As FGF is off the ground for our second official season covering Hokie Football, we thought of no better way to kick-off the “new” season by posting another rousing speech or hilarious outburst from every Hokie’s second favorite football coach, Coastal Carolina University’s Coach David Bennett.
To our HORROR, however, it appears that CCU actually FIRED Coach Bennett back in December. A dark day for the blog, and fans of hilarious football coaches. FGF apologizes for tardiness of this news, and hopes Coach Bennett will join the coaching ranks again so that we can add to such catch lines as “…whose on ‘dem blogs?“, “…we need more dawgs“, or “…ya got any FEIST in ya ‘Mo?“
Though we kid, Coach Bennett is truly a classy guy. Take a look and listen to an interview he gave to the local media shortly after he was fired. Coach Bennett has nothing but good things to say about Coastal, which is surprising, seeing as they fired him after a relatively successful 7-4 season.
FGF is back after a long winter hiatus with more football analysis. As we prepare for the upcoming season, We’re going to do a mini-series called “Scouting the Enemy.” The joy that is ESPN3 allows us football nuts to watch the Spring Games of teams around the country, and several ACC teams have had their Spring Ball broadcast over the inter webs already. If you can’t make it to Lane Stadium next weekend, tune in to ESPN3 to watch the Hokies strut their spring stuff.
Of course, I’ve picked the best (sarcasm) for first: the Virginia Cavaliers.
The last time you saw the boys – for they are certainly not men – in Orange and Blue was probably during the on field beating that took place in Charlottesville last year on Saturday, November 26th. It was a good day. The Wahoos came in after their first ever win on the road against Florida State – seriously…first ever? Their football team has been around for decades – and were feeling pretty good about themselves. Sixty minutes of kicking, screaming, and crying later the Wahoos sails were sufficiently deflated to the tune of 38-0. You can revisit some of the particulars here…
Now THAT was good television. The good news is that the 2012 edition of the Cavaliers is shaping up to be as laughable as last year’s version. Mike London is preaching that the “changes” he has instituted on “the grounds” are working, and that the Cavaliers are further along than they have been at this point in the Spring…but FGF is not as convinced. Before the analysis begins, full highlights of the sham, er the event that was the UVA Spring Game can be seen here. All this can be taken with a grain of salt because it is JUST the spring game, but still, make up your own mind…
The Good
Quarterbacks: Michael Rocco (the quarterback from Lynchburg that nobody cares about) is actually pretty good. On the day he was by far UVA’s most polished “fall-ready” player and showed decent footwork and zip on his passes. His command of the offense was acceptable and expectedly good for a player entering his second season as starter. If Rocco’s back-up, David Watford, ever picks up Bill Lazor’s system with the same success, Virginia could truly pose a threat in the ACC, because the kid has talent. This is borderline blasphemous, but he really does look and play like a certain #5 who played for the Maroon and Orange not too long ago. Behind Watford, UVA has freshmen Greyson Lambert, who has a name for the ABC hit “Revenge” (shout-out to Ms. FGF) and an arm dripping with potential. UVA has solid quarterback play.
LaRoy Reynolds: UVA’s linebackers were mostly absent from the game with the exception of #9 LaRoy Reynolds. Reynolds – a product of the “757″ – has the potential to be a bright star on an otherwise unremarkable defense. He showed sure tackling, great power to bust through the line and make tackles for loss, and did a nice job fitting gaps to shut down the run when it came his way.
Tight ends: We at FGF still cannot figure out where UVA finds players like Jon Stupar, Heath Miller, or John Phillips, somehow they manage to find guys who can ball at the tight end position. This year’s TE’s – #83 Jake McGee and #87 Zachary Swanson – are no exception as evidenced by the soft hands, strong blocking, and timely playmaking they contributed all day. Bud Foster beware!
The Bad
Special teams: They almost looked as good as the Hokies’ special teams unit last year (not a compliment)! Missed field goals, muffed punts, rogue long snaps…oh my!
Defense (generally): The final score was 20-17 Orange, but it could have been much, much worse if not for some self-inflicted wounds from both offenses. While the defensive line was able to get a pretty good push at times, in general there was a huge lack of urgency. Linebackers looked slow, cornerbacks looked allergic to tight man coverage, and safeties drifted in and out of plays too often to make an impact on the game.
Down-field passing: While the UVA passing offense racked up a few plays of 15 yards or more, they were all (I think literally, all) achieved by wide receivers making significant yards-after-catch, or “YAC” in the football stats world. A true deep threat receiver has yet to appear for the Orange and Blue.
The Ugly
Offensive Line: In addition to tight ends who can make a play down the field, UVA almost always seems to have some mammoth offensive line prospect that NFL scouts drool over (i.e. Eugene Monroe or Brandon Albert). This year’s version is Morgan Moses, who despite being a biiiiiiig boy (6’6, 335 lbs), shows little desire to knock defensive players on their respective behinds. And it wasn’t just him. The entire offensive line had a miserable day both in run blocking and pass blocking. By the end of the season, James Gayle and JR Collins are going to be frothing at the mouthto play against this group of softies.
Defensive secondary: This one isn’t really fair, as the most experienced player in the UVA secondary is true sophomore Demetrious Nicholson (#1). First let’s talk about Mr. Nicholson. I’m thrilled that he picked UVA of the Hokies. He would never – I repeat NEVER – have cut it as a cornerback for Torrian Gray and Bud Foster. All the ability in the world, but too timid, too quiet, and too dumb. The rest of the corners and safeties are just downhill from him. If LT3 doesn’t have a 300 yard passing day against the Wahoos, I’ll be disappointed.
Depth: The first squad for UVA may be able to hang in the ACC, but the level of speed, talent, and desire slopes steeply downward as you get further down on the depth chart. If UVA faces the same kinds of injury woes that the Hokies faced last year, they are in serious trouble.
School spirit: Even for a team that has absolutely sucked for 7 of the past 8 years, the turn out for the game was pitiful, only reassuring my opinion that UVA has the worst fans in the ACC, bar none (even you, Miami).
Play of the Day
Without question the Play of the Day was the 75-yard touchdown run by Khalek Shepherd. Skip to around the four minute mark of the highlight video link above to Shepherd take it to the house. Out of their base defense (four defensive linemen, three linebackers, four defensive secondary), the UVA defense rushed their four defensive linemen and also blitzed their middle linebacker and both of their safeties. On the other side of the ball, UVA’s offense ran a “draw” running play, which was ultimately the perfect play call for the middle blitz the defense brought. A diagram of the play looks something like this:
The defense had success brining pressure up to this point in the game, and wanted to continue that pressure with the offense facing 3rd-down and long (ten yards). Furthermore, the defense had the numbers advantage they wanted by sending three blitzers: seven rushing players on defense against six blocking players on offense. So how, you may ask, did they let Shepherd pop 75 yards to the house if things were looking so rosy? The defense got screwed by the two safeties, both of which took blitz angles too wide to effect a running play up the middle. Additionally, the offense had the perfect play call to negate a numbers advantage by the defense. A “draw” running play is basically a fake pass; the quarterback steps back and looks downfield as if he’s going to throw, then sneakily tucks the ball into the running back’s stomach at the last second. The play is supposed to suck the defense in and hit them with a surprise attack up the middle when they least expect a run that direction. As you can see by the screenshot below, the play worked to perfection.
If you look carefully, Shepherd is the guy in the middle of the scrum, immediately to the left of big number #75. The only defensive (guys in orange) player who has any idea what’s going on is the blitzing middle linebacker (#39), and he’s just about to get blocked by the offensive (guys in blue) center. With the blitzing safeties vacating the middle of the field, and the outside linebackers and cornerbacks unaware of a running play, Shepherd sees plenty of green grass and scampers 75 yards to the end zone. While football, at its core, is a game of numbers, sometimes the perfect play call can negate a numeral advantage; in this case, six blocked seven. Don’t fear Hokie Nation, I don’t expect our beloved Bud to be as reckless and leave the middle of the field this bare. For a look at more “draw” plays, watch a few clips of this video and you’ll get the idea a little more…
Fearless Prediction: UVA 2012
The numbers speak for themselves: In 2011 four – count ‘em – FOUR of the Cavalier’s wins were by three points or less and all four of their losses were by a touchdown or more. What that tells me is that they got very lucky against some teams they probably should have lost to, and I don’t see that glass slipper fitting twice. I love Mike London, I really do, but I think there’s a limit to the amount of smoke you can blow up in where the sun don’t shine. Talent wins football games, and I don’t think UVA has enough of it. I can see the Wahoos pulling wins over Richmond, Louisiana Tech, Duke, Maryland, and Wake Forest, and not having enough (gleefully) to get by Penn State, Georgia Tech, TCU, NC State, Miami, North Carolina, and (of course) Virginia Tech. 5-7 at the end of the season and another trip to the….oh wait. You have to win six games to go to a bowl game. Better luck next year UVA….SIKE.
I live in Roanoke, but the hype about this game has traveled up I-81 from Blacksburg and is palpable as I begin this post on a crisp Saturday morning. We haven’t gotten our hands on a match-up this juicy since Miami came into town ranked 11th. Jacory Harris for Heisman….just sayin’. Without further hesitation, the keys to the game and fearless prediction.
Keys to the game:
1) Defend Sammy Watkins: Watkins is the true freshman wide receiver sensation that everybody is talking about. He can score – and Clemson’s offense can score – in a lot of different ways. Clemson will line him up inside and outside and be equally effective. Check out the different ways this guy can score:
Bubble screen for a touchdown:
Hitch route he busts for six:
Deep post route to the house:
Yikes. It’s up to Jayron Holsley and Kyle Fuller to control him today.
2) Third Down. Clemson currently leads the ACC in basically all offensive third-down statistics. It’s up to the Hokies D to shut them down on third down, and give the offense a chance to do it’s thing.
3) David Wilson. I’m still convinced that there’s some nagging injury that he’s trying to play through, because he has not looked the same since week 1 against App. State. We need Wilson to come out with his hair on fire tonight, running over, through, and around the average Clemson defense.
Fearless prediction:
This game could go one of two ways: 1) The Hokies come out flat, fall behind early, and can’t ever fully catch up (think Boise State), or 2) The Hokies come out angry, crazy, and full rage and dominate Clemson the entire game. I think we have Clemson’s number, and we will see the second scenario. Our first four games have prepared our defense perfectly for this match-up against Clemson’s up-tempo spread attack. Their defense is average at best, and our offense is due for a breakout game. The stars have aligned.
Hokies 28 Clemson 20
The last word:
Today is a big day, Hokie Nation. We’ve got a team steaming into Lane Stadium on the high of two huge wins. They’re fast – really fast – at every position. They’re tough. They’re mean. But here’s the thing…
We’re tougher. James Gayle. Lunch box tough. Nails tough
We’re meaner. Blake DeChristopher. You’ll have nightmares about us. In fact, if you’ve been reading what’s coming out of the Clemson camp, they do have nightmares about the last time they came to Lane Stadium (2006).
Today is a great day to be a Hokie. The team is going to leave it all out on the field, and you’d better leave it all out there in the stands. Bring Lane to life.
Bad news first. The Tigers come in to Lane Stadium boasting the hottest offense in the country. Quarterback Tajh Boyd (who hails from the 757 and currently leads the ACC in touchdowns and passing yards) and true freshman sensation Sammy Watkins lead the most dangerous offense the Hokies may face this season. Their spread offense is incredibly difficult to stop because of the ridiculous talent they have at the skill positions (i.e. wide receivers, running backs, tight ends) and also because of the pace of the offense (offensive coordinator Chad Morris wants to average about 80 plays a game). Couple the athletic talent of App. State, the passing precision of ECU, the breakneck pace of Arkansas State, multiply by five, and THEN you get the Clemson offense.
Good news second. Clemson’s defense doesn’t have the same scratch and claw that it has had in past years. The defensive line has recorded only four quarterback sacks, and their rush defense is one of the worst in the ACC. This bodes well for the Hokies’ balky offense under new quarterback Logan Thomas.
Last week Clemson…
…beat Florida State in a very, very competitive game. Clemson was able to shred FSU’s supposedly improved defense, but allowed the ‘Noles back-up quarterback to drop bombs to the tune of over 300 yards passing and 3 touchdowns.
As Darth Vader once said…”When I left you I was but the learner. Now, I am the master.” Don’t be surprised if Shane Beamer starts breathing heavy and wearing black these days; the guy can flat out recruit. His latest gem? A 6’2 215 lbs running back from Exton, Pennsylvania named Drew Harris.
Oh, did I mention he’s 6’2 215 lbs and can run and juke like THAT?! David Who? Ryan What? Kid can ball. Couple Harris with another four-star running back recruit from the 757 named J.C. Coleman and we have our backfield set for the next three or four years. If Bud Foster ever takes a head coaching position (PLEASE PLEASE DON’T GO BUD!) then Shane should be the odds on favorite to replace dear old dad. Additionally, Beamer is recruiting the No. 1 prospect in the state, Joel Caleb. Bet that Caleb will put a orange maroon hat on come signing day in February.
And speaking of Darth Vader, does everyone remember this ridiculously awesome/cute Volkswagen commercial?
Coach Bennett asks the tough questions, folks. When approached by reporters about some web logs on the internets and their unfavorable comments about his coaching staff, our favorite Division I-AA coach had this to say:
If you’re counting – and I did – I think Coach said “blog” ten times in 38 seconds. For you math geniuses at home, that’s one “blog” every 3.8 seconds. While Coach does raise a valid point, people who write these blogs (ahem, cough, cough, awkward turtle) just use this stuff as ammunition. Tune in next week to see what other shenanigans Coach Bennett is up to at CCU.
Hokies fans know the sentiment well: If we could play two complete halves of football we’d be a pretty good football team. Might even have one of them shiny footballs. But seriously, one of these days this season (hopefully this Saturday) the Hokies will come out of the locker room and play a great second half. Lawd knows it didn’t happen this past weekend. Sloppy is probably the best descriptor I can use for this game. A PAT blocked? A fumble at the end of a drive? Missed field-goal? Letting a true freshman quarterback drop bombs on you? That’s end-of-a-Chipolte-burrito sloppy. Dribbling rice and beans – mmmm rice and beans – and horrendous orange pants aside – who are we Syracuse? – we did win the game. While some of it wasn’t pretty, some of it was. As White Goodman of GloboGym would say: “let me throw some knowledge at you…”
6. As in 6 yards total rushing. That’s what the Lunch Pail Defenders held Marshall to. Word.
5.7. As in 5.7 yards per carry. That’s what David Wilson and Josh “Pain Train” Oglesby averaged for the game. That’ll work.
11:56. As in the Hokies had the ball on offense for eleven minutes and fifty-six seconds longer than the Lumbering Herd. If that’s not Beamerball, I don’t know what is.
Let’s see how the Hokies graded out on FGF’s Keys to the Game:
Win the turnover battle: C-. LT3 played one of his better games, but his one INT was unfortunate. David Wilson played an outstanding game, but his fumble towards the end of the game was inexcusable. On the flip side, only creating two turnovers will be a disappointment for the Hokies D, as they were ripe for the picking against an inexperienced Marshall O
Control Vinny Curry: A+. Curry’s state line read something like this: 4 tackles, 2 Quarterback hurries, 0 Sacks. That’ll work. Kudos to Logan Thomas for his awareness, and to left tackle Nick Becton, who did a nice job at left tackle.
Red zone offense: B-. While the Hokies were better on finishing drives this weekend, it still wasn’t the kind of performance the coaches will be thrilled about. If you’re going to be a Division I-A scholarship kicker, you have got to make 37-yard field goals. If you’re an NFL-hopeful running back, you’ve got to hang on to the ball. The way our team is set up, every drive into the red zone (into the opposing side of the field, really) needs to end in points. It didn’t happen that way this weekend, and if it doesn’t happen against Clemson then we are in some serious T-R-U-B-L.
Some final thoughts before we put the win to bed:
James Gayle is a beast. ‘Nuff said.
D.J. Coles is an absolute stud at wide receiver. LOVE the little tunnel screen we ran for him. Why is he just playing now?!
Josh Oglesby might be the most underrated running back Virginia Tech has had in some time.
The ACC is just nutty. My picks were terrible. Really, Miami? Really, Virginia? (Probably shoulda seen that one coming)
My thoughts and prayers go out to the Marshall University family. Heart still breaks when I think about what would happen if the Hokies team just disappeared tomorrow.
Gameday! There was little analysis this week due to the fact that I think Marshall is actually the worst non-conference team we play this season. With a true freshman at quarterback, the Hokies D should have a big day, and I also expect Logan Thomas to have his best game to date.
FGF’s Keys to the Game:
Turnovers: Last week Marshall’s freshmen quarterback Rakeem Cato threw four interceptions. Against Ohio. Ohio University. Ya…I’m thinking at least five today. If the Hokies D has more takeaways than Marshall’s at the end of the game, the Hokies will have won.
Control Vinny Curry: The brightest star on Marshall’s roster is defensive end Vinny Curry. In the business, the word for players like him is “stud.” He’s just a great pass-rusher. If the Hokies offensive line can control Curry and limit his impact on the game, Logan Thomas will feel much more comfortable in the pocket. If Curry gets an early sack, LT3′s confidence could be shaken and he’ll start thinking about the pass rush too much.
Red zone offense: Second week in a row this has been a key to the game, but the Hokies have got to be better in the red zone. We’re moving the ball very well on offense, but without points on the board, total yards mean nothing. If we don’t get our act together in time for Clemson, we are in trouble.
Fearless prediction:
Not much of a gutsy pick here, because the Hokies should win this game easily:
Virginia Tech 38 Marshall 7
Georgia Tech 31 UNC 17
Maryland 21 Temple 17
Boston College 27 Massachussetts 10
Clemson 30 Florida State 24 – Upset of the week!
Duke 24 Tulane 17
Virginia 27 Southern Miss 10
Miami 34 Kansas State 24
Last week: 4-5 (Ouch…should’ve had more faith in the ACC)
Jeans and boots. What is he talking about? I have no clue (again), but the guy is awesome. He loves his life, his wife obviously loves him, and his players think he’s just crazy enough to be alright. Coastal Carolina felt the wrath of Georgia last week, but look to get back on track against North Carolina A & T this Saturday. Go get ‘em Coach Bennett….and enjoy your jeans and boots after the game.
Sorry for the hiatus loyal readers. Work’s been nuts.
One quarter of the schedule is behind us, and while the team is undefeated as expected, there are still some kinks to work out before a HUGE game against Clemson. I was in attendance at both of our most recent clashes with Clemson: 2006 at home on a Thursday night and 2007 away at Death Valley. They went a little something like this…
Good memories. But the time for nostalgia is over. Clemson is a much different, MUCH better team and the Hokies had better keep the good while kicking the bad and ugly habits we’ve seen in the first three weeks of the season.
The Good:
Fast, tough Bud Foster defense: Simply put, our defense is back. There’s better communication, better execution, and better production to the tune of 10 points per game allowed. That’ll work. Tariq Edwards is absolutely killing it at the “Backer” position for the Hokies, a massive improvement over Lyndell “DUI” Gibson. Our defensive line is the nastiest it’s been since Chris Ellis and Barry Booker harassed opposing quarterbacks, and our defensive secondary is making NFL caliber receivers look like n0obs. Don’t tell Ms. FGF, but there is some serious man-love for Bud Foster goin’ on right now.
Blitzing: Last year, the Lunch Pail Defenders were forced to play with a much limited playbook because of the youth, low talent-level, and injuries to the linebackers. This year, our ‘backers are a stronger, faster, and smarter. Couple that with the fact that a fly couldn’t get through our secondary without Kyle Fuller or Jayron Holsley noticing, and you have the perfect recipe for Bud Foster’s Blitz Bonanza. The blitzes are coming on every down and from every angle, and the sacks will continue to pile up, allowing myself and close Hokie friends to continue saying “That’s what I call a sack lunch…Om nom nom nommmm!” Give it some time…you’ll like it.
The bad:
Red zone offense: When a new quarterback replaces a four-year starter, there’s bound to be some struggles, but the Hokies must improve their offensive execution when they get closer to the goal line. If it’s not a missed block, or a penalty, it seems like Logan Thomas is looking the wrong way on every play and finding the guy in triple coverage, instead of the guy in the back of the end zone wide open. This week’s game against Marshall will an interesting road test to see if our offensive unit can bear down and put up some big points on the board.
Wide receiver drops: For the deepest group of wide receivers Tech has ever had, there seem to be a ton of dropped passes. I don’t care how hard Logan Thomas throws the ball “Mancy,” if it hits you in the hands you catch the ball!
The ugly:
Special teams: Okay, ugly is a strong word, but the special teams unit – Frank Beamer’s pride and joy – has yet to have a significant impact on the season, save a blocked kick that was part of the thrashing of Appalachian State and Justin Meyer’s ridiculously jacked right leg. Jayron Holsleythinks it’s funny to run backwards on punt returns, and Scott Demler (God bless him) just can’t get his punts right. We need more!
A few extra thoughts:
David Wilson is David Wilson. He does not have the insane vision of Ryan Williams or the ridiculous power of Darren Evans. Instead, he has speed. Goodness gracious the dude has speed! Memo to Bryan “Howareyoustillcoachinghere” Stinespring and Mike “You’renext” O’Cain: Stop calling plays like Wilson is one of our former running backs. Run him to the outside of the field, not between the tackles. Run some stretch plays using the zone blocking technique we’ve become so fond of! Run some of the option stuff you used last year with both Williams and Evans last year, but with Wilson and Oglesby instead. The guy has too much potential for us to squander, let him run! Run David, run! (You knew it was coming)
Logan Thomas is Logan Thomas. Let me be clear: I love Tyrod Taylor. Dude is a baller. Shot caller. All he does is win. Tyrod Taylor wins so much that Charlie Sheen is jealous (RIP Two and a Half Men). And he’s gone…… Let’s hug it out, FGF readers. He’s gone. But it’s okay. We have Logan Thomas, a different kind of Hokie quarterback than we’ve seen in recent years, and one who reminds me a little of Bryan Randall. Memo to all Hokies: Let Logan be Logan. He’s gonna to be alright.
More to come tomorrow on the Hokie’s match-up against the Thundering Herd of Marshall!
