Hokies' Defense Rally Hats Around the Football in 26-10 Win Over Boston College

The Boston College film review has been difficult to write, and pushed back, in the wake of the announcement that Frank Beamer would retire at the end of this season. Virginia Tech's victory over Boston College was far from perfect, but it showed the will of Beamer's student athletes to win still burns brightly. Given the devastating loss against Duke, rumors about the program's future, and the potential to overlook BC given the woeful state of the Eagles' offense this season, the 26-10 win was a testament that this team has not quit on Beamer.

At the same time, the defensive personnel and scheme weaknesses that I have detailed over the past few weeks provided BC enough of a window to stay in the football game. The Eagles burned a redshirt on run-first quarterback John Fadule, and he had success on the same quarterback lead and counter lead plays that have tormented the Hokies all season.

A review of the film showed tremendous effort, improved ability to shed blocks, and better pursuit by Tech's defensive front-seven. Bud Foster made adjustments in scheme as well. Early in the football game, BC relied heavily on tailback runs as Troy Flutie manned the quarterback spot. Four of the six plays run with Flutie at the helm were inside runs by Eagle tailbacks, which netted three yards. This put Flutie in third-and-long situations. He could not find windows to beat the Hokies' secondary downfield.

With quarterback a question mark, Eagles coach Steve Addazio went to his extra tight end jumbo sets early in the game. In years past, those extra tight end looks put tremendous pressure on Hokie alley players. The Hokies' rovers and free safeties were forced to fit time and time again around the line of scrimmage. After the wear and tear of a long game, they would fit incorrectly and the Eagles would pop a game-breaking run.

Foster bulked up by using an extra whip linebacker. Anthony Shegog would enter the game in place of a corner and align as an outside linebacker to the field side. Ronny Vandyke would play a stand up nine technique on the edge to the field side. To the boundary, Deon Clarke would align as a nine technique on the edge. Rover Desmond Frye would play as an outside linebacker. Andrew Motuapuaka would man the middle, with Chuck Clark as a deep center field safety. Up front, the Hokies would use a traditional four man front. The boundary defensive end played a five technique (inside shoulder of the tackle.) The boundary defensive tackle would play a one technique. The field defensive tackle would play a three technique. The field defensive end played a seven technique (outside shoulder of the offensive tackle.

This put nine Hokie defenders in the box. Numbers, coupled with a significant improvement in shedding blocks, completely shut down Boston College's power running game. On this play, the Hokies use this specialty whip package against a three tight end set. The Eagles run a sprint draw.

Boston College wants to drive the Hokie interior linemen to the outside and up the field and isolate their fullback on Motuapuaka. The Hokies' defensive line appears to have a predetermined slant to the right called. Luther Maddy slants away from a double team, and Dadi Nicolas rips hard through the right tackle's inside shoulder to make the play. The big key here is that Nicolas finishes his stunt through the hole. Far too often he has stepped into his gap fit and then allowed himself to be driven inside. The second key is hats around the football. Nicolas makes the solo tackle, and Frye, Maddy, and Baron are all around the football. Pursuit has not been a strength of this defense in 2015. Against BC, the Hokies were gang-tackling much more often than I saw in some prior games.

On the next play, BC runs power from a three tight end set. The Eagles have good initial blocks and movement to form a hole right up the middle.

Watch both Hokie defensive ends. The Eagles attempt to draw Nicolas up field. Instead, he reads the play, sheds the block, and pursues to the inside. To the bottom of the screen, Ken Ekanem actually is slanting away from the ball carrier at the snap. He fits his gap, identifies that the football is going back to the inside, sheds his block and slides back to the inside to assist on the tackle. It is a good thing too. Motuapuaka, Clark, and Edmunds all badly overrun the play to the bottom of the screen. If the BC tailback pops through that hole, the only thing to stop him from scoring a touchdown is Desmond Frye chasing him down from behind. It is worth noting that the officials miss a vicious chop block on Luther Maddy. Maddy is engaged with the center, and the left guard (#64) cuts him. This is a dangerous play and was not whistled for a penalty.

After two straight 3 and outs, Addazio pulled the plug on Flutie and started using more spread looks with Fadule in the game. From a one tight end, three wide receiver shotgun formation, Foster responded, as he has against that personnel and formation all season, with the Bear front. Not surprisingly, the Eagles used the same quarterback counter play that has tortured the Hokies all season.

Tech's three down d-linemen key the first step of the down block and slant to the left of your screen. If the quarterback hands the ball off, the Hokies are in great position to make the play. If the quarterback keeps, the slant effectively takes the Hokies three best run defenders out of the play. Nicolas gets washed inside. Clarke gets too far up field and is kicked out by the pulling guard. The pulling tackle leads up to seal Motuapuaka to the inside. Desmond Frye takes himself out of the play by getting sucked in on the tailback fake, and Chuck Clark takes an awful angle to come over and support. This play has broken the back of the Hokies time and time again this season. It was frustrating to see the same thing happen again.

So, you may ask, why do I believe Foster has an automatic switch to the Bear front against this alignment?

On this play, Boston College aligns in the pistol, and the Hokies align in a 40 front. The Eagles then shift the tailback offset left, and the Hokie front switches immediately to the Bear front. Fadule then calls an audible back to the pistol, and the Hokies shift back.

In the 40 front, everything looks perfect. Ekanem squeezes inside keying the down block. Chuck Clark comes up to fill. On the back side, Nicolas (who is so much more comfortable out on the edge) keys the pulling tackle perfectly and uses his speed to blow up the play.

You may ask why Foster doesn't just use the 40 front against that personnel grouping. I think it would be a great question to ask him. I would guess that his use of the Bear against that alignment is because: 1) He regards the opposing tailbacks as bigger threats, and 2) The slant from the Bear still leaves his free hitter unblocked to account for the quarterback. So far this season, Foster's mike linebackers and alley players have been getting blocked, been out of position, or tackled poorly far too often.

Here, Chuck Clark gives us an example of what should happen in the Bear front when executed properly against the quarterback counter lead.

Motuapuaka and Clarke both played better after a dismal effort against Duke. Clarke used his speed off the edge to beat pulling linemen to the football numerous times. Motuapuaka was around the football most of the day, pressured the quarterback and made tackles on the interior. Motuapuaka still has a tendency to run himself into blocks. However, I saw moments where he avoided blocks without losing his gap fit responsibility. His touchdown return was a great example.

Boston College runs a counter trey. Dadi and Maddy get washed down inside. Motuapuaka, instead of taking a poor angle and running into Nicolas, gives a bit of ground to get around Nicolas and his blocker and then fills the hole. Terrell Edmunds comes in to support Motuapuaka. I cannot tell if Motuapuaka rips the ball out, or if Edmunds knocks it free, however pursuit and numerous hats around the football produce a turnover. Motuapuaka finds the ball and makes a play. Motuapuaka has taken a ton of heat this season, including from me. He still has limitations in both run defense and especially in pass coverage. Yet, it's still satisfying to see a kid that has faced so much criticism improve and make a big play.

Georgia Tech poses a very different challenge next week. Paul Johnson's approach doesn't change. We will see the triple option. We will see counter-option. We will see quick pitches and double dives. We will see big receivers that will go up and get jump balls and quick running backs trying to use play-action to get open in the flats.

Georgia Tech is inexperienced at the B-back and A-back positions. The timing of their triple option seems a bit off on film. The defenses that had success in stopping Georgia Tech this season, especially Notre Dame, took away the dive play from Georgia Tech's triple option with their defensive tackles. Their linebackers played well off the line of scrimmage and stayed clean against down blocks. This allowed the linebackers to flow outside and take away quarterback and pitch with numbers. Against GT, it is paramount that Maddy, Baron, Williams, and Sobczak stand tall against the dive to allow Motuapuaka to align well off the line of scrimmage and flow to the football.

I would also be remiss if I didn't mention the offense this week. The offense hasn't really been the root cause of the two most recent Hokies' losses. At the same time, there were some strange comments complaining about the offensive approach in the final quarter as the Hokies protected their lead.

I don't understand where these folks watch their football. With the lead cut to 13, the Hokies offense generated a series of first downs that took five minutes off the clock. The biggest play of the drive was this powerful run by Travon McMillian.

This play is what gives me real hope for the future. Championship caliber football isn't getting guys wide open and fooling a defense all the time. Championship football is when the defense knows exactly what you are going to do, has a great scheme called to stop it, and you get the first down anyway. Why? Will power.Travon McMillian doesn't get the first down at initial contact. He keeps going and beats the other guy. There has been too little of that in Blacksburg the last few years. McMillian may have sealed the game with this gutsy run. The offense didn't always look pretty, however that defensive unit is by far the best group in the front-seven the Hokies have played all season (including Pitt.) Connor Wujack, Harold Landry, and especially Steven Daniels are three of the best defensive players the Hokies have faced all season.

My hat is off to the offense.