Gut Reactions from Austin Peay

Playing a football game on four days rest is absurd. The players are not rested, and there's not an adequate amount of time to install a game plan. It's absolutely asinine how the ACC handles the Labor Day games. The schedule comes out some time in January or February, and ... surprise, you're kicking off the season on Monday night! I'm sure the athletic directors know in advance, but how far? This last go around, I think the Techmo Bowl matchup leaked a month or two before the schedule was announced. So around then maybe? I don't know. However, I do know that it's silly that these games aren't scheduled two or three years down the road. Everyone knows the conference schedule for an entire cycle, nothing is a surprise there, so why do the Monday night game have to be? The conference needs to do its commissioners a favor and give them more time, on the order of years, to work around the inconvenience. I realize that the ACC is about as progressive as North Korea, so none of that will actually happen, and maybe there's a good reason that I'm unaware of for why it doesn't. The blame doesn't lye completely with the ACC, ultimately Tech is in charge of its non-conference schedule and it should have been on a bye today. Austin Peay is as favorable a I-AA matchup as there is out there, and it took more than a half for Tech to put them away. Given a full week to rest and prepare, and that's not the case. /end rant

I was able to watch a little more than half of the game today, like a lot of you my power went out, so the following thoughts should be considered nothing more than a gut reaction. When French and I get our hands on the film, we'll have a more thorough analysis.

The Coleman fumble was an early momentum killer. It looked like Jet Sweep coming off the counter action, which is a nifty play call and something I'd like to see more of. I'm not sure if Coleman's broken hand had something to do with the botched carry.

Logan looked indecisive running the ball. There was a play early in the game where he stepped up in the pocket, had a lane, and it looked like he was going to take off and run, but he backed off. Perhaps the coaches got into his ear before the game and told him not to needlessly carry the ball. The ball he threw to Fuller was a thing of beauty. It was a nice tight spiral, accurately dropped between two defenders down the middle of the field. He missed some throws high again this week, but overall he seemed much more settled in the pocket.

For the second consecutive game the Hokies couldn't push the pile. In overtime against Georgia Tech they couldn't stick it in. Today they couldn't convert a 4th down, and Austin Peay doesn't have a 6-7, 330 behemoth at nose.

The Hokies execute the two-minute drill very well. In both games Logan and the offense looked much sharper in hurry-up situations. It's something I wish they'd run more often.

Corey Fuller is the best receiver on the field. #ALLOFTHEFULLERS. Dyrell used to be such a nice vertical threat, now to me it seems like he's being used more underneath the coverage, and he's not catching balls that are hitting his hands. Marcus Davis made a nice catch-and-run on the play that setup a Hokies touchdown, and he looked good carrying the ball. He got downfield to block on the long Holmes run, but held.

Exum whiffed a few times in coverage. As French noted, he's still not turning and running with his man once his cushion is threatened. I'm interested to see how far up Foster had him playing in run support. It wasn't all bad though, there were a couple of times where he blanketed the receiver and he almost forced a turnover.

Matt Arkema was in on the first series for Lil' Wang at left guard, Caleb Ferris replaced Andrew Miller at center while the rest of the ones were in. Ferris had a few high snaps. I'm not sure if the starters were injured, they got benched, or there was a rotation. Painter's started his senior year out right, he's the most stable lineman among the five.

Kyshoen Jarrett should be the starting punt returner for the rest of the season. Unlike Dyrell, who's a long strider, he has a burst and is shifty.

What did everyone else think?