No matter how bad the Hokies were on Saturday, nothing should take away from the fact that Blake LaRussa was and is a legend. Rudy made one tackle!!!!! This dude just dropped 495 and 4 TDs (and a rushing touchdown) on what many thought was a top defense in the ACC. He also got HIT all day and still made throw after throw after throw.
Fuente's postgame comments were that of a true leader. Diving face first into the failure while not trying to take anything away from what ODU deserved and earned. The Hokies showed nothing that would have made any viewer root for them to win that game, and when the fourth quarter rolled around neither was I.
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Second this ^^^^ This guy played out of his mind. Some of those throws were Montanaish. He really does deserve a ton of credit.
Agreed. He and Brewer both belong in the Steel Nutsack Hall of Fame.
That's nothing, did you see their TOP?
The VT defense did give him a lot of help (penalties, lapses in coverage), but LaRussa was out there doing his job, and doing it pretty well.
I said this in the other thread, but worth repeating
I wonder how much Deablo being out caused our secondary to be like Swiss cheese. Either way, props to this kid. He balled out.
We lost to a man with 800 Instagram followers. Much respect to him though.
not anymore. instagram famous!
I promised myself I wouldn't log in or check this site after that horrible excuse for VT Football, but I saw this thread and thought I should.
The one thing that you can almost tell from a team and a quarterback of the team that is going to win the game, or at least give it a big shot, is calm. LaRussa never really looked shaken, beaten, or panicked. Save for a couple hits where he got up and you could see him stretching out his shoulders, arms, etc, he maintained cool. He was completely in the zone.
This, and our QB and team looking defeated and shell-shocked, by the time the second quarter was halfway through, made me begin to wonder if this team had it together.
As annoying as that "Anatomy of and upset" crap was watching the game and being talked about after every ODU score, you can't take away from the composure that ODU team had. They were truly playing as if they had nothing to lose, and if you can't match that intensity, you are going to have a tough time.
ODU and LaRussa totally earned that win.
The game reminds me of VT going into anOSU and beating them. Nothing to lose and the longer that we hung around, the more pressure that anOSU felt. Brewer made throws that he didn't repeat for the rest of his career (or if he made them, it was 1 or 2 per game, not an entire game of passes).
I feel this is a much better comparison of games than the JMU game or the ECU game that people keep bringing up.
We're just on the less fun side of it this time.
edit: though, I'd feel better if LaRussa were to play like that against everybody else he plays and not just us.
cool.
Him and their running back and Terry Williams will haunt my dreams for years to come.
That picture is a little accidental Renaissance, too. Like, "Oh if you're going to show me this defense then I might as well throw this football I have here. Behold!"
Yep. They'll join my nightmares alongside Shane Carden.
That's a name I never wanted to hear again, thanks for that
Shane Carden is forever associated with James Gayle in my mind. Remember that time Gayle sacked Carden in the end zone, dislocated his shoulder in the process, popped his own shoulder back in, then resumed play as if nothing had happened? My gosh, that was spectacular, sigh.
Blake LaRussa would catch that damn fly with chopsticks.
Shoulda just called this the Lovin' on Blake LaRussa thread. 😍
DustinsPickle can we get a title change up in here?
Doesn't do him justice. Heroes get remembered, legends never die.
My son's getting a LaRussa jersey for Christmas.
He's really the Dustin Pickle of walk-on quarterbacks at ODU.
Blake LaRussa has the most passing yards against a Bud Foster coached defense. Not Donavan McNabb, Matt Schuab, Matt Ryan, Aaron Rogers or Peyton Manning. Blake LaRussa. Wow.
Now that's a stat. Wow. I hope people are introducing him correctly from now on:
Blake LaRussa. This guy fucks,
You can also add these current NFL starters to your list: Matt Stafford, Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, and Mitch Trubisky.
Edit: Spelling
Mitchell Trubisky threw for 11.7% of the yards that Blake LaRussa did.
A friend texted me and said "So...ODU". I responded with "Yeah, they are a really really good team. The best team we've played so far this year." And while they may not be the most talented team, they might be the best team we've played. I just don't think our staff and players actually thought that ODU is a better team than FSU.
Not exactly the same last name, but his epic performance reminded me of his distant cousins epic performance...
I would normally suggest that somebody should put ODU and VT on Daniel and Johnny, respectively, but I'm just not sure I want to see that gif.
I was thinking more like this...
How many clutch throws did this kid make under pressure? I swear at least half a dozen times he turned what I thought for sure was going to be a sack into a throw for a first down. A lot of that was our young secondary breaking down in coverage against the scramble drill, but LaRussa deserves mad props for still finding the open receiver under duress. The kid took some shots, too, and kept getting up.
Well just to give context
He was 16/22 for 342, 2 TDs and 1 Rushing TD in the second half
9 completions were 10 yards or more, 6 of those 9 went for 20 or more yards.
All in all he had 14 passes go for 15 yards or more - last year they average 3.5 passes of 15 yards or more per game....for the entire season...
I havent looked - but I would bet, that was the most passes allowed of 15 yards or more against a Bud Foster defense...ever
You may want to look at LaRussa's stat line again.
30/49 (61%) for 495 yards, 4 TDs and 1 Rushing TD.
Edit: Nice ninja edit
Woops ...I meant to add in the second half - he threw more passes of 15 yards or more than incompletions in the second half was the point I was trying to make...
...This kid better be the next Taylor Heinicke is all I am saying.
Yeah, he was virtually unstoppable during the second half. I was wincing every time he dropped back.
this. right after the game, I said to the rest of my UGa loving family - that dude was on fire - no idea how/why he is their 2nd string QB.
I'd LOVE to hear Bud's honest opinion about this game.
Was it all execution, or did ODU successfully keep LaRussa and that game plan under wraps.
Bold strategy to lose three games in a row just to reveal your secret weapon in a non-conference game for the big win.
The road less traveled.
makes perfect sense. After all, you need to make a big impression on those 757 recruits to keep them in state. That's the whole point of the series with Tech...
No sarcasm, I'm wondering if that was part of ODU's plan. Because my main question after seeing that game is why wasn't this guy starting?
Becaue it's such a high risk game plan. If even two or three of those passes are dropped, deflected or intercepted the game is a totally lose for them. It's the same go for broke that's ECU did.
Which is the whole brilliance of it.
ODU wasn't going to win that game with a conservative game plan.
Exactly which is why williams came out and I wouldn't be shocked if he started or played most of the snaps later this season for them.
He'll stay in for the same reason that Mayfield will stay in for the Browns and the same for Fitzpatrick with the Bucs (Monday aside). He got the win.
Williams came out because he wasn't performing. Not against Liberty, FIU, Charlotte or VT. If his performance slips or he is injured, I'm sure Wilder will consider Williams again. But after the performance LaRussa had and the way the ODU players bought into that game, he'd be a fool to sit him.
edit: forgot Charlotte
Make no mistake though - this game was ODU's Super Bowl with nothing to lose and everything to gain. I was at the game and it reminded me of watching Blake LaRussa passing the ball all over the field when he played against my son's high school team several years ago. I ran across a youtube video of LaRussa leading his team to a state championship and some of his throws back then looked eerily similar to the ones on Saturday. (First time trying to insert a link so give some tips if it doesn't work) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8QR-rR-VAU
I hope, for his sake, LaRussa bought a lottery ticket on Saturday. Just sayin.
That game was his lottery win.
I wouldn't bet on another one like that.
Eh, I hope he balls out the rest of the year like that.
Not only would it be nice as an ODU fan, it would take the sting out of this a bit.
I don't care what ODU does.
The only thing that takes the sting out of this is VT winning out.
Beating Duke will help with the sting, and beating Notre Dame would also help.
Agreed, but for me not until ND, & even after that, only a very little.
yeah, comfortably numb is a ways off.
I've heard penicillin can also help with that stinging feeling.
I'm a poor loser for games (losses) like these, so they get zero congrats or acknowledgement from me. Like the bad news bears, eff him, eff them,
Blake Larussa is seven feet tall!
Yes, I've heard. Kills men by the hundreds. And if HE were here, he'd consume the Hokies with fireballs from his eyes, and bolts of lightning from his arse.
Yep. And then next season it'll be "Blake LaRussa was hanged, drawn & quartered, & beheaded by Virginia Tech's defense. King Bud Foster sent his remains to the 4 corners of VA as a message to any non P5 & FCS team that would dare to challenge or speak out against LPD & Tech's recruiting presence in the 757."
Blake LaRussa will really get after ya.
*His uncle Daniel is a real dick though.
This post is accurate and necessary. He was dropping the ball in solo cups on 30 yard passes consistently.