Taylor has not had to win a game with his arm. Are his stats misleading or is he still a very raw passer?
Gobbler Country: I think a lot of it has to do with the fact he's throwing to four freshman receivers. Last year he was throwing to four senior receivers, so he looked much better. He still occasionally has problems with getting his feet set before delivering a pass, but I think as chemistry develops between him and the four receivers he'll look more like he did throwing the ball last year.
Last season Foster had two different game plans against Ryan. In Blacksburg he brought a lot of pressure. In Jacksonville he dropped more into coverage. What do you think he'll do against this version of BC offense?
GC: I think you'll see more of what you saw in Jacksonville, but for different reasons. The front four have done a good job pressuring the quarterback this year and we won't need to blitz as much to get pressure. You'll see the defense drop back and let the defensive ends to get to the quarterback early. However, if that fails, that's when they'll start blitzing.
We can't give Crane time to throw because we've had a lot of problems with miscommunication in the deep middle part of the field this year. The cornerbacks have been outstanding, but we've seen some busted assignments between the rover and free safety.
Virginia Tech is in a similar position to BC: they've won games, but one early upset has fans and the media doubting the team's accomplishments and potential. Are you pleased with how the Hokies have played?
GC: I am only because I've accepted the fact that every game is going to come down to the wire. We just aren't going to go out and beat a team by three touchdowns this year even if they are Western Kentucky. If you had told me after the ECU game that we were going to win five in a row, I would have called you crazy. So I'm happy with the way the team is playing because they're winning. I'm also happy with the way the team has handled themselves in close games despite being so inexperienced.
Look at the Nebraska game. The Huskers were the team of juniors and seniors and we were the team of freshmen and sophomores. But at the end, they were the ones committing turnovers and dumb penalties, not us.
What is your prediction for Saturday's game?
GC: Both teams will have success stopping the other's running backs. However, I think both quarterbacks will have decent games on the ground. It will come down to turnovers and because of that I like Tech's chances. The Hokies are a young team, but have played with poise I didn't know they had. Virginia Tech, 20-14.
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3 comments:
It might be a poor sampling, but just about every VT blogger/fan I've talked to thinks VT will win and that it's not really that big of a game for them...that they're going to "pay us back" (again) for the Black Eye in Blacksburg...while just about every BC fan knows how gigantic this game is (for both teams) and while confident it will be close and we hope BC will win, certainly acknowledge the alternative.
...or is it just me?
BCMike: I haven't followed the talking heads too closely this week (a good head cold will do that), but I definitely agree with you. A lot of that, I feel, has to do with the perception that BC isn't a football school. People look at BC and think: hockey school, Red Sox fans, pretentious Northeasterners who don't like sports.
I live in Nebraska, and there's an expectation among 'Huskers that they have to win, because they're "better fans" and they have the tradition and that's just that. There's no way a school from Boston could be ranked #2 and be a better team than the Big Red because that just don't make sense.
Obviously, I'm not talking specifically about VT, but the concept can be extended. Tech is the "football factory"; therefore, they deserve to win. We don't have a stadium setting that's impressive on television; therefore, we don't deserve to win. Nevermind the win streak against Notre Dame. Nevermind that we have the secondmost ACC wins since we arrived. We don't get ranked in the preseason because our field isn't named after the current coach (or any coach) and we get dismissed by fans of other schools because it just doesn't make sense for a team from the Northeast to be any good.
Hello bcmike and bcnorcal07 - I agree with you both, of course. But you know what? Let them all think the way they do - and we'll use it to our advantage. Our players are level-headed and well-coached. They can do this - they have the confidence - even the true freshmen!
I live in South Carolina (when I'm not traveling for business :-) and it's pretty much the same there. The little school from the Northeast gets overlooked and is not worthy because of size, fans who are not all rabid, tradition or whatever too "liberal" no doubt.
Go BC - beat VT
Get up early in the game and stay up!!!
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