See the offense breakdown
on our front page now. Here's the defense and special teams portion.
Defensive Line
There's no question the Hokies' defensive line is really good, but man was this Boston College offensive line bad. It looked easy for basically any Hokie who wanted to collapse the pocket or get to the passer. They didn't register any sacks, but Patrick Towles was under so much pressure that he couldn't get off accurate throws (and often just seemed to be getting rid of it).
BC offensive line was really bad. VT used some blitz pressures on passing downs early in the game, but really didn’t need to. The tackles closed down space, and the ends scared the QB into not being able to get the ball off (or altering the throw). Tim Settle got a lot of run with first-ish team (they rotated through early and often), and looked outstanding.
The defensive ends continue doing a good job stringing out runs off-tackle. If those guys don’t get edged by the OL or kicked out, that’s a win in the run game, and they did it consistently. That allowed the defense to rally, and create plays for loss.
Linebackers
The performance of the defensive line made this an easy game for the 'backers. Tremaine Edmunds in particular seemed very active coming up against the run game, and while a lot of his job was cleaning up what other players had already started to shut down, you can't fault a guy for performing the task that's in front of him (and doing it well).
Andrew Motuapuaka was the team's leading tackler (tied with Edmunds), but seemed to do it in a quiet way. Again, the linebackers weren't the key to this defensive performance, but making the plays available to you is the only thing that the coaches can ask.
Defensive Backs
This secondary is quietly shaping up to be an excellent one. Brandon Facyson is outstanding in man coverage, beating receivers to the spot to either prevent the throw, or break up the pass when Patrick Towles unwisely still threw it (with three PBUs on the day).
Adonis Alexander's interception was far from the toughest play he'll ever make, but as is the case with the linebackers, when a guy has an opportunity to make a play - even if it's just a couple times in a game - and he does it, there's nothing you can fault him for.
The Eagles' receiving corps was far from impressive, so maybe the defensive backs will see some struggles against better teams, but they tackled, they covered, and they generally shut down the offense. Again, that's all you can ask.
Special Teams
The Boston College kickoff return touchdown that got called back due to penalty was very bad. The block in the back didn't actually impact the return itself (so if the player had just not extended his hands on the black, BC would have had a momentum-sapping score to tie it at 7-7). Hokies just didn't make tackles, even when returner Myles Willis didn't do a whole lot to make them vacate their lanes. Since tackling hasn't been an issue, that's probably better than seeing a comprehensive failing of the kick coverage unit, but those tackles must be made.
Outside of that play, the VT special teams were outstanding. Not only did Mitchell Ludwig have a bounceback day punting, but the punt coverage was simply outstanding, allowing no returns on six punts - four of which were downed inside the 20.
