I've always gotten this strange joy out of watching our second- and third-string players enter the game after seemingly insurmountable leads are established by the starters. My wife always gripes about how tiring it gets, watching our offense run the ball play after play while the crowd collectively tunes out and slowly empties the stadium. The electricity vacates the building as some students head back to their dorms, apartments or West End. Many stay because it's their only Hokie football game of the season; others because they traveled a long way for nothing less than 60 minutes of football.
I hope for two things going into games against teams we are expected to comfortably beat: A Tech victory and adequate time for the twos and threes to get meaningful snaps. Those brief periods on the field provide coaches and fans alike an opportunity to evaluate the potential future of Virginia Tech football. It gives the youngsters a chance to get their feet wet so their first meaningful in-game reps don't occur on a crucial 3rd-and-17 on the road against a division rival. I remember watching Marcus Davis catch an 80-yard touchdown pass from JuJu Clayton after we opened up a huge halftime lead over the Dave Shinskie-led BC Eagles, and laughing at how ridiculously talented the former quarterback (Davis) looked running that fly route. Those are great moments for all &mdash players, coaches and fans.
Saturday ultimately provided those moments, albeit far too late to adequately enjoy the performances. To be honest, the past two seasons have seen record numbers of freshmen playing significant snaps. As a result, one doesn't need to wait for a blow-out victory to see the youngsters make plays &mdash they occur on almost every down.
Marshawn Williams continued to impress, he broke two large runs and finished with 138 all-purpose yards. Ricky Walker played a lot of snaps in the absence of injured DT Luther Maddy. And once again Bucky Rodgers Hodges did Bucky Hodges things, blowing by a stumbling Bronco defensive back to haul in another touchdown catch.
The Hokies rebounded from two tough losses and ran away from the Western Michigan Broncos (literally) to improve to 3-2 on the season. But the victory was not without its frustrations. After a week of criticism regarding their lack of identity and almost painful reliance on passing the football, the Hokies threw the ball 21 times in the first half Saturday with mixed success. Despite a number of strong throws from Michael Brewer, he still managed to throw the ball to the other team on two occasions. Neither interception was excusable, and one was returned 39 yards to the Hokie 3 yard line and led to a Bronco touchdown. Despite 8 quick special teams points, the Hokie offense managed a paltry 10 first half points against a defense that allowed 43 points and 226 yards rushing to Purdue earlier this season. Not exactly an encouraging bounce-back performance.
You could see the frustration on Frank Beamer's face as he walked towards the locker room at halftime. You could see the frustration on the fans faces, wondering why Brewer continued to drop back to pass when the rushing game had shown glimpses of success against the Bronco defense. Did we learn nothing from the past two weeks?
Think about this: In the first two games of the season &mdash victories over I-AA foe William & Mary and Ohio State &mdash the Hokies ran the ball 42 and 40 times, respectively, for 222 and 121 yards. Ignore for a second the rushing total against OSU; the important figure is that we ran the ball 40 times versus 36 passes. Granted, some of the runs were designed pass plays that broke down, but you could ostensibly say that the play call breakdown was even. In two losses against ECU and Georgia Tech, the Hokies ran the ball only 33 times in each game, versus 56 and 39 passing plays.
The narrative going into this week's game was a re-establishment of the Hokie ground attack. On the Hokies' first offensive drive of the game Marshawn Williams busted a 42-yard run up the middle. On the second drive, Shai McKenzie subbed in for Williams and ran the ball once for a 2-yard gain. Williams went on to carry the ball two more times for -2 yards in the first half, whereas Shai carried the ball 5 more times for 9 yards.
Last Tuesday Shane Beamer said, "Shai and Marshawn are our top two, they alternate series...When Shai starts a series, he's going to finish a series, when Marshawn starts a series, he's going to finish a series. Unless we call for a different personnel grouping if we want to get someone else in for a specific reason."
While I understand that the Hokies were blessed with complementary tailbacks (prior to Shai's injury), I'm struggling to wrap my head around how the coaching staff expected to establish a rhythm while flipping them drive-to-drive. I would argue it is difficult for most backs to get into a groove when they aren't given the ball more than one or two times during a sustained drive. If anything, the second half of Saturday's game showed exactly what these young Hokie backs are capable of when you continue to feed them the rock.
I used to be a pitcher when I was younger and used to pride myself on my understanding of the situational games within the game. I would stand on the mound and analyze all of the subtleties of the situation: What was the count; how many men were on base; what was the score; what type of hitter was at the plate; how good or bad were his swings against various pitches in the past; and how comfortable did I feel that day throwing certain pitches.
Where things went awry were the days in which I over thought each situation. I would try and get inside the batter's mind to the point where it became more important than the aforementioned data points I thrived on. I would give the hitters too much credit, assuming they were drawing the same conclusions I was regarding pitch selection and location. Rather than simply identifying the batter's weaknesses and attacking them, I would try and outsmart them by throwing a pitch they weren't expecting.
During the first half against WMU, I began to get the impression Scot Loeffler was suffering from the same complex that plagued my pitching career. Heading into Saturday's game, the Hokies appeared to have an advantage on the ground against the Bronco run defense. Yet Brewer continued to drop back to pass, and aside from a few Michael Brewer scrambles and two Wild Turkey sightings, Hokie backs carried the ball only 2 times on 2nd or 3rd Downs during the first two quarters.
Following a lack of commitment to the run game during the first half, the Hokies came out of the locker room with a renewed focus on imposing their will on the ground. It seems Coach Frank Beamer issued a directive to the offensive staff during the break. During the post-game presser, Beamer remarked, "We felt like we needed to come out [in the second half] and run the ball. Throwing the ball that many times is not really what we're all about. I thought it was working — the run made the passing better." Regardless of what actually caused the shift in playcalling, the results spoke for themselves.
On the very first play from scrimmage, Juice broke a 35 yard run up the left sideline. On their second drive of the half, the Hokies ran the ball 10 straight plays before Brewer lobbed a 7-yard jump ball to Isaiah Ford for a touchdown. The third drive saw six runs versus three throws, capped by a 4-yard Shai McKenzie touchdown run. Trey Edmunds had a 20-yard "remember me" run down the right sideline, and Joel Caleb scampered 33 yards on another long run.
The second half offensive performance was like watching an entirely different team. Following a first half filled with up-and-down play, the Hokies wore down the Bronco defensive front with run after run. It became clear late in the third quarter that the Hokies were fully committed to the run and, despite the predictable play selection, continued to grind it out and move the chains. The commitment to the running game showed confidence in the offensive line; it showed confidence in the plethora of running backs; and it showed that this team can line up and get after ya.
I read all week about how Brewer came from spread systems in high school and at Texas Tech, and therefore he should be comfortable dropping back 40-50 times a game. I get that, but just because Denzel Washington can carry a movie on his own doesn't mean directors should continuously surround him with D-list actors. There is no need to be overly reliant on Brewer when you have a number of talented players around him that can simultaneously lighten his load and augment his abilities to create a winning performance.
Despite Shai McKenzie's unfortunate injury, Saturday's game proved that this team can run the football with success. Continued success on the ground will force teams to defend the run, opening up opportunities for the passing game to flourish.
It may be counterintuitive for Scot Loeffler to simplify his gameplan, and frankly I'm not asking him to. It is part of what makes him so intriguing as a coach and what makes this offense so dynamic. However, the constant desire to outsmart the opponent feels unnecessary when you have confidence in your offense's ability to execute certain plays exceptionally well. There is a time and a place for being creative, but sometimes taking what the defense gives you can pay dividends, especially when performed with conviction. As we move forward, it will be important to see how Coach Loeffler continues to find the balance between outsmarting the opposition, and coaching his players to be better than the guys across from them. Easier said than done, but I have faith following Saturday's second half performance. So should you.
Comments
This quote is as true as it gets.
This is also very relevant.
Once we get to a point where everyone can execute a few things very well, I think we'll be in really good form.
youre 100% right it felt like we saw 2 totally different teams saturday. i had a horrible feeling at half like we were going to let wmu stay in the game by not running like we did with gt. it was great to see marshawn and shai just pound the rock.
something ive wondered since shane took over the rb coach position is the constant rotating of backs. i realize that i dont see these guys in practice but letting guys get in a groove is so important like you said. even when we had williams, evans, wilson, i feel like we didnt rotate guys as much (different rb coach i know). i just want to see more performances like saturday from our rb's (preferably marshawn and trey going forward) through the rest of the season.
I think Bruce Lee said it best when he didn't fear the man who practiced 10,000 different kicks but the man who practiced 1 kick 10,000 times.
We need 1 really good kick.
I love this quote that is totally me whenever I get to go to a game.
I agree it seemed like we saw 2 different teams Saturday afternoon. I hope we keep pounding the rock that way to open up the passing game for Brewer and our freshman stud skill players. Shai going down hurts and I wish him the best of luck and a full recovery but with Trey getting back it eases the blow of McKenzie being gone for the year. I'm curious to see if Juice & Trey can be a good bruising 1-2 punch.
I'm not sure Trey will be featured just yet. He broke off a good run last week but I think he's still working back to 100%. We don't wanna lose two guys for the year at all, much less risk it this early.
I hate the injury for Shai and wish him a speedy recovery! However I hope it will actually allow Juice to stay in for more than one series at a time and get in a groove! So maybe a silver lining in this after all?
I hate the injury to Shai as well. However, maybe this will open up our option to go with one guy for more than one series at a time.
Here's my thought on this: Do you see Todd Gurley being subbed out every other series? I know we do not have a Heisman contender at Running Back, but when you have a guy that can get into a rhythm and carry 75%-80% of the workload, you should stick to your guy.
Looks like you will get your wish until Edmunds is full go
Before this season, yes, actually. He's getting more carries this year because Keith Marshall isn't healthy.
Anybody else wondering why after clarifying our two primary back rotation that we continue to see JCC in the backfield? I can understand that Edmunds is working his way back, and now will clearly be the #2.
I have seen more good runs out of Joel Caleb than I have from JCC.
when I see a combination of trickery with some jet sweeps...but then ball ultimately ends up in JCC's hands for little or no gain:
I was dumbfounded we were running these jet sweeps with Coleman in the first half of the game. I was appalled we were doing these plays on... it was either 2nd or 3rd and 10 in WM territory.
These plays worked against Ohio St, but you can only use the element of surprise once. Now teams see JCC or Newsome out there, and they immediately know it'll be a sweep or reverse, and the defense is all over it before it gets going. Just retire that section of the playbook, its not working anymore.
Preach!!!
IMO we could run that same play with Brewer flanked by JC and Sam Rogers.. Fake the sweep/inside zone to JCC and Newsome and then boom give to Rogers on the delay to the other side with a pulling guard???
Would that work???
Yes, because Rogers.
As Patches O'Houlihan would say, "I get better runs in my shorts."
Brewers Int's taste like a poopy flavored lollipop
I don't think you can use the number of pass plays in the ECU game in this kind of analysis. We were playing from 21 points down. Of course, we're going to throw the ball a lot more.
I think the injury to Shai is validation as to why you need a lot of depth at that position. I hate to think what we would look like now if we had moved Trey over to defense. I hate to think where we would be if we hadn't recruited two good backs last year.
Well, people would at least have their wish of Joel Caleb getting more time. Hopefully he will now anyway, should be the #3 guy.
I am on the fence here.... Yes, it was great to see us establish the run this week, but we also need to continue rounding out the passing game. It was a struggle running the ball until we started to wear down that defense when they finally broke. That said, we won't have that kind of luxury going up against the rest of our schedule (outside of god awful Wake). UNC has been blitzed all year through the air, and if we're going to win this week, we're going to need to pass it all over the field. The problem is, as much as Brewer does do well, he's also getting to the point where he's costing us as many points with costly turnovers (and the resulting points off those turnovers) as he's getting us through the air.
If he were just to stop throwing these mindless INTs, this season is completely different right now. Without those BAD INTs, we don't lose to GT, and we win that WM game going away and looking pretty good in the process. Unfortunately, these mistakes are growing more and more concerning by the week, and SOMETHING has to be done to stop it.
I agree with your points, but it appears that you over-simplified the rushing situation. I'm not trying to suggest that we abandon our passing attack in favor of a run-based approach. What I think the first 5 games have shown is that our offensive playcalling has become overly complex, aimed at out-scheming or out-smarting the opposition rather than simply out-executing them.
When you have the football, offensively, you're in the position of power. However many of the play calls have gone against the grain to the point where we have relinquished our inherent advantage in favor of trying to be clever. I think there are positives to this approach, but I can't help but feel like Loeffler isn't 100% confident in his unit's ability to execute the obvious playcalls with success.
Against a team like UNC, the situations and matchups may dictate passing more than running. I'm completely behind this approach. But as French pointed out in his film review, both passing and running plays can be significantly more effective when properly set-up as part of the progression of the gameplan. The pre-snap motion is completely ineffective if you're not utilizing that motion as part of the play. Play action is ineffective you aren't forcing them to respect the run. The Wild Turkey will become limited as the season goes on if you don't let Bucky unleash a throw. In the end, Western Michigan's defensive performance through 4 games had indicated they were more susceptible against the run; however, Loeffler appeared to believe Fleck & Co. were going to stack the box to counter their ineffectiveness and failed to make them stop the ground attack with consistency during the first half.
Completely agree on all those points. We need to take what the defense is willing to give us and take advantage of the matchup advantages we will naturally get over the course of the game. One thing I have noticed, when our passing game is working, and everyone is executing well, the routes that Loeffler are drawing up are legitimately getting guys wide open. I have seen more guys wide open on passes this year from simply running a good route than I can remember, outside of Danny Coale. When we're going full bore in a couple years, I almost kind of wish we have progressed to the point where we're a bit of a pass first kind of team, because with the personnel we have, we should have numerous mismatches on any given play. And when teams start moving LBs to help in coverage, thats when we'll tear them apart up the middle. From the kind of playcalling we've seen so far this year, I'm getting the feeling this is the direction that Loeffler is trying to take as well.
And big picture, this should help us get better recruits across the board, including at RB, for the simple fact that when our offense is working the way Loeffler wants it to, the WRs will be able to show off their stuff, the TEs will be a critical part of the game, our QBs will be able to show off their arms regularly, and, more importantly, our RBs should do better as they're not having to run through a loaded box of 9 players every time they get the ball.
Pound the rock, baby. Can't throw a pick when you hand off the ball. Let him throw the ball 20-30 times. If he's still throwing multiple picks in that scenario, call for his head. I get what you're saying about UNC's pass defense, but we've demonstrated regardless of the opposing secondary's skill level, that throwing up the ball too many times is more costly than not.
I forget the exact quote and who said it but it was something to the effect of "three things can occur when you throw the ball and only one of them is good for us." I like Brewers passing ability. When he is on he's on. But these int's have got to stop. That int that got returned to the 3 looked eerily similar to the pick six from GT a week ago. I have no doubt that dc's are going to try and scheme to bait Brewer into INTs. He leads the nation in INTs. I'm not calling for him to be benched or anything but the coaches need to do something. He is good at shaking them off but maybe too good. So far his INT's have cost us 27 points and one game. He can't keep doing that to our defense.
This game is critical this weekend and may hold the key to the coastal after Pitt and BC were brought back down to earth.
Every game on the schedule is definately winnable. Unfortuneately as far as this team has played so far everyone is also very easy to lose as well. Hope they get it done.
On a side note....any worries about Marshawn's speed? He is a bruiser but I don't know if he can outrun many DBs. He looked slow on that big run he busted. I think if he was faster or if Shai or Trey had that run they could've taken it the entire way. Just a thought.
If he's running away from DBs I don't really care if they catch him. I just want to see a RB running away from DBs.
Well, to be fair, I don't know that there are many DB's that want to take a hit from Juice, so I imagine their fear gives them a little extra speed as they try to escape his stiff-arm...
I think that's what you were asking anyway.
Home run hitters than can knock people are over are rather nice (see Gurley, Todd), but I'll take a guy that can get 3rd and 3 between the tackles over a guy that's a bit smaller and much faster. Moving the offense in chunks works just as well as one 80-yard play if consistency is there as far as I'm concerned.
Nope, not at all. I prefer the 1-2 attack we have right now. We have a tank in Marshawn that, while he isn't likely going to break many 40 yard runs, is going to physically beat you up and break you down over the course of a game, and then we have Trey/Shai who will come in with the ability to break a tackle, but will take advantage of a worn out defense because of Williams and will house a run eventually.
Conversely, you had him get a few carries with which he dragged a LB or two past the first-down marker.
Like the guys above me said, outrunning DBs may be sexy, but dragging LBs gets work done. There's a time and place for each.
On one of those runs, I thought he could have cut in a little bit, causing the angle of attack to be too shallow, making the DB running across the field miss for a surefire TD. Instead of that, he tried to kick in an extra gear and lost.
It's a little weird to me that Marshawn looks like such a huge RB, can both push and carry the pile, but that Shai looks like he can truck defenders much better.
Marshawn runs a little high still, if you ask me. He's probably not used to having to stay low to run guys over, because with his size in high school it probably wasn't an issue. Shai runs lower, which means at this level he'll have a much easier time running people over.
Once Marshawn learns to consistently run lower, he'll be trucking people all day with the sort of size and leg drive that he has.
OK, I've slept on it too, and here's what I can't get out of my mind. I haven't seen anyone else post it (sorry if I missed it), and it needs to be said.
On Saturday, facing the dreaded WMU Broncos, the Virginia Tech Hokies had the ball and the lead with 2:46 left in the first half, and would receive the 2nd-half kickoff.
WMU had the ball for TWO MORE POSSESSIONS.
What possible excuse could there be for our failure to kill 2:46 at the end of the half? And then, after getting the ball back, failing to kill 1:36? If you don't remember, take a guess how many times we ran the ball in those two series. Exactly: zero. There were seven pass plays: one sack, five incomplete, and one complete to each team. With the lead and the ball. And 2:46 (then 1:36) left in the half. When we were getting the 2nd-half kickoff.
Is there ANY explanation for this?
Good point! I got nuthin'...
I don't know. I've never bought the 'let's run out the clock because we get the ball in the 2nd half' idea, if that's what you are saying. Each possession is valuable as an opportunity to score. Running out the clock is just a waste of a possession, regardless of whether you get the ball back after the half. If it is like 17 seconds or something, sure, but not 2:46 or 1:36. If you are saying 'we should have taken a shot at some points, but clock management was poor', then I agree with that.
Brewer has shown on a couple occasions that he has the ability to get the ball down the field and score in 2:46 or less. He's done it more than once this year. He's also had horrendous INT's in that same scenario. Maybe the staff wanted to give him a shot at getting his confidence back after the GT fiasco by letting him go in a 2 minute drill against a less dangerous opponent. I would have done that if I was the coaching staff.
I was looking for a four-minute offense: move the ball down the field while grinding the clock down, so you score with as little time on the clock as possible. It seemed especially bad under the circumstances, i.e. having said all week that we need to reestablish the running game.
Valid point. Here's a leg.
Yes: we wanted to score again.
Oh, good idea. Wish I had thought of that. Now if only there was some way to move the ball downfield AND run two minutes off the clock ...
No, can't think of anything.
The good news is that UNC can't stop a nosebleed right now, so hopefully balance won't be an issue. I think the biggest thing that a consistent commitment to running the ball breeds is confidence for the offensive line and the running backs. When it's 3rd and 2 and you know they're relying on you to get push, that (theoretically) would inspire that extra effort late in the 3rd quarter on a big play.
As for the jet sweeps, I'm not opposed to getting Coleman touches in the open field, but this offensive line under Searels is much bigger and heavier, and thus not quite as fast as the last couple of years. The sweep won't be effective if the o-line can't get out in front.
Here's an idea:
Every time we make it to midfield, direct snap to Bucky in the shotgun. Bucky, (remember, QB turned TE) bombs the ball 50 yards towards the end zone, sprints upfield, the DB trips and falls. Bucky then easily snatches the ball out of the air despite the puny safety's attempts thwart him. TD.
Anybody have Lefty's email address?
If heard concerns about Hughs and punt length.
Wasn't A.J.'s first punt a 56 yarder and right on the sideline so the returner had to step out of bounds for no return?
I really hope we show a balanced offense against UNC, and can control the pace of that game. They may look vulnerable now, but the 'Heels have some talent that can turn a corner at any moment.
On another note, those TV announcers were awful at roster knowledge and names. Glad I got the live audio from Roth and Burnop.
They're always awful but they seem to get worse every year. And for some reason, they never get the opposing team's names wrong, just ours.
Seems like all that cheating has gone to waste... Whoops forgot about these hahaha:
After sleeping on it, I've realized one thing&hellipsemi&dashcolons, they'll get after ya.
"...the constant desire to outsmart the opponent feels unnecessary when you have confidence in your offense's ability to execute certain plays exceptionally well."
Wow, I've been thinking this since the ECU game, where our offense philosophy got "...discombobulated", our no-huddle offense without substituting every play worked quite well against OSU, but we decided to shelf it vs. ECU and GT. Power running game historically opens up our passing game, not the other way around, as Brewer has struggled to connect on the deep ball most defenses are setting back in the mid-zones sitting on his routes. IF the safety has to play the run... this will open these mid-seams up. Lefty's 3rd down passing game and crossing routes/rubs have been a fantastic upgrade from "Stinespring's "Hail Mary-all fly deep" offensive scheme, but we have to balance our attack with a running game. I'd like to see us have 65% running plays and 35% passing plays in a game, especially if keep our new O-line stays intact and continues to demonstrate the can create holes and "push" the defense back from the line of scrimmage. One last point, great game for Frank to win the Special Team's battle as UNC is pretty tough in the their return and kicking game this year. Let's Go...Hokies!!!