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2012 Virginia Tech Football: What to Watch vs. Bowling Green

chicagomaroon — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 19:37:11 -0000

Virginia Tech Hokies (2-1, 1-0) vs. Bowling Green Falcons (1-2, 0-1)

The Hokies will try to rebound from their shocking 35-17 loss at Pittsburgh this weekend as they return home to face MAC foe Bowling Green. The Falcons are 1-2 and coming off of their first conference loss of the season to MAC rival Toledo.

For complete analysis of some of the most important factors, players and statistics in the matchup, continue reading after the jump.

Virginia Tech Offense vs. Bowling Green Defense

As I said in the Game Guide:

"Defensively, the Falcons run a 4-2-5 formation. They return five starters in the secondary from a year ago. Despite that, they have given up a ridiculous 273 yards per game through the air, allowing 73 percent of opponents passes to be completed."

The Hokies have thrown for an average of 242 passing yards per game (though ESPN has the Hokies at 250 passing yards per game), and according to that ESPN figure, the Hokies are just below average in that category, coming in at No. 62 nationally. Those Bowling Green pass defense statistics listed above are a sight for sore eyes, but the Hokies have been unable to take advantage of teams' weaknesses to date (see the Pittsburgh offensive line's sack troubles prior to playing the Hokies).
Tech is also No. 98 nationally in rushing offense with an anemic 114 yards per game. That doesn't bode well as the Falcons have only allowed 118.7 yards per game on the ground for an average of 3.5, including 220 yards and a 5.2 average against a very good Florida running game, meaning their other two opponents have only rushed for 136 yards (68 yards per game) at 2.3 yards per carry.
The Hokies are at an extreme disadvantage in the time of possession statistics, allowing the opponent 35 minutes of possession per game compared to their 25. You're not going to win a lot of games with that margin, especially under Beamer.
The Falcons defense has caused four turnovers so far in 2012, one by interception and three by fumbles. Last week Logan Thomas had his worst game to date as a Hokie in terms of turnovers, throwing three interceptions. It will be incumbent for the Hokies to take care of the ball going forward, as their offensive numbers indicate, they struggle to gain yards consistently even when they keep the ball.

Virginia Tech Defense vs. Bowling Green Offense

Bowling Green runs a multiple set offense, primarily with Shotgun looks.
The Falcons have passed the ball at almost a 2-to-1 ratio compared to their rushing attempts. They've had some success with both, as Matt Schilz has already thrown for 703 yards (234 per game) and Anthon Samuel has rushed for 218 yards (73 per game) and 4 TD's.
The Falcons have turned the ball over five times this year, three via interception and two by fumble.
The Hokies rank No. 44 nationally in total defense, allowing just under 349 yards per game. Despite what you would think based off of their strengths and weaknesses, the Hokies are No. 8 nationally against the pass and No. 100 nationally against the run. That won't make Bud Foster happy.
The Falcons average 350.3 yards of total offense per game this season.
Tech has allowed 19.7 points per while Bowling Green has scored an average of 16.7 points per game.

Watch the Box Score

Virginia Tech rushing yardage
Logan Thomas completion %
Bowling Green time of possession
Bowling Green turnovers

Virginia Tech Players to Watch

24- Tariq Edwards, r-Jr., LB
64 - Matt Arkema, r-So., LG
3 - Logan Thomas, r-Jr., QB
17 - Kyle Fuller, Jr., CB

Bowling Green Players to Watch

6 - Anthon Samuel, So., RB
91 - Chris Jones, Sr., DT
24 - Booboo Gates, Jr., DB
7 - Matt Schilz, Jr., QB

Final Score

Virginia Tech 30, Bowling Green 17

Virginia Tech Vs. Pittsburgh Film Review And Analysis

chicagomaroon — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 22:56:30 -0000

Well, what can we say about this one? The Hokies laid a stinker. One that was unexpected, but that we were concerned about for several reasons. As I said all week long leading up to the game, the Panthers weren't as bad as everyone was saying they were and the Hokies weren't as good as they were billed. That was certainly true of Saturday's loss, but really it was more about what the Hokies didn't do (no matter what Beamer's presser quotes say).

So after a long time in front of my iPad breaking down game film, I have made several conclusions about why Pitt was able to not only win, but go into beatdown mode against the Hokies Saturday. For the complete film review and analysis, continue reading after the jump.

Before we get into it, if you're interested in Cardiac Hill's point of view on the game, here is their post-game wrap-up. Now onto the film review.

On Pitt's first drive, Sunseri's 33-yard 3rd-and-7 completion to Devin Street: Bonner lined up close to the line of scrimmage to play bump-and-run on Devin Street. Ultimately, after giving a simple hesitation fake, Street swim moved the initial bump to the outside and sprinted upfield, beating Bonner by about a step and a half. Sunseri's pass wasn't terrific, as if Bonner had gotten his head turned around, he could have easily gotten in on the play. It was a back shoulder throw that was high, and really was more about Street making a terrific play and holding on. Those who have pointed out that Donaldven Manning was partly responsible for the breakdown are correct. Manning at first appeared to be playing man coverage on the outside receiver, but a few seconds into the play, he still hadn't moved off of his spot, indicating that he was in zone coverage. Once he saw Bonner was in trouble, he contemplated leaving his spot for over the top help (which he was almost certainly responsible for as Kyshoen Jarrett was only about 7 yards away from the line of scrimmage at the snap, and played man coverage on the tight end) but right at the moment Sunseri released the ball, Jarrett tried to deke him by taking a hard step towards the underneath receiver. It was a gamble for Manning, who needs to know that allowing a short route to is better than allowing a long route. He HAS to be there for help, or else there's always a chance Bonner can get burned on that play.
On the 1st and 15 counter trap on the Hokies first drive, there was a hole for Michael Holmes to run through, but when he got into the hole, it closed and he was met immediately. A big part of the reason for this is that Nick Becton and David Wang both blocked the same player on the play. Two guys on offense blocking the same player is okay when helping in pass protection in situations where not enough players are blitzed to equal the number of blockers, but on running plays, ESPECIALLY one that involves a delay component, two guys blocking one guy is inexcusable. To make matters worse, both players were concerned about sealing the man to the outside when the run was going through the 1-hole (or the hole between the center and the left guard). C'mon guys! Put a hat on a hat.
On the very next play, Logan Thomas rolled right, waited for Marcus Davis to complete his curl route (which he ran lazily, not giving himself as much room as he would've if he had run it at full speed. Thomas therefore had a smaller window, and launched the ball on the run, thinking he had to get it in there quicker. The result, he overthrew Davis, a 6'4" receiver with 44-inch vertical jump by several feet. Although Thomas wasn't to blame on this one, but it is disturbing that almost all of Thomas' overthrows this year have been intended for Davis. You can just see how frustrated Davis is after he's overthrown, as he just turns around and stares Thomas down with a look of disgust. Just because he's a freakish athlete doesn't mean you don't have to put the ball on target.
On Thomas' first interception, the 3rd-and-13, three things happened: 1. The offensive line broke down although Pitt only rushed four, 2. Thomas in an ill-advised move, stepped backwards to avoid the pressure and tried to throw all in the same motion, and 3. even though the ball was ill-advised, the Pitt player who was defending Davis on the play had his hands on his back after his in cut, and played through Davis' body until the pass arrived, eventually tackling him to the ground. Davis immediately got up clamoring for the penalty (and we've seen penalties where the defender plays through the receiver called ALL YEAR! Definitely a penalty). The ball was subsequently tipped and picked.
The second Bonner/Manning mistake was just as costly. Bonner was deep this time, but Manning was either playing a short outside zone, or completely whiffed on the play. Pitt ran a play-action pass out of a formation with two tight ends (one as an h-back) and two wide receivers tight (or snugs if you prefer EA's NCAA football jargon) to the left side. The underneath receiver, Mike Shanahan, ran a wheel route to the sideline. Manning bit on the play-fake, and by the time he recovered, Shanahan was by him. This is where it becomes unclear what Manning was supposed to be doing, as what he does next is absolutely and completely confusing to a former DB. Manning stops running with Shanahan, passing him off to Bonner, and proceeds to take the man running a delayed short out route. Jeron Gouveia-Winslow was covering that route, but passed him off to Manning. Here is where it becomes incredibly confusing. Manning then waits until the quarterback is ready to throw and then jumps the underneath route seemingly to try to lure the quarterback into throwing to that route, but when he realizes it is going to the original man he passed off to Bonner, he gets on his horse (not the normal way a player who is out of a play would pursue a receiver 30 yards further downfield than him, but rather more like "SHIT! I MESSED UP!") trying to get back in on the play. So here are the potential reasons why this breakdown happened: 1. Manning was in man coverage and completely whiffed on the play, passing Shanahan off to Bonner on a route that was difficult to cover from Bonner's position by the time the throw was made, and then trying to atone for his mistake (although instead amplifying it) by covering someone else's zone, 2. Manning was in zone, and as he went with Shanahan for several steps, confused Bonner into thinking he was in man, before passing him off to Bonner fractions of a second later, 3. Bonner completely and absolutely whiffed on the play, biting on the play-action and stumbling on the way over to Shanahan. After watching the play several times, it is still unclear what exactly happened. If it was the first possibility, Manning absolutely CANNOT make mistakes like that, and if he does, he has to keep playing. He cannot just give up on the play and try to do something other than his assignment. If it's the second, the secondary needs to communicate better. But if it is the third possibility, Bonner can't bite on that fake so hard that he effectively gives himself no chance to make that play, even if Rushell Shell just racked up three-straight first downs.
On the first Sunseri touchdown pass, Bonner just got beaten with the flag route in man coverage. He didn't move at all at the snap (nor did Manning, something I saw several times watching the film) and didn't move until the receiver had passed him to the outside. I have no clue why our DB's were doing that.
Logan's second interception was...I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO CLUE! The ESPN announcers pointed out that Randall Dunn and Demitri Knowles ran into each other on the play, but so what!? Dunn was running a semi-deep out route and Knowles what appeared to be a post. But that is irrelevant. Thomas didn't see a receiver in the area and threw it anyway, just assuming the receiver would get there. Furthermore, the ball was thrown 10-15 yards too deep and way too high (something Thomas has done often through the first three games), as even the Pitt safety that made the interception had to jump for it, and no one was within ten yards of him. Terrible.
The Michael Holmes fumble early in the second quarter...well, it was a fumble. The Pitt defender got off his block and put his hand on the ball and knocked it loose. It was really that simple.
Ronny Vandyke had a phenomenal game. He blew up a return on the kickoff team. He had the blocked that sprung Kyshoen Jarrett for the touchdown on the punt return (knocking two Pitt players out of the play), and reading French's film review a week ago on The Key Play, it is clear that he does some things on the defensive side of the ball the JGW isn't physically capable of either. This guy had better start getting some serious time.

Thomas' third interception was either a result of overthrowing Corey Fuller on a deep out or underthrowing Dryell Roberts on a deep post. It appears he was throwing to Fuller, as the ball would've also been behind Roberts. At any rate, the third pick is somewhat due to pressure, as three Virginia Tech blockers failed to block the player who got in Thomas' face at the time of the throw.
On the Jarrett return, the blocking was perfect, the only thing Jarrett had to do was get outside and then make the punter miss, everything else was taken care of for him. That's a fantastic job by the return team.
On the play in the early third quarter where Thomas overthrew Marcus Davis, Davis would've been gone. The ball was just a few yards past Davis' outstretched arm. You can't expect him to make that catch with the ball there. Thomas just has to reign it in a little, something he's struggled with so far.
Contrary to what I originally thought, the offensive line was not at fault for Thomas being stopped on the QB plunge on 3rd-and-1 midway through the third quarter. Either Thomas or O'Cainspring was at fault on the play. If the play was designed to have all of the offensive linemen take out the defensive line by diving at their feet (which they did successfully) and then have Thomas try to run around the end, that would be an idiotic playcall on the part of O'Cainspring. If Thomas did it of his own volition, it was a terrible idea, as he would've easily gotten it by going up the middle.
On the 4th-and-1 play where Pitt lined up with 10 players in the box, if you're going to run it, you have to do it with Thomas. You can't block 10 guys right on the ball with 8 guys for long enough to get a guy 7 yards behind the football a yard past the line of scrimmage. That's an example of terrible O'Cainspring call.
The personal foul call that went against Bruce Taylor was absolute BS. That's the second play I can remember where Taylor was called for a personal foul after the play BEFORE the whistle was blown. The other was against Boise St. in 2010 in which Bruce was called for a late hit as the Boise player had run out of bounds, came back in bounds, continued to run, and yet the whistles didn't blow until Bruce had hit him and was on the way to the ground. Both calls were terrible, but the Boise one was obviously worse, and helped them to win. This one was just big because it kept a Pitt scoring drive alive when the Hokies were down just 11.
On the play that really finished it off, Pitt's fourth touchdown, Bruce Taylor, who wasn't paying attention at the time of the snap, started blitzing the backfield even though there was no running back there. Ray Graham came out of the backfield on a wheel route, and by the time Taylor realized and tried to recover, Graham was by him. Sunseri saw him and it was six.
Twice the Hokies returners hesitated before coming out of the end zone. Both times the return fell short of the 15-yard line. I know he has suffered injuries several times before on kickoff return, but I would really like to see Dyrell Roberts back there. Without him, you're missing an explosive return man back there, and losing a guy with the experience to say "You know what, this is not one I should try to take out," versus the current crop's "This is how I'm going to get big playing time. I had better take it out." David Wilson was even guilty of that.
On the 85-yard touchdown pass from Logan Thomas to Marcus Davis, Thomas went through all his reads and started over again. That was really the best job he did of that all day, and we need to see more of that from him. That will help him get back in 2011 form...if only the line can keep him upright long enough to do that.
The long pass late in the third that went from Sunseri to Shanahan for 40 was the result of a blown coverage and missed tackled by Michael Cole. Once Cole's man crossed out of his zone, he took a big step as if he was going to run downfield, but then immediately Shanahan came through his zone. Shanahan was wide open and caught the ball, but Cole recovered to make the hit...but not hold on=big gainer.
Antone Exum's interception was truly a beauty, as he jumped the route, dove for the ball and came up with it. His celebration was pretty cool too...even if it was a little Brenden Hill for my tastes given the score.
On the J.C. Coleman long loss to start the fourth quarter, Matt Arkema completely whiffed on the block, allowing the defender to get to Coleman as soon as the handoff exchange was made. That has basically been the theme this year: When the offensive line blocks, the running game has success. When they don't, the Hokies look like they did against Pitt.
The Hokies were gashed on the Panthers last scoring drive in the run game by missing tackles.
The 4th-and-3 conversion by Pitt was an inside out route with a blatant offensive pass interference by Pitt receiver Devin Street that went uncalled. He picked Kyshoen Jarrett by extending his arms as if he were run blocking and running right over the defender. He then continued his route. Donaldven Manning was screened out of the play as a result. That said, it was a GREAT route by Shanahan and a poor throw by Sunseri.
On Sunseri's last touchdown pass, Exum was set up inside, and turned in that direction just about when Shanahan made his break to the outside on the flag route by Shanahan. Sunseri lead Shanahan with the pass and there was no making up the difference with such a short field to work with.
The hit on Thomas on 3rd-and-3 late in the fourth quarter was ABSOLUTELY a clear-cut late hit. It was a particularly terrible omission as the officials penalized Bruce Taylor for a late hit that wasn't one earlier in the game. They were 0-of-2 in that department. The officials were almost as bad as the Hokies on the day. Almost...

So for a quick recap of what we saw on film: The offensive line has been absolutely terrible, the play-calling has been absolutely terrible, our secondary was absolutely terrible and Logan Thomas was close to absolutely terrible against the Panthers. It's hard to blame the defense as a whole though when the offense turned the ball over four times and lost the possession battle by 17 minutes. It doesn't matter how good your defense is if you ask them to be out there for 17 minutes more than your offense in a game, especially when you're handing them the ball on your doorstep (something Tech has done when turning the ball over this year).

As for my predictions, I was only about 50/50. Tony Gregory and James Gayle were almost non-factors in this one, and Bruce Taylor wasn't his usual self (although he is playing out of position). I definitely hit on saying the Hokies' rushing total would be big, as well as their sacks. Tech was deficient in both totals. Pitt also scored on all of their red zone opportunities as I recall.

It's obvious the Hokies have a lot of work to do to get back in the win column, so stay tuned. We'll have your complete coverage here on Gobbler Country.

Noles News 03.27.12: Jernigan Avoids Serious Knee Injury, But Will Miss Rest Of Spring

Bud Elliott — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:37:31 -0000

The 'Noles have been in pads for a few days. Here's what you need to know:

-Timmy Jernigan partially tore his MCL/meniscus and will be out for 4-6 weeks. Even if complications were to occur, he would still be expected back fully healthy for fall. The injury occurred when he was rolled up on.

-Josh Gehres also injured his knee. The kid cannot catch a break, though he wasn't in line for playing time even if healthy.

-Cam Erving looks good at tackle, so far. He has not yielded the starting job at left tackle. He certainly has the body and the athleticism of an offensive tackle, so there is hope this continues.

-Bryan Stork, who came in as a tight end with the intention of moving to center, is now at tackle. He is huge. I'd estimate that Stork has added 50 (good) pounds in his five semesters on campus.

-Tyler Hunter continues to improve. Expect him to fill the Terrence Brooks role this year (some safety, some nickelback) and rack up 200+ snaps without you realizing it.

Baseball: FSU plays Florida tonight in Jacksonville on the diamond.

Florida State is among teams that could be BCS contenders with specific improvement - CFB - ESPN

Among top-15 teams in our FEI ratings last season, Florida State was the only one to produce an offensive or defensive unit ranked outside the top 50 (54th in OFEI). FSU was carried by its 10th-ranked defense throughout the year, especially down the stretch. We split scoring on every possession to the offense, defense and special teams units that was responsible for generating that value. During its final six games, FSU's defense manufactured nearly 60 points of its total scoring margin. The offense actually cost the Seminoles 14 points in the same span.

Rivals

Will Muschamp’s update on Florida’s first spring scrimmage | Gator Bytes blog: University of Florida | The Palm Beach Post
Other than the spring game, nobody gets to watch the Gators’ scrimmages this spring, so the closest you can get is an update from coach Will Muschamp.

Pre Spring 2013 Recruiting Primer Part 1 - Shakin The Southland

Hokies Must Rebuild the O-Line | The Key Play
One returning starter from a unit that was finally decent last year. The replacements, however, are somewhat experienced.

Nick Becton played almost as many snaps at left tackle as Andrew Lanier. Lanier and Becton rotated series in 2011, and there were times when Becton looked like the more dominant player. Michael Via played as much as a reseve could expect, filling in at tackle, guard and center. His versatility afforded him early playing time and experience. The coaches planned for David Wang to play, probably as much as Via, but a broken right foot sidelined him for most of the season. Georgia transfer and former blue chip recruit Brent Benedict is the favorite to fill the final spot at guard. It still remains to be seen if Benedict can overcome inexperience/injury and pickup the Hokies athletic blocking scheme.
Filling that last guard spot is what worries me the most. Benedict, Laurence Gibson, Matt Arkema and Caleb Farris were all highly sought after recruits, but lack game experience.

Who are Clemson's 20 most valuable football players? | The Post and Courier | Charleston SC, News, Sports, Entertainment

Eagle in Atlanta -- atleagle.com: Rudolph's suspension leaves bigger hole at DT

Boston College Spring Football: Burning Questions Entering The Season - BC Interruption

First UM Canes spring scrimmage is history; Ryan Williams impresses; Injury report | Eye on the U
Basically, Williams is accurate but he has no arm. Miami can't possibly play him, because it would make their offense completely non-explosive.

SHUTDOWN FULLBACK: THE TIM TEBOW HAS POLIO EPISODE - Every Day Should Be Saturday

Clemson's non-ACC series in jeopardy | The Post and Courier | Charleston SC, News, Sports, Entertainment
Like everyone else.

Other CFB

Manny Diaz's defense has Texas on brink of Big 12 contention - Andy Staples - SI.com

Texas could have gone 10-3 last season if the offense had done just a little more
Defense wasn't the problem, but Manny Diaz's unit wants responsibility anyway
Double-digit win 2012 season is possible even with question marks at quarterback

Pre-Snap Read: A College Football Blog BCS Questions

"If we change the current format, would we play some games on campus or all games on neutral sites?"
"If some games are on campus, is that too much of a competitive advantage?"

"If all games are at neutral sites, would fans be able to travel to two games in a row?"

"How would teams be selected? By a committee, by the current ranking formula, or by a different formula?"

"When exactly would games be scheduled, considering finals, holidays and our desire to avoid mid-January games?"

Boise State heads to Big East in 2013, but this season brings similar schedule problems - CFB - ESPN
Brian Fremeau of Football Outsiders writes that while Boise State will escape to the Big East in 2013, this season still presents the same schedule challenges in the Mountain West.

Jackets’ Spring Centers on WR, NT, QB
Just the two most important positions when running the option and a 3-4 defense...

The Art Of The Interception: Good Hands And Randomness - Football Study Hall
A look at whether interceptions and passes broken up are random, or whether they are correlated from year to year.

2012 Texas-San Antonio Football Preview: Larry Coker And Feasibility Studies - SBNation.com

One has to figure that every decision Larry Coker makes this fall should be made with 2013-14 in mind. Every projected offensive starter and all but possibly two or three projected defensive starters are still underclassmen, and while the schedule does include some likely wins, results do not necessarily matter in 2012. There are potential stars strewn throughout the roster -- Soza, Kam Jones, Marlon Smith, Brandon Reeves, Nic Johnston -- but "growing pains" will likely still be the theme of 2012. That said ... welcome to the party, UTSA. Looks like you will fit in just fine.

I cannot explain how excited I am that Bill's previews are back. I'm like Tebow excited.

2012 UMass Football Preview: A Half-Century Of Lost Time - SBNation.com

It is reasonable to think that a solid defense, growing in experience, could keep UMass in quite a few conference games this fall. But whether they suffer through an 0-12 campaign or approach at least 3-4 wins will likely be determined by how quickly Pagel and the offense not only adapt to a new system, but also 12 games versus FBS competition.
I am not particularly optimistic about 2012, but one has to be impressed with the moves Molnar has made to date. He has assembled a quality staff, he will likely engineer offensive competence within a year or two, and lord knows he has plenty of ambition and confidence to go around. The future is intriguing for UMass, even if 2012 will be largely forgettable.