Thanks Andy. Very nicely done, and I think you pretty much summed up the situation.
We simply don't have the depth of talent, or the experience, to make up for days when we are just a little off and hit a quality opponent who is playing well.
Given the amount of underclassmen contribution (not just freshmen), I am excited for the rest of this year, and for the future.
Recruiting is huge. We must keep getting quality talent with experience at the positions they find on our team if we want to be able to plug in pieces when others aren't on their game, or are injured.
Coaching is huge. We must be willing to make adjustments, be they strategy or personnel. Unlike in many previous seasons, we are seeing that this year.
In the end, our offense needs to have a competent offensive line, more now than ever. Brewer is not the kind of athlete that can consistently come up with OMG plays after a four man rush beats 5 blockers.
I can't help but wonder if Brewer was hurt pretty bad on that one hit he took really early in the game (I think the 2nd possession) that was borderline helmet-to-helmet, and the announcers said probably could have been called for targeting. It seemed like he was missing a lot of passes that he has shown he can make.
And on the overthrows I saw (I had to stop watching to go to Oktoberfest early 3rd Q), it really seemed apparent that he was rushing things, even when the O-line was actually giving him time.
I saw something though, that gives me a lot of confidence in the future: Searels coaching his line on the sideline. And them apparently improving as the game went on. He is connecting with them, and they are responding.
Yes, it was an ugly performance overall. But this group, more than any other, needs more time in a system to be able to internalize their training and start churning out consistent effort.
We are only 2 years removed from the debacle that was Curt Newsome. Searels coaches a slightly different scheme than Grimes, and has moved players around from last season. The 3rd game of the season is probably too early to expect that group to be hitting all their assignments consistently.
I'm not going to blame Foster, as I think he got a lot of the situations he wanted, and expected to win more of the 50/50 battles.
I'm not going to blame the offensive staff, although someone smarter than me (and there are plenty) is going to have to explain why we kept running right at their 370 pound behemoth, why we weren't rolling out more, and why the quick tempo offense didn't make an appearance the first half.
I'm not going to blame the refs. Yeah, some questionable calls. Yeah, one or two egregious no-calls (the pick on one of our DB's by one of their receivers, where the ECU receiver launched himself through the air 2 yards and 70 degrees off his original path to nail our DB was a ridiculously easy call, but I also saw some no-calls go the other way). But by and large, it seemed pretty even.
I'm not going to blame Stanford or Facyon or Riley or Brewer for a horrible pass or two he shouldn't have thrown - those guys are going to win a lot more battles than they lose.
In the end, the bottom line is that we got outplayed by a team that everyone called a trap game for a reason. They are good. They are well coached, they have hungry players, and, across the board, they have talent that can hang with anyone, especially if things bounce their way.
I found it extremely positive that our team didn't fold. This could have gotten extremely ugly. We didn't win, but we certainly fought back. We fell a little short, but there is plenty of reason to think that we are putting together the pieces so this kind of thing won't happen again.
Bring on GaTech. I am ready to see CPJ cry.
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I read the associated McFarling column, too. This stood out.
Even if there had been a hangover repeat: there was not it would have dissolved on the field long before 63,000 fans began roaring during the comeback.
Yes, yes there was. We didn't overlook this team, we didn't underestimate this team, we did get beat by this team but there was definitely, definitely, a hangover. It lasted one quarter.
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It's an interesting thing, football: when a team performs well on a given week, that same kind of performance is expected every single week. I think that was a common thought after the Ohio State win last week -- I fell victim to that line of thinking myself in my clearly wayward prediction -- that the Hokies all of a sudden should play on that level every time they took the field. But football doesn't always work like that.
So true.
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I agree with #1, i.e. that they didn't "overlook" ECU and that this team isn't there yet. But I think that a key factor was that, emotionally, the team was exhausted and wasn't ready to come out and play. They looked like a tired team mentally to me -- maybe even the coaches too. This could have happened against any team; it just so happened that a very solid ECU team was next up on the schedule.
Once they got their minds into the game, I think they were probably the better team. But ECU is good enough that you can't sleepwalk through the first 20 minutes and expect to win.
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Comments
Great analysis, Andy. I think you're spot-on.
New WR lineup:
1. I.Ford
2. Cam Phillips
3. Willie Byrn
4. Stanford
5. Knowles
Thanks Andy. Very nicely done, and I think you pretty much summed up the situation.
We simply don't have the depth of talent, or the experience, to make up for days when we are just a little off and hit a quality opponent who is playing well.
Given the amount of underclassmen contribution (not just freshmen), I am excited for the rest of this year, and for the future.
Recruiting is huge. We must keep getting quality talent with experience at the positions they find on our team if we want to be able to plug in pieces when others aren't on their game, or are injured.
Coaching is huge. We must be willing to make adjustments, be they strategy or personnel. Unlike in many previous seasons, we are seeing that this year.
In the end, our offense needs to have a competent offensive line, more now than ever. Brewer is not the kind of athlete that can consistently come up with OMG plays after a four man rush beats 5 blockers.
I can't help but wonder if Brewer was hurt pretty bad on that one hit he took really early in the game (I think the 2nd possession) that was borderline helmet-to-helmet, and the announcers said probably could have been called for targeting. It seemed like he was missing a lot of passes that he has shown he can make.
And on the overthrows I saw (I had to stop watching to go to Oktoberfest early 3rd Q), it really seemed apparent that he was rushing things, even when the O-line was actually giving him time.
I saw something though, that gives me a lot of confidence in the future: Searels coaching his line on the sideline. And them apparently improving as the game went on. He is connecting with them, and they are responding.
Yes, it was an ugly performance overall. But this group, more than any other, needs more time in a system to be able to internalize their training and start churning out consistent effort.
We are only 2 years removed from the debacle that was Curt Newsome. Searels coaches a slightly different scheme than Grimes, and has moved players around from last season. The 3rd game of the season is probably too early to expect that group to be hitting all their assignments consistently.
I'm not going to blame Foster, as I think he got a lot of the situations he wanted, and expected to win more of the 50/50 battles.
I'm not going to blame the offensive staff, although someone smarter than me (and there are plenty) is going to have to explain why we kept running right at their 370 pound behemoth, why we weren't rolling out more, and why the quick tempo offense didn't make an appearance the first half.
I'm not going to blame the refs. Yeah, some questionable calls. Yeah, one or two egregious no-calls (the pick on one of our DB's by one of their receivers, where the ECU receiver launched himself through the air 2 yards and 70 degrees off his original path to nail our DB was a ridiculously easy call, but I also saw some no-calls go the other way). But by and large, it seemed pretty even.
I'm not going to blame Stanford or Facyon or Riley or Brewer for a horrible pass or two he shouldn't have thrown - those guys are going to win a lot more battles than they lose.
In the end, the bottom line is that we got outplayed by a team that everyone called a trap game for a reason. They are good. They are well coached, they have hungry players, and, across the board, they have talent that can hang with anyone, especially if things bounce their way.
I found it extremely positive that our team didn't fold. This could have gotten extremely ugly. We didn't win, but we certainly fought back. We fell a little short, but there is plenty of reason to think that we are putting together the pieces so this kind of thing won't happen again.
Bring on GaTech. I am ready to see CPJ cry.
I read the associated McFarling column, too. This stood out.
Yes, yes there was. We didn't overlook this team, we didn't underestimate this team, we did get beat by this team but there was definitely, definitely, a hangover. It lasted one quarter.
Your work is much appreciated Andy!
Great analysis, comrade Bitter!
Good take, Andy.
One note. Brewer threw it 56 times, not 58. Per hokiesports.com.
Good post Andy.
So true.
Nice work, Andy.
I agree with #1, i.e. that they didn't "overlook" ECU and that this team isn't there yet. But I think that a key factor was that, emotionally, the team was exhausted and wasn't ready to come out and play. They looked like a tired team mentally to me -- maybe even the coaches too. This could have happened against any team; it just so happened that a very solid ECU team was next up on the schedule.
Once they got their minds into the game, I think they were probably the better team. But ECU is good enough that you can't sleepwalk through the first 20 minutes and expect to win.
Couldn't agree more. Great work as usual Mr. Bitter.