What the Hokies have to do to pull the upset in the 'Shoe

I've been looking forward to writing this preview. It's finally Ohio State Buckeyes game week, and I am pumped. The only thing better than watching your team play in primetime against a marquee opponent is celebrating a victory afterwards. Virginia Tech is heading in the right direction, but a victory against a top-10 team would do wonders for the program. Not only would it energize Hokie Nation and team for a special run this season, but it would go a long way towards convincing some important recruits that the Hokies are capable of fielding a national championship team in the near future.

Run The Ball

In order to beat Ohio State, Frank Beamer is going to have to prove that his team has turned the corner and its recent rushing woes are behind it. The game against William and Mary gave some hope that the rushing game was getting back on track, but there is still room for improvement. In blatant rushing situations (for example, at the goal line), the offense failed to consistently pick up the necessary yards. This is nothing new. The offense hasn't been able to bully opponents in short yardage situations for almost three years now (I remember David Wilson struggling in between the tackles at times his senior year). Until that changes, Frank Beamer's teams aren't going to win games against elite competition.

Ohio State's defensive line is (literally) in a different league than William and Mary's. The run blocking will have to take a huge step forward. Everyone (receivers, tight ends, offensive linemen) will have to bring their big boy pants and lunch pails to Columbus and get after it. Having those two talented freshmen (Marshawn and Shai) listed as co-starters is a step in the right direction. Both of those guys are capable of "changing the math" in the running game. Even if an offensive lineman doesn't get a perfect block, they have the skill set to run through arm tackles and make something happen.

The boundary corner comes on a blitz and gets a free shot at Marshawn. The corner decides to go low and gets a face full of thigh pad for his troubles, not even managing to hold onto a leg. The next tackle that Marshawn breaks is the unblocked defensive end. Ideally that end wouldn't be involved in the play because he'd commit to defending the bootleg threat, but he reads the play correctly. He at least manages to slow down Marshawn, but that's it. The free safety eventually arrives on the scene and brings him down but only after Marshawn falls forward and picks up a couple extra yards. I don't think an entire offensive line has ever graded out at a 100%. For any rushing attack to be a success, the man carrying the ball will need to make unblocked defenders miss at times. The more players he can make miss, the more successful the rushing game. Football is that simple sometimes.

Shane Beamer's group aren't the only guys who need to make some things happen on the ground. Michael Brewer's mobility is an asset that Loeffler will have to cash in on at some point Saturday. Now I'm not saying we should be bringing back the "3rd-and-Logan" offense, but if Tech is going to be operating out of the shotgun as much as they did against the Tribe, then Brewer has to be a threat to run when the defense is giving him that.

I don't think that Loeffler had any interest in seeing Brewer take off in this situation, but it does show that there will be opportunities for the quarterback to pull the ball and run. On this play, No. 6 at the bottom of the formation gets his shoulder turned down the line of scrimmage when the mesh with the running back occurs. That's a clear "pull" signal for Brewer and if he had decided to run with it he probably would have strolled for an easy first down. Against OSU, Brewer will need to at least keep those defensive ends and outside linebackers honest by occasionally pulling if given the read to do so.

Take What The Defense Gives

Just like when Brewer is deciding whether he should hand the ball off or run with it, he has to be prepared to take what's available in the passing game. Against William and Mary we saw a lot of short passes to receivers who weren't being asked to make difficult catches against tough coverage. With coach Laycock insisting on keeping two deep safeties, the underneath routes were open all game long and Brewer took advantage. Based on that performance I believe that Brewer will perform just fine if Urban Meyer adopts a similar strategy.

What if Ohio State doesn't want to play it safe though? What if they want to get up in the face of Tech's receivers and see if they can't rely on their pass rush to force some turnovers? Will the passing game be able to handle the heat? To be honest, we have know way of knowing yet. I feel more confident now than I did last year, but that's only because of what I've heard about Tech's newcomers. Nobody has seen them go out and run a perfect route against perfect coverage in a game situation. A quarterback completing a pass down the field while getting pressured is one of the hardest things to do in football. That's why Foster has had so much success through the years, he's built his entire game plan on putting opposing offenses in those pressure situations. If Virginia Tech's offense is capable of making those difficult plays in difficult situations, it has a chance. If it's not, than it'll take a huge turnover margin to bail them out.

Create Negative Plays

No matter matter how well the offense plays Saturday, Loeffler's unit won't win the game on its own. Ensuring the offense has good field position is always a priority for Frank Beamer. Against a team as good as Ohio State Brewer and Co. will need as short a field as they can get. If the defense wants to get off the field as quickly as possible, they'll need to make a habit of playing on the Buckeye's side of the line of scrimmage.

Urban Meyer is going to run the ball, not just because that's his goal schematically, but because he's got a freshman quarterback to take care of. Through the years Bud Foster's defenses have eaten up freshman quarterback after freshman quarterback. He and Torrian Gray have a coverage playbook that's as good as anyones in the country, and they've got NFL talent in the secondary. If Barrett has to sit in the pocket and try to pick apart this secondary again and again, I'll be shocked if things go well for OSU. On early downs it's imperative that the defensive line and linebackers get the runner down behind the line of scrimmage. Force the offense into passing situations and then go make a game changing play.

There will be opportunities for the defense (particularly the quick defensive line) to make big plays in the backfield.

The offensive line might be the biggest question mark for the Buckeyes. We all know that the defensive line for Tech is the quickest one it's had in years, but it's also pretty undersized. If the four up front can win their battles and use that speed to create negative plays, then they'll be able to really pin their ears back and use that quickness to get to the freshman quarterback. If the OSU offensive line starts driving them backwards though, it'll be hard to get off the field. In the latter scenario, eventually the defensive line will wear out and the defense will struggle to stop Urban Meyer's blocking schemes.

Prevent The Big Play

Forcing J.T. Barrett to drive the length of the field will increase the odds that he makes a freshman mistake against the Hokie defense. The best way to do this is to make sure that Tech doesn't give up any cheap points. The front-seven has to be sure that they're getting in their run fits and forcing OSU running backs to break tackles in order to get big gains. The secondary, particularly the corners, can't allow themselves to bite on double moves. Kendall Fuller and Brandon Facyson are the best CB duo in the country, but they do have a tendency to be a little too aggressive in single coverage. Against lesser competition they can use their athletic advantage to make up for their mistake, but against OSU that mistake could mean seven points.

We can actually see both corners get beat on this play. Brandon is the one who allows the completion, but at the top of the screen we see Kendall's receiver gets even more open. These are the type of mistakes that Tech can't afford to have against top competition. In order to capitalize on the freshman mistakes that Barrett is bound to have, the secondary will have to play aggressively, but they can't cross the line into being reckless.

BeamerBall

There are so many questions that the William and Mary game didn't answer about this Hokie team. Can Brewer be consistent when he's under pressure? Can the receivers be counted on to make plays against talented opponents? Can the running game impose its will against opponents in short yardage situations? Will the defensive line be able to count on its quickness to make plays, or will its lack of size be its Achilles' heel? The fact that these questions haven't been answered is a positive thing. Last season we knew the answers, and for the offense it was mostly "nos" across the board. There is hope that Loeffler's group can turn it on this year and be an ACC championship quality unit. We'll find out on Saturday.

For the Hokies to upset the Buckeyes, Virginia Tech's focus must be on the tenets of BeamerBall. On offense, be smart with the ball and take what opportunities the defense gives you. Near the goal line and in third-and-short situations, get a push upfront and pick up your yardage on the ground. Defensively, force J.T. Barrett into passing situations by stopping the run game. Use the defensive line's quickness advantage to pressure the quarterback and trust your secondary to create some turnovers. Win the field position game. That is how you win on the road against a top-ten team, and the Hokies are better prepared to execute this game plan than a lot of national media figures are giving them credit for.