It's been a great two weeks to begin our 2021 season. Earn a Top 10 win at home against a hated divisional opponent? Check. Cover the spread against a middling group of 5 team? Check.
We enter week 3 entered in the Top 15 for the first time since 2018. Obviously, we all have tempered expectations for the game tomorrow. Some of us don't believe we are quite deserved of our ranking currently, which is perfectly understandable. This team might not be what we were expecting when the season began. I know I was leaning towards a rather respectable offense that could keep us in games, and a defense that would hopefully be improved enough to avoid letdowns and blowouts against teams we should typically handle. Instead we've received a very pedestrian and predictable offense and a seemingly stout defense.
With all of this said, we enter our game tomorrow as underdogs against a pretty mediocre team. I for one am completely okay with this roll for our team. We will be entering a hostile environment against a rival we have seen sparingly over the best 16 years. If you're like me and love to read any and all pregame and college football articles during the week leading up to the game (which I'm sure you are if you're reading this random guy who rarely posts thread), then you are bound to see almost any media person predict Wvu to win this game. Again, I completely understand the reasonings, our offense hasn't looked very promising, we just lost one of our top playmakers, and we are playing in our first real road environment since 2019.
While I am usually one to temper my expectations and hold back on bold predictions, something about this game feels like a setup. A setup for our offense to showcase what we have been looking for from our playmakers. A quarterback ready to let loose against a team still questioning itself after a week 1 letdown marred by turnovers and important blunders. I expect our defense to deliver another high quality performance against an offense I think we match up very well against. The offense will bust out with looks we have yet to see this season and a newfound confidence from Burmeister willing to take chances in the passing game.
Call me optimistic, but with a lot of questions surrounding this game, I see the boys delivering a bully like performance. 31-17 Hokies.
Let me know what you all are expecting to see in the game tomorrow!
Comments
but also
I have a similar gut feeling about our Offense. It would not surprise me one bit if we "finally" see, regardless of result, what our Offense can do, mainly in down field passing. I also think Blackshear will have his game tomorrow. My gut, larger these days than I want it to be, doesn't speak often, but when it does, it's a strong buy.
Forgot to post some unfortunate humble pie....I was wrong. Guess I got to lose some weight cuz keeping my gut around and listening to it may be harmful to my health in more ways than one.
See this gut feeling about the offense...I've been having it since 2018 and its yet to happen so call me a pessimist but I don't think we're changing any looks from the past 2-3 years.
yeah, this is where I'm at. I'm not expecting anything out of our offense. If they do something and score more than 28 points I'll be pleasantly surprised. Hopefully the defense balls TF out. Go Hokies!
We haven't been saving secret pages of the playbook for WVU. We will run the same offense with perhaps a few extra schemed plays. If the offense looks improved, it will be based on blockers putting defenders on their asses, receivers making crisp cuts in their breaks, and generally more want to. The offense is what it is and we can win or lose with it depending on how the players play.
And by the numbers the offense hasn't necessarily been bad overall despite streaks of run-run-sack but thinking that we're not using the playbook we've always used is a pipe dream
For real, this is like the 2017 season all over again (Fuente's second year). Everyone kept talking about how we were keeping the good stuff hidden under covers for when we played Clemson. Then Clemson whooped us, and the slow realization dawned on everyone that the super conservative offense we started with WAS the offense.
Now I think this year's offense is much better than that year's offense, but I'm not holding my breath for the playbook to change.
I tend to agree, but there are a few things that make me think we have opportunities to open things up. One is the package we saw last week with Blumrick. I know we've used QB run packages in the past, especially the last few years with Patterson, but I think Blumrick brings another element to the table. I can see him being used in an expanded role, especially with Mitchell out. The other thing I keep waiting on is for BB to keep the ball on some reads. The last two games have shown opportunities for big gains if the defense continues to key on the tailback. I gotta think we're gonna pull the ball more and have some big plays given BB's athleticism. We also are prime to set up the little pop pass that worked so well for Sam Rogers in past years.
I know that's not much, but it's some things we haven't shown this year. We've got some talent on O and our line should continue to gel, so I'm cautiously optimistic. Above all else, win baby win.
I can agree with those things and add a few rub routes and maybe even a trick play if the opportunity presents itself. Regarding Blumrick, I think QP was a far superior threat and we never saw his packages get much more creative.
Someone told me corny has installed a trick play - the next time turner is wide open with no one within 15 yards of him corny plans to have BB actually throw him the ball.
nah, methinks fuentes conservatism is just his DNA - he believes what we have done is good enough to get the job done and until that goes south what you see is what you get. Mandalorian Justin Fuente - '' This is the way''.
Hope he is right - GO HOKIES.
I had a long response typed out as to why I don't think any of those 3 wrinkles happen but I'll leave it at this I think BB getting rattled at mtsu puts us a awful spot and we're going to be predictably conservative with everyone that can be a qb
Also I've begged for that pop pass for years and haven't seen it, honestly this offensive line up is probably the least equipped to execute this play. Our o line is giant now, BB isn't great at putting any accurate touch on short passes and we don't have JM or a similar size body that can risk being leveled on a touch pass just over the line
They attempted the pop pass... as expected it wasn't on target
Turns out 28 points would have done it. Shame we can't manage that.
i expect the playbook to open up massively from last week, and to hear barno's name called way more than last weekend. would love to see the ball in payoute's hands a few times.
I have no expectations. Haven't had any for the past 2 games so why should I start now.
Not trying to end up like this on Saturday.
We don't know a lot about either team still, but I feel like our early indication is that WVU is roughly on par with a Boston College or NCSU caliber team. Not world beaters, but someone who will beat us if we don't show up. But I feel like we're going to show up.
we squeak out a road dub that doesn't actually improve my outlook for the season
As long as we win and don't lose anyone else to injury, I am fine if it is ugly. This is my motto every week though.
this is also the flavor of Kool-Aid I am drinking this season.
The Cousins hate and hate deeply, these guys have never and will likely never see this level of vitriol from a crowd. I am uneasy about how they will handle it or if we will get more Marcus Vick single finger salutes on Saturday
Gameplan-wise I don't expect much different, we're in Year 6 with this offense and short of Jerod Evans and Khalil Herbert it has been mediocre. Defense is much better than expected so I'd expect an ugly low scoring game in which we still win thankfully
I can't blame Marcus one bit for the one finger salute. The guy ran out of bounds and had a grandstand of people yelling the N word at him. That's just dehumanizing.
They really let him have it online the week leading up too. It was the best game he ever played for us because he was angry. Marcus definitely embraced the dark side lol
Guarantee the WVU crowd earned it. Marcus didn't always do the right thing, but this particular instance I was fine with it.
I'm not elevating my personal expectations, but I do think we win. It would be really nice to get up by a couple scores early to let the D get even more aggressive which will hopefully translate in to a couple additional TOs and maybe even some direct points. Overall I expect a similar formula for what we saw against UNC, with hopefully a larger point margin.
Cornelson is good for a few absolute shitbomb games per year. Now, I'm not saying the first this season is going to happen tomorrow, but last week didn't give me a lot of confidence and we're heading into our first true road test in an environment that might be unlike anything this team has ever seen.
Not gonna lie, I'll be pleasantly surprised if we have the BDT this time next week.
Burmeister had said there were some shots last week that were 50/50 that he decided not to pull the trigger on because he wanted to protect the ball in a game they were on pace to win and I am okay with that. He said in other games/situations he would have thrown those balls so I expect some more shots this week. He has 2 weeks of film on himself to see where he is missing things also. If he is going to take a leap forward, I expect it this week unless we jump out a few scores early. (Big run, Defensive/ST TDs)
If you are going I wouldn't rule out Chlamydia.
The good news is that it tends to stay in the family up there
Why don't Mountaineers like virgins?
Cuz they believe if they ain't good enough for their own family, they good enough for them.
1) Offensive playbook will open up significantly. Offense will be modestly more aggressive. No prediction on how effective it will be.
2) BB3 will overcorrect on making deep throws and this secondary will get at least one pick when he does. *See edit below*
3) We will block a punt. It will dramatically shift momentum.
I felt optimistic about NC, especially since it was a night game at a uber-hyped Lane. I didn't want to get my hopes up, but i couldn't shake the good gut feeling i had. I do not feel similarly optimistic here. No gut feelings, really.
I do think that it's ominous for WVA that they were handled by Maryland. I also think a rebound blowout against Long Island Prep, or whatever it was, will contribute to an unearned swag for WVA. I'm not sure they are ready for how physical VT will be.
This is a 50/50 game imo, but with a gun to my head, WVA in a hard-fought heartbreaker. 24-21.
***EDIT*** When I posted, for some reason i was thinking that WV had a strong secondary. Apparently the opposite is true. VT by 7 in a dog fight. 31-24.
I expect batteries and piss bottles/bags to be thrown, couches to be burned, and someone to win a football game. Definitely will not be a tie. No clue who that winner will be but if I was a betting man I would say the school whose fans have questionable lineages as fuente and company are due to shit bed since it is week 3...
My only concern is that the coaches were planning to let Mitchell loose this week and had a lot of special things planned for him after easing the whole offense into game action the last two weeks. If that was the case, then how well were the coaches and team able to adjust to any change in plans during practice and film sessions?
Hopefully the TE group and other skill position guys step up and show out this game.
Just feeling anxious. To me the game - and the one against Pitt - is a total 50:50 toss-up. And those 2 games will go a big way towards determining what kind of season we have. We are already a step ahead of where I thought we'd be as I had UNC as a loss. Beat WVa and Pitt and we will be in a real good spot. Even going 1-1 won't be terrible if we beat who we should.
Key take for me is to score early and get the lead. Take the edge off the crowd and make them throw and should be set up well based on French's take about their pass protection. Get down early and it is going to be tough.
After seeing the highlights of the WVU-Maryland Game, I am expecting a 45-17 Hokie Win.
I think we are going to take advantage of their soft defense.
I really don't like the intangibles for this game playing on the road as a ranked team without a loss against a team/fanbase that has an eternal chip on the shoulder to beat us. WVU has a loss already and the crowd support and I expect them to play fast and loose while the Hokies I expect to play tight and conservative until they get behind. I hate myself for doubting, but I really expect the Neers to win a close ballgame where they lead most of the contest and our comeback falls short by one touchdown. Sure hope that I am wrong and we head into the game against the Domers at 4-0.
Nailed it. I hate it when I am right.
To say our offense has even been pedestrian is being very generous. I just don't know how we can put points on the board in such a hostile environment, especially with the game sold out. I'm fully prepared for an ass whooping by WVU... not a good feeling.
It's imperative that we get a big lead early and take their crowd out of it as much as possible. Of course, a big VT lead will probably result in the WV fans turning their vitriol more to the VT fans in attendance than the VT players themselves. If so, God help their souls...
0 expectations this year, if we win great, if not, it is what it is
We're not really holding anything back on offense. We may have a handful of wrinkles and schemed plays we haven't shown yet, but unfortunately y'all, this offense is what it is. BB is a great competitor and love his heart for the game and on the field, but he's not going to suddenly start slinging it all over the field. Now hopefully we do continue to loosen things up and take a few more shots downfield, but this offense isn't built for that. We will dink and dunk and do what we have been doing the last several years. Until QB recruiting and development changes, and same with WR, expect the same from that side of the ball.
I expect our defense to be the difference...Hokies win 20-17.
If you haven't entered WVU twitter this week, this is their biggest and angriest game of the year.
Fuck 'em. We better punch em in the mouth, and knock both their teeth out. That's my expectation.
The game itself? No idea, no expectations. I'll make 'em later in the year.
for anyone going to the game I expect.....
So in sum, my gut feeling for this game is a lot like this thread, all over the place. This is why we watch and love this game. You never know exactly what's going to happen next and as soon as you think you know, the whole thing goes sideways the other way.
Edit: I 'll watch MD and Illini tonight and get a better read on how bad MD is. Illini was trash against LOLuva. If it turns out MD looks bad against the Illini then I am feeling a lot better about tomorrow.
.....Tagovailoa is going to light Illinois up. Statistically its easier to complete a pass against the Illini defense than no defense at all*
*This statistic is made up but plausible
Update: I'm very hesitant to use the transitive property but wtf....
Soooooo MD is pretty bad.
My 2nd round of expectations - Fuente doesn't let off the gas because he needs to show the Big
1210812 coaches that he's not going to mess around when he takes over Texas Tech next year.Third set of expectations - Vegas takes a bath! How dare they put a -3 point spread in favor of the Cousins!
Let's see what the sharps do to the line tomorrow.
Already at 2
Well, last year I could not believe how stupid Vegas was having us favored against teams like Miami when we weren't any good. Hoping that things are completely reversed this year and we are constantly rated as underdogs against teams we have played as well or better than and we get win after win this year against the likes of UNC, WVa, ND ...
I appreciate your optimism. It seems like there's apprehension in the fan base going into tomorrow, myself included. We all know we're unlikely to go 12-0 so we're just waiting for the shoe to drop. That said, there have been lots of encouraging signs thus far.
I can't wait to just play the damn game and punch those suckers in the mouth. You know JC Price has the d-line ready to go end dudes. Hopefully everyone else can ignore the distractions and are ready to play too.
I expect someone to piss on my head and tell me it isn't rain.
Leddie Brown; 15 carries for 36 yards vs. LIU. WVU folks think their OL has serious issues with run blocking.
I think it'll be a 23-20 slobberknocker and the team that makes one less mistake will win.
Couches will be burned and some yees will be hawed but when the couch fires clear the black diamond trophy will stay where the real country roads are. LETS GO
Dude if they win that town is gonna burn lol
Here is the thing about this team - I think Fuente should never let any of the players know anything about their ranking because once they do, they play like horse shit. Complete shit.
Go Hokies.
I think there is going to be a pitiful number of touchdowns because we have no offense. At all. There is no running down the field and catching it. There are no exciting plays. It's just slowly moving the ball down the field, back and forth. It's going to be the longest game of our life.
VT wins 28-21
Whats this deal with WVU booking us a shitty hotel?
Are there nice hotels in Morgantown?
You can see the majority of the hotel issue on Wilfried Pene's instagram story... Showed some pictures of the team hotel that didn't look in the best shape and is dirty and a chat between players worrying that there's bed bugs, uneaten food left in their rooms, and how they want to sleep in the lobby...
Beamer used to keep the team in Pittsburgh and drive down the morning of....reasons.
Sounds like a much better idea than letting WVU set up the accommodations! Hopefully they play mad and with a chip on their shoulders today.
And why did no one think to let Fuente know that? I'm not surprised, tbh. Wvu fans trashy af
Yeah when I saw they were staying in Morgantown, I was wondering if no one advised them to stay away from there? Completely awful. I hope they documented everything, we go kick their asses today, and then sue the shit out of that hotel.
Seriously if this was intentional (likely), why are we still playing this series? That is flat out trashy. Who wants to deal with that garbage? And VT fans don't even want to travel there because of things like this and worse. There is legit no reason we should be playing clowns like this. That's just flat out trash.
And WVU thinks they are getting an ACC invite? Lmao.
Also if Fu doesn't have the team fired up and pissed off after this and they come out flat, it's just never going to come together for him in Blacksburg.
there are some nice hotels, water front is really nice, but staying in south Pittsburgh or Bridgeport/Clarksburg area is so much better since most of the morgantown hotels will be booked.
Dumbasses! Coach Fu: we're going up against a good football team, but they don't respect us, nor does the media. Think about the flea bag hotel they put us in before we even got to the stadium! We'd have put them in Hotel Roanoke. Let's play with discipline, no personal fouls, stay focused and walk out of here with a win, with no celebration because we expect to win this game. Let's show em Hokie Respect after we punch em in the mouth. Let's honor James by playing our best game. Go Hokies!
Maybe a dumb question, but why does the home team pick the accommodations for the visiting team? Can athletic depts not figure out their own travel plans? It's not like the home team is picking up the tab.
If it is a dumb question, then you and I are both stupid because I had wondered the same thing for a while now.
We will win
If ever there was a time to live up to
Hard Smart ToughGrit, this would be it. The most hostile environment these guys will ever play in.A deeper playbook on O would be nice, but I've seen enough by now to know that isn't realistic. Gonna be an ugly ugly football game, and a toss up as far as who wins. If it DOES become a boatrace, I doubt we keep up. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.
edit: welp. no grit in the first half, and no competence at game's end. Shocker.
Hoping we let Payoute, Lofton, et al prove they can run crisp routes and make a difference. LPD dominates as does Blackshear. Hokies 30 Cousins 23
Bear picked wvu so we're surely gonna win.
Also he said it was more "Unc imploded against us" as opposed to us manhandling UNC.
Let's fuck
These guys up
What is Bear's record?
Just over 50%. IDK why he's allowed airtime.
0-3 last week
I expect to be hung over tomorrow. I'm confident enough to bet big on it. Any takers?
A close win? A close loss? A blowout by WVU? A blowout by Tech? This year every team but Bama is an unknown!
So all of these things happened in the same game. Almost win by 1, lose by only 6, WVU looked that were going to win in a blowout and Tech leaves 18-21 points out there with trips to the red one with nothing. What a waste.
I mean we were right there
Robinson's-should-have-been-a-catch would have given us the win.
The other 2 red zone drives ending in any points would have been
icing on the cakefire extinguisher on the couch.Yeah I'll eat my crow on this one i was hopped up off double bagged work coffee when i wrote it. Hey but guess what, NOW this week we'll open up the offense vs richmond /s
also joe i would love to change my name, i know there's not really precedent for it but i made this when i was 15 and i cringe everytime i read it
there is actually a precedent for it. At least one or two others have made changes since I've been here. E-mail Joe directly