The U is definitely still not back. But watching the game last night they kept up with FSU's Top DT pressure and gonna be interesting with the passing game. Miami had about 1 yard per attempt in rushing but Kaaya took over with 405 passing yards. And defensively Miami brought lots of pressure that a mobile QB was able to escape. But Still played aggressively. They just can't tackle a good running back as Cook had over 200 yards. Looks like it's gonna be a lot different than NC State
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I think it depends completely on which VT team shows up. Will it be the ECU/Pitt VT or will it be NC State/others VT?
Very good WRs and QB. OL isn't as good a running blocking group as last year. They would be very susceptible to the old stretch play that looked like an outside zone but actually was man blocked that the Hokies used so well with Darren Evans and David Wilson. Cook got most of his yardage on runs where the OL reached the end and sealed the safety/OLB to the outside. One hole, no read, and he booked it up field.
So similar to mcmillians td?
They'll give us a tough fight, I'd say it's pretty dead even right now. Having a Mobile QB in Motley might be useful against their D so even if Brewer is back we might still see him quite involved in the offense.
You expect Motley to be mobile in a week after how he looked a at the end of the NC State game?
If Brewer can't go, we might be in trouble.
We beat Miami in their house.
heavy contact on their WRs at LOS screws up routes, and pressure forces poor decisions. We get INTs this Saturday.
Their defense is vulnerable to runs not between the tackles, exactly where our strengths are. We get rushing yards.
Their DEs and OLBs get irritated by getting beat for yards that they start over committing to compensate and we get Bucky and Malleck behind them for short routes and require their backs to constantly have to tackle big TEs.
A couple of outs to Ford and Phillips keeps them stretched wide.
Good play calling beats their defense.
We prove Miami is not back.
Again.
That's certainly optimistic after last year's performance, but I hope you're right.
At least they don't have Duke Johnson this year.
Yeah, it's Sunday and I have my colored glasses on.
Just you wait. This team is already good enough to contend for a trip to Charlotte, and with their great core group of young players they'll reload and make some noise on the national level next season.
on point
Weren't we supposed to re-group with all of our returning talent and make some noise on the national level this season?
Yes, except you're forgetting that VT recruiting << UM recruiting, which should lead to better results faster for the Canes. Which is only what I've been trying to tell you for a decade, but you never listen.
I thought you were talking about us in your comment not a sarcastic Miami joke. You don't have to tell me that our recruiting isn't close to Miami but that they annually underachieve despite being "back". I'm well aware haha
love that confidence!!!
I think we are about to have a hard time in Miami. Not just being pessimistic. Let me explain.
I'm worried we have backed ourselves into a corner. Motley isn't just banged up, he has a sprained ankle. It's one thing to tape the fuck out of it immediately after spraining it, but even if it's a mild sprain (possible since Motley walked off the field putting weight on it) it'll at least take a couple days for the swelling to go down. Either way, it will limit Motley's mobility to some degree. It'll be an issue.
So then does Lefty abandon the QB power? Or does he still run it knowing Motley will get hurt at some point in the game? If you limit Motley's mobility, his level of play diminishes. If you run him, he will tweak the ankle again.
Also, Motley's passing got worse after the ankle injury. It didn't look like he could plant right and step into his throws. That will be a big problem if the ankle is still hurting him, and I've never heard of a sprained ankle being 100% in eight days.
I could see the offense being ugly for Miami if Motley is still feeling it. Lefty's top job this week is developing a game plan that can be effective if Motley is hobbled and Brewer isn't cleared to return.
I totally think we can still win, I just think the QB situation makes this by far the biggest challenge we've faced this season. (Yes, counting OSU.)
Fully expecting Brewer to start and play the whole game barring injury.
I hope you're right, as a Hokie, and also for Motley's sake. That young man has earned a week off.
Yeah, I think we see both in the Duke game though. Motley needs and deserves rest this week.
what???? no QB should ever earn a week off unless its a BYE week. im sorry! but no one was saying brewer earned a week off when he was getting banged up they were all talking about how much heart he had. if you don't want mot to play just say so. sorry rant over. that got me a little fired up there illini hokie! hope it wasn't to over the top.
2ndly I think this is a perfect time to start using that package they keep talking about with Lawson. run the QB powers with Lawson (or durkin which I personally would prefer) yeah it maybe predictable when they are in but its still a numbers game and about executing and making the d account for everyone. plus you cant keep pounding motley if he is as banged up as he looks.
A few random thoughts:
1. Bad weather in the forecast again. Temp low to mid 80's, with current models showing about 60 % chance of rain dropping through the game window. We have the weather jinx this year, for sure.
2. We're playing in Sun Life / Pro Player / What is it called this week? Stadium. Miami seems to be a team that responds much better to a hostile environment than a neutral/home one, at least where VT / Florida State are involved. I'm not talking about W/L, or yards - calculator wise they perform fine at home. It's the intangibles - the stadium doesn't have it's own atmosphere. Maybe I'm just spoiled by Lane.
3. Kaaya was spot on with a lot of balls last night. I lost track at four drops in the second half. His QBR is 140.38, with only one pick so far. His o-line did a nice job with a very aggressive FSU defensive line, aside from some kid named Sweat who sounds vaguely familiar. They were lousy on 3rd down until FSU - where they were 50%. It's not ECU's Air Raid, and not Air Coryell. It did look sharp, so let's hope Facyson and our young DBU can build off the NC State game. The good news is that he still doesn't look apt to break off a 30 yard run. We absolutely have to get off the field on 3rd down against them, though.
4. With our McMilliDude, and a couple of Teller pancakes - we could see some decent runs against the Miami D. Their ability to get pressure around the edges concerns me a lot; Golston took a few good hits that we can't afford to expose our QBs to. Hopefully we can exploit their aggresiveness with the run game.
We really need to win this game, because my best friend (a big Hurricane booster) will have to fly a VT flag from his boat for the year, and use HokieBird club head covers on the golf course. Otherwise... I shudder to think of it.
Come clean. What do you have to do if we lose?
Fly the Hurricane flag down here on the River, where it can be seen by all the NRJ Tubers next summer... And use Ibis head covers on my own golf bag. There may also be a couple quart jars involved against some fresh catch, but that's the less formal side of it.
Placing friendly bets on Hokie Football is like betting on *Horse on a Treadmill*. You've got the best horse some days, but you never cross the line...
Kaaya was throwing baseball pitches for a good portion of the night from what I saw...
To be fair, things went pretty well last time we played in the rain at Miami.
2013 for those of you with poor memories.
We won, for those of you with poor memories and are too lazy to Google things.
http://bfy.tw/2FMN
I think we have a classic ACC Coastal Chaos game with an inconsistent VT against an inconsistent Miami. The only sure thing about it is that you better be ready to lose your money if you bet on the game. ;)
This is the most sound take in this whole thread.
After watching some of the game last night, I have to admit to being a little bit envious of watching FSU pound the rock. I still find my self wanting more of a power run game between the tackles. I loved watching the I-formation and counter pitch off the sweep. Is it too much to ask to see more of that, Scot? Pretty please?
I still think we can have success with Motley out of the power I with Rogers and "the dude". We have to stop asking our guys to think so much. We don't run enough of what we do really well...which is what, I know... Dammit
I have a very simple theory - If we can score early (first quarter) we can win. That simple. It is easy to recognize just how much better our defense plays when the offense scores. Get behind on these guys and the you just watch the wind go out of the sails.
East Carolina?
Yeah - I was waiting for that - but......those were gimme TDS!!!
Gotta drive the field and show that we can move the ball.
Still think O supports or destroys the mentality of this team.
Is it just me, or is Florida State a complete fraud at this point?
No more so than anOSU, TCU or MSU right now.
I think Duke is a bit of a fraud. I know they aren't as ranked as high as FSU but Duke hasn't played anyone other than Northwestern.
And...Northwestern got crushed (38-0 Bro!)
My parents and brother are Northwestern alumni and season ticket holders. I'm actually making the trip up to Evanston to watch them play Penn St in Nov. (bi-week for VT). Saturday was a very somber day for the Fett Family.
Las Vegas has Miami a 7-pt favorite. Seems about right. I think VT covers, and probably wins outright, but I'm not jumping on VT's bandwagon after 1-1 in the ACC. Miami will probably have sluggish week at practice, after the FSU loss and the uncertainty hanging around Golden.
FWIW, Sagarin has VT as 1 pt better than Miami on a neutral field.
Well, ProPlayer is pretty damn neutral.
How cool would it be if Lawson beat Miami.
Cool but also not cool, considering what that would mean with regards to our QB situation...
....in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Bingo! I actually think Lefty learns his lesson and turns loose the running game after the second half last year where we pounded it down only to fumble it away. Right Lefty?
I'm not sure what we are to learn from this post.
Absolutely nothing.
Surprisingly, VT defense is making up ground. 4 out of 5 games giving up less than 300 yards. Even the other game, 410 to ECU, was pretty good as they have been in the mid 500s since that game. The OSU game is throwing off our stats. Nobody has been over 20 First Downs since then, an easy barometer of a quality defensive performance. Of note, miami offense has declined every game the last four.
Miami, on the other hand, is struggling on defense. Giving up over 450 for three straight games. Their first game of the year was holding an awful Bethune Cookman team to 71 total yards. We have a chance to move the ball and put up points. Miami has allowed over 22 FDs the last four games.
If we score early and don't Pitt The Bed* on offense, we've got a good shot here.
*trademark pending
Not to mention, Dadi has been shut out on sacks. But good god, I've lost count of how many times he has bounced off the QB on what should be a gimme sack for him. I just rewatched the NCState game and I saw that happen at least three times. I think we need to look for a big game out of him soon. Hopefully this week at Miami.
Same against Cardell. Tough to tackle a QB who is bigger than you.
The thing is, Dadi isn't actually being shrugged off by these QBs most of the time. He's completely missing them.
Does it look to anyone else like Dadi is just simply tackling really high this year? He's getting thrown aside like I've never seen. And on one play (I believe it is also shown in French's film review today), he's basically giving Brissett a piggyback ride and it takes three defenders to complete the tackle. Never good to see that.
Yeah I wasn't sure what it was about Dadi this year, but he doesn't seem like he's getting after it as much as he used to. I've been wondering when he'd turn in a performance like the olden days.
Maybe Wiles should give him the same treatment that Teller is getting from Searles.
Just pure speculation, but maybe he's got a nagging injury we don't know about (not the hand)?
It's crossed my mind. I'd hate for that to be the case. The guy plays with such a motor that it would be really hard to tell. Just very odd watching him try to tackle, week to week, with less power and leverage that I'm used to seeing.
Unfortunately, you are correct.
Home team hasn't fared well in this series
Maybe Chase Utley can give Dadi tips about how to tackle.
Hope a lot of VT fans show up! Me, my wife, and her friend will be there ready to cheer on the Hokies! I am excited that when we do win they are good wins by a large margin, I still believe without losing Brewer, Fuller, Reavis, and Moto temporarily we could be undefeated! We have had our chances but experience is being gained and the coaches are learning for example McMillian needs more carries and Stroman doesn't need to be a cb.
Pretty sure if a dozen VT fans show up the stadium will be fairly evenly split in terms of fan support.
We are going to get slaughtered...
Where did you find this picture???
On the internet.
There's lotsa pictures on the internet.
You can find anything on the internet these days.
Yes, but some things were meant to stay hidden.
That particular picture hasn't been hidden for a good three years or so now.
It's funny because when I go into games with that attitude we somehow pull it out and win. It's the ones where I'm optimistic that we shat ourselves.
So yep, slaughtered.
I sort of passively watched the game while I was tooling around on TKP
I think Kaaya will give our secondary a lot of trouble. Our offense will need to put at least 4 TDs on the board to give us a chance to win this game. It will be interesting to see if we show up as Jekyll or Hyde
Interesting stat I heard during their game, over the last 10 years, Miami is 2-8 the week after playing FSU.
It is like they live to try and beat their in state rivals, then after they lose yet again they give up on the rest of the season.
Wait, you mean the guys who get all puffed up and talk a big game about all their swagger wilt in situations that require actual mental toughness and lead to seasons where they have more draft picks than wins? I don't believe it.*
*if you need me to put the /s, I really can't help you.
They also have Clemson the week after VT. Odd as it may sound, VT could be a lack of focus game for them.
ill chalk this game up as a loss.... anything can happen, but I don't it. Miami isnt "back" but they sure do look a lot better
I say Loeffler should attack RB-turned-S Dallas Crawford. He can't cover to save his life, and our TEs would eat him alive.
As a twist, instead of using Stroman for jet sweep motion only, let him start out in motion but then run right past Crawford so that he can walk into the end zone with the ball on a perfectly placed pass by whoever is calling the signals for us.
Every time I read the title of this thread, the Foo Fighters start playing in my head:
Thank you for that!