5 Keys to Virginia Tech

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

NE Statepaper

 

We seriously debated building this five keys article as a shrine to that TBS Superstation legend Patrick Swayze, who died this week after a long battle with cancer. He was a staple of what I like to call Generation HDTV, that class of twenty and thirtysomething guys with ridiculously big flat screens and hours to burn watching mindless pop culture from their collective youth.

 

Swayze thrilled us on many a Sunday afternoon in the 12 minutes before the kickoff of early NFL games. When it came to the choice of watching retired football players guffaw through their lead pipe locks, or Dalton take out the trash at the Double Deuce, well, it wasn’t really a choice. None of that processed cheese; give us the sharp Vermont cheddar. Until the kickoff of the early NFL games.

 

We even had the “key” names picked out according to his movies: Red Dawn, Next of Kin, Ghost, The Outsiders…

 

But then we realized: It’s Virginia Tech week. And that’s no time for kitsch. Hokie cornerback Stephan Virgil, who forced a key fumble in Tech’s 35-30 win at NU last year, was right:

 

“We’re going to give Nebraska our best game,” Virgil said. “They’ve played two Sun Belt teams. They’re not Virginia Tech. We’re going to get their best shot, and we’re going to give them our best shot.”

 

The original Virgil couldn’t have said it any better. Well, yeah, he probably could have, but we don’t know Latin.

 

On with the keys.

 

Violent Dance: That’s an apt name for what offensive tackles and defensive ends engage in 30-40 times a game. Last year, Tech’s fast, physical, undersized line won more battles than it lost, consistently harassing Joe Ganz into sacks or errant throws. The Hokies should have even more of an advantage in its home stadium.

 

Enter Marcel Jones, who held his own vs. Arkansas State defensive end Alex Carrington last week, and will likely be called upon to block VT’s excellent end, Jason Worilds, at least part of the time on Saturday.

 

“They’re pretty quick off the ball, but they also play with a lot of power moves,” Jones said. “A lot of bull moves. I’m going to have to drop the anchor and sit on them a little bit. Keep my feet ready for counter moves.”

 

Worilds owned left tackle Mike Smith in 2008 with 1.5 sacks and several more hurries. If Smith isn’t up for the challenge Saturday, look for Jones to swing over there. How NU protects quarterback Zac Lee may determine his success.

 

The Specials: They’re certainly not an afterthought in this game; Tech’s already returned two kicks for touchdowns in 2009. The Hokies used a blocked punt for a safety and a punt return by Macho Harris in 2008 to quickly put Nebraska in a 9-0 hole.

 

“What they do, they do well,” said NU coach John Papuchis, who spearheads Nebraska’s special teams units. “It’s not a gimmicky scheme or anything like that. But they’re very fundamentally sound. They do a very good job of getting on and off blocks…we have some keys and things we’re looking for. Basically, it’s a lot of want-to and a lot of technique and execution.”

 

The Huskers’ kick and punt coverage units are better in 2009 than they were in 2008, thanks to an influx of young athletic talent, and some needed energy from a healthy Rickey Thenarse and true freshman Eric Martin.

 

We remain unsold on Niles Paul as a punt returner, but in the kick return game he’s a threat, with his straight-ahead speed, to bust one open.

 

Hustle and Flow: Linebacker is one hard position to play in college football. You’ve got to be aggressive, but patient. Physical, yet nimble enough to tackle some guy almost two-thirds your size. Single-minded, yet versatile. You’ve got to run like hell, but not too much, lest you get caught in the backwash of a cutback play.

 

If you want to know why the spread offense works so well these days, just consider the stress it puts on 19-year-old linebackers, and how few of them can hold up to it. You can’t just have three good ‘backers. You’d better have six who can do different things, depending on the circumstances.

 

This week, Phillip Dillard takes the stage to help Nebraska shore up its run defense against the Hokies. Tech loves to run sweeps, counters and occasionally options, and do it with a maximum of pulling guards and tackles. Dillard’s playing style and body type fits this game. He’s good at sitting in the hole, taking on a block with one shoulder and blasting through with his free shoulder. Bo and Carl Pelini wisely moved him away from the middle position, where he’s required to make the calls, to a spot where Dillard can expend that emotion and physicality.

 

Sean Fisher and Will Compton, meanwhile, are going to get a smashmouth introduction to big-time college football. Tech’s going attack them specifically, you can count on it.

 

Lane and Lee: Zac Lee’s been to a few road games at Nebraska. Oklahoma. Kansas State. He just hasn’t had to walk out there on the first offensive snap of the game, and feel the weight of the joint pressing down on him.

 

The biggest road game Lee’s started in was at San Francisco City College, when he quarterbacked that team to the California Junior College state title game. He played in Chukchansi Park, a Fresno baseball stadium that holds 12,500 fans.

 

So, yeah, this is a step up.

 

A good running game will help, but here’s the reality: The Hokies are going to force Lee to beat them. Don’t get fooled by Alabama’s plush ground stats in a 34-24 win; it was Tide quarterback Greg McElroy who hit several key passes – two of them right over the head of giant free safety Kam Chancellor – that opened up those running lanes in the second half.

 

Big-Game Coaching: We’ll talk more about this in a column tomorrow, but we want to see how Nebraska’s braintrust responds to adversity on Saturday. Namely, when Tech makes a couple big plays on offense or defense, and Lane Stadium launches into madness. How will Bo Pelini, Carl Pelini and Shawn Watson digest and respond?

 

We’ll be blunt: Watson called 10 excellent games in 2008. One, Oklahoma, was out of his hands before he had a chance. Another, Missouri, was a failure of defensive execution. But against Virginia Tech, he bailed on the running game by the end of the first drive, never tried to use the Hokies’ pursuit against them with a trick play, and generally showed Bud Foster too much respect. He pulled a Callahan. And he hasn’t done it since.

 

The Brothers Pelini, meanwhile, got impatient with their linebacker play and dialed up blitzes to pressure Tyrod Taylor. Taylor calmly sidestepped those poorly-executed blitzes and either ran or passed for big gains. The Huskers practically handed Tech half of its yards by leaving giant swaths of the field wide open. That’s execution, sure. But it’s also coaching, to know that your players can’t do what’s being asked of them.

 

In other words: When Virginia Tech puts Bo’s boys in the corner, how do they get out?

 

[NoKoolAidForME]

Damn!!!!!

Was that post written with fire and brimstone?

[jimk]

I don't know what Sam gets paid but he deserves a raise. I enjoy his stuff.

[redout22]

Interesting stuff. I hope Lee can respond well to an away crowd.