"Play Better" - Analyzing Virginia Tech's Historic 34-31 Comeback Against Notre Dame

After Virginia Tech came back from an early 17-point deficit in historic Notre Dame stadium, I searched the film for the "magic" adjustment. The catalyst that triggered a huge Hokies' comeback and 34-31 win. In its inaugural game against the Irish, Tech seemingly couldn't play a down throughout the opening 15:53 without some kind of brutal result. Then, absent a momentum swinging play, the Hokies began to methodically execute their offense, and the defense sprinkled in some stops. Before you knew it, the Hokies found themselves back in the football game, and despite all kinds of adversity they looked poised and comfortable in a situation where many opponents have been bitten by the luck of the Irish.

Justin Fuente's observation and message at halftime was simply "we gotta play better". The Hokies could have pointed fingers and fell apart. They could have succumbed to the mindset that the non-conference tilt didn't matter in the Coastal Division race. Instead, the Hokies played better. The secondary executed its coverages properly. The defense got stops against the run. Jerod Evans consistently hit open receivers in front of Notre Dame's soft coverage. And as Tech's confidence swelled, its side of the scoreboard lit up, and Notre Dame's opportunities were limited.

Down Three Scores Inside Zone Read Changes Momentum

After two drives filled with fumbles, bad snaps, and drops, Virginia Tech found itself down 0-17. Instead of panicking, Brad Cornelsen simplified the offense by interchanging five wide receiver sets with simple inside zone reads. For weeks I've noted how opponents repeatedly crash their defensive ends inside on zone reads, yet Evans never seems to pull the ball and keep it. He keeps on inverted veers and veer reads (plays where the back and the quarterback go to the same side). However, I don't remember a play when he has faked a handoff going one way, and then kept it going away from the dive.

This inside zone highlights the opportunity presented to Evans if he kept after the read. Evans gives to Steven Peoples on an inside zone. The Notre Dame defensive line crashed into their inside gaps, and the linebackers all fill from tackle to tackle.

Sam Rogers drives 290 pound DE Isaac Rochell (No. 90) to the inside and pancakes him. There isn't a defender in the path of a keeper before free safety Drue Tranquill (No. 23). Also note that while Peoples was effective against the Irish, having a back that can cut off a block — like Rogers' — into open space will only make Tech's offense better.

Apparently Cornelsen noticed all the space, because the Hokies went right to the read option. This time, Rogers aligned as the H-Back to the boundary, and whammed across on Rochell. Rochell is human and I am sure remembered Rogers pancake earlier in the drive. He squeezes to the inside with his hands up to protect himself.

Rochelle, Tranquill, and LB Greer Martini (No. 48) all bite inside on Peoples. Evans pulls the ball and has a wide open lane to the end zone.

Unfortunately, Cornelsen largely abandoned the inside zone game for inverted veers and veer reads as the game progressed. Additionally, the Hokies struggled run blocking in the red zone. The offensive line seems more effective driving the opposition off the ball on inside zones and I hope to see more of that against Virginia.

Curl against Soft Man, Fade Against Press

Notre Dame used a game plan similar to Georgia Tech's to defend the Hokies' passing attack. The Fighting Irish aligned in man coverage and played very soft to take away vertical routes and slants that Isaiah Ford and Bucky Hodges have excelled on all season. The Irish defensive staff rolled the dice that Evans wouldn't be accurate enough to work underneath the deep coverage.

The Hokies responded with a combination of short curl and in routes. On this play, Isaiah Ford wide to the boundary in the five-wide set, curls up in front of freshman CB Donte Vaughn (No. 35), and then breaks a tackle for an easy first down.

Note that all three field-side receivers curl, and Ford wasn't Evans only option. Rogers, who I believe caught all four of his catches on the same route, broke completely free from LB Nyles Morgan (No. 5) on a 6-yard in.

Cam Phillips preceded his ankle breaking score against former Tech recruit Jalen Elliott (No. 21) with a catch on a curl when he and Ford aligned in a twins look to the field-side.

Notre Dame stuck with soft coverage, and to his credit, Evans was accurate and took the easy chunk plays.

The Fighting Irish didn't change things up often. When they did, they pressed Hodges and Ford on the outside, and continued to play soft on the slot receivers. When the Irish pressed, it looked like Evans automatically checked to a fade route, or he would motion Rogers into the backfield and run a slot post off of inverted veer play-action. Phillips had a nice catch (and the tip-turned-interception) on the post pattern. The fade produced better results, including this teardrop catch by Ford and a terrific back-shoulder adjustment by Hodges for a touchdown.

Those passing concepts carried the Hokies through the comeback. They were repetitive and predictable, and Notre Dame couldn't do anything to stop it. Hopefully Cornelsen can find the right mix of short passing and get the running game going to open up play-action to take advantage of a Virginia secondary that's given up 253.5 passing yards per game this season (No. 92 nationally).

Errors in Zone Coverage Plague the First Half

For the Virginia Tech defense throughout most of the first half, play could not have looked much. The Hokies were unable to account for QB DeShone Kizer (No. 14) on inside zone runs, which is an ongoing issue. Even when defenders were in positions to make plays, Kizer and the Notre Dame running backs looked physically superior as they made Hokie defenders miss or ran them over. Every run seemingly ended with a solo tackle by a defensive back who was being driven backwards.

When Notre Dame was forced to go to the air, receivers were running wide open all over the field. A quick check of the film revealed that the Hokies were running a variety of zone coverages where a defender would identify a receiver and then match up with him. Time and time again, two defenders would track one receiver while a different receiver broke open.

The Hokies particularly had problems against trips formations. On this play, Notre Dame aligns in trips to the field-side from the VT 13-yard-line. Equanimeous St. Brown (No. 6) runs a corner route from the inside slot. Chris Finke (No. 10) runs a quick in route. Out wide, Kevin Stepherson (No. 29) sits down in a short zone hoping to draw the corner away from helping deep on the corner route.

The Hokies should be fine. Rover Terrell Edmunds rotates from the boundary side across the formation to take the inside slot on the corner. Adonis Alexander has a deep third with outside leverage, so even though Edmunds has to run a long way to track the slot receiver, any throw that leads the receiver would likely be intercepted by Alexander. Underneath, Mook Reynolds and Chuck Clark are both playing an outside leverage posture. Everything should be covered. The Hokies have four defenders to cover three receivers.

When Finke breaks inside, Reynolds hands him off to Clark. He then should read Kizer to anticipate the throw. Kizer rolls into the field and is staring down Stepherson the whole way. For some reason, it looks like Reynolds sees St. Brown running to the corner and decides to sink underneath the route. At that moment, St. Brown is triple covered and Stepherson is wide open. In order for Bud Foster's zone schemes to work, the defensive backs have to know their own assignments and then trust their teammates to be in the right place. The Hokies ultimately managed to force a field goal attempt. However, Notre Dame hit a handful of big plays on busted zone coverages, including Miles Boykin's 18-yard score to put Notre Dame back up 17 in the second quarter.

Hokies Improve Coverage in Second Half

In the second half, the Hokies played more man free coverage. However, they didn't abandon zone coverage. They switched back and forth and Kizer never looked comfortable with his reads down the field. On this first-and-ten, Brandon Facyson covers the deep third. Reynolds plays outside leverage and covers the short flat. Clark and Terrell Edmunds bracket the corner route.

Notre Dame is max protecting on the play. The short flat looks open. However, that is a long throw into the wind with Reynolds reading Kizer's eyes. Clark picked a similar long throw earlier in the game. Kizer correctly throws a ball to the corner where, realistically the throw will carry out of bounds safely.

Even when Notre Dame faced man coverage and had rub routes designed to pick coverage, the Hokies were able to stay in close contact with the receivers. On this play, Notre Dame runs a post-wheel combination to the boundary. Alexander sinks deep and then jumps St. Brown on the post route.

Upon second look, Kizer has nowhere to go with the football. Anthony Shegog tracks the wheel route perfectly. Terrell Edmunds is tight to the vertical route from the field slot. Clark and Facyson perfectly cross to take the post and wheel route to their side. Alexander knocks the football away without drawing a pass interference call.

Alexander delivered his best half of Virginia Tech football since donning the Hokies uniform in the final half against the Irish. He was perfect in man coverage. He was responsible in zone coverage. And when Foster blitzed him off the edge when the Irish went trips away from him, Adonis made numerous sharp solo tackles around the line of scrimmage. Alexander's play warrants recognition.