Sour Tastes: A High Level Review of VT's win over UNC

Good afternoon folks. I hope your hangover and frostbite has been as minimal as possible. I for one am dealing with elevated bloodpressure and a sour stomach after what at best can be called an "uneven" win over the Tarheels on Senior Night at Lane Stadium.

I anticipated that this game would be a unique challenge, a classic trap game against a team with a high talent level that has underperformed coming off a bye week after the Hokies won a brutally physical and emotional game in Atlanta. North Carolina presented an additional challenge in that they featured by far the best defensive front seven talent the Hokies have faced all season. I however, retained a high degree of hope because of the high stakes for the Hokies coupled with UNC's near utter failure to compete against NC State in a rivalry game their last time on the gridiron. I went into the game focused on three matchups. 1) How would the Hokies offensive line, which looked dominant against GT, respond to the challenge presented by large, athletic defensive tackles and a likely top 10 NFL draft pick at DE in Quinton Coples. 2) How would the Hokies defensive line stand up to a huge UNC offensive line one week after Derrick Hopkins, James Gayle, and JR Collins played without a single substitution against the hard driving cut blocking GT option attack? 3) Could Jaron Hosley bounce back and have a good game against a NFL prospect WR.

Little did I know, these matchups were only part of the story. Both teams were at best erratic both with execution and effort. The officiating was horrendous, even though it almost universally benefited Virginia Tech, with three huge calls (Highsmith catch, Wilson fumble, and the pass interference on Boykin) all going Virginia Tech's way, even though both reviewable plays clearly showed a catch and a fumble. Neither team protected the football well, and both offensive coaching staffs let the defenses off the hook with uber-conservative playcalling.

Before getting into the review, I think that the one glowing positive takeaway from this game is the play of Logan Thomas. I have noted his accuracy and command in the pocket coupled with his running ability as major weapons. Those skills have been exhibited for the most part when he has faced very little pressure since the Clemson game. Last night, Logan Thomas executed as a playmaker while under tremendous duress in the most adverse weather conditions of his career. It wasn't always pretty, but he effectively used his arm and legs to overcome HORRENDOUS blitz pickup by his offensive line and backs, coupled with a virtual absence of an effective running game. He had a few busted reads in the option game, and I certainly would have hoped to see him audible more in the running game to adjust to some of UNC's 8 man front looks, but when he needed to make plays, Logan made chicken salad. He has clearly marked himself as the clutch, go to playmaker in this offense. The 15+ play drive that turned the momentum back to the Hokies was a thing of beauty in its ugliest form. Thomas kept the sticks moving. It didn't result in points, but it calmed everything down. As the game progressed, Logan controlled the pace, made plays when he had to, and generally made you feel confident in the Hokies chances.

And, if there was any doubt about Logan Thomas and his value, it was showcased even more due to the abysmal effort put forward by David Wilson and the offensive line last night. Andrew Lainer and Nick Becton were completely overmatched attempting to block Quinton Coples in the passing game.  Nosal, Miller/Via, Brooks, and DeChristopher had repeated busts against relatively simple cross stunts by defensive linemen and blitz pickups by linebackers. Via is a capable backup, but part of those struggles COULD have been the result of botched offensive line calls by the center. Still. the Hokies struggled even before Miller was hurt. Failure to establish an identity in the running game again rose its ugly head. Coach O'Cainspring completely abandoned the toss power play that was so effective against Georgia Tech, and ran a minimal amount of off tackle power, blocking down the tight ends while leading the fullback and backside guard through the hole. They went back to a zone blocking scheme, which more often than not resulted in large losses due to failures to seal the mammoth UNC defensive ends and athletic outside backers. The Hokies were somewhat more effective out of the shotgun, but again the coaching staff seemed to favor more counter and misdirection save for the veer power runs of Logan Thomas. The Hokies found most of their running success when favoring straight ahead, quick hitting offensive plays, and when the Hokie offense was operating at its best, these types of between the tackle runs really sapped UNC's DL.

And, David Wilson. Oh my, David Wilson. Again, ball security and a total lack of football IQ on the part of David Wilson almost crushed the Hokies last time. I don't agree with Craig James on, well, anything, but he was spot on in his criticism of Wilson running backwards on CRITICAL down and distance situations when he didn't have a hole last night. He had several issues with ball security, and one CLEARLY was a fumble that somehow wasn't called a fumble upon review. I love the kid's effort, but he just isn't a smart football player right now.

Everybody on offense seemed to be playing a step slow last night with the exception of Cole, Coales, and Boykin, LLC. All three had outstanding games both catching and blocking.

Defensively, the Hokies looked slow and reactionary for large portions of the game. UNC let them off the hook with some very tenative playcalling and use of personnel. The Hokie defensive ends struggled all night with run fits and gap control, and produced almost nothing rushing the passer. Luther Maddy made a huge play on the early UNC fumble, but was pushed backwards much of the night. Derrick Hopkins is and continues to be a warrior, but the wear and tear of constant double teams has him unable to play every snap with the same intensity as early in the year. The Hokies got ZERO pressure with a four man rush, but Bud Foster did an outstanding job of using blitzing to make Renner throw inaccurately. I thought Jack Tyler and Tariq Edwards both played very well, however the Dietrick Bonner whip experiment was an unmitigated disaster in the first half.

The Hokie secondary typified my frustration last night. In the first half, Jayron Hosley was abysmal. He was beaten on simple routes, without applying much pressure at all to the receivers. He also was manhandled when trying to tackle. Someone really must have lit a fire under his ass, because as the game went on, he became much more aggressive, deflecting several passes and essentially taking the boundary completely away from UNC.Meanwhile, Eddie Whitley had his best game this season... right up until he was sleep walking and busted the coverage that lead to UNC's 70 yard reception on their last touchdown drive. Kyle Fuller was fantastic in run support as he moved back to whip, but then got beat for the last touchdown. Antone Exum looked like Ronnie Lott one play, and Jim Leonahrd the next. The execution was uneven at best.

Finally, I absolutely was digusted with the lack of effort in the second half of the 4th quarter. UNC had, for all intensive purposes, quit following the DJ Coles touchdown. The Hokies let up, and that allowed UNC to get back into the game. I have a feeling Frank Beamer will go to the whip hard this week early to send the message that such a letdown runs against the entire ethos of what Hokie football is about.

I won't be able to do a play by play review this week, but I would be thrilled to have some back and forth. As always, it is very difficult to watch things as closely while the game is live, so perhaps I have been overly critical of some players while not harsh enough on others. I appreciate the back and forth, and look forward to your comments.