The cut to 53 really thinned this group out, but a nice performance or two in there, and I bet you'll see more impressive performances once guys return from the injured list (Isaiah Ford, Bucky Hodges), stop holding out (Duane Brown), or get signed to an active roster (Sam Rogers and several others):
Not as depressing as you might expect: coaches weren't trying to do a whole lot of tricky stuff, and a couple execution errors (more than a couple if you count Jackson's happy feet) held down a performance that could have been pretty good nonetheless:
I still think VT should have taken advantage of bubble screens early to put the game away a bit and get some reps for the backups (particularly on defense), but understand wanting to help the offensive line and Jackson get comfortable with assignments that were a little tougher - just didn't quite work out.
Don't know that I'd seen him on the field yet anyway:
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A blow for special teams, though. At least if he's going to have a tough time returning (as it sounds is going to be the case), the staff can prepare other LBs for potential starting duty next year.
Most of the early struggles on offense fall to Jackson (who was inaccurate and made a few bad decisions in the first half) and his receivers (who dropped two long passes, and failed to get open on another). That allowed Delaware to load up on the run a bit, because they were willing to take the chances that a skittish Jackson would miss his guys - and he vindicated that.
He was obviously much better as the game wore on... I still don't think that the run game is going to be too much of a concern going forward (VT eschewed doing a few easy things to back off the heat), though it won't always be a strength, either.
There are two records (well, categories of records, one of them includes several within the category) that are certain to be broken this year with a healthy team, and a couple others that have a shot - or could be challenged with a bit of luck:
Still looking up at NC State for him (and it's tough to see a whole lot of situations where there's room for two more defensive linemen in the class if VT can stay on KJ Henry's list), but there's a chance.
Hit the magazine shelves recently. Picks VT #6 in ACC...NCAA second round...Nickiel Alexander-Walker as one of the "impact" freshmen. Duke, L-ville, UNC, Miami, ND, and VT top 6 in conference. UVA #7. Chris Clarke 3rd Team ACC.
Man, this is a huge blow. Kid showed promise. They didn't specify the reason. He's not even on the roster online. Makes me think he's not even on the team anymore.
While I think he's an imperfect player, so is McFadden, and this wouldn't be too big a downgrade in my eyes (though McFadden can slide out to tackle a bit, it's not a natural position for either).
