Quick gut reactions to the roller coaster ride tonight in Blacksburg.
Defense
Terrific performance up front by the Hokie defensive line. Derrick Hopkins, Luther Maddy (prior to getting banged up) and all four defensive ends were outstanding. That is as well as a Hokie d-Line has played the run against a GT team. Foster had much more confidence in stopping the whole attack, with the DT's shutting down the dive and the outside guys rocking the QB.
Per Hokiesports.com:
As some of you may remember, Virginia Tech rose to prominence in the early 90's on the back of elite special teams, a grind-it-out conservative offense, a state of the art weight training program, and most significantly, on the back of a radical defensive approach that took recruits that nobody wanted and turned them loose like the dogs of war on opposing defenses.
The Stadium Woods debate, being considered by the Hokie powers that be as I type, can have profound impact beyond the building of the new Beamer field house.
This has nothing to do with the Hokies, but for those of you who follow my twitter account, you know I am a diehard New York Rangers fan. I am sure several of you who met me at Hard Times realized that I get a little worked up (blood pressure skyrockets, dizziness, etc.) So, my girlfriend video'd my reaction to the game winning Michael Del Zotto goal that sent the Rangers to the East Finals tonight. Here is the view from my den:
WHOOOOOOOOOOO
Southern University WR (and Darrell Green's son) Jared Green on Mike London.
"His agenda was to play receivers from the Tidewater area because that's where he recruits," Jared explained. "I went home that summer and told my parents I wanted to transfer. My mom (Jewell) said, 'No. You've got two more semesters. Graduate from UVA.' I said, 'OK. Who knows? This coach might be an awesome guy.' He wasn't. Coaches can manipulate your mind and tell lies. They can hide behind the program and make a kid look like an outcast. I'm so thankful I learned that at UVA. I'm on a path and I had to experience some adversity. "
Well, it was terrific to meet may @TheKeyPlay posters for the first time, and we revelled in the rapid fire announcements of commitments that hopefully have given us bookends to the offensive line and the next great Hokie quarterback, but I was very eager to see the Hokies run their new offensive philosophy. I wanted this post to go one of two ways.
Before I get into the key issues I will focus on as I attend my first Hokie spring football game this Saturday, I would like to take a moment to also welcome Brian Marcolini to @TheKeyPlay's staff. I have been very impressed with his first post and he will be an excellent addition to the team.
So, after shooting off my mouth all last week about my concerns about the lack of offensive identity in the offense made worse by adding offensive plays that require a new fundamental skill set to be learned by the offensive line, quarterbacks, and running backs, now the Hokies coaching staff has an opportunity to make me drink a big ole glass of shut the hell up this Saturday. Here are some of the key things I will be looking for in the performance this weekend.
1) Offensive Identity
I exepect that if the Hokies extensively use a pistol and spread package, they should showcase the full array of BASE plays out of each set. I have spent some quite moments this week watching YouTube videos of Nevada's pistol offense, and there are a couple of base plays that I feel the Hokies must establish in order to utilize the set in the heat of the ACC schedule.
Word just came from the Hokies 66-play scrimmage this evening that the Hokies defense got 10 sacks on 66 snaps. And, that was with both James Gayle and JR Collins sitting out of the scrimmage to do classwork. Either the defensive line will be unstoppable this year, or the offensive line may be abysmal. Let's hope it is the former.
Other notes from the beat writers:
Logan Thomas was 9-13 for 70 yards. Michael Holmes lead the running backs, and a little bird told me that Martin Scales may have passed J.C. Coleman on the running back depth chart... Coleman didn't gain a yard on 6 carries.
During spring football, hope "springs" eternal. Hope and expectations for the following football season abound, and any struggles can be dismissed as the learning curve that every college football team must endure as seniors graduate and future NFLers head to the draft.
