SB Nation - Sergio Render

Saturday NFL Draft watch notes

Mocking Dan — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 13:18:50 -0000

Here's a few things to keep an eye on today:

- Much was expected of Texas defensive end Sergio Kindle this season. In 2008, he finally lived up his prep hype playing outside linebacker. In two games this season, though, he has no sacks. Come up empty against Texas Tech and it's time to start wondering about his draft status. He seems more fluid at linebacker, but his ability to get around the corner has never been the best.

- Playing against Florida Atlantic and Arkansas State this year, Nebraska senior defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh hasn't been asked to do much. He has 12 tackles and a sack going into today's game against Virginia Tech. This game could help Suh showcase his run-stopping abilities. Tech is 13th nationally in rushing offense and has a good offensive line. It will be interesting to watch Suh's snaps head-to-head against Tech guard Sergio Render. Both are close to being the top player at their positions.

- Typically, unless you're an alum, it would be easy to overlook this weekend's Northwestern/Syracuse game. However, watch and you'll see two of the best senior defensive linemen in the nation. For Syracuse, senior Arthur Jones has a quick, pocket-busting tackle. For the Wildcats, it doesn't get any better than 6-foot-7 defensive end Corey Wootton. An MTD favorite, this will be Wootton's first test of the season after Northwestern started against Towson and Eastern Michigan. Reportedly his knee is still giving him some problems following surgery last season.

- In two games this season, Toledo quarterback Aaron Opelt has more than 700 yards passing and seven touchdowns. This week, Opelt and the Rockets face Ohio State at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Another good game and Opelt's value will be on the rise even more. Also look for Toledo safety Barry Church. He's a good all-around safety but the Buckeyes will test his speed. If he has a good game and shows some athleticism, there's no reason to think he shouldn't be drafted in the first four rounds next April.

- Another player with a tough matchup this week is Washington quarterback Jake Locker. He looked really good against LSU the first week of the season and could challenge Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen as the third-best junior quarterback in the nation (behind Sam Bradford and Jevan Snead). Locker improved his throwing fundamentals this offseason and has always been plenty athletic.

- In his last four road games, California running back Jahvid Best has averaged less than 80 yards rushing a game. While that's not terrible, much more is expected of an elite running back. Although Minnesota isn't known as a great defensive team, there have been questions about Best against top competition.

- Also intriguing in the Minnesota/Cal game is the likely matchup between Gophers wide receiver Eric Decker and Golden Bears cornerback Syd'Quan Thompson. Decker has by far the size advantage, but Thompson has good quickness and instincts. A good game from either could elevate their stock into the second round.

- It's arguable, but no quarterback has looked like a better NFL Draft prospect this season than Cincinnati's Tony Pike. The 6-foot-6 senior threw the ball all over the field against Rutgers, passing for 362 and three touchdowns. In two games, he has 591 passing yards and is completing an impressive 77 percent of his passes. Oregon State doesn't have a lot of great secondary talent but has a solid pass rush. Pike's pocket presence will really be put to the test.

- Something to think about: Jevan Snead has never thrown for 300 yards in college. Playing against Southeastern Louisiana today, he might just get his chance.

2009 Virginia Tech Football: What to Watch vs. Alabama

furrer4heisman — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:00:16 -0000

The Team

The Hokies need to respect the Crimson Tide, but not be intimidated by them. Alabama is a great team, but Virginia Tech can win this game.
Virginia Tech can't resign itself to defeat if things don't go its way early in the game. The Alabama-Clemson game was over after the first quarter.
The coaching staff can't freak out just because the Hokies can't get easy rushing yards against Alabama. The Crimson Tide want teams to abandon the run early and be afraid to run between the tackles against their incredibly talented front seven.

Virginia Tech Offense vs. Alabama Defense

Don't expect a lot of rushing yards between the tackles. If Virginia Tech's running backs can average 3.5 ypc, I'd consider it a huge victory.
We've discussed Alabama's front seven ad nauseum, but that's only because this is the best front seven we've ever faced or will face the rest of this season. Hokie fans are used to salivating when the opponent runs a 3-4 defense. Not so this time around.
Everyone points to Terrence Cody as the reason Alabama's front seven is so effective. But as big, powerful and physical as he is, it's Alabama's linebackers that make the difference. While teams are busy double-teaming Cody, Rolando McClain and Dont'a Hightower are able to use their speed and strength to make tackles for minimal or no gain.
A lot has been made of the loss of Darren Evans for the season. But I really don't think Evans would have made that much difference in this game. It would have been nice to have him for short-yardage situations, but he wasn't going to be a game breaker. Instead, the loss of Evans will force Virginia Tech to not rely on wearing down the defense by continually throwing Evans at the opponent's front seven. Instead, Bryan Stinespring will be forced to get creative against Alabama. Do I trust him to do this? Hell no. But I'm willing to be surprised.
With Evans out, the good news is Alabama doesn't know what we're going to do on offense.
The bad news is neither do we.
The X factor will be Tyrod Taylor's ability to scramble for rushing yards. Alabama will have a game plan for keeping Taylor in containment, but if he can still break free and pick up first downs to keep drives alive, the Hokies have a chance to put points on the board.
The Hokies have a lot of experience in their receiving corps, but no home run threats. The one deep threat we thought we had, Jarrett Boykin, was beaten out for the split end job by redshirt freshman Xavier Boyce. The Hokies do have solid possession options in flanker Danny Coale and tight ends Greg Boone and Andre Smith.
How much of the Wild Turkey formation do you think we'll see Saturday? I don't think we'll see it that often, if at all. Maybe two or three plays.
Don't underestimate how big a loss Evans is to our pass protection. He won the starting running back job last year by being the best pass blocker of the running backs.

Virginia Tech Defense vs. Alabama Offense

The Hokie defense should have a lot of practice against the Alabama offense because its style is very similar to ours.
Virginia Tech will try to get pressure on Greg McElroy, who begins his first year as Alabama's starter. The Crimson Tide are also breaking in new offensive linemen, including left tackle James Carpenter.
While I expect the Hokies to get pressure on McElroy, I'm not certain that pressure is going to turn into a lot of sacks. McElroy is excellent at checking down quickly and getting rid of the ball before he gets into trouble. At least that's what I saw in their spring game.
If the Hokies want to have a chance, they'll need a big game from Jason Worilds. However, Worilds can't have a big game unless the Hokies are able to stop the Alabama rushing game and force the Crimson Tide into obvious passing downs.
I am really impressed by Alabama running back Mark Ingram. He never goes down on the first hit and is always getting yards after contact.
Julio Jones is a freak of nature. Tech coaches compare him to Calvin Johnson. And we all know what happened the last time the Hokies faced him.
The knock on new starting LB Jake Johnson is he isn't very good in pass coverage. We had a lot of miscommunication between the free safety and rover in the middle of the field last year. We're breaking in a new field corner and our boundary corner didn't play that position last year. Uh-oh.
Virginia Tech needs Kam Chancellor to have a big game. He had his best game of 2008 when we needed it most in the Orange Bowl. He gave up a touchdown on the first drive, but was spectacular the rest of the way. We need Kam 2007 to show up Saturday in the Georgia Dome and deliver big hits and big plays. He needs to be the leader of the defense.
Javier Arenas isn't just a solid cornerback, he's a gifted playmaker on special teams. Minimizing Areans' effect on kick and punt returns will be a big key in winning the field position game.

Outcome

I just don't see the Hokies scoring enough points to win this game. The defense will keep us in it, but Alabama will keep us at arm's length the whole game.

Watch the Box Score For:

Turnovers
Virginia Tech Sacks
Tyrod Taylor Rushing Yards
Julio Jones Receiving Yards

Virginia Tech Players to Watch:

5 - Tyrod Taylor, Jr., QB
70 - Sergio Render, Sr., OG
17 - Kam Chancellor, Sr., FS
6 - Jason Worilds, Jr., DE

Alabama Players to Watch:

8 - Julio Jones, So., WR
77 - James Carpenter, Jr., OT
62 - Terrence Cody, Sr., DT
28 - Javier Arenas, Sr., CB

Final Score:

Alabama 20, Virginia Tech 13

The Virginia Tech Preview: Tide Defense v. Hokie Offense

outsidethesidelines — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:00:18 -0000

Editor's Note: This is the second installment in a four-piece series that will give an in-depth preview of the individual unit match-ups, as well as a special teams preview, and finally ending on Friday with a final wrap-up before the two teams face off on Saturday night.

Part 1: Tide Offense vs Hokie Defense

The Virginia Tech Offense

Any in-depth analysis of the Virginia Tech offense must begin with proper consideration given to one man: Tyrod Taylor. What makes the Virginia Tech offense unique really has nothing to do with it's formations, it's passing concepts, it's run blocking schemes, or anything of the sort. No, what makes the Virginia Tech offense unique is because the entire offense completely and totally revolves around Taylor. When you watch the film of this unit, it's almost nothing short of amazing just how much of a linchpin that Tyrod Taylor is to the entire unit. Everything is predicated upon him; even when he performs the most fundamental of duties -- handing off to the tailback, direct snaps that go to other players, etc. -- the offense nevertheless somehow goes through him.

And with Taylor as the centerpiece, the Virginia Tech offense has changed quite a bit in recent years. Offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring is still in Blacksburg -- he was given the title of defensive coordinator in late 2001 -- and has remained a constant for almost a decade, but his offense is fundamentally different with Taylor at the helm. In years gone by, the Hokies tended to be a run heavy team that operated out of very conventional formations. They spent much of their time either in the I-formation or with two tight end sets, trying hard to establish the interior running game, and much of the passing game became a by-product of the playaction pass. But again, that's all different now with Taylor at the helm. They still spend a good deal of time in the I-formation and also with two tight end sets, but they are not limited in that regard any more. With Taylor, they also really like to spread the field and put Taylor back in the shotgun, thus taking full advantage of Taylor's athleticism in space.

Given Taylor's extreme importance to the offense, we should take a closer look at him as a player. From the outset, Taylor was a bona fide super recruit coming out of Hampton, Virginia's Hampton High School, a dynasty in Virginia high school football circles, with seventeen state football championships. When he came out of Hampton High on 2007, Taylor had been a three-year starter and was a consensus five-star recruit. Rivals.com had him as the #1 dual threat quarterback in the country, and he chose to stay in-state with the Hokies, turning down a scholarship offer from the Florida Gators, whose head coach Urban Meyer recruited him heavily to run his spread option.

The reason everyone wanted the 6'1 and 215 pound Taylor was simple... his legs. In a day and age where 40 times are often outright lies, Taylor is a legitimate 4.40 player, and it is his unbelievable speed and athleticism that makes him the player that he is, and it is also what makes him the focal point of the Virginia Tech offense. Because of his ability to make big plays with his feet at any given time, opposing defenses must always be aware of his positioning on the field, and that is why the Virginia Tech coaching staff ensures that their entire offense runs through him. Stinespring and company love to always make you account for Taylor even when the ball doesn't go to him. For example, in simple dive plays out of the I-formation, after giving the hand-off, Taylor generally makes very, long sweeping retreats from the location of the exchange as if he's keeping the ball and going out for a run. This is done, of course, to ensure that one defender must account for Taylor, even though it's an inside hand-off to a tailback. This is just one of many ways in which the Virginia Tech coaching staff constantly keeps the offense running through Taylor, regardless of what is actually going on.

And no Alabama fan should underestimate just how deadly Taylor's athleticism can be. Many like to paint Taylor as a typical run-happy quarterback with no real passing skills, and in all fairness that might be true, and in many ways is true. Still, nevertheless, even if that is completely accurate, Taylor is nevertheless such an elite athlete that he is still a very dangerous player. In today's game we often have mobile quarterbacks playing the position with good athleticism, but Taylor isn't just a mobile quarterback, nor does he just have good athleticism. I've been following Alabama football closely since 1990, so this is my 20th year, and I feel confident in saying that we have never faced an opposing quarterback with the kind of ultra-elite speed and athleticism that Taylor brings to the table. Again, he's not just a mobile quarterback, he's the kind of elite athlete who will certainly play in the NFL one day -- and probably be a fairly high draft pick at that -- thanks to that athleticism.

Soundtrack Warning: Crunk

Fortunately, the good news for Alabama fans and our coaching staff is that for all of Taylor's frightening athleticism, he's still a very incomplete player as a pure quarterback, and the rest of the Virginia Tech offense is riddled with holes and shortcomings. This unit finished 90th in the country last year in scoring offense, and 103rd in total offense, continuing a downward trend in recent years in their ability to move the football. From 2005, when Tech finished 17th in the country in total offense, they have fallen to 49th, to 53rd, to 103rd. Far from being a one year anomaly, the Hokies are a team that has seemingly struggled to move the football almost forever.

The Hokie Offense: A Critical Look

Given the struggles of the Tech offense, you don't have to look far to find its weaknesses.

Since we gave Tyrod Taylor so much focus in the overview, perhaps it's best we start with him, because for all of his greatness as a runner, he really struggles throwing the football. Truth be told, as a passer, he's just not much, period. Last year as a passer he completed only 57% of his passes, averaged under 6.0 yards per attempt, threw two touchdowns against seven interceptions, and his QB rating of 103.2 put him somewhere around 110th in the country. Making matters worse, the coaches have really simplified the passing game as a whole to help Taylor, effectively reducing it to a smattering of dink and dunk passes. You watch the Hokie offense and you see countless curls, hitches, screen passes, square-ins, and the like, and even so he cannot complete 60% of his throws. Furthermore, the few times that Taylor did actually play pretty well as a passer, it was predictably against bad defenses. The four highest individual game quarterback ratings that he posted in 2008 came, not so surprisingly, against a Division 1-AA team (Furman), a team still trying to make the jump to Division 1-A (Western Kentucky), a 5-7 ACC team (Virginia), and a team that finished 89th in the country in pass defense (Nebraska). Factoring out those four games and looking at the rest of the season, Taylor had a paltry QB rating of 82.0, averaged under five yards per attempt, and didn't throw a single touchdown pass (though he did throw seven interceptions).

And the vertical element of the Hokie passing attack with Taylor in the game is simply non-existent. By my count, only about six of his passes went for more than 20 yards a year ago, and in the rarity that he does hit a deep pass, it's usually ugly and even then not exactly ideal. For example, in their Orange Bowl victory last year against Cincinnati, Taylor hit receiver Danny Coale for a 34-yard completion, but a closer look reveals that Coale had gotten wide open on a post, and a ball that even hits him remotely in stride is a touchdown. Unfortunately, the ball sails wide, Coales has to lay out to make the catch, and the sure touchdown turns into a 1st and 10 at the Cincinnati 14. Unable to pick up a first down from there, the Hokies have to bring on the field goal unit, and with a missed kick a sure touchdown becomes a turnover on downs thanks to an inaccurate, though still completed, pass.

The results, though terrible, shouldn't be the least bit surprising. This time a year ago, Frank Beamer announced that the Hokies were actually going to redshirt Taylor in 2008, so truthfully had the coaching staff had their way Taylor wouldn't have played at all last year. Unfortunately for Tech, though, Sean Glannon was terrible in the opener, and after a surprising loss to East Carolina in Charlotte, the Hokie coaching staff had to reluctantly take the redshirt off Taylor and put him into action.

Of course, as should probably be expected, many Hokie fans are drinking the Kool-Aid talking about the incredible progress Taylor has supposedly made this off-season. In an objective light, though, there's little reason to expect any real, considerable improvement. From the outset, Taylor has never been a particularly accomplished passer, even in high school. Even as the quarterback for Hampton High -- where, again, he was playing on a very high caliber team with a lot of talent surrounding him -- he still only averaged about 125 yards per game as a passer, and barely completed 50% of his passes. Moreover, in terms of physical skill set, Taylor doesn't have a great arm, and is not very accurate to boot, plus he's short for the typical pocket passer. His delivery is a tad bit odd, and he's very inconsistent with his footwork. And his route progression, well, there is no route progression. As a general rule, he looks immediately towards his primary target, and if he's not open he takes off running. Anything might happen, of course, but I see no objective reason to believe that Taylor will take a major step forward this year as a passer. He has never been a particularly good passer before, and truth be told he will probably never be one in the future either. All such Hokie hopes to the contrary are just that, hopes, unsupported by any other objective factual basis.

Unfortunately for the Hokies, the problems are even worse up front with the offensive line. As a group, the offensive line seemingly run blocks well (though that's somewhat up for debate, too), but the pass blocking has been so horrendously atrocious the past couple of years that even an Alabama fan who lived through the Chris Capps / Kyle Tatum era could not understand. Last year the Hokies gave up a whopping 42 sacks on a mere 291 passing attempts for an adjusted sack rate of 14.43%. That literally put them dead last in the country in terms of adjusted sack rate, 119th out of 119 teams. And it wasn't just a one year anomaly, either. The year before -- despite having Duane Brown starting at left tackle, who would be a first round NFL Draft pick the following April -- they gave gave up 54 sacks on 379 passing attempts, for an adjusted sack rate of 14.24%. I'm not positive that was dead last in the country, but for the sake of the all the other quarterbacks in the country, I certainly hope no one struggled to protect the passer more than that. And perhaps not too surprisingly then, offensive line coach Curt Newsome had to undergo a double bypass heart surgery on June 19th. He himself said stress played a role in the near 100% blockage of his arteries, and while he was almost certainly addressing that more towards the high amounts of stress inherent in being a collegiate football coach, I'm sure as hell that having to watch this unit play for two consecutive years did no favors for his health.

Moving forward to the 2009 season, three starters return, but returning starters from a unit that has been consistently that terrible is rarely a good thing. I wouldn't expect it will be for this year's Hokies, either. Ed Wang returns at left tackle, and Blake DeChristopher returns at right tackle, plus Sergio Render returns at guard (though he has swapped guard positions). Those guys look physically okay, but obviously something is not right. Jaymes Brooks, a redshirt sophomore, is taking over at right guard, with an undersized Beau Warren taking over at center. Warren is listed at 288 pounds, and frankly just looking at him that might be a bit of a stretch.

What the Hokie offensive line did well in 2008 was run block, or at least it would seem that way on the surface, even if it's not necessarily true. Darren Evans ran over 1,200 yards a year ago, averaging almost 4.5 yards per carry, and put together a great season. Before really watching the Hokies on film, I thought it was just the typical case of a decent back behind a good, mauling offensive line, but seeing Evans on film I was very impressed with him as a player. He displayed good speed and a good short-yardage bust, but he also had good balance and field vision to boot. Perhaps most impressive of all, he could consistently drive his hips low for a quick change of direction, something quite rare for a back of almost 220 pounds. To put it mildly I became impressed, and he exceeded my expectations.

TE Greg Boone

Which brings us to a pressing question, did he do well because of the Hokie offensive line, or did he do well in spite of the offensive line? In most cases I normally give the credit to the offensive line because their importance to the running game tend to get undervalued a bit, but if you look closer at the splits, the Hokies have a huge drop-off in rushing production when backs not named Darren Evans were given the ball. Kenny Lewis, Jr. and Josh Oglesby combined to get 102 carries for only 325 yards, right at 3.1 yards per carry, a significant step down from the production that Evans posted. On the surface, it seems like there was a very big gap between Evans and the rest of the tailbacks on the roster, and it certainly seems like Evans' torn ACL was indeed a huge injury for the Hokies. Perhaps Frank Beamer was being all too honest when he spoke of the impact that Evans absence would have on the Tech offense.

The rest of the Hokie offense looks to be generally solid, even if not spectacular. The wide receiver corps is nothing overly special, and there are no Julio Jones type players. That said, the group as a whole is a solid one, and several players have the ability to get the job done. Their biggest problem, honestly, more than anything else is that they simply haven't had a quality quarterback to be able to consistently get them the football. Also, one more weapon does exist on the roster, and he's one to keep your eye on, Greg Boone. A truly massive player, Boone is a 6'3 and 280+ pound tight end with good athleticism, and naturally he's as strong as a bull. The Hokies can often use him in a variety of ways, too, including even in the wildcat.

All in all, though, despite Taylor's elite athleticism, plus having a very unique player on the roster in Boone, this Tech offense simply isn't a very good one. Taylor can indeed be deadly with his legs, but aside from that there is just generally very little to fear. Taylor has the track record of a terrible passer, and the offensive line probably couldn't pass block competently if their lives literally depended on it. The running game would be pretty strong with Darren Evans, but he's not going to be playing this year, and if the track record from a year ago holds up, they may very well be struggling to run the ball this year. Not much else needs to be said... you finish at the bottom of nearly every statistical offensive category for a reason.

The Alabama Defense

Nick Saban brought with him to Tuscaloosa a reputation as a builder of big, physical defenses built on speed and aggression, and just over two years since he arrived, Saban is well on his way to building exactly that kind of monster. The roster that he inherited in January of 2007, built for Joe Kines 3-3-5 scheme, was nowhere near the type and / or caliber of personnel Saban needed to operate his 3-4 scheme at a high level, but thankfully a renewed focus on the S&C program and a recruiting juggernaut have allowed Saban to quickly construct his defense.

The Nick Saban 3-4 scheme is, for all of us 'Bama fans, are pretty well known commodity at this point. In many ways it's a typical 3-4 scheme, one that relies heavily on zone blitzes and the inherent lack of unpredictability built into the scheme. The 3-4 is a highly flexible scheme, and Nick Saban takes full advantage of that by constantly changing his fronts, cover schemes, and blitz packages. Making things even better, Saban's specialty of coaching defensive backs generally makes his unique version of the 3-4 that much more effective once it actually takes the field.

After experiencing some struggles at times in his debut 2007, the defense quickly came together for the 2008 season. Saban found the space eater he needed to play the nose in Terrence Cody, Rolando McClain carried his game to the next level, Dont'a Hightower made a huge impact as a freshman, and several other players improved as well. The impact of it all quickly became evident. The Tide run defense was nearly impossible to run on with a healthy Terrence Cody in the lineup, and very stout against the run even when he was out with less than 100% with his knee injury. The pass rush never materialized, but even so the Tide led the SEC in pass efficiency defense, and allowed a stingy average of 5.8 yards per passing attempt.

Moving into the 2009 season, things continue to be on the rise in Tuscaloosa. Eight starters return from the 2008 defense, and quality depth has increased dramatically everywhere. As of this writing, we legitimately have somewhere around 25 players who can legitimately be contributors to this defense. With little doubt, if we can stay even remotely healthy, this should be the most productive defense we've had in years.

The Alabama Defense: A Critical Look

At the risk of being deemed a homer, I must nevertheless objectively say that when taking a critical look at this defense, there are really just very, very few flaws to even legitimately address. Bottom line, it's a very well coached defense, and one that is loaded with not only experience and top-end talent, but quality depth throughout the roster at almost every single position. If you were looking for an ideal defensive unit, you'd be hard-pressed to find one much more attractive than this one.

In the short-term, the biggest problem the Tide has is overcoming the likely loss of Brandon Deaderick, who was tragically shot outside his apartment Monday night in Tuscaloosa. Fortunately for Deaderick and the Tide, the shooting effectively went as well as it reasonably could have -- just puncture wounds in the arm and hip; no damage to bones, arteries, or nerves, no surgery required, and released from the hospital approximately 16 hours later -- but even so I imagine he's unlikely to play against the Hokies. Deaderick was going to start in 2009, just like he did last year, at defensive end, and his loss is not what anyone hoped to see. Fortunately, if there was any year to have this sort of a tragedy, it was this year. His back-up, Luther Davis, is good enough to start for about any other SEC team, and he should transition into the starting role without any real trouble, if needed, but don't discount the possibility of Marcel Dareus -- who normally backs up Lorenzo Washington at the end-tackle combo position -- moving over and starting in Deaderick's absence. Dareus has the best long-term upside of any defensive lineman we have, and he is likely the #3 defensive end on the pecking order, regardless of position, so he may very well move over to the natural end position. Either way, as much as Saban and company rotate the defensive linemen, Davis and Dareus were going to see a lot of meaningful playing time regardless, so this won't be a major transition for either one. Darrington Sentimore now has a much better chance of playing as a true freshman, and Damien Square will likely be moved back from Jack linebacker, and both should provide quality reps at the position as well. Time will tell, but rationally speaking it seems we should be able to pick things up in Deaderick's absence with no major drop-off in production.

LB Eryk Anders

Aside from the Deaderick shooting, the Tide defense has remarkably few concerns. Pass rushing was a major problem a year ago, but even so we still played very effective pass defense, and things look improved this year. The linebacker corps is more athletic than a year ago, we're getting our best edge rusher (Eryk Anders) on the field more often, and Sal Sunseri has brought with him a renewed focus on pass rushing techniques. Thus, our pass rushing attack ought to improve this year, and frankly even if it doesn't, we showed last year that an inability to rush the passer was not fatal to the success of our overall pass defense.

Our biggest weakness, of course, assuming that we continue to be unable to rush the passer with any degree of consistency, is probably against spread teams with accurate quarterbacks who can consistently spread the field with quality receivers to boot. But again that may be a problem we fix anyway in 2009, and even if not, the Hokies don't have anywhere near the pieces in place to power such an attack. Yes they do spread things out occasionally, but it's to maximize Taylor's running ability, not to emphasize the passing game. Taylor isn't a very accurate quarterback, Tech might not have the receivers in place to do it effectively, and even if they did the offensive line probably wouldn't be able to hold up regardless, so even that is a moot concern in this particular game.

Aside from that, the rest of the concerns are really more nit-picking and the luxuries of riches than anything else. Many 'Bama fans would probably still complain about Marquis Johnson, but what is that really? At worse, it's a complaint that we only have a serviceable SEC level player (and a senior to boot) as our nickel corner, and a player that at any rate who will see his playing time getting major challenges from two five-star recruits currently on the roster. Geez... how will we ever manage to get by? Again, it's basically nit-picking from that point on.

The truth of the matter is that unless 'Bama gets unexpectedly hit very hard by a run of injuries, there is absolutely no reason to expect that the Tide won't field a great defense in 2009.

What To Look For

In the aggregate, this looks to be an good match-up for those who bleed crimson. The Hokies do not have a very good offense, and the Alabama defense should at the least be in the discussion with regard to who has the top defense in the country. It doesn't take any real, in-depth analysis to figure out that when two units of those respective abilities collide, it's likely to result in the offense scoring very few points and the defense dominating the day. When factoring out defensive and special teams scores, the Hokies offense only averaged 19 points per game last year, and it would probably be a surprise to see them score that many against what should be a very stingy Alabama defense. And making matters worse for the Tech offense is that the one true weakness of the Tide defense -- which, it should be said, is something that might not even be a weakness this year at all -- is something that the Hokies do not have the right personnel in place to exploit.

The Virginia Tech running game, in particular, seems to be in for a long night. With Darren Evans out for the year, it's a running game of arguably questionable quality to begin with, and going up against the Tide's incredibly stout run defense is a tough task for even a team with a strong rushing attack in their own right. The Hokies might try to run the football inside a good bit on the Tide -- then again, if Beamer and company think it's futile, they'll probably move away from it pretty quickly -- but it's highly unlikely that it will yield any real success. Beau Warren, at least 60 pounds lighter than Terrence Cody, will need help with the gargantuan nose guard, so Cody should command double teams every single time the Hokies plan to run inside. That alone plays right into our hands. Moreover, even without Brandon Deaderick, our deep rotation of big, strong, and physical defensive ends -- Lorenzo Washington, Luther Davis, Marcel Dareus, Damien Square, and others -- will be able to hold their own at the point of attack throughout the course of the game. That alone will eat up the bulk of the Hokies' blocking unit, and it will largely allow a great linebacker corps to roam free all night long, looking to make plays, and the same goes for two good run defenders at safety in Justin Woodall and Mark Barron. Making the match-up even more advantageous for the Tide is the Hokies' complete lack of a vertical threat in the passing game, which will allow the Tide to stack the box when needed. Bottom line, if the Hokies can have any considerable degree of success in the running game, it will come as a legitimate surprise to any objective observer.

The Hokie passing game looks to fare little, if any, better. The Tech passing game will likely be one of the worst in the country yet again, and the Tide pass defense will likely be one of the best. Again, do the figurative math. Taylor is a below average passer, and while the Virginia Tech wide receiver corps is a solid group filled with more than a few quality targets, they likely aren't as good or as experienced as their counterparts in the Alabama defensive backfield. All in all, it's simply a match-up that heavily favors the Tide.

All of the aforementioned, though, is pretty basic stuff. No real analysis is needed to discover that a very good defense is likely to shut down a bad offense. The real strategy in this game will be how the Tide chooses to defend Tyrod Taylor and his abilities as an elite runner.

Many would advocate playing man coverage on the receivers and trying to rush Taylor with all you have. Given how much Nick Saban loves to give different looks from his 3-4 defensive scheme, I'm sure we will do that a few times, but as a general strategy it's probably not as ideal as many would initially think. To begin with, from the outset, bringing a lot of pressure on Taylor isn't necessarily a good strategy. Taylor is unbelievably elusive, and if you bring a lot of rushers and he slips out of it -- which I can guarantee you he will do on more than one occasion -- you have very few defenders left downfield, and he's going to turn it into a very big play. Don't misinterpret what I'm saying... getting pressure on Taylor is a good thing, but having to bring a lot of defenders on blitzes in order to generate it quickly becomes a very risky strategy with a runner like Taylor that can get you burned. Furthermore, consistently playing man coverage against the Hokie wide receivers fails to exploit one of Taylor's biggest weaknesses as a quarterback, which is reading defenses. If you predictably play man on the outside, Taylor's almost complete inability to read a defense completely goes away because he can correctly assume the overwhelming majority of the time that he will be throwing against man coverage.

Spying Taylor is also an attractive option to many, but again it's probably not ideal as a general strategy. Putting a spy on a mobile quarterback is generally a good strategy, but that generality only holds up well against quarterbacks who have good mobility, not great mobility. Trying to spy such an elite athlete like Taylor is a fundamentally difficult task because you really don't have an equal caliber athlete to put on him. To be sure, we have some guys with Taylor's athleticism, but they are playing corner, and it's very difficult to spy with a corner. Corners are forced to line up so far away from the quarterback (and that goes even for the nickel corner) that the spy himself can effectively be eliminated by the offensive coordinator just sending the play in the opposite direction. What you need in order to have an effective spy is someone who is going to be able to consistently line up relatively close to the quarterback -- without giving away his responsibilities with his pre-snap alignment -- someone like a safety or a linebacker. But, again, who do we have at safety or linebacker that can legitimately go toe-to-toe with Taylor in the open field? Arguably no one. Jerrell Harris, Mark Barron, and Robby Green would probably be our best candidates, but even they would likely face a speed and agility deficit to Taylor. Again, it's an attractive option to many as an initial matter, but a closer look reveals such a strategy can be problematic when dealing with a truly elite athlete like Taylor.

A better strategy, and one I expect we will probably be using frequently, is to employ a wide variety of zone and rush packages. Playing a wide variety of heavy zones against Taylor is an ideal option because it great limits his ability to run with the football, which in truth is when he is at his most dangerous. At the end of the day, what we really want is for Taylor to throw the football, and even Rolando McClain explicitly said yesterday that the assignment of the defense is to contain Taylor and make him throw the football. Playing a heavy zone helps accomplish that because it largely removes the possibility of a big run, and also helps to ensure that when Taylor does take off to run, he'll quickly be met with a host of defenders arriving with bad intentions, both of which are incentives for him to stay in the pocket and throw the football. Furthermore, by constantly mixing up zone blitz packages, we can more effectively exploit Taylor's inability to read defenses. Also, it should be kept in mind that with Tech's complete lack of a vertical threat in the passing game, and it's reliance on short, dink and dunk throws, we can play heavy zones that almost solely attack the short and intermediate routes, thus creating some very narrow windows for Taylor to throw the football into, which can easily lead to a slew of incomplete passes and a chance at interceptions. Truth be told, we could probably play Cover Zero most of the night and still not give up a big passing play, and that alone provides us with a competitive edge over the Hokie offense.

Now, to be sure, I do imagine we will see some spying on Taylor, and I also imagine we'll see some heavy blitzes. The base defense, I think, will frequently use the heavy zones that I described earlier, but Nick Saban likes his defenses to be multiple in their approach and inherently unpredictable. That alone will ensure that Taylor sees a little bit of everything come Saturday night. Either way, in terms of individual assignments and responsibilities, three words must be effectively tattooed into the foreheads of every Alabama defender... contain, contain, contain. Keep Taylor in the pocket, limit his big runs, and make him beat you throwing the football. If you can consistently do that, you've won the battle.

On the other side, the Virginia Tech offense will probably have a few things up their sleeve, and they might not operate exactly how we think. Even though they haven't been a very good offense, the Hokies are a well-coached football team, and they are perhaps a bit more imaginative than you would at first think. If we really can shut down their interior running game with no problem, this isn't a staff dumb enough to keep futility running it straight into the line. They will mix things up and try something else, probably with Taylor operating almost solely from the shotgun. Moreover, again, they have used Boone in the Wildcat in the past (even with him throwing a pass once), and have at times lined Taylor up out wide and brought him down on jet sweeps. And, of course, with a mobile guy like Taylor, a bit of the option game is never out of the question. One way or the other, If things aren't going well, don't expect this coaching staff to just lay down and take it, they'll probably try a few things outside the box in an attempt to muster some offensive production.

That notwithstanding, though, it nevertheless looks to be a very tough night for the Hokie offense. For all of Taylor's dynamic athleticism and Boone's unique physical skill set, this is still a poor offense, and one that struggles to move the ball effectively. They have no real big play ability aside from Taylor's runs, and they cannot muster the kind of consistent production needed to methodically march the football down the field to put points on the board. Rest assured Taylor will make some big, incredibly frustrating plays -- at least frustrating for the 'Bama fans -- he's just too good an athlete not to. Likewise, Boone could be a tough match-up, and a few more guys in the Hokie rotation can get the job done. That will result in some good things happening, but again it's hard to see this unit having the consistent success needed to put any considerable number of points on the board. By all objective measures, this is a bad offense going up against a potentially great defense, and the strength of the Crimson Tide defense should dominate the night.

Matchups That Matter: Alabama's Terrence Cody vs. Virginia Tech's Sergio Render

furrer4heisman — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 05:00:10 -0000

It's hard to single out one individual matchup from the Hokies' season-opener against Alabama as the most important. But I believe the Hokies' chances hinge on whether or not they will be able to run the ball against the Tide's daunting front seven.

The anchor of that front seven is Mt. Cody: 6-5, 365-pound nose tackle Terrance Cody. Cody is the nation's best defensive tackle on the nation's best front-seven. He had 24 tackles last year, 4.5 for loss.

One of the men assigned to moving the mountain is 6-3, 319-pound guard Sergio Render. Render is the best guard I've ever seen at Tech. But even he will have his hands full trying to open holes against Cody and the Tide's front seven.

The Tide run a 3-4 defense. While the Hokies have historically had a lot of success running the ball against the 3-4, we have yet to see the type of personnel Alabama has on its defense. In addition to Cody, the Tide has pair of linebackers that will be future millionaires in Rolando McClain and Dont'a Hightower. McClain and Hightower do most of their damage when teams focus on Cody by double-teaming him.

Cody, McClain, Hightower and the rest of the Tide defense had phenomenal success against the run in 2008. Alabama held its opponents to 3.4 yards per carry and five touchdowns on the ground last year with sacks taken out. In nine games against SEC teams, opponents averaged 3.7 yards per carry and had four touchdowns again with sacks taken out.

The Tide's specialty was shutting down top rushers in 2008.

**Top Rushers vs. Alabama in 2008**
Player	School	Rush	Yds	Avg	TD
Davis	Clemson	6	13	2.2	0
Spiller	Clemson	2	7	3.5	0
Smith	Arkansas	19	91	4.8	0
Moreno	Georgia	9	34	3.8	1
McCluster	Ole Miss	7	28	4.0	0
Scott	LSU	24	92	3.8	2
Tebow	Florida	17	57	3.4	0
Asiata	Utah	13	29	2.2	1
Total		97	351	3.6	4

The Hokies will need near perfect game from Sergio Render in order for them to put up improved numbers on Sept. 5. The other two interior linemen will be fulltime starters for the first time in 2009. Jaymes Brooks, the other guard, got his first start in the Orange Bowl against Cincinnati and was arguably the best lineman in the game. However, while Cincinnati had a solid defense, its personnel doesn't compare to Alabama.

The other interior lineman, Beau Warren, is more of a mystery. Most of his playing time came in spurts here and there in injury relief. His ability as a full-time center won't be known until the Hokies start trying to run on Alabama.

Render's play against Alabama will be the key because of the inexperience of the other interior linemen. He is an exceptional pulling guard whose speed and agility when blocking off tackle is a surprise because of his size. I can't understate how important it is for him to have a good game blocking inside against Cody and the two linebackers.

Looking at the numbers of those top rushers against Alabama, one thing stands out to me. Most teams were frightened by the mere presence of Alabama's front seven and abandoned the run. LSU and Charles Scott were not. Scott carried the ball 24 times, more than anyone else on the list, averaged a respectable 3.8 yards per carry and scored two touchdowns.

Like Darren Evans, Scott is a bull of a running back who can do damage between the tackles. While Scott is much bigger than Evans, they have similar running styles. Can ramming Evans into the middle of Alabama's front seven do any damage? Who knows. What I do know is for us to have a chance, we'll need both Evans North-South game and Ryan Williams ability to make plays outside the tackles to keep Alabama off balance.

The Hokies can't let the Alabama front seven win the battle in the trenches before it begins. Evans needs to get his carries, even if at first Tech struggles to gain yards. The ability of Render and the rest of the offensive line to give Evans and Williams room to run throughout the game will determine the Hokies' offensive fate against the Tide.

Obviously there is more to this game than just the battle of Render vs. Cody or the interior linemen vs. Cody, McClain and Hightowner. But their personal battle will be a key component of moving the ball and beating Alabama.

An Outsiders' Guide to the 2009 Virginia Tech Hokies

furrer4heisman — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 20:00:12 -0000

It makes me angry when I see ignorance like this.

I have a tendency to defend the Hokies when people like this guy from UT Tailgaters rips on them. The Hokies are my team. You can't bad-mouth my football team. Only I can bad-mouth my football team.

I can tolerate certain people making negative comments about Tech if I think they have an informed opinion. So because I'm overly defensive about Hokie football, here's everything you need to know about Tech for the 2009 season. Now when you want to rip the Hokies you can do it without coming off looking like a tool.

1. The jury is still out on Tyrod Taylor

Hokie fans aren't making excuses for Tyrod. The facts are the offensive line couldn't pass block to save their families last year and I had just as many collegiate receptions as nearly every member of the receiving corps. There aren't many quarterbacks who could have succeeded under those circumstances.

Tyrod isn't a bad quarterback. He showed he can be pretty good in late 2007 when the offensive line was good and he had a stable of four excellent receivers.

He's shown he can throw the deep ball in 2007. Just look at the Clemson game. He's shown he can bring the team back from behind. Just look at the 2007 Florida State game. He can't be considered a bad quarterback yet. After this season we'll be able to pass judgment on him.

2. The defense will experience growing pains early on

The Hokies have to replace two of their three linebackers and Macho Harris. If the young players can adjust to life in D1 football, they'll be fine. But Tech will have a rough go of it early on against the likes of Alabama, Miami and Nebraska if younglings like linebacker Jake Johnson aren't ready.

The secondary is an even bigger concern. Free safety Kam Chancellor and the rover combo of Dorian Porch and Davon Morgan had communication issues that led to big pass plays in the middle of the field for Virginia Tech opponents. Their play improved significantly the last couple games of the season as Chancellor finally settled in as a free safety after moving from rover prior to the 2008 season.

The Hokies also have to deal with replacing first-team All-ACC cornerback Macho Harris. Stephan Virgil had a great 2008, but will move from field corner to boundary corner this year. At the field spot, Virgil will have less help and be left on an island in man coverage more often. He'll also have to help on stopping the run more often.

The trio of Rashad Carmichael, Eddie Whitley and Cris Hill will compete for the other corner spot. Carmichael took the lead in the competition in spring, but struggled in my opinion when he was on the field last year. The play of Carmichael (or whoever) will have a big impact on how the Hokies' success in 2009.

3. We have reason to be optimistic about the offensive line

Most of the offensive line's struggles in the beginning of 2007 and 2008 can be contributed to injuries. In 2007, Ed Wang was hurt in preseason camp and missed the first half of the year. The Hokies' run game improved greatly when Wang returned and Tech won the ACC. The same thing happened last year. Blake DeChristopher went down on the Hokies' opening drive and everything went to hell until he came back.

This year Tech's offensive line will be strong if it stays healthy. Jaymes Brooks is a known commodity at guard. He replaced Nick Marshman and excelled in the Orange Bowl. While Marshman was by far the line's weakest link, Brooks arguably played the best of the five lineman against Cincinnati.

Wang is a solid left tackle who has been inconsistant time. The anchor of the line is guard Sergio Render, who is the best offensive lineman I've seen at Tech. The only real hole the Hokies have to plug is at center where Beau Warren is expected to be solid.

4. We expect a lot from Ryan Williams

Williams is the first home run hitter the Hokies have had since Kevin Jones. Eddie Royal was an outstanding wide receiver, but Williams has the ability to score a touchdown any time he touches the ball. He made big play after big play in the spring and has Hokie fans salivating to see him in action.

He also complements Darren Evans well. Evans is more of a singles hitter who can wear a defense down. He's a powerful, consistent runner between the tackles who can set up big plays by Williams. He was forced to carry too much of the load for the Hokies last year and having Williams will benefit a lot as well.

5. Our margin of error is very thin...

The Hokies aren't just thin at quarterback, they're thin at just about every position except running back and wide receiver. A key injury on either line could be devastating to the Hokies' ACC title chances.

6. ...but our ceiling is very high.

I don't consider the Hokies a preseason Top 10 team. There are too many holes on the defense for a team that lost four games last year to consider them anywhere near No. 4 coming into 2009. But the Hokies finally have talented playmakers on offense for Bryan Stinespring to utilize or not utilize. It's completely up to him. But if Bud Foster can produce the same defense he has the last two years, the Hokies will be good. Scary good.

Right now, Virginia Tech is not a 2009 BCSCG contender. But they have the potential to be. The last time Virginia Tech had the potential to be this explosive on offense was in 2003. The Hokies started 6-0 and were No. 3 in the country before losing five of their last seven games. Amazingly, it was the defense that was their downfall that year.

Not since 1999 have the Hokies been able to combine explosive offensive with suffocating defense. The reason they're getting so much preseason pub is because that potential exists this year.

Bourbon Shots: The Futility of Preseason Predictions Edition

furrer4heisman — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:15:09 -0000

More photos » by Michael Dwyer - AP

Browse more photos »

The Nate Irving situation reminds us again why trying to preview the upcoming football season in June is a futile enterprise. NC State has been the darlings of many preseason publications because of its strong finish to qualify for a bowl game in 2008.

However, NC State's defensive struggles last year made me skeptical of their chances to win the Atlantic. But that didn't keep Giggity from proclaiming the Pack would win the division and make it to Tampa. Playmakers on defense like Irving and Willie Young make them a sexy pick, but Clemson was a sexy pick last year because of flashy playmakers.

The losses of Irving and BC's Mark Herzlich are a reminder that if you're willing to prognosticate before August, you better be willing to have everything blow up in your face. The losses of Irving and Herzlich are nothing to sneeze at, both in the severity of their situations and what they meant to their team.

Herzlich was going to be the anchor for a defense that lost a lot from 2008 and NC State's defense played much differently with Irving compared to when he was injured. I wouldn't be surprised if BC and NC State finished No. 5 and 6 in the Atlantic this year. That's probably not how I'll pick it come August, but it wouldn't shock me if we're somehow underestimating the losses of those two players.

The same goes for the Hokies. Right now, everyone is picking them to win the Coastal. Some have them pegged as a national title contender. But the margin for error on this team is paper thin. If the Hokies lost guard Sergio Render or cornerback Stephan Virgil, the 2009 season could all go to hell.

One injury can make the difference, especially for a team like Tech with a lot of unproven and sometimes non-existent depth. It's because of this that predictions made before August camp are almost entirely worthless.

Linkage

Hokies

- We'll win because I won't be there. (Blogsburg)
- CGB leaves the cage. (College Game Balls)
- BCO's ultimate ACC road trip begins. (Southern Pigskin)

ACC and Opponents

- We did just fine playing assignment football against GT, thank you very much. (Smart Football)
- Paul Hewitt is a centrist. (The Legacyx4)
- Comparing FSU's infractions to that of others. (Tomahawk Nation)
- NU will wear throwbacks next year, but not against us. (Double Extra Point)
- Signs of hope for EKR. Where has that guy been, anyway? Did Chili and Willy Mac fire him? (Annette)

Stuff Only I Care About

- Amalie Benjamin (who I love and in a hearbeat would give up by hard-drinking, road-tripping bachelor ways for) says Lowell is going to the DL. (Extra Bases)
- And twins! (Kurtenblog)
- The good news is we're keeping OMG! The Kaleta!. But there's plenty of bad news. (Die by the Blade)
- Power 90 for the USA match: Awesome. The result: Not so much. (MGoBlog)
- Click here to be amazed. (The Lost Ogle)

5 Players the Hokies Can't Do Without

furrer4heisman — Fri, 29 May 2009 12:00:19 -0000

Last week, Jeff took time off from arguing over which chain restaurant to go out to with Mrs. Jeff before finally saying screw it and finishing the leftover spaghetti to discuss BC's most indispensable players with Brian. I thought it was a good idea, so I'm ~~stealing~~ borrowing it.

Here's my pick for the five players the Hokies can ill-afford to lose. Post yours in the comments.

1. Tyrod Taylor, Jr., QB
This was a pretty easy selection. With a plethora of unknowns behind him, Taylor must stay healthy or at least healthy by his standards for the Hokies to succeed this season. Without Tyrod, Tech's season wouldn't be lost but it would put everything into chaos at the least.

2. Sergio Render, Sr., OL
We've learned that as the O-line goes, so goes Tech's running game. The margin for error on Tech's line is razor thin. In the last two seasons, an early injury has thrown the line out of whack and led to struggles in the running game. Render, a guard, is our most talented and most versatile lineman. He might be the only one that's irreplaceable.

3. Kam Chancellor, Sr., FS
His athleticism and nose for the ball separate him from the rest of the secondary. He is the quarterback of the Hokie defense and without him it would be disorganized until another leader could be found. Chancellor improved greatly as a free safety late in the year and I expect to see a season similar to his sophomore year in 2009.

4. Taco Thompson, Sr., DT
Defensive tackle is too thin a position for the Hokies to lose their most experienced one.

5. Darren Evans, So., RB
Evans was a workhorse the last half of 2008. He ran over Maryland and cut through Cincinnati in his two best games. The Hokies have a stable of talented running backs. However, I don't think they could replace his toughness between the tackles.

Linkage

Hokies

- Norm Wood considers Tyrod to be a national breakout candidate. (Daily Press)
- A look at deciding factors in Tech's first two games. (Blogsburg)
- The editor at Rivals thinks Nebraska has no chance in Blacksburg. (FBS)

ACC and Opponents

- Where I get compared to Hunter S. Thompson. (The Legacyx4)
- TOB is facing high expectations in Raleigh. (StateFans Nation)
- Fat guy on a little bike. (Block-C)
- Brendan calls the coaches poll a farce. (From Old Virgina)
- Pack-Vols in the ATL in 2012. (ACC Now)

Stuff Only I Care About

- Speaking of the Vols, Lane Kiffin stars in Mean Boys. Hilarity ensues. (Hey Jenny Slater)
- Again, Kiffin. Again, hilarity. (EDSBS)
- Friggin' Helm goes from Outlier to ~~villain~~ hero. (Goose's Roost)
- Fran Tarkenton sticks up for grumpy old men. (Awful Announcing)
- Going through the NHL scouting combine. (National Post via From the Rink)