Welcome to the first edition of Monday Stew, which, if you hate the title, will be the last edition of Monday Stew, and we'll call it something else next week.
I'm trying this title out for three reasons:
1.) It's a play on my name. Stew, get it? Although no one ever called me Stew growing up. Oddly enough, my 17-year-old's friends call him Stew-ball. But no one ever called me Stew-anything.
2.) It pays homage to the original Monday Thoughts title. When you change things, you should pay homage to the past.
3.) My articles tend to be a mixture of things, which is what stew is: a lot of ingredients thrown together. My wife often makes something called Girl Scout Stew, and every time she makes it, I ask her if it's made out of real Girl Scouts. That joke never gets old. Not to me, anyway.
Let's make some stew.
The Return of Fan Boy
Saturday was a lot of fun, and not just for the obvious reasons. For me personally, it was the first game that I hadn't sat in the press box since the 2011 season.
That's not entirely true … I did sit in the stands for the 2014 beatdown that Miami laid on the Hokies, 30-6 on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014, a game we had Jacob Emert write up for us from the pressbox. So this was the first Saturday home game that I had attended without sitting in the press box since watching the Hokies beat Boston College 30-14 on October 22, 2011 -- a game I don't recall at all.
Spoiler alert: I have missed going to games as a fan. Shocker, I know. But even before we finally got press access for the 2012 season, it has been "different" being me. The last game I attended before starting Hokie Central was the 1995 Sugar Bowl, and to say that I have fond memories of that game is the understatement of the year. It was the last game where I went totally hog wild as a fan, the last pure experience I had just rooting for the Hokies to win, because wins were awesome, not because it made for a happier message board, or it was more fun to write about, or because it was good for business to win.
In March of 1996, I started Hokie Central, and started writing about Virginia Tech football and basketball, and things changed forever. From that moment on, while a game was in progress, I wasn't just happy or sad that things were happening; I had to figure out why they had happened, and what it all meant, and what I was going to say when I sat down next at the keyboard. Ever since the first game of the 1996 season, even while all the running and blocking and tackling was happening, a larger and larger part of my brain was in analysis mode.
That may have happened anyway, naturally, as I aged, but I'll never know. I'll never know how I would perceive Virginia Tech football these days, had I not started Hokie Central, which later morphed into TechSideline.com, and somehow, improbably, became what I do for a living. (Somebody wake me up; I've been dreaming for a very, very long time.)
Going into the press box the last four years took that to another level. Not only was I no longer sitting in the stands, but I couldn't even tailgate or have a beer with friends anymore. And I had to wear pants … real pants, not cargo shorts or jeans. And I had to wear shirts that weren't maroon and didn't have VTs on them. Being in the press box has its plusses -- climate control is the big thing, and being able to really follow the game, stats and all, is huge -- but it's a completely different experience, of course.
We hired Ricky LaBlue for many reasons, and one of them was to put him in the press box on game day, so I didn't have to work seven days a week anymore during football season. Like Sergeant Hulka, "I'm getting too old for this *#&%!" As we planned for the season's content, we decided that not only would Ricky write the game recaps, but I would go back to the stands, and experience the game along with the fans, and bring more of that perspective to it. Not to be rah-rah, mind you, but to get back closer to our roots, and see things the way the fans are seeing them, and to hear what they're saying.
I worked the Liberty game in the box with Ricky, but Saturday's game against BC was my first game outside the box this year. I had to find a parking spot and a ticket, just like anyone else.
So it's against this backdrop that I rolled into Blacksburg Saturday around noon, looking for a place to park. I eventually wound up behind the East stands on Warren Street, and I parked in the Lions Club lot back there, where L&M Apartments used to be … used to be.
For me and my college buddies, Warren Street and L&M Apartments hold a special place. We used to have a good friend who lived in a house on Warren Street, right near the entrance to L&M, that we called the Gray House … because it was gray. (We're clever like that.)
The Gray House is long gone, and there's only an empty lot there now. The front concrete walk, including a few steps, is still there, as is the side concrete walk. They converge to a place where the front of the Gray House used to be, and that's where I found myself parking Saturday: roughly where the Gray House front porch existed once upon a time, back in the 1980s. Where I once crooned U2's "With or Without You" to an on-again, off-again girlfriend, a low moment I can't seem to un-remember.
We attended a number of block parties at L&M Apartments back then, and we even staged one there ourselves, in the spring of 1986 or so. For those who know who Bill "Moose" Mathews was, the "M" in L&M stands for Mathews; he was part owner of the complex.
The L&M complex was purchased by the developers of the ill-fated Legends of Blacksburg luxury condominium project, and though that project never materialized (Google it for some interesting background material), they did at one point tear down the apartment complex, in 2012.
It's just weird being back there, but it's also exciting. When I parked there Saturday and got out of the car, I got that old feeling in the pit of my stomach. Hokies were tailgating everywhere, and a big game was coming up, a game that was going to tell us something about this year's edition of the Hokies. I was nervous, and looking forward to tailgating with friends for the first time in four years, and wondering what was going to happen.
I gotta admit, it was pretty cool.
Now, about that game…
An Interesting Quote by Jerod Evans
In case you missed it, Jerod Evans said this to the media after he threw for five touchdowns and the Hokies lit up Boston College for 49 points (emphasis added):“I think the guys are getting a taste of what we can do,” Evans said. “I don’t think the guys have seen an explosive offense, just talking to them and putting up 49 points, it’s something new to the guys but I think that’s just a little taste of what we can do if we hold onto the ball. I think they’re going to get that much hungrier to go out and carry the ball that much more because they know if we carry the ball and don’t fumble, then everybody is going to get touches, everybody is going to get the ball, everybody is going to get their share because at the end of the day we’re a team, but we play for each other and I think that showed today, that we learn from our mistakes and actually made a conscious effort to protect the ball.”
That gets my vote for the most interesting quote of the weekend. The line "it's something new to the guys" reminded me that Evans wasn't here last year; he wasn't part of the Beamer/Loeffler operation at Virginia Tech, whereas nearly every other player on the offense was.I'm not used to a guy who sees 49 points as business as usual, so I went looking for Evans' stats at Trinity Valley Community College in Texas last year. We all know the eye-popping 38 touchdowns and three interceptions he put up there in 2015, but when you find out he did it in just eight games, and what it looks like on a game-by-game basis, it looks like this:
Those are video game numbers. Trinity Valley averaged 63 points with Evans as their starter. They scored over 49 points seven of eight times that he played, including a 94-7 smackdown of Texas A&T.
Yes, defense is optional at the community college level, at least in the league Trinity Valley played in. Kudos to the mighty Blinn College defenders for holding Trinity to just 36 points.
Evans is no doubt finding the sledding a bit tougher at the Division 1 level, but the larger point stands: this is a guy who didn't just throw five touchdowns against Boston College Saturday; he did it four times last season. He didn't just lead the Hokies to 49 points Saturday; his team scored 49+ almost every time out last season.
Evans is used to it, and if you think back to Fuente's comments after the Tennessee game about expecting success, his decision to start Evans over Brenden Motley makes more sense. Evans expects offensive success, and I think he realized Saturday that part of his role as a leader is to pass that viewpoint down to his teammates.
"How Do You Stop That?"
I was thinking about three of Evans' five touchdown passes Saturday: the ones to Travon McMillian, Chris Cunningham and Sam Rogers.
Specifically, I was thinking about how many times my buddies and I looked at each other and marveled at how the Hokies schemed receivers open for those three touchdowns, and asked the question, "How do you stop that?"
We also asked the question on the fade route to Isaiah Ford, which was so perfectly thrown that there was no way it could be stopped. But that was a question of execution, which was perfect, not scheming.
First, the McMillian touchdown:
Replay the video from the 13:00 mark to see it again
In this one, the wide receiver split out right goes in motion, taking the defensive back with him. Other receivers clear out that side once the ball is snapped, and McMillian fills the void. Where BC really gets into trouble is when they bring pressure from the right side of the Hokie offense with #11; once that's done and Evans gets the pass off, the Eagles don't have a chance. BC sent six guys on the play, and it's so well-designed, and it's such a perfect call against that defense, that it was going to score, like a Lee Suggs toss sweep.
Next, the Cunningham touchdown:
Replay the video from the 1:31:33 mark to see it again
That's just not fair. Cunningham comes from the left in motion, and there's no way a linebacker can stay with him, especially when the closest linebacker arcs into the backfield and lets Cunningham go. The two receivers to the right cross over and go left, clearing out the defensive backs, and it's a walk into the end zone for Cunningham.
By the way, I watched Chris Cunningham a lot, and he did a really good job blocking. He's not a big, powerful guy, at only 6-2, 236, but he blocks very well in space. When he is put inline, he's not a bulldozer, but he seals very well, and he stays engaged in his blocks. He's very good at getting his hands inside the shoulders of the defender and grabbing, a form of legalized holding that rarely if ever gets called. It will be interesting to see what this staff does with Cunningham moving forward, because he's really built more like a big receiver, not a classic tight end.
Lastly, the Sam Rogers touchdown:
Replay the video from the 1:41:14 mark to see it again
Again, very well-designed and very hard to stop, and the one guy who has a chance to stop it -- #13 for BC -- rushes into the backfield, leaving #5 to cover Sam, and that just isn't going to happen, given Sam's motion, and all the wide receiver traffic over there.
The Hokies were 5-for-5 on red zone conversions, all of them touchdowns, and scheming and execution like this is a big reason why. It's very hard to stop.
Enough film study … that's not really my thing.
Breaking down the 49-0
As you know, this victory ties Tech's largest margin of victory in an ACC game, going back to when they beat Maryland 55-6 in 2004.
The 49 points had people asking me, "When's the last time we scored 49 points?"
Well … last year. Twice. The Hokies beat Purdue 51-24, and of course beat Tulsa 55-52 in the Camping World Bizarro Independence Bowl.
I think the question people are really asking is, "When is the last time Virginia Tech's offense scored 49 points?"
Ah, that's an excellent question. Against BC, the Hokies scored seven offensive touchdowns … no special teams TDs, no defensive TDs. Boston College didn't even turn it over that much, just twice, and their turnovers didn't set the Hokies up with great field position, either. The Hokies recovered a fumble on their own 42 and drove 58 yards for a score, and later, Adonis Alexander picked off a pass on the VT 15, and the Hokies ran out the clock on the first half.
Virginia Tech scored all seven touchdowns the hard way, no easy setups and no gimmes.
Last year against Purdue (51 points), the Hokies had a fumble return TD and a blocked punt return TD. Against Tulsa (55 points), the Hokies had a punt return TD.
When was the last time VT's offense scored seven touchdowns? In the 2011 opener, when they scored eight offensive TDs on the way to a 66-13 win over Appalachian State, who was FCS at the time.
When is the last time VT scored seven offensive TDs against an FBS team? In a 52-21 win over Wake Forest in 2010. Before that? In a 52-14 win over Virginia in 2005.
So here's your tweet, to sum it up in 140 characters or less:
https://twitter.com/TechSideline/status/777924255078092800
There you go -- the real reason I did that research was to take a poke at UVA:
https://twitter.com/CommonwlthCup/status/777599358359351296
Anyway … that's a big reason why you're so impressed with Saturday's win, especially offensively. This game wasn't one that got "out of whack" with special teams and defensive plays. It was a straight-up butt-whipping.
Quick Hitters
Everything I've got beyond those comments and breakdowns is kind of short, so let's just give it to you, all mixed together … like stew.
Blocking: This is one of the better blocking games I've ever seen from a Virginia Tech offense. There were a few instances where offensive linemen had mental lapses and let guys run free into the backfield for tackles for loss, and of course, Cam Phillips nearly got Travon McMillian killed by missing a block early in the game. But overall, the VT blocking effort was impressive. Even Bucky Hodges got into the act with some nice blocks, including springing Cam Phillips for a 36-yard gain on this play.
Remember what I said about Chris Cunningham? He's throwing the other block on that play. This is when flanker screens work, people: when you block. Trips to the right, two DBs, and BLOCK!
Bucky even had a nifty move in the open field where he juked a guy and picked up extra yardage, another thing he doesn't usually do. But he also dropped a couple balls he should have caught, which would have given him six catches for a bazillion yards, instead of four catches for 48 yards. I think Bucky needs to stay at Tech for another year … don't you? HMMM? J
If only: Virginia Tech took a 7-0 lead, and then Boston College ran the ensuing kickoff back for a tying TD …. except #52 for BC (Max Richardson) committed a block in the back, wiping out the play. Do you think Boston College football fans are sitting around today, saying, "Man, if Richardson hadn't done that, that entire game would have gone differently"?
Hokie players are so used to Joey Slye kicking the ball out of the end zone that an actual return came as a complete shock. Reserve Hokie linebacker Martavious Carter told the press later, "Some guy for BC went running by with the ball, and I thought, 'What the hell is he doing?'"
Okay, I made that last part up.
Way back: Boston College had 15 possessions, and 14 of them started on their side of the field. That's brutal. The only one that started on the VT side was when the Eagles intercepted a tipped pass on the Tech 27 yard line.
By my calculations (it's no longer included in the box score), BC's average starting field position was their own 24.2 yard line. Take out the pick, and they started the other 14 drives on their own 20.7 yard line, on average.
Mooook! Mook Reynolds is a true sophomore, and his versatility is positively … yes, I'm going to say it … Kyle Fuller-like. Fuller was a dominant defender on Virginia Tech's last truly great defense, the 2013 squad that finished #4 in the nation.
That was the year that Bud Foster stationed Kyle Fuller in the interior of the D-line against Georgia Tech, and Fuller wreaked havoc on the GT option attack, including one play where he jumped over the line and tackled GT's quarterback.In this BC game, Bud Foster did everything with Mook, much like Fuller displays in the video above. Mook did everything from corner blitzing to covering wide receivers 30+ yards downfield, including BC's fastest WR, Jeff Smith.
At this stage, Mook isn't quite the open field tackler that Fuller was, though Mook is getting there. And he failed to snag two balls that hit him in the hands, so his ball skills aren't Fuller-like or even Brandon Facyson-like. But it's clear that Bud Foster loves him some Mook Reynolds, and that Mook adds great versatility to this defense, and gives Bud flexibility. I've got my fingers crossed that Mook stays all four years, like Kyle Fuller did.
I also like Mook because, after the open practice for students last spring, I was standing on the field minding my own business, and Mook walked up and said, "Sure, I'll take a selfie with you!" … resulting in this:
Statement Games: I thought there were two statement games in the ACC this past weekend, scores that make you sit up and go, "Wow, look at that." The first one was Louisville 63, Florida State 20. I've been trying to watch a replay of that one, but every ESPNU replay listing of "FSU vs. Louisville" has actually been an SEC replay. I know, I know, I can watch it on the ESPN app via my awesome Roku. I'll get there.
The other game, of course, was this one between Virginia Tech and BC. 49-0 on a good defense like that will make the rest of the league pay attention. The balance of power swings back and forth every week in both divisions, and in this week, it shifted to Louisville in the Atlantic and VT in the Coastal.
Evans Numbers: Jerod Evans is currently listed #11 in the nation in passing efficiency on the NCAA.com web site. That's what 10 TDs and 1 INT will get you. Speaking of which, at this rate, he'll throw for 40 TDs and 4 INTs in the regular season, eerily close to his 38:3 ratio from Trinity Valley last year. I know, that's not likely to happen, but it's still fun to do an "at this rate" from time to time.
The Next Stop on the 2016 Revenge Tour Is ….
East Carolina.
Boston College was the first team to come into Lane Stadium this season having won on their previous trip. The Eagles beat the Hokies 33-31 on the Lane Stadium grass back in 2014, and VT got to pay that one back in spades.
Next up is East Carolina. Not only did the Pirates beat the Hokies on Worsham Field 28-21 back in 2014, but they followed it up by beating the Hokies again in Greenville last season, 35-28. When Hokie fans talk about what went wrong the last four seasons, the losses to ECU are right up there.
It's time to right those two ECU wrongs of 2014 and 2015, and restore order to this series.
I know, this is a process, and we can't expect to go 9-0 the rest of the way and end up 11-1. We're all feeling a little saucy after blowing out BC. But if you told me the Hokies could have six more wins the rest of the way, I'd list ECU as one of those six that I really want, along with Duke, Syracuse, Pitt, GT, and Virginia. Those are the teams that Virginia Tech should be beating, while the others -- UNC, Miami, and Notre Dame -- would be hard to stomach, but understandable losses.
As good as this win over BC was for the soul, a win over ECU would be sweet as well.
Gotta go. Hope you enjoyed your stew. See you later this week in the game preview.