I think MOST of us weren't surprised with the results. Some in fact were pleasantly surprised. Others not so. But we get so wrapped up in the chance of winning (raises hand) that it still fucking hurts. So we have a top 20 draft class (thus far) this season. Certain aspects of the game irritate some folks more than others. We look to be better next season. What needs to be accomplished for that to happen? Is the ACCCG and Coastal Div a realistic expectation?
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Screw those refs. I about threw my phone six times when they got a long completion with Ricky walker in a gorram headlock grasping at air because he couldn't reach the QB.
And then ESPN keeps showing it over and over as a great play by OKST
Lol. I did throw mine. Luckily, it was at the love seat and it's cushiony goodness saved the day.
Call me defeatist, but my ideal result for this game was anything other than getting run out of the building. We had a solid season for what was billed as a rebuilding year and given the struggles on offense, and I'm pretty optimistic about next season.
Completely agree! We moved the ball about as well as OSU with the downfall coming mostly in the form of execution errors (i.e. Dropped passes, bad snaps, fumble) and missed big play opportunities (Murphy near the end of the first half, Kumah unable to make the diving catch in the end zone). These are things that can and likely will be fixed with experience so count me as cautiously optimistic about the offense next year.
I agree. However once it seemed like we were there to actually play and put ourselves in positions to win the game only to shoot our selves in the foot makes it hurt even more than a game where we just hung in there but really never had a chance. Which is what I wanted fearing a blowout.
Guys it'll be alright. 9-4 is a solid season especially with the youth we had all over the place. We'll kill it even more next year.
this /\
On the brighter side, UVA had a losing season and lost to Navy 49-7 (never forget) and lost 6 of their last 7 games.
UVA is not our measuring stick. that's not the bright side of anything for us. that's actually a good season for LOLUVA.
I agree that UVA should not be our measuring stick, but we could have lost by 69 and lost the basketball game yesterday and I'd still find solace in how hard they shit the bed against a far lesser team with multiple weeks of preparation/not recruiting
In their last ten quarters they have rushed for 52 yards. Half of that came on the last play of their Miami game (garbage time, IOW).
This leads us to the next shoe to drop: the number of defense underclassmen to declare for the NFL. Losing three critical underclassmen this year will hurt next year's D as much as losing three critical juniors last year hurt this year's O.
I'm actually more concerned about this than I am about who is under center for 2018. I don't know enough about the backups to know if we have able replacements for those guys. I assume not.
THE FUTURE IS FUCKING BRIGHT THOUGH
I'M DRUNK
FUCK THE CRITICS
BRIGHT WAS A GOOD MOVIE (Netflix)
Sir. That movie sucked. I still love you.
If I paid money to see that movie in the theater, I would agree with you. But it wasn't bad for what it was. It was definitely setting up a series of movies. They have already confirmed a sequel.
I liked it though
Me too.
The movie sucked, but the universe they created was cool. Has a lot of potential if the right director and writers take control of future movies.
GD it I was going to watch it tonight! Talk about Netflix has anyone watched Big Mouth? Whoa! Don't go there! And Netflix just crashed!
+1 on this. I would watch it, then turn it off embarrassed. Then watch some more. You have to get past the first few, but it never lets up. Don't know how to feel about it. Thought it was just me.
FTFY.
A young, banged up team went to a bowl game and gave a whole hand full of 1st round draft picks one heck of a game. The D played really well (in my opinion), the play calling wasn't head scratching, but the offensive execution simply wasn't up to par with big boy football.
I think we will get healthy this off season, I think we will see a competitive QB battle this off season, and I think we will have a great 2018 football season.
While I agree with almost all that you said, it was the turnovers that were the difference in the end. We made em but didn't get any. Difference.
Yeah. We won total yards, first downs, and TOP. That fumble on their 1 lead to 16 straight points, and that was the game
In my humble opinion, that play with the fumble on the one, should have never happened. In the replays I was looking at, the ball was over the line.
That having been said, The communication on the fake handoff, was poor.
I was away from the tv when peoples didn't get the TD so I only heard the call. Went back to watch that review and it was ridiculous. He kept his knees off the ground and the first body part to hit the turf was his shoulder. The shoulder was well over the line and he ball was tucked up high on his chest. Easy call IMO.
Still, if you're gonna have replay, you need to make sure the cameras are in useful places: goal line from both sides at what very least
This. I mean, when we're the sixth-best game in the time slot and we're not even televised, I understand poor production. But when we're on ESPN in an almost-prime-time slot, and we're the only game on TV, why don't we have he best production available?
These are our complaints (mine and Spouse's). - ESPN has used these cameras for 10 years or more and still can't get them where they need to be in the game? I think their overhead camera direction has gotten worse over the years (technology moving backwards?) and, with their reliance on those, they seem to have poorer sideline camera positions. PLUS we know that field will be used again in a few days so they had to have the equipment available and ready for use.
ESPN continues to disappoint.
Their coverage often reminds me of the quip about the Olympics being "sports for people who don't like sports." They show a close-up of the QB's face when I would rather be scanning the formations and trying to figure out the blocking schemes and coverages and stuff. I can hear some producer saying, "yes, but people who aren't really interested in football would rather see the close-up."
Still surprised that college doesn't have the pylon cams yet.
while were gripping about the camera angles and such why did the reply booth at the game look like an iphone x? while most stadiums have atleast a 20 inch monitor or something for the refs to look at it.
Just to reiterate something I say in a post below – it's not about having one definitive angle. As long as they have a definitive time code (all the raw camera feed is time code synched) they can use the multiple angles to make a decision. For example Camera A shows the knee down. Identify the network time code then retrieve the other Camera angles available to determine the ball position at that exact time code. We used this technique extensively with NASCAR, and became the backbone of race control. It works. And knowing that it works makes situations like that where they use the excuse "we don't have a clean angle" absolutely maddening and a real injustice to all the teams. Use the tools, effectively, and get the call right.
Same mistakes as all year on offense in shooting ourselves in the foot wheni opponents territory. Defense played well but gosh darn it that 3rd down, 31 yard run by Justce Hill to ice the game still bothers me.
Hoping Settle stays another year to ease the transition to less talented DT's on roster and the QB's and WR's spend every day this offseason to get better timing and crisper routes. Woud like to see Hooker get a fair shake at the starting QB job regardless pf who starts, Jackson performed vailiantly but hasn't progressed as much as hoped throughout the year and doesnt seem to have either the superior passing or running ability (or both) to get us that ACC Championship.
Here's to a LONG offseason fellas. And with most of the signing day drama gone, its gonna feel like forever until Spring Ball and August camp.
We win this game with Cam
We also win with Evans, Ford & Hodges.
And Vick, David Wilson, and Tyrod.
"NOT THE TWO QB SYSTEM AGAIN" -Tyrod
I almost hit Glennon one day behind Randolph as he was walking through the parking lot with his backpack halfway on his back -- I'm not even a LB and I almost took him down in the flats.
I just looked at this picture, and Sean threw another interception.
Last I heard, the guy was doing really well in the real estate game. I'm glad he found a place where turnover is a good thing...
That is just wrong!
Glennon was the 2007 ACC Championship Game MVP. Anyone on the team done that lately?
If we are to be honest VT was a place were good QB's went to die. I think that eventually hurt recruiting.
You mean like every college program?
There are a lot of good quarterbacks out there, but to survive in the NFL you have to be great.
I mean after Michael Vick we were given a recruiting boost and got some highly touted players. However, if they didn't fit the break contain with no offensive game plan model, they were not developed. Players took notice and our QB recruiting suffered.
We're not in this game with Evans, Ford and Hodges. We are a playoff team with them.
We win this game if they weren't using leftover Big 12 refs from the Michigan game. That was a TD!
We win this game if we score more points than OkSt.
nevermind.
We win this game if we win T.O.P.
We won TOP, first downs, and total yards. That fumble one their 1, however...
Just imagine what the score would have been if we hadn't won T.O.P. The game plan was solid, failure to execute in the redzone did us in.
Mike06 is one of the two smartest on the board
Like I said in the game thread, 9-4 is pretty good for a rebuilding year, even if it didn't feel all that much fun at times. But with next year's schedule, the team could be better yet have the same record.
I don't really know how you can objectively look at Josh Jackson's performance since ACC play started this year and come around to the conclusion that he should have any future here. He convinced people early on that he was good against a couple creampuffs and has been below average in pretty much every other game.
IMO this entire team played its ass off today and lost mostly because Josh Jackson made critical mistakes.
You're getting downvotes, but I agree.
How is this downvotable? An accurate QB wins that game. Tyrod wins that game. LT in 2011 wins that game. Jerod wins that game. There's nothing controversial about saying JJ was the weakest link tonight.
I would say that declaring a RFr as having no future is a personal attack
Who said he has 'no future?'
PhantomJB93 said it and feels everyone should agree.
"No future here" is a hell of a lot different than "no future" but keep taking things out of context, people.
Ok "no future here" is still what I would consider a personal attack. Its overly harsh and untrue. Maybe his future is a backup qb. Maybe he proves his doubters wrong. That's all.
I don't see how purely discussing his ability as a football player qualifies as a "personal attack." There is absolutely nothing personal about it.
I guess it comes down to perception of a simple phrase of labeling any player as not having a future with the team. Essentially its saying the player is not talented enough to play for this team. Discuss the specifics of his play all you want.
There was a clear implication within the context of my post that the "no future here" referred to his future as the starting quarterback of Virginia Tech football and nothing more. Not his future as a man, not his future as a quarterback for any other team, not even his future within this program in any capacity beyond starting quarterback. Anyone with any level of reading comprehension should be able to gather that but maybe I gave you too much credit. Painting me as "overly harsh" and spewing "personal attacks" on the kid over this comment is a weird hill to die on, it was a really mild statement as far as criticism for an underwhelming starting quarterback goes.
Not so clear. I'm stopping now though because now you are attacking me and my ability to read and I don't think it needs to go on any longer.
"no future here"
Not everyone is an upper tier P5 program, starting caliber QB. Plenty of places he could have a future.
And not every upper tier P5 program has starting caliber quarterbacks three deep. He most definitely has the talent to play for this team, even if it turns out to be in a backup capacity. Stop defending overly aggressive hot takes on current players. Its not necessary. I respect any opinion on his play but don't label him some epic failure. He is not.
Well, I wasn't splitting hairs. But you and others are deluding yourselves if you think that Jackson won't be our QB next year. Barring injury or court date, he will be our starting QB that will only lose his position over the season when some other QB does better while subbing into the game because of injury or game situation.
Fuente is not going to start over again next year. They will build on this guy and he will start. Take out a 5x8 card and write it down. Josh Jackson is VT's QB next year against FSU.
I (partially) wish you were wrong but i agree 100%.
If it's delusional to think a more athletic, higher-ceiling qb, who Fuente (who has a track record of saying he'll have open QB competitions) recruited, then sure. Call me delusional.
Some guys are acting like playing the players that give us the best chance to win somehow means you're personally attacking non-starters.
Fuente wouldnt be starting over if he goes with Hooker next year. Jackson has only started one year and played ok. Fuente wants to win championships and if Hooker can provide a better opportunity to do it, then he will start him.
Think back to Motu's first year. I thought he was horrible and then not incredibly better the next year. But every game of experience made him better in the eyes of the coaches. Jackson has 13 games of experience over everyone else, they won't go away from him unless something major happens.
Everyone was sure Carson Lydon would replace Moto but Lydon ended up transferring after that didn't happen.
Motu and Jackson are TWO completely different situations. Motu won those jobs under beamer and kept his job because of our poor job to recruit the Mike LB position. Motu plays with a ton of heart but has been above average at best his whole career and not the Mike we need to win ACC Championshsips. In that regard, I see the same thing with Jackson. Even with improved passing, his athelticism tops out above average, and the difference this time is we have someone better behind him than Carson Lydon.
Especially since Lydon hasn't played DI since leaving VT. Shouldn't he have been eligible this season?
2015 - VT as true freshman
2016 - JUCO
2017 - Eligible?
He's now playing for Joey Freshwater at FAU.
He isn't on their roster that I can find.
I don't understand why the community seems to think that Hooker, after one year one the bench, will be better than Jackson. I have no doubt that the coaches will start who ever gives them the best chance to win the game. I'm just not sure why people think that person is Hooker, when they haven't seen him play a down of football?
HS film, Spring Game, athleticism. I think the big unknown is Fuente's measurable outcomes. That's where I will have to trust the coaching staff to make the best decision. But based on what we do know about Hooker (which isn't a ton, but isn't nothing either) it's not a stretch to hope that if Hooker took this year and worked hard to learn what the coaches want him to do with the football (admittedly a big if) his athleticism may give him a higher ceiling.
I couldn't agree more. Why do fans always assume someone on the bench is the answer? Fuente will know who to play. Jackson did a great job this year. I can't understand the logic of fans thinking a coach is holding the best player back. Jackson in on the field for a reason- he is currently the best we have. Bush is a back up- he has always been a back up.
Hooker may be great- but no snaps in college means you have to sit and learn. Patterson- sounds like the next great thing, but high school and college are two different animals.
I don't think fans "always" assume someone on the bench is the answer. the fact is that Jackson was the only person on the roster that had ANY knowledge of anything coming into the spring. had JE4 stayed and the open competition would have been next year between the 3 QBs I think Herndon would have won the job. JJ got dealt a tough hand but he was playing a at table with guys who had only been playing gold fish while at least he had played spades before. naturally he had the best chance of winning the job because he had a better understanding of the value of cards whether he knew how to play the correctly or not. Jackson didn't do a "great job this year" he did the best he could do. that's all we could ask from him. but I think that's his ceiling. I believe Jackson gave us the best chance to win games this year. that's it. this year. playing hooker could have been beneficial for next year for hooker but we would not have been as good this year, and while i personally liked what little bit i saw of AJ in the run game its a complete wildcard as to what he would have been like throwing the ball and i agree Bush has been a back up everywhere hes been for a reason.
next years QB race will be exciting and no matter who wins the job we will do this all over everytime someone struggles.
Leg for you sir, hit the nail on the head. Jackson did the best when dealt a tough hand, but his ceiling was very evident if you watched the games this year. QB is always the most scrutinized so we will likely do this next year if Hooker wins the job and leads us to a 10-3 season with losses to the top 20 teams. We all as a fanbase want a QB and WR's that put us over the top to beat the Clemson's of the world.
I'm still missing the part about how a lot of people are missing Jackson is a Freshman. If he plays like this next year I will be disappointed. I get he's played in 13 games. He's still a Freshman. We should be careful not to sound like Bill's fans who wanted Tyrod Taylor benched in favor of Peterman. We all saw how that turned out. I'm sure Peterman was great in practice. He just wasn't great in a real game.
Yes "He's a freshman" like everyone says, but it is a completely different situation than the Bills. Tyrod is a mutl-year started and a top 15 qb in the NFL and Peterman was a rookie. Jackson was about 7th in ACC QB's performances this year and Hooker is a 4 star QB with a huge upside. Very few people called for Jackson to be benched this year (besides the Twitter trash), but I think it would be silly to not want to see what Hooker brings to the table. I think you are still missing the point about Jackson's regression over the course of the season. Had he kept up his play through the first 6 games, we wouldn't be having this conversation nearly as much. But because of his play over the last 7, here we are.
The theory is the same. The guy on the bench is better than the guy in the system. One could say Tyrod regressed, except he didn't. We are assuming huge upside based on HUDL footage, a star rating and a single play in the spring game. If Hooker convincingly wins the QB competition then good for him. Otherwise, if it's close, you go with the guy with experience and put Hooker at QB2 and see how he does in garbage time. Nobody that supports Jackson is saying there shouldn't be a competition. We're saying the assumption that the guys on the bench are automatically going to challenge and beat a QB that did a pretty damn good job is not realistic or probable.
I apologize you are right in that the theory is close to the same (tyrod has been in the "system" and league longer), but players and system are different. Tyrod is in run-heavy scheme where they limit his skillset. Jackson is in balanced scheme but with an overall weak running game. Where we disagree is that I think Jackson and Hooker are way closer in talent and starting abillity than Tyrod and Peterman ever will be.
I'm hopeful that Hooker (or QP) will be as good as advertised at VT but I just wanted to point out that Lawson was actually a more highly rated recruit than Hooker and very close to QP as well. Ike Whitaker was much higher rated than all of them. We might not want to count our future star QBs before they hatch.
I don't agree with the downvote. But I do have to say this:
You don't think receivers that drop balls that hit them in the hands and don't complete routes are not weak links? Most of this team was first year starters. That matters. Mason Rudolph was a 4th year senior and 3rd year starter.
In Mason Rudolph's first year as a starter he goes 264 or 424 for 3770 yards, 21 TDs and 9 Ints.
Joshua Jackson went 236 or 396 fro 2991 yards, 20 TDs and 9 Ints.
I'm sure Rudolph didn't have a team full of first year starters around him either.
This is really good, and much needed, perspective. For some reason it seems like Jackson is treated as a fully developed veteran player, and even I'm guilty of that. If you compare Jackson's stats from this season to Bryan Randall's in 2004 when he was ACC Player of the Year, they are actually very comparable.
Even with that said, I'm not fully sold on JJ being the starter for the next 3 years. His accuracy left a lot to be desired at times and I felt like his deep ball was really poor all year. If Hooker or Patterson or whoever else look to be better options, I'm all for it. But Jackson is a very young player who clearly gave his all to this team and could very well improve over time so it might be wise to not react so harshly toward him.
Gave you a leg for that. ...but JJ was downright inaccurate at times. Does he improve his accuracy over time? Probably, and I hope he does. Seems like a good kid. If not, that's why Coach Fu has a stable of studs behind him.
I don't think lt wins that game though. Great deep ball... But everything else was usually thrown 6ft too high
Second year freshman Josh Jackson played a serviceable game against the number 19 team in the country. Second year sophomore Tyrod (with a full year and a half of games under his belt) turned the ball over 5 times against fucking Duke and had to be pulled in favor of Sean "backside fumble" Glennon.
Don't try to compare J J to senior T 5 or LT 3 with Boykin and Wilson.
REDSHIRT FRESHMAN. He played his ass off too and appears to be less than 100 percent.
He is a freshman playing without his best WR and starting LT. I think people put too much on all of the freshmen this year. This time last year they were in high school. We are talking 18 and 19 year old kids. They are still learning. You aren't going to win a lot of big games counting on freshmen to dominate.
If he had really shown anything all year I could get behind this. But he wasn't an inconsistent freshman with highs and lows, it was really lopsided in favor of the lows as soon as he started playing Power 5 competition.
He's tough and he has guts, I don't see why that means we need to pretend he was better than he was though. He was mediocre at best and really didn't do much impressive all season. If he was playing injured ALL SEASON that sucks but I don't think it means he should be given an extra opportunity to show what he has if Hooker or Patterson even looks comparable in camp.
People have been saying after basically every game this year "JJ is a freshman he'll improve as the year goes on" or "JJ has been playing through injury and should be back on his game in a few weeks," I think at some point you need to look at his season and accept that what you saw against East Carolina and Old Dominion isn't quite what you're going to see against teams with a pulse.
Its no secret that Fuente is changing his preferred offense because he doesn't have the talent he needs right now. Maybe JJ is part of the problem, I don't know for sure. However, my expectations for a RFr QB is obviously lower than yours. Also, saying he has no future is a bit of a hurried hot take. He may very well have a much higher ceiling than we realize or he could be what we have seen; but its too early to throw him out of the equation when his successors haven't played a D1 snap.
Ya but his lack of progression throughout the season (and surplus of regression) is what bothers me more than his overall performance. I fear this could be another logan thomas type situation where we forever wait to see the full potential that never arrives.
Do you think this looks the same if Jackson has Ford, Hodges, Phillips and Rogers on the field? Jackson took on the starting job with three upper classmen (Cunningham, Phillips and McMillian) in skilled positions and finished with one. We barely saw CJ Carroll and most of the receivers he was throwing to did not even start most of the season. We're still playing without an experienced left tackle and a freshman h-back (Keane) which makes a huge difference. I think it's fair to say that what regressed was everything around Jackson. Did I mention he's a Freshman?
Jackson is inaccurate and pretty slow, regardless of who is on the field. And to me to repeatedly ask if he had better recievers is a cop out. If the recievers we had now had a better qb do you think it would look the same? Its kind of a dumb question. Would our running backs look better with a better offenseive line? Obviously its a team sport and good units reflect positively on other units. The other issue here is the coastal sucked monkey butt this year. 9-4 is good in a rebuilding year but dont look too close or youll see all the teams we beat had less talent and were rebuilding too. Dont get me wrong im glad we were the better rebuilder, but it has me less optimistic for next year than most here appear to be.
This is coming across as far more negative than i meant it to so i apologize to all you upbeat types in advance (thats not sarcasm fyi) but i would put hope in 2019 with time for other qbs and receivers to develop far more than 2018.
Receivers who can't catch passes that hit them in the hand look the same regardless of QB which is why they don't get on the field or are benched when freshman come in. We started Ford, Phillips and Hodges as true freshman because our receivers were so bad.
Which means losing Yosuah Nijman (arguably our best or second bets lineman) matters. Not only to the running game but also to the passing game.
It doesn't help that our H-Back, a key in this offense, is a true Freshman. Keene will likely be better next year and having an experienced H-Back is going to be huge.
We hade one upper classman skilled player on the field (Chris Cunningham). He was mostly used as a blocker in the run game.
I don't think you can tell much about where Jackson is right now given the overall state of the team and the fact he's been playing injured.
If we still have these problems after two or three games next season I will have to consider him a problem. As of now he's still a first year starter surrounded by first year starters.
Next looks way different even with the same skill QB and skilled players provided the O-Line is able to block.
Clearly i dont have the proof of numbers but would argue JJ misses recievers as much or more than receivers get "hit in the hands" and drop the ball. Especially once we got into league play. I'm rooting for the kid, but I hope that theres a better option to root for as well on our roster next season.
Possibly. But, last night, an isn't off the receiver and a couple others that bounced off hands were pretty Key plays.
This is going to be one long offseason.
*Sigh* his receivers weren't doing him any favors either. So many dropped passes, the interception included. I just think the offense looks young overall, and I think there will be a legitimate QB competition over the offseason in which Jackson will be the front-runner but not a shoe-in for winning.
You're dead on. If we're looking for weak points on the team, you have to start at QB. That will make people unhappy, but it's the truth.
Jackson is a game manager, but he's not going to make the extraordinary "wow" type plays to take over a game like we had with Evans last year. The announcers were giving him a lot of credit for being "mobile" but I haven't seen him frequently elude pass rushers to extend plays this year. I also don't think he's confident in his game right now, and maybe that will come with experience. I just don't see the energy that instills confidence in the players around him. I think we have some QBs in the pipeline who are capable of all these things.
Anyone who thought JJ was going to come in and be a JE4, TT5, or any upperclassman QB was setting themselves up to be disappointed. He played like a (r)Fr pretty much all season. Some really good moments, some moments you wish you could forget. He also played hurt, and with an extremely young and inexperienced receiver core around him. To say he has no future here is harsh. He most definitely didn't lock up the job next year, and there will be a good competition in the spring, but geez alive give the kid a break.
He led us to a 9-4 campaign...while continuing the streak against LOLUVA, beating that team from the Mountains, not blowing games against inferior opponents, and giving us a legit shot at the ACCCG and a darkhorse shot (for a bit) at the CFP. Why are we going to blast the kid and say he has no future here??? Again, he played like I would expect any (r)Fr to play. If you look at his numbers that Selhini put up (below?), he had a fairly productive year. Most certainly good enough that he'll be back next season vying for the starting position.
Agreed!
More numbers: In some ways he actually performed better than Tyrod Taylor.
In 2009 Tyrods third year playing Tyrod goes:
136 of 243 for 2,311 yards 13 TD, 5 INTs 56% completion passing.
106 for 370 yards 3.5 avg, 5 TDs rushing.
Jackson Went:
236 of 396 for 2991 years, 20 TD, 9 INTs 59.6% completion passing.
124 for 324 yards 2.6 avg, 6 TDs rushing.
Tyrod played in a completely different offensive system..
And yet, Tyrod was a soon-to-be NFL quarterback who was surrounded by future NFL talent. I'd say the comparison to a redshirt freshman surrounded by freshmen and second-stringers is worth making.
Be careful using facts to refute an opinion!
Well said, though.
Are you guys serious? Who is Jackson throwing to? You're going to blame a Redshirt freshman QB when his receivers made equal mistakes. And he's without his top receiver....Mason Rudolph is throwing to at least two NFL reicevers....in comparison, of course JJ looks bad but not even ford or Bucky are as good as that duo and If it wasn't for Bucky and ford bailing out jerod Evans half the time you would all be saying the same thing. Have some perspective
I think Evans, knowing he loses Ford and Hodges, jumps to the NFL. If he came back with this crew his chances of getting drafted would have been lower.
There is no question Ford and Hodges can make a QB look good.
Meh. Sure a better QB would have not made the mistakes he did and he was off target on a few passes that cost us the game. BUT, he's a redshirt freshman. If you take him in his Junior year to play that same game last night, then I think he makes those throws and makes a few more plays that win this for us.
I don't know if he's our future at QB but he had an over achieving season for a redshirt freshman.
I dont think QP is ready to start as a freshman no matter what anybody says. And if he is serious about getting an engineering degree, then I dont think we see him at all until his redshirt sophomore or junior year. So next year it'll either be Jackson or Hooker. With a full year of experience under his belt, if Jackson can get in shape and really dedicate himself to the weight and film room this offseason, then I think he starts.
Yes the dropped passes were all on the QB
Keep in mind JJ is still playing injured. I wouldn't read too much about his night. Future looks bright.
I keep hearing about him playing injured butI don't think I have seen anything definitive... what is the injury?
nothing official has been published but #sauces on this site and others said "broken toe and bum shoulder"
Yeah, this is the downside to Fuente's "no information" policy. Fans have to make assumptions when they are trying to watch and judge the program.
If it's a choice between having some sort of game advantage and having perfect fan knowledge of team imperfections, I'd rather have the game advantage.
I don't disagree if the distinction is that black and white.
Do we know what the injury actually is? There have been whispers and comments, but I haven't seen anything that comes out and says what he's dealing with.
Wait, we can say stuff about the refs on here without getting fined?
I think a solid "fuck those refs" will suffice. Too drunk and have too early a wake up call to go on a long rant about them.
Game came down to a few simple execution errors. Failed mesh exchange, a slant thrown a little too far out but also dropped with both hands on the ball. Missing a wide open touchdown and a fumbled a snap on 4th down. All of these were unforced executions errors that can be fixed. We have a young team and had a bunch of inexperienced wideouts. I would have loved to have played a cleaner game and won, but it is what it is, and 9-4 is not bad for a rebuilding year.
They can be fixed, but they aren't. Clemson and Miami games had the same stupid unforced errors
Fair point, at some point you need to stop making those mistakes to take the next step as a team. But we were one or two of those plays being done better from winning the game. It's a thin line and we need to turn 5-6 blunders into 1-3 to start winning these games.
The wide open deep pass, I would not say is an unforced error. That's a 50/50 (or less) proposition with JJ at this point in his career.
For the most part it was a 50/50 proposition with Mason Rudolph. There were plenty of overthrown passes by him. Our game plan didn't call for us gambling that way.
The only thing I didn't like about Bright, was Will Smith trying to act so bad ass. He's my favorite actor but it was weird seeing him trying to be so bad ass.
Only Mac is that bad ass
I'm excited to see what QP is capable of next year. Josh has been solid, especially just being a freshman, but I'm worried about his future and ability to be the "great" we have been looking for. That loss hurts, but I'm optimistic about the future.
My uninformed, uneducated guesses at next season:
1. Josh Jackson is still our starting QB (doubtful we go into Tallatrashy with a first-time starter)
2. Caleb Farley is otherworldly af at WR
3. Tre turner and Farley quickly establish themselves as our wideouts, Savoy is mr electric in the slot
4. AJ Bush makes a surprise debut at WR and does exceedingly well.
5. Jeremy Webb and Adonis are one of the top CB tandems in CFB
6. Dylan Rivers is our new Mike. We miss on Dax, but we have recruited so well at LB it makes up for it.
7. Tying into 6, everyone including Tremaine comes back. We knock off Clemson in the ACCCG.
Gokies!
8. Hazelton balls out at WR.
Agreed. Hazelton is the new Isaiah Ford.
grimsley is the new cam! I really like what I saw from grimsley in the slot I think he beats out savoy. but both get a lot of snaps either way.
also think next year we use keene or whomever plays H-back ALOT more.
Rivers is a backer, not a mike. But I expect Tremaine to go, so you would kind of be right.
Who do you expect to play at MLB next year? Or is Dax our great hope?
I think the competition would be between Ashby and Artis right?
Ashby and Kearny right now. It will take Artis time to get the communication down that a mike has to take on. Rivers and Griffin at backer, with Tisdale being the freshman to push them. I love Tisdale as a speed edge blitzer. I think he needs some added strength to be a guy who can force and spill plays without getting wiped out.
Adonis is going to need a hell of an offseason then. He has physique that NFL scouts drool over but his technique, preparation, and instincts are just not there.
Think Hooker and not QP and you will be right. QP, unless he shows a conpetley different gear, will redshirt next year.
Yeah, I totally agree and think it's most likely that they'll redshirt him, but still super excited to see what he can bring to the table when he arrives.
Do you mean in the spring game?
Ok, and then QP comes, has a typical freshman year, perhaps even worse than JJ, and then we are into the next freshman QB to drool over.
I feel like some of y'all are taking crazy pills. More likely it's because we haven't had a freshman QB play in a long time, but y'all need perspecitve, damn.
I don't get it, because JJ isn't Jameis Winston he isn't a capable of becoming a good QB? Pretty much all of the great QBs we played either had similar freshman seasons, much worse freshman seasons, or didn't even play as a freshman.
Leg for the sentiment, but if he regressed as the season went on, I don't have faith he'll be better come next fall
Did he regress or did he start playing P5 defenses, all the while losing his left tackle and playing hurt? I'm not sure what people were expecting out of Jackson this season, but I think he played damn good football and showed leadership and maturity beyond his years. There are places where he needs to improve, but to have no faith in a player who just threw for nearly 3000 yards and 20 touchdowns with a bunch of freshman/sophomore skill players around him, is very shortsighted.
That's great. I've just got no hopes left to get up at the moment. Check back with me in 5 or 6 months and I'll probably be saying he's gonna win the Heisman. That's just how I roll
How is playing worse against harder teams regressing? That doesn't make a lick of sense.
I honestly expected to see a repeat of the 2011 Orange Bowl tonight (or the Virginia-Navy game from today's first bowl), so I'm really pleased that it was a competitive game throughout. Super impressed with McClease and Peoples tonight. I think JJ started well, but after a few hits he started to get more timid and inaccurate.
I'm looking forward to whoever wins the QB battle next season throwing consistent crisp, accurate passes that have some oomph behind them. I saw too many slow floaters and lobs by JJ this season. And when he did throw a ball with oomph, it was 5 yards too strong.
I'm going to Asheville tomorrow morning I'm not mad
I love Asheville!
I need some food suggestions plz
what kind of food? cheap or $$$$? downtown?
Lots of great options.
Any I don't have a preference
White Duck Taco Shop.
Mountain Mama Mexican.
Curate
Early Girl (there's a more popular breakfast joint but harder to get into)
Isa's Bistro
Tupelo Honey (not unique to Asheville. They make an amazing Old Fashioned)
Is that more popular breakfast place biscuit Head?
No but it is ALMOST as good as biscuit head
I need to know I LOVE BREAKFAST
Sunny Point Café is the best breakfast in Asheville. Hit up Buxton Hall BBQ for dinner. Pack's Tavern for pizza and football.
I second Tupelo Honey. If you, or anyone in your party is vegetarian, they have a great vegetarian restaurant called "Plant".
We were staying at a Bed & Breakfast, so we didn't try any brunch/breakfast places.
Curate's pork "skirt steak" is one of the most heavenly foods I've ever had. Usually need reservations weeks in advance but worth calling them.
Also went to Salsa's for the first time on trip a few weeks ago, highly recommended.
Biscuit Head is good, but not worth the wait in my opinion. Over Easy is another good breakfast option.
Who needs food? Just drink your calories. Hit all the breweries, they're some of the best in the country.
I'm 20 tho
shame
Where there's a will, there's a way
Farm to Fender Cafe
I'm also in Asheville for the weekend! Going to see Koan Sound tonight and Griz tomorrow night!
I presume a significant alkyholic in take?
Yes sir! Gonna hit up as many breweries as possible!
It was three offensive turnovers and one play on defense that resulted in this loss. I'm feeling much better about the play calling and hope Fuente feels like he made the right decisions. The only one I would have changed is kicking a going instead of kicking a field goal, but that would not have changed the outcome. Check out these stats. Pretty impressive:
If you told me VT out gains OSU on offense in this game I would have told you you're crazy.
Jackson did well. It's not fair he foots the blame for less than stellar (and potentially even adequate) play from the wide receivers. We clearly STILL have a snapping problem. Hopefully next year's center fixes that.
Patterson partially owns that INT and Kumah had two critical drops. Savoy was nowhere to be seen (reception wise, I'm sure he tied up a DB)..
I think next year will be much better. Jackson will be the starter. I would not be surprised if Hooker transfers. He probably won't start next year and having Quincy Patterson breathing down his neck can't be a comfortable position.
That INT was all on Patterson, but Jackson got lucky on a few other throws that could have been picked
Yeah. I suppose he cut his turn back short otherwise he catches in stride coming back towards the line of scrimmage.
The most impressive stat on that screenshot is that you have 75% battery life remaining 👍
Not all on Patterson, he did sit in no man's land but Jackson hasn't hit guys in the chest all year on those throws. And selhini, if Jackson is the clear starter next year call me surprised. Fuente wants to win championships and Jackson hasnt show to have that "elite" mode. We aren't Alabama or Georgia, and that means we are going to need at Deshaun Watson type talent to get to the Playoff.
It's not like the only option is Josh Jackson or Deshaun Watson and we're riding it out with JJ come hell or high water. I'm pretty sure if a Deshaun Watson type was on the roster, we'll be playing him. Also I hate to tell you but players like that only come around every couple years (Watson, Newton, Young, Vick).
The reason Jackson started was because he had a bunch of backup quality plauers behind him and a true freshman stud that wasnt ready yet. Deshaun Watson was a once in a decade player but I think Hooker or eventually QP could end up close to that. I do not think thats the case with Jackson.
I agree with all this except can we stop pretending QP is some guaranteed superstar. I watched an elite 11 qb play for BC yesterday that was beat out by multiple quarterbacks.
^^^^^^^ This right here.
QP will probably good... After a year or two in the offense.
#QBsneak
#getthecallrightinthefirstplace
IMO the replay review screwed us...it looked like we lined up for QB sneak and then the review happened and we came out in new formation...I think we outsmarted ourselves there...besides it should have been a TD for Peoples IMO he was in!
ahh but only 1 leg to give. Give more legs people!
Yup, I was sitting behind that endzone and said as soon as it went to replay "This replay hurts us. We got the first down, this just gives osu a chance to catch their breath." I would have much preferred to quick snap a QB sneak and, if needed, run two goal line running plays while their defense was still gassed.
That is one of the things that has baffled me this year is it seems like we rarely if ever go under center in short yardage situations regardless of whether for a QB sneak or handoff. How many times do we have to see a third/fourth and one get blown up in the backfield from the shotgun before we go under center. I know Fuente/Cornelson's offense is built around the shotgun/pistol, but it seems to me we should at least have a few plays installed from under center for exactly the situation we saw last night.
It was about what I expected (and have been conditioned to accept). Defense gave the O plenty of opportunities yet no points (or too few).
I'm proud of the team and hopeful for the future!
And, loluva got curb stomped.....so I've got that going for me!
We crush OSU if we don't fumble on the one inch line on first down. Period.
FTFY
I agree with you. It was a touchdown. Regardless, we were left with 1st and Goal from the one inch line and blew it.
On that note, can anyone explain why there wasn't a camera along the goal line from both sides? They had a view down the goal line from one side that didn't show anything. The other angles all seemed to be from behind the play. If instant replay is there to "get it right," why wouldn't you have cameras looking down the goal line from each sideline?? It's idiotic.
Also, lining up in shotgun formation on the one inch line is getting old.
Maybe, but when has VT gone under center this year? If they never do it, it would be riskier to suddenly try to do it tonight. The shotgun is what Fuente's offense uses. Gallo needs to make a better hike on fourth down. Jackson and Peoples need to do what they have done countless times on that exchange.
These were simple things to do that the players didn't do tonight.
How hard would it be to have a goal line set to go to? How many short yardage situations do we have to blow before someone other than me hates the shotgun with 6" to go?
We have it. Used it in the UVA game. Was also getting ready to line up under center tonight before stoppage for the review that I thought provided more than enough visual evidence that we didn't even need a goal line offense because Peoples scored.
OK, I have seen it a couple of times, but that is all. On 4th and 1's or something.
Just don't remember, thank you.
No matter, we agree it should be used much more often. I cringe every time we line up in shotgun when we need a yard or less.
I'm pretty sure we were QB sneaking until the booth called down for review.
They have run a handful of sneaks, and if one wasn't successful, I can't remember it.
Guys I just can't feel bad about 9&4 in a rebuilding year where we lost our top 3 receivers and our qb!
I think we are turning a corner...
Whoever starts at qb next year will have a ton of talent around them ..
McClease took over as a great rb tonight...
We get most of the defense back
10 wins is a low threshold next season...
Hype Train restarts now
Not gonna vent.
My view going into this game was that, while a 10 win season would have been nice, this was a rebuilding year, with mixed possibilities, so there was nothing really riding on this game.
This season, the defense was expected to be a bedrock and the offense was going to be a work in progress, developing a new QB, 2 OL, and replacing Ford and Hodges' abilities.
Tonight, a win would have been nice, but it would not have changed my perception of the season, so I had a list of criteria that I wanted to see, win or no win.
1.) Could the defense slow down the #2 Total Offense,#1 Passing Offense, and #3 Scoring Offense in the country? Oklahoma State was held to 85% of their average Total Offense output, under 90% of their Passing Average, and under 65% of their average scoring output. Answer: Yes
2.) Could the offense manage a pulse? We outgained the #2 Total Offense in the country and dictated the pace of play throughout the game with methodical, clock killing drives. Answer: Yes
3.) Were we competitive/Did we pass the eye test? Shit happens. We had 2 brutal turnovers that hurt, badly. Still, we were in the game. Answer: Meh
4.) How do we look going into next year? McClease may be the back of the near future. All 248 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns are coming back. 22 receptions, 261 receiving yards, and a receiving touchdown are coming back. Younger O linemen showed up to play, and for large chunks of the game, looked like they had their way with a Power 5 D-Line. Answer: Good.
Taking into account the drops (young receivers) and the fumble (no excuse), the players deserve a solid B for their game.
Coaching: If that was an RPO, Fuente better own it, there was no excuse for trying to be cute at the 1 when the defense was on it's heels. Score there and the game has a totally different feel. We're not hurrying to score a TD at the end of the game, we're trying to get in Slye's range for a shot to win it, which we had accomplished (44 is a long kick, but nobody would be upset if he missed it) Grade: C-
That goal line play was a read option, which isn't exactly "cute", it's one of our most essential plays. While it would have been nice to just line up and stick it in, I can't fault a coach for expecting his players to execute a staple of the offense.
To be completely accurate, it was a split zone read. Jackson tried to pull. Peoples didn't want to let go and tried to bend away from the end and the ball got trapped on his hip.
I agree with most of your points, but as to coaching I thought the gameplan was near perfect and executed fairly well. As others have stated I thought Peoples got in, and the fumble was just a shit deal. If he had handed the ball off we get stuffed, and the outside was wide open if the ball hadn't hit the ground. Given that we had run that play a half dozen times in the drive, I don't think it was too much of a gamble. On the other 4th down fumble, we had just dropped a TD pass and I gotta think there was something there that we thought we could exploit and get a score.
I give the coaches a B+. The other team was more experienced and had better talent. We had a great plan but just gave up a few big plays and choked on a few opportunities. The fake punt, with backup QB sharing the punters number, was brilliant. Defense played great given some costly turnovers and arguably the best offense in the country. Tough loss cause we had them where we wanted them.
Coaches: A-. The preparation for this game was outstanding. The team came out on the field ready to beat a better team, and had complete control of the game for long stretches. The game planning was nearly perfect on both sides of the ball.
VT played extremely well. My inside sauces told me that Fuente said this was the very best offense that Bud had ever seen and they were not expecting to be able to slow them down much.
Huge Kudos to Bud and the entire D!
Offensively I thought we ran the ball extremely well and exploited their weaknesses on D. It sucks that Peoples TD didn't go our way because it would have changed the entire game.
JJ isn't accurate and it is frustrating but from a receiving standpoint, as the great Art Monk once said, "If the ball touches any part of your body, you should catch it." JJ has played hurt and been getting his ass kicked but I'm eager to see Hooker and QP and what they bring to the table. I think Grimsley is our next really good receiver.
Can someone please explain to me what holding is and how and when it is called? At one point or another, someone on our D-line was held 15 times tonight on very obvious calls. The zebras were on their knees blowing it the entire game.
Definition of holding:
Grabbing or clutching the jersey or tackling the defensive rusher, unless that rusher has a V and/or a T on his helmet and/or is wearing some sort of maroon on his uniform.
Aside from losing I honestly enjoyed the game. It was exciting from start to finish. Also I felt like the play calling on offense was actually fitting for the situations and seemed like good calls. I hate the off-season.
248 days to kickoff in Tallanasty.
Edit- Holy shit that sucks major donkey nuts....
This one really hurt, I feel like we were right there at the end, and to come up short just hurts so bad. Not sure I'm capable of being rational tonight, might need to give this one a couple of days. Kudos to the team and a great 9-4 season during a rebuilding year, but right now that silver lining isn ain't getting it done.
Losing feels bad, but look at this
Plantin was clearly better than osterloah at LT. Having said that, he needs some reps to improve. If we can cobble together an O line next year, my over/under on wins will about 9-10 again.
I know French is going to review this, but I thought Overall, the OL played better than expected this year...I expected Chung to get hurt, but they weren't terrible and they weren't bad against Clemson..
I feel exactly the way I did after the Kentucky BB loss. We played better than anyone expected, but shot ourselves in the foot with turnovers. And the refs certainly didn't fucking help. I think Ricky and Tim's jerseys are about 8 feet longer postgame.
Time to head over to lesabre and see what those punk bitches have to say...
Fuck uv a
Desmond Howard burned them bad on the pregame show. He said something along the lines of "UVA had extra time to prepare and they managed less than 200 yards of total offense", they also gave up 450 rushing yards. LOL, they also play GT every year, another triple options team, and had extra time to prepare for them this year. Also instead of going out and recruiting , Bronco and his coordinators stayed and coached "their asses of" right ? LMAO, remind those folks in Hooland of that
Going to add my prediction was we were going to be blown out by this team. They had a lot of studs on offense but seriously lets talk about our freaking running game! They were beasts tonight. Starting to wonder how our season would of gone with Peoples and McClease the whole time. Looking forward to next year... not sure how comfortable I would be if I were JJ, he definitely has some growing to do but great effort tonight! LPD you still had some kick@$$ tackles tonight!
Just got home from the game. Big shout out to the fans. We represented way better than OSU did, IMO. I don't know how it looked/sounded on TV though.
Also, I'm very proud of the way our team played tonight. We out gained them and held them way below their averages. Unfortunately we made mistakes and they didn't. We have a bunch a freshman and they have a bunch of seniors and that showed tonight. I can't wait to represent Hokie Nation in Doak on Labor Day! LET'S GO!!
seemed fairly empty, but you could definitely hear our fans on TV. Big shout out to those who went!!!
Just got back as well; VT definitely had decided fan advantage. Not quite 2:1 but much more populated on Hokie sideline.
Really had LOTS of chances to win this game; we let this one to get away.
I thought there were several really questionable coaching decisions or lack thereof that contributed to this outcome.
1. Goalline fumble: I would like ANYONE to explain to me what the advantage of running Zone-read from the 6 inch line is. Other than creating a chance for a mishandled exchange, it offers nothing positive. Either sneak the ball or Give it to the RB. That was just a plain stupid call from that area on the field.
2. I try to never call out individual players, but our RT got absolutely abused in pass coverage all night long. We had to either get him some help or try someone else out there. JJ's performance was less than stellar but it certainly didn't help that he had the Right side of his pocket collapsing on every dropback.
The only reason to run the option at the goalline is that it's the running play the players feel most comfortable running. And it did what it's supposed to do: the DE crashed, assuming the tailback would have the ball. JJ would have been all alone in the endzone if the mesh had gone the way the mesh went the previous 999 times they ran the play.
Any play call can be poorly executed. The coach* called the play that had been working all night. He had seen the players execute it thousands of times since spring practice.
*(Who calls plays in the redzone now? Fuente? Cornelson? Someone else?)
Agree with everything you said, had JJ been able to keep the ball, that was an easy TD. It would have been equally easy to QB sneak, though.
It was a bad play-call. From the 5 yd. line or maybe even the 3; I have zero problem with Zone-read, but it was the wrong call from the fringe of the goalline and whoever called it should have known that.
Ultimately, coaching is about assessing the scenario and the personnel. You are literally inside a foot of the goal-line and have a Fr. QB and RB who has missed a bunch of time this year. They don't have the kind of chemistry on the mesh like guys who have been doing it together for years. You are introducing a source of error that doesn't need to be there.
Ultimately an on-field mistake doomed that play (and very possibly the game), but that play was hardly the 1st very odd call inside the Red-Zone this year. I, too, would like to know who is calling plays in the RZ because we left a lot of points on the field this year.
Why? What's the better option? Placing a QB who hardly ever goes under center to go under center? Shotgun and read option are the offense they run so it's the highest percentage play.
Yes, putting the QB under center and letting him follow Teller into the EndZone is the right play there.
Why?---because you need almost no push to even get into the EndZone, you have mauled the other team running the ball down the field on a 90 yd drive, and it minimizes the chance of a fumble. Furthermore. our Snapping continues to be an adventure which is even more reason to run a simple sneak.
It was the obvious call and the right one. Getting cute on the GoalLine leads to the exact type of results we got
So snapping the ball is an issue, but you want the center and QB to get a seldom used snap correct? Shotgun read option isn't cute it's one of the backbones of the offense.
I guess the longer answer is that they should work on running plays with the QB under center all year, so they have them when they need them.
I guess the rebuttal is that it would mean fewer reps at shotgun.
Well, its the Shotgun Snap that has been the issue...not under Center
There were at least two high snaps last night that I could see from the 2nd deck, so I would be willing to bet there were more. And then, on the 4th and Goal; the snap bounced back to JJ's ankles, destroying the play.
The QB Sneak a basic, backbone play of every offense going down to PeeWee. It's the easiest play to execute imaginable. Which is exactly my point....when inside the 1 yard line, keep it simple and don't introduce the possibility of errors.
And if the Sneak isn't successful...you still have the ball no more than 2 yards from the Goal Line instead of the other team having the ball at the 35.
Consistency is what coaches are going for so that you an rely on muscle memory under pressure. The center has no time between the snap and having to start blocking. You wouldn't want him getting confused while in the gun and snapping as if the QB was under center. That puts the most likely offensive player to recover the fumble 7 yards behind the LOS. Not a good situation.
I've seen QB sneaks where there's a fumble in the exchange. I've seen sneaks where it was stopped at the line (hell our Defense has stopped their fair share). If they called the sneak and didn't get in, or the ball was fumbled, people would be bitching about why they called a sneak when they'd been running "x" and it was working before, or, they've had problems snapping the ball all year, why do that?
Fumbles happen. It sucks that it had to happen at such an inopportune time, and that we couldn't fall on it to keep our drive alive and give more chances, but c'est la vie.
Well I thought we'd get our asses whooped so I didn't care much for the game but then we made it close and I got invested.
My only gripe is that this game felt like a microcosm of the entire season. An inability to gain short yardage in critical situations, perplexing mistakes that plague drives, and ignored holding calls.
McClease and Peoples looked sharp as hell tonight. They were confident, quick, and seemed to have a better feel for the position than all season. The younger receivers showed a lot of potential as well.
I'm excited to see how the QB situation unfolds next season. That again seems to be the biggest question mark.
So forgetting the outcome, there is one major thing I want to now. Were we able to run so well due to a dominating performance that should get us excited for next year? Or just poor defense from OSU? Because I loved me some hard noses running.
OSU's defense sucks. Offense continues to play down to/below level of competition. Same ol
Take this what you will but, Peoples willed himself on that 90 yard drive and was the only consistent thing that whole drive
Fumble happens
Peoples goes 0 yards on 1 attempt the rest of the game
Fumbles happen, if there is a lack of ball security.
That isn't what he is saying...the fumble was the turning point in his statement.
McClease was also hot the whole game. I don't have as much of an issue with this as I usually do, just because McClease was playing so well.
These are the losses that hurt most...I was impressed with out team's resolve. The future is bright!
Positives- terrific running game. McClease more than anyone really built momentum to up his playing time with that effort.
With time to heal up, Jackson had his best rushing game of the year. The offensive line, especially once Osterloh was replaced by Plantin, had a dominant game. Some young wide receivers made some plays, which we didn't see much of late in the season for stretches.
Defensively- VT controlled the line of scrimmage inside the red zone and defenses the pass well. Special teams were strong.
Negatives- Jackson gave a great effort. But, accuracy and decision-making were the reason he had a leg up this year. It sure didn't look like the coaching staff trusted him in pass pro early. When they didn't have a choice, he was way too erratic to overcome the lack of gamebreakers outside. The INT was brutal by Patterson and Jackson (Patterson hedged on his read and Jackson threw to the spot rather than reacting to where Patterson's actual path was. The deep miss was rough. He also had some good moments.
As for the spring- the best man will win.
Those same wide receivers are still dropping the ball. I can't imagine Sean Savoy's heartbreak. But his drop off in productivity is a big concern.
As I predicted on Twitter, VT ran a ton of deep 1/3 coverage and quarters with their corners. They played soft because of the coverage limitations and lack of range by Mook, Ladler, and Floyd. Mook is a great whip. He has limited range at free safety. Ladler was ok, but also has limited range. The Adonis bust at the end of the half was brutal. There were also some situations where I wish had run his base nickel rather than dime, and if he was worried about pass coverage, have Shegog replace Motu at Mike. The lack of pressure in the dime allowed Rudolph to find some holes on 3rd and long.
Am I the only one who thought Peoples scored on the play before the fumble? The replay looked like he broke the plane. I sure would have liked to see a sneak call there. Cornelsen's first two drives were Rembrandt's up to that point.
Corner, DT, LB, WR, QB, LG, and C. Spring ball is here. Who steps up?
CB- Webb, Quillen, Watts?
DT- your guess is as good as mine
LB- Ashby at Mike, Rivers outside
WR- Hazelton, Kumah, Grimsley, Farley, Savoy inside (man, that's good)
QB- Patterson
LG- Jackson? Moore? Plantin?
C- Hoyt
I would absolutely be gobsmacked if Patterson wins the starting job. As I told all the folks with Lawson and Hooker, if you don't expect a true freshman to start, you will never be disappointed.
I am leaving ok'ing forward to seeing if Hooker grew as a player and passed during his redshirt year. Fuente will play the best guy.
As for a Hooker vs Jackson battle, the Best guy will play. I think Hooker has the chance to win the job because, if both meet their maximum potential, Hooker will be the better player. That said, if Jackson improves greatly during the off season and Hooker doesn't take the same step forward, Jackson will play. Hooker's potential is excellent, yet he was far from a finished product in the spring last year. If he Lawsons, he isn't going to beat out Jackson.
Patterson would have to be spectacular and significantly better from Day 1 vs the other guys to avoid a redshirt. I love his potential as well. Hooker is faster, Patterson is more of a sledgehammer. They both have comparable arm strength. Reads and run game mechanics will win that long term battle.
Making their reps count will be huge this spring. Jackson, Bush, Hooker, Willis, and Patterson- that limits opportunities to impress.
I think Ellis, at a minimum, is going to get some wildcat opportunities. He has tremendous speed and wiggle, and a decent arm inside 50 yds.
TKP: where Lawson is a verb.
I thought it was pretty clear he broke the plane, but I also thought it didn't matter since we were running it down their throats with 3/4 downs to punch it through 1/3 of a yard. Then we fumbled.
There needs to be an entire practice dedicated to lining up and getting 1 yard. Several times this year we've shot ourselves in the foot 1 yard from paydirt (including crucial first downs ala Miami game) because we didn't just get up there and pound it. Very frustrating weakness we have there.
I saw it as a TD and I think a goal line camera angle would have as well...alas ESPN didn't, but hey we had some great aerial shots from stupid sky cam! I'm pretty sure we were running the sneak except the review was called down.
wan anybody else as annoyed with that thing during kickoffs and punts as I was?
Yes. It was cool when the camera was behind the punt returner, but on kickoffs and punts where it wasn't that camera angle sucked.
I would love to know how to give ESPN feedback, because Beth Mowin's inability to get anyone's name right and that camera are at the top of the list.
It's like she spent the whole warm-up time practicing "ma-Too-wa-poo-Wa-ka." It's the only name she consistently got right!
My head was about ready to explode by the third time she called him Tremaine Edwards. The player on our roster with the most national/NFL attention and she couldn't even get his name right. Then there was when she got the kickers on both teams mixed up and said Slye put an OSU Xp through before talking about their kickers season long when we were driving at the end of the first half. She finally figured it out, but it was cringeworthy to say the least.
ESPN doesn't officiate the game.
Nvm, I agree with you.
So what I hear you saying is that there needs to be some sort of.....accountability??
I hope you mean second string DT there
This is the most surprising thing I've read on TKP in a long time. I thought the pass protection was awful. Wasn't that the reason for all the roll-out passes? They certainly weren't calling to help JJ's accuracy! The run blocking must have been good, based on the results, but I felt a lot of JJ's problems were due to the line not giving him a chance to set his feet.
Once Osterloh sat, the pass protection was perfectly fine minus one play. The rollouts were safe throws- single read and run or throw out of bounds (because the coaches clearly didn't want Jackson making reads in dropback.) Rudolph faced more pressure, yet he did what you should do against edge speed with no speed- step up into the pocket and get the ball out. Jackson didn't manage his pocket well. Even on the beautiful crossing route to I believe Patterson, he kept floating backwards instead of stepping up to avoid pressure. When he does step up into the pocket, he brings the ball down, which indicates he isn't looking down field and is committed to run. Again, Rudolph is a senior. Jackson is a R-FR. It is an area where he can improve with time and experience.
My impression of the pass protection was that our OT's were either on skates or stuck in the mud the entire game, giving up the edge within a couple of beats on every pass play. Meanwhile our interior was a little more stout but still got squeezed or caved enough that on the rare occasion Jackson stepped up in the pocket to avoid the DE's, he felt claustrophobic and tried to scramble instead of unloading the ball.
Contrasted with OkSt's protection on pass plays and I can't give our OL more than a C grade in pass protection. That might be enough with a veteran QB, but not going to provide the comfort zone a freshman needs.
On the flip side, in the run game they were making mashed potatoes out of OkSt's defense, giving our RB's plenty of opportunities to get yardage. Easy A on that one.
VT could have had Mason Rudolph but for Loeffler's Clogged Toilet Offense. This is all his fault.
Mason Rudolph wouldnt be able to run the offense that Fuente wants to run. I honestly wasn't impressed by him last night either. He has incredible talent around him and he's a senior. He played well but it wasn't like he had to deliver passes under pressure or make something out of nothing.
Jerod coming back would have been the best thing for this team. We would have beaten GT and OK St and probably would have played a lot better against Clemson and Miami.
Look, I'm gonna blame Loeffler for everything I can while I still can. It's not rational.
Every time we go for it on 4th down in the red zone it seems like we mess up something. Bad snap, wr running into the snap, bad exchange between qb and rb etc. The team played better than I expected. Looking forward to a QB competition in the spring and getting guys back healthy.
I was very impressed with a lot of what we did on O. Officials didn't help, but VT made more mistakes on O than OSU and that was the difference in the game.
On the JJ topic, accuracy was his friend early in the season and somehow it went away. Nijman injury and foot injury didn't help in the last half of the season, but JJ's wheels were fine last night. I think his mechanics have gotten lazy and he's become gun shy. Not having a single receiver he could count on to be open or make a catch exacerbates both of the preceding. note: gun shy is hard to fix.
Hooker, Willis, and Jackson battling for QB will be fun to watch in the spring/summer. Competition is a very good thing. Receiver room is going to be an interesting place next year as well, in a very good way.
Nice night for McClease. Peoples as well. OSU has a bad run D but somehow I still feel better about RB for next year.
What must it feel like rushing Bradburn and seeing a wall of 4, 8, and 57?
Speaking of 4 and 8...if they stick around, VT is a legit coastal if not conference contender next year.
Finally, I think Fuente won a bet with Gary Patterson and last light. Our fake punt worked and theirs didn't.
Oh yeah, that fake punt worked brilliantly. I was happy to see that.
Think about all that went into that fake punt: We ran a fake punt on 4th and 10 from our 40. With a 5th string walk-on QB. That we put in a #95 jersey so he would LOOK like our regular punter. Completed to an LB. That even having Mummau on the active roster was probably made possible by a season ending injury to another player. That was some serious scheming AND balls.
Damn, I didn't even realize he wasn't a real punter! That's so damn clever. Although I'll tell you, I picked up that he had a lot of nervous energy before the snap (he was really waving his arms up and down). If OSU had noticed that tell they would have also seen the fake coming.
I think the announcer noticed that right before the snap (or the name on the jersey) and called the fake right before the snap.
Come to think of it, that was two correct names by the announcer. She got the two hardest names right -- the one with six syllables, and the one the coaches didn't want anyone to notice.
think about next years Depth Chart:
WR1: Hazelton, Kumah, Patterson
Slot: Savoy, Carroll, Ellis
WR2: Turner, Simmons, Grimsley
JJ played that game with a lot of backup receivers. Savoy played about 6 snaps last night.
And don't forget Farley, who could be the best of them all. But I appreciate the breakdown, we could finally be 8 deep like Wiggins, Corn and Fu want.
Peoples runs like gonorrhea through a whore house: angry, fast, and punishing,
McClease runs like a tiny Latavius Murray: shifty, knifing, but still powerful for his stature. I shall call him "Lil Cleazy" in all posts henceforth. I like this guy.
If you told me after the Clemson game that we'd finish 9-4 after NOT getting blown out in a bowl game against OKST, i would have said there was no way. We are going to be fine.
Ewww
I know every team has injuries and I'm sure Okie State was missing guys but if VT has two of Cam, Nijman, Mihota or Terrell Edmunds available they win by 10.
when he saw Floyd in single coverage on Washington, Rudolph couldn't say "hike!" fast enough
Floyd is a hell of a run support/stopping safety, not so much in 1 on 1 coverage
Listed at 218, can we get 7-10 lbs in him and make him a Backer?
How about Deablo?
If healthy, Deablo will start somewhere. His loss really hurt.
That's what I'm saying... I'm no expert but he seems to be capable in coverage, we just forget about him because he was injured so early on.
I wasn't able to see the game prior to the fumble on the 1 yard line as I was listening on the way home from work. Dynamics change based on that. If the TD had counted, that fumble doesn't happen. If the fumble doesn't happen and we get a TD, we're up 14-3 with two long time consuming drives and OSU could change a little bit of how they play. VT starts playing even better because now the team is playing from two scores up. If we're not playing from behind, there's less need to pass the ball (or force the ball), and we'd probably eat up more clock than we did, and possibly score a couple more times, and they could score like they did, or they could enter a panic type mode and start trying to force things. It really does come down to that fumble (or possible missed overturn, I didn't see that run but the announcers on the radio seemed to think it would be overturned).
That being said, the team could have completely collapsed after that. OSU played damn near perfect football, and we had three major miscues. Erase any one of those, and we win. Erase two of those and we dominate. Erase all three, and sky's the limit. That actually seems to be going in with our season. We tended to shoot ourselves in the foot whenever we started doing well: big plays called back for stupid penalties, lack of execution in the red zone, fumbles in the red zone, inability to recover forced fumbles. Erase even half of the times they occurred, we're playing in the ACC Championship, and possibly a playoff team.
The fact this team is young, and we have a pretty good recruiting class coming in, I think the future is bright.
EDIT: The team could have collapsed, but it didn't. It stayed in the game, even with a couple additional miscues. Additionally, I thought for sure that field goal for them was a miss, until that weird curve at the end? Like the announcer said, except the flags weren't flying one way or the other, he'd blame the wind.
From the perspective of momentum, that fumble felt a lot like Jayron's dropped pick against Stanford - We dropped the ball (pun intended) trying to make a game changing play, then opponent drives down the field and scores with ease. In 2010, we folded. In 2017, it was a 6 point game with 6 minutes left.
To be fair that Stanford team was a way tougher opponent than this year's OSU squad. They were a legitimate national title caliber team that just didn't catch their breaks.
OkSU was also a playoff favorite at the start of the year. That Stanford team only beat 2 ranked teams (including us) that season. There were big questions about how good they were given their SOS.
Postgame thoughts:
-QB sneak! With the way the left side of our line was getting a push for the majority of the game, just get under center and get the last foot. In Corn's defense, if Jackson was able to hold on to the ball he walks into the EZ around the left side, but let's try that on 2nd and 1 if the sneak doesn't work. Too many mistakes like that in the red zone this year.
-I was impressed with the running game. I thought Plantin was a big upgrade from Osterloh. McClease and Peoples both ran hard.
-Jackson had a rough game. I know he's a RFr and his receivers are young, but a lot of things were on him last night; poor accuracy on the deep ball, missing receivers, poor accuracy throwing on the run. I though he ran well in designed runs, but watching him try to escape pressure is like watching a sloth climb a tree.
-Overall defense played well. There were some times that we gave way too big of a cushion and gave up easy 3rd down conversions. The 30 yard run on 3rd down late in the game was a killer. But overall they played well in the red zone, forced some FGs and held a couple of 4th downs. Good work against a really good offense.
Overall, excited to see if these guys can take a step next year, and looking forward to an interesting QB battle, may the best man win!
Great reads and great emotion across this board. Got home from work, wife had great snack food prepared along with adult beverage. Went to our Hokie cave to turn on our gas logs and...didn't work. After Peoples scored but didn't, wife says not to worry surely we can score. (Don't call me Shirley) I pipe up with Damn, we have fumbled down here before. I had to spend the rest of the night in dreaded silence. Where in the FUCK were the Refs from??? I missed the announcement.
The refs were from the Big Ten
of course. where else would they be from? oh yeah, PAC does that, too.
Folks, I know we're all very pleased with the rushing success from McClease & Peoples in the game, & I apologize for being "that person", however, let's NOT forget that defense they went against wasn't even ranked in the top 100. Do we really expect them to see that same/similar success vs: F$U, Miami, Clemson, etc??
No. But the game plan was to run...a lot, and that is what the O did. Anytime a team can execute a game plan and be successful, that is reason for excitement or optimism, regardless of opponent. If they cannot do it against a poor defense then they have no chance against Miami/Clemson. But, the O-line and the RB's can go through the off season feeling good about what they did and the direction they're heading. Individually, McClease will be going into the off season with great momentum, and that is big, and can lead to a great Spring and great improvement. Same for some of the returning OL.
was at the game! completely lost my mind numerous times with the refs. holdings all night. bogus PI. but the 2 plays that really really really made me lose it were the Jackson slide which I know he slid late and im not looking for a late hit but it was BLATANT helmet to helmet. 2 OSU players helmets made contact with jacksons. (I thought he was rattled after that or maybe just his brain was) and then the "subtle" pick AKA a lined up crackback block on 4th down late in the game. Both of these hits were on defenseless players. I just don't understand how either of these went uncalled.
as for the actual game no need to restate whatever else did about the QB sneak on the goal line after we already scored anyways.
Idk if bface got hurt in late in the 1st half but I would have liked to see more of him and less Adonis I though bface was playing really really well.
I think the one thing that coaches cant account for in a QB competition is how a QB responds to being hit. I think Jackson prior to the slide where he was hit helmet to helmet was playing GREAT football and was on fire. after that he seemed skittish in the pocket with hot feet and that lead to his inaccuracy. I could see why coaches picked Jackson because when hes not taking hits hes a pretty dam good QB. Im excited for next year, it cant get here fast enough. already missing hokie football.
Am I really gonna be the first one to blame each one of JJ's miscues on the lady he clearly had over past curfew last night?
via GIPHY
You mean like the Tony Romo/Jessica Simpson fiasco?
Haha, not quite to that magnitude. Maybe just a little too much late-night necking before a big game.
Haha, so true that this comment should go plaid.
There hasn't been much "officials" venting in here...
There are some key points I'd like to make.
Ricky Walker should have called the FBI he was held up so often, obviously. The rule as written - and as many people point out - could probably be called on every pass play; officials often use the judgment of "would he have made a play" to throw the hankie. In the OSU sequence after the fumble, Walker was clearly impeded enough to allow the long completion instead of at least forcing a scramble. The two holding calls against VT (there was one against OSU, which we declined) were there, but were not on the same type of plays. You can see that type of inconsistency when Officials are not familiar with a team (or a conference's style of play). Film review also comes into play - they see Pfaff get flagged for holding - or see obvious holding that isn't called - they have an unconscious bias already to flag him. I have no doubt our D's "personality" impacts the types of calls that get made or not made.
Overall, these kids give 110% on behalf of "us" - VT and the fans - and I love the fact they want to win at the next level. 2018 is up next, and everyone will be picking Miami to run away with the Coastal. We actually get SEVEN home games next year including Notre Dame and Miami.
Let's hope the Zebras get some off-season remediation and film work in.
Well done and well articulated sir
I still don't understand how A) the NFL doesn't have professional Refs B) why NCAA doesn't control refs and conferences do C) why can't NCAA have semi pro or even pro refs.
I thought this was a great match up and a great game! Frustrating, because we should have won. To me the difference was a freshman QB made mistakes while one of the best QB's in college football made plays. This is not meant to blame JJ, it is just a fact. I think he played very well this season for a freshman QB, and if he keeps the starting job, will have a great career.
The fumble was his fault (but let's blame this one on the refs), needed to be more decisive. Ultimately he made the correct read, but wasn't decisive enough and tried pulling the ball too late.
Missing a wide open Murphy before the half hurt. He needed to just take his time and put some air under it, another easy 7 points. Mason Rudolph hit his receivers deep when they got separation and it led to 2 TD's. He didn't miss when those opportunities presented themselves. Difference between freshman and senior QB's.
The 3rd and 8 drop by Kumah. JJ and Kumah need to make that play. Again, looked like JJ rushed the throw a little. On the subsequent 4th and 8, I wish we had kicked the FG, and I said so at the time. Had we done that, we might've found ourselves driving at the end of the game down 6 with a chance to win instead of down 9 with almost no chance to win.
The interception should've been another drive leading to points.
That is 17-24 points that we should've gotten. And with as young as the offense is, we will get those points next season. That is the bright side of things here. It felt like the offense and defense executed the game plan, but those few mistakes led to points not getting on the board.
I hate losing, especially when it feels like we should've won, but at the end of the day our young offense made some mistakes and OkSt's veteran offense made plays.
Yes, the refs should've reversed that to a TD, and yes they missed a lot of holding against Walker, but even still, we should've won the game.
Josh Jackson looked like a freshman a lot this season. We can't keep just throwing out QBs that have some struggles for the new, shiny toy we haven't even seen play live. Jackson played how I thought he would. He needs some work, like every single college football player in America. He needs more weapons. He needs a solid running back. He's not a program changing, do it all by himself talent.
Two of my main concerns for him were: running threat and deep ball accuracy. He actually looked good rushing the football. Not sure if it was a mentality thing, but he looked a little quicker to hit holes and just overall more confident. He HAS to continue to improve there. Secondly, the deep ball has to become accurate. We're gonna have fast receivers destroy corner backs a lot. He has to be able to hit those. Just has to. If we continue to see regression/no progress in the deep ball, then there can be real conversation about a benching, but until then, he is our QB1.
This was a frustrating year. More than 2001, less than 2003.
WVU and Pitt were probably closest to us in terms of talent and ability, but anytime we played anyone better than them we just folded. And then the GT game....ugh.
If JJ improves from year 1 to year 2, great. I'll be as happy as a clam with jam. But I'm not sure that will happen. If one of the other guys is better, play him. Gawd this offseason is gonna last entirely too long.
I always enjoy your posts... and your last statement (about the long offseason) is too true.
.
However, I think you need to update your sig line.
Gotta give the team kudos for fighting to the end and not making it like 2003. 7-1 start, lose a game, then that turns into a 1-3 finish with a loss to UVA.
It's super unfair to say we folded against anyone. We fought Miami, Clemson, and OkSt hard till the end. Those teams were just better and we didn't have the athletic advantage that allowed us to cover up unforced errors like we did against lesser teams. These guys played tough all year, got to at least give them that.
Yeah you right, I'm being unfair. I just feel too much today. My bad fam
I can't remember which one of you has the "Danny caught that ball" as your tagline, but it's time to renovate:
#StevenScoredThatTouchdown
or just shorten it to
#StevenScored
Or better yet, #PeoplesScored
Soo much to read here but ina few weeks we should get some clarity on the regression of JJ's. He is a smart kid but will have to battle it out again with Hooker. A lot of young faces on the offense again but more dynamic
I think JJ is being treated unfairly. A lot of people over-hyped in early on. Then, injuries to himself and his surrounding cast made for a rough second half of the season. He's just a redshirt Freshman, you can't expect but so much from one. Tyrod, both as a Freshman and a Sophomore, was a turnover machine.
Overall, last night's game was a pleasant surprise; a run game that was effective and productive, and was, more or less well called. This team also seems to be well coached despite its youth.
Our football team's future is bright.
JJ improved in many ways during the course of the season...I think his ability to run in traffic has improved, and so has his decision making when it comes to the right time to run. However, if you're to have a capable offense in this era of college football, you have to have an accurate arm. That's this biggest issue with JJ at this time. I only hope that whoever wins the job next year will be able to get the ball to our receivers and let them handle the rest.
Wow, REALLY!?!? Tyrod was also: more mobile, had better escapability, faster AND a higher ranked recruit. Trying to match JJ with Tyrod is hilariously laughable. Tyrod had a MUCH higher ceiling than JJ.
I'm not matching the two, and I never alluded anything of the sort. I'm merely stating that Tyrod's first two years weren't that good.
Here are his stats:
Year School Conf Class Pos G Cmp Att Pct Yds Y/A AY/A TD Int Rate
*2007 Virginia Tech ACC FR QB 11 72 134 53.7 927 6.9 6.7 5 3 119.7
*2008 Virginia Tech ACC SO QB 12 99 173 57.2 1036 6.0 4.4 2 7 103.3
*2009 Virginia Tech ACC JR QB 13 136 243 56.0 2311 9.5 9.7 13 5 149.4
*2010 Virginia Tech ACC SR QB 14 188 315 59.7 2743 8.7 9.5 24 5 154.8
This all points to what sort of advantage you have when your QB is a Junior or a Senior.
Going with Hooker or Patterson next year, unless they are much much better than JJ is dumb.
Would've been MUCH more helpful if you stated that you were only specifying it exclusively from a passing perspective. Saying he was a turnover machine is inaccurate.
Unless my statistics are inaccurate, I have Tyrod with 7 INTs and 9 fumbles in 2008.
Don't misunderstand. It's not the stats you've posted. It's this generic statement:
Even with those stats, he managed to nab: the Coastal, the ACCCG & the very first BCS & Orange Bowl win. I disagree that those stats place him in the category of turnover machine.
He also had a group of experienced wide receivers, two of which had pretty decent NFL careers.
Peoples TD that was somehow not a TD?
one thing that idk maybe just rubs me the wrong way when i see it.... every time the offense was about to take the field in the 2nd half fuente huddles up ALL the offensive guys EXCEPT Josh Jackson is on the side throwing the football and NOT in the huddle. it just baffles me. is this not something he could be doing while the defense is on the field? shouldn't he be in the middle of the huddle? or at least in the huddle. shouldn't he be warm anyways in the 2nd half of a football game? i mean what is a 5 yard pitch and catch going to accomplish to loosen up your arm or anything for that matter. it just rubbed me the wrong way. you'll only notice this live I think. but to me and this is purely opinion based- you lose some of your leadership and trust from your team mates when your doing that. I want my QB in the middle of that basically echoing everything my coach is saying and seeing it in his eyes when my coach is saying it.
If that is what is happening, that is how Fuente wants it. I don't feel like he lets his players go lone wolf at all.
i was fine with how the defense played, I know the 3rd and 11 hurt but with what we had due to injuries, we played well.
On Offense:
Its the usual: Turnovers..this is a problem in big games and I somehow think its the way our players are executing. JJ did accept it as his mistake and a few other places such as the deep ball to Murphy.
I think we could have won with the players we had on the field. I think this offense requires focus and concentration which I think some of our guys just don't have right now. If we can continue to run the ball with those 3 running backs, we should be able to have an edge in most ACC battles. Having said that, I still didn't the play-calling. When we were pounding the ball, CornFu failed to mix in passes, the possession was great but I felt we should have at least thrown some passes. Also on that fumble at the 1/2 yard line, running an RPO while we just proved we could crush OKst was questionable to me. We could have ran people right down the middle.
As for JJ, he needs to grow up. Yes we can give him a break since he is a r-freshman but those type of deep balls to Henry Murphy need to be completed. He missed some easy ones during the regular season too. He started off the season with solid accuracy, no interceptions but then 2nd half of the season came and things caught up to him. This is where he needs to grow, have some lessons learned and watch some tape.
For the future, I have no worries about the D. We'll get some people back and I like that Ladler and others stepped up to fill in for injured players.
For offense, for us to have success, it will be largely on how JJ grows up. I dont know if throwing in Hooker or QP is the right call. I do like the number of guys who stepped up at Wide Receiver and the talent that will be coming in next year. Also like that we have a nice triple-threat at running back as long as they stay healthy.
The fumble wasn't a Run Pass option play.
It's already been said, but if JJ successfully pulls the ball away from Peoples like the other 10000x in practice, he walks into the endzone on the left side untouched and we all praise Cornelsen for the play call.
But "if" gets you Zero points. A QB Sneak there gets you 6 and a 14-3 lead and changes the entire complexion of the game.
Sometimes playcalling isn't about calling the "pretty" play that lets your QB Waltz into the EndZone but doing the simple things that get 1st downs and get points on the board. That is my biggest concern with Cornelson, there seems to be a real lack of situational awareness at times. This was one of them.
Less than one foot from the EndZone, you call a QB sneak. Period. Its what everyone else does and does successfully.
Our ability to line up and run a predictable play, simply imposing our will, has been sorely lacking for a LONG time. We don't necessarily have the O-line to just push forward like that. Go with what you know. The RPO is our offensive bread and butter, and Jackson wanted to keep it (right move). Poor execution of something that otherwise works 99.9% of the time with those guys.
In post game comments fuente said basically the same thing. A play they had made hundreds of not thousands of times with no issues.
Perhaps JJ decided to pull it at the last second or give it at the last second when he was otherwise going to do the opposite. Oh well.
Except Pitt, right?
I'm with you though and not trying to be difficult. I would've preferred a QB sneak there as well and it'll probably score over 99++% of the time, but stuff happens in football.
Whew that wore me out. I cannot believe that any of you think that Patterson won't be red shirted next year.
It is what it is but get your shit together refs/replay crew. We were dominating up to this point. On the bright side, the running game looks good with a 2 back rotation, let's build on that in 2018.