It's VT week

[Techster]

One of the interesting things I'm looking forward to is seeing whether VT can negate JT's speed with their higher tier of athletes compared to the 3 teams we've played. I think JT will find it harder to run laterally to escape guys, but if a defender takes a false step JT will embarrass them.

I think Nealy will have the same impact he had against Tulane. He's a downhill defender and playing option teams just doesn't suit his game. Our front four really needs to find a way to get off blocks and create pressure or else our secondary is going. I think Marcordes will have a big game. Something tells me Roof has got some exotic blitzes dialed up specifically for this one he hasn't unwrapped yet.

Smelter versus Fuller is going to be a fun matchup to watch all game. Waller is going to need to step up. I think our ABs will have a big day in the passing game.

First big game of the year, and first real test for a young team.

 

[jason]

I would think we have some ways of getting pressure that we haven't shown yet. I dont think they are close to as good as they usually are. I think we have a good chance. I'm not going to judge our dbs off last weeks game they where playing the run and getting burned. But we will need to tackle better which has not been our strong point the past few years.

 

[thwgjacket]

We haven't lost until we've lost. That will probably happen this weekend but until then we need to act like a 3-0 team that belongs in Lane. If our guys come out with confidence we can play with them. I'm not sure if some people didn't watch the VT/ECU game or if we just have differing opinions but VT is most definitely not a team full of speed. Their DT's are good. The two Hatian kids. Their LB's looked slow though. That big RB they have is in fact big but he is as slow as they come. IMO the big back Tulane has looked better on the game tape I've seen. It'll be nice not to have to deal with a mobile QB and the option this week. Looking on the bright side we have faced one traditional offense this year and we shut them down pretty effectively. I honestly don't think it's a huge stretch to say that Tulane's O isn't much worse than VT's.

 

[GT Man]

solid thread, but not enough hate.

SCREW THOSE UGLY CASTRATED TURKEYS AND THEIR TRAILER TRASH FANS.
There's only 1 TECH.

I hope we pound them into the ground this year.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

This is an important game for a Tech for a lot of reasons -Coastal race, first contest against a conference team, staying undefeated....etc.
But in my opinion there is a still bigger reason than all of these reasons for the team. This is a young team learning and gaining experience each week. Win another close game and confidence will continue to build. Lose this game and Tech will have a ways to go in terms of growing up as a team. A loss would not necessarily be the end of the season however. If Tech can simply get better every week then I still think the division will sort itself out and Tech will have a surprising win or two through the course of the season.

 

[MWBATL]

We agree completely that we will have to get the WRs (and ABs and BB) the ball passing. My expectation is that we will be successful passing to start but not as much rushing. We will keep trying to establish the run and JT will get tired and lose his passing accuracy. That would be how I would play us; make us prove we can pass the entire game.

Then it will come down to how well their O and our D match up. Much of that is how the Brewer (VT QB) plays - the Ohio State Brewer or the ECU Brewer. Just the average of the manic depressive performances is probably enough to score the 34 points for VT I suggested.

If I'm wrong and you are right that our running game dominates, then I think we win. Especially if we can get fresh legs in at QB. So I hope you're right.[/QUOTE]

I could not agree with you more! We MUST be successful passing, which JT has been very inconsistent with in the first three games. VPI&SU will make us pass the whole game long, imho (I would).

Also agree the tale will be told by our D. I said in an earlier post I believed VPI&SU would score in the 30's and that should be enough to beat us.

Hope I am wrong. Fear I am not.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

Speaking of getting the passing game going, we look unstoppable on the bback wheel. I absolutely love that play. I hope we run it ad nauseum at VT.

 

[GTJake]

I watch a little bit of the VT replay yesterday. Score could have been much worse, ECarolina up 21 pts in the first half had the ball three times in the red zone and didn't score.

ECarolina was putting alot of pressure on theVT QB Brewer forcing him into mistakes ... hope CTR was watching.

 

[jchens_GT]

I mentioned this elsewhere, but man I am glad that we don't play VT on a Thursday night this year. Have we ever beaten them on a Thursday?

 

[Northeast Stinger]

One concern is JT's height. We are strictly under center now so he'll have to drop back to pass and look over the line. With VT's rush I don't know if he'll have the time to do this look over the defense adjust for angles and hit the slant or be aloud the time for crossing routes to develop.
I would feel more confident if he was in the gun but that's not happening.
The game will be in JT's hand, for he'll be very important in the run game as VT will stack the box to take way the dive & pitches. He'll be keeping the ball a lot and getting pounded whether up the middle or on the perimeter. Plus he's gonna have to pass with better accuracy for the WR will get open he's gonna have to hit them.

Well, at least he is a few inches taller than Doug Flutie.

 

[AE 87]

I mentioned this elsewhere, but man I am glad that we don't play VT on a Thursday night this year. Have we ever beaten them on a Thursday?

Since CPJ has been coach, we are undefeated against VPI on Saturdays at Bobby Dodd, otherwise we've lost.

 

[steebu]

Speaking of getting the passing game going, we look unstoppable on the bback wheel. I absolutely love that play. I hope we run it ad nauseum at VT.

I never want to see that play again vs. VT. It was the same play where Josh broke his arm.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

I never want to see that play again vs. VT. It was the same play where Josh broke his arm.

Josh forced the ball into double coverage, very bad decision. Then he tried to arm tackle the defender on the sideline, another bad decision.

 

[GTrob21]

Hope always leads to delusion...So call me delusional! GT wins by 21. Foster hangs his head in shame and GT rolls to an undefeated season. Our Defense grows up and becomes all-stars and JT runs for 400 yards and passes for 200.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

Hope always leads to delusion...So call me delusional! GT wins by 21. Foster hangs his head in shame and GT rolls to an undefeated season. Our Defense grows up and becomes all-stars and JT runs for 400 yards and passes for 200.

And Free Willy jumps over the goal line for the winning td in the natty game.

 

[Yaller Jacket]

I'll go with the conventional wisdom which says we will do better offensively that we usually do against VT but have a devil of a time on defense. Strange to thing of a GT vs VT game as high scoring, but that would be my guess.

Like 33, I'm hoping Roof will take some more chances this week. We can't stop a good quarterback with time to throw with what we are doing now, so there is nothing to be lost by playing it safe. A couple of times against Tulane, though, we telegraphed the coming blitz to badly that they checked into screens and ate us up. If we do rush some extra people, it needs to be done more deceptively.

 

[steebu]

Josh forced the ball into double coverage, very bad decision. Then he tried to arm tackle the defender on the sideline, another bad decision.

Bad execution all around. It's a good complement to the toss, but VT defended it well and the stars lined up for a disaster and a turning point in our season.

 

[Declinometer]

Can't wait for prediction thread........WE WIN!

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

One of the interesting things I'm looking forward to is seeing whether VT can negate JT's speed with their higher tier of athletes compared to the 3 teams we've played. I think JT will find it harder to run laterally to escape guys, but if a defender takes a false step JT will embarrass them.

I think Nealy will have the same impact he had against Tulane. He's a downhill defender and playing option teams just doesn't suit his game. Our front four really needs to find a way to get off blocks and create pressure or else our secondary is going. I think Marcordes will have a big game. Something tells me Roof has got some exotic blitzes dialed up specifically for this one he hasn't unwrapped yet.

Smelter versus Fuller is going to be a fun matchup to watch all game. Waller is going to need to step up. I think our ABs will have a big day in the passing game.

First big game of the year, and first real test for a young team.

"I think Nealy will have the same impact he had against Tulane. He's a downhill defender and playing option teams just doesn't suit his game."
I don't think playing option teams suits any of our defense. Thank God, we don't play any more option teams. Maybe overall the defense is as bad as it looked Saturday, but maybe too they will be able to step it up against a non-option team and at least play as well as they did last year. Depth is still a problem though, so who knows what will happen.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

"I think Nealy will have the same impact he had against Tulane. He's a downhill defender and playing option teams just doesn't suit his game."
I don't think playing option teams suits any of our defense. Thank God, we don't play any more option teams. Maybe overall the defense is as bad as it looked Saturday, but maybe too they will be able to step it up against a non-option team and at least play as well as they did last year. Depth is still a problem though, so who knows what will happen.

What if we're worse against non-option teams?