I ended up watching the full game last night between Notre Dame and Penn State (plus, I was getting live reports as my brother got to go for a work trip with Capital One and pre-gamed with Dan Marino and Larry Fitzgerald.) What a terrific football game. Penn State was zone blocking to perfection in the run game (their other tight end, No. 16 was terrific and the right tackle scooped a one-tech from the backside, a truly awesome feat, on one of the SIngelton TDs). Meanwhile, Notre Dame had nothing going and then turned to smashmouth gap scheme power blocking with a lot of QB keepers mixed in, only to make the biggest play of the game because a corner got twisted up on his bump in single high coverage. There were mistakes, drama, everything that makes football good.
And at the same time, it was a bit saddening. The game showcased how far behind Virginia Tech is as a football program. The size, the closing speed all over the field, the focus on dominating the line of scrimmage by both teams... it was sobering. We spent an entire season banging on scheme and playcalling, but the stone cold reality is, there were two players on the 2024 Virginia Tech roster who would contend for playing time on these two teams, Aneas Peebles and Bhayshul Tuten. The size, strength, and most importantly explosiveness and physicality I saw on that field blew me away.
The only thing that I did see that the Hokies have in common was the tightness Brent Pry's mentor, James Franklin, showed at the begining of the third quarter. I got weird feelings as Notre Dame had their opening drive, and it was strange that the Penn State defense, after dominating the first half, had awful body language during the drive, like they were dead tired. They bounced back, but then the offense went into a conservative shell and didn't stretch the field. Singleton, Warren, and their terrific offensive line kept churning, but the inability to stretch the field (not a single completion to a wide out) allowed Notre Dame to load the box and get just enough key stops.
And boy, how many times did I think to myself "man, I wish Pry had made an attempt to flip Abdul Carter." Even though he is the best edge rusher in the country now, he was an amazing WILL and would have been a four year starter at WILL or DE at VT.
Thanks everyone for the morning therapy. Back to waiting for a DC decision until the game this evening. Stay safe with the storm coming.
-French
Comments
Great insights.
Player size of both teams was huge compared to tech. Psu just didn't stick their foot on the neck of notre dame. The difference in d tackle run stopping for penn state was significant.
One of Penn state's tackles almost single handedly controlled notre dame's line. When he was not in, notre dame ran the ball effectively.
Missed catch at goal line early was huge.
Nolan Rucci, starting RT for Penn State who was a three year backup at Wisconsin before transfering for this season, had the single greatest backside scoop block I have ever seen on defensive tackle Howard Cross on the Singleton TD that put Penn State up 24-17. He did a false step like he was doing a backside passive seal like Vice used to have VT's OT's do on backsides of zones, then completely piroutted back inside, got inside Cross (a three tech), kept his head inside, and kept the perfect position to drive him to the end zone. This is unreal.
https://youtu.be/uX_zcBD7DE0?si=IAt3UysWrSDzZTvm&t=1118
I had to watch that several times to understand what he did, even with your explanation. Fantastic block. And I would normally have just watched the ball and missed it. Thanks for pointing that out!
OMG, he rode that guy all the way to the end zone.
He had to come waaay across and beat that guy with the shorter route, to the spot, then drive through to keep him off the ball carrier.
I think for the most part we recruit players who have a great deal of will to play great football but lack the skill. That was a difference I noted. I didn't see a whole lot of VT players giving up during games this year, which I personally think I have seen in some teams in the past. I think we recruit good dudes who tend to fit the culture. However, strength and conditioning let them down at times, coaching didn't have them in the right positions at times...all contributing to outcomes.
"The size, the closing speed all over the field, the focus on dominating the line of scrimmage by both teams."- No question and I have been saying this for a while. I went to the Fiesta Bowl- sat pretty close to the field. Both PSU and Boise are bigger and thicker than VT is. PSU is no comparison. I was on the field/sidelines for several VT games 2 years ago. We are so much smaller than we were in the mid-2000's its not funny. And so long as we continue to be basically ineffective at HS recruiting on the DL, this won't get any better.
And there is the rub, VHSL hasn't produced an impact DL in the last three recruiting cycles. The best guy is Armel Mukam, who was in the DT rotation for Notre Dame (and he was a Woodberry Forest private school kid, a school where VT never lands anyone.) The last VHSL difference-maker? Tyliek WIlliams from Unity Reed (same school as the Stromans and Tim Settle) in 2021, and he has been a monster for Ohio State. His film was salivating, but Fuente was too busy sitting in a corner whispering to Vice to make an effort.
You don't think APR or any of the secondary guys Tech had or O-lineman could compete for playing time at either ND or PSU?
APR would be in the rotation at Penn State, but he isn't better than Carter, Dennis-Sutton, or Vanover. Would be the 4th guy at best because he wasn't heavy against the run and their wide 9 front requires the ends to crash in to squeeze kick outs with a much heavier shoulder than I saw from APR. I want him to do well, awesome Hokie who came home and hopefully blazed a trail for other kids to have success. But he was a very one dimensional player, and at best was mediocre as a run defender. He also benefitted from offenses being forced to double Peebles inside. In games where they played bad OLs, or when Peebles was being doubled, APR feasted. When they blocked Peebles one on one, APR was pretty quiet.
Peebles may have been the best Hokies DT since I started writing about the team, and that is saying something given how much I liked Settle, Walker, and Baron.
APR was a backup at UF- we knew what we were getting - and sadly he was the best DE in a long time here. Gone are the days of a Nolan Burchette being the 4th DE here.
I think you and French are tremendously underselling APR. Whatever he was at Florida, he was a stud at VT, period. Here's what thedraftnetwork.com has to say about him, while projecting him as a 2nd- or 3rd-round pick:
Overall, Powell-Ryland projects immediately as a contributor along an NFL front with a legitimate pass-rush repertoire and tools that translate. He can win with speed, win with power, has great hands, above average bend, and often puts quarterbacks in the dirt if given the chance. He has experience rushing as a 5, wide nine, and 4i, and has also been used as a blitzer standing up within the interior. Teams in need of an explosive and nuanced pass rusher that can win in a variety of ways, including after initial contact, will prioritize Powell-Ryland—a mature and highly productive potential three-down defender at the next level.
He's not the first DE to benefit from a DT on his line being double teamed. And most of them don't rack up 25.5 sacks over two seasons.
Im not trying to undersell him. Edge rushers are second to QBs in terms of draft premiums. I saw he wasn't in Kipers top 35 edge rushers recently.
And that means that the three Penn State DEs are first round talents. Heavier shoulder, and just as quick. Did you see the DE getting the INT last night, dropping 15 yards from the LOS? And he was a second teamer.
Note: In all that glowing praise, they said nothing about his run defense.
From the same article:
I should have linked to the Article: APR - Draft Network
They did call him a 3-down, instead of a third down, player.