Film Review of the Passing Game Against ECU

A team is never as good as it looks when it wins, and never as bad as it looks when it loses. This is one of the tenets that level-headed Frank Beamer has built his program on. Playing in the 'Shoe against eighth ranked Ohio State, Virginia Tech looked magical at times. A week later, that same team looked outmatched against a non Power-5 team. An offense that previously couldn't miss on third down, started off the day by frequently going three-and-out, or throwing interceptions. What was so different about this weekend? Why did the offense look so lost, particularly in the first half?

I rewatched the game looking for some tactical or schematic reason as to why ECU overwhelmed Tech on defense, and honestly I couldn't really find one. ECU did a good job at bringing pressure from different angles and confused the offensive line, but those stunts should have been picked up. The secondary did a great job at aggressively attacking the short passing game, but Loeffler frequently had receivers get open behind that press. Virginia Tech should have won this game and they would have won if they could have capitalized on a few of the opportunities they had early in the game.

Attacking The Short Passing Game

During Scot Loeffler's tenure as the offensive coordinator, Virginia Tech has relied on a short passing game to move the ball. The emergence of Bucky Hodges and Ryan Malleck has made that short passing game even more effective this year than it was last. Early in the game ECU had it's secondary aggressively break on any short routes by the Virginia Tech receivers. They wanted to take away the part of the playbook that Brewer and his receiving corps were most comfortable executing in order to force them to throw the ball down the field, similar to how Foster attacked OSU's run game in order to force J.T. Barrett to throw the ball. Unfortunately, Tech was about as effective throwing down the field against ECU as Barrett was against Tech.

This is the first play from scrimmage for Virginia Tech. It's the type of low-risk/low-reward throw that Loeffler has based his offense on. Isaiah Ford sees the corner start to backpedal at the snap, so he cuts his route off and turns expecting the throw. The key to understanding ECU's strategy is to watch the footwork of the CB. He initially takes a few steps backwards, yes, but his eyes are on Brewer the whole time. As soon as the corner sees Brewer start to throw towards Ford, he's going to break on the ball and make the catch as difficult as possible while also preventing any YAC.

It's really a matter of statistics. Loeffler knows this curl route won't pick up big yardage but he's more than willing to accept it because it should be an easy completion the majority of the time. By baiting the Hokies into running this curl route and then breaking on the ball as soon as Brewer even hints at a throw, ECU is trying to change the probability of it being completed. ECU is turning this low-risk/low-reward play into a medium-risk/low-reward play. Those type of plays aren't appealing even for west coast guys like Loeffler.

This play could still have been a success despite ECU's aggressive corner if Tech had executed perfectly. Rewatching the play, you can notice Brewer take a half shuffle right before releasing the ball. That might not look like much but it could have easily been the difference between 2nd-and-10 and 2nd-and-5. If Brewer had trusted Ford to read the coverage correctly and let the ball fly at the top of his drop back, Ford would have had an extra half second to put the ball away before being hit. Brewer waited a little bit longer to make sure that Ford was breaking his route off and Ford couldn't come down with the ball. Lastly, the pass protection breakdown is pretty bad here. It's impossible to know for sure who is at fault, but someone let a defender on bottom of the formation get a clean hit on their quarterback. A quarterback who gets hit after just a three-step drop isn't going to feel comfortable in the pocket and Brewer's accuracy issues could have easily stemmed from those early shots he took.

Missed Chances Deep

The combination of Pirates' aggressive play and poor execution led to the disintegration of the short pass game early. ECU's secondary's desire to jump routes in front of them opened them up to deep ball. A bad combination of inaccurate throws, dropped balls, and consistent pocket pressure consistently prevented Tech from taking advantage of those chances.

This play should look familiar. It's the same play that Tech completed for a first down to Ford against OSU. Just like last Saturday, Loeffler looks for his talented freshman wide receiver and Ford again gets separation at the marker. The difference between the two weeks is the accuracy of Brewer's throw. Brewer recognizes the coverage and the separation, but he's unable to complete the difficult throw.

This is a tough one to swallow. Frank Beamer offenses historically love running the ball or throwing a short pass in 2nd-and-long situations to get into a manageable third down. Loeffler breaks that tendency though and takes a shot deep. The corner is late getting out of his break and Ford just runs right past him, no move needed. Brewer has time to step into the pocket and set his feet but he misses the open Ford. We can't lay all the blame soley at the feet of Brewer. French already spent some time talking about the breakdowns in pass protection against ECU, and the unnecessary pressure in his face often prevented Brewer from seeing his teammates break open down the field.

Wide Receiver Play

When the pass protection did hold up and Brewer made an accurate throw, unfortunately the receivers had problems holding on to the football at times. Everyone hoped this was a thing of the past, but dropped balls are some of the growing pains that every young receiving corp goes through. Coach Moorehead's group are already showing that they are more dangerous than they were last year when they struggled to find vertical separation. This year separation won't be an issue, but they still need to find ways to more consistently come down with the ball in tough situations.

This is a missed opportunity for Ford that looks absolutely brutal in slow motion. It isn't an easy catch, but it is one that Isaiah needs to make. The offensive line does their job in giving Michael Brewer the time to set his feet and Brewer delivers a dime to Ford. The throw is driven into the receiver so the safety doesn't have time to come help and it is placed perfectly, neither over or underthrown. Ford runs right past the corner who is, once again, late to turn and run with the receiver because he is looking in the backfield. Everything is perfect except for the catch. This play gives me a lot of hope for the rest of the season though. It shows exactly what Loeffler's system and his playmakers are capable of, they just need to execute.

Despite the general struggles of the wide receivers, the two true freshmen had big days. Yes Ford dropped a couple of balls (and Cam Phillips dropped a screen pass) but it was their playmaking which got Tech back into the game. Tech's first touchdown of the game was a controversial call, but it highlighted exactly why this season's offense is poised to break out once it finds some consistency.

ECU sends a max blitz, leaving four wide receivers in single coverage. Tech doesn't have the numbers to pick up every blitzer and Brewer has to unload the ball in a hurry and then try and protect himself. His throw is a shockingly good one considering he has an untouched linebacker bearing down on him. As was the case all day, the corner covering Ford waits too long to turn and run as he anticipates a short route. Ford blows past him and the corner has to grab on to prevent the easy score. Isaiah Ford makes a great play on the ball for his quarterback in the end zone, which is the most exciting part of the play. If Tech continues to face defenses who try and take away what Loeffler wants to do in the short pass game, the receivers will have to break that pressure. Seeing Ford make this play in the end zone while being interfered will give Loeffler the confidence to look his way again in similar situations.

This is a beautiful play. The first thing that stands out is the timing on the pass. Brewer goes into his throwing motion well before Ford even gets into his double move. The cornerback has absolutely no shot at defending this route, not without help. The explosiveness displayed here is what excited the coaching staff in August about Ford's potential. If he continues to improve and becomes more consistent, he will have a fantastic career in Blacksburg.

Cam Phillips had a productive day on Saturday as well. His route running continues to impress and I expect him to force his way onto the field more and more. He is a natural receiver and although he may not be as athletic as Isaiah Ford, few are. Phillips has plenty of ability to run past defensive backs who don't respect his speed or who are too aggressive on his first moves.

Despite a defensive back that is chomping at the bit to make a play on the ball, Phillips finds a way to get open and catch the ball on this second down play. The protection isn't great as a linebacker come free on a simple stunt up the middle, but Brewer reads the coverage and makes a perfect throw to the outside. I'm starting to see why his teammates insisted that Brewer has a little "gunslinger" to him. This is not an easy throw and if he misses by even a foot to the inside it could easily be a pick six. Brewer trusts his receiver (and his arm) and delivers the first down pass.

It's the fourth quarter though and by now Loeffler has realized that the coverage is going to be tight on underneath routes. As soon as he sees the reckless abandon with which that corner broke on Phillips route, he calls a double move on the very next play to put his freshman receiver in a position to tie the game.

It's a different defender in coverage but the opportunity is the same. Cam Phillips faves an out and then cuts behind the corner to walk into the end zone. When teams start to squeeze his underneath route combinations, Loeffler is going to have to be willing to risk falling behind the chains in order to take shots downfield. If he doesn't, he risks falling behind anyways because of the increased likelihood that the defense will sniff out and defend a short pass. The more the young playmakers (Ford, Phillips, Hodges) have chances to get in game practice on long passes, the quicker they'll develop into consistent home run threats.

The Run Game?

It's clear what type scheme Loeffler prefers to run with his current squad. I wondered before the game if Virginia Tech was going to line up under center against ECU and try to establish a power running game. The answer was no. Loeffler obviously trusts his offense to execute the short pass game the most and will rely on that to be the offensive identity of this team. He'll run the ball to keep the defense honest and to help milk the clock at the end of games, but if it's a third-and-three in a critical game situation... expect to see Tech line up in a spread formation and expect to see a pass.

I am sure there is a sound reason for this decision. Loeffler might not trust Brewer under center or maybe he doesn't think his offensive line will give him enough of a push up front to depend on a power running game. He also has two true freshman running backs at the top of the depth chart, maybe he doesn't trust them to make the correct reads enough to keep his offense on schedule. Regardless of why we rarely see Tech under center nowadays, I don't think we'll see a change this season. I do think this is a missed opportunity though. Tech has two very good tight ends and both have been adequate (at worst) blockers in the run game this season. The biggest benefit of having those two players is the flexibility it gives the offensive coordinator. If the offense is more often than not lining up in a spread formation when they are both in there, the defense can plan accordingly. Considering how often we see Malleck, Hodges, and Rogers in the game at the same time, why don't we see more power formations with them lead blocking?

Marshawn Williams and Shai McKenzie are two pretty talented players, and I'm not sure Tech is getting the most out of them right now. Getting under center with a fullback, two tight ends, and a 220+ pound running back is a great way to set the tone for the offense. Not only would it help to stay ahead of the chains and pick up first downs, but those tight ends and Ford/Phillips present a danger to defenses too focused on stopping the run.

The strength of this team is the multitude of ways that Loeffler can line up and attack a defense's weaknesses. In order to reap the full benefits of his diverse personnel groupings, he might consider trying to find a better balance between spread and power formations. It could go a long ways towards keeping defenses off balance and away from attacking his short passing concepts too fervently.