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

Hokies trample The Herd 52-10: Afterthoughts

Sorry for the delay on this, but a wedding and some friend commitments this weekend delayed my recaps. Skins will come tomorrow after work. Promise. I only got to watch the first half in real time (due to previously mentioned wedding), but I watched the replay online of the second half. Here are my quick thoughts on the domination.

• Tyrod is still a work in progress. He HAS to have the run game set him up, and Stiney finally realized that. Once T-Mobile got comfortable, his passes stopped floating behind his receivers and he got into a zone. He can be effective, but his arm is probably our third best option right now.
• Ryan Williams is a “north-south” runner. I swear the two old codgers on 360 didn’t say anything else for the first 25 minutes of the game. While I didn’t think this was necessarily true before Saturday, Ru proved me wrong. He broke tackles, showed a great head of steam, and wonderful vision. Even if he doesn’t prefer it, he looks REALLY good when he hits a hole and knows where he wants to go.
• David Wilson might be the fastest back I’ve seen at Tech. Now that’s only since ’95, but the kid’s got some wheels, and a little bit of lumber. He’s also hard to bring down, and damn can he fly. Two backs over 160 yards makes me feel really good…especially considering we’re still missing D.E.’s thunder this season. Look out 2010.
• Our linebackers are still learning but they will be good. I think we were all spoiled by the maturity of Vince Hall and Xavier Adibi when they came to Tech, but Jake Johnson and Barquell Rivers know how to get to the ball, and the pass coverage stuff will all come with time. They’re really good, raw talent.
• Our pass defense is going to struggle next week unless we get Stephan Virgil back next week. We had a few scares that could have been big plays Saturday. Luckily we made up for bad positioning with athleticism and speed.
• Our defensive tackles are no slouches. I love watching John Graves and Taco Thompson play, but Antoine Hopkins could be a VERY special player for the Hokies in the coming years.
• Blake DeChristopher is still a sieve in pass protection.

Stiney’s off the hook for calling a good game, and his athletes made him look like a genius. Nebraska is a better test (~50 overall defense in the nation) than Marshall, and won’t be run over easily. The athleticism of Ru and Wilson will come in handy on the corners against the Black Shirts, and Tyrod should have some luck in the passing game (especially finding his tight ends). Look for Sam Wheeler as a possible secret weapon next week. I’ll have a preview on Friday.