Hoo's Pop?

Making his first collegiate start in the Commonwealth Cup, Pop Watson had the eyes of Hokie Nation on him. This was a nervous fan base. Antsy about losing to Virginia despite their opponent's struggles in the second half of the season because of their own shortcomings, and finding ways to lose throughout a disappointing 2024 campaign. Add to the anxiety that Watson, third on the depth chart much of the season, was a wildcard in an emotionally charged matchup.

Watson, aided by a game plan that accentuated his strengths, calmly rose to the challenge. Facing almost constant pressure from a Cavaliers defense that struggled all season to generate pass rush, he consistently made the correct read in both the read option and passing game, while flashing the ability to make plays running the ball that caused more than one ticket buyer to evoke Tyrod Taylor. (I hate making those kinds of comparisons, but admit it, some of those runs and throws looked a lot like Tyrod, didn't they.) The end result, the Commonwealth Cup stayed in Blacksburg after a 37-17 win, and the Hokies will benefit from additional bowl practices to find answers to holes that'll be left by departing veterans.

Pop's Legs? Nope, Pop's Eyes

Fans buzzed about Watson's performance. While most focused on his elusiveness and his ability to hit open receivers,his decision-making in the run game stuck out to me. The Cavaliers made a commitment to get their edge rushers up the field, adopting a game plan that worked well for Clemson and the 2023 Marshall team. Watson was forced to make numerous quick decisions on the option, and it was difficult to identify a bad one.

The Hokies ran the above split zone read on 2nd-and-1 with Jaylin Lane (No. 83) as the "pitch man" in the option scheme. Watson options defensive end Kam Butler (No. 82) who crashed hard to the inside to take Bhayshul Tuten on the dive. Watson pulled the ball then worked to the outside. Once he broke contain, he faced three defenders. Defensive tackle Anthony Britton (No. 55) broke away from the zone block of left guard Bob Schick (No. 75) and took away any kind of a cutback. Safety Corey Thomas (No. 3) filled the alley. Linebacker Kam Robinson (No. 5) slow-played the pitch but was close enough to take away the sideline from Watson. Watson had the savvy to lower his head like he was going to run, which froze Robinson and allowed tight end Benji Gosnell (No. 82) to get outside position on nickel Kendren Smith (No. 4). Watson flicked the option "pitch" with ease.

He was so effective that UVA was forced to start taking the quarterback on the read option, and that opened more space for Tuten.