Early Line - GT v VPI

gtrower

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,884
Drones has been good to very good his past 3 games and Tuten has had gaping holes to run through.

Position of hate tends to bias one. I live in Fairfax County and have a son who started at GT and finished at VT. I have watched most of all their games except when they have conflicted with ours then it is channel flipping. They are a much improved team. Pry makes boneheaded decisions more than a HC should.

We each have our opinions but in my view you vastly undersell them. They are not great but overall they have been on a very positive trajectory while GT has not. Pyron will have to play extremely well to win on Saturday. The OL will need their best game. Our Defense better be ready to tackle guys who are hard to bring down.

The line has moved to around VT favored by 10 points now. That sounds about right to me.

Neat, Drones has a TD/INT ratio of 1.8 while averaging under 200 pypg against a schedule that has included ODU, Marshall, Vandy, Rutgers, Stanford, and BC.

I’d give my left nut for that schedule. Hell their Miami performance doesn’t even look that good anymore. We should be licking our chops to get Miami at home with a healthy King.
 

Root4GT

Helluva Engineer
Messages
3,007
Neat, Drones has a TD/INT ratio of 1.8 while averaging under 200 pypg against a schedule that has included ODU, Marshall, Vandy, Rutgers, Stanford, and BC.

I’d give my left nut for that schedule. Hell their Miami performance doesn’t even look that good anymore. We should be licking our chops to get Miami at home with a healthy King.
Careful what you wish for with Miami. They lead FBS in total offense. They could easily hang 50 on us. We will need our offense to play very well.
 

4shotB

Helluva Engineer
Retired Staff
Messages
4,934
Reading the disparate viewpoints in all the above posts is quite vexing as it leaves me uncertain as to whether our lads will win or lose this forthcoming Saturday. I don't know who or what to trust these days. A Varsity chili dog with fries and a cold beer remains the only constant for me in this ever changing world.
 

gtrower

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,884
Careful what you wish for with Miami. They lead FBS in total offense. They could easily hang 50 on us. We will need our offense to play very well.

My man we played uga to 1 score. Miami has needed blatantly incorrect review overturns to avoid starting the conference slate 0-3. The pessimism is a downer and not even really warranted.

Getting a chance to knock off a Top 5 team with Miami’s shaky resumé is a Homecoming wet dream.
 

iceeater1969

Helluva Engineer
Messages
9,644
My man we played uga to 1 score. Miami has needed blatantly incorrect review overturns to avoid starting the conference slate 0-3. The pessimism is a downer and not even really warranted.

Getting a chance to knock off a Top 5 team with Miami’s shaky resumé is a Homecoming wet dream.
King will be well.

Plus Pyron will have real game experience.

Both have unique style.

Will Key be uber conservstive while Cam Ward scores at will.
 

roadkill

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,819
Careful what you wish for with Miami. They lead FBS in total offense. They could easily hang 50 on us. We will need our offense to play very well.

My man we played uga to 1 score. Miami has needed blatantly incorrect review overturns to avoid starting the conference slate 0-3. The pessimism is a downer and not even really warranted.
I don't see a problem with @Root4GT's statement. nor do I see what last year's uga game has to do with this year's Miami game. Pessimism would be saying that there's no way we can win, whereas root stated what we will need to do to win.

Miami's offense this year is a scoring machine, and has done so against defenses likely better than ours. Their lowest points scored was 38 against VT. They've put up 50 or more in 4 of their 7 games. Even without the bad calls they score lots of points. I think we can score against them too, but we are going to need to cut down on self-inflicted errors and make every drive count to win.
 

g0lftime

Helluva Engineer
Messages
5,899
I don't see a problem with @Root4GT's statement. nor do I see what last year's uga game has to do with this year's Miami game. Pessimism would be saying that there's no way we can win, whereas root stated what we will need to do to win.

Miami's offense this year is a scoring machine, and has done so against defenses likely better than ours. Their lowest points scored was 38 against VT. They've put up 50 or more in 4 of their 7 games. Even without the bad calls they score lots of points. I think we can score against them too, but we are going to need to cut down on self-inflicted errors and make every drive count to win.
They have come from behind too. If teams have a late lead, you can't sit on it with them. We have to improve our run game to control clock with a late lead or just keep our foot on the throttle.
 

Root4GT

Helluva Engineer
Messages
3,007
My man we played uga to 1 score. Miami has needed blatantly incorrect review overturns to avoid starting the conference slate 0-3. The pessimism is a downer and not even really warranted.

Getting a chance to knock off a Top 5 team with Miami’s shaky resumé is a Homecoming wet dream.
A dose of realism is often useful. Miami is #1 in Total Offense per game at 577 yards/game. Miami is #2 in scoring offense per game at 48.7 points/game. The fewest points they have scored in any game is 38 at VT.

GT has scored more than 38 twice. VMI and UNC. You do the math. We give up 21.9 ppg. Our defense will need its best game by far and our offense will need to score at least 6 TDs. That’s a big ask.
 

g0lftime

Helluva Engineer
Messages
5,899
A dose of realism is often useful. Miami is #1 in Total Offense per game at 577 yards/game. Miami is #2 in scoring offense per game at 48.7 points/game. The fewest points they have scored in any game is 38 at VT.

GT has scored more than 38 twice. VMI and UNC. You do the math. We give up 21.9 ppg. Our defense will need its best game by far and our offense will need to score at least 6 TDs. That’s a big ask.
Can't control the clock to reduce possessions without a running game. That has to improve and we don't have much time left. IIWII
 

gtrower

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,884
A dose of realism is often useful. Miami is #1 in Total Offense per game at 577 yards/game. Miami is #2 in scoring offense per game at 48.7 points/game. The fewest points they have scored in any game is 38 at VT.

GT has scored more than 38 twice. VMI and UNC. You do the math. We give up 21.9 ppg. Our defense will need its best game by far and our offense will need to score at least 6 TDs. That’s a big ask.

A dose of football is also useful. We’re a run first offense and they are a pass first offense. What’s the points per possession?

Why do they keep needing miracle overturns to win conference games with this unstoppable offense?
 

Northeast Stinger

Helluva Engineer
Messages
10,742
Ran for 245 yds. vs Duke, 371 vs UNC before being held to 64 vs ND.
Tech should move the ball on the ground against VPI.
Repeating myself but I think the 64 yards against ND was primarily a function of not having our running quarterback in the game. That basically eliminated our option attack. My hope is for a quick redesign of our offense that plays to Pyron’s strengths. I think we can do better than 64 yards.
 

stinger78

Helluva Engineer
Messages
4,202
Repeating myself but I think the 64 yards against ND was primarily a function of not having our running quarterback in the game. That basically eliminated our option attack. My hope is for a quick redesign of our offense that plays to Pyron’s strengths. I think we can do better than 64 yards.
We will do better than 64 yards on the ground Saturday. VPI’s front 7 is not ND’s.
 

slugboy

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,482
We will do better than 64 yards on the ground Saturday. VPI’s front 7 is not ND’s.

Maybe not, but they’re good. Antwaun Powell-Ryland is a beast, and VT is tied 4th overall for sacks.




RankPlayerTeamYearPositionGamesSolo SacksAssisted SacksSack YardsTotal SacksSacks/Game
1Trey WhiteSan Diego St.So.DE61026011.01.83
2Antwaun Powell-RylandVirginia TechSr.DL71027111.01.57



RankTeamGamesSacksYardsYards/Game
1Boise St.629.01864.83
2San Diego St.625.01264.17
3South Carolina728.02354.00
4Oklahoma725.01633.57
-Texas St.725.01933.57
-Virginia Tech725.01503.57


Edit: VT’s front 6 were mentioned at Key’s presser. He was highly complimentary of their ability
 
Last edited:

stinger78

Helluva Engineer
Messages
4,202
Maybe not, but they’re good. Antwaun Powell-Ryland is a beast, and VT is tied 4th overall for sacks.




RankPlayerTeamYearPositionGamesSolo SacksAssisted SacksSack YardsTotal SacksSacks/Game
1Trey WhiteSan Diego St.So.DE61026011.01.83
2Antwaun Powell-RylandVirginia TechSr.DL71027111.01.57



RankTeamGamesSacksYardsYards/Game
1Boise St.629.01864.83
2San Diego St.625.01264.17
3South Carolina728.02354.00
4Oklahoma725.01633.57
-Texas St.725.01933.57
-Virginia Tech725.01503.57
This might reflect who they’ve played. Also, sacks is related to passing O.

They’re no slouch, but VPI is a 4-3 team. They are tied for 99th in rushing yardage yielded. We will run on them Saturday, thus neutralizing their pass rush to a degree, great or small. I believe that will be greater than smaller.
 

stinger78

Helluva Engineer
Messages
4,202
Speaking of rushing D, Miami is #9, UGAg is #24, and S’cuse is # 49. All first sheet D’s. Ours is #27. I think this helps explain what happened @S’cuse, and informs us what will likely happen vs. Miami and UGAg.

We need to make hay against VPI and NCSU.
 
Last edited:

Northeast Stinger

Helluva Engineer
Messages
10,742
This might reflect who they’ve played. Also, sacks is related to passing O.

They’re no slouch, but VPI is a 4-3 team. They are tied for 99th in rushing yardage yielded. We will run on them Saturday, thus neutralizing their pass rush to a degree, great or small. I believe that will be greater than smaller.

I would not blame people if they yell at me to stop repeating myself but….we have been a great running team this year because of a finesse scheme, not a power scheme. Without King we lose that extra threat that tends to freeze the defense for half a step. Notre Dame never hesitated on defense and VT will not either unless we can throw a surprise wrinkle into our offense.
 

57jacket

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,467
Curious as to what makes you think our offense is way better. They score more points per game than we do. Their offense has really been good the last several games. Ours has not really been good except vs UNC and VMI.
There you go again. Try to crush any optimism. You are consistent Root.
 

57jacket

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,467
Wow, there is no "Way Better" position at GT over VT. King when healthy is the best QB for sure, He hasn't really seemed healthy for a while this season. Besides that it is mostly push on offense. Their defense is better than ours. They get much better pressure on opposing QBs than we do. Our Special Teams are dreadful and much worse than any of our opponents including VT.

Right now they are playing much better football than GT is playing. GT will need to play it's best game of the year to win in Blacksburg.

From you comments I gather you have watched several VT games. Is that correct?
And again. LOL. Go Root!
 

cpf2001

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,235
I would not blame people if they yell at me to stop repeating myself but….we have been a great running team this year because of a finesse scheme, not a power scheme. Without King we lose that extra threat that tends to freeze the defense for half a step. Notre Dame never hesitated on defense and VT will not either unless we can throw a surprise wrinkle into our offense.
I see it a bit differently and more pessimistically: we have not always been a great running team, and generally only great against the worse Ds. I think sub-5 ypc (Cuse) won’t win you many games as your identify, and sub-3 (Lou, ND) will lose you most games. ND wasn’t the first defense to shut us down, and Cuse was able to do it on the plays where it counted too. Outside of King the RBs were 3.2 ypc or lower. The Louisville non-King rushing stats are even worse (<2.1).

I don’t have much confidence in the running game against UGA this year even with King. And am worried about Miami and VT too. King wasn’t enough to consistently getting the other runs open against Cuse/Lou Ds. Miami, at least, CAN give up a lot of points, but I don’t know that we are set up to take advantage.
 
Top