Well we finally get to talk about football games and not the ifs and thens of it. I said it after the game and I continue to say it, my hat's off to Virginia Tech's Defense and Special Teams. Some fans had tried to piss on their heritage a bit, but nobody, and I mean nobody should take away the effort and skill they have in those areas.
In the past, I would do a micro overview, but after a little thinking and time spent watching the game, I decided to change it up just a bit. I haven't seen a replay because of the holiday, but if I do, I'll update....
OFFENSE
The Good...
2nd half play calling
Everyone who texts me or talked to me during the game heard a steady line of "they need to just run and gear this thing down". That started around the end of the 1st half, but in the second half they got down to basics and went more helmet to helmet and got their OL into something that they were more comfortable with. After they got back to who they were, a run heavy offense, they were able to open the passing game up more (see the before and after of McElroy's stat lines) and keep Va Tech on its heels more.
Mark Ingram / Roy Upchurch
Things weren't going real well for a while and really if Upchurch doesn't come out and change the tone with his running style, I don't know if we are as happy as we are. The duo of Ingram and Upchurch give Bama a very strong presence at all times and allows them to run or pass with either in the game because both are serviceable pass blockers in the backfield. I think that is where the biggest improvement in Ingram was Saturday was in his blocking. His running was not different, he still runs hard and gets better as the game goes on. He still does his thing with the ball in his hands, the only difference is that he gets the bulk of the carries now. Upchurch gives this team a lot of flexibility when he's in and they need to dedicate to getting him in more touches and opportunities because he gives them a boost and it keeps Ingram fresh. He did have the fumble, but hell, that was probably the first time in his life anyone caught him from behind on an open dash.
Greg McElroy's grit
The first half wasn't how it was supposed to go in storybooks, that much is true. However, Va Tech threw the sink, the water, and the baby with it at him. He took way too many shots and spent too much time escaping rushes early on to get settled down. I don't think anyone will question his toughness after Saturday. After Saturday, I think he earned the job for as long as he needs it because there aren't many QBs that can take that kind of punishment, regroup, and win the game. I'm real impressed with McElroy's passes, he can hit about all the passes he needs to and they seem to be in the right spot and on time for the most part. The ability to put a ball over the WR's shoulder and away from the defender isn't easy, but he makes it look easy. He is still developing timing with Hanks and Maze, but in time they'll all be in stride. The next 2 weeks will help with that.
James Carpenter's debut
I bet he wished they could start with a Sister Mary and get his feet wet that way, but hey you have to start somewhere. Overall, I thought he did well. He needs to be careful about planting his feet in and getting stationary too soon at times, but overall I thought he did a very good job of picking up the right rusher and keeping Greg's blind side clean for the most part.
Peek performance
His blocking isn't as good as advertised, but his route running and hands are. I still love to see him lower his shoulder and get nasty with defenders. I don't think he gets cheated out of his time on the field because he makes sure he gets at least 2 hits a game.
The Bad...
1st Half game plan
I would be with a good number of fans during the game that thought it was too cute. I didn't like that they came out for the first play in the "Wild Tide". I know some fans were geeked for it, but Va Tech's players and D staff had to be more geeked because it was a big white flag saying "we don't think we can just line up and beat you". I thought the pass calls were plays that were too long for the defense that was there. If your QB has at best 5 seconds and the plays are taking 10 to develop, the odds aren't good. They tried to use the counter plays and that was like throwing gas on a fire because Tech was too fast. Once they got done with the cute, I'm going to out think you playcalling and got back to just being what they are, it was good. But for about the first 25 minutes of the 60 minutes, it was pretty bad.
A long look at what the next 12 weeks are like Mr. Jones
Julio got shadowed, doubled, tripled, you name it he got it. There wasn't a lot of shock in that. What was a little shocking was that he let it get to him. There was the drop and then there was a play around the end of the first half where McElroy threw a fade to the corner and Jones pulled up and thought it was going out of the endzone. The ball hit the pylon. It isn't the end of the world, and some will get defensive, but the point is that this is what 2009 will look like all year. They won't give you single coverage, they won't give you easy opportunities, but you have to make opportunities. At times he did that, and he did keep working on most of the routes, but he needed to be more assertive early and just wasn't.
Costly errors at the worst time
I lost count of how many penalties negated good plays or put them back in 3rd and longs, and there were missed assignments and the INT in around the red zone. It was a night where Bama was its own worst enemy and they were playing themselves as much as Tech.
Vlachos in the shotgun
The check for the new rug at the Dome will be sent by the Vlachos family because his snaps dug worms and the poor football had more carpet burns than Jenna Jameson. A big part of the timing issues they had were because the snaps were low and the QB and Ingram were having to dig the ball out and recompose which takes time, time they didn't have, and it left things in a rush all night. Snapping with a guy on top of you is hard, but that's just a part of it. The rest of the 100 some odd D1 teams do it, so it is what it is. The next 2 games need to be a dedication to getting the snaps up at the hands of the back and executing the play on time.
Smelley had a stinker
When your own player turns and gives you hell, you know you aren't having a good day. Smelley wasn't intended to be a run blocking H Back/TE. Nobody expects that of him, or at least I didn't think they did until Saturday. They probably will look at film and decide to revamp the way they use him and go with more Dial and Williams in motion.
The Ugly...
Never a good thing to see a lineman's cleats in the air.
There were several times during the night where the O Line just got abused. Now, the stat tards will rush out and say "hey they only gave up 2 sacks" or something like that, but how many rushes were there and how many times did McElroy have to abandon the play and run for his life? How many TFL's were there? It wasn't a terrible game by the offensive line, but 3 years in, they should and could be better. Even the "veterans" looked overwhelmed by Tech at times. Much was made of Davis on the BOL message boards this holiday weekend, and some of it was worthwhile and some wasn't, but he has got to step up. He has to be a leader in a group of untested players. That is what the other linemen did for him last year, it is time for him to do his part, and he did on run blocking, but his pass blocking is still not good. He would make a better guard because his footwork is slow and his stride to the right is not fast enough, and at guard he could avoid some of those issues by playing in a smaller space.
DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS
The Good...
Gameplan
It wasn't like Tech was going to stretch the imagination with their offense. That's not who Virginia Tech is or has ever really been. However, they can beat you with their offense if you don't respect them. I thought they had scouted Tech very well and had the players ready so that when Tech lined up, they were ready presnap to get in position. They came at Tyrod with a lot of different packages and rushed him from all corners. Short of 2 or 3 plays, they just about owned Tech.
Starting corner play
I thought Jackson and Arenas pretty well closed shop on Tech's outside WR's. When Tech stretched the field, both guys had covered their zone/man as well as needed. I think the big surprise of the night was the use of Jackson as a blitzer. Overall, I thought both came on strong and made plays all night whether the ball was at them or not.
Front 7 play
Minus the well discussed blowup, the front 7 just owned the game. They may not have gotten as much pressure as they would have liked, but they did control a veteran offensive line for 4 quarters. I liked the play of Dareus and Washington and I hate that Washington's best play was pretty well erased by penalties, but they were aggressive all night and it gave them a boost when they needed plays the most. Cody is still a run stopper and isn't going to be a presence on passing situations like he is on the run, but he can take up space and allow a linebacker to get in there. Anders also did very well in his first full time duty. He isn't the best run defender you'll ever see, but he was doing better than last year at following the play and getting involved. I was pleased with the communication and direction that they had all night. You could see presnap that everyone was communicating up front and there weren't a lot of blown plays where a guy was out of position. I wasn't surprised as some that Hightower didn't play hand down, with Tech being a very running back/running QB oriented offense, they needed another sure tackler in the box even in nickel and dime situations to shadow and cover.
The Bad...
One really bad set of downs....
In a way, it was good to see them have to deal with adversity, but in another way, it could have been from non-self inflicted wounds. The wheel route debacle that lead to McClain getting upset at Johnson as well as the staff being mad at him and Barron was about communication. The issue was that Johnson thought he was playing man on the inside route, but it was a zone ( I think when a play goes that wrong you can't tell much on TV) and he gave up his position on the HB that he could have covered. Instead, he released him and there was a good gap of space between him and Barron. The staff was irked, I think, that he didn't read the play faster and get there sooner than the 4 or 5 yard line. That alone was enough, but then the next play was just as bad. Zo makes a play and gets the defense out of the hole, but McClain loses his head for 15 seconds and loses all the mo that was gained. I wouldn't have been nearly as pissed about it if it were Scott or Dre because they were freshmen/sophomore/1st year players and those things happen. A senior, on the other hand, who should know the playbook rather well by now shouldn't have that kind of error. Of course, with Marquis Johnson, you have to have a once a game moment that you shake your head or else you wonder if he played.
As to the McClain topic, let's get that out of the way. He didn't push the ref, but he did push his hands away and that alone is enough to get the hook. If it had been ACC refs, he probably does, never thought SEC refs would be a help to Alabama. In the end, it isn't about intensity or how awesome it was to see him that fired up or anything under the category of stupid shit theories, it is about keeping your head in the game and letting cheap hits, namecalling, whatever go. You get to pay them back all night, but giving them 2 penalties that just sucked the wind out of the team for a bit was not helping. Like the above play, if it was a freshman that wouldn't be as disappointing, but a 3 year starter and a captain like McClain knows better. His week of practice may be a tough one.
The Ugly...
Return Coverage
Geez, I don't think that boy has stopped running yet. If you go back, Tech never scored on a drive that wasn't setup by special teams. Even the INT was setup because the punt put them back deep. In the end, you take out that, Tech's offense does nothing, but instead you have bad play after bad play that just put them way too deep in Bama territory to have a real stand. I didn't realize how slow they were until Saturday. With Barron out of the unit, they just aren't as steady. Woodson had a good hit, but does anyone remember it or do they remember the 200 yards worth of yards given up?
What did the five fingers say to the face?
For Johnson, who to his credit made the right angle and got to him, was SLAP! Nobody ever wants to be posterized, but in this case, if he had tried to tackle him instead of grab him, he maybe avoids the p'wned moment of the week.
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