Half an Effort

The atmosphere was electric. Blacksburg welcomed a ranked opponent and another coach post-Frank Beamer had an opportunity for a direction changing win. And the defense delivered a Beamer-era type performance, for a half. However, a lethargic offense that couldn't stay on the field and second half defensive breakdowns left fans leaving early and grumbling about the trajectory of the program.

Donut Hole in the Defense

The Virginia Tech defense delivered a manic performance. The defensive front dominated a solid Clemson offensive line, with Aeneas Peebles creating havoc on the interior to create pressure opportunities for the rest of the front. Yes, there were gap control issues, and some plays that once again looked like defensive linemen freelanced to create running lanes. But for the most part, the defense put Clemson in unfavorable positions on third down.

It is no secret to ACC offensive coordinators that the Hokies pass coverage is the weakest in the middle of the field. Defensive coordinator Chris Marve's heavy reliance on the blitz, requiring the secondary to play a significant amount of single high safety coverages. Clemson targeted this tendency early and often in long yardage situations to extend drives. I don't have empirical evidence, but it feels like the Hokies are one of the worst teams in the country in giving up first downs on third and longs, and holes opening up under the safety in the middle of the field is a big reason why.

On this early 3rd-and-10, the Hokies used a junk defensive alignment, with Antwaun Powell-Ryland (No. 52) walked up over right guard Walker Parks (No. 64) while defensive tackle Kelvin Gilliam (No. 22) aligned across center Ryan Linthicum (No. 53). Marve sent a six-man pressure, with WILL Caleb Woodson (No. 20) blitzing over left guard Collin Sadler (No. 50) and MIKE Jaden Keller (No. 24) delaying before blitzing into the bubble created when Linthicum and Parks were occupied by Gilliam and Powell-Ryland.