#47 R.P.I. Miami @ #66 R.P.I. Virginia Tech:

Virginia Tech hosts 5 up and 5 down and needs to win to bowl game qualify Miami on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 pm down in the now mid-autumn, past foliage peak, and beginning to really chillout New River Valley.

The Hokies are slumping and the Hurricanes are slumping and yet with the days of Pat “tie” Dye long gone, that means that someone has gotta win this one… …eventually. Someone has gotta do something to get up off the L’ing schnide. Make it outcome rain, and snap outta this drought. And this segues us neatly into our sporting term of the day…

Today’s (sporting) term of the day is… slump–busting!

genome: Chicago Cub 1b, Mark Gracie
(Jim Rome Show, circa ~2003 A.D.)

1. A sporting lockeroom antidote for pulling outta a tailspin.
2. Going acne and doing something -anything- to break out of a… Fu’nk.
3. “A slumpbuster is if a team’s in a slump, or if you personally are in a slump, you gotta find the fattest, gnarliest, grossest chick you can and you just gotta lay the wood to her. And when you do that, you’re just gonna have instant success. And it could also be called jumping on a grenade for the team.” —M.Gracie.
4. One of these two teams, come; 8pm Saturday night.

Miami Head Coach:  Mark Allan Richt: age=58, (169-63 overall and 24-12 @Miami); has a rep’ for: offensive, Qb’s in particular, insane community relations and charity work (see: below); fundraising, and recruiting innovations such as his new: Paradise Camp.
Mark Richt would make a fine Hokie. Or anything else.
$4,000,000.oo

Kid Richt came up in a blue-collar family of seven, the second oldest of five siblings– he was born in Omaha, Nebraska to Lou and Helen Richt. In 1973, Lou was transferred to South Florida where Mark would graduate from high school. At which Richt became a star athlete at Boca Raton High and was called “All Turnpike’’ because of the various awards he received around the state of Florida.

Baller Richt Richt played at the University of Miami from 1978–1982. Under national champion coach Howard Schnellenberger, Richt was back-up to future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly. In later years at Miami, other Miami quarterbacks he played alongside included Heisman trophy recipient Vinny Testaverde and Bernie Kosar. He was mentored by quarterbacks coach Earl Morrall. Despite limited playing time, Richt still amassed nearly 1,5oo passing yards. Richt received interest from multiple NFL teams and briefly spent time with the Denver Broncos behind John Elway.

Coach Richt began his coaching career after being offered a job by Bobby Bowden as a graduate assistant for the Florida State Seminoles. Richt then spent one year as o-Cord’ at E.c.u. and after such at East Carolina, Bowden brought Richt back to Florida State to serve as the Seminoles’ quarterbacks coach. Richt was promoted to offensive coordinator in 1994 and tore the ‘Nole record book apart. Two Heisman Trophy’s, seven Pro Qb’s and two national championship rings says so.

Head Coach Richt then got his first big whistle job at Georgia. Richt’s teams won two Southeastern Conference (So.Eastern) championships, six S.e.c. Eastern Division titles and nine bowl games. His teams represented the S.e.c. in three BCS bowl appearances with a record of 2–1, and finished in the top-10 of the final AP Poll seven times.

Richt then found his way home to his alma Mata after an unceremonious dismissal from Georgia. Richt serves as the head coach of the Miami Hurricanes and calls all offensive plays. He works closely with Qb’s at practice, alongside his oldest son and Qb’s coach, Jon Richt.

The man Mark Richt is married and is a devout Christian. His staff is a mix of religious backgrounds. In 2o11 Richt and his wife, Katharyn Francis sold their Georgia lake house (near Frank’s, of all people), valued at nearly $2 million, and announced they intended to contribute it to charity. They have also taken several mission trips abroad. The couple has four natural children and two children they adopted from Ukraine in 1999, one of which, their adoptive daughter was born with a rare disorder known as proteus syndrome.

WOWOW!
God love the Ricth’s!!!

2017 record: 10 up 3 down and 7-1 in the A.c.c.

Miami Defense: (starters back=8)

• 4th in Total D.
• 33rd vs. the run.
• 2nd vs. the throw.
• 6th in efficiency D.
• 10th in S&P+ D.
• 4th in passing efficiency D.
• 8th in 1st-down D.
• 4th in 3rd-down conversion% allowed D.
• 24th in Qb’s sacked.
• 1st best in Tackles for a Loss (TFL) inflicted!!!
• Hence, 2nd in Stuff Rate D.
• And 2nd in overall Havoc.
• 2nd in dLine Havoc. De Joe Jackson (5 sacks and 7th in tackles), and on-again-off-again footballer Dt Gerald Willis (4th in stops) are legit. Very. Extremely even when they decide they want to be. Both guys are at least Sunday campers. Willis, in particular, is a 1-man bearpit when he wants to do run-piledriving work. And the other De Jon Garvin might just be the best pure pass rusher on the team (5.5 sacks). As the starters are a problem for opponents and yet dLine depth has been problematic for the Canes this campaign. And oh yes, Da U only has an astonishing 71 sacks in their last 23 games! Tho’ star Dline coach Craig Kuligowski, left for Alabama and that has not helped one iota here. And De did seem a smidgeon stronger than Dt to me in the film room. Finally, this is a decent sized dLine though more parts S&C and less parts voltage with only one guy north of 283 lbs.
• 20th in Linebacking Havoc. The human off-field smiley, although rugged on-field Mike-Lb Shaq Quarterman, and OLb’s Michael Pinckney and Zach McCould are about as good as it gets. And this is an entire thrid-year, 3-years starting together second-layer. Shaq’ is a Pro. 15 combined stops behind the LOL (line-of-scrimmage), 5 Qb hurries and 3 turnovers forced all conspire to say so. And Pinckney says he’s prolly a Pro’ camper himself. So there is a whole lotta talent(s) that lives in the Miami 2nd-layer here.

  

• 73rd in Secondary Havoc. 13th most passes picked this year tells you just how much Da U does play the ball and not the man. As four different guys have at least two interceptions individually. Ss Sheldrick Redwine -great nane- could prolly have a modeling career if he wanted it… though in the meantime he’s 5th in tackling and 1st in intercepting (4). He is also an impact player in terms of his Newtonian Mechanics. Cb Michael -no relation Jackson Sr. (yes, senior), is only a 1st-round draft pick no matter where you look. Miami is a little small on one-side (5′8″, 185 lb., Soph.) Cb, T.Brandy balls there and he is a firecracker of big plays and/or, ejections. Seriously. Hazelton I’ma looking at, you… Still yet, as Miami returned five former starters here and if anything, as good as they are, there are some who expected them to be more… great.

  

• D overall: 10th most in defensive TD’s scored this year (with: 18 points) is pretty sobering. Ditto having a stellar three different guys out there with at least 11 TFL (tackles for a loss); already. As there are D-1 teams that do not finish the year with three guys like that, plural. Tritto having a cosmic five different guys out there with at least 11 Run-Stuffs or more. wow! That’s 3-5 next level $unday paycheck bling collecting guys right there. Not to mention the three guys with 5.5 sacks or more apiece. As this is just a downright destructive offensive insurance Co. ruining Miami Cat’ V defense wherever you look.
• ∑ (summary): The intensity of defensive coordinator Manny Diaz is said to be second to none. And his  3,100-stone $98,456.oo Turnover Chain has 24 qt all kinda tricked out reasons why. Seemed pretty chintzy to me; well, right up until it worked like a 45 takeaways now produced swagg-charm. So there is that… There is also the new hybrid Striker position, which places safeties into an occasional linebacking role to add even more forward-facing speed to the run or short to medium-throw equation. Yikes! FILM STUDY: As you can see above, Miami plays a pressing forward-fighting look of a forty-three in standardized down-n-distance situations. With a very/extremely deep Centerfielder of a Fs (who was hard to find upon breaking tape). The U does toggle into more of a symmetrical umbrella Nickle version of the 4-3 in passing downs or on longer-down-distance scenarios— with slightly less aggressive press-man on edges, though not quite medium-man at that. There was a little middle room to work here if your Te wants it. They will even go for a 30 look here and deal their best pass-rushing Lb accordingly through an A-gap jump. The U will play very physical at times vs. pass-receivers right off the LOS. Including taking any shot within ≤5 of the LOS downfield. Seriously, keep your head(s) on a swivel here V.Tech Wr’s/Te’s. The Canes close hard on the ball and Eye saw a buncha rip attempts (at fumbles) on tape. This D did reddog off the edge more than usual, be that Sam/Will or a free Cb. This -of course- is an athletic D, though it did not seem quite as athletic as previous incarnations. Tacking was a little high at times, and they did look to collision SportsCenter hit. This is an aggressive defensive set by trade and they will take blitzy risks; which here and there can afford your offensse a few chunk-yardage plays. This is also a Foster level of zone-blitz sets, looks, rolls and rotations.  (that said, they did seem to settle into games slowly yet surely and lock down their stop-unit clamps as the games wore on. i.e. coaching the verb, was clearly in play big-n-bold here)

Defensive letter-grade:

Hurricane Offense: (returning starters=6)

• 84th in Total O.
• 50th in ground O.
• 1o1st in aerial O.
• 102nd in efficiency O.
• 69th S&P+ O.
• 115th in completion percentage.
• 95th most fumbles. (tackle the damn ball)!
• Tho’ 30th in rushing explosiveness O.
• 23rd in Big Play Rate (20+ yard plays).
• 71st in sacks allowed | 54th in TFL allowed.
• 109th hardest Rb’s to tackle. (not very hard to bring down)

  

• O overall: new Qb1 N’Kosi Perry has the very same completion percentage (53% and change) as the old Qb1; though a few bigger (good) plays as his passing ratio is a passable 11:5 (TD’s:INT’s). Whereas former and Sr. year Qb1 Malik Rosier only serviced a 1960’s looking 6:5 passing ratio. Perry turned a few practice squad heads last year and do not sleep on his ceiling down the road. As 247Sports only had him the no.5 Qb in the nation and another publication only called him: “the most dangerous quarterback in the nation“. Yah; that scores with me— N’Kosi was the AAAAAA or hexa-A FLA player of the year and though dinged he produced 44 scores in a mere 11 games. And his offer list is a nationwide who’s who. That being said, there are those who say he has already peaked this year— what with only 220 yards and 2 INT’s (not TD’s) in the last month of airwaves play. As ex-Qb1 (Rosier) is no less the runner and he’s been a little better passing in this oddball Charlie Sheen type Platoon system. The ‘Cane pass catchers (not: named Mike Harley (76%)) have so-so to less than so-so hands as the rest of ’em check in with a catch-rate of not >67%. However, Wr’s Jeff Thomas and Lawrance Cager can stretch a field vertically or north-south when they do actually bother to catch the ball. As eight different The U grab-game guys average right at a 1st-down or better per snag. That and rookie Te Brevin Jordan is prolly gonna be special… if he, stays. However -and may St.Frederick bless- the career-ending cervical injury to all-everything Wr Ahmmon Richard has really hurt passing. And yet this is a bad looking match-up, what with everyone less one guy 6′3″ or better and everyone less the same guy 220 lbs. or more as the Cane catch corps goes. Yikes!!! G’s Jahair Jones and monsta sized 347 lb. Navaughn Donaldson give the Canes a big ole internal push and blindside-Ot Tyree St. Louis is none too shabby on the edge. At least 3 fringe Pros ball here | although experience besides them, and depth behind them does, not. Rb Travis Homer (732 rushing), Deejay -cool name- Dallas (562 rushing), and five-star r-Fr, all galaxy Lorenzo Lingard (210 on the ground) can move the sticks (UPDATE: now out with torn left-M.c.l., may St.Nkhon bless). Though it is almost like there are not enough footballs (i.e. carries) to go around here. And if this were the ‘Fins they’d prolly deal a ‘back for help elsewhere. Travis was only special-teams tackling leader and named team captain for it two years ago. So he’s for real in lb. for lb. 5′10″, 205 lb., Jr. season terms. Rb/slot-Wr, DeeJay Dallas is the more physical slasher of a Rb, at 5′10″, 220 lbs. as a second year baller. And he can wildcat as he had nearly 800 yards passing his final scholastic season as a gridiron Qb/Rb ‘tweener.  ‘Zo Lingard (6′, 202 lbs.) is; well; was, he was the closest thing to “boobie” Miles of Friday Night Lights fame since, well, John “boobie” Miles of Friday Night Lights fame. Seriously, they look and move alike. N0.1 or n0.2 Rb in America basically anywhere you look… Gatorade Florida Player of the Year and he broke a buncha 110m hurdles records in T&F. So his totaling this year prolly disappoints… although his 2,500 his final year of high school as a mere parttime Rb in a crowded backfield is… absurd!
• ∑ (summary): FILM STUDY: the ‘Cane O will go naked (only 5 oLinemen) or single-back protect from a passing U shaped cup (…of course). The U does work deeper downfield than a lot of basketball on grass spread/quick-hitting modern sets do. And they do this semi quickly due to abundant speed outside. This is not the 1960’s “3-Mississippi” count of a deep passing calendar protect. The U’s O now has a few Pistol sets, with H-backs and motioning per-snap. There are frontside normalized I-back handoffs and backside double-option looks (to the motioning H-back) to muck with you on misdirection when they do fire this Pistol look. The Miami oLine is pretty spry for their size… like everything coach Grimy ever wanted V.Tech to be. They move well and engage physically in space. Miami seemed to run a little better to the edge or off-T to me. The U has a lotta individual passing efforts or go-make-a-play type of sideline jump balls. The (Qb) Perry kid looked relatively small/undeveloped physically on tape to me. Might be fun to introduce him to some contacts and Hokie matte hats and see how well he catches incoming shots. Both Qb’s struck me as sprayers at times. That, and honestly, the U’s O seemed disinterested at times in film-study. Their D clearly had a higher octane rating at this stage of the season.
• 58% run:pass mix 42%.

Offensive letter-grade:

The U Special Teams: (return)

Miami is 125th in Net Punting and so is Jack Spicer who has taken over for Zach Feagles. Jack doubles as Miami’s P.A.T./FG-attempt holder to boot. And who knows… we could see more than one punter here. That said, Jack is a 6′3″, 220 lb. r-Jr. year specimen looking, Punter, as even the leg-game guys look the VHT (very highly touted) So.Beach part here. As Jack was an all-region Te in high school so you do have to trickeration bear that in mind. Spicer has never had a punt blocked before; although he’s only kicked beyond 41 yards once in 21 punts this year; so there you go. Seems more of a directional hangtime guy. And Feagles was rated all-world coming outta high school. So this 2-way punting matrix may or may not be (yet) sorted fully out.

• 5th in Punt Returns | 22nd in KO returns.
• 116th in punt coverage | 106th and in suicide-squad.
• Miami has blocked 2 kicks and yet allowed 3 kicks to be blocked!
• Miami has blocked 1 punt and allowed 0 punts to be blocked.
• 27th Offensive field-position  | yet only 128th Defensive field-position! (think about that…)

6′, 200 lb. nugget or rookie year K, Bubba Baxa was rated the fourth-best kicker in the nation by ESPN.com coming outta Texas H.S. football. So he’s prolly used to some pressure(s); although right now he may be feeling a little pressure as his 1 P.A.T. miss is forgivable and yet 67% on his F.G.A.’s is generally benchable. Bubba has range into the high-40’s, although he’s not as reliable once he hits low 40’s give/take. So look for some short(er) punts if need be here. Bubba does pull double-duty and KO’s for the ‘Canes, so you’d have to think leg strength should check-out… even if that’s not showing out in the box score or scouting report just yet. That said, Baxa only has one FG-make in the last month of kicking to boot. However, to be fair, he is a rookie and we should all ask 2021 back on that.

Special Teams letter-grade: 117th in S&P+ special teams Rk: other than individuals wanting to shine-out and show-out in the return game -which they can because they have- the U’s special teams are not very special at all. D+++ at the moment, with prolly A— talent(s)…
go fig’ on that?!?

Unit Rankings:

1. Miami D.
2. (vacant)
3. Miami O/VT O. (tie).
4. (vacant)
5. VT D.

X-factor(s):

• motive: ???’s, this space intentionally left blank, actually, double ???’s… as both teams have issues, plural here. EDGE=???
• weather: TBA… hoping/looking for outcome hint(s), here…
• health/off-field: Miami has a lot of peeps out for the year. V.Tech almost has as many done and with our walking-wounded, this one is a virtual K.I.A. and W.I.A. tie. EDGE=push.
• penalties: Richt and Miami have -to their credit- improved to 39th best here. And that’s pretty close to all things V.Tech. EDGE=push.
• intangibles: V.Tech does have homecourt. Is that enough to move the needle here? I’ll go good for a lowercase “yes”. A quantum EDGE=VT.
• fatigue: V.Tech is actually +1 on R&R in the last fortnight and change and Miami does have to travel making this effectively closer to a +1.5 Gobbler advantage. EDGE=VT.

 Loading ...

Illation, conclusion(s) and OPT digits:

Number of 'Canes who could start @Tech=14

the takeaway:

The takeaway here is… a surprising 1-3 home team is hosting a surprising 1-4 road team and at this risk of being incriminated for being… flippant… I’d say one of these two teams is due to do something to flip their fan-base totally out and finally pleasantly, surprise.

As clinically speaking -and to mix my sporting metaphor- this one has the look-n-feel of two midlevel, gatekeeping, turnstile, altogether decent, although altogether flawed Heavyweights… who have traded some decent early-rounds leather back-n-forth, and who are now mutually, both, each, … looking to collect that paycheck and therefore looking for a convenient late round way out.

As the only thing I’ma sure of in this one is that someone has to put the other one outta their misery.

As these two clubs collectively bring a staggering 7 game(s) combined L’ing streak into this one putting these two squads in an aggregate –91 points in the hole in their last mutual month of play!

i.e. one teams’ season pragmatically ends, here. Prolly suddenly. Possibly, forcefully.

As one of these two will have just enough to land one more cracking good shot.
Whereas the other one is right on the cusp of being labeled as: “shot”.

In point of fact this one could even be as simple as he who lands really big, first; laugh, last.

permutations:

1. Δ1=50% that the visiting team just has too much Talent and too much remaining depth
   -headcases or not- and opens up a gross of vacuum packed whoop-ass on us this Saturday. As the Canes have outgained their opponents by just under 1,200 yards on a perfectly even .5oo season. Krazy ain’t it?!? (i.e. this team puts it all together and … look … out!)
2. Δ2=40% that the home team, in non-Floridian hosting weather, with a Qb2 that is due to finally Qb1 heat up… does just that and gets away with winging one here.
3. Δ3=10% bringing the Overtime marker back this week for a likely one-week audition as this week=next week (with the winner still fighting pro …or… the L’er letting go con).

***

In addition to all of that… V.Tech is in a whopping –515 yardage margin hole in the last month of ball. Yes, Miami has been regressing as well —only up +96 over the same timeframe… still yet, that’s just not a favorable outcome marker for the good-guys vis-à-vis.

the call…

Bud Lyte is allowing a never heard of before… 392 rushing per game in V.Tech’s last three games whereas the dippy ‘Canes are hobbling along well enough at 196 rushing yards outta their O per game over the very same three-game span.

So if forced to choose between *** and a few ***** guys who are young, inexperienced, thin, smaller, training-room hurting, lockeroom fu’migated and culturally shellshocked… vs. *** and **** and a few ***** guys who are stoopid, a bit more experienced, deeper, bigger, faster and are about as injury report hurting… well… although anything can and anything prolly will happen here… I’ll roll with my 12 AstroPhysics hours over in Robeson Hall and select the Constellation Class team in this one.

As U know who has an S&P+ odds of bowl eligibility set at 91% and technically speaking the other team’s S&P+ odds of bowl eligibility tabs in at 14%.

“As bad as their {sic: Miamis”} offense has been, they haven’t met the Virginia Tech defense yet.” -Chris Coleman, techsideline.com-

Nor has all that dippy offensive speed of theirs vs. our less than capturing recovery-speed D. As not named Farley, this is a stiff looking Hoke halt-unit upon breaking tape.

You do the slumpy, weighty, maths…

upset Index=44%

#wimps!

Virginia Tech=2o, Miami=41

“LETS GO!“

“HOKIES!“

bourbonstreet**