GAME 10 - VT @ Georgia Tech.

[hunzworth]

I hope Branthover has a big game. Field position will be huge IMO: Give GT a short field and their offense becomes even more difficult to stop.

 

[amszete]

This is just a random thought, but why not kick rugby style more? Seems like that style of kicking is harder to return and easier to get off in less time. Hope we have been investigating all possible opportunities in this area since our punting game is horrid.

 

[Cobrabit]

This is just a random thought, but why not kick rugby style more? Seems like that style of kicking is harder to return and easier to get off in less time. Hope we have been investigating all possible opportunities in this area since our punting game is horrid.

That was tried a couple of games ago and quickly ended after the 2nd attempt. Punter dropped it and then proceeded to hit an awe inspiring 10 or so yarder if that. The first attempt wasn't that much better, but did get the benefit of the roll to get 30+.


I do agree that field position is probably going to be the biggest key and with the punting situation we've had so far this year, I'm not looking forward to this game. There may be a lot of going for 4th downs not only on GT's side, but on ours as well with little confidence in the kicking game. Hopefully, LT and DW shred Groh's 3-4 so we won't have to be put in those situations.

 

[Lumbee09]

i think i saw that PJ is 1-4 facing teams coming off a bye (in the ACC).. pretty sure i saw/heard that stat at the end of the clemson/GT game

We are 2-4 in our last 6 games coming off of bye weeks. Andy Bitter dropped this one on us:

2010 -- W 28-21 vs. Georgia Tech (Thursday)
2009 -- L 20-17 vs. North Carolina (Thursday)
2008 -- L 28-23 at Boston College, W 23-13 vs. Maryland (Thursday)
2007 -- L 14-10 vs. Boston College (Thursday)
2006 -- L 22-3 at Boston College (Thursday)

I agree, though, that having a bye this week is more beneficial to us than GT. It's too bad it's not a full week.

 

[HoHumHokie]

We are 2-4 in our last 6 games coming off of bye weeks. Andy Bitter dropped this one on us:

2010 -- W 28-21 vs. Georgia Tech (Thursday)
2009 -- L 20-17 vs. North Carolina (Thursday)
2008 -- L 28-23 at Boston College, W 23-13 vs. Maryland (Thursday)
2007 -- L 14-10 vs. Boston College (Thursday)
2006 -- L 22-3 at Boston College (Thursday)

I agree, though, that having a bye this week is more beneficial to us than GT. It's too bad it's not a full week.

:eek2: Glad we aren't playing BC this Thursday.

 

[awaz]

This is just a random thought, but why not kick rugby style more? Seems like that style of kicking is harder to return and easier to get off in less time. Hope we have been investigating all possible opportunities in this area since our punting game is horrid.

i talked w/ my friend that kicked at an FCS school and he said rugby style punting is much more difficult, on top of punting being way more difficult that place kicking.. he said it was at least 100x harder to punt than to kick fgs because the margin for error is tiny.. there's about 1/4 inch difference betwen a 60 yard punt and a 9 yard shank.. he said fg kicking was not quite as severe.. seemed odd to me cause punting in the backyard doesn't seem that difficult, but i suppose if someone was rushing at me it'd be a different story

i requested his input after watching branthover's monsterous 18ish yard punt on saturday, figuring its gotta be harder than i think considering how horrific our punters are

that being said, he graduated and now fully supports the 'unrealistic kicking expectations' that football fans have haha

**he also suggested beamer stop having K/P be walk on positions and making guys earn their schollys because it scares all the good ones away

 

[Hokie Swagger]

its easier to shank a punt rather than shank a field goal due to the angle your foot is coming in. if you are punting its very easy for the ball to come off the side of your foot, resulting in a terrible shank. when field goal kicking, that does not happen as you are not bringing the ball over your foot, but instead striking through it, among other reasons

 

[ckhokie]

As someone who has kicked, and then tried punting before (recreationally..I'm a soccer player) there really is a very small margin for error. To actually get the spiral on a punt, which is where you get a ton more distance, you are kicking it dangerously close to the outside of your foot as it is - as that is where you get the rotational spin on the ball, and if you miss it, you easily can shank something terrible off to your right if you are right footed and left if you are left footed. It's by no means as easy to be good as it appears

 

[amszete]

**he also suggested beamer stop having K/P be walk on positions and making guys earn their schollys because it scares all the good ones away

I completely agree - especially since VT is known for special teams and defense. I also used to place kick in highschool (very little punting). I understand the low margin of error with punting but I also remember kicking with those who were planning to walk on to the team (eons ago) and what I was seeing in practice far exceeded what we are seeing in games. If we had lost on Saturday to Puke, guaranteed our kicking game would be more heavily scrutinized for sure....

 

[awaz]

I completely agree - especially since VT is known for special teams and defense. I also used to place kick in highschool (very little punting). I understand the low margin of error with punting but I also remember kicking with those who were planning to walk on to the team (eons ago) and what I was seeing in practice far exceeded what we are seeing in games. If we had lost on Saturday to Puke, guaranteed our kicking game would be more heavily scrutinized for sure....

my biggest pet peeve in rooting for this team is the frequency that we have to use that phrase.. the team finds ways to win and cover up for a great many deficincies (paging bryan stinespring and the offensive staff).. sometimes i think it would be worth a fall of suffering and pain under a 2-9 season just to get some shake up on the coaching staff.. i know they 'shook things up' this offseason, but i'd prefer some new faces on the offensive side of the ball and a little less 'our goal is an acc championship'.. maybe i'm spoiled after winning 3 in the 4 years i was there, but i consider that 'goal' to be a cop out now.. the ACC is putrid.

 

[Ragingcroc]

I know our punting game are bad Saturday, but I think that is what happens when your best punter is a true freshmen. Branthover will get get better. You just have to look at the same game with his 75 yard punt.

 

[Hokie Swagger]

I know our punting game are bad Saturday, but I think that is what happens when your best punter is a true freshmen. Branthover will get get better. You just have to look at the same game with his 75 yard punt.

thats all well and good, but it could really end up costing us the game and a shot at an acc championship.

 

[Ragingcroc]

thats all well and good, but it could really end up costing us the game and a shot at an acc championship.

 

[ACC_HOKIES]

my biggest pet peeve in rooting for this team is the frequency that we have to use that phrase.. the team finds ways to win and cover up for a great many deficincies (paging bryan stinespring and the offensive staff).. sometimes i think it would be worth a fall of suffering and pain under a 2-9 season just to get some shake up on the coaching staff.. i know they 'shook things up' this offseason, but i'd prefer some new faces on the offensive side of the ball and a little less 'our goal is an acc championship'.. maybe i'm spoiled after winning 3 in the 4 years i was there, but i consider that 'goal' to be a cop out now.. the ACC is putrid.

If this is really and truly what you want, then you should raise enough money for the athletic department to replace Frank Beamer. You can take any offensive staff in the country and put them in Blacksburg, and the offense might be the best in the country. However, when Virginia Tech gets in trouble, and at some point they inevitably will, Frank Beamer will always go to his comfort zone. It's the ground game, field position, and defense. It'll be just like ECU or Duke, and the complaints will be the same. That's how he has always won games, and that's how his mentor, Jerry Claiborne, won games. It's coaching philosophy, and it's one that's arguably the most consistent in all of college football.

Take a look back at Virginia Tech football history. The fact that you could even consider an ACC Championship a cop out, is one of the best compliments you could ever give to Beamer and staff.

 

[amszete]

Well at least we know where everyone stands! That's the beautiful thing about a forum - everyone gets to speak their mind.

As to what has been mentioned thus far, we are a little different than most teams in that our coach hangs his hat on special teams play which we know is the "X" factor in winning games - especially ones like Clemson and GT. Many prominent coaches have worked with Beamer to understand who he does things from a ST perspective. As a result, we should make sure our kickers are up to the job when their number's called. I do think our punter has the ability with time to do better in games, but the point is we should be recruiting players on that side of the ball who can come in and make an immediate impact. I mean this is Beamer's personal deal he oversees. Ten yard punts (plural) are unacceptable.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

I will say this. It is nice to have a team that we can nit-pick and demand excellence from. I have spent the last five years in Pittsburgh and watched the trials and tribulations of this, once storied, program. At Tech, we have a lot of room left to go, and valid complaints about a lot of things, but it is nice to have a team that you expect to win every single time they take the field. Whenever I get too down, I think back to going to Tech games a s a kid with my dad and grandpa, or I head down to Heinz Field to watch Pitt blow a game, try to get bowl eligible or simply try to get an upset" in front of 30K apathetic fans that leave early if the Penguins are playing. It puts things in perspective.

I think that the offseason moves were great, and that the addition of Pitt and Cuse will let us recruit Western PA and New York a bit more which will help. I see these changes pying dividends in 2012-2013-2014 nd beyond. Do we need to make more moves? Yes. I would love for Todd Washington to come in and coach the OL. I would love to see Walt Harris come in and be a QB Coach/OC. Down the line, maybe this will happen. I think that Shane may even push his father some on this as he gets more entrenched.

I guess what I am saying is that although it can be frustrating to watch the Hokies sometimes, it is damn good to have a solid, high end program to root for and follow, and know that they are always in the mix.

 

[amszete]

I will say this. It is nice to have a team that we can nit-pick and demand excellence from. I have spent the last five years in Pittsburgh and watched the trials and tribulations of this, once storied, program. At Tech, we have a lot of room left to go, and valid complaints about a lot of things, but it is nice to have a team that you expect to win every single time they take the field. Whenever I get too down, I think back to going to Tech games a s a kid with my dad and grandpa, or I head down to Heinz Field to watch Pitt blow a game, try to get bowl eligible or simply try to get an upset" in front of 30K apathetic fans that leave early if the Penguins are playing. It puts things in perspective.

I think that the offseason moves were great, and that the addition of Pitt and Cuse will let us recruit Western PA and New York a bit more which will help. I see these changes pying dividends in 2012-2013-2014 nd beyond. Do we need to make more moves? Yes. I would love for Todd Washington to come in and coach the OL. I would love to see Walt Harris come in and be a QB Coach/OC. Down the line, maybe this will happen. I think that Shane may even push his father some on this as he gets more entrenched.
I guess what I am saying is that although it can be frustrating to watch the Hokies sometimes, it is damn good to have a solid, high end program to root for and follow, and know that they are always in the mix.

I definitely agree. I will even venture to say that he probably had a say in some of the recruiting adjustments we made this past year as well.

 

[awaz]

If this is really and truly what you want, then you should raise enough money for the athletic department to replace Frank Beamer. You can take any offensive staff in the country and put them in Blacksburg, and the offense might be the best in the country. However, when Virginia Tech gets in trouble, and at some point they inevitably will, Frank Beamer will always go to his comfort zone. It's the ground game, field position, and defense. It'll be just like ECU or Duke, and the complaints will be the same. That's how he has always won games, and that's how his mentor, Jerry Claiborne, won games. It's coaching philosophy, and it's one that's arguably the most consistent in all of college football.

Take a look back at Virginia Tech football history. The fact that you could even consider an ACC Championship a cop out, is one of the best compliments you could ever give to Beamer and staff.

i 100% agree, thats why i said i'm probably spoiled.. but still, its been 4 in the last 6 (i think right?).. so IMO its time to set the goals a little higher

and i understand completely the 'run the ball, field position, and defense' has been so consistent, probably the most consistent team in college football for the past decade.. but bringing in a new offense scheme and staff doesn't change that.. bud foster will still be coaching defense.. beamer will still have special teams and a run-first mentality.. bringing a little life to the offense doesn't change the teams forte or mentality

i guess my point is i feel like the coaching staff has gotten complacent when the goal every year is to win the ACC championship.. beating duke by 4 when they missed 3 (really only 2, 57 is ridiculous) fgs just seems to be good enough to the coaching staff.. and if you're just 'getting by' duke, you cant compete nationally.. i think a couple tweaks to the offensive staff could get more out of the talented individuals that play on that side of the ball and maybe score more than 14 points against a team thats been the laughing stock of the conference for eons..

 

[hunzworth]

My only complaint on the whole team is on the offensive line. Newsome will never be a good "fit" as long as we are running "franks" offense. Smaller athletic linemen have no business in a pro style run first offense. I have said for years that our offense has no identity because of all the clashes in style and philosophy on the offensive side of the ball. <--(for lack of a better term "too many chiefs not enough indians). Beamer either needs to completely hand over the reigns to stiney/ocain/newsome or bring in a OL coach that fits his philosophy.

* FWIW anyone who is calling for franks head neads to do a little research on what VT was like before Beamer. I honestly dont know of another head coach that has built a program/name brand like frank beamer has. I think a lot of people get tired of hearing the "awh shucks" type attitude that he has but you have to realize that frank is old school and he's not going to provide any bulletin board material or reveal anymore plans than he has to. To win with the consistency that beamer has over the past 15 years he is doing something right! Sure we've played in the big east and a weak ACC but so have a bunch about 20 other schools (between both conferences) and none of them are/have been winning on the level of VT.

 

[CalvinJohnson4God]

i 100% agree, thats why i said i'm probably spoiled.. but still, its been 4 in the last 6 (i think right?).. so IMO its time to set the goals a little higher

and i understand completely the 'run the ball, field position, and defense' has been so consistent, probably the most consistent team in college football for the past decade.. but bringing in a new offense scheme and staff doesn't change that.. bud foster will still be coaching defense.. beamer will still have special teams and a run-first mentality.. bringing a little life to the offense doesn't change the teams forte or mentality

i guess my point is i feel like the coaching staff has gotten complacent when the goal every year is to win the ACC championship.. beating duke by 4 when they missed 3 (really only 2, 57 is ridiculous) fgs just seems to be good enough to the coaching staff.. and if you're just 'getting by' duke, you cant compete nationally.. i think a couple tweaks to the offensive staff could get more out of the talented individuals that play on that side of the ball and maybe score more than 14 points against a team thats been the laughing stock of the conference for eons..

It's been 3 out of the last 6 (Which is when the ACC expanded to 12).

2005: FSU
2006: Wake Forest
2007: VT
2008: VT
2009: GT*
2010: VT

So 3 of the last 4, also. But is that reign now ending?