Tech Specs: Maroon-White Game

Editor's Note: Tristan Raisch is going to be joining the team as a contributor this season. Tristan graduated from Tech this year with a degree in mechanical engineering, and will begin a PhD program in Translational Biology, Medicine and Health in the fall. He's been longtime member of the community, and is going to write writing a weekly opponent watch feature this fall. Also, he'll be charting plays from Tech's games. The play charting is something I'm amped for because it'll allow us to crunch more advanced stats, discover trends, and let everyone to take a deeper look at each game. Tristan will publish each play chart as part of his Tech Specs column, the first of which, a trial run for the spring game, is below. If you have any suggestions, leave 'em below. --Joe

Well, another spring in Blacksburg has come and gone, and now it's time to sit and twiddle our collective thumbs until August camp begins. As Hokies and college football fans, this is easily the toughest part of the year. The weather is great, the beaches are calling, school is over, and all we want to do is sit down and watch some football... alas. However, there's still plenty to talk about with regards to the Maroon—White game and the direction of the program, so let's get to it. This will be the first in a series of articles examining every detail of Tech's most recent game, with a play chart that will include information on play calls, formations, personnel, miscues, and so much more. Ever wonder what play Lefty is most likely to call on third-and-medium? Wonder how J.C.'s yards after contact compare to Trey's? Well, this handy information will be available to you and used by your loving TKP staff to delve even deeper into the world of Tech football. Sounds cool, right? I'm pretty excited about it. For every game, I'll offer the raw data as well as some thoughts on trends and tendencies that I've picked up. So, without further ado, here are my thoughts from the spring game, followed by the play chart in all its glory (or at least as much of its glory that we could fit on the webpage).

Attacking the Edge: How Good are Your Corners?

During a coaching clinic a few weeks ago, Aaron Moorehead gave a little seminar on WR blocking. He mentioned that when they run outside, his receivers will often be instructed to go block the safeties, leaving the corners unblocked. The rationale behind this method is that college corners often aren't outstanding open-field tacklers, and if you take away the safety help, one missed tackle can result in a touchdown. This strategy was repeatedly on display in the spring game, most notably on Demitri Knowles' long run to open the game. He got out in space one-on-one with Der'Woun Greene, beat him, and was off to the races. I think we're going to see a whole lot more of this concept throughout the season. Tech's coaches are going to look to get athletes like Carlis Parker, Demitri Knowles, and Deon Newsome out on the edge against cornerbacks and challenge those corners to do their best Kyle Fuller impressions and make tackles in the open field. One miss, and Parker/Knowles/Newsome is heading to the end zone. This is extremely exciting, as the Hokies are going to need to generate some big plays, and the passing game might not be quite up to the task. All three of the guys mentioned above have had no trouble making plays with the ball in their hands. The problem has been getting the ball into their hands. Make that part easy, match them up against a less-than-willing tackler, and boom, you've got big plays waiting to happen.

D-Line Disruption

My goodness, Luther Maddy and Corey Marshall just set up shop in the backfield and hung out there all day. I lost count of the number of times I mentioned one of those guys blowing a play up in the backfield that was otherwise well-blocked and well-executed by the offense. Those guys are going to give a lot of o-Line coaches a lot of headaches over the year. I'm not overly confident in their ability to hold up on a 4th-and-1 against the likes of FSU or Ohio State, especially with Marshall's lack of size. However, so help you if you're an opposing offense trying to convert a third-and-8 or run sideline-to-sideline. This looks like a very quick, disruptive line, with guys like Deone Clarke flying around behind them. I'm really excited to see how Foster uses their quickness and athleticism this year.

O-Line Growing Pains

One thing I noticed, and something that French has talked about extensively, is the fact that the offensive line is being asked to do so much more this spring than they were last spring. Unsurprisingly, that's resulting in some growing pains. I noticed a lot of the younger guys struggling with basic things like head position and leg drive, and the new stuff seems to be tying up even some of the more experienced players. In my opinion, this is going to be the critical factor in determining our offensive success this year: can the line execute? If they can, they have the talent and athleticism to be a very good unit. I believe Stacy Searels is a good coach, but there's no question he's going to have to earn his paycheck this fall.

And Now We Wait for August

Overall, this was pretty much what we expected: a spring game. That means moments of brilliance and moments of embarrassingly sloppy play on both sides of the ball. Personally, I came away cautiously optimistic about the team's chances for success. They've upgraded athletically at a few key spots, there's more experience at the skill positions, and the offense is just flat-out better than it was at this time last year. Now, there are of course a multitude of questions to be answered before we kick off against William and Mary in about three-and-a-half months. Will the line execute consistently? Will the receivers run good routes, hold onto the ball, and make plays? Can we get solid, consistent quarterback play from whoever wins the job? Just how well will this small, quick defense perform? Who will be more of a monster by the end of the season, Bucky or Rogers? This is what makes college football so exciting and special. Nothing stays the same; every season is new, exciting, and full of promise. As of right now, the Hokies are undefeated in 2014, and we'll wait patiently to see if they can make this season a special one.

First Quarter

Second Quarter

Third Quarter

Fourth Quarter