Pregame Hokie Thoughts: FSU Game

If you feel like you're having a hard time getting pumped up for this week's matchup against the Seminoles, let me provide you a little motivation. I'm sorry that I had to subject you all to that, but I think that Peter Warrick is still running away from Ronyell Whitaker as I write this sentence. I will always hate Florida State, and so should you. While last year was nice to exorcise some demons in our 40-21 victory, it will take at least another 20 to make me feel any better. Following our "offensive" debacle last week, there are a few things that I will be looking for today, playing against a much better defense and far better coach in Bowden and his Seminoles.

• Offensive line- How are they firing off the ball? If they are pushed back on every play like the last few weeks, we have little hope of winning. Tyrod needs to start this game with confidence, and that comes from a strong (and consistent) run game from Darren Evans, and legitimate protection. There were points last week when T-Mobile had the time to hit an open receiver, but he would pull it down too quickly or someone would have a mental lapse and kill the play. These things can be avoided with a little early offensive line consistency.
• Confidence- How does Taylor respond to such a miserable outing? Coaches have been saying that Taylor does a great job of keeping a cool head under pressure, but it has been apparent at times this year that he has grown frustrated with the line and playcalling early on in games. He's done well in the past in hostile environments, but he's been shaky at best this year. It will be interesting to see if we will see the Nebraska version of Taylor or the BC version. Whichever one shows up will go a long way towards determining who will control this football game.
  
• Tackling- While the defense did quite a bit to bail out the offense last week in Chestnut Hill (2 TDs accounting for most of our scoring), they had some obvious deficiencies, most notably tackling. Bud Foster's crew was out on the field early and often last week, and fatigue led to sloppy tackling and extended drives. The defense was weak on defending third downs, and needs to tighten up in order for this team to be successful.

All that being said, most of the blame has to go onto the offensive coaching staff for poor preparation and somewhat poor playcalling. Steinspring is looking like he's 1-2 more poor performances away from being ousted at the end of the season. However, much like our buddy Al Groh, Steinspring also manages to do just enough to keep his job. Bud Foster has to have one eye on that Clemson job with Steiny still in place at OC. I can't say I blame him. All this being said, I think the Hokies O-line will step up today, and Tyrod will do just enough to win. The defense is a prideful group, and I think we have a good chance of controlling a tough, low-scoring game today.

Virginia Tech 13 Florida State 10