Locker Room Wrap: Hokies' Defense Befuddled by OSU Blocking Schemes, Playmakers

It seems a bit unbelievable that the Hokies' defense could give up 572 yards to the Buckeyes, and somehow that wouldn't be the biggest story to come out of the game, yet it seems that's exactly what's happened.

When quarterback Michael Brewer went out for the game (and likely the next one to two months) with a fractured collarbone, all the attention turned to Brenden Motley, the team's new starter.

That's an understandable phenomenon, given the potentially catastrophic effect Brewer's absence could have on the offense's potency this season, but Bud Foster's group certainly has some questions to answer as well.

"I firmly believe we're better than what the score showed tonight, but we've got work to do," said Frank Beamer after the 42-24 loss. "Too many long plays, too much lack of execution, we've got work to do."

Despite some adjustments that clearly kept the Hokies competitive in the first half, the Hokies concede that they didn't do what it took to slow the Buckeyes' prolific attack.

"We were pretty sure they were going to change it up," said DT Luther Maddy. "I'm sure they were preparing for the 'Bear' (defense) and they did. They schemed us for a little bit in the first quarter into the second quarter. We adjusted, but we didn't execute. Coach Foster had a good plan for us, he adjusted and we didn't execute. That's what it came down to. They got the better of us and they deserved to win that game."

From rushing the passer to tackling in space, the Hokies had plenty of troubling moments on defense that they'll need to address before Saturday rolls around.

A Big Goose Egg

There are plenty of ugly stats that accompanied the lopsided loss to OSU.

Foster's bunch gave up 360 yards rushing, for an average of 9.7 yards per run, and things weren't much better through the air: 212 yards passing allowed, with an average of 21.2 yards per completion and 11.2 per attempt.

But the ugliest stat is a simple one: Tech couldn't manage one single sack after bringing down J.T. Barrett seven times a season ago.

Foster was hard pressed to find answers for that outcome after the game. One solution he offered was Cardale Jones' ability to elude would-be rushers through his combination of brute strength and balance, neatly mimicking Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger.

"We got some good pressure on him early, and kind of like he has with everybody else he's played, he slung some guys off of him and just a big, dynamic kid," Foster said.

That's backed up by the numbers. Although the Hokies couldn't manage a QB takedown, they were able to hit Jones four times, and ESPN's David Hale was even able to show that they were among the best teams in the country at pressuring the passer.

Highest rate of pressure P5 vs. P5 teams in Week 1:
Auburn - 42.2%
Notre Dame - 40.6%
VaTech - 38.1%
UCLA - 36.8%
Nwestern - 35.9%— David Hale (@DavidHaleESPN) September 8, 2015

But even though players like LB Deon Clarke and DEs Dadi Nicolas and Ken Ekanem were able to find their ways into the backfield with some regularity, Jones' stubbornness and athleticism often kept him upright.

"He was a big guy, we knew he was a big guy," Clarke said. "But we were going to come out with the same game plan whether he started out at quarterback or not. Give credit to him, he's a dynamic player."

Beyond Jones' nimble feet, Foster also credits the Buckeyes for changing up their blocking scheme.

"They did some unique things blocking-wise against us that we had not seen," Foster said.

Foster notes that the Buckeyes used "very little slide protection," a type of zone blocking scheme, when the Hokies were expecting to see it "quite a bit."

"They actually didn't do as much slide protection as we thought they would," said DT Corey Marshall. "They moved the pocket around, got those guys comfortable. I think when they did go man, we were comfortable in a lot of situations and we actually did get pressure, but they've got some playmakers back there, I give them all the credit in the world."

But perhaps the biggest issue at hand was that Foster called the defensive staff "overly concerned" with the athleticism of OSU's backs and receivers' potential to run slip screens and draws, and that led to some more conservative calls on his part.

"Instead of releasing their back, they were really aggressive blocking our mike," Foster said. "We were thinking more (about) all their guys out on quick screens, and we probably outsmarted ourselves a little bit from that standpoint as far as not getting edge pressure a little bit more."

As it turns out, Foster's fears over the dangers of OSU's athletes in space weren't entirely unfounded.

Burned by Big Plays

The one similarity between this year's matchup with OSU and last year's for Tech's defense was a propensity for giving up big plays.

Last season, the Buckeyes managed 24.3 yards per pass completion, which looks awfully similar to this year's 21.2 average. Additionally, OSU burned Tech's DBs for passes of 53 and 58 yards.

This time around, the Buckeyes also found plenty of success through the air, completing six passes of 20 yards or more, with none more disheartening than Jones' connection with QB-turned-WR Braxton Miller for a 54-yard touchdown to open the second half.

"We knew they were going to make some plays, they're too athletic," Foster said. :I think this probably the most athletic team we've played in here in a long, long time."

Miller's immediate excellence was downright shocking so quickly after he made the move to the new position. Yet he proved on Labor Day that he has more than enough athleticism to succeed at the new spot.

"No matter where you put him on the field, he can make plays," Clarke said. "Even though he wasn't at quarterback, (Foster) told us he'd be at wide receiver and to watch the double pass, so when you have a player like that on the field, he's going to make plays no matter what."

While the Buckeyes didn't end up trying any such trick plays, Miller was more than dynamic enough to burn the defense. His spin move on his 53-yard TD run in the third quarter will likely live on in Twitter infamy for some time.

"Looked like from down on the sideline that a couple guys missed him, but he did a lot to make you miss too," Beamer said.

Clarke is quick to accept some culpability for the long run, as he was blocked out of commission as the play developed, even if it was a remarkable feat of athleticism.

"I didn't see it at all, but I came back to the sideline and everybody told me what happened," Clarke said. "I think that was my play too, (Foster) told me on the sideline 'you can't get out that far' but he's a dynamic player. He's got a lot of tricks up his sleeve."

That wasn't the only running play to present challenges for the Hokies. The Buckeyes allowed six running plays of 15 yards or more on the night, including both Miller's long scamper and Ezekiel Elliott's 80-yard TD dash in the first quarter.

Elliott ran for a total of 122 yards on the night on 11 carries, for an impressive 11.1 yard per carry average, and his talent level was not lost on Foster either.

"He's a dynamic player," Elliott said. "When I saw them, their offensive line got better last year, he got better. And he got better and the offensive line got better, and those two, the line and the backfield worked hand in hand."
Many of Elliott's runs were helped along by struggles in the middle of the defense, particularly courtesy of mike linebacker Andrew Motuapuaka. Safeties Chuck Clark and Desmond Frye frequently had to come up to make the tackle on running plays, leading to the pair tying for the team lead in tackles.

But for all of his unit's missteps, Foster is quick to credit the talent level of the Buckeyes, particularly when considering the absences of suspended skill players like Corey Smith, Jalin Marshall and Dontre WIlson.

"I know they've got a couple guys out, which makes a statement, but they're a tremendously talented team," Foster said.

Next Steps

Moving past the OSU loss, the Hokies will undoubtedly be confronted with a less intimidating opponent in the Furman Paladins of the FCS.

Even still, the Hokies can't go to sleep entirely next week — memories of JMU aside — because the Paladins have proven they can move the ball through the air. They lost their first game of the year against Coastal Carolina, but not before throwing for 365 yards in the 38-35 shootout (although it is important to note that they gave up 328 passing yards as well).

But perhaps the toughest hurdle to overcome is the frequently discussed challenge of the short week of preparation ahead of Saturday's game.

"We're going to look at the film and come out to practice and try to get better and get ready for Furman," Maddy said.

That may be easier said than done, given both the pain of Brewer's loss and the ignominy of such sizable defeat on such a large stage.

"It's going to hurt no matter what," Clarke said. "Once the clock hit zero, it started hurting. It still hurts now."

But Marshall has a healthy attitude about both of those losses, using both the record-breaking viewership numbers of the grisly loss and the rapidly approaching ACC schedule as motivation for the coming week.

"The whole world saw this," Marshall said. "When your signal caller goes down, nobody's going to feel sorry for us. Nobody in the ACC is crying tears for us tonight, they're looking to take us out, so we just have to understand that and focus and understand that."