Recent Comments
I totally agree that we should've kicked the FG. I think it would've been about a 35 yd kick btw. Just take the points and keep the momentum. IF you go for it...let your giant if a QB run it!
was McShay making bold statements without any evidence or facts. I hate when people do that, make a statement and never back it up.
My sarcastic iPads comment was about the previous poster saying the gameday experience was outdated. I didn't understand that and I don't know what the "most current" gameday offerings are. I don't know what people are looking for, maybe a jumbo screen like the one in Cowboy stadium. I just don't know.
I wasn't comparing RG3 to Logan. My point was this. Baylor runs a an option offense which is a"college" offense that is "outdated" in terms of NFL. Yet, RG3 is going off in the NFL. The draft analysts said it would take RG3 time to adjust to the NFL, unlike Luck because Stanford ran an NFL style offense. Well, RG3 put up 40 points against NO in week 1. Perhaps it would be better to look at some of VT's players that had great rookie seasons, like Eddie Royal, but VT examples are few and far between. I don't actually believe that's based on VT's offense, but due to the lack of NFL caliber athletes on the offensive side of the ball.
Logan has been a disappointment, no question. And I do think there are some areas that better coaches would really prepare him for NFL, but it has nothing to with an outdated offesne, but simply the caliber of his coaches. I think McShay would have been correct if he stated the coaches don't prepare the players for the NFL because they don't teach all the technique that it takes to be successsful in the NFL. The best example I continue to see week in and out is the blitz pickup by the RBs (NFL GMs and coaches have said this about VT RBs in the past). Every time an LB blitzes, the VT RB tries to block him straight up, and everytime the LB pushes the RB into the QB. NFL RBs usually take one of 2 methods to block a blitzing LB. First, is the dive into the waist of the blitzing LB, which completely stops the LB's momentum. Second, is to push the LB to the left or right, using the LB's momentum to push him past the QB. You hardly ever see RBs getting pushed into the QB in the NFL, but you can see it all the time when watching a VT game.
Cody is money from there.
this kind of showing no longer surprises me? Ah well. At least WVU's currently laying an egg
from last week, "...this offense looks antiquated."
I think that might be a good un-biased, non-partisan observation I believe.
That ending to UMD-NCState was awesome. Tough break for Marylands kicker.
But we were in no mans land too close for a punt long field goal short yardage and we need to try and win T.o.P
Have you by chance worked at VAFB? Only heard one other person refer to a trainwreck as a dumpster fire...
Forward progress stopped for a sack? If that's a universal rule, this would never have happened.
I submit the highlight I talked about in the post above for evidence.
Pretty sure that's what Clemson did today... Paid them off. Jesus Christ, those were the two worst ref'd plays I have ever seen... I don't even have to tell you which ones I'm talking about.
Forward progress, my ass. If that counts as a sack, there would be no Eli Manning to David Tyree miracle in the Super Bowl to knock off the undefeated Pats and more than half of Michael Vick and Tyrod Taylor's scrambles would have been TFLs.
Long time reader, first time poster. When god? When will Stinespring and O'Cain be held accountable for their god awful play calling? I hate being so bitchy on my first post here but good lord that was terrible. Can we please stop letting Michael Holmes touch the football? Sorry, I had some actuall points to make but I forgot them with my complaining......
I am absolutely floored by the ineptitude of the offensive coaches et al. Davis and Dyrell once again taking plays off, not sticking with your RB, and then a WR pass. I understand he used to be a qb, but you've been trying for yrs to get him to be a WR. You just drove the ball in very little time, why use a gimmick play? You would have thought the debacle punt fake last year would have taught you a lesson... The refs called a $#/¥ game, but that momentum killing pick is what lost the game. Per the usual O'cainspring go give ur damn check to Bud and go find a new job... Rant over.
It was yet another boneheaded strategic blunder by Frank Beamer. They're becoming more and more common as he gets older. He's pretty much good for about one a game now.
You're an underdog playing on the road, it's midway through the first quarter, you're up 7-0 and you've just driven the length of the field after starting at your own 15 yard line after getting a big turnover.
The absolute LAST thing you want to have happen there is that you come away with nothing!
The smart, non-testosterone clouded decision is to kick the f'ing FG and go up 10-0.
I can guarantee you that 99% of the coaches in this country, no matter what level, would have done so.
But if you absolutely must go for it on 4th down .... Why in the hell would you want to try and run behind Eric Martin at TE???? As usual, Martin's feet stopped moving completely at first contact with the defender, he was stood up and driven back into the backfield, and that doomed the play.
So Clemson ended up getting an emotional boost for stopping us while VT was deflated.
Going for the 1st down there was a dumb, dumb, dumb decision.
Wanted to say Hughes was awesome getting the punt off after the bad snap. (I think it was him if I am wrong please correct me)
My hats off to the Players for not giving up on the game after the push off td by Clemson...I know I have seen games were the Hokies would be down and the team would give up. The Team did not give up! It is going to be a tough season but I think it will make the team stronger for next year.
Still getting my thoughts around this game...I think most of our offensive players are playing as hard as they can but the play calling is killing us. Not every drive but it seemed in critical times in the game we were calling bone head plays. From the film I have seen on this site our offense can be efficient and explosive but in big games in critical moments we make stupid calls. We tried to be too cute and it burned us. Our game plan should have been to win time of possession and we were doing that first half. All we had to do was to keep running it down the middle and throw short passes. Clemson's defense couldnt tackle a dummy and our line was pushing them around. What do we do second half? Finesse football (end arounds, screens, slow developing plays). My hope is for a bowl game but changes on the offensive side of the ball. We dont need a spread or 50 points a game offense just one that controls the ball, limits mistakes, and can take the air out of the ball when we need it too and a play caller that understands his offense and how to call a game.
Was hoping being down 20 to Duke was the turning point of the season. For the D, I still think it was...for the O, quarters 2-4 of the Duke game seem like more of an anomaly.
Offensive inefficiency, whether the playcalling or execution, again undermined a winning defensive effort. The scouting report on Boyd is to get to him early and force him into mistakes. For the most part, the defense did that. He was inaccurate for most of the game. Had the offense been able to do ANYTHING at the beginning of the second half, I feel the outcome would have been different. We got behind in the field position battle and the defense did all they could; but when you let Clemson start on the positive side of the field each drive, there is only so much the D can do.
Like Joe said, the refs are a part of the game. You have to overcome bad calls. In this case, both of the calls significantly influenced the momentum of the game which is unfortunate. If Thomas isn't blown dead, he completes that pass for a first down and the drive continues. Not saying we would've scored, but field position would have likely changed. I am absolutely dumbfounded at how the replay officials didn't overturn the 'non-fumble' on Watkins. It kills me that, even with slow-motion, frame-by-frame, replay, officials in the booth STILL can't get that call right...completely baffling. Clemson goes on to score a TD and, with our lack of O, the game was out of reach from there.
This season is far from over. The D needs to continue to improve and the O needs to figure out how to be consistent(ly good) on a weekly basis. This team can still play for an ACC title. Hopefully the bye week will refresh this team and coaching staff. It's #FuckMiami week(s). Looking forward, as always, to French's analysis.
The bottom line stat is that our O has produced a grand total of 30 points in 3 games during the past year against Clemson. FSU, BC and GT all scored more than 30 against CU this season in ONE game. Last year, most ACC teams had no trouble scoring 4 TD's or more against Clemson. Only the VT offense struggles against the horrible Clemson D.
What does that mean? Either the talent level of our O is deficient (NOT!) or our offensive scheme is deficient and unable to learn from the success of others (WINNER!)
How do we fix this problem? Hire new offensive coaches in the off-season who are able to make strong adjustments during the game and put points on the board. We used to able to do that, 10 to 15 years ago. Not now.
If we do not have at least 2 new offensive coaches next year with one being the new OC, there is going to be a great deal of unrest and dissatisfaction within and without the program, IMO. Wish it were otherwise, but sometimes you have to bench underperforming players, and the same goes for coaches. Make the call Frank, PLEASE!
GO HOKIES!
For once we started off strong, we just couldn't keep it up. its maddening to see the potential of this team and still lose games. That was a very beatable Clemson team. I thought the play calling really let us down in some key situations, like joe noted above.
For anyone else who was at the game, "death valley" didn't seem that loud. They got it up on a couple third downs, but I've heard lane much louder, and more consistently so. Think their stadium is overrated, or is vt that underwhelming of an opponent to them?
We should pay them. I'll put in some money for the Miami game.
I just want to say something about Kris. I don't care how many mistakes that kid makes(doesn't seem like very many), he plays with the most heart I have seen from a Tech player in some time. Every time he is on the field he gives 110% effort and that just makes me proud. The defense? They played incredible. I don't even consider them giving up 31 points, half of them were given to them by our offense and officials.
I loved seeing so much emotion from our defense, Even when there was a minute left they almost held Clemson on the 1 yard line. That's what I like to see. It's been a while but I think they've got their "swagger" back. That was my favorite part from today.
The D played the best game of the season, as far as I'm concerned. You can't pin those short fields after the pick and live ball on the punt on the D. How many times did Clemson actually have to drive the field to score? Not many.
The 4th and 1 they didn't convert was an aggressive call that was correct. You need touchdowns to beat Clemson. If it was 4th and 2 or more, you kick the fg. The play call however, was vintage Stinespring. Call a slow developing 7 yard deep off tackle play behind the weakest side of the offensive line with the coldest RB in the stable and turnover on downs.
The offense while steamrolling in the first quarter was a dumpster fire for the next 3. They stopped the quick hitting runs in the middle of the field and started the slow strech plays and end arounds around the edge. If I never seen VT try another WR screen it will be too soon. WHERE WAS THE HB DRAW OFF THE WR SCREEN WHEN IT WAS CLEAR CLEMSON WAS KEYING ON THAT FORMATION.
The Marcus Davis WR pass? There is your offensive coordinator and 'play caller/qb coach' calling that play, folks. Down by 2 TD, clock running, just got a first down, with an NFL size quarterback who led a comeback against Duke and Miami, calls a play that lets let a WR throw from a stupid WR screen formation across the entire field. That play alone should get them fired. That's just straight dumb. If the brain trust of StineOcainspring isn't fired, Logan should just go to the draft, because it's not going to get better in college.
Completely agree. Like I said in a thread a couple weeks ago, I hope they fire both of them and bring in Friedgen. This offense has the talent to be good like we saw at the end of last year. Fridge is a great OC, bring him in and we could take that next step as a program.
Also, if those two are fired then this was the most productive season short of a National Title that we could have.
Seems like I make this comment every year, but again, it's true. Great gameplan by Foster and really good execution by the D.
As an armchair offensive coordinator, I was calling for a quick pitch to JC to the weakside (right) on the first 3rd and short. I think JC would have made it easy, and it would change the defensive alignment on future 3rd and shorts, which would have made any future QB sneaks easier. The last thing I would have done would try to sneak it behind Wang, a terrible guard who is gimpy. I also would never try to run Holmes behind Wang. But, that's just the obvious.
The scripted plays in the 1st drive worked well, but their offense stalled consistently after that. I don't know what else to say, but, unless we have a QB that can scramble and make deep throws on broken plays, this offense will remain mediocre with O'Cainspring.