Virginia Tech=42, Austin Peay=7

VT won.
VT is 2-zip.
VT is #13 in America.
VT is +1 in the L column vs. Georgia Tech in the Coastal race.

And did I mention that VT won yet?

Yah; ok; and yet I myself felt a bit underwhelmed by only leading 7-nil after 25 minutes of scrumming and then only being up by 2 plays with about a minute left in the first-half. That was not exactly overwhelming to the good, was it?

Such is the nature of the classical Sports Psych textbook let-down trap game; which oh by the way Virginia Tech won by 35 points. Or so they did, last time I checked. That may not have been a epic Hokie football game folks, though it sure as hell beats looking up at o-2 and having 21-16 and highly upsetting J.M.U. look down at you. I’m not down with that, though I am up on this Hokie football team and their chances to hopefully sort things out over the next 12 quarters of offensive play. Special Teams have indeed improved as it looks like we have found a keeper at Punter and Punt-Returner alike; and Bud Stout is just coasting right along, right as rain, spank you very much.

3^rd quarter, 9:59 remaining:
Quickly, note the pretty solid seal-block by none other than Rivals #1 High School Te recruit from three years ago on M.Davis reverse along the Hokie sideline. Further notice the rather large hit that M.Davis absorbs from hustling #44 in red for Austin Peay. “Leave you feet; wake up on your seat.” As it never ceases to amaze me how many big-time downfield hits occur the instant that the offensive player just so happens to be mid-stride with both feets fully elevated and fully airborne and off the ground.

Game Duration:
As recalcitrant as I am to praise the other side; this Kitts Rb kid was pretty damn good. Dood sure broke some tackles; I’d estimate as many as 10. As somewhere in the vicinity of 40-50 of his total rushing yards had to be Y.A.C. or yards after contact. Nice slicing good runner with really instinctive vision and just enough quicks to get by the first and/or second layer of Virginia Tech. Tell you what, I would not cry out loud if he suddenly donned an orange and maroon uniform folks. As #17 is no bad looking surfer-dood ball carrier –not at all.

3^rd quarter, 8:45 remaining:
Where M.Cole #2 is going on this Hokie kick-off return I have no earthly idea –and apparently neither does he. Watch the top of your screen as #2 retreats full-speed; back turned to the play on what I thought might be a never seen KO return trick-play reverse attempt –and later on I thought it to plausibly be a misdirected “Lucy” or left-handed straight-up KO return. Those two takes now being censored out via repetitious film-study; I am only left to LOL (laugh-out-loud) at this one. Because after all, as the old cruise line joke goes, M.Cole may be lost, though he is making great time. (PIC)

3^rd quarter, 7:46 remaining:
Real nice special-teams tackling hit in coverage by #32 or Riley Beiro on this A.Peay KO return folks. Riley puts some “boom boom pow” on the Governing returner; although poor #32 also appears to wrench is right-knee for his troubles as he comes up a big gimpy at the end of this one. That said, hits and/or plays like this are how you make your bones in kick coverage and earn your letter on special teams, and that’s how you make you longer-look next year name.

2^nd half duration:
Caleb Farris does need a dry ball and some work on his snaps. This is what happens when you toggle from Pistol, to elevated Pistol to full Shotgun and back again. That’s about 3.5 yards, 7 and then 9 yards. Try the 3.5 yard snap in your backyard and see how close it gets to the full shotgun drop. Now conversely try the full 9 and change snap on LT3 at 3.5 yards away and see if you handcuff him upstairs as well. That said, Farris moves much better on coverage blocking when it comes to screens that I ever expected someone as lumpy looking as #79 certifiably is possibly ever could. He, Becs and Painter can all get out in space and do work where they are more than a load for any Cb or OLb over on the edge.

3^rd quarter, 3:29 remaining:
Loved this reverse option pivot quick-pitch to J.C.Coleman by LT3. Very tough to see that from the middle of the field and I had to watch it twice on replay just to be sure. Also loved #45 Joey Phillips, because after all, when you run that far as a lead-blocking Fb, you might as well hit someone and it might as well be J.C. Coleman if nobody from A.Peay is around. (see: below pic). “Thank you Sir may I have another?”

3^rd quarter, 3:00 remaining:
Too missed two blocks this is about as good as you can get when you go strike-two. Just watch #45 J.Phillips try as he might -and he did try- simply swing and miss on two lead-blocks on the End-around play to Knowles. That said Phillips did manage to stay on his feet and he accidentally executed two shield-blocks for his foul-tip troubles.

4^th quarter, 5:39 remaining:
Boy is this a whale of a scrape-play by Rony Van Dyke in relief of the steady if not phenomenal Gouveia-Winslson kid at Whip. Watch as #37 beats the pulling Center of A.Peay with one-arm, two feets and a whole lotta fast-twitch to the 7-hole on the outside and to the odd-numbered left. Gonna be tough to keep R.V.D. off the field much longer; and do note that #37 is already receiving the maxed out number of special-teams plays allowable by law. That’s a hint and a half on just how good this kid truly is folks. And he plays with the Breath Right nasal-strip on his nose. Anybody going for O2 max like that “…can drink from my canteen any day.”  (see: top Pic)

4^th quarter, 4:16 remaining:
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is #18 of Austin Peay doing taunting D.Manning after completing a short-and-skinny post while only trailing by 35 points on the scoreboard? Devin Stark is one of the Top-3 ballers on the Governors football team and one of the bottom-3 when it comes to sportsmanship. And I do mean bottom or any synonym thereof.

4^th quarter, 1:31 remaining:
I realize that Nike and alternative uniforms are all the rage. Though did we really add “burnt-orange and purple” to our uniforms?!? Because that is what the ESPN3 talking-heads just said we did.

 4^th quarter standout P.A.T.T.y wagon ballers who may need some mo’ P.T. love.

• If Tony Gregory is this fast with a pair of swivel hips located directly above a twice ripped up double-A.c.l. surgery knee — damn! How fast is this guy on just one torn A.c.l. much less on two good wheels? Don’t forget that #22 now has two blocked punts to his name as well and that he will be 24 years of age next year as that sure is a lotta time and lotta ligaments to donate to Virginia Tech football.
• Donovan Manning: 5`9“ and 155 lbs. That’s Sergio Gabriel Martinez the Middleweight champion of the world and that’s also D.Manning the rookie Field-Cb of Virginia Tech. Due to his size –or lack thereof- this is a Field-Cb and nothing else, as we simply won’t be moving this middleweight kid to Boundary-Cb anytime soon. Although this is also a seven-footer when it comes to knowledge of leverage and playing inside-out via utilizing the sideline as the 12^th defender. D.Manning was also nobody’s sissy when it came to contact despite giving away the next 4-weight-classes in boxing terms above him on nearly each and every single impact last Saturday afternoon.
• Really starting to enjoy the compacted version of L.C. Greenwood otherwise known as Corey Marshall and what he brings to the End-De position. Among other attributes, Corey has unnaturally long arms which allow him to get to you before you can get to him. On top of that Corey is flat out nimble in terms of lateral pursuit and a very well balanced player who is tough to get off of his feet.
• Liked the Michael Cole kid who looks much more physical this year than before at Rover. I don’t know if Michael is ever a legitimate play-maker at Rover? Though I do know he is an intellectual thinking-mans Rover who is rarely outta position which makes him mistake free and trustworthy on top of that. He is just a little bit corporal in his approach to punishment when he does make contact.
• “Dadi, Dadi, he don’t cause problems he don’t bother nobody.” Alright, so maybe that’s not entirely true. Though it is true that I like any Hokie that his teammates have to hold-back from attacking the other side post-play. And that is exactly what Kris Haley had to do after a Dadi Nicholas stop in the Governor’s backfield. This Dadi kid is high-strung to put it mildly -he hits himself in the head between plays; seriously, just watch- and when you add in all the fast-twitch muscle fiber on top of that you have an keyed up Xavier Adibi sized Stud-De who will leave Hokie opponents singing the blues.

Time  To Throw (T3):©
Virginia Tech:
Qb sacks: 2
Qb pressures: 4
Qb hurries: zero
Qb hits: 6

Austin Peay:
Qb sacks: 1
Qb pressures: 11
Qb hurries: nil
Qb hits: 9

“The closer you are to Caesar, the greater the fear…”
-Lt.Col. Gordon Tall-

That’s not half bad men for having faced a traditionally run-heavy offense for the second week in a row. As the contemporary Virginia Tech sack metric sure is skewed after having played the Flex-Bone of Georgia Tech and a Spread-I rushing team from the Ohio Valley Conference. I can tell you right now that that is most of what I’m seeing when I see the Bud Stout defensive metrics at this point. Why? Because I’m not seeing much anything whatsoever on film from Bud Stout when it comes to exotics – I am seeing a highly vanilla, pedestrian, middle of the road, forward facing umbrella look that almost looks risk-adverse. Or in other words Coach Foster is holding all the Aces in a game of Rook. He knows he does not have to do a whole helluva a lot vs. Austin Peay other than just simply line-up and let his superior athletes out-athlete this little ole Ohio Valley Conference perennial doormat team. Bud and his legitimate superiority complex just wiped their feet on the Governing body of the O.V.C. to the tune of 7 points and 221 total yards allowed. Big whoop’ either way!

***

Just you wait until we see some real live dealing (blitzing) of Virginia Tech Linebackers, stunts, loops, twists and zone-blitzing –which this dLine should be dynamite at- up-front. Mixes, disguises, rotations, rolls and quarters and thirds from Coach Gray in the secondary –we’ve seen none of this as you simply can not afford to do much of that vs. assignment based Georgia Tech; and why bother doing any of that vs. Austin Peay? Only caveat I can nominate is that we do need to work on tackling drills a little bit, although most of that was really only code for having overslept post-Georgia Tech. Again, big deal, big whoop … as this 2012 defense played on 96 hours rest, short 2 starting Linebackers, with its best De all dinged-up and two Dt’s likewise nursing a couple of southern hemisphere boo-boos as well. I’ve seen several reports on the interwebs that have been bemoaning Bud Stout and a real or perceived lack of pass-rush  which further state that run-support needs to sure up this and or that. Whatever, as I call balderdash on that. I’m not here to deke you! Jessie “the body” and I both “…call it right down the middle.” So I’ll go right ahead a put the rubber to the O&M road … this is a damn fine 2012 stop-unit folks. The only potential flaw(s) that could occur would be when we face a real team that might get after our Mike Linebacker in coverage, or maybe even our Fs or our Boundary-Cb who needs to stop going for the really big-time SportsCenter “da na na da na na” ring-tone highlight reel play. Other than that, you will need a Brahma Bull or poleaxe stylized Tb and a smash-mouth oLine that can simply run straight at Bud Stout which will discourage -if not eliminate- our nifty front-7 lateral speed.

Note that Bud Foster has yet to unleash his hounds. As this has been a very ahnedonic effort from him thus far born outta necessity and outta luxury during respective weeks. Anyone saying otherwise had better like their crow rare but warm, because I’ma gonna help them say “woof” when the time comes –even if that time does not arrive until October, and immediately after our OPEN week right before visiting UNC.

---

Notre Dame:
The only reason I voted “yes” is I did not see “hell yes!!!” as an answer in the TSL.com web-poll. Let’s see…

• $5.34 billion, the value of the Notre Dame endowment (FYI: VT’s=$0.6 billion)
• $112 million (net worth of Notre Dame football team)
• 17^th ranked college in America?
• 853 football wins?
• 176 all-time all-Americans?
• 13 national championships?
• 7 Heisman trophy winners?
• 5 hall of fame coaches?

Actually folks, mea culpa, as the above “yes” is my very first lie on techsideline.com. As you don’t say “yes” to that and the tix selling hysteria that will ensue in Blacksburg Va. You say “please”…

“LETS GO!“

“Hokies!“

bourbonstreet**