A beautiful Saturday in Blacksburg played host to the largest Virginia Tech spring game crowd I have seen (44,700). The maroon and orange faithful packed Lane Stadium to witness the debut of head coach Justin Fuente and his up-tempo offense. However, Tech's first team offense only managed to reach the end zone once, and that may have caused fans in attendance to depart tepidly.
Although, some of that concern may be a bit unwarranted. The Hokies' offensive group entered the scrimmage without WRs Isaiah Ford and Cam Phillips, and TE Bucky Hodges played very little. For much of the first half, the No. 1 offense challenged the defense with Devin Wilson (a basketball player), C.J. Carroll (a walk-on), and Divine Deablo (a true freshman early enrollee) as its primary wide receiving threats.
Even with the erratic performance, I thought the scrimmage gave a good flavor for Fuente's playbook. Tech showcased jet sweeps, inside zones, zone reads, counter-action, and the screen game that Fuente featured frequently with Memphis. Fuente's offense played at breakneck speed. The skill position guys put in a very solid effort blocking on the outside — a staple of all the Fuente film I have watched. The play-calling bounces back and forth between stretching the defense and hammering to the inside. The scrimmage was somewhat similar to watching a Memphis game last season. The running game didn't produce many huge runs and things often felt a bit ugly, but when you looked at the scoreboard, the offense had put up 30 plus points and you kind of wonder how they did it. The Hokies didn't put up 30. However, when you combine how the offense moved the ball consistently and you add those weapons at wide receiver that can move the chains, you can see a ton of promise offensively.
Despite the lamentations of the naysayers, my eyes saw a defense wilting as the scrimmage progressed. Fuente's offense doesn't feature many formations. Instead, it is tempo and play design that threatens the defense at multiple pressures points which causes the defense to wear down and ultimately break. Many of us long time Hokie fans should remember that traditionally the defense has dominated these scrimmages. While the offense wasn't explosive, they seemed to dictate the tempo and control the game. It was a positive step forward.
Evans Leaps Ahead at Quarterback
Brenden Motley got the chance to be the first quarterback on the field, and he did little with the opportunity. Motley seemed incredibly slow going through his progressions and missed some open receivers down field. This was a big moment for Motley to separate himself in the quarterback competition. However, he didn't play like the confident quarterback I watched as the Purdue game progressed, and as result he may have taken a step backwards.
Jerod Evans worked as the second quarterback with the top group. His mechanics in the offense (mesh points, footwork in the pocket, getting the ball out on the first progression) seemed much crisper than Motley's. Evans made a terrible throw where Greg Stroman and a linebacker were underneath his route and somehow it didn't get picked off. Evans also didn't seem to have much zip on some of his quick wide receiver screens. Fortunately for the offense, the defensive backs were playing a bit soft. Against press coverage or a disguised cover 2 corner with deep help, a couple of those screens could have headed the other way.
Evans' run game mechanics separate his game from Motley's the most. Evans did a terrific job of creating a mesh point with the running back and riding that mesh point as long as possible before making the read. I had a very difficult time picking up the player who had the football and numerous times my eyes followed a player who didn't actually have the ball. Evans sold those fakes beautifully and then got himself into position to throw or run to sell the fake. One of the big beefs I had with Tech's last two quarterback coaches is that Logan Thomas, Michael Brewer, and Brenden Motley did a lousy job of riding the mesh point on read plays. Even on option plays, it appeared far too often that everyone on the field (and in the stands) knew where the football was going after a mesh. The effectiveness of the running game was diminished accordingly. Time and again, Evans had mesh points and fakes the caliber I have not seen since Logan Thomas sauntered up the middle for the winning touchdown in 2011 against Miami.
A big positive for me was the run-action by the backs and offensive line. I noticed the offensive line attempted to reach the defensive line on outside zone run fakes. They were aggressive and didn't take a pass protection posture on play-action. That keys the linebackers and safeties on a run and causes them to get out of position. Over the last several years, I have repeatedly expressed frustration that the offensive line didn't fire off and sell the run fake (especially on the deep play-action pass where the QB faked a handoff to nobody because the running back was blocking on the opposite side). Many of the Hokies best passing plays came off run-action, including Evans' touchdown toss to Jaylen Bradshaw.
Eric Gallo pulls around on the play-action protection, and note he takes an aggressive posture. He is moving forward the entire time. He isn't stopping to set up and passively pass protect. Evans buries the ball into McMillian's stomach and then pulls it out. The linebackers have bitten up on the run fake, leaving man coverage outside. Evans lofts the ball a bit short on the fade, but Bradshaw makes a spectacular adjustment to the football to beat Adonis Alexander for a touchdown.
Dwayne Lawson did not impress me. He looks the part until the game starts. When given the opportunity to work with the top offensive group, I didn't see the accuracy needed to be successful. He threw several passes that were nowhere near the target. This scrimmage wasn't designed for Lawson's strengths. Throughout spring ball there's been film of Lawson on designed quarterback runs and I didn't see many of those. Unless Lawson significantly improves his passing accuracy, I don't see him seriously competing for the starting job during preseason camp.
Early enrollee true freshman Josh Jackson surprised me. His touch and accuracy in the passing game was the best out of the quarterbacks (keep in mind he was working almost exclusively against two walk-on corners). Jackson and Bradshaw found a rhythm early, and Bradshaw ended up continuing his excellent play when he worked with the top offensive group.
Bradshaw Shines Outside
Bradshaw shook loose numerous times against the Hokie corners and made the play of the day for the top group's only touchdown. Evans under threw a deep corner fade to Bradshaw. Adonis Alexander had excellent coverage playing the inside leverage technique I have discussed repeatedly. The throw came up short and Bradshaw was able to cross through Alexander's left shoulder to get his body in between Alexander's back and the football. It was a big boy play from Bradshaw and one of several rough moments in a tough day for Alexander.
Divine Deablo got a ton of work with the top offensive group. I think nerves got to the young freshman playing in front of his first big crowd. He dropped a couple of balls uncovered during warmups, and as the scrimmage progressed he had three more drops. Deablo flashed some playmaking ability as he made a very difficult third down catch in a crowd and then beat Alexander on a deep dig route in the third quarter. Deablo is already an excellent blocker out in space. If he can be more consistent catching the football, I expect that he will play next year. Fuente will not play skill guys who do not block consistently.
Carroll and Devin Wilson both got work as a slot receiver. On straight drop back routes, Fuente used several stick route looks from the slot. A stick route is an option route where the quarterback and the slot receiver both read the leverage of the defender. If the defender is playing inside leverage, the route and throw will be to the outside. If the defender is playing outside leverage, the receiver will break back to the inside. It's quick hitting route and it's important for the receiver to get his head around and identify the ball.
The Muddle Between the Hashes
It was incredibly difficult to get a feel for the running back position. Fuente used Carroll as his slot guy and even featured him on a couple of jet sweeps. At the beginning of the season, I expect to see McMillian and/or Deshawn McClease align in the slot and motion across on jet sweeps while Rogers and the H-Back lead around the edge. D.J. Reid was a pleasant surprise. He showed nice speed and elusiveness on several outside zones, and at 240 pounds has the size and power to pound inside. McMillian got a limited number of carries and had one nice run. McClease, McMillian, Coleman Fox, and Shai McKenzie all got some work with the No. 1 group. McMillian had a really nice run where he cut back on an inside zone to find Chuck Clark in perfect position in the alley. McMillian slipped past him for an 8-yard gain and I am still not sure how Chuck missed him.
The offensive line play was steady but wasn't dominant. There was rarely a jailbreak type of blocking breakdown as has been the case in past spring games against Bud Foster's pressure front. Most of the runs by the first team offense were net positive and garnered several yards. Foster didn't blitz much, and the offensive line did a good job of picking up the occasional stunt. In a live setting, usually if you don't notice an offensive lineman, that means they are doing a good job. The only negative performance that stood out was Parker Osterloh's struggle against DE Houshun Gaines' speed. Gaines got the corner on Osterloh several times, racked up two sacks and numerous quarterback hurries. Osterloh drew good reviews in spring work by the coaching staff. However, if healthy, I would expect Yosh Nijman at left tackle and Jonathan McLaughlin at right tackle. Osterloh could get work at both guard and tackle spots as needed.
The second group was a mixed bag. They worked almost exclusively against a defensive line group of Jimmie Taylor, Dalton Roe, Harry Lewis, and Dee Fullwood. Scholarship players Demetri Moore, Billy Ray Mitchell, and Tyrell Smith (who worked at both center and guard) were dependable throughout the day. A variety of walk on players competed at other spots. As the scrimmage progressed, the backup o-line won more battles against the defensive line as the latter started to wear down.
For me, the biggest unknowns coming out of the scrimmage focus on the tight ends and H-Backs. In Fuente's offense, those are two distinct roles. The H-Back aligns off the line of scrimmage and is expected to motion, trap block, and be utilized in the slot. The tight end is generally static, almost never motions, and is not as prominent in the passing game outside of the occasional bootleg. Both have critical functions as blocker. With the pace, and so much of my focus directed on the quarterbacks, offensive line, and different individual defenders, it was difficult to get a read on their performance. Steven Peoples got most of the H-Back repetitions with the top group. Chris Durkin has a nice catch and run on a play-action dump into the right flat. He split second group H-Back duties with Chris Cunningham. Xavier Burke and Cunningham split work at the tight end spot with both the first and second string groups when the formation called for a true tight end.
Here are my final takeaways from the scrimmage offensively.
Despite a lack of downfield threats and a new offensive system, the offense didn't turn the football over and minimized negative plays. The interior offensive line didn't blow open huge holes. At the same time, the defensive line didn't spend most of the game on the offensive side of the line of scrimmage as was typical through most of the Frank Beamer era.
The tempo and play design threatened Foster's defense at multiple points and started to wear them down. While the offense wasn't dynamic, they seemed to dictate to the defense. Defensive stops seemed to be more the byproduct of not having a great passing threat on third-and-manageable situations, than any kind of significant execution error in blocking.
There were glimpses of how Fuente uses influence blocking and counter-movements to confuse the defense. Even simple inside zones sometimes caught the defense out of position because of blocking variations and the quarterback run threat off the read.
The offense didn't show much of the option game. Fuente's offense will feature read option, inverted veer, and speed option.
If the Hokies get competent play from its quarterback(s), then Isaiah Ford, Cam Phillips, and Bucky Hodges give Fuente vertical passing threats that he didn't have at Memphis. That added element should give the Hokies more big play potential than the Tigers.
I would love for Fuente to breakdown the running back competition. Rogers got the bulk of the initial top group work. Rogers is a bruising runner. However, his ability to exploit defensive breakdowns Fuente's scheme will inflict seems to be limited. Based on how the backs were utilized, I couldn't even guess what the depth chart looks like behind Rogers. McMillian, McClease, Reid, and Fox all got work with both groups.
Comments
Thanks for the write up French. Shame there's no film, but I can understand Fuente and co's position. With that being said, I'm just thankful we don't hear the word vanilla every day like Loeffler's first season.
...but it most def will be vanilla.
This is great stuff! Thank you French!!!!
This analysis is something else. Thanks for writing!
So true. That Ole Miss game felt so scattered and all of a sudden they had over 35.
Bradshaw definitely had the most noticeable game of the WRs. From what I've seen, Fuente loves how Peoples blocks so I'm excited to see a lot of him. The QBs definitely left some big plays on the table though. If that gets cleaned up we could have a great offense a lot sooner than people think. Surprised that I only remember seeing one or two back shoulder throws. Saw a lot of that with Memphis last year. Tougher throw to execute so I guess that'll progress as the qb/wr bond does.
Paxton Lynch just really loves that back shoulder. They bring it up in his Gruden interview (which has a few Fuente tidbits btw)
Then I hope Evans does too because I don't see how a nicely timed backshoulder to Bucky could be stopped
I know this was basically a French Lite write up, but I'm proud to say I followed everything in this article!
Concur
That's funny. I had just told my wife I was reading one of French's articles and she asked me how many times I had had to read it. For the first time ever, I told her I got it all the first time through.
He lost me once or twice. I was watching the game live and still can't understand how he got that much out of it without having full game tape to review. Amazing ! :--)
Having spent a little time with French, I can attest to the fact that he seems to have a bit of a photographic memory to go with his unique ability to analyze and organize stuff that tangles the brain of most of us mere mortals. Definitely an interesting mind.
I sat beside him the entire game and he took minimal notes. He is just that good. Great job #60.
Did you notice any new defensive fronts that we havent seen? Any new wrinkles/disguises Bud may have tried to work in this Spring?
You must not have heard: we're an offensive team now. We have absolutely nothing new on defense this year. No one we play needs to worry about Bud anymore. They would be wasting time if they did.
I am happy to do a reflection on the defense. I think one element that I talked about after the bowl game that we saw again was the use of the backer on the LOS to the boundary with a 40 front look. It is an even front, but with five players. The whip then moves inside with the mike. Bud used that look almost exclusively when Tulsa used a true tight end, and we saw much of the same on Saturday.
Keep in mind, Bud was EXTREMELY vanilla on Saturday. If he blitzed, it wasn't noticeable. The DL either gave a straight pass rush or did a quick X stunt (DT slant outside, DE curl inside behind them or vice versa). Edmunds came a handful of times when he lined up on the edge. That was about it.
I am on the record saying again and again that, while I don't think a Bear and 30 front will go away- with this grouping a 40 front makes more sense. This DL group is bigger and stouter against the run, but isn't the playmaking edge speed group that we saw in years past. Very few are well suited for the 30 front. (NO FOLKS-TIM SETTLE IS NOT A NOSE GUARD EVEN THOUGH HE IS A BIG KID. You will hear this a bunch from me.)
The big change that I hope to see is that the defense takes a less aggressive posture and plays more to force teams to extend drives and make mistakes. Bud talking about more zone and quarters coverage (which builds in robber coverages to force interceptions) means losing a bit in terms of outnumbering the offense in the box. Being stout and gap responsible up front will force teams to grind out long drives (see UNC's D last year) and the offense makes mistakes. With a better offense, that will lead to wins. That philosophy... with a much worse DL, won an ACC title in 2010. This group is more stout at DL and backer. Mike and secondary play will tell the tale. The 2010 secondary forced a ton of interceptions in an otherwise dreadful year statistically.
of course not - he's a punt returner /s
He is a 3 tech one gap defensive tackle. Yes, he is big and can eat blocks. But, his talent and his desire is focused on being a playmaking kid who can dominate, not just eat blocks.
Good, because I'm pretty sure blocks aren't on his diet regimen
French, in your breakdown of the Memohis offense what kind of commitment to option packages do you expect from the offense this season? It sounds like we finally have a QB in Evans that can effectively influence the defense with his mesh points. Haven't really seen a lot of that since Randall in 2004 IMO.
I think Fuente's offense will either require a read or make it look like there is a read even when it is a straight hand off on 65%+ of the running plays. As Bud Foster said in the latest VT Spring Football podcast, Fuente's offense forces you to defend the entire field and has a bunch of "RPOs" (Run-Pass Options) as Bud called them. The quarterback has to be a great decision-maker in the run game, while in the pass game things are significantly simpler than they were under Loeffler.
So with the offense being simpler, do you think we see route structures as well designed as Loeffler's were? More or less complex? While there were some issues with Loeffler's offense, route structure didn't seem to be one of them.
I liked Loeffler's route structure. My observation with Memphis is that Fuente gives his QB less to read. Essentially Lynch either made one read that chose between 2 receivers based on the defensive coverage and if it wasn't there, he improvised with his legs. The difference is, like Ohio State, the way the run and screen game works, it puts the offense in better positions to convert those third downs and makes play action a more effective weapon. Third and longs will be more difficult with Fuente than with Loeffler. Much of Memphis success was having an NFL caliber QB who could throw deep outs and back shoulder fades- throws that a defense has the most trouble defending BUT are also the most difficult to execute. I don't see the same arm strength in any of the QB options here (which isn't a knock- Lynch was probably the most physically impressive QB in college football- the one read and go issue is probably why his draft stock isn't higher.)
Interesting comment about the QB reads. While at the game, I was noticing that the QB's did not go very deep in their progressions. They tended to look one way and throw that way, sometimes missing a totally wide open receiver on the opposite side. It seemed that the defense was onto this and were overplaying to the side the QB focused on.
I chalked this up to only having 14 practices in the Fuente system and expect it will improve once we have a single QB taking the #1 reps and more time in the system. I'm sure the QB's have already reviewed the film from Saturday.
yeah this concerns me to some degree. On the one hand, it's encouraging to think that this offense is simpler to operate and will thus lead to fewer mistakes. On the other hand, if the QBs are only looking at one or two options and not really going through progressions that raises concerns for various reasons. Among them, getting QBs prepared for the NFL is a selling point. If Lynch's downside really is that he doesn't know how to read through his progressions and is several years away from being ready for a starting QB job in the league that could affect recruiting down the road.
That is a bit of a long term concern. A more immediate concern is the fact that, as you pointed out, WRs are running free in the secondary but if that isn't where the QB is looking then they don't get the ball thrown in their direction. I would much rather have a QB who can come off of his first read to find an open receiver in his second or third read as opposed to a guy who will just pull the ball and run for it if his first read isn't open.
Someone with more knowledge can correct me if Im wrong
Im pretty sure the routes Memphis ran were designed to have one - two reads where, the QB read the defense. If def1 keys on receiver A go to B, if def1 keys on B go to A, of course on a bit more complicated scale that just that.
Go through the first read set, if thats not open go through the second read set. If those arent open, I think they were similar to Oregon where (for Memphis Im assuming H-Back?) the back is the check down.
Im getting ahead of myself, because Ive honestly watched 1 quarter of Memphis football, so take the above with that grain of salt, I could be substantially off...
It sounded like what French was saying is that if the first read isn't there, the QB runs it. I'm not necessarily a fan of that. If it works at the college level (I'm sure it will, to some degree) I won't complain about it too much. I just worry that if the QBs aren't being properly prepared for the NFL that could turn into a negative recruiting point against us in the future. Maybe I'm foolishly optimistic that Fuente and his staff will still be here by the time that becomes an issue.
I want an offense that makes sense and works. If Fuente/Cornelsen manage to deliver I'll be pretty happy. I just worry that it's easy for a defense to figure out a way to stop a team that only has one or two reads offensively. It's also a bit of a concern to me that Fuente's offense isn't as well suited for 3rd and long situations as Loeffler's. That is a bit of a scary proposition to me. Our offense is going to face 3rd and long situations in the ACC. And they're going to face those situations at critical junctures of big games.
I could see that, I think having the shining star of Andy Dalton offsets some of that fear. You never know, Ive heard conflicting accounts on Paxton Lynch, hes the best QB in the draft, hes 3rd best, the verdicts still out on him. I think even if hes a solid backup thats still a strong endorsement.
I guess time will tell. I look forward to seeing French's film reviews on the Memphis offense. It will probably be prefaced with the disclaimer that Memphis had way different pieces to work with. Our offense will look somewhat different. It will be argued (rightfully so, IMO) that VT has much better talent than Memphis. That can't hurt us. I want this offense to be really good but I realize it will take time to get there. Some people (I'm not accusing anyone here, but I have heard people say things like this) are expecting this offense to put up 40+ PPG THIS season. I don't think that is a realistic expectation at all. I am simply hoping that our offense shows steady, marked improvement over the course of the year. My expectations will be elevated for the 2017 season.
already read a review on Paxton lynch that he isn't coming from a NFL style system and it's being used against him. CFJ is a newer HC and i'm sure his offense will evolve over time though.
I wouldn't be too worried about not adequately preparing quarterbacks for the NFL leading to a negative recruiting tool because it's true of virtually every school in the country. It's a rare team that is somewhat pro-styled, and they're usually defense & run focused schools who only need a game manager at QB, ie. Alabama, Michigan State, Stanford. There's a reason pro-style qbs are so highly sought after in the draft, there's only a small handful of schools are running those systems, and they only get NFL quality guys every few cycles. That's why Carson Wentz, an FCS kid, is going 2nd this year. He was the only pro style passer in the country with NFL measurables.
Preach. AJ McCarron won a game as an NFL starting QB this past season, and was the first Alabama QB to do so since 1987. Yet the Tide still seem to get their share of good recruits.
there are not many college QBs who are making reads all the way across the field. not many NFL QBs either. most of your progressions are on one side of the field up to 3. the time is requires to progess all the way across the field is quite honestly not something we have the luxury of right now butttttt we do have something that can counter act that... mobile QBs who can buy time and or break the pocket and run which we got to see some in the spring game. making reads across the field is one of the most overrated things when judging a college QB.
johnny manziel- Heisman winner couldn't even make a 1st read
tim tebow - Heisman trophy and national championship winner same as above
Cardell Jones - national champion winner same as above
Cam Newton - Heisman trophy and national championship winner same as above
of the last 8 national champion winning QBs i would say only Jamies Winston was the one who could somewhat read a defense when he squinted really hard... bamas QBs I doubt had more than 2 reads. play action throw deep. any other time throw underneath and don't throw pics
French could break down if he wanted. but some of the stuff he broke down last year on leftys pass plays with the triangle route concepts they were designed to attack coverages on both sides of the field but the timing of the play is so important that if you go through the progressions to quick you will miss the open receiver and on the opposite side of the field the routes are also designed to be on that same time pattern because most routes only require 1-4 seconds to run because anything longer will result in a sack.
id prefer to see Heisman and national championship QBs here at tech than a 1st round draft pick who can read all over the field. Tom Bradys and Drew Breezes are few and far between.
this is just my humble opinion.
interesting perspective. I don't know enough about football to know whether you want to have a QB who can make quick reads after the snap or not at the collegiate level. I think the biggest concern that I had was someone pointed out if the QB is only looking to one side of the field a WR could break wide open on the other side and the QB would never see him. I guess I'm saying it would be nice to have a QB who wouldn't miss a wide open opportunity like that.
I defiantly understand you point youd like to HOPE that your QB has enough awareness to see a breakdown in coverage on the backside and make the play but there is so much that goes into it and its really the design of the play that dictates the QBs reads. the required drop is set to match the timing of the design of the play of who the "should" be open at the precise moment when the QB reaches his final step and then from there if that player is not the QB has to reset and make a pretty fast decision on the next read and if that's not open the next step is take off or check down because the time is just not there for us to stand back and survey the field that often. again by design of the play maybe its a max protect in which he "should again being the key word" have time to progress across the field but when you go max protect it limits your number of receivers available to you so youre still probably not making more than 3 reads in that instance either.
sorry for the long winded sentences I wish I took more English classes in school so I could actually write and it come out a little better and more presentable hopefully you understand what im trying to say.
yeah i think i get what you're saying. If the offense moves the ball, scores points, and doesn't leave the defense hangin' out to dry I'm pretty sure we'll all be pretty happy
I can't make a judgement yet based on anything other than the system worked at TCU and Memphis. But yes, at Memphis last season, it was usually one progression/read in the passing game and then it became scramble drills. Even when he looked at a second target, it felt like his first look was just a fake to get the deep guy open.
MAN! I really can't wait to read your reviews. I can't get a good read on how you feel about this offense. It almost feels like you're fairly apprehensive about it. Everyone seems to be all rainbows and gumdrops about it but I have this nagging feeling that you're going to bring us all back down to earth pretty hard. I want this offense to be so good soo badly, and I fear that you have reservations about it.
SHhhhhhh, hes optimistic, the offense is going to be the new Oregon.
Memphis put up 66 points against Tulsa jogging, we put up 55 and it was monumental...
...Except that the puppy was a dog. But the industry, my friends, that was a revolution...
VT FOOTBALL RULES!
I am quietly confident that the run game will improve significantly. The difference is that we won't see one back get a vast majority of the carries.
The passing game- that depends largely on the QB. A good running game makes the passing game much better.
Ultimately, player buy-in is critical. Memphis and TCU bought in, and both programs achieved great things.
that's nice to hear (read)
That's fine with me. So long as the rotation is effective, I don't have issues with that. Fresh legs!!!
Given how much I've learned from you already, this seems like 101 type stuff :p
Is this not the case for all programs? Is there anything inherently different about the way Fuente does things (schematically) where player buy-in is more critical than, say, Clemson....or Houston?
Perhaps more critical- outside of the quarterback, this system is ill suited to individuals getting a high volume of touches. Players will have to sacrifice individual numbers for the greater good. Some offenses (One back, I formation, pro-style passing) feeds the ball to great individual players no matter what the match up.)
To that point, it is quite possible that Bucky, Ford and McMillian have already had their most prolific seasons in O&M.
Bucky and Ford I expect will have more yards per touch though. I am really scratching my head with McMillian. Something just didn't look right with how he was used. He wasn't being protected because he was getting carries behind the second team OL.
What's going on with Rogers? Is he going to get more than 5 carries? I'm not sure I love that, he's a great complementary piece, not centerpiece.
The reps Rogers got made it look like he was the starting tailback. Other backs got work with the top group, but Rogers opened the game and played several series with the top group before others got a look.
It feels like Fuente has him at the top of the depth chart... at tailback.
As much as I love Rogers, I don't think he is the best tailback at Tech right now.
Sam would like a word with you
right there with you bud. love sam to death but he is limited as a running back and there is no big play potential unless the play is perfectly executed by everyone on the field where some of the other guys we have have the ability to make something out of little or nothing at times.
Well, that should really help us recruit Laborn and Slade.
Still much more a fan of one back getting the majority of carries than going back to the awful rotations and no one getting in a rhythm.
Think of it more as a multi-back system, just without multiple backs on the field at the same time. This offense is designed to keep guys fresh by rotating them, but running at a high tempo to get guys in a rhythm. Lots of times last year McMillian was gassed and folks were screaming (as much as one can scream on a chat board) at the coaches for pulling him out. This year, he should still be relatively fresh throughout the game by getting a blow more often.
I think the issue last year was more that the rotation didn't make sense. I would wager that a majority of the fans who were upset with the RB rotation last year aren't against rotating backs in general as much as rotating them situationally.
It baffled my mind when we played 3 different running backs on a 5 play series. And we played certain backs in certain situations, so defenses could key on the RB and have a pretty good idea what type of play was about to happen.
I'm fine with giving a guy a full series and then pulling him out for the next guy. Or, if you're driving down the field pull a guy out and let his relief finish the series. But don't just throw a guy in there every time you have 2nd and 6 and then pull him out after that play. Stick a guy in there and stick with him until he needs a breather.
Furthermore, the rotation at the RB position can be a whole lot more effective when all of your runningbacks can threaten the defense in the same ways. When you have 3 different guys who each have their niche the defense can key on that. When you have 3 different guys who can all do the same thing the defense won't know what set of plays to expect based on the RB lined up behind the line since they all can execute all of the plays.
good thing I've made a chart for that... Now only issue is when to release it and not take away from what French and all the other Staff Members have come up with/are releasing.
I'm looking forward to seeing your chart...whenever that is
i'm fine with rotating backs out to give them a rest, but I don't think you should have a designed set amount of carries each back gets in a rotation. You play the hot hand as much as you can. With some of the shane beamer rotations we would take a hot RB out because it wasn't his series and then go 3 and out.
I think part of the problem with RB usage under Beamer was he tried too hard to "play to their strengths" and he ended up pigeon-holing all of the backs he had. They had very specific roles. Ideally, you ask all of your running backs to do the same job. They might all have different styles and skill sets but you train all of them to block and train all of them the same sets of plays. That way they are, more or less, interchangeable. Then you give the RBs carries until they get tired. When you're going up tempo, RBs will tire very quickly (same with WRs) and it's important to be able to swap them out with some frequency. Especially if you're putting together a 10+ play drive. That is why WR depth has been such a hot topic this off season. To run at the tempo that Fuente would like to move he needs lots of bodies to rotate through during a drive.
Completely agree with your assessment of the RB situation. It was hard to really get a grasp on where Fuente stands with them. I agree about Rogers. Absolutely love the guy, and he is a true leader on the field, but his running style isn't exactly going to play to the strengths of this offense. Would much rather see him in the H-Back role and occasionally lining up in the slot. Perhaps Fuente was trying to give Peoples and Durkin more reps there since Rogers is a known quantity. Peoples is definitely a heck of a football player, and I think Durkin also needs to see the field a lot this year as well with his raw talent.
We obviously also know what we have in McMillian at RB, and it looks like McKenzie is finally getting back to his old self. Was very impressed with Reid as well - great blend of power, size, and speed.
In his post game interview Fuente indicated that a lot of the focus on RB in the game was looking at the unknowns, rather than working with what was implied to be the 1's.
You will see situations where it will make total sense to see Peoples at H, Rogers at tailback, and McMillian in the slot. When Joe posts the "Keybreaking the Defense" article, it describes the "I formation" variant that we saw Saturday: QB in the gun, tailback to his side with an H back straight in front of him, and a jet motion coming from the slot away from the tailback. From that formation, I documented well over 20 different types of running plays and RPOs. Fuente used his bigger tailbacks that were better blockers in that formation, and moved his scatback guy (Sam Craft) to the slot.
The Hokies only handed off on that sweep once (to Carroll- and Edmunds ate him up for a loss.) You can bet when VT plays the Vols, that will be McMillian, McClease, or Fox in that spot.
Lots of great stuff coming!! Should be a good read...
Yes this^ makes a ton of sense. I sort of think this makes the whole RB rotation comparison a lot less cohearant. It's a different system with a stable of running backs lining up in different positions and the ball going to different places. This will naturally lead to a wider distribution of carries. Pace will dictate some substitutions but to be able to keep the defense off balance by having to defend the entire backfield on every snap, that's pretty difficult especially adding pace.
French thanks for the ongoing education in football. It's like taking a MOOC from Neil deGrasse Tyson or even Michael Eric Dyson. But even more fun.
My Hokie heart just jumped for joy and sighed in relief
Great write-up, thanks as usual! I honestly forgot about Jaylen Bradshaw, even though 20th ranked out of VA when recruited. Sounds like he's made some great headway recently. How much on field action do you think we'll see from him this year?
I think we'll see 7 receivers this year (at least).
Ford and Phillips will start. I'm counting Hodges as a WR. I expect Bradshaw, Deablo, Carrol, and Wilson to get some snaps.
I think Deablo and Bradshaw will play. Carroll seems to have found a niche. Denmark didn't get much action on Saturday, but he had some nice film in drills and looks like a kid that is a better route runner than his HS film showed. I have been told that Phillip Patterson will make an impact. Wilson- he made some spectacular catches on the snapchats, but he didn't get separation often in the scrimmage. Given how non-committal Fuente was about him (we will talk in the offseason to see what he wants to do type comments), I don't know how Wilson will factor.
One thing I can promise you, if you are a skill position player and you want to get on the field, you better block your tail off in the run game. Everyone, including tailbacks, are used as blockers on different types of running plays. He won't play guys (including the top guys) if they are not giving maximum effort as blockers. Fortunately Ford, Phillips, and Hodges did a good job blocking last year, and with more guys getting snaps they should be fresher. I think Deablo will be a player because he is a big, physical blocker. The rest of the guys trying to make a dent need to make sure their blocking is a top priority in the focus of offseason workouts if they want to get into that rotation.
So should we be concerned that despite not playing several offensive stars, the D was essentially dominated by the O? :(:(:(:(
EDIT: So if there wasn't a reason before, def a reason now to be concerned with the D. There goes Bud's lock-down / Stud CB and one of our most likely starting DEs...
Don't be concerned by any outcome in the spring.
This. Very much this. All of this.
...unless it has to do with criminal charges.
Thanks for that Gaines and Alexander.
I wouldn't say the D dominated. They gave up a few extended drives, but they were playing a very vanilla look and they still forced stops. UNC showed that you can give up yards and still win games as long as you get stops. I would say that the offense wasn't a sieve like it had been in years prior to the 2015 spring game.
If the offense gets good QB play, I feel good about them. D has more questions, at the same time I see philosophical changes without changing the basic fundamentals of Bud's system that I think will work well, provided they get mike and defensive back play on par with the average level of play at those spots prior to 2014.
The thing I took away from Saturday's game was exactly what French articulated, tempo & control. Sure, things didn't seem "explosive", but the tempo was fast and the O was in control.
At the Spring Games I have been to in the past, it looked like VT D against a local High School O. Not the case this year.
I think this team will be fun to watch this year!
My thought on the tempo was that the team got it, but it was the coaches that slowed the team down. On numerous occasions, the offense was often lined up and ready to go quickly, but had to wait ten seconds more for the play to come in. I am sure this is due to a new system and the fact that every series had a different set of players - meaning the fall will be even faster.
80 plays and 430 yards of offense in 48 minutes of running clock time is impressive (at least from a VT offense).
yeah but realistically, the offense may only have the ball for 28-32 minutes during a given game. So while those numbers seem impressive given the shorter periods with a running clock, we still played more offense than we would in a normal game.
Good point! I'll just sneak out of the room now......
And well holy hell. Right before I was going to write a defensive review that heaps praise on Gaines, he and Alexander get in trouble. Ugh.
That's straight-up what I thought the new article was about, and I was about to commend you for the deluge of write-ups today. Alas...
I'm still rooting for Motley. He had a few really good games last year. He's capable of leading this team. Although, I'm wondering if switching to another offense, again, is gonna hurt him.
I've got nothing personal against Motley, but I'm hoping Evans is the obvious choice when it's all said and done.
Motley had about as many bad games as good last year. Yeah, tough spot for anybody to go into but I'm not encouraged by any new information so far.
I'm just happy that it's now possible to accurately describe our
defenseoffensive philosophy in two sentences or less.?
Think he meant offense.....
fixed
If we can have almost 45,000 fans for a spring game, I can't imagine how many will show up when the Hokies face Liberty and Tennessee .
Still can't get over how good Tremaine Edmunds looked in the game. He looked like he could be the best player on our defense this year, although I think his brother might also be in the running.
He looked great both on the LOS and in a normal backer alignment. That is huge. He looked uncomfortable off the LOS in the bowl game. Terrell looked much more assertive coming up in the alley. I couldn't get much of a feel for Motuapuaka but didn't see him in on many tackles. Jamion Moss had a really rough day.
To be blunt I thought AM was below average and Lydon was similar but he had a little bit tougher of circumstances.
AM actually did have a few really good drops in coverage and got underneath a deep curl and almost got an INT. Unfortunately, the areas where he struggled last year looked very similar.
I can't disagree. I just seemed to lose visual on him. I didn't see him involved much. Moss stood out- there was a drive where he either struggled to get off blocks or got of the block but missed the tackle on a series of DJ Reid runs. He didn't look like a kid who could come in and start and be successful playing like that.
So, am I the only moron that initially thought this was gonna be a literal bird's eye view of parts of the spring game?
I thought French somehow scored press box seats or something.
Surprised no one mentioned Clark's BIG hit on Peoples. That was a big time safety hit on a larger back