What I'm Watching when Tech plays Miami

Jacory Harris might love to run his mouth more than anyone I've ever seen. Seriously the kid LOVES to talk himself up. To quote the ever eloquent T.O., "I love me some me." Saturday afternoon Harris and the rest of "The U" come rolling into Blacksburg looking to continue their winning ways and ride out of town on their way to a top 5 ranking next week. The media has been slurping up and dishing out all of the talk about how "The U" is back as a national football power. But as much focus is going to be on Jacory Harris and his swagger and then as much focus is going to be on Tyrod and if he can recapture the magic from last week's miracle win over Nebraska, there's only 1 place that I'm watching on the field tomorrow, and that 1 place will dictate who's going to win the game:

VT Offensive Line vs. Miami Defensive Line/Miami Offensive Line vs. VT Defensive Line

VT O-line vs. Miami D-line
Whichever unit up front wins the battles play in and play out will dictate who wins this game. There has been more than enough talk since the Nebraska game about our offensive woes. Playcalling, QB play, the ability of our WR's to get open have all come into question. But where the success of our offense lives and dies is in the execution of the offensive line. If our O-line has another performance similar to the Bama or Nebraska game, we will not win this game. On the other hand, if our offensive line is able to play cohesively as a unit and knock some people off of the ball, we actually stand a very good chance against a very fast and talented Miami team.

I remember last year the week leading up to the Maryland game thinking about how our offensive line hadn't dominated anyone up front all season long. Even against teams like Duke and Furman our O-line didn't win the battle in the trenches. Wouldn't you know it that when we suited up against Maryland a light bulb finally clicked in the heads of our O-line and Darren Evans had the night of his life running the ball. This is exactly the type of performance from the offensive line that we are going to need against Miami tomorrow. Establishing a running game early will lead to an effective play-action game. An effective play-action game will then cause the defense to sit back on their heels guessing and Tyrod will be able to pick apart the defense on crossing routes underneath and maybe once or twice hit for a big play over top of Miami's always over-aggressive safeties.

VT D-line vs. Miami O-line
Believe it or not, Miami's offensive line might be the best O-line we will face all year. Man to man other schools might have more talent, but as a unit we might not face a line that is better at protecting their QB and giving him time to see downfield and find open receivers. It is absolutely critical that we get pressure on Jacory Harris early and often. Doing this will keep Harris' ego in check and cause the Sophomore QB to begin to question himself just enough. The numbers our defensive secondary have put up so far this year have been impressive, but if Jacory Harris has plenty of time to sit back in the pocket and wait for receivers to get open he will make the throws that will put points on the board.

Look for a breakout night for Jason Worilds as he has to know that VT's chances of winning might fall on his shoulders more than anyone else on our entire defensive unit. If we don't get pressure often and early on Harris, watch the Miami passing game, supplemented by a very efficient running attack start to wear away at the vaunted VT defense. Bud's "bend-don't-break" defensive philosophy ended up successful last week against a poor Nebraska offense. Miami is quite a bit more explosive and won't settle for 5 field goals believe me.

So my eyes will be glued to the big-uglies tomorrow because that is where the fate of a VT victory lies.

Go Hokies!

Friday Video Fix

Here's your Friday Video Fix with not 1, not 2, but 3 videos from past VT vs. Miami games.

Saturday's game against Miami probably isn't going to come down to one play at the end of the game like last week's game against Nebraska and in order for the Hokies to stay in it and give themselves a chance to win, they are going to have to create some turnovers and score some Defensive and/or Special Teams touchdowns. So here's a bit of inspiration from past Tech vs. Miami games. Look for the Lunchpail Defense and Beamerball to play a huge role in the game tomorrow.

DeAngelo Hall Touchdown


Willie Pile Touchdown


Eric Green Touchdown


Go Hokies!!

Hokie Huddle Podcast

The Hokie Huddle Podcast is back this week with a review of the Marshall game, a trip down Blacksburg memory lane and a preview of the Nebraska game.

Check the Hokie Huddle Podcast out on iTunes:
Hokie Huddle on iTunes
Hokie Huddle Podcast on iTunes

Segment 1 - Nebraska Game Review
Nebraska Game Review

Segment 2 - ACC Rankings & Miami Game Preview
ACC Rankings & Miami Game Preview


Email us your thoughts and questions at "Hokie Huddle" podcast? hokiehuddlepodcast@gmail.com

Go Hokies!

Nebraska Preview

How will the Offensive Line hold up against a very experienced, extremely talented Nebraska Defensive line? How will Tyrod follow up his dominating performance against Nebraska last year? Will Williams and Wilson light up the scoreboard on the national stage? Will our defense (possibly sans Stephan Virgil) limit the big plays? Can Beamerball keep the streak alive with another touchdown?

These questions all hang over the heads of the Hokies when they hit the field against the Nebraska Cornhuskers tomorrow at 3:30pm. Lane Stadium will be electric, two of the nation’s best Defensive Coordinators will go toe to toe and we will get closer to knowing exactly how good the 2009 Hokies can really be.

I won’t bore you with my thoughts on every one of the questions above, but here are a few things I’m going to be looking for during the game tomorrow:

1) Does our Offensive Line learn from the first 2 weeks and make the necessary adjustments to give Tyrod enough time to be successful?

I stated in my analysis of the team before the season even started that the success of the Hokie offense lies in the hands of the performance of the O-line. Tyrod will have success against a young Nebraska linebacker corps and an over-aggressive secondary IF AND ONLY IF the O-line consistently gives him time in the pocket.

2) Will our Defensive line finally get some pressure on the Quarterback?

I have been sufficiently underwhelmed by our defensive line so far this season. If we are unable to get consistent pressure on Cornshucker QB Zac Lee, he will pick our defense apart. Our linebackers have shown that pass coverage is not exactly their strong-suit. Kam Chancellor has yet to put together a complete game, and worst of all, we might be without shut-down corner Stephan Virgil. The key to shutting down the Nebraska offense will be consistent and successful pressure on the quarterback.

3) Can Beamerball hit on all cylinders yet again and put 6 on the board to help out our offense?

The return game has been quite a hit so far this season for the Hokies. Dyrell Roberts and Jayron Hosley have lit it up with the ball in their hands, but can we complete the Beamerball trifecta (or quad-fecta if that’s even close to a real word) by blocking a punt or field goal? A special teams touchdown in Lane Stadium in front of 66,000-plus screaming Hokie fans just might be an insurmountable momentum killer for Nebraska. Plus our offense can always use the help.


For all of you lucky dogs who get to go to the game tomorrow, scream your head off and show the Nebraska fans that the Commonwealth of Virginia knows a little about how to play football (this of course excludes our
horse-falling-off friends from Charlottesville).


Go Hokies!!

Hokie Huddle Podcast

The Hokie Huddle Podcast is back this week with a review of the Marshall game, a trip down Blacksburg memory lane and a preview of the Nebraska game.

Check the Hokie Huddle Podcast out on iTunes:
Hokie Huddle on iTunes
Hokie Huddle Podcast on iTunes

Segment 1 - Marshall Game Review and a Trip down Blacksburg Memory Lane
Marshall Game Review and a Trip down Blacksburg Memory Lane

Segment 2 - Nebraska Game Preview
Nebraska Game Preview


Email us your thoughts and questions at "Hokie Huddle" podcast? hokiehuddlepodcast@gmail.com

Go Hokies!

Friday Video Fix

Tomorrow is Gameday in Blacksburg, Va and what better way to get ready for gameday than a reminder of how the Hokies take the field at Lane Stadium. If you are going to the game tomorrow enjoy partaking in the festivities first hand. If you are watching from home, you aren't excused from the jumping up and down during Enter Sandman either. I don't care that we are only playing Marshall. I don't care that the game is at 1:30pm on a Saturday afternoon. I also don't care that the game isn't on TV and can only be seen on ESPN360.com (and even then if you have Cox, like I do, you can't get it regardless). Go find a place to watch the game and root on the Hokies.




Lets Go Hokies!!!

1 Down, 11 to Go......Hokies fall to Bama

Much has been written, said and spoken already about the Alabama game. The offense lacks the ability to sustain drives, the defense looked out of sync at times and didn't tackle well, special teams kept us in the game.....but then cost us the game.

So here's a few hopefully unique observations from Saturday night's contest against Alabama.

1) Jake Johnson's Potential
Starting Backer, Jake Johnson, had a game of ups and downs in my eyes Saturday night. There would be plays where he was flying around, getting off of blockers and making tackles. And then there were plays where he obviously made an incorrect read, keyed off the wrong person, or took a poor pursuit angle to the ball, and it cost us. The misdirection runs that Alabama had so much success on where coming directly at Nekos Brown and Jake Johnson. I have a feeling that the play might have gotten the best of Xavier Adibi once, but not twice and certainly not as many times as Alabama was successful with it. But it was the first start for the Sophomore and he was going up against a couple of extremely good Alabama running backs. Johnson has a great amount of potential. He is one of the hardest workers on the team (something Bud Foster always finds ways to use, aka Cody Grimm) and he makes me think he could be a more athletic version of Ben Taylor. Look for Jake Johnson to progress this season and become a very solid Backer for Bud Foster's defense.

2) Tech is swimming in athletes
The Virginia Tech coaching staff has a great, but none the less, very difficult situation on their hands. They have the cupboards stocked to the brim with athletes on both sides of the ball and on special teams. Dyrell Roberts, Ryan Williams, David Wilson, Jayron Hosley and Davon Morgan all saw action returning Alabama kicks of one variety or another. Tech had a whole slew of receivers who saw game time, plus several tight ends. While in many ways this is a great problem to have, when you are an offense without a true identity, having so many weapons at so many positions on the field can actually keep a team from quickly forming an identity. Do we want to focus on the Wide Receivers to develop our passing game? Do we fold in passes to the Tight End more? How do we utilize the tailbacks out of the backfield and on screen plays? There are only so many minutes per week in practice and the more time you have to spend figuring those questions out, the more reps are spread between all of the options and you end up being a jack of all trades, master of none. As the season progresses, keep a close eye on who starts to get more touches and what positions become more prominently featured in the offensive game plan. Oh, and did I mention how we can't get away from utilizing Tyrod's scrambling ability in the offense either? Have fun squeezing that one into the mix.

3) I'll be just fine if I never hear "Roll Tide" again
I've got to give it to Alabama fans. With the exception of the Bama student body, who made it to the game, guys dressed in white button down dress shirts, ties, khaki elephant print shorts and girls in sundresses (I thought I was at a UVA game and that put me in a bad mood), overall the Bama fan base was friendly and knowledgeable about the game of football. Every school has the idiots who get way to liquored up for each game and do nothing but scream obscenities at the opposing team's fans, but in large the Bama fans were more interested in complimenting our program and talking football while waiting in line for a Coke. Bama fans also appreciate the finer things about the game of football. They really noticed when their running backs were lowering their shoulder and running through blocks rather than just stepping out of bounds or trying to avoid a tackle. And the Bama running backs obliged their fans with seeking out Tech players to hit at the end of a run (just ask Davon Morgan and Cody Grimm). However, 40,000 Bear Bryant wanna-bes walking 8 hours before kickoff yelling "Roll Tide" at each other as they passed on the street grew more than annoying. Congrats on having a slick catch phrase Alabama, a catch phrase that just might drive the opposing team nuts before the opening kickoff even takes place.


Overall it was a disappointing loss because for so much of the game it felt like victory was close at hand. I have a feeling though that Marshall won't experience the same fortune that Alabama did. Kickoff is in less than 4 days.

Go Hokies!!

Hokie Huddle Podcast - Alabama Game Review, ACC Weekend Review and Marshall Prediction

The Hokie Huddle Podcast is back this week with a review of the Alabama game, discussion on the ACC's performance this past weekend and a preview of the upcoming Marshall game.

Check the Hokie Huddle Podcast out on iTunes:
Hokie Huddle on iTunes
Hokie Huddle Podcast on iTunes

Segment 1 - Alabama Game Review
Alabama Game Review

Segment 2 - ACC Weekend in Review & Marshall game Predictions
ACC Weekend in Review & Marshall game Predictions


Email us your thoughts and questions at "Hokie Huddle" podcast? hokiehuddlepodcast@gmail.com

Friday Video Fix

Its Bama week and kickoff is just over 1 day away. Just in time for your Friday extended lunch break, here is this week's Friday Video Fix from Rob. Wear your Maroon Saturday night, heck, wear your Maroon all day Saturday. Save your voice tonight cause your going to need it tomorrow, even if you are just watching on TV.



Lets Go.............HOKIES!!

Ryan Williams to Start against Alabama

Virginia Tech announced tonight that Ryan Williams will be the starting running back when we face off against Alabama. Josh Oglesby and David Wilson are also expected to get a good amount of playing time. What does this really mean?
1) The coaching staff has a tremendous amount of confidence in Williams
2) Oglesby didn't do enough in camp to keep Williams from taking his job
3) Darren Evans really isn't coming back this season

Williams is a true playmaker, so don't be surprised, even against the Alabama defense, to see him bust a play or two that makes your jaw hit the floor. We are going to need a play or two like that on Saturday night to be able to leave Atlanta with a victory.

Preseason Review

It's......almost.......gametime.

Yeah sure the end of August signals that summer is coming to a close, but who really cares? September 5th is the beginning of the best season of the year (and no I don't count the USC East vs. NC State game as the official beginning of the college football season).

So in preparation for Saturday night's slugfest vs. Alabama, let's quickly review the Preseason Keys to Watch to see how ready we fared leading up to the season.

1. Offensive Line
Well the hype has continued. We survived preseason practice without any major injuries to offensive linemen. All reports out of camp are saying that there is reason behind the hype. Tyrod should greatly benefit from a stronger, faster, more cohesive O-line, as should our inexperienced running back. We will know right off the bat facing Alabama's defensive line just how good we are going to be.

2. Defensive Line
Depth was the biggest issue when Fall camp started. Jason Worilds and Nekos Brown are givens at Defensive End. Steven Friday has stepped up in Fall practice and shown that he will be a solid backup. Chris Drager who transfered from Tight End has also had a good preseason and should progress well throughout the season as he gets more game experience. At Defensive Tackle, Demetrius Taylor and Antoine Hopkins have further developed into solid backups for John Graves and Cordarrow Thompson. Look for big plays out of the D-line especially as they line up against Alabama's inexperienced offensive line.

3. Tyrod's Backup
The coaches played it ultra-safe in the preseason keeping Tyrod in non-contact jerseys for the scrimmages and giving plenty of reps to his backups so that a decision could be made about who was going to be #2 going into the Alabama game. The coaches have spoken (despite Marty Cates' insistence that Logan Thomas would be #2) and Ju-Ju Clayton will be the backup QB. This means that Thomas is a legit replacement for Tyrod after next season and a redshirt year will be the best way for Thomas to learn the offense and get prepared to be the #2 guy next year. There is still concern though over just how well Clayton will do if Tmobile goes down, so keep a close eye on Tyrod's ankles, especially when Terrance Cody (6'6" 350+lbs) comes barreling at Tyrod on Saturday night.

4. Keeping the Proverbial Nose Clean
Well we almost made it. It was announced tonight that starting fullback Kenny Jefferson is suspended for the Alabama game for "violating team rules". Tech isn't saying exactly what that means, but anyone with half of an imagination can take a few guesses. This is something to keep an eye on though all season long. With the expectations in Blacksburg as high as they are, its real easy for the egos of the young players to get a bit out of control. Let's hope common sense and wiser judgement prevails throughout the season and that all of the headlines can relate to records being set on the field, rather than police records being filled out off the field.

Kickoff is officially less than 2 days away now. My dad and I's flight for Atlanta leaves in approximately 34 hours (not that I'm counting) and Hokie fans everywhere are preparing for the beginning of another year of Beamerball........are you ready?

Let's Go Hokies!!