**New** The Final Word: Tennessee
- By TimSullivan
- The Gobbler
- 3 Replies
Check out the front page later this afternoon for a breakdown of the defense and special teams. But first, a look at the offense:
Overview
The point total notwithstanding, the Virginia Tech offense had a decent day. During the second quarter until about midway through the third, they got out of a rhythm, had a less diverse running attack, and sputtered. Tennessee was able to get after Jerod Evans since the run threats (particularly to the perimeter) were less dangerous, and until the Hokies snapped out of it, not as much was going on.
The biggest issue was the turnover bug. Two bad snaps led to lost fumbles, and the running backs and receivers were responsible for a turnover apiece, as well. Those not only stopped the Hokie offense, but more often than not set UT up in outstanding field position. Those giveaways were ultimately the story of the game, and the reason behind the lopsided score.
On top of the turnovers, penalties were an issue. A team that commits plenty of penalties isn't necessarily a bad one (studies have shown there's almost no correlation between being penalty-prone and overall team quality), but the occasions on which VT committed their infractions seemed to be crippling ones.
Quarterback
Jerod Evans went the distance for the Hokies, and had a pretty nice outing. He's not going to be Drew Brees, but is an accurate enough passer to put his teammates in position to get big yardage.
In the first quarter, he did underthrow a possible touchdown pass to Isaiah Ford, causing his junior receiver to slow down and giving the defensive back time to recover. The pass still should have been caught (it was raked out for an incompletion), but a better throw is six points.
When Evans isn't pressured, he's poised in the pocket. When he is pressured, he's too eager to force the ball downfield, rather than seeing a checkdown for a less exciting - though safer - play. He rarely pulls the ball down to run on a designed passing play (though that was likely just a much Tennessee scheming to take away the quarterback run as it was any tendency of Evans's).
Running the ball, he shows very good power, and one tackler is rarely going to take him down. There was an opportunity or two early in the game where he was tripped up by an effort that he should be able to run through, but it wasn't a consistent issue and he was more likely to lower a shoulder and get tough yards as the game went on. His vision on runs (and sometimes his decisions and pitch accuracy on the option) has room for improvement, but at time, he made the most of what he got from his offensive line - which didn't have a great day.
On the final offensive fumble of the day, the snap went well over his head, and Evans didn't show the right technique in trying to recover, nor the greatest effort in getting on top of it (though it wasn't "Cam Newton Super Bowl" bad). He and his running back stayed next to each other on the right side of the ball running back 21 yards for it, when they should have spread out - with Evans floating left a bit - to surround the ball and prevent Tennessee players from getting to it first. As it turned out, Shy Tuttle came in from the left unimpeded and out-wrestled Evans for the ball.
Running Back
Sam Rogers got the start and a handful of carries in the game. As a true running back... he runs like a fullback. He's a tough guy with good vision and a desire to do well, but he doesn't have the quick cuts and overall speed of his backfield companions. Using him as a tailback (other than as a changeup or curveball for the D) isn't making use of all the talent on the roster.
That said, Rogers can be a change-of-pace or surprise ball-carrier, and he's outstanding in other aspects of playing fullback. He's a willing and powerful blocker (even though he's average in size for a fullback), and an outstanding pass-catcher out of the backfield. The pop-pass that VT hit him on early in the game was a great play design - and though Jerod Evans faked run, it appears to have been play-action all the way, not a run-pass option - and Rogers had to adjust for the ball in the air, which he managed to do and then set off through the Tennessee secondary.
Fellow fullback Steven Peoples was used as a bit more of a traditional blocking fullback. Though he wasn't really used as a lead blocker, he pass-protected a few times. He doesn't have prototypical fullback size - he looks smaller than the tailbacks he'd be blocking for.
Travon McMillian and Shai McKenzie were the top two running backs. McMillian's touchdown run was an outstanding demonstration of why he's No. 1 on the depth chart. The play was designed to go to the inside of the offensive line, but he read a big backside hole, didn't hesitate in making a quick jump-cut, and turned on the burners to the endzone. McMillian fumbled late in the game (after which time McKenzie got the majority of the carries), but it was something of an odd one: the hit didn't look like one that would jar the ball loose, and it seemed like bad luck on top of the sloppy play.
McKenzie may be even faster than McMillian, and although he didn't get as many traditional runs between the tackles, he showed that he's wiling to plow through a linebacker or defensive back to get the last 3-5 yards available on the ground. When the play is well-blocked, he can take care of the last defender or two. He did commit a false start in the game, though.
Receiving Corps
Starting with do-everything Bucky Hodges, who carries the ball in the backfield (at 6-7, 245) in addition to his pass-catching and blocking acumen. That and some jet sweeps seem like an odd fit for a guy with his skillset. He's fast enough to get the corner, but it does seem like the staff is treating him as a smaller, quicker player, rather than a towering receiver. They did give him a couple fade routes in the game (both of which resulted in pass interference calls on Tennessee), which is the best use of his body type. The staff clearly sees something they like about running the tall man out of the backfield, though. It seems like they want to use him as an athleticism mismatch, rather than a size mismatch (when other receivers are much greater as athleticism mismatches).
The aforementioned deep ball to Isaiah Ford is one the junior should have hauled in. Evans did leave it behind him, but Ford gets both hands on the ball and even brings it into his body before letting the Tennessee defensive back rake it out. He needs to shield the defender from that ball with his body. He only had a few targets because of the malaise that the Hokie offense settled into during the middle of the game, but showed off some big-play potential.
Cam Phillips had an up-and-down day. He dropped a third-down slant, and coughed up one of the five fumbles. It's understandable that he was trying to make a big play for his team (which was already down multiple scores) later in the game, but it doesn't matter how many tackles you break if one attempt to do so results in the opponent coming up with the ball. Phillips did seem like the most-used receiver until that point, though, and other than the pair of mistakes, he had a nice day.
Overview
The point total notwithstanding, the Virginia Tech offense had a decent day. During the second quarter until about midway through the third, they got out of a rhythm, had a less diverse running attack, and sputtered. Tennessee was able to get after Jerod Evans since the run threats (particularly to the perimeter) were less dangerous, and until the Hokies snapped out of it, not as much was going on.
The biggest issue was the turnover bug. Two bad snaps led to lost fumbles, and the running backs and receivers were responsible for a turnover apiece, as well. Those not only stopped the Hokie offense, but more often than not set UT up in outstanding field position. Those giveaways were ultimately the story of the game, and the reason behind the lopsided score.
On top of the turnovers, penalties were an issue. A team that commits plenty of penalties isn't necessarily a bad one (studies have shown there's almost no correlation between being penalty-prone and overall team quality), but the occasions on which VT committed their infractions seemed to be crippling ones.
Quarterback
Jerod Evans went the distance for the Hokies, and had a pretty nice outing. He's not going to be Drew Brees, but is an accurate enough passer to put his teammates in position to get big yardage.
In the first quarter, he did underthrow a possible touchdown pass to Isaiah Ford, causing his junior receiver to slow down and giving the defensive back time to recover. The pass still should have been caught (it was raked out for an incompletion), but a better throw is six points.
When Evans isn't pressured, he's poised in the pocket. When he is pressured, he's too eager to force the ball downfield, rather than seeing a checkdown for a less exciting - though safer - play. He rarely pulls the ball down to run on a designed passing play (though that was likely just a much Tennessee scheming to take away the quarterback run as it was any tendency of Evans's).
Running the ball, he shows very good power, and one tackler is rarely going to take him down. There was an opportunity or two early in the game where he was tripped up by an effort that he should be able to run through, but it wasn't a consistent issue and he was more likely to lower a shoulder and get tough yards as the game went on. His vision on runs (and sometimes his decisions and pitch accuracy on the option) has room for improvement, but at time, he made the most of what he got from his offensive line - which didn't have a great day.
On the final offensive fumble of the day, the snap went well over his head, and Evans didn't show the right technique in trying to recover, nor the greatest effort in getting on top of it (though it wasn't "Cam Newton Super Bowl" bad). He and his running back stayed next to each other on the right side of the ball running back 21 yards for it, when they should have spread out - with Evans floating left a bit - to surround the ball and prevent Tennessee players from getting to it first. As it turned out, Shy Tuttle came in from the left unimpeded and out-wrestled Evans for the ball.
Running Back
Sam Rogers got the start and a handful of carries in the game. As a true running back... he runs like a fullback. He's a tough guy with good vision and a desire to do well, but he doesn't have the quick cuts and overall speed of his backfield companions. Using him as a tailback (other than as a changeup or curveball for the D) isn't making use of all the talent on the roster.
That said, Rogers can be a change-of-pace or surprise ball-carrier, and he's outstanding in other aspects of playing fullback. He's a willing and powerful blocker (even though he's average in size for a fullback), and an outstanding pass-catcher out of the backfield. The pop-pass that VT hit him on early in the game was a great play design - and though Jerod Evans faked run, it appears to have been play-action all the way, not a run-pass option - and Rogers had to adjust for the ball in the air, which he managed to do and then set off through the Tennessee secondary.
Fellow fullback Steven Peoples was used as a bit more of a traditional blocking fullback. Though he wasn't really used as a lead blocker, he pass-protected a few times. He doesn't have prototypical fullback size - he looks smaller than the tailbacks he'd be blocking for.
Travon McMillian and Shai McKenzie were the top two running backs. McMillian's touchdown run was an outstanding demonstration of why he's No. 1 on the depth chart. The play was designed to go to the inside of the offensive line, but he read a big backside hole, didn't hesitate in making a quick jump-cut, and turned on the burners to the endzone. McMillian fumbled late in the game (after which time McKenzie got the majority of the carries), but it was something of an odd one: the hit didn't look like one that would jar the ball loose, and it seemed like bad luck on top of the sloppy play.
McKenzie may be even faster than McMillian, and although he didn't get as many traditional runs between the tackles, he showed that he's wiling to plow through a linebacker or defensive back to get the last 3-5 yards available on the ground. When the play is well-blocked, he can take care of the last defender or two. He did commit a false start in the game, though.
Receiving Corps
Starting with do-everything Bucky Hodges, who carries the ball in the backfield (at 6-7, 245) in addition to his pass-catching and blocking acumen. That and some jet sweeps seem like an odd fit for a guy with his skillset. He's fast enough to get the corner, but it does seem like the staff is treating him as a smaller, quicker player, rather than a towering receiver. They did give him a couple fade routes in the game (both of which resulted in pass interference calls on Tennessee), which is the best use of his body type. The staff clearly sees something they like about running the tall man out of the backfield, though. It seems like they want to use him as an athleticism mismatch, rather than a size mismatch (when other receivers are much greater as athleticism mismatches).
The aforementioned deep ball to Isaiah Ford is one the junior should have hauled in. Evans did leave it behind him, but Ford gets both hands on the ball and even brings it into his body before letting the Tennessee defensive back rake it out. He needs to shield the defender from that ball with his body. He only had a few targets because of the malaise that the Hokie offense settled into during the middle of the game, but showed off some big-play potential.
Cam Phillips had an up-and-down day. He dropped a third-down slant, and coughed up one of the five fumbles. It's understandable that he was trying to make a big play for his team (which was already down multiple scores) later in the game, but it doesn't matter how many tackles you break if one attempt to do so results in the opponent coming up with the ball. Phillips did seem like the most-used receiver until that point, though, and other than the pair of mistakes, he had a nice day.
47 yard FG attempt?
- By Hokiepoke
- Hokies Hangout
- 7 Replies
Why didn't Justin go for it on 4 and 1. Sly had zero % chance of making a 47 yard field goal. 