Second viewing thoughts and grade report: Virginia Tech

As I said Thursday night this was the best game the team has played in a long time. Real good efforts from every unit.

Offense: B

Ryan’s numbers were ok. His receivers dropped three catches, but he was off on a few throws. He is still having trouble with some of the touch passes. His pocket passing remains a thing of beauty. The first TD pass was a ball that no other QB under TOB has, could or would make. It was a perfect dart and the timing was great. Even after watching the game a second time, I couldn’t find the play where he hurt himself. Aside from a limp his play didn’t seem effected. My only worry/complaint is that he does throw the ball in traffic and tight spots. He hasn’t been burned yet, but something is coming. But I’ll take the risk given how many plays he makes.

The running back had another uneven performance. LV’s first run was great, but he went into a real funk after the fumble. He didn’t get his head back in the game until the first drive of the second half. Then he looked great: making good reads, some good moves and good efforts. Callender didn’t do much in his limited time. He did have a real nice block on blitz pick up. I don’t think AC got very good blocking, but he also didn’t help himself by dropping catchable passes.

The wide receivers looked pretty good. Robinson’s dropped TD was brutal, but he recovered later. Challenger was great on his first catch. The second one was a gimme. A more quiet night from Gonzo, but he was solid (I wish he had been able to catch up with Ryan’s bomb to him). I really like Megwa’s efforts. He is quick and runs a good route. The Tight Ends had a solid night catching (but Thompson missed a few blocks).

The offensive line played its best game but was not perfect. The pass protection remained strong. They had some trouble run blocking. The Beekman switch continued and it was clear that the starters (with Sheridan at Center) functioned better than when Beekman moved to Center and Hall and Avenski were at the guard spots. One clear thing about this unit, is that they got stronger and more intense as the game wore on. They fed off the energy and really helped put the Hokies away. One last thing... Cherilus had a holding penalty but other than that played really well – dominating even.

I thought Bible’s game was uneven. First the bad. He continues to call plays that Ryan struggles with. The red zone offense was ultra conservative -- and too many plays were not even intended for the endzone. I also thought he got too conservative in short yardage situations. However, he did a have some nice drives. Obviously the second TD drive was very good. The crossing routes were confusing VT and thankfully Bible started to exploit it heavily in the second half. I think the design of the downfield passing game is what Bible does best, unfortunately we have used it sparingly during his tenure.

Defense: A-

The defensive line was outstanding. BJ Raji finally played to his potential. He was collapsing the line and obviously got to Glennon. Plus his ability to attract a double team opened up wide holes for a late releasing Akins. Brace played well and I was impressed with his hustle and his few downfield tackles. Brady Smith was a monster and has really come on strong. Giles didn’t get as much playing time as he had early in the season, yet he still made a big play. Willis also does a good job of staying with the play and slowing the run. The only guy who was somewhat MIA was Larkin. Bell seemed limited in his time back.

Two guys I want to single out were Albright and Herzlich. Both Freshman are playing like seniors. Both hustled. Both made some big plays (even on special teams). With the graduation and injuries on defense, we needed guys to step up and these two have.

The linebackers all played well. Another outstanding night for Pruitt. He seems to be the only guy on the defense who doesn’t miss tackles. Dunbar played well and had a nice run back on the INT. Francois played well. Toal was still limited, but made some big plays. His fourth down stop was critical and established momentum.

The defensive backs played well for the most part. The most frustrating part was watching Virginia Tech exploit the cushion our DBs give, but that is scheme not the players. Virginia Tech didn’t pass on us like other teams have so, there were fewer opportunities to judge our coverage. It seemed like Glasper played well. The only time he got beat was on the TD that was called back due to a holding call. Silva’s night was quiet. Davis didn’t do much but did leave his mark with a big hit.

Spaz's gameplan was much more aggressive than last year’s. Virginia Tech continued to exploit our cushion. That was my only complaint. We blitzed much more and from a few different positions. The delay blitz with Akins was very effective. The beauty of sending him, is that with his speed he can leave late and still get to the QB from nearly any position.

Special Teams: B+
I’ve gotten on Larry Anam many times, so I have to give him credit for his excellent play on special teams. He is playing really well as the gunner on the punt coverage unit and shows great hustle on the kick coverage.

Ayers’ game was solid but for one kick.

Aponavicius…not much to say that hasn’t been said. Great story. Looked good on the PATs and FGs. His kick offs leave a lot to be desired.

Overall: A-

You've got to like a 19-point victory over a ranked ACC team that has owned you. The defense finally played well. I am concerned about Ryan's injury, but I stil think we have a team that can beat FSU.