Second viewing thoughts and grade report: ACC Championship Game

This was a tough one to watch back. This was truly a game of inches. VT’s second and third TDs were nearly stopped. Brace was a step to slow on Glennon’s scramble on the 3rd and seven. On Glennon’s final TD, Akins got to him right after he got rid of the ball. Heck, even Herzy almost got his hand on the second TD. If he’s get four inches more air on his jump, their kicking a field goal. We had them and the game. Such a shame.

Offense: B-

Watching live, it seemed like Ryan was off or rushed a little. Watching it back I realize he played really well. He hit a ton of guys right in stride. He adjusted to pressure well. He ran when they gave it to him. He carried us all year and almost got us in the Orange Bowl. No complaints. Also, the INTs show how stats don’t tell the whole story. Ryan has thrown plenty of bad picks but his two Saturday were not. The first was a last ditch desperate heave to keep the season alive. The second was just another deflected ball when things had gotten even worse.

AC also had a heck of a game. Doing his usual pass catching and running very hard. I hope he goes out strong because his season was a testament to what maturity and a coaching change can do. LV had a few plays. McLuskey blocked well but we used him much less than we have of late. It will be interesting to see if he gets more carries out of our basic offense next year.

The ABC broadcasting team kept referring to our receivers as possession guys. It is an obvious backhanded compliment. Unfortunately it is also true. The prime example was Challengers late catch. A game breaker sheds that Safety and scores the TD. Robinson had a good game. The other guys made some tough catches. The Tight Ends were pretty quiet.

The offensive line was a mixed bag…again. Tennant and Ramsey played well. Ramsey was pulled for a little stretch but looked good throughout. He really finished the season on a high note. Anevski and Hall did not play all that well. Cherilus played well early but started missing assignments and giving up on plays in the second half. Castonzo played better but also struggled in the second half. The lines failure in short yardage also proved costly for BC.

I think Logan called a pretty good game. VT varied from their usual man coverage and used much more deep zone than they normally do. I would assume they didn’t want anyone to get free like AC did in Blacksburg. That left Ryan and Logan to dink and dunk down the field. I would have liked more run plays, but we had enough success moving the ball. It was the redzone where things got harry – Bud Foster pulled a Spaz on us. Some people quibbled about the pass on 4th and one. It is one of those genius plays if it works. I think it was an okay play (Ryan could have hit Purvis if he got rib of it earlier). I know some of the bloom is off Logan. I really liked the play calling Saturday and throughout the season.

Defense: B

The defensive line as a group played well. They did a good job containing the run, just couldn’t disrupt the pass. Ramella had a really strong game. Brady Smith played well. Brace – as I mentioned in the lead – nearly stopped Glennon on the second TD. He didn’t have many other big plays. Larkin had a quiet day to conclude a quiet season. Giles played well eventhough he was called for a borderline penalty. Willette only got on the field a few times. The second team DTs rarely saw the field. We clearly missed Albright.

Considering they weren’t 100%, Dunbar and Pruitt played well. Akins had a really strong game. For the first half of the season he was in a fog. The second half he was a beast. It makes me feel a lot better about next year. Herzy was his usual strong self – I am amazed by how much ground he covers. Francois looked good. McLaughlin didn’t play nearly as much as he has.

The DBs were good, not great. Silva made some big plays, but got burned in single coverage. Anderson was rarely tested. Rollins looked good. Gause was good in run support and is a good tackler. His coverage skills still need work. Morris was rarely tested. Fox saw a few plays at Safety. Glad to see him on the field after his injury.

Spaz’s D had their usual challenges on third down and in the pass rush, but they were not the problem Saturday. They played really well. They mixed things up. He was ready for both QBs. They stopped the run. It was a good gameplan considering.


Special teams: C

Jags blamed the blocked kicks on the snaps. They weren’t good but Stevie’s line drives were also the problem. He is not a good kicker and it hurt us Saturday. The points and the momentum both played a part in the loss. Jags and Yanowsky need to find a serviceable kicker next year.

The punt and kick coverage was good.

Silva did well with the punt returns.

The kick returns were ok. The big problem was the mix up with Akins at the end of the half. But should he really be back there?


Overall: B-

Xs and Os were good. Special teams were shaky. My observation from being close to the sidelines is that the team was flat after halftime. Jags has been great about pushing buttons all year. For some reason the offense didn’t respond in the second half. But overall he had us driving to tie the game with the best player in the conference late in the fourth. I am disappointed but not going to pin it on coaching.

As I’ve said, it was a bitter end to a great run. These guys did overachieve. Let’s put this game behind us and focus on beating Michigan State.