On paper, this should be a relatively easy win for Virginia Tech. They have been slowly, steadily, ploddingly improving in their offense. Their defense has been outstanding all season. They are at home. They have revenge on their mind. By contrast, Pitt is still a big question mark. Inconsistent performances on both sides of the ball in consecutive games. Barely surviving their one road game this season.
And yet…
Virginia Tech fans want to be confident but can’t help but worry. They haven’t beaten Pitt in the last four tries. Not since a nail-biter in Blacksburg in 2000. Which feeds into a rare sense of confidence by Pitt fans. Not that Pitt will beat VT, but that it isn’t going to be a one-sided blowout.
Last year was a tremendous disappointment for the Hokies, so their coaches aren’t being shy about pushing the idea of revenge and redemption.
Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster played the revenge card early and often as the Hokies prepared for Saturday’s game against North Carolina, and why not? The Tar Heels blistered Tech last season for 533 yards, 339 rushing, in a 48-34 victory.
Foster’s bunch responded, limiting Carolina to 99 yards rushing in a 27-17 win. Yes, Tar Heels quarterback Marquise Williams, subbing for the injured Bryn Renner (foot), threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns, but the Hokies intercepted him twice and didn’t yield the second TD until the waning moments.
…
Tech’s redemption tour continues next week with a visit from Pittsburgh. The Panthers fleeced the Hokies 35-17 last season.Pitt (3-1, 2-1 ACC) was idle Saturday after defeating Virginia 14-3 last week. The Cavaliers sacked Panthers quarterback Tom Savage seven times – Savage is far less mobile than Williams, and Pitt’s offensive line will need to protect him far better.
Well, yeah.
One area where the Virginia Tech offense hasn’t made a lot of progress is on the ground.
Tech (5-1 overall, 2-0 ACC) had 341 yards against UNC, including just 48 yards rushing against a defense determined to stop the run by routinely lining up at least one more player than Tech could block. It was the third time in the last four games Tech finished with 55 or fewer rushing yards.
It’s been since the 2006 that Tech has been held to 55 or fewer rushing yards in a game at least three times in a season. Tech failed to eclipse 53 yards in four games in ’06, and it was held under 100 yards six times. Despite Tech’s struggles that season, running back Branden Ore still earned first team All-ACC honors (ACC-best 1,137 rushing yards) and the Hokies still finished 10-3.
Every ACC team except Tech has cleared more than 400 yards offense in a game against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent at least once this season.
Tech did have big offensive numbers against Western Carolina, but they are 1-AA. It is shocking that Tech has no real ground game. Helps to explain why they they are still so actively pursuing Shai McKenzie.
As much progress as Logan Thomas has made this season as a passer — at least as far as avoiding big mistakes — I can’t imagine VT fans are enthusiastic about the idea of Logan Thomas having the throw all the time.
along with other freshmen getting ink in the press I wonder what the impact is on the young recruiting prospects????
You don’t need to do any commenter policing on here, indeed, that isn’t your role at all. If the Blog’s owner, Chas, has a problem with anything he’ll let us know.
Until then, some only hear what they want to hear and disregard the rest … (tribute to “The Boxer”).
BTW, SofS22, it was all pmdH2P’s fault to start with, 15 posts into this thread when he asked what a Hokie was in the 1st place, things just spun out of control from that point forward.
And I’m still not sure what a frickin Hokie is or why they have a Turkey walking around as their mascot! LOL!
And Foster will be fine. He made that decision and must live with it. Let’s just hope uncommitted recruits understand that.
Pitt may actually have Bama beat.
As an option, can’t they have a streaking Boyd/Street down the sideline as the secondary target in Savage’s progression, if the primary TE receiver doesn’t open up in quick hitter pass plays?
Works for me and keeps it simple for Savage to make fast decisions, unless he sees a broken coverage and a wide open Boyd 30 yards downfield, TD! (that is if Savage ever gets 4 seconds in the pocket to let Boyd get free 30 yards downfield).
Tech will score on long drawn out drives….Pitt will score quickly.
On 3rd down plays he complete only three passes out of nine tries for 1st downs and was intercepted on another. That isn't good QB play. If he puts that type of play out against VT we'll get creamed. Let's hope that as the weeks go on he'll find a more positive level of consistent play.
All that said – his completion rate on the deep ball, with a WR as the primary receiver, is helping to make up for some of that. If he can do that three or four times a game for points on the board then it helps mitigates the rest of his poorer play IMO.
Foster is totally off radar.
There is also a good cohort of “young guns” and an esprit de corps for the new recruiting classes…
If we can go 7-5 and look solid doing it this is going to payoff big time for local ‘blue chip’ players that want the same visibility in college that they had in their high schools…
I do agree that this is not the place for the political stuff other than a clever retort from time to time.
Did you see the catch one of the Bama receivers made last week. They do have the best of the best. When local players chose a top ten school, they have to expect to sit on the bench and wait their turn, which may or may not come. Hopefully someday we can say that about Pitt.
For now, talented freshmen can make the two deep, so if you want to play now, come on down.
I hope there are some stud linebackers and D-linemen smart enough to take advantage of the opportunity. Recognize that a program is being crafted, take the risk and be a part of it.
The origin of the name Allegheny appears to have been after the Allegheny Mountains, as they had no other name, but the river was for a long time only known as a part of the Ohio river. The designation of both is derived from the same source. The Lenni Lenape in their earliest traditions speak of the Allegewi, whom they first met on the banks of the Mississippi. Schoolcraft, who is regarded as an authority of Indian history says: “The banks of the Allegheny were, in ancient times, occupied by an important tribe, now unknown, who preceeded the Delawares and Iroquois. They were called the Alleghans by Colden in the London edition of his work, and the river is named Allegan by Lewis Evans in his celebrated map of 1755.” The name Allegheny was never used by the French, nor is it found in any documentation relating to the occupation of the basin. The Shawanese named the river the Pelewa-sepi which means Turkey River, either from the abundance of wild turkey or from the Turkey tribe (the Unalachtgo) of the Delawares; and the Delawares themselves called it Kitt-hanne, or the principal stream, whence the name Kittanning. The Senecas, the tribe of the Six Nations occupying the country around the headwaters of the river, named it the O-he-yu, which in their dialect signifies the Beautiful river, and which the French simply translated into LA Belle Riviere. The English took the sound, rather than the meaning and named the river Ohio, which was first applied to the entire watercourse.
The 1755 MS Winsor Map of Braddock and the French troop deployments calls it the Allegany River.
Enjoyed it. Most of all the names are Indian derived around Pittsburgh.
Except for the Dirty O.
Yes Doc, we mostly opted for Pat’s steaks over Gino’s. Gino’s uses cheese whiz.
Having said that, I can’t stop thinking of Alice Cooper in Wayne’s World explaining the origins of Milwaukee.
