I've noticed a fair amount of questions popping up about Virginia Tech in the comments here at 11W as the game approaches - so I thought it might be a good idea to post some basics about the team we'll be facing in two weeks.
I like to know such a worthy opponent as well as possible, so I joined TheKeyPlay a while ago and have read everything I could get my hands on regarding the 2015 Hokies. Their fans seem like a decent lot, by the way.
I think the biggest mismatch in this game will be when our defense is on the field with their offense. But because so many fans seem more wrapped up in how we'll do offensively - and because I want to save the best for last - I'll begin with their defense.
After last year's game, I doubt there's anybody on this site who isn't painfully aware of VT's defensive coordinator, Bud Foster - and how successful his "bear" front was against our inexperienced offensive line. I'm sure nobody knows better than Foster does that we now have an arsenal of "bear buster" plays ready to go at the first sign of that front this time around.
In fact, I'll be surprised if we see it much at all other than in an attempt by Foster to give us a false pre-snap read - and then shifting in to a more favorable formation against our bear busters at the last possible second. Frank Beamer said they're going to mix things up quite a bit defensively - and that's probably the only thing we'll hear out of them that is not intended to mislead us.
We know they're liable to throw pretty much anything at us - but their depth chart shows them as a fairly standard 4-3 - with only a few notable differences from ours. They call their strong safety a "Rover" - and as the name implies, Foster likes to use him in a variety of ways. The good news is - their starting rover was (academically) suspended for the season - so Foster may have to be a little more restrained in using the projected new starter (Desmond Frye) too creatively.
Like us, they have a hybrid linebacker. But unlike our Walk-out - their "Whip" (Ronny VanDyke) generally lines on the weak side of the formation.
It's probably safe to say most 11Wers know that their defensive line is expected to be one of the nation's best this year. But while they're exceedingly quick - I find it interesting that they're not very big - at least, not by our standards. Their star defensive end (Dadi Nicolas) is listed at 6'3" - 227lbs. Their other fine DE (Ken Ekanem) is a comparatively "whopping" 6'3" - 249. One of their defensive tackles (Corey Marshall) is listed at only 6'2" - 268.
Compared to the rest of the defense, their linebackers are fairly pedestrian by most accounts - although they say Vandyke has a lot of potential. But at only 6'4 - 215 it's understandable that he's had his struggles with injuries. Incidentally, I was reading recently that their Mike (Andrew Motuapuaka) has had problems filling the hole with the same kind of authority the Hokies have grown accustomed to. A very good sign for Zeke.
Other than the new starter at Rover, the VT secondary is superb. Everybody who follows college football knows about their all-everything cornerback, Kendall Fuller - but the other starting corner, Brandon Facyson, is also very good and is expected to be ready for our game (he's apparently fully recovered now from what had been a lingering leg injury). The free safety, Chuck Clark, is regarded as an excellent athlete, also - and may have stepped in for Facyson if he couldn't go. By the way each of their starting DBs is over six feet tall.
If the Slobs and Nick prove quick enough to engage their front 7 effectively - given the Hokies' size - they should be able to push them around sufficiently to create some pretty good openings for Zeke and/or our quarterback. If the Hokies start crowding the box (whether it's in the bear or not) I envision us capitalizing on their linebackers and the new starter in the secondary through the air. We should be able to do that this time.
In a way, it favors us that their best player is a corner. When they play eight in the box, Fuller will be locked up in man coverage with one of our receivers. Even if he wins those battles, I imagine UFM will take that trade-off any day and proceed to pick the rest of the team apart. I'm predicting Nick Vannett will be in for a monster night.
Here are their projected starters and their numbers. I find it helpful to familiarize myself with the players' numbers. You can see the most recent two-deep here: http://www.thekeyplay.com/virginia-tech-football/2015/08/9805/virginia-tech-football-initial-depth-chart-2015-preseason-camp
RDE - Ken Ekanem #4
NT - Corey Marshall #96
DT - Luther Maddy #92
LDE - Dadi Nicolas #90
ROLB - Vandyke #37
MLB - Andrew Matuapuaka #54
LOLB - Deon Clarke #40
RCB - Kendall Fuller #11
FS - Chuck Clark #19
Rover - Desmond Frye #26
LCB - Brandon Facyson #31
Nickel - Greg Stroman #3
Believe it or not - I think their offense is just as interesting - but, as you might imagine, for entirely different reasons. I'll post a similar take on that within the next day or two - unless I get a particularly negative response from this -
