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Hokies Have Struggled After Bye Weeks by Chris Coleman, TechSideline.com, TSLMail #456, October 29, 2010 Virginia Tech will be facing Georgia Tech's difficult option offense next Thursday night. The Hokies will be coming off a bye week, and conventional wisdom says that will help them because they will have had more time to prepare. However, that hasn't been the case in recent years. The Hokies have lost four of their last five games coming off a bye week. Their only win in that span came at home against Maryland in 2008, with a 23-13 victory. In 2006, Tech was defeated by Boston College 22-3 coming off a bye. In 2007, BC knocked them off yet again 14-10 in Blacksburg, and the Eagles beat Tech yet again in 2008. In 2009, the Hokies lost to North Carolina 20-17 in Lane Stadium. What was the common trend in those losses? They were all Thursday night games coming off a bye week, and the Hokies failed miserably offensively in each one.
In all four of those losses, the offense struggled mightily. The offensive touchdown against BC in 2007 wasn't really a touchdown (bad call by the refs, Royal clearly didn't have possession inbounds), the defense scored both touchdowns in the 2008 game, and one of the touchdowns against UNC was a five yard drive set up by a Rashad Carmichael interceptions. That makes one real offensive touchdown in four of the last five games coming off a bye week. That was an 82 yard drive against UNC last year. Despite having extra time to prepare, the offense hasn't been able to get it done against good defenses coming off a bye. BC's 2006 defense ranked 34th in total defense, the 2007 group was 19th, they were 5th in 2008, and UNC ranked 6th last season. Each of those defenses completely shut down the Tech offense. In Tech's one win following a bye since 2005, the Hokies knocked off Maryland 23-13 at home on a Thursday night in 2008. Darren Evans rushed for a Tech record 253 yards against the Terps, but the Maryland defense ranked 63rd overall and just 71st against the run. The Georgia Tech defense the Hokies will be facing on Thursday night is closer to the Maryland defense than the BC and UNC stop units. The Yellow Jackets have struggled this year, particularly against the run.
Georgia Tech wasn't completely thrashed in the running game until they faced Clemson, but then again they didn't face any really good running teams until they played the Tigers. Against the Hokies, they'll face what has been a three-headed monster in Darren Evans, David Wilson and Tyrod Taylor. Those three players have combined 229 carries for 1,397 yards and 15 touchdowns. That's exactly 6.1 yards per carry. Virginia Tech will also have Ryan Williams back for the Yellow Jackets. He ran for 100 yards against Georgia Tech last year, despite playing with the flu. He also caught a touchdown pass in that game. So far this season, Georgia Tech ranks 53rd in total defense and 76th in rushing defense. The Hokies will certainly have a chance to move the football this week and continue their winning streak.
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Virginia
Tech Tailgate Golf Game The perfect addition to any tailgate party! A great game similar to horseshoes, but maybe just a little safer at a crowded tailgate. Throw tethered golf balls at a tiered base and score points against the opposite team! Includes two PVC bases, 6 sets of tethered golf balls (bollos), instructions, and carrying case. *New version includes two PVC bases instead of only one. |
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Raleigh
Hokie and Phil Martin join us for a Friday Q&A this week. We
gave them three simple topics to discuss: their thoughts on the VT
offense thus far, their thoughts on the Tech defense, and what they
think about the upcoming Thursday night game with Georgia Tech.
The
men's basketball AP Poll was released on Thursday, and the Hokies
are ranked #21 in the country. Tech is also #23 in the Coaches'
Poll.
Eagles
Landing Christian Academy (McDonough, GA) clinched the Region 5-A
South title on Friday night with a 70-14 win over Our Lady of Mercy.
After the game, Charger wide receiver Christian Reeves and
his family made the 7-hour trip to Blacksburg for Reeves' official
visit to Virginia Tech. Reeves powered through the weekend on little
sleep, but still had a great time.
Looking
for a low-post prospect to fill out its 2011 recruiting class,
Virginia Tech hosted 6-9, 210-pound power forward Daniel Green
on an official visit last weekend. The Grapevine, Texas, product
connected well with the players and coaches and likes the potential
for early playing time.
The
ACC put together a smart football schedule this year, putting most
of the best matchups in the second half of the season. Last weekend
we saw UNC vs. Miami and Georgia Tech vs. Clemson. From here on out,
we'll be getting games like that each week as the best teams in the
league will battle to see who meets in Charlotte on December 4. It
should be a memorable November.
Monday
night's guests were athletic director Jim Weaver, offensive
coordinator Bryan Stinespring, true freshman defensive back Kyle
Fuller, and head football coach Frank Beamer.
Yesterday's
Monday Thoughts pointed out the pitfalls and perils of trying to
figure out what those 22 guys in helmets are all supposed to be
doing on any given play. That's a fancy way of saying, "I got
something wrong," and the explanation of the error is a lesson
for us all when watching or dissecting a game.
We
called it a tune-up, dismissing Duke out of hand before the game
even started. That's exactly what it turned out to be, as the Hokies
beat Duke 44-7, the widest margin of victory over the Blue Devils
since 2005. The time for trying new things is over, and we know what
artillery the Hokies are taking into the November stretch that will
determine the ACC Coastal Division championship.