Recent Comments
2013 is shaping up to have Shuman and Goins as the starting tackles and Acree, Conte and Taracshke backing them up. I don't think we should expect Acree to contribute until his r-Senior year, so the r-Fr will probably be 2nd string.
Shuman is coming along nicely while Goins is still figuring things out.
With Farris and Arkema available to back up Wang, Miller & Benedict; Gibson to OT is a viable option if Goins isn't ready.
This is a great question, and it is one I spoke with TKP about last night. The entire GT game is an outlier, because I think you will see lineups and techniques that we won't see the entire rest of the season.
I think the lineup could vary radically based on how AHopkins and Maddy perform in training camp. Before last season, the Hokie strategy against Georgia Tech was to shoot the center-guard gaps and disrupt the fullback mesh point of the triple option. I thought that would be their strategy again last year when Collins was moved inside. Instead, both he and Hopkins really focused on tying up double teams and allowing the mike and the backer to take away the dive, and the "option man" (usually the defensive end) took pitch. The Hokies forced the QB to keep repeatedly, but in doing so he got numerous 4-7 yard carries. The cumulative effect of the beating he took after getting those 4-7 yards later forced him to give to the dive or pitch when it was the wrong read later in the game, and on the series with the crucial 4th down stop, it was poor reads by the QB on 2nd and 3rd down that gave the Hokies the extra distance to make the stop.
So, which strategy do they employee? If they follow the same model as last year, I would think that using both of the Hopkins brothers and Maddy (as long as they can jam up the dive) makes much more sense than Collins getting beat up down inside. If they want the tackles to get upfield, I could see them playing Collins, Marshall, and McCray all inside at different points opposite Derrick Hopkins. That is the high risk, high reward approach, especially with Marshall who has a habit of playing undisciplined.
From the ends, I could see the Hokies using more and more of the look they used against Michigan, where the defensive ends played standing up (almost like a 3-4 outside linebacker) reading and moving flat down the line playside, and tight backside gap control. Wilson and Gayle both used this technique against Georgia Tech, and it effectively took away the pitch for the Yellow Jackets. Beyond Georgia Tech, I wouldn't be shocked to see our ends standing up against Clemson as well.
Also, if Kyle Fuller is whip, who in the blue hell plays the field corner? The Hokies will play a ton of the robber cover 2, with the corners immediately bailing deep, especially the field corner. Georgia Tech always seems to have a 6'6 WR that can catch a jump ball. Do they really want Manning with that responsibility as a true freshman? And, do they flip it up and have the safeties play deep halfs with the corners now taking pitch and the ends taking QB? To me, I'd much rather see Fuller at corner if the corners are going to play run support instead of the safeties?
French, who do you see as the starting four d-linemen for GT? Will they slide Collins inside again now that A. Hop is back as a space eater?
Great read!
There is a Hokie Pokie Bus slated to go from Ballston for the Cinci game (just like the two we did for Boise State). I believe the Northern VA Alumni Ass'n is also sending a bus that has more than one stop. We expect to fill them all easily - maybe reach out to your local Hokie Club and explain how easy and popular a bus would be.
Feel free to put them in contact with me and I will set up a webpage to handle all the logistics too.
It may also be that they are waiting to see what time kickoff is. Noon versus 8pm may make a big difference in planning from down in Hampton Roads.
Well, in the front seven, it is the same core group of players with Harley as the most notable addition. Assuming that every guy improved, you would think that they should be better up front. The secondary was devestated by Jayron's decision to go pro and a long period of poor recruiting. The theory of corners at the safety position will work IF both Jarrett and Bonner are comfortable communicating as receivers come in and out of their zone. While he struggled in the spring, I think Jarrett will be a breakout player if he hits his comfort zone.
Exum at the boundary scares the hell out of me. I just have nightmare after nightmare of Exum being draped all over guys, but not finding the ball. That was his pattern at safety when asked to man cover. Also, I don't think he can be successful unless he plays a ton of press coverage and is allowed to play a very physical brand of football. Press coverage can be mitigated by having your boundary wide receiver playing as a flanker instead of up on the line as a split end, and officials have been more and more inclined to keep corners from mugging receivers in the 5 yard contact zone. It is a big challenge for Exum, and we know he has the talent and the confidence to make the adjustment, but he has to improve his ballskills. I don't know how adding weight makes that possible.
I still have some hope for our defense against Clemson. If you go back and watch the first Clemson game from last year(before every single starter was injured...) we held them in check for a good portion of the game, about 3 quarters. We also held them to only 20 points and half of those were due to offensive and special teams issues giving them fantastic field position. So, maybe we will have a chance this year.
What does our 2-deep look like at Tackle next year??
LT Schuman
LT Conte?
LT Acree?
RT Gibson?
RT Goins?
RT Taracshke?
Bus trips are limited here since the Holie Club is not running any trips thie year. Wish there was a bus to FEDEX like I took to the Boise State game.
#beef
If we're going TOP themed, my vote is the Notorious TOP
Do you expect the 2012 defense to be better, not as good, or comparable to the 2011 defense?
great job french .. i'm also wondering if rvd will step back in at rover for depth. i know that moving someone around all over the place isn't always best but good, heady players like kyle fuller (and supposedly rvd) can transition back and forth. if he's that good, i don't see how you keep him off the field. and if injury happens, i don't see how you do anything but move bonner or jarrett back to corner and move rvd in as one of the safeties. manning needs to do work this season. i just don't know that he'll get there fast enough.
really wish jayron would've stuck around
I just noticed that the extra point was kicked by a non-soccer style kicker! Was Williams the last straight-on kicker in football??
http://youtu.be/6Ike6a1ituo?t=23m38s
Here's a sequence where they show Frank and Shane on the sideline, Furrer throws a TD pass to run up the score on UVA and then back to Frank and Shane celebrating. Almost too much awesomeness in a 1-minutes span.
I am not sure what I should comment on?
1) How weird is it to see the Hokies in a pro set?
2) How many 15 yard penalties would have been called on that celebration today?
Here's the 4th quarter of the 86 Peach Bowl, which includes Kinzer's kick that someone mentioned.
Thanks Mikey. I wish I had an good answer for the robber/pure zone/pure man ratio but I have not had the bandwidth or the film angles to watch entire games and track how often they run it. As teams have become better at running the spread, they have used more and more 4-4G and less robber because running a robber takes a player out of a zone. 4-4 G looks so much like man that it is hard to spot. The only way I can spot it is if a receiver runs out of one zone and the Hokie DB's let him go. It is not suprising that both coverages can trick quarterbacks, especially inexperienced ones.
I wish I had film of the game, but when Joe Dailey was the QB at UNC, the Hokies had a day where they pilfered him like taking candy from a baby. Over and over he threw seam routes against what he thought was man coverage, and over and over the offside safety came over and picked him off. Dailey and his backup combined for four INT's that day.
So, why do some teams have success?
1) Terrific athletes beating the less skilled cover guys (be it the whip, or a safety) who have to turn and run just like man coverage when a receiver goes deep.
Examples: Miami in it's heydays, FSU in it's heydays, Clemson last year
2) Teams that establish the run and effectively use play action.
Examples- Stanford, Boise, Clemson last year.
Oh, and any footage of Brandon Flowers obliterating receivers and their mothers.
I haven't read through the whole thread so forgive me if I repeat some that have been mentioned. I think most of these were TV games and/or I've seen them on YouTube somewhere.
Any of these will do, particularly the ones against Texas.
- Any of Will Furrer's TD passes vs. UVA in 90
- Furrer to Antonio vs. WVU in 91
- The goalline 4th down stop/fumble recovery with 20 seconds left at WVU in 91
- The blocked FG vs Indiana in the 93 Independence Bowl
- JC Price's sack late in the game in the first win vs Miami in 95
- Bryan Still's punt return TD vs. Texas in the 95 Sugar Bowl
- Still's long TD catch vs. Texas in the 95 Sugar Bowl
- Jim Baron's fumble return TD vs. Texas in the 95 Sugar Bowl
(PS I really fucking hate Texas)
- Druck had a long TD pass to open the scoring vs. ECU in 96
- Keion Carpenter's 100 yards pick six vs. Miami in 96
- Shawn Scales' reverse TD run vs. UVA in 96
- There were 4 or 5 big plays for TDs vs. Rutgers in 97
- Pierson Prioleau's INT to save the game vs. Miami in 97
- Clark to Hall in OT vs. Miami in 98
- Clark's big run for TD vs. Bama in 98
- Midget's pick six vs. Bama in 98
This whole series is really helping me understand everything.
I now understand why you have been harping over our safeties and how they haven't been playmakers the past few years. With robber they are required to make a play on the ball and it is key for turnovers in our defense. Hopefully putting cornebacks at that position will help increase the interceptions and big plays.
Do we tend to play robber more against certain teams compared to others? Also how often do we use robber coverage? Half of the time or is it more used to surprise the defense?
A play that gets lost in this game because of D. Evans' amazing performance; Brett Warren's murder of Darius Heyward-Bey in the 2008 Maryland game. I believe it was in the 3rd quarter. Featured here around the 5:01 mark. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJJ4dg01cCU
its true, i live near cville and you see vt stuff everywhere. there was some store in the downtown mall selling stained glass and the vt one was above the uva one and i said to myself you would never see that in blacksburg
i'm no mv2 fan but that clip makes me smile.
Right now the Hokie Club web site states there will be no bus trips this year. I hope it changes. Here is the link: http://tidewaterhokieclub.exis.net/events.htm
There is a local travel company that is promoting trips but no solid info yet.