Welcoming the Wolfpack to Blacksburg: A Preview of What N.C. State may do in Lane Stadium

Before I delve into Virginia Tech's 2015 matchup with 4-1 North Carolina State, here's a clip from the 2009 game. Some of you may remember this highlight, some of you may not.

Still wondering why I needed a mouthpiece for that...

The Wolfpack seem very good on paper on both sides of the ball. N.C. State's defense has performed strongly against the run and the pass, and has shown the ability to put points on the board. Their offense has put up big numbers in terms of yards and points, and quarterback Jacoby Brissett has yet to throw an interception (although he came within 2 inches of one). Additionally, they have explosive players at the skill positions, specifically TE/FB Jaylen Samuels. Based on the way the Hokies have played in the past couple games, one would think they are immediately headed for 2-4. However, most all of N.C. State's success so far has come against non-power five schools. In their game versus Louisville, the Wolfpack ran into (almost quite literally) an opponent who exposed some vulnerabilities. The Hokies will need to exploit these weaknesses in order to come out with the W on Friday night. To the film!

Louisville Tames the Pack in the Box

N.C. State can run the football. Pick most any play from their first 4 games (259 yard average against Troy, Eastern Kentucky, Old Dominion and South Alabama) and you'll probably see them moving the ball down the field on the ground. At a glance, most of their success came because their offensive line out-blocked the defensive fronts they faced. The same did not hold true against Louisville. The Cardinals simply out-muscled the Pack at the point of attack, got penetration into the backfield and shed blocks to make plays.

At the snap of the ball, the Louisville play side defensive tackle blows Tyler Jones (No. 53) clear into the backfield, immediately causing running back Matthew Dayes (No. 21) to widen his run. At the same time, Louisville's down backer Keith Brown (No. 1) drives his blocker upfield and maintains contain. Brown also keeps his hands free from the blocker, allowing him to move as Dayes adjusts his path. This enables Brown to come off his block, and make the tackle before Dayes is able to use his athleticism to get downfield.

The physicality Louisville's front line brought against the Wolfpack's offensive line made it hard for N.C. State to create holes. In this next clip, the play is designed to have the running back follow the pulling guard (No. 50) through the hole (the blocking stance taken by N.C. State's TE also confirms this).

See the hole? Probably not, because it wasn't there. It didn't materialize because Louisville drove the Wolfpack backwards and collapsed it. As the running back adjusted, he ran into linebackers that were allowed to run free. End result? Not much.

The same principles allowed Louisville's defense to put a hold on the Jacoby Brissett (No. 12). Brissett is an athletic player who has a strong arm and the ability to stand in the pocket to make throws. He also has the capability to scramble around and beat defenses with his feet (I know, another mobile QB). Louisville contained him by winning in the trenches.

In this drop back pass / fake QB draw / pass (I don't know why Brissett acts as if he is going to run a draw), center Quinton Schooley (No. 60) got bullied and pushed straight back into Brissett's face. As Brissett tries to scramble outside, Louisville's defensive end (No. 97) keeps his hands free, sheds his block and makes the play. There's nothing exotic about Louisville's rush (they only brought 5 and everyone was blocked initially), the Cardinals' defensive line was just better than the Wolfpack's offensive line. This was a common theme throughout the game.

Tech's Defense Must Keep an Eye on Jaylen Samuels

The Wolfpack like to get the ball to Jaylen Samuels (No. 28), one of N.C. State's better athletes, in a variety of ways. On this play, Samuels catches the ball on a bubble screen lined up wide in trips formation. Even with a poorly thrown pass, Samuels (with the help of a couple good blocks) is able to scamper down the sideline for the touchdown.

Now Samuels is lined up as an H-Back (just behind the TE) and breaks to the flat.

Finally, here's a bit of trickeration. Samuels motions across the formation to hang out for the throwback pass off a run fake to the opposite side of the field. (Feel free to ignore the wide open post route since it's clear Brissett did as well.)

The moral of this story here is the Samuels is a versatile player for the Wolfpack, and they will try and get him the ball any way they can. The Hokies MUST make sure someone knows where he is at all times, and is in a position to tackle him when he gets ball.

Shovel Passes and Sweeps

The final two clips are plays that have shown to be favorites of the Wolfpack. The first is a shovel pass to Dayes.

After the first time N.C. State ran the shovel, Louisville seemed to cue on it pretty well and was able to stop it the next two times. However, I wouldn't be surprised though if N.C. State at least gives it a shot against the Hokies early on.

Another Wolfpack go-to play is the jet sweep. It seemed to catch South Alabama off guard, and N.C. State was able to score on Louisville with it down inside the red zone. The tough part about defending this play is that, by handing the ball off directly to the man in motion, the ball carrier is able to get outside quickly with momentum. The plus side (from a defensive perspective) is that the pre-snap motion by the ball carrier can tip off a defense as to when this may occur. Unprepared for though, this play could break for a long run against the Hokies, or turn into a touchdown inside the red zone.

Defensive Overview

Virginia Tech's woes along the offensive line are no secret to other teams, so I think there's a good chance N.C. State may change it up somewhat from what they have shown so far on film. In the game versus Louisville, the Wolfpack didn't show anything too aggressive in terms of their blitzing. Generally speaking, the Wolfpack rushed with their four down defenders, and then brought a blitzing linebacker from an outside position.

As this play ends up, there are 5 defenders for the 5 offensive linemen. Sounds like an even matchup right? In theory, this should be relatively easy for an offensive line to handle. The tough part is knowing where the fifth man is coming from. With some communication and shifting as the play develops, a blitz like this can be picked up easily. However, it is that same communication and shifting that has caused problems for the Hokies' offensive line. If this continues to be a problem on Friday night, you can expect to see some sacks and frantic scrambles from whoever is under center for Tech.

The next clip reinforces what I talked about above. Again, the Wolfpack only bring 5 defenders. In this case, 3 of those defenders are linemen, and 2 of them are blitzing linebackers. To compensate for losing two secondary defenders to the blitz, a lineman drops into zone coverage in the flat on the opposite side of the field.

As you can see, Louisville was unable to adjust to where the pressure came from, so even though they had enough blockers (actually plenty of blockers with the 2 backs in the backfield staying in for coverage at first), the Wolfpack was still able to pressure the quarterback to throw incomplete. It is critical for Tech's offensive line and quarterbacks to be sure of their protection / slide calls, in order to pick up the pressure regardless of where it originates.

The best way for the Hokies to beat zone blitzes is to complete routes that attack the holes in the zone behind the pressure. Louisville accomplished this by throwing quick slants.

On this play, the slant by the receiver closest to the ball pulls N.C. State's defender to open up a passing lane to the slant behind him. The massive cushion given to the inside receiver by the safety allows plenty of time to connect on the slant route; it's something that the Hokies can use to their advantage too.

Even down near the goal line, the Wolfpack safety Hakim Jones (No. 1) is lined up nearly 7 yards off of his receiver. With the middle linebacker staying close to the line of scrimmage for underneath support, the quick hitting slant route is open for the touchdown.

Exploiting mismatches with the defensive coverage will be critical for the Hokies to move the ball through the air. Whether it be with Isaiah Ford blowing past the safety on a double move.

Or a bigger tight end (hello Bucky Hodges) dominating an outside linebacker in coverage.

The Hokies have the opportunity to explore downfield passing options this game. A commonality among all of these plays is that the slot receiver was the intended target. Will the play calling take advantage of this? Let's hope so.

Summary and Keys to the Game

When N.C. State has the ball:

• Tech's defensive line needs to be physical with the Wolfpack's offensive line in order to stop the run / scrambling ability of Brissett.
• N.C. State will try to get the ball to Samuels in a few different ways. The Hokies need to keep an eye out for him.
• Tech should be aware of the jet sweep and shovel passes that the Wolfpack likes to run, and be ready for the occasional not-conventional-but-not-a-trick-play play.

When Virginia Tech has the ball:

• Be aware that, although the Wolfpack haven't shown rushes with numbers, it is sometimes unclear as to where pressure may come from.
• Active play by the Wolfpack linebackers will leave openings for the slot receivers over the middle.
• Matchups with the Hokies' wide receivers / tight ends and Wolfpack's safeties / outside linebackers need to be exploited to the Hokies' favor — especially given the cushion allowed by the N.C. State defenders on film. Expect an active day from Hokies' slot receivers.

Enjoy the game everyone!