Voldemort Was Wrong: Hokies Win!

I thought it would be prudent to allow this one to settle in before I actually wrote about it. I'm sure Hokies all across the country woke up on Sunday morning and thought...damn that was an awesome dream. I really wish we could have pulled that one out. Then they turned to their local sports station and saw that Tyrod actually DID save the day. Holy God. I still don't fully believe it as I type this sentence, and I didn't believe it as I put Danny Coale as the background on my phone last night. That was some straight Angels-in-the-Outfield shit right there. Wow. Now as I've soiled myself and cried with joy a little bit. Onto a little analysis...

I really think that God said, "Welp, the defense really doesn't deserve to walk away losers in this one. The offense might be me-awful, but I'm gonna give 'em a break." Enter TT. I looked at my wife as he stepped up into the pocket and said "we need a friggin' miracle if we're going to win this game." It happened. More importantly, the Hokies put themselves in a position to allow it to happen. Bud Foster deserves a lot of credit. He was working without his top cornerback, against a red-hot quarterback, and his adjustments forced Lee into a mediocre game. 11/30 for 136 yards and 2 INTs was far from ideal in Lee's first real test as the starter. Foster's pressure and schemes did a lot to cause that poor play. Nebraska's tight ends were expected to kill the Hokie defense, and Foster managed to mask his weakness well enough to get by. Helu Jr. ran all up on the defense, but some of that was a result of trying to keep play in front of the defense. I though Carmichael played a really gutsy game with 8 total tackles and a pick. He needs to learn to GET DOWN, but that was a pretty good day overall. On the line, the tackles must get better. Nebraska got a good chunk of yards up the middle (although part of that was Johnson playing a little cautious I think). Nekos Brown had a very solid afternoon, and I thought Kam Chancellor played very well. Overall I give the defense a B, mostly for holding Big Red to five field goals. They did enough to win the game but weren't mind-blogglingly good.

The offense is a different story. It's obvious that there's talent on that side of the ball, but something isn't right. I think that the mistakes obviously killed a few drives, and there were more than a couple drops. Overall I'd say the offense did not appear mentally prepared enough for the game. We all have to remember that our skill positions are still primarily freshman and sophomores, and they're learning. They have been pretty disciplined over their first 15 games, so there was bound to be a letdown at some point. However, they need to be coached up for big games better. I actually didn't think the playcalling was horrendous, just predictible. My biggest problem is that there were minimal halftime adjustments made, and that led to a VERY rough second half. Also, Jaymes Brooks gets the "sieve of the week" award on the offensive line. I'm pretty sure he just tried to roll into Suh's shins on that final touchdown play. Weak. Entire Game D/Final Drive A-

Speaking of which, Nebraska is a damn good team. They are big, fast and talented, and the Hokies should be pumped that they were able to go toe-to-toe with them. I would be shocked if they didn't win the Big 12 North, and wouldn't be surprised if they pulled an upset over Texas or Oklahoma in the championship game. They are going to be a very solid team at the end of the year. Suh is an absolute monster (better than Cody...I think), and Lee has the right weapons to have a very strong offense. Hats off to them. Their coach however...

...was mistaken. Voldemort had to be sick to his stomach during that one red zone posession. You know the one I'm talking about. Where the cameras were shaking beause the stadium was so damn loud. As much as he didn't want to show weakness to his team, he set off a bomb by calling out the Hokie faithful. It's probably not fair to say that those 10 yards were the difference in the game, they had an impact. I'm proud of you guys that were there. Voldy's a good coach, but he kicked his own ass two years in a row against VT.

Lastly, are specialists not allowed to work out at Nebraska? Alex Henery, their kicker/punter looks like he could be beat up by a sixth grader. Don't get me wrong...he's a solid player, but Nic Schmitt would have eaten that dude for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and freaking fourthmeal. My wife looked at me and said she thought she could take him out back and beat his ass. Dude's arms are as thick as my thumbs.
Overall it was an awesome win, and a hell of an exciting finish, but I'm terrified. Unless the offense can have the greatest practice week of their lives, they're in for trouble against the Canes. Ryan Williams better eat his Wheaties. Same with Tyrod, because he might be running for his life all night. Unless the defense can come up with a superhuman effort and the crowd is at least as raucous as Saturday, we could be in for a long game. Just try and enjoy this win while we can. Next week might not be so fun.

Week Three: Shuck The Corn

Today marks the biggest non-conference game in Lane Stadium since 2004, when arch-rival West Virginia came into Blacksburg ranked #6 in the AP Poll. Lane has seen other highly-ranked oppenents since that day, but each of them has been a conference opponent. However, there is one game in particular that reminds me of today, and that makes me feel pretty good about our chances. Georgia Tech came into town in 2005 with high hopes, ranked #15 in the nation. They had a pretty good offense with a great weapon in Calvin Johnson and a stout defense. Their special teams were expected to be solid as well. Gameday was in Blacksburg that day since our Hokies were #4 in the country (but unproven to that point). On the back of two pick-sixes and a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown, the Hokies kept the crowd happy early and often on the way to a 51-7 blowout. Here are a few reasons why we have a shot to make this an avalanche today.

• Our defense has been beaten up about big plays so far, and I don't anticipate Nebraska will have many, if at all today. But lit a fire under their butts this week. I also think we're still faster on defense and should matchup OK outside of the TE/LB pairing. Jake Johnson needs to have a big game, as does Cody Grimm.
• We're due to block a kick. Nebraska isn't scared about this, but I would be. We've been ripping off big returns on punts, so that means teams can't max protect if they want to cover well enough to prevent a big play. Less protection with this unit could spell disaster. Pick your poison Bo.
• Ryan Williams will continue to be dazzling. Suh may be the 2nd best tackle we see all year, but we won't run at him. Williams should have a big day if the receivers can maintain their blocks on the perimeter. Also look for some option out of the gun to keep the Huskers on their toes.
• We have a big advantage at tight end as well. Greg Boone is a proven commodity, and paired with Wheeler and Smith's experience, the Nebraska linebackers could be in for a tough day. If the line can wake up and pass block, look for a big day out of one of these three guys.
• Nebraska isn't giving our corners any love. If Stephan Virgil goes, he's going to make them pay for that. All the talk around their camp is about how Macho Harris torched them last year, but they don't know us well enough to realize how deep we always are at corner. Look for a strong showing from Carmichael if Virgil can't go. He'll be playing boundary corner regardless.
• Our crowd is pissed. We should see a frenzy, even for a 3:30 game. Procedure and delay of game penalties will write their ticket to a loss.
  

However, I don't anticipate a blowout, I just think it COULD be possible. Here's why it'll be close:

• Suh is a beast. If Nebraska can squash out the outside run and force the Hokies inside, Suh can handle the rest. We need to run early and often to get some confidence.
• The aforementioned pass blocking might kill us. Stiney has to run bootlegs and rollouts to protect Taylor. If he doesn't, we might see JuJu today. That = not good.
• Jake Johnson could get abused by the Nebraska tight ends. He had trouble against Marshall, and that could spell trouble.
• Nebraska's offense is capable of the big play, and if we go down by more than a touchdown, we aren't built to come back.

I think we'll see something in the middle. I expect to see 14-24 points from the offense, and probably about the same from the Huskers. The difference will be a defensive score or big special teams play. Let's show 'em what we're known for Hokies! Boykin and his giant hands block a punt and it's returned for a touchdown. That's our difference.

Hokies 27
Huskers 20

Bo Pelini Has a Lapse in Judgment

No, I’m not talking about his game-clinching 15 yard penalty towards the end of the fourth quarter last year: a penalty that contributed to his team’s ultimate 35-30 loss to Virginia Tech. I’m talking about poking a bear…a Chicago Maroon and Burnt Orange-clad bear. Hokie fans often hear JUST how loud they are, but they certainly do not rest on their reputation alone. Just this week, Pete Carroll told assembled media after the Ohio State game that Tech fans were the loudest he’s ever heard assembled on the road. We’ve been called the loudest group of fans in America, and that’s considering that we only seat 67,000+ fans in Lane Stadium in comparison to some of the 90,000 plus behemoths of the Big 10 and SEC.

Unfortunately, some coaches don’t get the message. Larry Coker gave us grief before the ’03 and ’05 meetings with Miami, and those were two of the loudest crowds in Tech history (although ’05 didn’t turn out so well). I can’t imagine he enjoyed the treatment that his Canes received. In 2007, Jeff Jagodzinski as mentioned here before, decided to say things like “They have lights, right?” as well as “The fans will not be a factor" and "we just came from Notre Dame, the crowd will not effect us.” Anyone that was in Lane on that rainy night knows that the crowd caused several procedure and delay penalties. It was near impossible to hear yourself think, let alone get plays called out to your offense if you were Matt Ryan. They won that game, but Jags learned that the crowd WAS a factor in the game. Now Bo Pelini decides it’s a good idea to say something this week? Here goes nothin’:

I don’t even know how many people that stadium holds but they’re not playing. It’s 11 on 11 when you walk out on the field.”

We might not be playing, but we will be a factor Bo. Now this is not the worst comment we’ve received from an opposing coach, by far. It’s not even really bad, but a coach shouldn’t lend himself to bulletin board material if he can help it. I understand that a coach shouldn’t sound afraid or intimidated before a game, but it’s not that hard to show respect without weakness. A comment like “Certainly the crowd is loud, but we’re doing everything we can to be ready” would be sufficient. Pays tribute but shows your guys you’ll overcome it. I agree that our fans probably get a little too stirred up over such comments, but I’m certainly not going to complain when Lane turns the volume knob up to eleven as a result. The reason I love Hokie Nation so much is that we treat ourselves as a part of the game. As a result, we DO affect the game (blown calls from the sideline, false starts, delay of games, etc.). Just like in a locker room, we use facebook, blogs, and e-mail to stir up the troops with comments like this. Just like in previous years, an opposing coach has given us that extra motivation to scream that much louder, to jump up and down more enthusiastically, and make his life a living hell come Saturday. Let’s do it Hokies!