In this analysis, we'll compare the game to previous Rutgers spankings, take a look at Bryan Randall's sterling performance (and his backup's not-so-sterling performance), break down KJ's touchdown run, talk about Mikal Baaqee's season thus far, and highlight some moments and players from the game.

In their last three games in Rutgers, three different VT QBs have each thrown four TD passes, for a total of 12 touchdowns, with ten of them coming in the first half. Michael Vick went 11-of-12 for 248 yards and 4 TDs in 1999; Grant Noel went 17-of-22 for 164 yards and 4 TDs in 2001; and in this game, Bryan Randall went 16-of-22 for 250 yards and 4 TDs. Randall's interception in this game was the lone pick thrown by those three starters.

If you're counting, that's a combined 44-of-56 for 662 yards, 12 TDs, and 1 INT. Yowza.

In addition to getting remarkable accuracy from its QBs, VT has also scored defensively the last five times in New Jersey, since Big East round-robin play started:

• In 1995, Myron Newsome returned an interception 71 yards for a score, and Hank Coleman returned a fumble 51 yards.
• In 1997, Carl Bradley recovered a fumble in the end zone, and Pierson Prioleau ran another fumble back 43 yards for a score.
• In 1999, redshirt freshman Ronyell Whitaker returned a blocked 2-point conversion for a score.
• In 2001, the Hokies recorded a safety and added a TD when defensive tackle Channing Reed returned a fumble 8 yards for a TD
• In this game, free safety Jimmy Williams knifed in front of a Rutgers pass and took it 55 yards for a score.

And Rutgers has been generous. In 1999, they only had one turnover, but in 2001, they had six (four INTs and two fumbles), and this year, they coughed it up four times, all on interceptions.

And the idea of the Knights scoring some points and racking up some yards isn't unheard of. The mighty 1999 Hokies gave up 327 yards and 20 points to Rutgers, very comparable to this year's 311 yards and 22 points (eight of which came off a defensive touchdown).

Now, the 2001 game was a different story. That Hokie defense held Rutgers to 102 yards and 0 points, outscoring the Knights all by themselves.

The point is, the idea of the Hokies getting up big on Rutgers and relaxing a little bit isn't unheard of. But that won't stop us from talking a little bit about what the Knights did offensively that was a little unsettling.

Rutgers did get one thing they rarely get against VT: an outstanding offensive performance from a player, namely fullback Brian Leonard (#23 in your game program). Leonard rushed for 76 yards on just 12 carries (6.3 ypc) and caught four passes for 30 yards, plus he recovered DeAngelo Hall's muffed punt early in the game and caught Rutgers' 2-point conversion. The Hokies probably wish they had the 6-2, 230-pound sophomore in maroon and orange, ready to take over for Doug Easlick next year. Leonard can play.

Leonard's runs were 9 yards, 0 yards, 14, 15, -2, 9, 6, 5, 1, 8, 8, and 3. That's six runs of eight yards or more. He has deceptive speed, and a lot of his yardage came when VT linebackers knifed into the point of attack, only to have Leonard break containment and bounce to the outside.

The theme of VT's linebackers getting caught up in traffic and not making the tackle is a familiar one, to the point where I wonder if I'm watching it too much and harping on it too much. But a number of times, as Rutgers QB Ryan Hart went to hand off to Leonard, the Hokie inside linebackers (Vegas Robinson and Mikal Baaqee) would attack towards the middle of the line, and the shifty Leonard would turn it out for good yardage. He found room because Rutgers' OL blocked pretty well, and the Rutgers receivers got into whip linebacker Brandon Manning, stopping him from making the tackle, as well.

Bryan Randall's got a big ON/OFF switch, and the football gods tripped it to ON this week. With his 16-of-22, 250 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT performance, Randall moved himself up to 6th in the nation in passing efficiency this week. This game was a bounce-back from a spotty performance against UConn last week, when he went 6-of-14 for 64 yards and wasn't sharp.

On VT's first drive, Randall lofted a beautiful sure TD pass into DeAngelo Hall's hands, only to have Hall drop it. Unfazed, Randall hit Chris Shreve in stride on the very next play with a pinpoint 28-yard TD pass.

Randall completed 10 of his first 12 passes, and the two misses were drops, one by Hall and one by Ernest Wilford (that would have been a somewhat difficult catch, but Wilford has made those catches). In that stretch, he hit all kinds of passes, all with pinpoint accuracy.

If he plays like that the next four games -- is that too much to ask? -- the Hokies are in good shape.

Marcus Vick, meanwhile, had his worst outing of the season, going just 2-for-6 for 37 yards and two interceptions. And of his 37 yards, 35 of it came on a great Ernest Wilford catch of a poorly thrown ball. Marcus didn't throw a single good pass all day; Justin Hamilton laid out to catch his other completion, a two-yarder.

He did have one really nice run, a long one that was called back because of a holding penalty. Vick showed his field vision and acceleration on the play, both traits that he shares with his older brother. And yeah, he looked like him on that play. There, I said it.

In another instance, Vick nearly had a very nice play for a TD, but unfortunately was intercepted instead. He broke out of the pocket on a second and 8 from the Rutgers 38 and threw down the sideline to a wide-open Doug Easlick, only to be picked off by Terry Bynes, because Vick threw it too short.

Vick's other interception came when he stared down a receiver, and Rutgers safety Jarvis Johnson cut in front of the ball and took it 47 yards for the score. In general, Vick just didn't look sharp. His passes weren't crisp, they were off-target, and he struggled. This is why he's getting the playing time he's getting right now, so he can make these mistakes, learn from them, and be a better QB when his time comes, either from an injury to Randall or Randall completing his eligibility.

Offensively, the Hokies are night and day different from what they were last year. Coming out of the 2002 Pittsburgh game, I was disgusted. VT wasn't using misdirection in their rushing game at all, and they were very predictable depending upon what offensive set they were in. If they were in the shotgun, they passed; if they were in the I-formation, they ran, period. The Pitt game was when the offense hit bottom, not trying to fool Pitt or disguise their intentions at all.

I thought VT offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring was in over his head. I figured he could learn and improve, but I thought it would take years. Turns out he was able to mix things up a lot quicker than I thought, and while it's still early in the season, what I'm seeing from the VT offense is a mix in formations, blocking schemes, and playcalling that is remarkable. Stiney's a fast learner who put a lot of time in on the offseason.

Kevin Jones had a workmanlike game, rushing 26 times for 118 yards (4.5 ypc) and a touchdown. VT sent him into the middle a lot, and it was pretty clogged up there. He had some good success going around the ends on toss sweeps and options, but found tough running up the middle.

According to my game notes, the Hokies only ran Jones on toss sweeps or option plays six times, and he gained 48 yards (8.0 ypc). The other 20 rushes were between the tackles for just 70 yards (3.5 ypc), and that includes a 16-yard run on a draw play. Take out that draw play, and Jones only had 54 yards on 19 carries between the tackles (2.84 ypc).

Rutgers, like UCF, was keying on Jones, and their linebackers and DBs were quick to fire into the middle of the line and clog things up when Jones got the handoff � or when it was faked to him. Like UCF, Rutgers left themselves vulnerable to VT's passing game, and like UCF, Randall made them pay.

One perfect example of this was Shreve's second TD, a 45-yard strike on a quick slant from Randall that Shreve turned into a long one. The Hokies lined up in the I-formation, a classic running formation, and faked the handoff. The Rutgers players bit on it, leaving the cornerback isolated against Shreve, who cut in front of the defender and burned him.

Another example of Rutgers' concentration on the run and how it cost them was KJ's 5-yard TD run. The Hokies lined up in the I-formation, and Justin Hamilton, who was split out to the left, went in motion all the way to the right.

The Knights were in man coverage, so the cornerback went with Hamilton, leaving only the defensive end, outside linebacker, and strong safety to cover the left side of VT's line, where tight end Keith Willis was the left-most Hokie.

When the ball was snapped, several things happened that sprung Jones:

1.) Randall handed the ball off for an off-tackle run to the left, and fullback Easlick led Jones through the tackle gap. Rutgers linebackers Terry Bynes (#3) and DeVraun Thompson (#55) met Easlick there, and he blocked them both.

2.) That left only the defensive end (Piana Lukabu, #39) and strong safety (Jarvis Johnson, #20) to cover the left side. Keith Willis got a strong block on the defensive end, standing him up and pushing him to the outside.

3.) Jarvis Johnson then committed the key mistake of the play, also attacking the tackle gap. He ran into Lukabu and Willis, and when Jones changed direction to the outside, Johnson was caught up in traffic and couldn't break free, and Jones ran around the end untouched.

Johnson should have remembered that the cornerback was gone (because of Hamilton's motion) and that he was responsible for outside containment. He also should have seen the linebackers hitting the point of attack, and should have waited to see if Jones was going into the tackle gap or was going to bounce it outside. Instead, he got into a hurry, fired to the point of attack, and wound up completely taking himself out of the play.

Mikal Baaqee is third on the team in tackles, with 36 � but there's something missing.

Baaqee plays the Mike linebacker position, one of VT's two inside linebacker positions, and last year, he was listed at 223 pounds, but he was really closer to 215 or maybe even 210 by season's end. Baaqee showed good instincts last year, filling the hole on running plays and often slashing through the line for tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

But particularly late in the season, he was getting overpowered. In VT's loss at Miami, for example, UM running back Willis McGahee repeatedly ran over Baaqee, usually gaining one or two additional yards after the initial contact.

So Baaqee needed to get more physical and put on some pounds. He did, and this year he's listed at 227, though he actually weighed in this August at 240, an improvement of 20-25 pounds on his 5-11 frame. During the preseason, reports out of Blacksburg indicated that the extra weight wasn't slowing Baaqee down, and he received rave reviews from the coaching staff.

But five games into the season, Baaqee hasn't been much of a presence, despite the tackles, and in reviewing his statistics, I found an alarming stat that was discussed on the board Sunday: in Tech's first five games, Baaqee doesn't have a single negative play, meaning no tackles for loss, no sacks, no pass breakups, no QB hurries, no forced fumbles, and no fumble recoveries. He's making tackles, but he's not causing the problems for opposing offenses that he did last year.

Last year, Mikal had 112 tackles, 12 tackles for 50 yards in losses, 3.5 sacks for 28 yards, one interception, and a forced fumble.

Let's take a look at Baaqee's stats this season, and last season through the first five games.

With the exception of a few plays, Baaqee is having a comparable season to what he had last year through five games. The obvious point, though, is that he's no longer a first-time starter with little experience, as he was last year; he's now a redshirt junior with a full season under his belt. You would expect his numbers this year to be better, since he has so much more experience and knows the system better.

But five games is a limited set of data. From game five onward in 2002, Baaqee had a very good season, with his lack of physicality being his only drawback. Now let's take a look at his full 2002 season, versus his projected numbers for 2003, based on what he's done so far.

Beyond the numbers, Baaqee isn't as active so far this season. Watching film, he's getting blocked easily and is making a lot of tackles of the "drag down from the side or behind" variety, instead of meeting runners head-on or penetrating through the line of scrimmage.

For the Hokies to do well against running teams like Syracuse, WVU, and even Pitt, Baaqee needs to elevate his game, much like he did in the latter half of last season. One thing that may be limiting him is an ankle that he sprained earlier this fall. It's possible that that's slowing him down, though no one I've talked to would point to the ankle as limiting his effectiveness.

Jimmy Williams. Jimmy Williams looked more comfortable in this game, and more in control. His spectacular interception for a touchdown is the kind of play that Hokie fans are expecting from him, thanks to the hype surrounding him, but what's more important is that Williams not be sucked in by run fakes, and that he provide consistent support in the passing game. I'm also looking forward to seeing what Williams can do with the mighty Kellen Winslow, Jr. when the Hokies play Miami, if he winds up matched against him.

KJ's Wrists. Demetrius Shambley's cheap shot of pushing Kevin Jones into a wall in the JMU game is likely to have season-long effects. Jones' wrists are still tender, and he told reporters after the game that they aren't completely healed. "It's not a problem," he added, and so far, KJ has held onto the ball this season. By the way, during this game broadcast, did you see the South end zone replay of Shambley's shove that ESPN ran? That was a different perspective than I had seen previously, and from that angle, it was an incredible cheap shot, and very brutal.

Jared Mazetta. Tight end Jared Mazetta had his first reception of the year in this game, and it was classic tight end fare. Mazetta caught the ball, and with a defender draped around his waist, still managed to lower his head and pop Rutgers linebacker Terry Bynes, knocking Bynes to the turf. Funny stuff, and I'll bet the team had a good laugh in the film session.

You May Have Missed This. One of VT's interceptions was by defensive tackle Jonathan Lewis, who was standing in the right place at the right time when DE Nathaniel Adibi batted a Ryan Hart pass his way. Lewis snared the ball, started running, and was tackled by OL John Glass. As Glass was hanging on Lewis, Adibi came up and tried to block him, then crumpled to the turf afterwards as if hurt. Glass finished off the tackle, jumped up, and taunted the prone Adibi. The camera cut away, and nothing else was made of the incident, or a possible Adibi injury. BeamerBall.com said that his shoulder "flared up" during the game, but that he would be ready by Saturday's game. Adibi, by the way, had just one tackle, but a remarkable 4 QB hurries and 2 batted passes.

Dunn Takes a Step Backwards. Jon Dunn, who had quietly been having a good year after struggling last year, had a hard time with Rutgers defensive end Raheem Orr. Orr is a good one, and he had 9 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and 2 QB hurries against the Hokies. He was a force, and a lot of his plays, if not all of them, came against Dunn.

Montgomery Throws a Good One. If you have the chance, go back and watch the block thrown by Will Montgomery on Cedric Humes' 35 yard TD run with 3:50 to go. Montgomery cleared out the middle of the field by himself and stayed with a block, enabling Humes to spring free after a nice spin move.

The 2003 Hokie Revenge Tour Bus gets warmed up this weekend, as VT prepares to play four straight games against the four teams that beat them last year: Syracuse (10/11), WVU (10/22), Miami (11/1), and Pittsburgh (11/8).

The way the Hokies look, they could go anywhere from 1-3 to 4-0 in the next month of games. Syracuse's running game and special teams are problematic, as is WVU's power running game. Miami is a complete team with athletes at every position (although injuries are finally forcing them to scrape bottom at a few positions, and QB Brock Berlin isn't a world-beater). And Pitt is Pitt, with a solid VT-style defense, a strong running back, and a passing game that you could transfer to the NFL without missing a beat.

But that's all down the road. The Orangemen are next. We know VT's weaknesses going into this contest, but we also know their strengths, and starting Saturday, we get to find out how the Hokies as a whole match up against the teams that have given them fits the last two seasons.

Dress rehearsal's over. It's show time.

We'll be back with a preview Thursday.

TechSideline Pass Home