Hello, fellow CFB fans. I've posted a few comments and have been graciously received here. Thanks! I'd like to welcome you to stop over at 11 Warriors, the best OSU fan site and one of the best sports sites on the web. I discovered The Key Play last year before the game and decided it was the best VT site out there (I also learned to not refer to you as V-Tech or that other permutation of your name. Lol). Please remember that we also have our idiot 5% on 11W, just like most sites, so you will get the homer predictions of OSU beating VT by 50. Don't let that segment of our fans bother you. As the flagship university for Ohio, we are more similar to a Wisconsin or Nebraska in our fandom than a state with 2 larger schools (think Purdue - Indiana, Illinois - Northwestern, Michigan State - Michigan). Which means that when you add in the 500,000 + living alumni & the 11.5 million Ohioans who ALL call themselves Buckeyes we're everywhere. So our 5% idiot rate works out to be around 600,000 of us. And myself? A 56 year old veterinarian (not veteran! God Bless them) who loves his profession & the Buckeyes.
Ok, on to my random, unscientific, thoughts:
1. I really thought we would beat you last year. And that THIS game would be the trap game that would likely get us this year. Phil Steele is talking about you guys making the playoffs or even winning it all. Now I'm nervous.
2. You're playing at home. First game jitters. Edge to VT.
3. The atmosphere - Lane Stadium, the passionate fans, and a full Labor Day off to get juiced will have the place rocking. Edge to VT.
4. Revenge. Our team is too well coached to let it slip, but I have an acquaintance in the training room, and OSU has had this game circled on the calendar for a year. They want this one badly. As far as I know, Meyer has only lost to a coach (Tuberville - Auburn 2006 & 2007) once in his career in back to back years. (Correction by Shakeitallabout - 2009 & 2010 to Saban). Meyer has lost to 21 coaches in his entire career and there are only 4 coaches who have beat him twice. Edge to OSU.
5. Last year Beamer & Foster (aka Satan & the spawn of Satan) admitted that they had been game planning for 2 years. And that this was a historic win for VT. The Bear front baffled a team & coaching staff both. Meyer admitted he got out-coached. Here's a good breakdown of what you did to us from an OSU perspective: http://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2014/09/40037/breaking.... OSU started facing a bear front or a version of that every single game after that. As best said by Ross Fulton "ran at the C gap bubbles with gap blocking and threw better. Bear never worked again". We didn't lose a game - Meyer & his staff are fast learners. We will be much better prepared this year, though I do expect Foster to have a few wrinkles ready. Game planning? Call it even.
6. Special teams. VT is well coached & has a history of special teams success (remember last year against us? Ugh.) Special teams often thrive at home with the added crowd noise. Edge VT.
7. Offensive line. This may be the key to the whole game. Last year we (admittedly) spent too much time preparing for Navy's triple option (any Georgia Tech flashbacks here, guys?).
EDIT : The last 2 lines were the poorest attempt at voicing a thought in my whole post. Here's what I was thinking & trying to say: @ Hokie_x3_HI - You nailed me on that. That was a really poorly worded comment. To elaborate - Meyer typically spends most of his time with the offensive & special teams units. Before our opener against Navy he has admitted that he spent way too little time with his offense, because he spent much of camp getting the defensive team ready for Navy's triple option. Although he respects Beamer & Foster he has said he didn't expect anything like the BEAR being thrown at us and wasn't ready for it. It took him until the second half for us to even begin to adjust. We were clueless at first. Fortunately, I expect him to be better prepared for both the bear front & variations off your base defense.
We were starting 1 veteran and 4 new players, and a QB who was in his second game. This year we have 4 starters & 1 new (4 year) starter. We beat Wisconsin, Alabama, & Oregon with a 3rd string QB & a running back (with a wrist in a cast) that racked up 696 yards in 3 games. You don't do that unless your offensive line has come of age. Edge - OSU.
8.Defensive line. I would have homered this one & said OSU, but Joey Bosa apparently decided that FIFA soccer was more important than going to class. VT has a dominant d-line with 2 DE's that should wind up in the NFL. But how worried are you guys about De Dadi Nicholas having a hand in a cast? OSU has a young, tough, fast athletic D-Line, but I really don't know how to call this one. Help?
9. QB's. I've seen arguments that Brewer played hurt last year (courtesy of Bosa). Tough kid. What killed us last year was our laying off too far & allowing 19 yard 3rd down conversions. I think we'll be better in coverage this year. But with a year under his belt, Barrett is much more prepared for you. And I think Cardale Jones could take the top off your defense with Foster's scheme of leaving his secondary on an island to cover the receivers. A ridiculous NFL ready arm. Edge OSU.
10. Receivers. Help me out here. I don't know enough to compare. We did lose our best deep threat (Devin Smith). And Corey Smith, Jaylin Marshall, & Corey Smith are out for the game. Rumors of being suspended for skipping class & smoking the Devil's lettuce abound.
11. Running backs. I think you'll have a better, healthier running game this year, but with our improved O-line & Zeke Elliott, I like our chances. Edge OSU.
11. Wild card - Braxton Miller. The guys on the team refer to him as hands down the best athlete on the team. He's switched to wide receiver. Beat our running back, Zeke Elliott in a foot race the other day. I doubt he's a deep threat, but he'll play. He's tough to get a glove on. And OSU just unveiled a play where Cardale Jones is the QB & Braxton Miller is the running back in a read option play. DE crashes - ball to Miller to run or pull up wide & pass. DE constraints - Cardale runs. Fourth option - Cardale fakes & throws deep.
12. VT is playing with house money. If they lose to the defending National Champs, well, that was expected by Vegas. If they win, they can brag about it for years. Play loose, take chances, blitz, have fun, get the crowd into it & get the momentum. Edge VT.
13. Both schools have an excellent College of Veterinary Medicine. Even.
14. Marching bands. Edge TBDBITL. Duh.
Thanks for visiting my unscientific, random fan thoughts. As you can tell, I'm not a X and O's guy. Just a fan. And if you just reply "TL;DR", I'm ok with that.
P.S. Fuck UVA. Fuck Michigan.
Comments
I know we can at least all agree on that very last line.
It brought a tear to my eye
Thanks for the post and I hope you are treated well during your time here. UM actually lost to Auburn in back to back seasons in 2006-2007 and Alabama in 2009-2010. There are two other points I'll address.
First, OSU's fans have been brainwashed into thinking they've solved the bear defense because that's what the players and media (11w included) have sold them. However, this assumption ignores the fact that, even if the alignments looked the same, how Foster's defense played after the snap was unique from how other teams did. VT's defense is also unique in their familiarity to the scheme outside of a single game compared to other teams adopting it on the fly. Not to mention VT's defense has proven to consistently be one of the best in the country.
Secondly, I'm not convinced Braxton Miller is much other than a decoy at this point. Maybe he's a marginally better runner than Samuel and can contribute in that way or on trick plays, but the footage of him at receiver and returning punts leads me to believe he has a long way to go before his skills will be useful at those positions. OSU has plenty of talent on offense so in a game where a muff or tipped pass leading to a turnover could make a huge difference, I'd probably consider the "wild card" factor of Miller more of a potential positive than negative for VT.
Thanks for the correction about Alabama. Need to up my googling skills. VT definitely plays the bear better than anyone we've encountered. And that's not even your normal base defense. Sheesh. Hopefully a year of watching your film will help us. Miller is only a help as an option, not going deep or across the middle. Maybe as the H-back.
right where we want them... now we unleash the manbearpig defense. suckers
You have officially become my favorite OSU fan on this site, thank you for that laugh
Googling improvement accomplished. I'm in my 30's and impressed!
That's not the only Man Bear Pig we have had a couple come through Blacksburg..........
Derrick Hopkins
Tim Settle
man he's huge...
(phrasing -we're still doing that, right?)
I'm just glad he doesn't look like this:
Bend over and touch your toes.. I'm gonna show you where the wild goose goes.
Baby I'm gonna butter yo' bread
Those numbers are obviously counting down to something...I'm not sure what it is, but I don't want to be on the opposing team when the countdown stops
While I agree he has a learning curve as a WR and probably will not be a major factor in the game, I would not underestimate his ability to break a big play on a hand off or pitch. If he gets a key block, much like Zeke got in his 85 yard run against Bama, he could take one to the house. Such a situation is no different, once he has the ball, than what he did at QB.
As for the Bear, solving it is only half the problem; just as in engineering once you solve the problem you have to prove the solution works. If we can successfully exploit your man coverage it will force Foster to rethink his D. We are a run team, and our weaknesses at WR will let you focus on the run; but we certainly have the potential to surprise you in the passing game. We really didn't have that last year and our run game was still developing so I think your Bear was particularly effective.
I think this is where Foster excels, mainly because he knows you have been trying to find a way to exploit the bear cover 0 look. I don't know what wrinkle he will run, but I highly doubt the bear is a huge factor. I think it doesn't come into play until 2nd quarter and that's only if we already have your o-line on their back foot. Jm2c and I've been wrong before, but that's the way I see it. He knows defense better than most anyone, so I expect a new wrinkle to foul up your offensive playmaking ability.
I'm terrified of Braxton getting the ball on a swing pass or quick handoff and getting into a one on one tackling situation. Most times I suspect he'll be clobbered and don't know how much punishment he can take; but, he only needs a slight crease in the open field and he could be gone. We need to get 11 hats to the ball at all times.
I'm ok with this post. Have a leg, guy.
I'm ok with an ok & a leg up. Thanks.
Agreed. We're all privileged to be a part of fan bases that whole-heartedly stand behind their team. Many times, it's difficult for us to speak unbiasedly. This is where all the aggression and far-fetched optimism comes into play. Although it's so easy to host hostile feelings for one another, we're really all the same. There's no reason we can't get along and carry on insightful conversations...that is until the game is over. Then it's a completely different story.
Whenever I read the abbreviation for your band, this is all I hear in my head:
Ha! That's good. Pronounced "Ta-biddle".
In the Navy, the ordinance kids on our carrier would wear shirts that said "IYAOYAS", as in "if you ain't ordinance, you ain't s***". It made little sense and seemed fairly inocuous, but one night our LPO went on a hilarious rant about how topsiders shouldn't have an ego as far as the ship worked.
They had an old passageway of ours and we still had a key to the display case. So, we made a poster and hung it outside their office "IYAROEYJAFTR - If you aren't Reactor or Engineering, You're just along for the ride".
Acronyms are fun
Our poster was simple:
There are two types of ships: Submarines and targets.
Arty community has a simple one, too - FIFI (F**k it, Fire it)
I went on a dependent's cruise in high school on my brother's boat. But when it came time to volunteer sub, I remembered what NAVY stood for... ;)
You still in? I was on the TR twice; on my 2nd instructor duty now (1st time 'A' school, this time NPTU in NY).
I did 6 and out. I was at MARF for prototype! I miss that place, geriatric men on Schwinn's with AK's strapped to their back, sneaking out to castle greyskull for tours, seeing the D1G ball... Best 3 mrem I ever got.
Even got picked up ELT! Moved across from the racetrack and the fun continued. Then reality kicked in and my stupid orders said I won the 'Prise. It was all downhill from there.
They all drive Kubotas now, and run a bit younger. Not familiar with the 'castle greyskull' reference (other than He-Man).
I was a S1W or as we knew it "Sometimes it Worked." At least we could sleep on the long bus ride from Idaho Falls to INEL.
I guess A1W in Idaho was a pretty close replica of 3 plant on my ship. Wasn't S1W the prototype with the ability to rock around like ocean waves were hitting it? MARF was a strange combination of a working Reactor Auxiliaries bubble tied into something like a WWII engine room. Fun place to learn.
Castle Greyskull was a huge, mostly empty building near the access gate. We would go there to pick up spools of rope or hoses or whatever random thing they had staged there. There were rumored to be access to some tunnels that hadn't yet been fortified by anything more than a rope and a sign.
No, S1G was the one used to test angles. S1W was the Nautilus prototype. It had 1/2 of the steam plant. Mid watch fire drills sometimes included the endless hose where someone would enter maneuvering on one side, go out the other and loop back around and reenter on the original side.
We had SL1 where one of the first nuclear accidents occurred when a tech pull da rod out of the core, causing a sudden criticality and steam explosion, killing 3 operators. One was pinned to the roof by the control rod and the other two died from radiation exposure. Many theories abounded locally about why the operator did that. There's an interesting movie on the event available at https://archive.org/details/gov.ntis.A13886VNB1
I remember there was some effort on the part of the Navy to pin the event on the sailors vice the design of the core. It's changed the design of reactors to permit the most reactive rod to remain fully out and keep the core subcritical. I think all sailors carry some amount of bad attitude but that was a terrible design.
Thank you for the link however- I have never before seen the film! Somebody grabbed it and the day we were supposed to be shown it it couldn't be found. Will watch soon!
Thanks for your service.
Thanks for your take on the matchups BV, great to hear from an objective Buckeye.
Regarding the Defensive Lines, I think you have to give a slight edge to VT for 3 reasons:
1) Bosa is out.
2) VT has a load of depth at DT, and DE is solid in the 2-deep. (Dadi hurt his pinky, no worries there)
3) Experience. Every VT starter is a junior/senior with at least a year starting under the belt.
Regarding the Receivers, if you include the Tight Ends, which you really have to with VT, then I would favor VT as well at present. Isaiah Ford is going to explode this year most likely, and Cam Phillips will benefit from the attention that Ford attracts. Hodges, Malleck and Kline are an insane load of riches in TE's. All can catch, run well and Malleck at least is a strong blocker, while Hodges and Kline already play with a year's worth of starting experience and 2 years in the program. I know OSU has loads of 4-star talent at WR/TE, but with 3 experienced players benched, you have to wonder about the communications between the QB(s) and the new receivers.
Great to have visiting sir, no matter the outcome 9/7, hope we meet again in the Natty Championship. That would be too much fodder for all of us Hokie and Buckeye homers to chew on. Go Hokies!
PS: Please curb-stomp scUM and make them irrelevant for another year. It was a catch.
Odd;y enough, I am not so worried about our TE/WR losses as I am about Bosa. Samuel is an experienced H Back and Vannett at TE is also good. If we can get decent production from our WR's we should be OK.
I like this guy. This guy can stay
I'll try to address the DE's and WR's.
I don't know much a whole lot about OSU's defensive line (other than you'll be without Bosa), but this VT defensive line is pretty stacked. The starting four are all All-Conference caliber players, and the depth we have at tackle is kind of absurd. We could go into the 3-deep there and still be competitive. I'm not overly concerned with Dadi's had right now, but depth at DE is definitely a concern. I would give the edge to VT there, with the caveat that our DE's are healthy.
WR's: The suspensions make this difficult to assess. It seems like Isaiah Ford has emerged as the consensus #1 guy for us, and he'll be tough to cover for any defense we face this year. I'm also high on Cam Phillips, but it starts to get pretty uncertain after that. I think having Michael Thomas, coupled with how well you recruit, gives the edge to OSU. However, the wild card in this discussion is tight ends. I think our tight end group is as good as any in the country, and I think this could help compensate our lack of depth at WR.
@ Chachi - Thanks for the info on your receivers. I haven't had enough free time to get up to speed on that unit. The idiots who got themselves benched......smh. Prediction - with Jalyn Marshall & now Braxton Miller at H-back, and his suspension, Dontre Wilson is going to spend the entire season doing mop up duty. And yes, that sure as hell was a catch in the Sugar Bowl. I despise Michigan with every fiber of my body & would love to keep them irrelevant. Here's to meeting again in the playoffs!
whoa whoa whoa....he said National championship not playoffs.....ha
The biggest comment I have is that your comparisons between position groups don't really factor in who they're up against.
Lines: I think few would question your O-line is better than our o-line (though I believe ours to be rather underrated). But I think our d-line vs your o-line, compared to your d-line against our o-line probably makes it a push.
Receivers vs secondary: I like our top two receivers, and Bucky is a matchup nightmare, while you have to replace a talented corner. However, you guys have two solid safeties. So I think that matchup favors Tech rather well for shorter routes, but it would literally be a tossup for deep routes. Meanwhile, we have one of the best corner tandems in the country, but some questions at safety (though I believe Foster can scheme it to work out alright. Losing several playmakers hurts you guys, but at some point during the game, you'll likely get some big passes over the top, even if Cardale's military spec arm is on the sidelines. I think those matchups give slight favor to us, but i think a lot of that depends heavily on the play of the...
Quarterbacks: Brewer looked really good last year (3 INTs notwithstanding), and I think he's improved substantially, but I'll agree your guys seem to be more talented. If Brewer can stay upright and make reads, and hopefully learns that the middles of the field is not lava, I think he'll do alright against y'all. If we can pressure Barrett and force a mistake or two, I think we'll call that a success.
But I firmly believe where this game is won or lost will be the ground game. You have Elliott, who's a proven commodity, going up against our linebacking corps, where we have some questions (though I don't believe it's as big an issue as some seem to). If we can slow him down and hold him under 100 yds rushing, I think we'll be in a position where this game is close. At the same time, we need to establish the run early and often to take some pressure off Brewer. We have the backs to do it, we just need a consistency that has been absent at times over the last few years.
Takeaways:
1. These teams are tremendously well matched, and this should be a great game.
2. The scoreboard will likely not break. This should be a slugfest. I'd expect a 21-17 type scoreline.
3. It needs to be gameday soon so we can all stop hypothesizing and just watch some damn football.
I like your band. Back when I was a rat (freshman) in Va. Tech's Regimental Band (The Highty Tighties), we would've said that we were the best damn marching band in the land, and had a lot of awards and achievements to back up the bravado, but times change. I like our bands now, but I'll admit to being impressed last year by your band kid's skills. Hope that's really the thing we may have to concede on Labor Day. Thanks for your post, your input, and your reasonable approach to this fandom thing. If I were able to attend the game, I'd most definitely be looking for you and/oryour ilk in the Buckeye fan base to get together with.
This is gonna be a fun game, isn't it?
It's going to be a hell of a game, I'd say. I hope it's memorable, OSU wins by any score > or equal to 1, VT wins the ACC and we both make the playoffs.
P.S. Have you ever been walleye fishing in Lake Erie in the spring?
Walleye fishing in Lake Erie is one of those "to do" things, but doesn't quite make my fishing bucket list, but it's close. I have caught walleye in Claytor Lake and the New River up to 7lbs 7oz, and fish are caught up to the record just shy of 16lbs, though, so I have some walleye experience. I, however, having been fishing over hundreds of fish, not the tens of thousands that Lake Erie offers. I'd genuinely love to try that spring thing though. That's just about my favorite fish to catch and eat in the whole wide world, but I love catching them. Something about toothy fish, schooled up or not, that interests me. Walleye in Va. are not that easy to catch, and that plays into the allure. And, truly, thanks for asking. My two main interests in life, outside of home life, are fishing and the Hokies.
@ IfishVTIam - The Lake Erie fishing is different from the fishing for walleye I have done on lakes in Canada. We usually drift fish & when you hit a school you can catch your limit in a hurry (6 a day, 15 " minimum). And if the walleye aren't biting you can go for perch (30 a day limit & no minimum size). They both are some of the best fish in the world to eat. The walleye can give you a good fight. Hope you get there some day. Good luck & wishing for a great game!
Have caught my share of yellow perch as well. I used to laugh at folks that claimed that walleye don't fight. No, little broomstick walleye don't fight all that well, but catch a five, six, seven pounder, man, they fight just fine. Catch them in swiftly moving water, and they fight even more.
Thanks for the good luck wishes, and I think you'll get your wish for a great game. Funny, while the game may not live up to any of our expectations, it sure is starting to feel like a real event, isn't it?
Totally didn't realize you were one of the HT's on here. I'm kinda shocked we've got such a small presence. Coming from the '14 class, I can say with some certainty that OSU's band would wax us on the field (especially the first game, since the show will just be simple follow the leader drill playing easier marches), but there's none better than us in a parade. That said, this year's group has a pretty stacked performance staff (the DM is my D), and the recruiting has improved greatly, so I'd expect the late-season shows to be some of the best in a while.
Ill take the two bands as a point for us. the Germans thought being good would be enough in 1941 didnt they. Who doesnt want to be the Soviet Russia of college bands?
I'd liken us more to the French Resistance. Poorly funded, stuck with scraps in terms of manpower and materiel, grossly outnumbered, more often disorganized than not, but the times we actually get our shit together, we're impressive.
But I'm curious as all hell to hear your reasoning for the USSR.
Germany= better equipped, trained, etc.
USSR= more bodies to throw at you. I'm not sure if the HTs + MVs is more people than anOSUs band but 2 bands is more than 1 so we've got that. And more bodies worked for them, why not us?
Yeah, he explained the joke to me privately. Stalin quote about quantity being a quality all its own. Being a fellow HT, I thought he was referring solely to us and not us AND the MVs.
Id like to think of the MV's as the poor saps in "Enemy at the Gates" where one has a spare clip ad the other the rifle.
The HT's then are they dudes set up behind them to kindly encourage the first group to keep going forward, you know, with indiscriminate automatic weapons fire.
Truth in advertising, I was in the class of '72. but like the idiot I was in those days (I'm a genius now, of course), I flunked out of school after the first quarter of my sophomore year. Did a couple of years with Uncle Sam in the US Army and then came back as a civilian to finish up in '75. Also true, I was never cut out for military life, despite being the son of two vets, dad was a lifer CPO Navy guy, and being born on the Naval Academy in Annapolis while daddy taught there. One thing I'll never give up though, when I was in the HTs, we were a damn fine marching band.
I've seen the videos (plus old Bert never shuts the fuck up about it), and y'all were damn impressive way back then. Of course you didn't have to compete with the MVs for personnel, and so you got a ton of talented people. We still get quite a few, but for the last 5 years or so, Maj Mac would also just try and inflate the numbers by trying to get anyone with a pulse to join the band. I think the combo of fewer quality musicians wanting to do the Corps, and those that did having their sound diluted by people that couldn't play an instrument, in addition to some less than stellar leadership at times, is what brought the band down from where it was. That said, there have been some bright spots, and hopefully it develops into a distinctly upward trend.
Buddy (Bert) Blanton? He was a buddy indeed. Fine people. Marlin Leatherman was our XO. An entire history book could be assembled with him as the core, but again, old days, long gone, fondly remembered, never forgotten...but long gone.
Nah, Bert Kinsey from the alumni association. Haven't met either of the other two though.
Sorry, generations and decades apart.
Leg for being spot on about Bert.
Agreed that I didn't address the matchup directly and that I expect a real slug-fest. I'm not confident enough in my analysis to really feel accurate in my assessments that way. I forgot to post my prediction. I predicted OSU by 27 - 22 over VT (at 11W). Can't wait for the football to start. Please turn on the game Sept 3rd game of Utah - Michigan and root for Utah.
I pull against scUM almost as much as I do lolUVA. And, well, at least scUM has been somewhat relevant, UVA, not so much
I've never been particularly anti-Michigan, even through the Sugar Bowl debacle, but my Michigan-alum cousin scheduled his wedding (in Michigan) for September 6th, which means I'm driving 8 hours the next day to make it to Blacksburg. My goodwill towards Michigan is about exhausted.
Oh, man, I'm sorry you're not feeling well. It's too bad you won't be able to make the wedding.
(I'll let someone else post the singing nurse. I'm at work. Blech.)
We didn't really run too much of the Bear the rest of the year. Maybe a little bit against ECU and got burned. But other than that we went back to our standard defense. The bear was the wrinkle for OSU last year of which they had no film of. If OSU thinks that by solving the bear, they solve our defense, then us Hokie fans are in for a treat. Our defense is typically much different from an alignment standpoint than what OSU saw last year. And the Cover zero that we ran almost exclusively against OSU was also not really used much over the course of the year. This year there will likely be a guy over the top, and honestly, I would expect our corners to play more in run support than they did last year.
Also, the GT point is a bit funny, mainly because we are 7-1 the week following Georgia Tech since Paul Johnson arrived. I'm also not exactly sure how it relates, because you placed it in the offensive line category, when Navy runs a 4-3. Your offensive line wasn't going up against Navy's offense...
I think teams were 1-8 after playing Navy last year. Really a horrible team to schedule.
sure, but it's not like Navy played a bunch of world beaters...Here are their opponents from 2014 and their respective final records
OSU 14-1
Temple 6-6
Texas State 7-5
Rutgers 8-5
Western Kentucky 8-5
Air Force 10-3
VMI 2-10
San Jose St. 3-9
Notre Dame 8-5
Georgia Southern 9-3
South Alabama 6-7
Army 4-8
Based on who they played a lot of those teams could easily have lost their next game regardless of what kind of offense Navy ran against them...
Excellent point. People see patterns in statistics and infer causation when there is none.
As for Navy, at the the end of the day they are trying to run the football, just like any other team. Their style may add a few defensive wrinkles but if it was so different and so hard to plan for everyone would run it. It's not like players forget how to play against other offensives after playing Navy. GT runs a similar offense and teams aren't 1-8 after playing them.
Had to look it up got GiT.
Teams were 10-2 the week following playing GiT. And one of the losses was to F$U.
Records were:
6-5
3-9
9-3
7-6
6-7
9-4
6-7
6-7
5-7 (with the loss to F$U...it's loluva)
8-5
10-3
10-3
Let's take this a step further:
First off, teams were 3-7 after playing Navy (S. Alabama would make it 3-8, if you believe the Navy curse lasts the entire month of December).
Clearly, it was only through some serious voodoo magic that Temple, Rutgers, and Georgia Southern managed to win the game after Navy. Heck, San Jose State was having a great season til they played Navy. Lost every game after that. Yep, anOSU had no hope coming into the Tech game. /s
Double post
Here's the stat I heard "Teams were 1-7 the week after playing Navy." So with Temple and GSU having bye weeks, they had a week to regroup.
Does this mean much? No. Just an interesting trend on how difficult playing Navy was.
Ohio State - loss
Temple - bye week
Texas State- loss
Rutgers- Win
Western Kentucky - Loss
Air Force - Loss
VMI - Loss
San Jose State - Loss
Notre Dame- Loss
Georgia Southern- Bye
I don't think it says anything about how tough it was to play Navy. You had teams with poor records that lost after playing Navy; something that happened after the played other teams as well, a 2 loss losing streak is not that add given the teams' records. People are assuming playing Navy lead to the loss and that is some sort of anomaly rather than simply poor teams losing again; those teams just happen to have Navy as a common opponent.
Just for stats sake, teams were 7-4 the week after playing Navy in 2013.
Oh I know, I've said it doesn't mean much. Just interesting.
Gameplanning and playing Navy does take a lot out of a team. Virginia Tech was able to prepare 5 months. Ohio State had 1 week due to each team's opening game. Still no excuse for the lack of execution and countermoves the Buckeyes showed.
They were outplayed and outcoached for sure.
I never really bought that game planning It's still about blocking technique, reads, and tackling. Sure, some game planning is different but the fundamentals are the same; and we were beat by better fundamentals and thus out played and coached.
Welcome and excellent post.
I will quibble 100% with your final post. Nobody is going to argue that TBDBITL is one of the finest around. But thats just it, they are only 1 band, and can only be in one place at one time.
Virginia Tech is unique amongst institutions of higher learning in having 2 completely separate bands, quantity has a quality all its own as they say.
Which makes having 3 bands in one stadium always interesting when the visiting band comes, and it is always a neat sight to see since the Highty Tighties and the away band sit on opposite corners of the same endzone.
@ DBHT14 - TBDBITL was primarily meant as a joke. Do you guys use italics as a means to imply sarcasm or joking? If so, I should have written it as such. I'm not even sure that TBDBITL is traveling. Gotta go check on that. I had just read (& forgot) that VT has a band on each end of the field. Pretty cool.
They are and yes we do haha. I met a couple of them on reddit, super cool dudes, not enough people realize that if you really want to talk football, the band is one of the best places to go.
Full disclosure: I'm not a music person in general, and I could generally care less about marching bands. But the first time I watched the OSU band march out of the tunnel at Ohio Stadium, I got goosebumps and tingles. And every time I have watched them do it since (40 times?) I have the same response. They are an impressive group - and have been over decades. What they do with animating formations is amazing, and I admire their hard work.
That said, I'm not going to argue with anyone over marching bands, and some of the stuff that came out about traditions, hazing, songs, etc. were pretty embarrassing and disgusting. But in the end, hundreds of thousands of people buy tickets to see Ohio State football, and TBDBITL is an adjunct to that. That's my perspective FWIW.
I said it before, and I'll say it again. You guys gotta hell of a band. The animation is incredible, and I'm not sure I've seen better. I know a little about what it takes to do stuff like that, and all props to them. I'd love non band folks to know how much time, practice, dedication and sacrifice it takes to be a first class marching band...I think most people would be surprised.
Being an EX MV, I can tell you that what they do has very little to do with talent level or musicianship. Most decent college marching bands could put on a similar show to OSU's band. The major differences unfortunately are a combination of money, student involvement/interest and most importantly, the preferences of the administration/directors. Take Virginia Tech for instance, the man in charge is most interested in repetitive shows/tunes and sticking to what he's been doing the past couple decades (because its easy to make it look good). I can't tell you how many times fans would approach me in uniform and ask when we would play new songs or form noticeable shapes on the field. But I was more interested in all the free perks that came from being a college marching band member.
Well, good for you for getting perks and having fun. As a Highty Tighty when the MV weren't dreamed up yet, we busted our tails practicing for marching season. There were few perks and lots of work involved. We may not have been the best musicians, but we labored pretty hard to be as good of a marching band as could be desired. In those days, if you were in the corps of cadets as a rat, you had to quit school to leave the corps before the end of your freshman year. Leaving school during the days of the draft meant losing your deferment. Vietnam ring a bell? Being in the band and the corps required a tremendous amount of time and energy, and some, like me, couldn't muster enough to keep up with that and the rigors of study as well. I've said it before, though, different era. I have serious doubts that many college freshmen today would tolerate that commitment. Times do change.
TBDBITL's Skull Session at French Field House probably draws more people than some football teams. One of my favorites was when John Glenn was there when he dotted the i. He said he was a Buckeye but had a soft spot for Navy and showed his Naval Astronaut wings. The crowd went wild.
I guess it depends on what you consider multiple bands. We also have the Athletic Band that performs at other varsity games, but not at regular football games. The only time we have more than 1 band at a game is when the Alumni band comes and does Script Ohio with the band. We have had as much as 4 Script Ohios at once.
Last season, Virginia Tech won the game for two reasons:
1) The trifecta of a very inexperienced and weak interior offensive line of the Buckeyes, the terrific twitch group (shooting the gaps) up front for the Hokies, and the Bear front making interior double teams impossible was the biggest factor in the Hokies winning the game. While Ohio State has some noted players (Aaron Decker being the most highly sought after), I don't see the guard play to prevent a similar outcome on the interior. The Hokies big question mark is their ability of their new rover and mike linebacker to tackle in space. I don't know how much Bear front the Hokies will run if Ohio State runs more speed option to the field (which destroyed the Bear in limited doeses last year.) Otherwise, major advantage VT.
2) Offensively, the Hokies have to run the football. The Hokies overcame the complete lack of a running game by throwing underneath the Buckeye cover 4. That was the first game where the Buckeye secondary was playing any kind of a sophisticated passing game under the new DC's scheme. Plus the Hokie offense worked against Cover 4 (a preferred Bud Foster coverage) all fall camp. The Hokies were able to take advantage of underneath routes with their tight ends and running backs. I think the Buckeyes adjust this year (more experience) and the Hokies will need to run the football and break some big plays to have similar results. Fortunately, tOSU's DL is substantially weakened without Bosa.
Those are the two biggest factors. I am a little more worried about playing Jones vs Barrett because I think Jones can see some routes develop downfield that Barrett can't (height) against pressure.
french:
I apologize if this has been covered in another thread, but I've noticed Bud's D is often susceptible to a mobile QB. I know BF will make the adjustment and put a spy on the QB, but that tends to happen in the 2nd half after some considerable damage has been done.
Do you offer up any counter for this should anOSU show this early?
Thanks--just thinking out loud.
French wrote an excellent piece on the Wide Tackle Six formation a while back: http://www.thekeyplay.com/content/2012/june/26/look-back-famed-hokie-wid...
If I had to guess, I doubt he'd run that exact scheme, but keeping that sort of line spacing would help the ends be able to pass rush and play contain at the same time, likely with Deon Clark playing a short zone so he could come up and make tackles on scrambles.
I've noticed that defenses in general are susceptible to mobile QBs.
I feel like a lot of college students can empathize with Bosa for skipping class to play FIFA... I know I can.
Good post, though. It would be nice if all of our opponents had rational fans come and talk football with us on here.
The confidence both fan bases have right now is the proverbial unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. Someone's going to be extremely disappointed on Tuesday morning.
Given your username/picture paradox, I'd say either way, that someone will be you. And at the same time, either way, that someone will not be you.
No, there will either be total disappointment or total joy... go Buckeyes!
And also total intoxication. Go Drinking!
If you insist. I'll start Wednesday.
This Wednesday? That's some serious pregaming
I admire that -the man's got moxie... and apparently a serious tailgate schedule.
Surprisingly enough, I must say I have really enjoyed reading OSU's perspective on this site. Not only have their comments been insightful, but witty and entertaining. My 2 cents:
1. Question...how can a guy (Braxton) have pain when throwing a football, but yet thinks he'll be able to take direct hits from defenders on the same shoulder? Seems irrational to me.
2. My biggest concern is up the gut vs the VT defense. As French noted, our new starting Rover has me worried (see: cover of Sports Illustrated, September 9, 2013). As does Mike backer...Andrew goes 110% to the hole, only problem is, it often times is the wrong hole. I'm really pulling for these guys, but I'd say the chink in our armor is running right down the dragons throat.
From a VT guy:
#1: Throwing a football - hard - is quite different from taking a hit. It's possible that an injury could impact both but it's not irrational to think that the injury could significantly impact one endeavor and have little or no impact on the other.
However it is somewhat irrational to think that a QB can smoothly transition in a period of a few months into a day 1 game ready receiver with plenty of responsibilities other than just catching a ball and then running with it (which will be a challenge in its own right).
#2: Nothing really to add except it's not the gut of the VT defense that worries me per se but the second level being able to do what it supposed to do in the VT defensive scheme to the the level needed to contain the OSU running attack. I'm sure both coaching staffs are heavily reviewing the Miami and BC game film from last year.
You have my permission to...Start Jumping!
I've really enjoyed all the Ohio State perspective on TKP. Thanks for the great post, BuckeyeVet. Hope you hang around until the game.
Excellent post BuckeyeVet! I was at the 'shoe last year with my bud from VT (he's an engineer @ GE in Cincy) and his son... we had a great time and really appreciated the hospitality all day from the Buckeyes up there. Welcome to TKP and get ready to experience one helluva game on Sept. 7th!
Leg for the last line.
I gotta agree that the stat line is going to tell a lot. If we can keep Elliott bottled up all night we're going to be ok.
I'll take any QB throwing against our db's.
I think it will all come down to Elliott. Stop him, and we have a chance. If we can't, then we'd have probably lost the game by the half. We had a few games last year where we were completely overcome by the run and it killed us, if that happens against OSU then it's game over.
I predict a blowout. Osu by 60. Can't see them losing to VT. Also, Lane is too small of a stadium to get loud, so no real edge in home-field advantage
On a serious note, this one makes me nervous. VT is underrated due to their record last season. They were a different team when healthy.
September needs to get here. should be one hell of an opener.
just a quick note. On 11W, y'all use italics to denote sarcasm. Here, you follow the statement with /s or /sarcastica. Italics typically denotes a quote.
Example:
I hope Barrett starts because we'll shut him down just like we did last year. Nothing's changed /s
I always thought you just had to post in the new ACC logo with crazy font to insinuate sarcasm
Whoops.. I'll keep that mind. Thanks for the heads up.
Edit: while attempting sarcasm, I accidentally used a direct quote from some of the delusional buckeye fans. Haha
FONT-CEPTION!!!
@ hokie07ME - Thanks for the tip, and the classy welcome I've gotten here.
The sentiments about the crowd noise and the stadium size...no one has come into Lane Stadium for a big game and said it wasn't loud. I have heard people go into the shoe and say it wasn't especially loud.
Sometimes it is more about the looks of the stadium. The 'Shoe looks impressive at night with 100,000 people; that can't be denied. But it wasn't built for sound, and the fans don't stay on their feet and loud for every play like they do in Blacksburg. We don't cause multiple false starts a game because we play at a "practice field", it's because it is loud and intimidating, despite the size difference.
Like the games themselves, crowd noise isn't won on paper...
so what you're saying is...it isn't the size that matters?
I was just joking around a bit. I definitely don't doubt the noise factor at Lane. The enter sandman thing is pretty cool too. Looks like a great atmosphere.
It's not exactly the same but Penn State gets pretty loud and rowdy so I don't think the Buckeyes will be affected too much. Also, they clap to indicate when to snap the ball instead of using voice signals.
That clap will be like a fart in a hurricane in Lane, you can rely on that.
or the center will be looking backwards through his legs for the snap signal and Maddy will just stiff arm him into the ground as soon as the ball moves...
So what you're saying is that we need to start a stadium wide round of applause before every snap as well? No problem.
personally, I'd like to see them relax the noisemakers policy for this game. Can you say vuvuzela?
Or air-horns
airhorns blow, but then I guess so do vuvuzelas
I feel that if we get 66,000 airhorns going all at once, your opinion of them will change
Hahahahahahahaha yeeeeeeeeeeeesssssss
Looking back, that's still one of my favorite World Cups. I love the fact that it essentially had its own unique soundtrack, even during the boring games.
That works for me. I can clap and yell at the same time.
My volume comment to my girlfriend at the shoe last year was that OSU third down was about the base volume for VT defense. Maybe I was being nice, as she heard me when I said it.
Although after they get the football, I notice a lot of the Buckeye fans stayed in their seats and watched the offense play. Nobody yells "Punt. Just Punt already!" on first down (okay, that was only 2007).
We had to stick around and sing church music afterwards. Their band was sponsored by TV Land. Definitely different.
Great post BuckeyeVet, but I don't understand this line.
Navy's triple option shouldn't affect your offensive line at all. Your scout team should be the ones running the opponents offense and your offensive line should be doing its normal thing. If it affects anything, it's your defense and defensive line. As someone who heard a lot of "reasons" why the Buckeyes lost last year (no Braxton, JT's second game, game of his life for Brewer), this just sounds like another reason that helps ease the pain of the loss but really is stretching it. Youth was an issue, but Navy's triple option was not the offense's problem
I don't buy into the "we spent too much time preparing for Navy and weren't ready for VT". If that's the true case, its probably the most blatant batch of incompetent gameplanning and coaching I've ever heard. Ever. I don't buy it. Meyer is too good of a coach to focus too much time on what should be a tuneup and underprepare for the first true test of the year.
They were ready for our game, and they just got beat. Then again, it was the first time Loeffler opened up the playbook against an opponent and it was the first time we unveiled the bear package on defense. Ohio St just wasn't ready for that combination (don't know how they would have been able to prepare) and we came out fighting lefty when they were expecting us to be right hand dominant.
For a variety of reasons (injuries and off the field issues) we got a lot worse over the course of the season, and they got better. 21 days from today will prove whether or not what we showed in Columbus last year was a fluke or the true level towards which our team should be playing. I suspect we'll see it was less fluke and we'll give them a hell of a game. Will we win? Probably not, but we'll come away thinking there's no reason we shouldn't win the ACC this year.
@ Alum07 -
Soooo..... tell me about VT's next game last year after playing OSU.
Losing to ECU was a matter of a team exploiting a matchup, not a coach's poor game-planning. ECU used big bodied receivers to win the 50/50 balls that OSU couldn't and beat our DBs. Physical differences and exploits are far different than schematic.
Yeah, Jarrett went into that game with the injury that eventually kept him out the rest of the season. ECU picked on him early and often and it wasn't until it was 21-0 in the first quarter that our coaches pulled him out and we stopped the bleeding.
Wasn't a great performance, but ECU found our critical weakness early and hit us hard. To our credit, we did climb back into the game only to lose it late. I wouldn't necessarily say we weren't prepared for them.
*Facyson
Dammit! I originally typed Facyson, too, and then changed it to Jarrett. Should have looked it up.
It's ok, Alum07. I forgive you. ;-)
Sooooo...if you are using that analogy, are we to infer that the Buckeyes spent more time preparing and focusing on Navy then they did Virginia Tech?
Again, that would be bad coaching, overestimating an opponent, or a combination of both. I don't think its that far fetched to suggest that VT spent a lot of time game planning for Ohio St. in the Shoe (and clearly put the time to good use), and ended up being defeated by a team that exploited a matchup using their big physical receivers against a shorthanded defensive backfield with Facyson injured.
@ Hokie_x3_HI - You nailed me on that. That was a really poorly worded comment. To elaborate - Meyer typically spends most of his time with the offensive & special teams units. Before our opener against Navy he has admitted that he spent way too little time with his offense, because he spent much of camp getting the defensive team ready for Navy's triple option. Although he respects Beamer & Foster he has said he didn't expect anything like the BEAR being thrown at us and wasn't ready for it. It took him until the second half for us to even begin to adjust. We were clueless at first. Fortunately, I expect him to be better prepared for both the bear front & variations off your base defense.
That makes much more sense when you say the COACHES spent too much time preparing for Navy's Triple Option. Just remember though that the moment you get comfortable is the moment when you've been beaten. Too many anOSU fans expect the Bear again. Foster rarely does the same thing twice. He changes it up constantly, especially for big time opponents when the typical base defense won't be enough. Your coaches won't underestimate him again, but they certainly have no idea what he has in store because, quite frankly, nobody does as far as I know.
^ this. I just picture Beamer asking Foster what he's gonna do and Foster replies, "ITS A DAMN SECRET. IF I TELL YOU, IT WONT BE A SECRET. DEAL WITH IT."
Also, "Welcome to Fight Club. The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club is: you DO NOT talk about Fight Club! Third rule of Fight Club: someone yells "stop!", goes limp, taps out, the fight is over. Fourth rule: only two guys to a fight. Fifth rule: one fight at a time, fellas. Sixth rule: No shirts, no shoes. Seventh rule: fights will go on as long as they have to. And the eighth and final rule: if this is your first time at Fight Club, you have to fight."
Also, all remote game planning communication is made utilizing a pair of Dixie cups and string so nobody can intercept the transmission of sensitive information.
And all of this is in Foster's desk drawer labeled "super secret stuff. DONT F***ING TOUCH IT!"
@Hokie_x3_Hi - I absolutely expect a slugfest, and am hoping to get out of Blacksburg with a win. Btw, over at 11W this morning 48% of us said we were "very" or "moderately" worried about the VT game. And yes, I consider Foster to be "Son of Satan". That was a hell of a scheme he came up with last year & definitely gives us the jitters for this year.
I appreciate you saying that you're hoping to get out of Blacksburg with a win and not expecting as the vocal group of anOSU fans not on TKP seem to say often. It's going to be a great game that has me excited since we have nothing to lose in the end.
I am just hoping both teams leave the game with no injuries. Both teams want the win badly.
aOSU wants the win to get revenge for the blemish on last years record.
VT wants to win to show it wasn't a fluke.
@HokieAlum6144 - I'm glad you brought up the injury problem. I't was so weird for those of us following you guys last year. It seemed like twice a week we were hearing of some serious injury to your players. And here we were, rooting for the team that thumped us, because we needed you to look as good as possible for our strength of schedule. The injury bug killed you. And damn near killed us.
I think I'm beyond analysis at this point. These teams need to play.
The following applies to both fanbases: pre-season optimism is a wonderful thing, yet full of inflated expectations, and a first game against a quality opponent will generally bring everyone's head back to reality - part of which will be ugly (compared to the parallel reality of the pre-season optimism).
In my experience, when the last second ticks off, and the score is final, we usually say, "I should have seen that coming. The evidence was there. I just refused to see it" - which is the problem with the fairies dancing around in our heads in the pre-season. The crash back to reality is painful - but can be eased by a minimum of a 12 pack. :)
Truth.
Very late to this thread, but it has been a joy to read so far. I've never posted here before, but have appreciated how civil the VT fans have been towards the OSU outsiders.
My two cents: These teams are pretty evenly matched. I really have no idea how the game will unfold, but I expect there won't be a ton of offense. Both teams will get a few big plays, but I don't see several 80 yard, 15 play drives happening. Whoever wins the field position battle wins this game. Last year Barrett was basically throwing pop fly interceptions to VT. I think I saw one VT DB signal for a fair catch on one of them ha. He was just scared shitless and throwing passes up for grabs. I'm actually sort of surprised he didn't throw 5 interceptions that night. That being said, I don't think VT will have the luxury of those type of freshman mistakes this year. JT will just take the sacks, and I suspect he will probably have to end up taking around 5 on game night. Dadi and co are going to get theirs. Ohio State isn't going to give VT a short field though, nor will Beamer help us out with field position. I see the score being like 17-14 or 21-17. Nobody is getting 35. Both defenses are improved and filled with NFL talent at every position.
I think Ohio State has a clear advantage with offensive ability and VT with special teams. Special teams could very well be Ohio State's downfall in this game. Not only are we missing our returners, but Ohio State fans forget we also have one of the absolute worst kickers in the country. Nurenberger was a paltry 13 for 20 last year and missed both his field goals in the VT game. The kicking situation got so bad that late in the year Meyer refused to use him unless it was under a 30 yard attempt. And even from nearly point blank range he was still only at 80%. In a game where points are at a premium, having a completely incompetent kicker can easily cost you the game. Huge advantage VT.
yeah I know how you feel about the kicker. Well, not this year. Our guy just drilled, what, a 56 yarder in practice? Not that he's a lock from that far out or that Beamer would ever let him try it in a game short of being down by a field goal with no time on the clock, but it's a fun stat to bandy around. But we've had our years where the kicker was worthless and it bit us multiple times (looking at you Pace.)
Yeah, I hear ya. When Ohio State has the ball in enemy territory its almost as if we are always in 4 down territory unless we are under the 15 yard line. Going for a field goal isn't even considered a feasible option unless it is literally like an extra point kick. Which is fine when you can convert, but sometimes you just need the safe points. It is just frustrating because the kicker literally only has one job on a football team: to get the ball through the uprights. That is the purpose of his scholarship. And when he cant even be trusted to hit a 30 yarder right in the middle of field you have a problem. Anyways, I do think Ohio State's kicking debacle will be a factor in the game. I just hope it isn't the deciding factor.
I've heard that the staff is pleased with his progressing accuracy this spring & summer. That would be great, but if progress means only moving from poor to mediocre, we're in trouble. Give me Nugent & a large helping of Tressel ball, please.
This is probably one of the best/most accurate game outlook I've read from a Buckeye fan on this site, as it is in tune with the TKP analysis. I think the scoring will start out slow but by the end of the 4th, we may end up closer to 28-24, but agree it shouldn't be in the 30s this go around.
Thanks, I try to approach every game without any bias. For me I just went back and watched our game @ Penn State last year. It was a night game in an intense enemy environment and against a top 10 defense. Very similar to the circumstances we will face in a couple weeks. PSU committed to stopping the run and OSU was left with a disadvantage in the numbers game so they mainly had to rely on QB runs for rushing yards. Which is exactly what they will have to resort to against VT when Foster throws 8 defenders at the line of scrimmage. But you can only get so many yards with this type of strategy. I think VT will fluster JT in a similar fashion that PSU did. OSU hasn't seen an elite pass rush/blanket coverage CB combo since the PSU game. Alabama had a great D-line but their corners do not compare to VT's. I think JT will be more effective than he was last year, but I think he ends up with maybe 200 yards passing, 1 td, and 1 int. Just a mediocre performance at best. I don't think the VT ground game will really get going either so for me it comes down to Brewer. We will see the Brewer who looks like Joe Montana and completes several 3rd and 20 situations again? I hope not, but we will see.
If VT focuses on stopping the run game I think we're better off with 12 Gauge as the QB. He's a more bruising runner than JT and would add to the defense's challenge in stopping the run. In the end, I think it'll be more about getting pressure fast rather than stopping the run so that our QB gets rattled and makes bad decisions. If our O line can give him time we'll do fine.
Punting is winning.
Everything about this picture is perfect.
I love the guy pointing and laughing.
Thank you for providing these in the correct order.
The man knows his audience.
And my manners. I'm a guest here.
If I had BTN, I'd probably be tuning into this view into OSU's training camp...
http://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2015/08/57738/your-unofficial-btn-scarlet-and-gray-days-primer
I'm recording it, I'll share any insights I find, although it won't be on Frenchs level I can assure you.
when asked what the outcome would be for the Buckeyes on labor day, the OSU band replied, "TBDBITL!!!!"
Sources say this stands for "To Be Determined, But I Think Loss"
Don't all B1G marching bands have a similar moniker to TBDBITL?
My brother and parents were all NUMBs (Northwestern University Marching Band for those who don't know) and I seem to recall them being announced as the "The best band in all the land" during halftime.
Side note: I know Alabama's band is called the "Million Dollar Band". Rumors during that time period when we played them were because it cost $1 Million to take them anywhere.