Heading into the 2015 season, Bud Foster hoped the Hokies would be playing in one of college football's premier bowl games come wintertime. But after enduring a 6-6 season marked by Michael Brewer's broken collarbone, the Hokies' longtime defensive coordinator doesn't mind the consolation prize one bit.
"It's really ironic I think that we're going back to this," said Foster of the Hokies' Independence Bowl matchup with Tulsa. "It's where we started with Coach. It's where we're gonna finish with Coach. I'd like to finish the right way."
And while a wise betting man would likely put the mortgage on Frank Beamer being carried off the field one final time, Beamer's players stress that the emphasis heading into the Hokies' 23rd straight bowl game remains solely on the players.
"He's never been the type of guy to make it about him. He's always making it about us, about this university, about the fans," said cornerback Brandon Facyson. "Since he's announced his retirement, I've seen no change. He's always been the same upbeat person that loves the game, loves us. He never makes it about himself."
Michael Brewer's Collegiate Career Winds to a Close
College football has taken Michael Brewer on quite the journey, one that will come to an end on December 26th in Shreveport, Louisiana. Fittingly, Tulsa wide receiver Conner Floyd — a childhood friend and high school teammate of Brewer at Lake Travis — will be on the opposite sideline.
"It's cool," said Brewer. "We kind of started this thing together in high school and even before that. We grew up, third or fourth grade, playing football together. He was always my receiver, I was always his quarterback. It'll be fun to kind of end our careers together on the same field."
But even though Brewer's playing days are numbered, the Texas native is still considering getting into coaching down the road.
"I've had a lot of people that are kind of trying to push me in that direction, telling me that I should try it," said Brewer. "I guess that many people can't be wrong. We'll see. I haven't decided on anything yet. It's definitely a possibility."
Scot Loeffler, the Hokies' offensive coordinator and Brewer's position coach, didn't shy away from handing out his take on the matter.
"I'm trying. I'm working like heck," said Loeffler. "He'd be awesome. I think he'd be a great coach. Not a good coach, a great coach."
And while Brewer likely had visions of a grander stage for his final collegiate game, the senior signal-caller managed to find a silver lining in the Hokies' upcoming trip to Shreveport.
"20 minutes away from the Texas border," joked Brewer. "It's great."
Loeffler on Offense's Future
Scot Loeffler will almost certainly not be back in Blacksburg next season, a reality that the third-year offensive coordinator seemed fully aware of on Thursday. But with skill positions flush with young talent and multiple capable quarterbacks behind Brewer, Loeffler remains excited for the future of the Hokies' offense.
"They're gonna do a great job and they're gonna win," said Loeffler of Justin Fuente's new coaching staff. "I'm confident with that. I'm excited for the new coaching staff. I'm excited for our players. It's gonna be a great deal in Blacksburg."
One source of that excitement is undoubtedly Isaiah Ford, the Hokies' star wideout who was named First-Team All-ACC by the conference's coaches on Wednesday.
"He's been a player that's taken great strides. I think he has the ability to take another step," said Loeffler. "I think one more great offseason, one more year of working on technique and fundamentals, he can be really, really special...He's got that mentality. He's a skilled guy that you'll find here at 10:00 at night working on his trade. He gets it. He preps like he's an NFL football player. And for a 19 year old guy to get that, prep the way that he does, he's gonna have a long, long future playing this game. No question about it."
But with Brewer graduating and a new offensive coaching staff thrown into the mix, uncertainty at the quarterback position will be one of the main storylines surrounding the 2016 version of the Hokies. Current freshman Dwayne Lawson appears poised to challenge for the job, but he'll be forced to beat out Brenden Motley, Chris Durkin, and any freshmen that Fuente decides to bring in. Lawson saw limited playing time this year, but Loeffler insists that the future remains bright for the former four-star recruit.
"He's got as good of talent as I've been around. Very similar to the guys that I've coached that are playing in the NFL," said Loeffler. "He needs to take the next step, though. There's a reason he didn't play this year. He needs to take the next step of being the entire package. We have a saying that 75% of the quarterback position is between your ears. He has the ability to learn. He gets football. But it's all the little things that he needs to improve on to be the guy."
But despite the question marks surrounding the position, whomever ends up taking the reigns of the Hokies' offense will be fortunate enough to work in a system that Loeffler called "very similar" to his own offense.
"I think the transition for our players is gonna be very easy," said Loeffler. "Structure-wise, they do a lot of the very, very similar things that we do. Formationally, they're very similar. Probably play at a different pace. They probably play faster. But from a structure end, our kids are gonna have zero trouble transitioning...You always worry about a new head coach coming in and it being completely different. That's not the case. Run style-wise, they're very similar. Pass protection-wise, they're very similar. Route structure wise, they're very similar. That's gonna be really, really helpful for our kids transitioning to the next staff."
Asked to sum up his time in Blacksburg, one word from Loeffler stuck out in particular — challenging.
"At times, challenging," said Loeffler. "Year 1 was extremely challenging. Year 2, playing a bunch of freshman was challenging. Year 3, you thought you had everything right where you wanted it to be and the next thing you know your quarterback is out in the second half of the Ohio State game. So there was a lot of prep and planning, a lot of contingency plans took place. I think we're better. I think the next staff will do a great job of taking it to the next level."
Mike Gentry's Impact on Virginia Tech Football
Virginia Tech's longtime strength and conditioning coach Mike Gentry announced his retirement on Tuesday from the post that he held for all 29 years of the Frank Beamer era in Blacksburg. Asked how important Gentry was to the Hokies' success, Foster — a former neighbor of Gentry — simply shook his head in awe before finding the proper words to do Gentry's contributions justice.
"I'll say this — Mike Gentry has had as big an impact on this program as anybody that has been in this building," said Foster. "What he means as far as his toughness, obviously everybody understands the physical part of what he does in the weight room, but the mental part of it, the mental toughness, the mental strength, the attitude, the demeanor, that's all Mike Gentry. That was our foundation."
The list of players being "Gentry-fied" — the term endearingly used for physical development in the weight room — is endless, but one player in particular stood out to Foster.
"Cody Grimm's a perfect example," said Foster. "He's a guy that came in here at about 165 pounds and left here and played in the NFL for a few seasons."
Shane Beamer had Grimm beat by a whopping three pounds coming out of high school, but Gentry molded him into a contributor just the same.
"I came in as a 168 pound little receiver from Blacksburg High School," said Beamer. "I walked out of here four and a half years later, had put on 30 pounds. I wouldn't say I was one of his best performers ever in the weight room, but I certainly made some gains and gave myself the ability to play out there on Saturdays and that's directly because of Coach Gentry."
"When I get around former players, they still talk about Coach Gentry and horror stories," added Beamer.
Starting fullback Sam Rogers, notorious for his unrelenting work ethic, also heaped praise on Gentry.
"He's one of those guys, he speaks, everybody's listening," said Rogers. "That's just the presence he brings in the room. He's not a guy that you wanna upset or disappoint. A lot of people work really hard for him."
Fuente and Foster Hit the Recruiting Trail
With Beamer set to lead his Hokies one final time in Shreveport, incoming head coach Justin Fuente has been able to turn his focus to the recruiting trail. And with a 39 year old head coach now leading the charge, Foster said any negative recruiting related to coaching instability should disappear.
"The sell is not extremely hard," said Foster. "What we've done here traditionally is still good, is still in place with Coach Fuente and his vision...Now you've got a guy that's gonna be here. That's kind of the thing that we've heard going through recruiting. 'Yeah, you can go play for a legend, but he's not gonna be there for your timeframe there.' Now that's a little bit different. I've been with Coach (Fuente) on the road and he's dynamic with the recruits, with the families. There's a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of energy."
And even though much of Fuente's coaching experience took place a sizable distance away from the homes of the majority of the Hokies' potential recruits, Foster believes Fuente's offensive track record gives him instant credibility.
"Most of our kids have a pretty good football IQ," said Foster. "What he's done at TCU as offensive coordinator and the success that they had, he was a big part of TCU taking that step to where they are now. Obviously he took a program that might have been the worst program in Division 1A in Memphis and did a great job. He got the attitude changed and brought in new players. That's not a tough sell. What he has done offensively, to mix that with what we have done traditionally defensively, I think the people around this state, around the area, can see an excitement and hopefully getting Virginia Tech back to where we were just a few years ago."
Fuente also decided to keep both secondary coach Torrian Gray and defensive line coach Charley Wiles on staff, a blessing that Foster won't soon overlook.
"It's real big," said Foster. "I think it keeps our continuity in what we've done here defensively. We've done some really good things. Every year we have expectations to be the best. It doesn't (always) work out that way, but we work that way. Our mindset's that way. We're selling that to the kids and drilling that into the kids. If they buy into it, we can take that next step. But having those guys here, I don't have to reteach a whole new system to three or four different guys. We know each other's likes. They know my expectations. They know my habits which is a big part of it. I know theirs. We've just got a great working relationship. Understanding the scheme, understanding the defense, understanding the personnel. It was big for me."
Bowl Preparation Set to Begin
With the staff in a transition period and the players focusing on classes, film study of Tulsa has been sparse to date, but that will soon change as the Hokies begin to prepare for the high-powered Tulsa offense led by former Baylor offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery.
"I see a team that's well balanced," said Foster. "They run it for about 173 (yards) a game which I was hoping that they wouldn't have that kind of success running the football. They throw it for about 330 yards a game. They're averaging 35 points a game. Just some dynamic playmakers at the skill positions. A team that's got a lot of potential and that's scary offensively. We'll have to play very, very well."
Defense, however, has been an entirely different story. The Golden Hurricanes are ranked 126th in the country in total defense, ahead of just winless Kansas and offensive juggernaut Texas Tech.
And with one of Brewer's best childhood friends wrapping up his career in Tulsa, the Hokies' signal-caller has watched as much of the Golden Hurricanes as possible this year. His takeaway? There's yards to be had.
"They play a lot of teams that like to throw it around. They've had some issues stopping that, teams spreading out, playing fast," said Brewer. "We'll kind of break down the film and look at why that's the case and make adjustments to what we're gonna do."
That notion is likely music to Isaiah Ford's ears as the sophomore wideout is just 63 yards away from his preseason goal of 1,000 receiving yards. And if the Hokies opt to keep the ball on the ground, Travon McMillian (961 yards) should eclipse the 1,000 yard mark as well.
And given the fact that McMillian was used sparingly early in the season, the redshirt freshman tailback will have his sights set even higher next year.
"Next year is gonna be 1,800," said McMillian of his individual rushing goal for 2016.
Additional Quotes
Frank Beamer
ON LUTHER MADDY:
"Luther, he's made out of the right stuff. You get in those meetings, who's gonna be captain? Anytime Luther's name came up, that was right. Who do you want up talking in front of the team? Our guys talk in front of the team and you like to plan that out sometimes. There's people you want talking and maybe some people you don't want talking. Anytime that was the case, get Luther up there. The guy that's talking before the team needs to have the respect of the team, needs to be a guy that can play. People respect him for that. And need to have a team-first (attitude). Luther is all of those. Glad he's been in our program...He's been a terrific player and a great, great person."
ON IF THE 1993 INDEPENDENCE BOWL WAS THE COUNTRY'S FIRST GLIMPSE OF BEAMERBALL:
"I think it turned out that way. We kind of built the program on play great defense, be good in the kicking game. The kicking game can affect the game the quickest, win-wise, lose-wise. Every play's a momentum play. Can be points involved. It's a turnaround. It's a momentum play. And then defense, if you play defense, you're gonna have a chance to win in the 4th quarter...And then be good enough on offense. Be efficient when you get in a position to score. Get your points on the board. To me that's the way to go about it."
ON MEMBERS OF HIS COACHING STAFF FINDING NEW JOBS:
"I firmly believe that our guys will end up OK. It's always this time of year jobs are coming around...They're good coaches and they're good people. And they know, I've made a couple of calls, and will call anyone. I wouldn't have any trouble, not one bit of trouble, recommending any of my staff to anyone else. I mean that. Sometimes you say that and you've got a guy or two you're not too sure about, but that's not the case here."
ON THE ORIGINS OF HIS DANCE MOVES:
"J.C. Coleman. I owe all of my dance moves to J.C...When it came time to dance after the Virginia game, I thought of J.C. I'm not saying any of my stuff looked like his. But that's who I was trying to imitate. I wanted to get a little short guy."
ON THE HOKIES' CHRISTMAS PLANS:
"I think one of the biggest deals right now is getting John Ballein in a Santa suit."
Joey Slye
ON HIS SEASON:
"A little disappointed. There's kicks I definitely wish I could take back. But I'm also pretty happy just from the aspect that I had a lot of field goals this year, pretty consistent from 40-49, 30-39...Definitely want to hit one from 50, just to get that out of the way."
Brandon Facyson
ON FACING A HIGH-POWERED SPREAD OFFENSE:
"We're not gonna shy away from anything like that. We'll try to do what we do."
ON EARLY INTERACTION WITH JUSTIN FUENTE:
"Haven't had too much contact with him. I understand he's been on the road recruiting and things of that nature. From what I can tell, from what everyone else can tell, he's a passionate guy about the game. He makes his presence felt. I look forward to getting to know more of him as we go along."
ON RESEARCHING JUSTIN FUENTE:
"I did google a lot, to be honest. Me, my father, we were texting back and forth just wondering who the next head coach would be. I didn't find out too much about him. One of my friends actually is the punter at Memphis and he told me he's a great guy. Great coach...I trust my friends word on that."
Michael Brewer
ON PLAYING AGAINST CHILDHOOD FRIEND CONNER FLOYD IN HIS FINAL COLLEGE GAME:
"We talked on the phone right after they came out with all the bowl games. It's cool. We kind of started this thing together in high school and even before that. We grew up, third or fourth grade, playing football together. He was always my receiver, I was always his quarterback. It'll be fun to kind of end our careers together on the same field."
ON HIS HEALTH/HOW LONG IT TOOK TO FEEL NORMAL AFTER THE UVA GAME:
"I feel normal now. It definitely took a while. I needed some time off, about a week did it."
ON FRANK BEAMER:
"He means so much to Virginia Tech. Football team, athletic department, everything. Everything that's about Virginia Tech, he's put a stamp on."
ON HIS COLLEGE CAREER/EMOTIONS OF FINAL GAME:
"It'll be pretty emotional. College football has kind of taken me through quite a bit of a roller coaster ride. Graduating high school early, going to Texas Tech, ending up here. Getting hurt a couple of times. It's been crazy. Obviously there's some things that I wish had gone better, but at the same time I wouldn't trade my experience for anything. I'll be sad to see it end."
Scot Loeffler
ON BOWL PREPARATION:
"In a normal situation, you're really trying to rep as many young kids as you can. Develop your team. We're in a transition, obviously, so we're still repping a little bit of the older players. Having fast, short crisp practices and we'll start actually game prep I believe Sunday."
ON MICHAEL BREWER:
"He's been beat up all year long. I've said this many times, I would have loved to see him play an entire season. I think Isaiah Ford's record would already be done. He'd already have 1,000 yards and all that. Not to say Motley didn't do a great job, he did. He did a great job in a tough situation. But I really would have loved to watch him play an entire season."
ON GRADING HIMSELF FOR HIS FOOTBALL VS. LIFE BALANCE THIS SEASON:
"D (laughs). Actually, it probably would have been a B- to a C. Standing up in the press box on the left hash on I think the 40 yard line, watching your quarterback go out, it changed real quick...I found a little bit better place in sleeping. Again, this is a tough business. When things change, you gotta change. You want to give your guys the opportunity to have success."
Bud Foster
ON RECRUITING OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS:
"We would recruit this time of year regardless of who our head coach is. The only thing that is a little bit different is you're jumping around...I've been in my territory. I've been at the beach. I've been in Jersey. We've been all around trying to get our guys. Coach Fuente has hit the ground running and doing a great job. And his staff, I'm really excited about those guys and being a part of this next chapter. But we've hit the ground running and we're doing it hard. Now the next thing for me is now we gotta get into football mode a little bit and make sure we finish things out the right way for Coach Beamer, for this senior class and this season."
ON THE 1993 INDEPENDENCE BOWL:
"It was a big deal. Just the previous year we were 2-8-1. We were leading 7 of those 8 games we lost going into the fourth quarter...To get to that bowl, we won a couple big games along the way. But then to get that invitation, that was really big for this team. There weren't as many bowls 23 years ago. This was one of the granddaddy bowls. We've got a picture of it up here that shows how important that bowl was to get us jump started. We beat a really good Indiana team."
Shane Beamer
ON PLAYERS BEING FRESHER AFTER TIME OFF:
"I think so. I think everyone out there looks fresher. All of our guys. Obviously the running back position, you take a pounding. Travon was our primary ball-carrier the second half of the season. He's a tough, tough kid...He needed it. Michael Brewer's as tough, if not tougher, than any player I've ever been around. The way that he hung in there throughout the season, the last game, is impressive."
ON MEMORIES OF 1993 INDEPENDENCE BOWL:
"One of my favorite videos or shots of his time at Virginia Tech is right before half and we returned the blocked kick for a touchdown. And all of the coaches had come down from the press box already to make halftime adjustments. If you watch the video, the entire coaching staff is down in the end zone that had come down from the press box. John Ballein, (Bryan) Stinespring, Ricky Bustle. There was a mob down there in the end zone as we scored that touchdown before the half. It was a really, really cool day."
ON IF HIS DAD'S CHANGED AT ALL SINCE ANNOUNCING HIS RETIREMENT:
"I think he's not looser, but he's probably more at ease. I think he's had more fun. The stress if off a little. Obviously it was a stressful week and an intense week going into the Virginia game with what was riding on it. Don't let him fool you, as a competitor he wanted us to beat Virginia his last time. So that was an intense week. But I think he's really trying to savor each and every day. He's trying to enjoy the moment. Each moment."
ON HIS FUTURE:
"I've been very blessed. I echo everything that my dad has said...There was an 11 year period that I wasn't here. Even though I was coaching in other places, I still felt like I was coaching for Virginia Tech. My wife will tell you when we were living at different places and a Virginia Tech game was on TV, I probably wasn't much fun to be around watching the game because I felt like I was coaching the game pacing and walking around. I love Virginia Tech. It's been great to my family and I. It's a special, special place. It'll always be that way."
"My focus like all these guys is trying to win this bowl game and enjoy this time with these players and coaches. There's some balls in the air. It's that time of year where different things pop up and things like that. Confident that things will work out like they're supposed to work out."
ON TRAVON MCMILLIAN:
"I think the sky's the limit. He's got big play capability. He catches the ball extremely well. He runs good routes. He's tough. You look at all of our running backs and there's some guys you look at and say, 'I wish he was a better route runner. I wish he was a better pass protector.' With Travon, by no means am I saying that he's arrived, he has stuff to work on, but everything that you look for in a running back is a strength of his. He'll only continue to get better."
Travon McMillian
ON HIS HEALTH:
"I wasn't really beat up. It was just my shoulder's been messed up a little bit, a little banged up. But I've been going to therapy and everything to get it right before (the Virginia) game. But the break, it did really help me out, getting stronger and everything."
ON BEING THE STARTING RUNNING BACK:
"I definitely wanna prove to everyone that I can be that guy. I think I am the guy. I'm gonna continue to be that guy."
Comments
Excellent post- awesome work!
Loeffler:
I feel like we were unprepared for Brewer to go down this year. I've seen several references/quotes on what a challenge it was to have a replacement. Did we just not prepare our backups at all for game time situations?
I think this is one vulnerability of Loeffler's complex offensive approach. The QB has to understand it and have the physical tools to execute it. QB1 will get the reps and the most time with the OC, so he should have it down. QB2 and QB3? They'd better be able to pick it up through self-study, given limited practice time. If you lose QB1, you're stuck with only what QB2 has been able to pick up, and that was only a subset of the playbook.
(The other problem during Motley's run was (a) disorganized RB approach during (b) shitty weather. Pouring rain, limited passing playbook, and yet we kept shuffling 3-4 RBs so there was no rhythm to the run game. Shane or whoever made that decision did Motley a huge disservice there.)
Yes. Wow - how long did it take us to figure out that we had a premier back?!?!
I agree that the RB rotation made little sense, but McMillian wasn't ready to be the primary guy until he could do it all, which by several accounts were the fact that his pass protection needed work. Everyone knew he was an explosive runner, but you can't throw a guy out there the majority of the time that can only do 50% of what you need.
Even now, he's still not a great pass blocker, but he's got more upside being in the backfield and can at least slow down an oncoming defender for half a second before being blown up.
Yeah, as I see it, basically midway through the season the risk-reward ratio shifted in McMillian's favor. He can do an adequate job pass-blocking now, whereas before the coaches clearly thought he was a liability and were leaning more on JC, Trey, and Sam.
Yup, exactly. So all the people wondering "why didn't he start earlier" are using a bit of hindsight instead of realizing that at the time, he was not polished enough to be our only RB, even if his numbers said he was the most productive. Gotta look at the whole package of a player.
This and then some. Everybody gives Shane a ton of crap for being a terrible RB coach... so who exactly was it that transitioned an athletic QB into that stud RB that McMillian has become? Billy Hite was the gold standard for RB coaching around here for a long time. Not much of a recruiter but the man could coach his butt off. He had the No. 1 HS recruit in the entire nation who had been nothing but an RB in high school. He was not in the starting rotation when his season began and might not have seen as much of the field as McMillian did early on if it weren't for the fact that Lee Suggs ripped his ACL. His biggest tenant for RB's getting playing time was that they had to be able to block and pass protect. Until they learned that, they pretty much would ride the pine... no matter how good a runner. You don't throw a freshman into a huge game like OSU until you know they can do their job. Starting JCC and Trey was the right call. Coaching McMillian up as fast as possible to get him on the field was also the right call.
Except for the fact that Memphis actually produced and was ranked much, much higher in every facet right?
The dude has one more game to coach for us and then he is (likely) gone, give the hating a rest
In the mans defense he had a question mark at the end of his "hating". Looks to me like he was concerned and looking for fellow fan reassurance. The same thought slipped into my head. But have faith fellow fan. The future is bright.
Sorry, I watched our offense be extremely inept for much of the season. You can take this as you want, but it's the truth. I don't hate Loeffler the man at all, he seems like a great person, but you cannot deny what I said, it is fact. Nothing I said was hateful.
Our offense definitely has been suffering for years. Lefty was definitely better than his predecessor and the dreadful Logan Thomas era. But still not up to par. I think the reasons are complex. Some is lack of talent. We just have not drawn the best talent to the school like we used to. But it's not all of it. I don't think the offense was too complex even though we had an array of substitution penalties.
You could also see just a lack of enthusiasm. There has been something intangible I think.
Loeffler did better than his predecessor and did reasonably well given what he was dealt. But no doubt he was unable to make it click entirely.
I have started watching Memphis games. They run almost exactly the same plays we do. The difference? Their O-Line can block. I even saw an interview with Coach Fuente touting their new screen pass. I know the term "scheme" has been very popular in complaints about the offense. If you look at our "scheme" we're basically running a spread offense and not calling it that. No scheme works if your QB is constantly under pressure and your running backs get hit in the backfield. Memphis runs jet sweeps, outs, crossings. It looks incredibly similar. I know Loeffler was the bogeyman du jour, but don't underestimate Coach Beamer's influence on not only the offense but also the offensive staff.
I have been saying this for at least 10 years. I love Frank Beamer, but an efficient offense was NEVER going to be a priority under his watch.
Think about it like a corporation. If sales growth is always the priority under a sitting CEO, then you can try to control things like expenses, turnover, etc all you want but sales will always be #1. Then the new CEO comes in and wants to focus on profit. Strategy will change, but the tactics might not be all that different.
The tempo is a little different however.
Some of our plays took like 20 seconds (it seemed) of motions before the ball was even snapped
I am not in the camp that coach Beamer was somehow putting a choker collar on the offensive staff. The scheme for our offense and the blocking and routes may be similar but that does not necessarily equate to an equivalent result. Often the difference in a game is which team is playing in rhythm and dictates the flow of the action. Coach Loeffler is a very good schemer. He understands how to set up a play that can spring for big gains. Where I think he has a problem is that he underestimates the value of rhythm, especially for the offensive line and running game. Over some spans this year, when the team got into a flow, they were unstoppable, but those were short spasms and not consistent. I think with coach Fu, we will see more emphasis on creating that play to play rhythm and sprinkling in the big plays for chunks of yards once we get the defenses adjusting to synch themselves to our play. Sometimes the playcalling is more important than the scheme itself. It is an art that I think Loeffler still needs work on. He is more focused sometimes on playing the bars and not the song....
And the dude's been a class act, no doubt fully-knowing that us "well-balanced, even-keeled fans" keep looking for potential and un-reached success, only to offer up the back-handed complements and/or outright trash...
The dude is a class act and a very smart QB coach who works his arse off. He has a book of great plays that when he strings them together well, can make a defense look silly. I did not give him any back handed compliments but merely pointed out that sometimes he seems to get too wound up in individual plays and doesn't give the OLine and RBs a chance to establish their own rhythm. You can chart out terrific chords but if the composer doesn't keep an eye on the song as a whole, the result is discordant and disjointed play... you are free to disagree but I was not slamming him at all.
Excellent music metaphor. Makes sense.
Whoop whoooooop!! That's what Im talking about!
I don't think it's unlikely either. With a huge question mark at QB and Fuente's proven track record of molding his offense to the strength of his players I foresee a lot of running plays next season. With the experience we'll have up front I have confidence that McMillian will get plenty of opportunities to pile on the yards in 2016.
As a Titans fan who listened to Chris Johnson (CJ2K) "guarantee" a 2,500 yard season the season after he reached 2,000 -- only to then flop like a pancake -- I see this as the kiss of death.
Hope not.
Sssshhhhhhhh. Hush now.
I think 1800 is possible if he's the only back. He'll probably hit 1000 this year having started in 6 of the 12 games. If he's in a two back rotation he's likely looking at 1000 again.
And if the OL can block. For reference, only 2 players this season have rushed for over 1800 yards. Derrick Henry and Christian McCaffery (who would have my vote for the Heisman). After that, Fournette has 1741 and should hit 1800 in the bowl game. Royce Freeman of Oregon has 1706 so he has a good chance of hitting 1800. Zeke Elliott could do it as he sits at 1672. Dalvin Cook also has a chance. So at the end of the year, you're looking at about 6 or 7 players who might have 1800 yards, all on top teams. I think 1500 is a little more reasonable, but even then, only about 15 players will have 1500 at the end of the season. In order for McMillian to get 1800, we have to run the division, play in the ACC Championship, and possibly even make the playoffs. But good on him for setting a goal.
I have a feeling Henry is going to get it because of the school on his Jersey and he plays in the East.
no doubt
I'd be okay with it. Heisman is KOD for championships. I'd prefer he get the Heisman and Bama lose in the first round of the playoffs than if someone else gets the Heisman and Bama wins it all.
I agree with your assessment. I don't think anyone said it was likely he would do it. It is, however unlikely, still possible. It's been proven that a back can get that many yards in a season these days. Even if it's rare. I think it's a great goal for him to set for himself. We'll see what happens. I won't be surprised if he eclipses the 1000 yard mark this season and then again next season. I'd be happy with that. I want him to focus more on not turning the ball over than how many yards he gets, but that's just me.
Fournette would have had it had one of their games not been cancelled.
Yup, but he'll get it in their bowl game.
Just based on stating half the games this year he's almost at a 1000. So it stands to reason that if started all 12 he'd be pretty close to 1800 already. You don't have to win to rack up a ton of yards.
Travon started getting the bulk of the carries from NC State on. Perhaps you could even count the PItt game where he got the most carries of the RBs, but we'll ignore that one. In those 7 games, he gained 737 yards. Very impressive. But, that's an average of ~105 per game. Over the course of a 12 game season, he'd gain ~1260 yards. Make that a 15 game season with a championship game and a playoff run, and he'd stand to gain roughly 1580. Now an argument could be made that his stats could have been padded against some of the lesser competition at the front half of the schedule, like Furman, Purdue, and perhaps even ECU, but still, I don't think he hits 1800 this year based on our team's performance. Even if he got every carry that JC, Trey and Sam had all year, he'd only be at 1494 yards. Those numbers need a 15 game season to eclipse 1800 yards.
He had an average of 15.3 attempts per game on the season. I can see that 1800 is a stretch. Let's say Tech plays 13 games (no CFP just a bowl game). If Travon gets 27 carries a game at his current average of 5.22 YPC (this includes negative yards) he will hit the 1800 mark in his last game. Derrick Henry is averaging 28.25 carries per game so that number of carries is high but not outside the realm of possibility. Consider that Travon's YPC is hopefully going up from 5.22 and as long as he's getting 75% of the carries it's possible. It's a stretch but possible.
Tremendous recap. Many thanks.
Great article. very imformative.
They mention the possibility of a bright future. Does anyone know anything about how the redshirts, like Tim Settle, have progressed and transformed this year? I just wonder it they are motivated and working to be ready next year or if they have "taken their redshirt year off". Any insight would be appreciated.
BOTH seem very possible.
Shane Beamer quote:
He sounds like most of us - me for sure.