Hokie internet is up in flames. A lot of vitriol going around. I just wanted to drop on honest assessment of what we have going for us down the road. You may not agree with me and that is okay. But instead of yelling at each other and blaming this and that and provide narratives that are overreactive, I'll just lay out what we have and maybe this can be a point of sane discussion on what Hokie football is going to look like, not only next week vs Pitt, but in the years to come.
QB: Josh Jackson, Ryan Willis, Hendon Hooker, Quincy Patterson.
- Ryan Willis is serviceable. Nothing more. Nothing less. He can make very good throws that QBs of Hokie past could not make. He can also turn right around on the next play and stare down his receiver into a should-be interception. We've found his ceiling and it is not high. Much like Michael Brewer, we admire his effort and toughness and willingness to fight for us in a time where we need that spark. I don't see much leadership in him. I don't see much to gain in the future with him.
- Hooker/Patterson: both had deer in the headlights type looks yesterday. Neither are remotely ready to take a snap at the beginning of the game. Both have tremendous upside, but we still haven't seen them throw the ball to much degree. Both would improve our run game tremendously, and if they can just be serviceable in the passing game, and not throw interceptions, it would be a welcomed transition.
- Josh Jackson: I still think he is our best option at QB. He makes the right reads, but he has a lot left to be desired. Coming off an injury, I don't think it's the right place for him to step back onto the field this season. If he is QB1 next season, I won't mind. I know a lot of people have different opinion on the matter, but that is my two cents worth.
Verdict: Each one has their strengths and weaknesses. If you're asking me to pick one of them to play a win or go home type game right now, pending health, it would be Jackson. Think Patterson has a real shot at QB1 next year, just basing this on what we've seen the coaches try to do with him. There is a level of trust there. I think it's either Jackson or Patterson to start next season. Hooker and Willis on the outside looking in.
RBs: Steven Peoples; Deshawn McClease, Jalen Holston, Terius Wheatley
- The Peoples Court will be missed. Power running, good catching ability, can pick up a block. One of the best backs we've had since DV4.
- McClease/Holston aren't game breakers. McClease shows some flashes every now and then but isn't the most consistent. Holston hasn't show much either.
- Wheatley is an interesting one. He's looked decent in the jet sweep game and could play a role there.
Verdict: It's looking like we need one of Gary/King to play immediately next season. Not convinced on any of the others to lead a backfield. Also, not convinced Gary/King are the answer as freshmen.
WRs: Hazelton, Kumah, Grimsley, Turner, Savoy, Patterson
- We're set here for the foreseeable future. One of the key messages of Fuente was to get depth at the WR position. We haven't seen this amount of talent and depth at WR in a long time. I expect to
- We have some highly touted freshmen coming in who can sit and develop, and then Simmons/Ellis who can join the ranks next season.
- Not to mention Keene continues to develop into a solid pass catching TE when needed
Verdict: Weapons for whatever QB rises up and holds down the spot.
Offensive Line:
- It's the best it's been in quite awhile I think. Also stocked pretty well for the future. Darrisaw will hold down the left for four years. Thought Smith had a good game at LG. A lot of of highly touted young guys. Hopefully we can find a center.
Verdict: Quite pleased with the development here. How quickly can these young guys get up to speed though?
Defensive Line:
- We're fine on the edges I think. Gaines, Debose, Belmar, Garbutt is a pretty good little core. Interior, it's a bit dire. We need some JUCO/Grads in pronto and hopefully one of the DTs in the recruiting class is ready to play some snaps.
Verdict: To be determined. Gotta see how the Juco/Grads turn out. Two plug and play DTs and we could be looking quite good.
Linebackers: Dax, Ashby, Rivers, Kearney
- This has to be the position group on the defense we're most excited about. Dax and Rico had a hell of a game yesterday. Two freshmen, not to mention Ashby has been really good all season and Rivers has been better than average.
Verdict: We could see a Hall/Adibi level pairing develop between two of these four, not to mention Artis and Griffen as depth.
Defensive Backs: Farley, Watts, Ladler, Webb, Deablo, Floyd
- If we can all get healthy, on paper this should be a pretty good secondary. We still don't know what Webb has to offer. I've liked what I've seen from Conner in limited time. Rodgers is decent depth and getting good snaps this season. Cautiously optimistic here.
Verdict: Will be a more experienced group next year. Another offseason for Farley and Watts to grow. What do we get out of JR Walker, Devon Hunter and some other redshirts currently?
Special teams:
- Punting is fine. Kickoffs are fine. Punt returning and Kicking need some work. Can Stout become a reliable kicker to overtake Johnson?
Comments
Thanks. I appreciate the thoughtful and optimistic perspective. I agree it's not a bottom of the barrel situation. I think a lot has to happen, including a coaching staff willing to make bigger changes, for next year to be decent (better than 2018). But honestly excited for 2020 and beyond. I truly believe this year is an anomaly in the Fuente era. Let's hope that's the case.
I'd add that while I love the idea of blocking punts, we need to avoid running into the kicker when 5 yards gives the other team a first down.
JUST DON'T DO THAT.
I'd also say that even if the other team does something very obnoxious like holding onto your shoulderpads for 10 seconds after the play ends, resist the urge to hit them. The refs penalize the reaction, not the cause. I know that one is a hard ask.
The running into the punter thing was annoying though. Mediocre acting job, bad reffing job IMO.
Agreed. That was the most minor "running into the kicker" offense I've ever seen. Clearly accidental, clearly not a big deal. Clearly overacting.
It doesn't matter if it's accidental or not. He made contact with the punter, and wasn't blocked into him, so it's a penalty.
I wasn't clear on the rule. If the rule is "contact", then I can't argue with it.
Edit: I looked it up. Here's the wording, for what it's worth:
.
From that reading, if the contact is incidental and the kicker flops, it's not a foul.
I would also add that regardless of the letter of the rule, the intention is clearly to protect kickers from being targeted. In other words, the intention is player safety. Flagging a player for a touching a kicker's foot while in the act of attempting to block a kick doesn't seem in the spirit of the rule. IMO the issue is very similar to the overzealous "roughing the passer" calls happening in the NFL right now.
I guess it isn't quite as clear-cut... From page FR-92:
I guess the question would be, how do you define "Incedental contact".
I'd say that in that particular play, it was about as incidental as I've ever seen where contact was made.
Was clearly not intentional.
I don't disagree with you, from what I've seen it was an iffy foul.
But that's just one of those times where its best to just not put the decision in the ref's hands. If you aren't blocking it, don't even breathe on the kicker.
Gaines was OBVIOUSLY putting on the brakes hard, and even tried to hold the punter up from "falling". If this was the NBA, the BC punter would be fined on Monday for flopping.
I went to church this morning, so I'm covered. The officiating yesterday FUCKING sucked. BC held all day long on every series. They missed a crucial PI call on Hazelton's almost TD catch, and at least three others.
These guys will not be on the crew in Charlotte, or doing any major bowl games, for sure.
Besides that, rough day at the office for our boys. I loved the heart the defense played with. Coach Foster did a nice job this week. Fuente on the other hand is good for a bonehead move or two every game. Never should have gone for it on 4th and 5. The game was young, and tied up. Take the points, man! Also, the 2nd down holding call on BC. Back those motherfuckers up, coach! You gave them 3rd and 10. BC runs a play for 10 yds and gets the first down. If you back them up, they probably press a little more. Even if they run the 10 yd play, you still have them at 3rd and 10.
I don't get it.
I'm gonna have to respectfully disagree with you there. That was going to be a pretty long field goal into a stiff headwind. I didn't like our chances of making that FG, and apparently neither did Coach Fu. 4th and 5 is not an optimal situation, but we were too close in for a punt and too far out for a reasonable chance of success on a FG. My only quibble with the decision is that I'd probably have rather seen a fake FG than whatever play we tried there. Had it worked, you'd have had a major momentum boost going into the half.
I can dig this. I didn't know the distance, or wind deal.
Yes, I agree with you about not putting it in the refs hands.
Particularly the refs from yesterday, who in my opinion made several questionable calls and spots.
From my perspective in the stands and the replay on the video board? The punter's momentum carried him into our player. Our player had actually stopped so that he didn't hit the kicker.
There absolutely shouldn't have been a foul called there.
4 a) would seemingly have applied to the call yesterday in my opinion. Something that caught my eye was 4 b). So a player destroy a punter without repercussions (assuming not a targeting or other foul) if they run outside of the tackle box on a rugby style punt? Why does that never happen?
I suppose then it would be "unnecessary roughness" instead of "roughing the kicker".
Or Cunningham's reaction to the BC guy peeling people him offthe pile. The BC guy isn't going to get flagged for it, though I would say it's a form on unsportsmanlike conduct. If you're not in the pile and the whistle has been blown back away from the pile. The BC guy got in his head and we payed for it.
Pulling guys off the pile is a 15-yarder in the pros. I bet it's only a matter of time before the NCAA adopts it.
From the replay on the scoreboard it looked like the punter walked into him.
Never put your fate in the hands of the officiating crew.
That's what I saw - punter's momentum carried him into our player, who had already stopped in his tracks.
Great post. I must disagree on primarily one area. I am extremely concerned about the entire d line for next year. I only feel quasi comfortable about Hewitt and possibly gaines. Otherwise the worry is deep. I like your positivity in this trying time my friend. Go Hokies.
Not sure what you see in the offensive line. Their pass blocking is better but breaks down in key moments. The run blocking is constantly breaking down with missed assignments and lack of movement. It was expected to be one of the best lines in the ACC. It isn't even close.
Perhaps. But the online is definitely not the biggest offender on this team. I've seen some decent holes. Peoples has gotten some decent yards. Room for improvement sure. But not the glaring problem of years past.
Counterpoint: at 300+ lb apiece, they are definitely the biggest offenders on this team.
Mostly agree minus QB situation, JJ has provided us for 1.25 seasons but we need to move on from him. I haven't seen where he's heads and shoulders above Willis as far as progressing through his reads, he runs like he has cinderblocks for feet and his arm strength is abysmal. Willis will service for the remainder of the season but the offseason position battle should be between RW, HH, and QP if the latter can mature quick enough.
To be fair, I think Willis is getting better.
JJ is 11-5 for us. RW is 2-3. For the warts they both have, one has demonstrated the will to win.
JJ also had the benefit of the Edmundses, Stroman, Settle, Mook, Motu, Adonis, and more helping to cover up for deficiencies in the offense. Ryan Willis does not have that luxury. With last year's defense, RW would probably be 4-1 over the same stretch, and we would be a top-15 team.
And JJ didn't have the depth on offense that RW has. He basically had no run game, a bunch of young WRs and a hurt Cam.
I'm not trying to take anything away from RW, but too many people don't give JJ his due either.
Watching RW after the hit yesterday showed me why I think the coaches named JJ the starter even though he doesn't have the arm strength of RW.
P.S. Thanks for giving props to Motu. Most don't.
At the very least it's an apples-and-oranges comparison. IMO, the losses on defense are much greater than the gains on offense, but it is difficult to quantify. Really the only good comparison is during this season, and really the only game where JJ had the offense flowing was W&M, a bad FCS team, and is 2-1 on the season with the loss to ODU. RW has been able to lead the offense down the field more often than not since taking over, though he is prone to making questionable decisions at times.
For the most part, my eyes have been telling me that most of the offensive failures with RW at the helm are rookie mistakes, both from him and his teammates. Offensive PI, false starts, bad snaps, stare-downs and throws into traffic. In my amateur opinion, RW looks like the better QB, and at the very least has a higher ceiling, and considering that this season is mostly lost anyway I'd rather stick with RW and give him another offseason of development to see if Fuente can raise his floor to around the level of JJ's.
Besides, anybody who watched QP's series yesterday and thought to themselves that he looks battle-ready is just kidding themselves. Backup Quarterback Syndrome. He needs at least another year of development and maturity on the field.
I can agree with a lot of what you wrote. I will say that RW looks like the better passer on the longer throws, and seems to be making improvement on the mid range crossing routes. He has a desire to succeed. I don't agree that he is necessarily the better QB. When I hear that he wants to sling the ball all over the yard, it makes me concerned. There were a bunch of plays in this game and others where I'm scratching my head about his decision making.
As I stated elsewhere, I don't think he sees the field very well. Reading defenses is as much a key to success as throwing bullets and bombs. He has made several wrong decisions on the read option, and I have yet to see him really make the defense bite on the RPO. I'm not sure if it is a carry over from playing at Kansas, but he really needs to be smarter with the ball. He reminds me a little of Brewer, so maybe it's a Big XII thing.
JJ seems to understand the game a bit better, in my opinion. He doesn't have all of the tools that RW has, but the number of bad decisions is a lot lower. That's not to say that JJ is perfect and always makes the right decisions. Sometimes I think he tries too hard to make the best decision and is too slow to make a decision. There are plenty of times I wish he would throw the ball away instead of taking a sack. I do think that he recognizes what the defense is doing and makes adjustments to try to take advantage of something he sees. I'm not seeing that from RW right now.
I know he gets credit for the loss to ODU, but JJ wasn't in the game at the end due to injury. We'll never know how different that game may have been if he hadn't gotten hurt.
Even so, it's equally unfair to pin it on Willis, considering that he likely hadn't had a single first-team rep since early in Spring practice. In any case, that game was a total team failure.
Also, the mental part of being a QB is correctable, whereas it's a lot harder to teach arm strength and accuracy. Willis's occasional bonehead mistakes lower his floor below JJ right now, but his physical tools raise his ceiling well above JJ. I firmly believe that another offseason with Fuente will improve Willis'smental game enough to raise his floor to at or above JJ's level, but only time will tell.
That's the dumbest argument.
Excellent observation.
Ultimately Fuente chooses his QB on who's going to make the best decisions. Willis is good but his INT was devastating and Jackson would not have thrown the ball. Bottom line is that mistake put the game out of reach. Period.
That's not to say Willis didn't play his heart out. He put it all on the line. The kid is tough and brave.
A lot of fans on here want a QB to carry the team and win the day!
Fuente is a far more cautious coach than that. The number one thing he expects his QB NOT to do is lose the game by making bad decisions.
By throwing the INT and BC capitalizing Willis negated one of his nice passes.
I know people will argue all day long that JJ couldn't or wouldn't have made those throws and we would have been behind anyway. Well... That can't be proven. What can be proven through facts is the game was tied and then BC went up by a TD.
Willis is the starter now and because of that I'm behind him. But I also think JJ gets crapped on all day long because he's good at everything and not amazing at anything.
Are you talking about the interception of a pass thrown to Hazleton at about 4:15 left in the 3rd quarter which bounced off of Hazleton's numbers into the hands of a BC defender? (at about 2:50 - 3:10 on link below) I don't recall the down, but how else could Willis have thrown it better - because it was short of a first down maybe? Hazleton muffed it by turning too soon. No defender was actually on him. Just wondering what you mean.
VT vs. BC highlights.
That's the one. There were 2 (then 3) defenders converging on 14 when RW rolled out and pump faked. 6 was farther down the field and more open. Instead of either a) tucking the ball and running, b) throwing it out of bounds past the line of scrimmage or c) throwing it toward the sideline for 6, he chose to throw a ball on the run to the guy that had the smallest window for success. That was a poor choice, and is a pattern for him trying to force the ball to 14 when there are other options available.
I know he's gifted with a strong arm and can run, but I don't think he sees the field very well. Trying to make a hero play is often not the best play for the team.
That's makes it clear. Thanks. Above all the QB should have better situational awareness. That was a problem the other night as we seemed to miss more than a couple of first downs by inches. One would think players would do better, but were I a coach I would overly stress knowing where the first down is on every play.
What a giant load of bullshit.
I think based on your follow-up comments, you're confusing "the will to win" with "lots of other offensive talent around him"
FWIW. Even with the passing numbers in RW favor, and with a better surrounding cast.... he is averaging less PPG against Duke, UNC (even if you only take 35/59 of the points to adjust for a better defense and the pick six in the GT game), GT, and BC. 26 ppg for JJ, 25.5 ppg with RW.
RW might be a more polished passer, but he cannot run the offense as well as JJ did last year, even with a better cast of skill players and line. There's an argument to be had about what ceiling is easier to achieve (making better throws vs making the right reads) but there's clear evidence we could be scoring more points without our backup playing QB.
Jackson led us to 18 ppg last year in ACC play. That's subtracting defensive/special teams scores & drives where AJ Bush was the QB.
Absolutely. And he had some bad games against Clemson and UVa, but I'd sure like to see RW PPG to go down when he is pulled up 30.
JJ was pulled in the 3rd qtr against UNC. Even if you factor in just two quarters of play against UNC, he only produced 19.2 ppg against ACC competition last year. We are a touchdown better per game with Willis.
Not against the same competition so far. See first comment.
I need a rolling eyes emoji.
And I need a rolling eyes emoji for all the missed reads Willis has made and the number of times he's been fortunate not to be picked. He was almost picked twice in the final drive of the UNC game, there were a few times Saturday he was almost picked off and probably should have been.
And yet he still has a better interception ratio that what JJ put up last year.
Jackson's career stats, 16 games
272/454, 3566 yards 25, TDs, 10 INTs.
NCAA efficiency: 136.99
Completion percentage: 59.9%
Passing Yards/game: 222.875
Yards/completion: 13.11
Yards/attempt: 7.85
TD:Int ratio: 2.5 TD
1 TD per 18 attempts
1 INT per 45 attempts
---------
Ryan Willis's career stats, 23 games
357/636, 4069 yards, 25 TDs, 21 INTs
NCAA efficiency: 116.24
Completion percentage: 56.1%
Passing Yards/game: 176.91
Yards/completion: 11.39
Yards/attempt: 6.40
TD:Int ratio: 1.19
1 TD per 25 attempts
1 INT per 30 attempts
JJ has better stats across the board except in total passing yards, and he's 500 yards behind with 182 fewer attempts. If he were to maintain the same rate for those 182 more attempts, Josh' stats would be:
381/636, 4995 yards, 35 TDs, 14 INTs
24 more completions, 926 more yards, 10 more TDs and 7 less INTs
Want to look at it per-game?
7 more games for Josh on the same pace would net:
391/652 5126 36 TD, 14 INT
36 more completions with only 16 more attempts than Willis has now, almost 1100 more yards than Willis, 9 more TDs and 7 fewer INTs.
I would stop short of including Willis' Kansas numbers considering his supporting cast there.
And Willis' supporting cast this year is better than J.J.'s last year.
Our offensive supporting cast is that much better? The offense as a whole is worse. Outside of Hazelton, where is this big uptick in 'supporting cast?'
Regardless, of the fact that the marginal uptick in 'supporting cast' from 2017 VT to 2018 VT is extremely minor as comparing the supporting casts of 2015/17 Kansas and 2018 VT, folding in the Kansas games, and then averaging them like they were full games or seasons played, is insanely misleading.
Willis played in 6 games and only had 117 total attempts in 2016. We're just treat those like a full season and add those into career numbers to compare?
If you want to include Kansas (which again is hilariously misleading anyway) at least level-set the stats on a per game basis.
J.J career stats per game. Stats to 3 decimal places
17/28.375 (so 17/28)
222.875 yards
1.562 TD
0.625 INT
Willis career stats per game. Stats to 3 decimal places:
15.512/27.652 (so 15/27)
176.913 yards
1.087 TD
0.913 INT
That translates to JJ having, per game:
+1.478 completions / +0.723 attempts, +45.912 yards, +0.476 TDs, -0.288 INTs
Or in 1 more attempt per game than Willis, JJ nets ~2 more completions, 46 more yards, half a touchdown and 0.3 less interceptions.
Again, I think including numbers from Kansas is a little disingenuous, but do at least appreciate the breakdown on a game by game basis.
Even still, Willis' numbers from 2016 are going to be a little flawed bc he didn't play full games.
I don't understand why you're so adamant to not include 2016, when he started 8 games and played in 10. Or do you mean 2015?
By season:
2015 - 6 games played, 2 started. 72/117, 811 yards, 3TD, 7 INT
2016 - 10 games played, 8 games started. 164/315, 1719 yards, 9TD, 10 INT
2017 - sat due to transfer rules (but still practiced because that's permitted)
2018 - 7 games played, 5 games started. 121/204, 1539 yards, 13 TD, 4 INT
Jackson by season
2017 - 13 games played, 13 started. 236/369, 2991 yards, 20 TD, 9 INT
2018 - 3 games played, 3 started. 36/58, 575 yards, 5 TD, 1 INT
I think you've got some of your years mixed Willis Career Stats
Willis played in 10 games as a true freshman at Kansas in 2015 (not all of which he started), and played in only 6 (with only 117 attempts) as a sophomore in 2016.
Comparing those numbers to a full-time starter at Virginia Tech, who had been in the system a full year before starting, and put up serious numbers against non-P5 opponents just seems to be blatantly skewing stats.
Why not compare stats at VT? Their experience in the system is fairly comparable
Because he has an agenda and that wouldn't support his narrative.
No less of an agenda than you have. Comparing freshman J.J. last year with mostly freshman receivers to junior Willis with more experienced receivers is no different. And it's no different than the agenda people had in 2003 to bench Randall for Marcus. In fact, it reminds me exactly of the Marcus/Bryan Randall situation.
You'll never convince people in their revisionist histories. Your point is solid Tai.
I also know I'm not always right, but I'm going to stick to my guns. If I thought Willis was an upgrade, I'd say as much; I genuinely don't feel that way having watched him play. He's has some of Jerrod's problems of not making the next read and fixating on a receiver (UNC proved that well) and tries to make too much happen.
From a freshman I can forgive it, from a junior I can't. And I would be treating Josh the same way if he were making these same mistakes because he's had three years in the system and two years as a starter.
What I'm disappointed by more, however, is that it feels like the trend of "downvote unpopular opinion" after DCWilson's issues a few weeks ago hasn't let up. I don't generally care if I get upvotes but I've noticed a number of my posts today have gotten downvotes for what feels like (my opinion) people are just disagreeing with me.
Okay, so maybe I'm wrong about Willis should have thrown that ball away but that's not a reason to down vote me because I didn't say or anything to deserve it. And it's especially not okay to down vote me pointing out a post advocating to BAN me and others because we feel a certain way is against community guidelines.
If anything, this kind of activity is only hurting this site and given people MORE reason not to become TKPC members or to pull their TKPC membership.
Is that what you really want?
And to VPI97 -- I'm sorry if at any point you felt like I came after you personally. That wasn't my intentions, even if I did get irritated at your eye roll comment. However, I do feel like there are people pushing an agenda that intentionally don't want to see both sides of the equation and it does remind me, strongly, of what happened in 2003. Everything about this season does and I don't like it at all :(
why? Knowledge in this world is evolving. Your opinions should evolve too, especially if the facts dictate so. It doesn't make you less of a person. No one should be so hard in their opinion that they reject truths and objectivity.
You bring up a good point and I didn't realize how that came across because I'm not a "I reject your reality and substitute it with my own" person. I'm stubborn as a mule, but I'm not that stubborn.
For example, I still think Willis should have thrown away the ball that was picked; it might not have been his fault, and based on what others have pointed out my opinion is likely wrong, but the situation at the time plus a lack of trust I've developed in him based on what feels like him trying to do too much to make things happen are why I feel this way.
Am I wrong? Based on the other thread, I probably am for that one play, but that doesn't change how I feel on the matter or why. That doesn't mean, however, that I can't be proven wrong and won't ever change my opinion. Maybe in the next 3-4 games or however many more games we have left this season Willis does something that gives me more and more confidence in him. I genuinely hope so because he's "our guy" and because I want to trust him. But the stats over his career, Kansas or not, give me doubts and some of his decisions and lack of vision on the field as a VT player have also given me doubts.
I probably just misread the lines for which year was which on 247 since I can't access ESPN at work and Hokie Sports doesn't list is splits from Kansas.
I chose career stats because career stats tell more of a tale, good and bad. That and people are trying to compare redshirt freshman J.J. with an inexperienced receiver core and an injured Cam Phillips to a redshirt junior Willis with a healthy and more experienced core of the same players.
JJ at VT
59.9%, 7.85 Y/A, 32 TDs / 10 Int
RW at VT
59.3%, 7.54 Y/A, 16 TDs / 4 Int
Seems to me like they are very similar. Yet one is a Junior and one mostly a Freshman. One played with this same group as freshman a year ago without our best current receiver.
At this point I believe JJ is the better qb. But not by much. Both have talents the other does not have. I do feel that the total offense runs better through JJ. I am also concerned that the offense appears to get a jolt of energy when QP comes in; why not block with that passion for RW? Considering JJ is still recovering, it is probably not worth debating.
One other thing:
As long as he's on the field and keeping his nose clean off-the-field, I'm going to root for him. He's one of "our players", and I wouldn't be much of a fan if I didn't. But that doesn't mean I think he's the second coming of Christ. I've seen a lot of things that have made me question his vision of the field and his decision making, and regardless of the reasons why he did it when he slid Saturday night it pretty much solidified my opinion of him as our starter. We still had "a" chance, as miniscule as it was, and that slide ensured there was 0 chance.
Things I'm not worried about at all:
-WR's - Easily the strength of this team right now - tons of talent and depth already and they'll only get better too
- OL - They could be a bit more disciplined but they are a net positive at this point. Will suck to have to replace Pfaff and Chung but this position group has really come around from where they were years ago and there is even more talent coming in next year.
-LB's - The talent there is obvious - they still make some mistakes but I am completely comfortable with the two deep for the near future.
-TE - Dalton Keene is awesome and I suspect James Mitchell will be a force to be reckoned with in a few years as well.
Things I have cautious optimism for but question:
-QB - Supposed to be Fuente's huge strength but I don't really see it yet. Ryan Willis has his good and bad moments but he is still way more effective than Josh Jackson has ever been against P5 competition and that scares me since Fuente basically handed Jackson the job. Hendon Hooker was a hand-picked big time Fuente recruit and has not even factored into the QB competitions, let alone done anything on the field, since he stepped foot in Blacksburg. We all have high hopes for Quincy - I would be really at ease if Quincy started our last game or two to end this year, showed some flashes and then won the job going into next year. The fact that the offense has only looked good with a one year JUCO transfer under center since Fuente got here really scares me.
-DE - There's supposed to be a ton of talent there. I still think Gaines is/will be a very good player. Belmar is a non-factor. Garbutt, Proctor, and Debose were big-time recruits that really need to seize opportunity. Maybe they all really do just need another offseason to develop but you would think if they were ever going to become anything really good that SOMEBODY would do something this year when we're desperate to find somebody effective on the DLine.
Safety - Divine Deablo doesn't quite make the splash plays you would think he is capable of when you see his athleticism but the fact that the entire secondary seems to unravel when he is out shows that he is doing something right back there. Reggie Floyd is okay, makes some good plays but makes some bad plays too. Tons of good recruits coming in there too so while it's not a major strength right now I'm not overly worried about it either.
Things I'm in panic mode over:
-CB - I think Farley will be good eventually, even if he's not great right now - he's made some good plays this year despite several awful ones and the talent is evident there. But outside of an awesome hustle play against FSU Watts has really not been any good - he's clearly a guy who should have been a 3rd or 4th CB this year who got forced into a top 2 role. Quillen, Waller, and anybody past them are complete non-factors and barely even worth talking about - those are guys who should never be seeing real defensive snaps that are in on every other play. There's no big-time CB recruit coming in next year to help either that we can really expect to contribute as a true freshman. Hard to expect much of Jeremy Webb coming off an ACL but we almost need to just hope he comes in and locks down half the field next year because otherwise I don't see this getting better outside of Farley anytime soon.
RB - Peoples has been okay this year but I do think we overrate his effectiveness just because we've gotten used to complete trash at the position for most of this decade. McClease is what he is at this point - an okay rotational back but nothing more. We've really gotta hope King or Gary can come in and do something immediately next year - I have some hope one of them will at least, but then again I've been conditioned at this point to just assume no RB for this team is going to be good. It's stunning how hard it has been to find a go-to guy at this position for so long.
DT - This is the most unforgivable thing on the team right now. There's just no excuse for the coaches to let it get this thin. What seemed to be a revolving door of ready-to-play talent for so many years is now a completely bare cupboard. We're at a position where there is no talent in the wings ready to go soon and we basically need MULTIPLE grad transfers/JUCOs/true freshman to contribute immediately next year to have a competitive DL. Maybe that happens, but it probably doesn't.
I'm gonna give you a leg right now after skimming this and coming back in the morning to read it thoroughly. Good stuff.
Leg. 100% agreed on all counts.
As much as I don't want to see it, I'd say we see DeBose go to DT next year. I didn't get to talk to him on Saturday, but I noticed he's packing on weight and muscle like crazy. His lower body is getting so big he's going to have to ask for a bigger pants size. I'd say they've got him on the DE to DT diet plan and workout regimen.
And as he told me before the season started, he'll play whatever position he's asked to play.
I'm not panicking about CB. As you said I think Farley will develop into a great CB for us. He's been making plays and has the ability he just clearly is inexperienced and prone to mistakes. 4 Star JR Walker coming in this class is projected to play CB and should push for playing time. Webb being healthy will be a huge bump and all these other guys you mentioned will have another year under their belt. CB will be fine.
I agree on RB and DT.
Anybody else wondering where Cole Beck is right now? Helped Blacksburg win the state championship last year. At this point, he can play in every remaining game and still not burn his redshirt (I think).
From Hokiesports...
High School: Produced 4,723 rushing yards, 6,027 total yards and 81 touchdowns during his career at Blacksburg High School ... Rushed for more than 1,900 yards and scored 32 touchdowns as a senior playing for head coach Thad Wells ... Helped lead the Bruins to a 10-5 record in 2016 and the 3A football state championship ... A New Balance Outdoor All-American and a 13-time state champion in track at Blacksburg HS.
I can't wait for next year to deploy a sign that says:
Maybe spell it right, though
I get that people see this as a strength, but they really need to be doing more. The biggest issue is ensuring a catch. They need adjust to the passes better and make sure the ball is in their hands. Too many drops and lack of adjusting to the ball to consider this position a true weapon.
I don't see the emphasis of the JUGS machine like in the Moorehead days.