Gut Reactions: VT versus GT in Review

I don't know about you, fellow Hokies, but I am EXHAUSTED after last night's football game. That war had everything you could hope for in a big football game: offensive execution, defensive playmaking, dominant offensive line play, outstanding individual effort, and yes, mistakes. Mistakes often make the game that much more dramatic.

Virginia Tech again rode the undulating roller coaster of emotion, yet found a way to calm the seas and execute in the biggest moments of the football game. And, I know many of you don't share my respect for what Paul Johnson does, but his kids, especially on offense, really took it to the Hokies, and it is a testament to the Hokies that they were able to win the game.

So, at a high level, lets examine last nights game using the themes we have used throughout the season.

1) Offensive Identity. The Hokies really returned to Ricky Bustle era style football last night, but with the more sophisticated play design and passing attack brought in by Coaches O'Cainspring. The Hokies utilized toss plays to force the Georgia Tech defense go sideline to sideline early in the game, and then came back with quick hitters and the "seal" zone plays. When they needed tough yardage, they relied on Logan Thomas to run on the interior against a tired defense. When they needed to pass, the Hokies used excellent blitz identification and a moving pocket, along with double moves, to beat Georgia Tech with long timing routes down the field. Trust me folks, those throws (especially the throw to Boykin for the first touchdown) were not easy. I thought the offensive line exhibited more extended effort than any game this season, with numerous high effort cut blocks and pancakes at the second level, especially by Jaymes Brooks and Blake DeChristopher. I thought both tight ends and Joey Phillips had good games blocking. Eric Martin had one bust, but he also had two crushing blocks to open long Wilson runs. Wilson and Oglesby both were excellent with effort, but again ball security raised it's ugly head, and it is clear that the coaching staff trusts Logan Thomas on short yardage more than Wilson. Wilson runs his tail off, but for people who are carping about him not receiving Heisman buzz, his QB has been their best player on offense for all their biggest wins this season, even on a record setting day for Wilson.

2) Quarterback Play. Honestly, I can only recall two poor throws by LT3, the throw in the flat to Wilson (which still should have been caught) and the ground ball to Boykin. Across the board, he gave his wide receivers opportunities to make plays, and he decimated one on one coverage. The bad pitch on the option was on Wilson, who went way to wide on pitch relationship, and Logan's most tenative play of the night resulted in the Georgia Tech penalty which turned the game around. As I watched the game last night, I was confident in Logan's ability to make the right play at the right time, and I continue to say that while he will have his ups and downs, two years from now he will be remembered as one of the top QB's in Virginia Tech history, and by far the best passing QB since the Hokies won the Independance Bowl in the early 90's.

3) Defensive scheme and personnel. I will have to watch the film to better evaluate. I know that there were stretches which felt like the defense was screwing the pooch, but for the most part, they played their scheme well. As I noted in my "Death By A Thousand Cuts" article, Bud Foster's defense was schemed to take away the dive first and pitch second, which gave Tevin Washington room to run, especially on counter-option plays. While it was agonizing to watch, Washington took a beating after getting that yardage, and as the game wore on, he was reading the option as if he didn't want to carry, and as a result he was handing off on the dive even though the Hokie scheme was dictating that he should have kept. As result, the Hokies got their biggest stop of the game because GT did not get the yardage on earlier downs before the big 4th down stop.

At the same time, wow was Georgia Tech's offensive line getting after our defensive ends and linebackers. I lost count of how many times on pitch plays and counter options that the Hokies defensive ends and outside linebackers just got eaten up during the stretches where GT was really moving the ball. As noted above, the Hokies were committed to stopping dive and pitch. I thought Derrick Hopkins did a tremendous job of stopping up the middle, but JR Collins, while holding his ground, did not get into the backfield to mess up the mesh point. While Bud Foster lauded Tyrell Wilson during the post game interviews, James Gayle really struggled against cut blocks, and Georgia Tech had a great deal of success running their version of a power lead play, a "double dive" where the QB fakes to the fullback and then follows his fullback's outside shoulder into the space vacated by the defensive end.

Tariq Edwards was under some criticism by Hokie fans last night, but you could tell that his asssignment was the pitchman, which is why it looked like he was letting Washington by him. Edwards made several big plays, and both he, Jack Tyler, and Kyle Fuller played well without getting much help from the ends to keep blockers off of them. I anticipated that the Hokies would need terrific safety play from Exum and Whitley to win the game, but they seemed to play back off the line and didn't have much of an impact (until Exum started blitzing at the end of the game.) Hosley was blocked to death all night, but Chris Hill had a decent game in run support. I think it would be unfair to criticize both for GT's big passing plays, as given the down and distance, VT's safeties should have been in position to give them over the top help. On jump balls against a 6'6 beast, physics takes over.

My only criticisms of Foster were: too many blitzes on normal run downs, playing man with safeties up in run support at the end of the first half, and using ZERO substitutions throughout the game, especially on the defensive line. When guys have that much pressure, exhaustion can make cowards of the guys on the field. Everyone played well, but would it have killed Foster to have Collins move back to end and bring in a true DT on goal-line D?

Special Team's struggles: Not great, but it didn't cost them the game. Justin Meyer's leg continues to be the saving grace for a unit that doesn't block kicks, doesn't return them, and doesn't cover all that well.

More thoughts with my detailed review, which I hope to get done this evening.