Virginia Tech's trip to Purdue on Saturday marked the first road start, and start against FBS competition, for quarterback Brenden Motley. Prior to the game, a lot of Hokie Nation still had doubts about the redshirt junior's ability to be a successful starting quarterback against Power 5 competition. After Motley led the Hokies to a comfortable 51-24 victory over the Boilermakers, the number of doubters has shrunk considerably. Motley looked in control of the offense and made plays in the air as well as on the ground. With a full week to prepare, Scot Loeffler devised a game plan which allowed his new signal caller to run a more explosive, but less efficient offense than Michael Brewer.
A More Explosive Offense
The Hokies' offensive line has shown great improvement in the run game so far this year, getting push and opening up holes for the ball carrier. With the addition of Brenden Motley in the backfield, the running game has become even more effective for Virginia Tech. Motley's big arm forces safeties to hesitate coming forward and his athleticism punishes defensive ends and linebackers who don't respect the threat of a quarterback run. The combination of powerful run blocking and a mobile quarterback opened up huge holes for Tech's running backs.
The offensive line has the defense outnumbered at the point of attack before the snap, and that problem is exacerbated when Motley threatens to pull the ball and run with it. The back side defensive end, back side safety, and back side linebacker all hesitate to make sure that Motley doesn't scoot around the edge for a long run. The slight hesitancy contributes to the long Edmunds' run and is precisely why mobile quarterbacks make life easier for their running backs. The difference between a long run and a short gain can be just a matter of inches. A quarterback that can make a defender half a step late to the hole gets their running back a half step closer to an explosive play.
Brenden Motley doesn't just open up opportunities in the run game for his teammates, he made a few throws on Saturday that a healthy Michael Brewer wouldn't have attempted. I wrote last Friday about Motley's arm strength and how it allows him to push the ball down the field in ways we haven't seen since Logan Thomas was in Blacksburg, but even I wasn't expecting Motley to stretch the field this far.
This clip perfectly demonstrates Motley's big play potential. Motley has to make an unblocked defender miss in the pocket, then he keeps his eyes down field and locates Ford, then he launches the ball about 60 yards down the field while on the run. I love Brewer and wish he were healthy, but that's a play he doesn't even come close to making. That's the X-factor that Motley brings to the table. An offensive coordinator can't plan for everything. Sometimes things break down, and when they do it's awfully nice to have a dangerous running quarterback with a cannon for an arm to bail you out.
Given the situation on the play above (2nd-and-8, less than 90 seconds before the end of the half), I would prefer Motley to make a different decision on this smash route. Brenden should be reading the flat defender and only throwing to Ford on the corner route if the flat defender takes away a throw to Bucky. Also, Motley has Malleck working wide open across the middle of the field as Ford drags the slot defender towards the sideline.
It's hard to accuse a quarterback for making the wrong read if he completes the pass though. Motley might be staring Ford down, but he's staring right at a passing window he believes he can throw through. It turns out he's right. Motley does rifle the ball into the perfect spot for Ford to make the grab and Tech gets a first down. The beautiful thing about this play is it puts the defense in a very tough position moving forward. Now, the defense can't slow play the corner route just to jump underneath it late to make a pick (like Georgia Tech did to Brewer last year), because they know Motley has the arm strength to get the ball from the pocket to the sideline before the defender can get there. If they want to stop that corner route, the defense will have to adjust their coverage.
Efficiency In The Short Passing Game
Despite his more powerful arm, Motley isn't ready yet to have the success throwing the ball short that Brewer had. Michael Brewer has a better grasp of the short passing system that Loeffler prefers than Motley does, and he has more experience making quick reads against a late shifting defense. Brenden also doesn't have the accuracy in the short game that Brewer has.
This is the type of throw that Loeffler is going to have to work with Motley on, if Motley is going to have consistent success at Tech. Motley has a clean pocket to step up into, and he has the timing of the route down with his receiver. He releases the ball as Phillips comes out of his break. The throw just sails on him. Defenses are going to give up space to prevent Motley from punishing them down the field, and when that happens Tech has to take advantage by throwing underneath those coverage bubbles.
While Motley works on improving his accuracy, there are short term solutions to attacking conservative defenses. One solution is to coach Motley to look to scramble against defenses which vacate the middle of the field.
Before the snap, the defense has seven players in the box, four defensive linemen and three linebackers. Once the linebackers recognize that the play is a pass, they quickly leave the box to try and reduce the size of the windows that Motley has to throw to. Rather than have Motley try and squeeze a ball into those small windows, Loeffler could coach him to pull the ball and get what yards he can when he sees those linebackers bail.
Loeffler can always take the decision making process out of Motley's hands by calling a quarterback draw when he thinks he can isolate a linebacker in space and force him to try and tackle Motley one-on-one. That's a battle Motley wins against most linebackers on Tech's schedule.
Scramble To Throw
It was really encouraging to see Motley keep his eyes down the field as he scrambled. Inexperienced athletic quarterbacks are known to get nervous in the pocket and rely on their feet to pick up yards. Motley's poise surprised me. He never looked overwhelmed by the pass rush, and he was aware of where his receivers were, even when he had to move around to buy time. We saw above how his mobility helped to open up an explosive play down the field, but there were moments when he used his mobility to give his teammates extra time to work themselves open. Motley might not ever be as decisive in the short game as Brewer is, but he can learn to use his feet to make first downs in the pass game.
On this play-action pass, Loeffler is trying to suck the linebackers towards the line of scrimmage in order to open up a passing window behind them for Ford. Andy James Garcia (No. 42) actually sniffs out the play well and quickly gets the depth necessary to shut down Ford's first receiving window. This is a potentially dangerous moment as Motley could have easily missed the linebacker and thrown an interception. Instead, he sees the coverage and calmly buys time for Ford by stepping forward in the pocket without rushing past the line of scrimmage. Motley keeps his eyes on Ford and waits for him to clear past the linebacker, then makes the safe throw for the first down. Motley won't always find the perfect receiver to throw the ball to against every defense, but if he stays calm and buys time for his guys, then they will have the chance to get open.
Room For Improvement
As Tech starts conference play, it's going to be harder for the offensive line to dominate on the ground like they've done against Furman and Purdue. The huge holes Trey Edmunds, Travon McMillian and J.C. Coleman enjoyed on Saturday won't always be there. Eventually Loeffler is going to need to rely on Motley's greatest attribute, his athleticism, to win him some games. On Saturday I was a little disappointed with Motley's lack of production on the ground. Some of it was because Purdue seemed content to contain Motley, but there were opportunities that I felt Motley should have capitalized on.
Virginia Tech runs a version of an outside zone read with J.C. Coleman although it looks like Motley should be reading the back side linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley (No. 4). If Bentley flows to chase Coleman down, then Motley should be pulling that football and running through the vacated gap. If Motley takes off with the ball straight ahead, he is one broken tackle away from a touchdown. These are the type of explosive plays that Motley can make which will help balance out Loeffler's offense and give opposing defensive coordinators nightmares.
On this run, Motley actually attacks the wrong side of the line of scrimmage. By having Travon McMillian fake a sweep across the formation, Loeffler is trying to stretch the defense horizontally to open up a running lane off the right tackle. Ryan Malleck works to seal the defensive tackle inside and Wyatt Teller pulls outside to kick out a defender and create the wall for Motley to run through. Instead of following Teller's block, Motley runs towards the left side of the line and gets dropped for a loss. Brenden Motley is going to make some rookie mistakes, but if Tech is going to fight for an ACC championship, he is going to have to eliminate mental errors like this one.
Margin Of Error
I will be the first to admit that I was very pleasantly surprised with how productive Motley looked on Saturday. He didn't play perfectly, but he made a lot of plays and showed off the calm demeanor that Frank Beamer talked about since Brewer went down. Scot Loeffler doesn't have the advantage of having Brewer under center anymore. He can't rely on a quarterback who knows his offense inside and out, or a quarterback who has spent a year reading defenses. What he does have is an exciting athlete at quarterback who can run for a fifty-yard touchdown, as well as power his way to a first down. He also has a quarterback who can launch the football down the field and zip it into a blanketed receiver.
In some ways, Brenden Motley actually makes Loeffler's job easier than Brewer did. Brewer was a good quarterback because he could get the ball to the desired playmaker at the exact time. Motley has the potential to be a good quarterback because he is the playmaker. Motley doesn't need Loeffler to call the perfect play to get a first down, there will be times where he goes and gets it himself regardless of playcall because he's that talented.
Loeffler has football's ultimate trump card. A mobile quarterback.
Comments
Noice!!
The 61-yard completion to Ford still amazes me. He's moving, doesn't set his feet, and still throws a dime. My concerns with Motley were mostly about accuracy, but it seems he has come a long way and I am very happy to see it.
But. But. They announcers said it was ill advised.
I agreed with them at the time but every quarterback knows their ability. Most guys don't have the arm to get it there in time, he felt he did. It worked out well so it's hard to complain about it but that confidence can be dangerous.
All in all, I thought he played great. This review helped see things he did wrong that I didn't catch in live action but seems to be a lot to build on with him.
I looked at their ill-advised throw and counter that if it had been picked it was a 60 yard punt on third down.
Maybe, but who punts on third down?
General Neyland did when inside his own 5.
Mike London
The other team can't have a better 3rd down defense than you if you punt on 3rd down
If you saw the end zone camera shot of that play, Ford was way behind the D and wide open. If, as a QB, if you see that and you know you have the ability to throw it that far, you do it. Motley actually underthrew the ball a little, and still got it far enough. Nice play.
True, if he had been able to plant and throw the ball I bet he gets it to ford in-stride in the endzone. Still nice play and show of arm strength if he can do that while on the move.
My thought exactly. The announcer must not have seen Ford. Hypothetically that throw might have been ill-advised, but Motley could see that Ford was all alone.
Let's call a spade a spade here, the ball was under thrown. Ford had to wait wait wait for it and the D arrived the same time as the ball. A longer pass (via set feet / better technique) or a quarter second earlier and it's a walk-in TD.
Still an A+ play, just not a particularly accurate pass IMO.
More distressing to me is the total blown blocking assignment on yet another simple twist.
yeah there were several occasions where Motley had to play matador with a DT coming untouched up the middle because Gallo rolls left and leaves Conte blocking 1v2
if motley set his feet to throw he would have been sacked?
Oh good grief...a ball thrown 50+ yards in the air on the move -- for a completion -- was "under thrown"?
By the strictest definition, the ball was underthrown. Ford had to wait for it while the DBs closed on him and prevented a touchdown. In context, calling that a bad throw is just dumb. There aren't a whole lot of QBs out there who are going to chuck one 60 yards on the move. Shoot, Cardale Jones needed his feet set to throw one 73 in their spring game (keeping in mind that was measured to where the ball hit the ground, not where it would have been caught). Motley made a heck of a throw and knew he could get it there before the defense could recover.
definitely under thrown
definitely not a bad throw
definitely a great play
these statements are all accurate :)
receiver ran too far
This made me chuckle. Have a leg.
Here's hoping Motley can keep people nomming on some crow.
Crow never tasted so good!
Someone on another board compared Motley to Randall. I think it's an apt comparison. Motley actually has a stronger arm, may be a tick more mobile and as powerful. Both guys were multisport athletes in HS who took their teams to the state championship game. They know how to win.
It was a very different era, but Randall didn't have nearly the passing yardage that Motley has put up so far (or that we realistically project going forward for Motley). Randall also was blessed with KJ/Suggs, but did make it work in '04 with Imoh/Humes, who are comparable to our current RB talent. Randall also didn't have a set of 4 receivers like we do with Ford/Phillips/Hodges/Malleck.
Randall was also usurped for a more athletic and heralded QB for a time, but persevered and led VT to an ACC title as a senior. We may see a similar scenario again.
Randall also didn't have the offensive playbook that Motley has to work with.
This is the biggest thing.
His senior year, we had Clowney, Royal, King, Hyman, and Morgan. With Harper waiting in the wings. Not quite bereft of talent there.
Like the commenter said above, our coaches just had no idea how to use WRs at that time. It's a wonder the six guys I mentioned got signed to the NFL (five of them playing) with their underuse.
He is getting better. He stares his receiver down a bit to much. Also, on that throw to Ford for the 1st down with three Purdue guys around him, Mallack is the throw Lefty wanted there. I am sure there will be discussions and work on these this week. After ECU, the coaching and schemes Motley will see get tougher. He played well, but is a work in progress. Hope he keeps up his forward progress.
The first time he comes off that first/stare read is gonna be a huge play.
There was another ball catcher wide ass open in the middle of the field. Looks like Sam Rogers
Oops, lol
I am not sure I would ever use the words "wide ass open" when describing Sam Rogers. He might come looking for you.
If those short passes start to click at all this will be a deadly offense. That mortar shell of a pass to Ford was a thing of beauty. If we can stretch the field like that with consistency, this is a team with potential to run the table the rest of the way.
Have to admit he has played a lot better than I expected. Glad to see he is doing so well and our schedule sets up well for him to get more and more comfortable and experienced. It will be interesting to see where we are as a team when Brewer is ready to come back. Do you pull a successful Motley just because Brewer is back. They both bring different things to the table and as stated Motely's ability to throw the long ball and get yards with his legs is something Brewer doesn't have. On the last video if Brewer scrambles he may pick up the first but there is no way he's scoring and probably taking a bigger shot than Motley had to out of pure size.
I say yes, but as you said, they both bring different things to the table. So because of that, I would not be surprised at all to see is use more of a 2 QB rotation and not feel like Motley is limited to only running plays whether by a QB draw or an option play.
I am salivating at the opportunity to see Brewer back under center while rotating Motley in.
D's will be looking for a run, and may get it, but with the experience Motley will have by then, they will have to defend far more than they have been used to at that point in the game.
Exactly. Brewer can get the offense rolling on the short-intermediate passes. Hopefully the run game can start to get established as well during that time. Then throw Motley in for a handful of snaps, let him run, handoff, pass, run, play-action deep. It could be very effective. While Motley could be very effective as a redzone QB, I don't think either is more effective than the other, just a different kind of effective. Who knows what will happen though, but I'm less scared when I see Motley back there than I was after the OSU game and I think I'd be less likely to think that Motley would run the ball any time he rotated in for Brewer down the road.
Agreed. I do think it means Brewer gets the time to fully heal though. Maybe wait the extra week, or get him in a game for a couple plays here and there once he's healthy to make sure he's knocked the rust off
My thought has always been that he'd be back for the GT game. That would give him 8-9 weeks to heal. If Motley is doing fine, I don't see a need to rush him back at all.
I think it's going to be a tough decision if we win all of the games between now and Brewer's potential return. The coaching staff is going to get a lot of heat from the fanbase if we're on a winning streak and they pull Motley for Brewer (who, while more seasoned now, still led us to 7-6 last year behind a lot of bad throws). The o-line improvements are a huge difference maker, but there is still a memory there.
yeah, after the purdue game I turned to my Fiancee and said "we're going to have a QB controversy when Brewer is healthy again..."
I think you have to consider the skills of both of them which is why I would not be surprised if we saw a rotation based upon effectiveness. Brewer can hit all the passes inside of 20 yards with about 40 yards being his limit in terms of pure air yards on a throw. Motley can't. What he can do though is keep a defense honest in the run game and sell play-action because of his threat to run the ball and the strength of his arm on those long passes. If the offense can establish a run game with Brewer, someone who doesn't present nearly the threat on the ground that Motley does, then it's still effective, just a different kind of effective. Right now, we're seeing a VERY balanced offense. Against Furman, we had 284 yards passing, 299 rushing. Against Purdue, 233 passing and 238 rushing. I think with Brewer, you'd see numbers closer to 300 passing and closer to 200 rushing. I think the offense can do more with Brewer in terms of production and the nuances of the playbook, but Motley provides the X-factor in terms of his ability to move and prevent a loss by using his legs.
I mostly agree, but this assumes that Motley doesn't improve with experience. All of Motley's deficiencies are mental/experience based, which can improve. Brewers limitations are physical. He's never going to have the arm strength or agility/speed of Motley.
I don't think Motley will start seeing the field as well as Brewer, but I think he will improve as the year progresses. Enough to make the decision very difficult.
This is true. Right now, he is still green and has gotten lucky a few throws were not picks because of the level of competition he was facing. Motley has to develop the chemistry to know his timing for the receivers on their routes. Brewer had that down. If he can get it down and prove that he can hit the routes between 8 and 20 yards consistently, he may very well force the coaches to sit Brewer. Until then, I think Brewer will come back and be the QB.
Based on what I have seen the read option with Motley is becoming much more effective with Motley. Not much of a threat with Brewer as you have stated on the rushing statistic. I think the more Motley works the better he will be t reading the defense.
Keep in mind that Brewer was on pace to throw for 270 yards and 3 TDs against the defending national champs. He also made up all the yardage he lost taking his two sacks. Brewer isn't a running threat, but he is mobile in the pocket and sense spressure. (In fact, I was a little surprised he stood in there and made the throw to Malleck when he saw the defender coming unblocked. Brewer would typically roll to avoid that hit.)
Just speculation on my part, but I don't think so. I think Loeffler has so much invested in Brewer that he will give Brewer the ball as soon as he's healthy. He will give Motley a huge pat on the back, and Motley's excellent handling of the backup job will probably earn him more trust and more snaps as Brewer's backup.
I don't think the coaching staff will spend two seconds thinking about the fanbase. Again, it's just speculation on my part, but I think the coaches have enough confidence in their own judgment to do what they think will win games, whether the fanbase agrees or not. They know, in the immortal words of Vince Dooley, "Folks sure do love you when you win."
I like Motley. He played well, had some wiggle to his running game, and has established a real connection to Isiah (a Ford Fusion?). As a fan, I just worry about the number of hits he took, can't lose this guy.
something something settle
It's nice that once again, we have the pieces available to make our offense succeed and that starts with our QBs. To his credit, Loeffler has used what could have been a serious disadvantage, and made his backup QB play with authority. Assuming Brewer does return healthy to play, things could get quite interesting (hopefully for the better). I for one was expecting more out of Purdue, given the circumstances of VT going into the game, but we showed why we were the better team.
It is nice to see his mistakes are minor in comparison to other mistakes we have seen in the past by our QBs. He hasn't made those horrendous decisions that leave us scratching our heads.
Er like whom?
Logan Thomas definitely made some head scratchers
Not really. He was fine in 2011 with a good, experienced set of WRs to throw too. The next two years after that, as has been established, he didn't have really ANYONE who was good enough to throw to, so he ended up forcing the issue at times to over compensate for them, which lead to several "head scratchers". He was a really capable QB for us that had jack to work with unfortunately for the last two years he was here.
But that works both ways. Logan had experienced wide receivers who also bailed him out a bunch in 2011. While that was definitely his best year, now that's he's been in the pros with tons of talent, I'm not sure we give Logan too much credit for 2011 and not enough to his great receiving core.
Motley played a nice game. Without the blindside fumble which obviously wasn't his fault his stats may have been even nicer (of course, he almost threw two picks as well).
One thing that concerned me was how they handled Lawson. Not the fact that they didn't get him in until the 4th but the fact that after a couple of unsuccessful drives they yanked him and put Motley back in when the game was already decided. I just don't get pulling his redshirt if you don't even feel comfortable playing the kid up 3+ scores with 8 minutes left in a game.
I am not sure how much pulling Lawson had to do with Lawson looking uncomfortable out there and how much it was Beamer sending a message when they scored and attempted an onsides kick down multiple td's. Lawson was back out after Motley restored the lead.
Ive been wondering about that blindside fumble. I'd need to rewatch the play, but is it possible that it's the QB's job to identify that rusher and assign somebody to pick him up?
Although I find it hard to believe, given how much Loeffler praises Malleck for being so knowledgeable of the offense, but as a tight end releasing into a route, you typically have to chip that guy and get him off balance so the OT has a chance to pick him up. Given that we don't know the blocking call though, it's difficult to say.
My thought at the time on the first blindside fumble was that he was intentionally left unblocked. Motley had a designed rollout away from that side and was probably supposed to get rid of the ball before the unblocked man could get to him. Though it would make sense for Malleck to be responsible for chipping him to slow him down a step or two.
Somebody pointed it out to me that maybe they were simply keeping Motley in to help him get more reps and build his confidence even further. They may feel it's more beneficial for him to get those garbage time reps in than Lawson since just three weeks ago he was still a pretty untested backup.
I agree about Lawson. I'd like to see him get more snaps and more meaningful snaps. Having Motley in for as many reps as possible is nice, but I think Lawson should see a bit more action.
I'm just glad the entire 4th quarter has been back up time for two weeks in a row. Here's to making it 3 weeks in a row.
Motley is the real Deal, and being from the NRV, It was no surprise for me. He was the #1 QB coming out of the 2014 Spring Practice, but lefty wanted his type of QB. There is no doubt that we have a Winner here in Motley. Just get behind him and our OC gives him the right plays , We will be just fine. Notice VT's Offensive Rankings, best it's been in awhile. Kid is a Winner !!
That overthrow to Cam was on Cam. Motley makes a perfect throw to the first down marker as Cam is coming out of his break. I am certain that is where Cam is supposed to be on 3rd down, but he runs his route short.
Leg. Great observation. Cam squares that in well short of the 1st down marker. If he'd run to the marker instead he'd have had a catchable pass.
Except he's not throwing the the stick he's throwing to Phillips. Hopefully Motley's accuracy will settle in and become more consistent with more reps, and overall he made far more accurate throws than not during the game, but we shouldn't pretend that incomplete was Phillips' fault.
I can't say where Cam was SUPPOSED to run (although it certainly wouldn't be the first time that Loeffler's receivers ran a route short of the first down marker) but I am certain that Motley was throwing to Cam and not to a spot. Motley is throwing a Smash concept, the corner gets depth and is in position to stop a throw to Malleck on a corner route. Motley makes the correct read and waits until Cam comes out of his break to start throwing. Watch the footwork. Cam breaks right as Motley gets to the top of his drop. If Cam was suppossed to run an extra two yards the timing would be off.
In my opinion, Motley makes the right read and Cam runs the called route... Motley just sails the throw.
Oh I agree that Mot throws on the break.
I think we'd have to be in the QB & WR room to know for sure, but it seems to me that if Cam was supposed to run a more slanted route to the stick instead of squaring it off, the ball likely would have been on target.
Like he said, there was a smash route concept going on. Phillips going deeper would've squeezed the routes together too much, allowing the CB to more easily cheat and cover both.
The goal there is to hit the deeper corner route for the 1st down / TD and if that's covered by the CB floating downfield, hit the underneath receiver (Phillips) and hope they can pick up a few yards after the catch. With the LB trailing and the CB (in theory) downfield taking away the corner route, Phillips should have some room to work with upon catching the ball, if it's an accurate throw.
In this particular case the CB stayed on the underneath receiver and Phillips was probably not going to pick up enough YAC. Meanwhile Malleck had single coverage vs the safety and had established outside leverage on his corner route. Motley had plenty time and should've looked off Phillips and thrown the ball to Malleck.
This was early in the game, and I think Motley is still at that stage where he takes a couple drives to get warmed up and really start seeing the field.
That makes sense. I guess in the end I'm just not going to worry about it unless it continues to be a problem.
I agree. He had time, I think Brewer throws a TD to Malleck on that play. I think Motley in the 3rd Q throws a TD to Malleck as well. Hopefully 1st Q Motley starts to look more like the 3rd Q Motley that we've seen.
The play where Motley scrambles to the line of scrimmage, but holds to throw to Ford is the exact type of play you see from a QB gaining comfort behind center.
You always want the threat of the run from a dynamic player like Motley, but he will ultimately be more successful and dangerous if defenses can't leave coverage as soon as he leaves the pocket.
Also - Adonis Alexander was on fire - love to see that from a freshman. Big things are coming from him as he fills out and learns the D.
Any opinions on how Huelskamp did? Never saw Lydon so he must have done dencent.
Lydon played late in the game. I saw him absolutely blow up a guy who tried to pick up his blitz
Yep, I saw that one to. He looked like a starting Mike on that play!
I'm pretty positive that Lydon played special teams, but I agree that I don't think he play Mike at all. That being said, if he did play ST then his shirt is burned so they should probably get him some reps.
Lydon was in on that 60-yd TD when our full 2nd string was in late. Their center blew past the D-line and pushed Lydon out of the way, which sprung the RB. Not to say that it was Lydon's fault or anything, but he was in and got abused by a much larger guy.
Well that's a good learning experience for the young man. I hope he has nightmares about it and vows to never let it happen again.
One of the things that stuck out on those replays are the willingness to block by the wide receivers. Cam and Isaiah have seemingly been really solid at that so far this year. The MD7 days are finally past us!
It's great to hear Zohn Burden talking about physical play at that position, and even better to see it on the field.
I've been pretty happy with Motley. He has looked great out there and I fully expect him to continue developing and building confidence. With that said, I think two things will end up making things rough for him when facing better competition. He has made a few throws over the last two weeks that could be picks against better competition. It looks like he stares down his intended receiver which will definitely increase incompletions, but will likely increase interceptions as well. I expect to see his attempt/int ratio to start climbing up.
Shouldn't Motley be up to speed on offense knowledge by now? I mean I know he's taken less reps, but he's still been here the whole Loeffler term.
With all the checks and reads involved in knowing the full playbook, there's a whole lot more than just flipping through some plays and being good to go. Brewer was the guy who was picking up the subtle things that really set a QB apart and his experience running the whole thing last year was a big part of how he got such a big step up. And keep in mind Motley has spent quite a bit of time in the training room the past couple years.
I really do like the direction the offense is headed. I know we played two subpar teams, but honestly, we typically struggle against these types of teams. I would actually like to see a bit more out of the ground game although I will say it is drastically better already than it has been the past 3+ years. I've always been a fan of having a feature back with a guy to spell him every 3 or 4 drives, as opposed to having a RB by committee. Shane seems content on the way he's doing it though, so I guess I will submit to his system.
I thought we would be seeing Shai get more work in, especially when we've been up my multiple scores in the 3rd quarter the past two games. This makes me wonder how healthy he actually is.
He has had a nice blend of JCC, Trey and Travon so far. Somebody pointed out that only JCC has not had a negative yardage play.
I honestly don't really like what I have seen from Trey so far. His two bigger runs were possible because of massive holes provided by the OL that even I could have run through. It troubles me that our "power" back has been getting stuffed in short yardage situations.
True and he was caught from behind on those plays as well. Travon right now is our best back hands down and I think that is why he got the start at Purdue.
As often as not, Trey seems to dance up to the line and then hesitate. Either he can't see the hole, or (I'm afraid) he just isn't sure he wants to throw his body into harm's way. Everyone has been saying that there are two stages to rehab: first you have to make the physical recovery, then you have to get back into the game mentally. In practice everyone was talking about Trey being as good as or better than he was before the injury. But in live game situations he hesitates. Maybe that's the mental recovery being incomplete.
Coleman, Trey and McMillian are all in the 20s for carries so far, and all are posting good numbers. If they can continue to have success with a three back rotation, that means all three are still going to have fresh legs in November.
I thought the defense was very good overall - a couple of bad moments, but in a game where your offense is hanging 50 it's hard to keep up the urgency on defense. I liked Motely's performance. I think the Hokies are in good shape there. He will need to continue to develop and progress. Basically, they beat the tar out of a team they should have beat the tar out of. This win keeps a great season in play.
Well you hang 50 on a P5 team with three fumbles and the number of costly penalties that we had.....You have to like our chances moving into conference play. We get some of that cleaned up (and get Fuller 100% healthy) and this team could be really good by the end. I mean the upside potential is very high.
Whoa
sky's the limit
There have plenty of things that Motley has impressed me with the last two games, but perhaps most of all it's his composure in tough situations. He responded very well to being backed up to our goal line, juggling a snap (which resulted in his scramble for a TD), and again after taking a huge blindside that was returned for six. Brewer has also shown to be more times than not, cool under pressure. Whatever these coaches and players are doing, they need to keep it up.
I think it's the knowledge that Sam will turn his game face on them if they don't give 110%.
Motley looked pretty good, I think he will get better.
My opinion is that it was the wrong move to play Lawson this season. It has been pretty evident he probably wont make a huge impact with a healthy Motley. Brewer will eventually be back as well. With Motley playing this way, it will be near impossible for Lawson to unseat him going into next year. So that makes Lawson a true jr when he probably wins the job. Its not the same situation as Glennon vs Tyrod. Motley can do everything Lawson can, at this point, just as good if not better.
And for the argument that we need to get a back up reps, he hasnt had meaningful in game reps or ran plays that helped his development. Durkin has had a redshirt year and is ready to play, he could fill this role while Lawson develops while red shirting.
Big reason why Lawson's playing right there.
This is just straight-up incorrect. Games are different from practices. Just because he isn't throwing a lot doesn't mean he isn't developing. As for Durkin, he's essentially a battering ram with a lower ceiling than Lawson. So, there's a chance he won't be the long-term guy at QB. On the other hand, the coaches believe Lawson could challenge for the starting spot next year, so might as well throw him in the fire now. Motley has played well, but letting a guy get complacent with his job is a surefire way to have bad QB play down the line, to say nothing of what happens if the starter goes down.
I don't disagree with anything you say, but I still would have preferred not burning Lawson's shirt at this point.
He looked really bad against Purdue, in a situation that should have been pretty comfortable for him. If it all works out in the end, great. But I'm having a hard time seeing a compelling rationale for burning his shirt this year so far.
The way Motley looks so far, and assuming he continues to improve, I don't see any reason to think Lawson will be next year's starter.
I don't know. Will have to see how things unfold. Durkin is a threat with the ball in his hands, and it seems a shame not to get him some opportunities under center, especially when the game is settled anyway.
I think the coaches believe he is going to challenge for the starting job next year and want some game film on him. They also want to help his development by getting some game reps. I think they route the choose to develop him (mostly running plays) is a mistake, I think he should definitely be throwing more, but that's a discussion on development tactics not strategy.
If they honestly think Lawson could push Motley for a starting spot next year after he learns more of the offense, they need him to get reps now.
I'm still personally torn on whether or not I would have done it, but since they've already done it, I can see why. It's easy to see he's superior physically to Motley, he just needs to catch up mentally. Similarly, basketball is pretty easy, you just need to get the ball in the hoop.
As for the snaps he's getting, I will continue to say that he doesn't need to be throwing to develop. He's got some bad habits in terms of his throwing mechanics that need to get fixed. It doesn't help him at all to make the right reads and throw a bunch of balls into the dirt or at defenders. What does help him is letting him see the game at full speed, get hit, see how the defense reacts to what he's doing, and getting the little things down like handing off and making simple reads, not to mention not running into his own guy. But that goes back to my point above: doing it in practice is different from game time. He'll get more comfortable with more game time.
To me, it looks like the coaches are allowing him to get his feet wet without putting too much on him. Not a horrible way to go, and who knows? We may see more added to his plate as the season goes on and he/the coaches gain more confidence in what he can do. It's only week 3.
Additionally, I wouldn't be shocked to see Lawson come in at some point during ACC play and throw it around a bit with everyone in the stadium thinking QB draw or read option. We'll see.
My concern is how many chances are we going to have to give Lawson snaps? We probably dont blow too many more people out, and he didnt get much vs Purdue. Its no way we can take Motley out when the game is still in question, especially if he continues to play well. I agree with your points, but I just think we will wish we had another year of Lawson after he graduates. There are people here that are still sore about Tyrod redshirting and he had a major role in two ACC championship teams during his freshman and sophomore years (both were started out as redshirt seasons) Hopefully, Im wrong, but it doesnt look like Lawson will have that kind of impact this year. Now Brewer is already throwing, so he becomes the 3rd QB in a couple of weeks.
Wishing a hoping means nothing to the kid. What are the odds you decide to force a kid, you fully expect to leave in 3 years to redshirt, when he could get game experience, carefully limited, and solve a dpeth issue??? You still want to force him to do that knowing he wants to go to the NFL? Welcome to (hands spread wide in a rainbow fashion) "Imaginationland."
Leave in 3 years? To the NFL? You really think he is going to leave in three years? Because he was a 4 star recruit? How many quarterbacks leave as true Juniors? We dont even know if he will start next year.
Agreed. I really think people are hyping the Lawson-leaving-early thing. He obviously has a high ceiling but come on.
He sure is going to make one hell of a running back
The coaches are playing for both this year and next year. The season did not end with the loss to OSU or Brewer's injury.
We need a backup QB right now that can play and win games if necessary. Motley's injury history is significant.
Motley is not much ahead of Lawson...Motley did not secure the number 2 slot behind Brewer until late in training camp. Motley knows the playbook a little better and he is playing. There is no reason to assume that one will be ahead of the other after next spring.
The odds of Lawson, or any high level recruit, being at VT for 5 years are near zero. If the player is all that, he'll probably declare for the draft. If he gets beat for the job, he'll probably transfer. There is little reason to redshirt a player that has NFL potential and is physically ready to play as a true Fr.
The last bobbled snap looks like the center snapped the ball early. No one was ready for the ball when he snapped it. I like that Motley was able to think quick and get the touchdown even after the miscue.
Does the way motley stares down his receivers worry anyone? The best defensive backs will be able to pick up on things like that. Several times it seemed as if he decided where the ball was going before the snap
I've noticed some of this as well. Most defenders at the D-1 level will read a QB's eyes if they're in zone coverage, not just the best ones.
I agree that Motley probably has a good idea before the snap where he's going with the pass. He's still unsure if the WR is going to run the correct route and thus, Motley stares it down like he's afraid if he looks away the receiver will turn into a ghost. This is common to every new QB I've ever watched.
This will subside as he becomes more accustomed to plays happening in games like they do in practice, allowing him to focus on the nuances of his position. In short, he's worrying about somebody else's job instead of just doing his.
I call this phase of QB development "knowing just enough to get yourself in big trouble".