to just be finding themselves in ’22. And so far, it has taken not less than 32 points to put WVa. down.
  (Do we have that in, us; R.A.T.T.?)

O–tutorial:
During his tenure at Texas Tech, Brown perfected his NASCAR spread offense. The offense created by Brown focused on players running to the line immediately after the play and quickly snapping the ball before the defense could get set. The offense requires speed at every position to be run the way Brown envisions it. The focus of the offense was to snap the ball 8 seconds after the previous play. Recall there are some leftover 3o4 tinfoil richrod elements here… although unlike richrod’s 3-speed O (turbo, Indy, jet) this O is all Hot Wheels or burn-rubber as best it can.

• 47% run:pass 53% mix. (One of the few passing tilts you will see). Donaldson is/was your secret sauce offender here. Although Wr2, Sam James could be their swaggest home run threat. And to put it all a final way… there are at least four guys here you wanna take away. Rb1, Rb1a, Wr1, and the Qb. That’s a lot to… take.

Offensive letter-grade:
This is a stout O. And it is an improving O to be sure.

IF/when Daniels finds his true mid-range+++ passing depth? Look out! Tritto the oLine gelling— as it is nearly umpossible to key or takeaway 3 or 4 different guys at the very same, time. A—.

3o4 Special Teams: (return)

w.v.u. is 61st in Net Punting and so is P1, Oliver Straw. Ollie is a 6′2″, 214 lb., rookie or nugget year voter. By way of Melbourne, Australia, and the Mentone Grammar School.

Anywho… said to be a pretty legit hoopster down under; so he must have some athlete in him somewhere. Oliver kicks with either foot and can punt spiral or end-over-end rugby style. The CCW part (counterclockwise) is tricky the first few times you try to handle it. Same as a Koufax passer; everything is bassackwards. Such can handcuff or muff a punt for you just ’cause…

Oliver is a twisty or dual Aussie and Uncle Sam citizen. Did come up in Australia Rules Football and then tutored his American leg game over at: Prokick Australia. They do sharp work here typically. (Just ask our history thereof). Oliver was also a De/Te in high school. So, this may not be your typical fondue parting Tupperware hosting kinda Kicker. Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll is quality footsie. .edu love insert (______) here, check. This Straw stirs the drink with a long of 48 collegiate booting yards so far. To early to seriously gauge his futball leg strength. Tho’ reports say he has mo’ in the bag and just rolls a 3-wood here-n-there. And of course, he swoons that signature “good day” Paul Hogan accent. Did Eye mention the accent, yet? As this seems not less than a good get to me. Time=tell what Ollie is/is not beyond that, however… ask 2o25 give/take.

• 49th in Punt Returns |  1o7th in KO returns.
• 45th in punt coverage | 1o5th and in suicide-squad.
• WVa. has blocked o kicks and allowed o kicks to be blocked.
• WVa. has blocked 1 punt and allowed o punts to be blocked. (Rb1a CJ Donaldson with the block!)

Casey Legg -great surname- is w.V.u.’s r-Jr., K1. He is serviceable thus far as a K1 as his career 69% F.G.A. make-rate avers. Legg has a college career-long of 51-yards; though his reasonable range seems to hover in the mid-40’s give/take. Legg only has one make ≥45-yards career-to-date. Although he is a forty on campus what with being Academic All-Big 12 First Team, with a perfected 4.0 GPA! .edu proppers @Casey! That said, Casey was WVa.’s kick-off guy until this year, and he did close strong after a modest FG-Kicking start to last year. So, maybe there is mo’ in the bag here than his statistics connote? Tallish elongated K1 at 6′5″, so you need to mind the F.G.A./P.A.T.-block punch-point accordingly. Has had one FGA-swatted. Casey does enjoy 3o4 State Championship bling in the other football {sic: soccer}. And he was his team’s leading hoops scorer as a scholastic Jr. and Sr. alike. So, there has gotta be some athletics for a fake somewhere in the mix here. Enjoys ‘dancing’… whatever that encodes to mean…

Casey Legg is perfected so far in this campaign. 18 of 18 on all leg swings. (4 of 4 on FGA’s). With a long of 28 year-to-date. Very solid K1, and might even be a dang good K1 if he has found a new ceiling or level.

Special Teams letter-grade:
This letter grade would and possibly should be better, if not for several KO game foibles or worse. There is cleat talent here folks. The ‘eer legs give a listen indeed. B.

Unit Rankings:

1. VT D.
2. w.V.a. O. (close).
3. w.V.a. D.
4. VT O. (modest gap here too…)

X-factor(s):

• motive: EDGE=push. Last dance, no loveless will be suffered here. This one will be cheeky, this one will be testy… and then this one will actually… tip-off.
• weather: a soggy bottom Worsham Field woulda prolly helped the better D. This only helps the better, O. EDGE=w.V.a.
• health/off-field: easily DubVee. As they are close to 600% healthier as the length of injury lists go coming into this one here. EDGE=w.V.a.
• penalties: both teams are into the 1oo’s here. EDGE=ChapStick, itself. “tweeeeeeet!”
• intangibles: These two are even-steven in Turnover Margin (1o2nd best) and nearly even in TOP (time of possession). EDGE=nobody.
• fatigue: …short week for each, shorter week for the squadron with nearly 25o-miles to sojourn nearly 180 degrees due south as the crow flies. EDGE=sleeping in your own bed.

 

…inpowerHERment 1o1.

The Hokies are 13-5 at home on Thursday nights and 23-1o in all Thursday games.

Illation, conclusion(s) and OPT digits:

Number of errs who could be heard @Tech=13’ish

the takeaway:

As the team you all love to hate is ah coming to town— and make no misQ, they likewise love to hate on you!

---

This one is not gonna be a soft-touch, easy on the eyes, lilting, or kinder-gentler.

NOT at all.

These two have a history, and it once was a truly historic rivalry as any possible metric of intensity itself went when it left off (and shoulda stayed left off) up in Mo-town, WVa., way back in 2oo5.

As these two do not exactly like each other or get along.

So, loaded for bear breech barrels or a grizzly House of Dragons breach birth here we come!

“Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more.”

Henry V, Act III, Scene I.

xxx‘s & ooo‘s:
…prolly must be the mo’ experienced Staff (again). Tho’ the strongest sideline unit is the VeeTee D Staff to be sure.

Ergo, therefore to Whit… Pry had better be a Lombardi speechmaker and get all there is to git outta his club here. This is max’ effort, ALL hands-on deck. Truly. Leave nothing in the bag. Driver every hole.

https://www.facebook.com/100000450038680/videos/2036247063246554/

formulae here favors: ???
Honestly?

In cases of canceling effect(s) or strength on strength crime?

It is my experience that someone(s) on the weaker unit typically rises to the occasion, antes up, and kicks in.

Someone unexpected does just the same and makes a difference for either warning side, here.

permutations:

1. Δ1=65% well, and yes Eye knows… ‘wells are fo’ water’, …to me? w.V.u. has mo’ weapons (in particular on O) and they enjoy slightly higher caliber weaponry in addition to the bunker count itself. Their hurt-locker prolly can pop mo’ hurt when it (actually) does manage to pop clean. Could take a few points to put w.V.u. down folks.

   

2. Δ2=35%, that squarely struck? VeeTee does have a shot at this one here. Home-field will not hurt one-iota (1ι). Nitetime is typically the right time in the New River Valley. We do have the better D. We prolly have the better intangibles. Are they tangible enuff?
3. Δ3=5%, this final one is destined for extra innings. Sudden Death. OT. Even. Push. Sister-kisser (avoiding (attempted) opponent humor here, barley)——>bstreet

#ChallangeA.c.c.epted… there are 1,440 minutes in a day and it will take every single one of them -or not less than sixty- to secure a VicTory dance, here.

There literally is NO margin of error for Thursday nite.

the optics…
…w.V.u. is not the best natural grass team as surfacing goes. This one is on the real stuff and that tends to slow them down just a ½ a notch or so. As they only get one or two looks most years at real live grass, out in the always synthetic and offensive track-meet Big-8.

the skinny…
…there is no good reason(s) for any of this…

As in…

West Virginia Mountaineers
Career snaps gone: 6,890!
2021 PFF WAA gone: 0.24
Career PFF WAA gone: 0.34

West Virginia was forced to undergo a defensive overhaul this offseason due to several transfers. Of the team’s seven defensive players that played the most snaps from last season, four entered the portal and joined another Power 5 program, including its 2021 leader in pressures (interior defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor, 33), defensive stops (off-ball linebacker Josh Chandler-Semedo, 45) and plays on the ball (cornerback Daryl Porter Jr., seven). Offensively, the Mountaineers saw their three highest-graded wide receivers from last season also transfer to a new program.

i.e., this was the 2nd WORST or most Portaling attrition suffered in 2o21 in all of D-1 football!

Lo.FM (Long-field Management©)

• BONUS: observe our O’s offensive ‘schedule’ (1o6th best) and ‘negative plays allowed (123rd) maths from up above. Memorize the same. With: WVa. 11th and 37th ranked in the very same inflicted per their undervalued D. wowowow.
• The WVa. O is a shiny 13th best in 1st-down O achieved | whilst VT is a nearly matching 10th best in 1st-down D stops.
• The VT O, however, is only 81st best in 1st-down O achieved | whilst WVa. is a serviceable 51st best in 1st-down D stops.
• The WVa. O is a sparky 14th best in 3rd-down O achieved | whilst VT is a near hateful 3rd best in 3rd-down D stops.
• The VT O is trying to be a puny looking 9oth best in 3rd-down O achieved | whilst WVa. is an even less attractive 112th best in 3rd-down D stops.
• Lo.FM Analysis: …well, g.Wells needs to bring his near A+ game if we are to win here. As there are a couple of canceling effects here, although; WVa. stays ahead of the sticks whereas VT tends to get… stuck. EDGE=WVa.

TTT (Time To Throw©)

• DubVee is a better-than-average 41st best in Qb sacks allowed O | whereas VeeTee is 19th best in Qb sacks inflicted on D.
• VeeTee is a rather spritely 25th best in Qb sacks allowed on O | whereas DubVee is 27th best in Qb sacks inflicted on D.
• DubVee is a downright salty 8th-best in TFL (tackles for a loss) allowed O | whereas VeeTee is 33rd best in TFL inflicted D.
• VeeTee is, however, a rather user-friendly 97th best in TFL allowed O | whereas DubVee is a near centrist 69th best in TFL inflicted D.
• TTT Analysis: …both D’s tally high marks here, although the VeeTee O is pretty marked-up looking on run-shapes getting bent outta shape via opposing D’s. EDGE=DubVee, due to their potential to be no less than semi-run-fill disruptive on Thursday nite.

3-game splits, H/A, coming soon… semi… sorta…

Our handy dandy friend, the so-called: Forum Guide of Graham Houston fame is merely… see: above.

the call...

Legendarium… so many historic B.D.T. memories here… now boiled down to the single one.

“And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend. Legend became myth. And for two and a half thousand years, the ring passed out of all knowledge.”
—Coach J.R.R. Tolkien

w.V.a. Projected S&P+: 77th.
w.V.a. Projected S&P wins: 6.9 W’s.

–oOo–

the sportlight...

Here in the R.A.T.T. sportlight… pay attention men…

Regarding these two combined and downright squirrelly looking 3-3 clubs…

…1-2 w.V.u. is up a near astonishing +547 Σ or total yards | with 2-1 VeeTee up a surprising +5o4 Σ or total yards in seasonal terms. Meaning: both are better than most observers think; although, w.V.u. has been more quixotic or just excessively inconsistent in both aerial and in grounded terms alike.

…this speaks to the concept of ‘headroom’ for them and the parsimony of the same for us.

Or a race to 3-full-scores. The 1st team there?
Wins!

♥  ♣  ♦ ∪

(Pre-Game): 17 November 1974

“It’s hot in here… there is no question about that.”
“But it’s not the end of the World.”
“I just want us to do a job that we are capable of doing.”
“They are on their home grounds, which makes it that much more difficult.”
“Understand???”

“IF we die… we die together!”
“You can get it done… you can get it done… what’s more… you GOTTA get it done!”

—Buffalo Bills 2-time A.F.L. Champion Coach Lou Saban

60-minutes later you ask?

Dolphins 35, Bills 28.

Well, well, well… it is Eye…

TSL jail here I come “…just like the center of the litterbox Eye am surrounded by …🐈’s!”
—Joel Gertner, “e.C.w.”

As this is precisely where we were pre-game last year up @Mo’town WVa.
NOT a place to pack a lunch or take a caterwauling ‘tude to play.

Is it?
As you do NOT feed the animals up there.

Nonetheless, our last big whistle told all of you that we did not play well when we got too up to play a rival. (This, may have been true of his INTJ, Qb1 of Myers-Briggs-U, tho’ this is not how you facedown a rival in heat). It just Applied Sports Psych 1o1, ain’t.

“…just like the Rubix Cube, the longer you play with it; the harder it gets!”
—Joel Gertner, “e.C.w.”

Now ^^^this^^^ is where I’ma hoping our new big whistle pegs this one.

Hokies with more horsepower in them, and more… steer.
Thursday cannot possibly get here fast enough.

Kan’t wait for this puck to drop.

Autumn Equinox dat!

The Closer...

"Abed, unclad, we tell our truest, truths."

—Dornish wimminz adage

An enthymeme is an argument in which one premise is not explicitly stated.
See-threw if not a bit nudist if you will… (give it a sec’ and see what Eye mean…)

…Eye say this fully, truly, deeply… we prolly need at least a little measure of w.V.u. help to win this one here. Or, we gotta play one helluva a clean game and clean nearly everything single thing up S, M, and L. Plus, getting our Top-2 Rb’s back right as rain would not injure our efforting whatsoever.

That being fairly said… it is clear to me that the one way to upset w.V.u. and take back the B.D.T. is to wing our way to a Tech Triumph. (While hoping that Daniels does not go seam-splitter and denude us and our (Hokie)-pokey recovery speed secondary medium to long).

i.e., Wells may have to win this one threw and threw.
As w.V.u. is a bit available on the mid-range and to a lesser extent on the back hind-4/5 defensive end.

IF, that does not happen?
They carbonate mo’ pop in their offensive cans. Check it…

• w.V.a. has outscored our pinnacle ’22 efforting (27-points) by: 11-points, by a full 4-plays (28-points), and then by a whopping 38-points.
• Do you see a trend here gents?
• Because; even if we win; I’d wager they will win the box score itself (similar to: 2o17). And we cannot let them make us chase by 1.5-plays or more early or midway on. We gotta maintain ‘contact’ in boxing terms and shrink this game down to a manageable size. Make them play the raucous Lane crowd, then play the timekeeper, and then try to pinch this one late. w.V.u. gets up 2-scores or mo’ and we will not have the firepower to keep pace.

Accordingly, the strength of schedule, staying chain-gang on schedule, and the greater chunk-play threat from archrival WVa. all conspire to agry. And, sadly, all 3o4 middle fingers point to… that.

We are Popeye football. “We yam what we yam.”

w.V.u. is slicker— mo’ parts Olive Oil.

i.e., Do we have enuff, spinach?

🥬

Or in final words...

And an errthymeme is what you will be getting an earful of for ~4 hours or 4Life.

Let us just hope it is not an O&M err-ache come midnite Thursday.

“We die together.”

🙏>>>🏈

upset Index=39%

#wimps!

Virginia Tech=17, w.V.u.=34

“LETS GO!“

Please support the VT F.C.A.!

“HOKIES!“

bourbonstreet**