SWC75
Bored Historian
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Why Virginia Tech will win
- Ever since Syracuse opened the 1985 season with trips to Starksville, (Mississippi State), and Blacksburg (Virginia Tech) and lost in both places, I’ve hated the idea of going to Blacksburg. How could anything good happen in such a place? We are 3-6 there with losses of 7-31, 3-31, 0-62 and 7-51. Even our 1987 team had to rally from a 7-21 deficit to win and preserve the undefeated season. And this will be a night game on a Thursday. How can anything be ‘normal’?
- The two teams are on different escalators. We started 4-0 and are now 4-3. They started 1-3 and are now 3-4.
- Tech’s turn-around is primarily because they switched quarterbacks. Kyron Drones, (58.0%, 12.0 yards per completion, 6.9 per attempt), doesn’t necessarily pass the ball better than Grant Wells, (53.2%, 15.0 per completion, 8.0 per attempt), but he avoid turnovers (1 pick in 150 attempts vs. 2 – both in the loss to Purdue – in 82) and he offers a running threat (334 yards at 3.8 a carry for 4Ts), that Wells doesn’t, (3 yards, 1 TD). Tech had only run for 11 net yards vs. Purdue. The next week we ran for 271 against that same defense, mostly due to Garrett Shrader. Drones is of similar statue to Shrader, (6-2 231) and does for them what Garrett does for us. It was kind of like Shrader for DeVito.
- While Shrader had lost his favorite receiver, (Gadsden), Drones has his: Jaylin Lane has 21 catches for 341 yards, (16.2) and 5 TDs. He has four other guys with at least 16 catches.
- Our pass defense has really slid down the rankings to 112th in the country with 255.7 yards per game. “Where have you gone…Duce Chestnut and Ja’Had Carter?”
- Tech leads the ACC in sacks with 22. Antwaun Powell-Ryland had four sacks against Wake Forest. He has Garrett Shrader in his sights.
- Tech and the other four remaining opponents have heard that Syracuse was looking forward to having the schedule “come back to us” and how these teams are “beatable”. That’s on the bulletin boards.
- We’ve just looks so bad in these last two games, it appeared we can’t beat anyone in this league. The fans are frustrated, depressed and angry. What are the players?
Stats that favor Virginia Tech:
TOTAL DEFENSIVE YARDS SU- 380.7 VT – 341.6
DEFENSIVE FIRST DOWNS SU- 144 VT - 123
DEFENSIVE PASSING YARDS SU- 255.71 VT – 169.43
DEFENSIVE PASSING EFFICIENCY SU- 127.05 VT – 121.90
DEFENSIVE COMPLETION PERCENTAGE SU- 61.8 VT- 54.1
DEFFENSIVE PASSING YARDS PER ATTEMPT SU- 6.9 VT- 6.3
DEFENSIVE 3RD AND 4TH FOURTH DOWN PERCENTAGE SU- 39.4 VT – 36.8
TACKLES FOR A LOSS SU- 51 VT – 58.5
KICKOFF RETURNS SU- 15.5 VT – 24.93
OPPONENT KICKOFFS THAT WERE RETURNED SU- 6/33 = 18.2% VT – 14/35 = 40.0%
PUNT RETURNS SU- 7.47 VT – 13.50
OPPONENT PUNT RETURNS SU- 12.00 VT – 7.86
FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE SU- 7/10 = 70.0% VT – 10/12 = 83.33%
EXTRA POINTS MISSED SU- 2 VT - 0
TIME OF POSSESSION SU- 28:19 VT – 31:13
Comments: Tech is better in preventing the other team from moving down the field, mostly due to a much superior pass defense, (ours has gotten kind of leaky). They have only two more sacks (20-22) but 8 more TFLs. They are a lot better at returning kicks and slightly better at placekicks and holding onto the ball.
- Ever since Syracuse opened the 1985 season with trips to Starksville, (Mississippi State), and Blacksburg (Virginia Tech) and lost in both places, I’ve hated the idea of going to Blacksburg. How could anything good happen in such a place? We are 3-6 there with losses of 7-31, 3-31, 0-62 and 7-51. Even our 1987 team had to rally from a 7-21 deficit to win and preserve the undefeated season. And this will be a night game on a Thursday. How can anything be ‘normal’?
- The two teams are on different escalators. We started 4-0 and are now 4-3. They started 1-3 and are now 3-4.
- Tech’s turn-around is primarily because they switched quarterbacks. Kyron Drones, (58.0%, 12.0 yards per completion, 6.9 per attempt), doesn’t necessarily pass the ball better than Grant Wells, (53.2%, 15.0 per completion, 8.0 per attempt), but he avoid turnovers (1 pick in 150 attempts vs. 2 – both in the loss to Purdue – in 82) and he offers a running threat (334 yards at 3.8 a carry for 4Ts), that Wells doesn’t, (3 yards, 1 TD). Tech had only run for 11 net yards vs. Purdue. The next week we ran for 271 against that same defense, mostly due to Garrett Shrader. Drones is of similar statue to Shrader, (6-2 231) and does for them what Garrett does for us. It was kind of like Shrader for DeVito.
- While Shrader had lost his favorite receiver, (Gadsden), Drones has his: Jaylin Lane has 21 catches for 341 yards, (16.2) and 5 TDs. He has four other guys with at least 16 catches.
- Our pass defense has really slid down the rankings to 112th in the country with 255.7 yards per game. “Where have you gone…Duce Chestnut and Ja’Had Carter?”
- Tech leads the ACC in sacks with 22. Antwaun Powell-Ryland had four sacks against Wake Forest. He has Garrett Shrader in his sights.
- Tech and the other four remaining opponents have heard that Syracuse was looking forward to having the schedule “come back to us” and how these teams are “beatable”. That’s on the bulletin boards.
- We’ve just looks so bad in these last two games, it appeared we can’t beat anyone in this league. The fans are frustrated, depressed and angry. What are the players?
Stats that favor Virginia Tech:
TOTAL DEFENSIVE YARDS SU- 380.7 VT – 341.6
DEFENSIVE FIRST DOWNS SU- 144 VT - 123
DEFENSIVE PASSING YARDS SU- 255.71 VT – 169.43
DEFENSIVE PASSING EFFICIENCY SU- 127.05 VT – 121.90
DEFENSIVE COMPLETION PERCENTAGE SU- 61.8 VT- 54.1
DEFFENSIVE PASSING YARDS PER ATTEMPT SU- 6.9 VT- 6.3
DEFENSIVE 3RD AND 4TH FOURTH DOWN PERCENTAGE SU- 39.4 VT – 36.8
TACKLES FOR A LOSS SU- 51 VT – 58.5
KICKOFF RETURNS SU- 15.5 VT – 24.93
OPPONENT KICKOFFS THAT WERE RETURNED SU- 6/33 = 18.2% VT – 14/35 = 40.0%
PUNT RETURNS SU- 7.47 VT – 13.50
OPPONENT PUNT RETURNS SU- 12.00 VT – 7.86
FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE SU- 7/10 = 70.0% VT – 10/12 = 83.33%
EXTRA POINTS MISSED SU- 2 VT - 0
TIME OF POSSESSION SU- 28:19 VT – 31:13
Comments: Tech is better in preventing the other team from moving down the field, mostly due to a much superior pass defense, (ours has gotten kind of leaky). They have only two more sacks (20-22) but 8 more TFLs. They are a lot better at returning kicks and slightly better at placekicks and holding onto the ball.