What We Didn’t See Against W&M

The scoreboard lies. Sure, 44-3 looks great, and I am not about to poo poo a win, even against a I-AA team. However, if you saw the game – watch the game here – you are probably a little concerned about the offense, which appeared to take a step back from the previous game against Ohio University.

The first two offensive drives stalled inside the Tribe’s red zone and Tech had to settle for field goals. The first drive saw the Hokies at the 12 yard line. The first play was a rush that resulted in a 3-yard loss. The next two plays were incomplete passes. With all due respect to William & Mary’s defensive line (which was giving up nearly 20-50 pounds to Tech’s o-line), there is no excuse for not being able to run the ball against a small, I-AA team.

Tech’s running game showed signs of life with a few big runs, but for the most part, the offensive line was unable to open many holes for the tailbacks. On the very next Tech possession, the Hokies got down to the Tribe 9 yard line. First and goal from the nine and Tech managed only four yards. Branden Ore ran up the middle for three yards on first down and then ran for a yard over the left guard on second down. On third down, Tech offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring called a pass play, but quarterback Tyrod Taylor had to hurry the play because of poor blocking up front.

This wasn’t East Carolina (1-3), and this wasn’t Ohio (2-2). This was William & Mary, a I-AA team that our offense should have run over. Instead, it struggled to find its rhythm. Taylor managed just 72 yards passing. He put up 287 against Ohio. Taylor also led the team in rushing with 52 yards … 52 yards … and he picked up 45 of those on one play. Our top two tailbacks managed a combined 68 yards on 20 carries.

Here are some more numbers that will make you think: the leading receiver in this game – take a guess, go ahead! Was it Eddie Royal? Nope! He didn’t even have a catch. In fact, I’m not sure they ever threw to him. Was it Josh Morgan? Nope. He has zero catches. Justin Harper? Wrong, again. No catches for him either. How about Josh Hyman? Nope, but he did have catch … for eight yards. Four outstanding wide receivers and between them, they had only one catch for eight yards. Those same four receivers combined for 13 catches for 196 yards against Ohio.

The leading receiver for the game was Andre Smith who had two receptions for 39 yards. Of course, those came in the second half. The first half leading receiver was tight end Sam Wheeler who had two catches for 15 yards.

The numbers don’t lie. Tech fans would be justified in showing concern about the team’s offense, even with a more dynamic quarterback like Taylor in the game. Sure, he gives you more options, but he is only as good as the plays he’s given to run. And based on what I saw in the William & Mary game, I don’t think Taylor is getting much to work with.

Now, my old man taught me that if you are going to complain about something, you better bring a solution to fix the problem. So, here is my solution: in lieu of hiring a more dynamic offensive coordinator, which isn’t likely to happen as long as Beamer is still the coach, I think Tech needs to shift to a spread offense. You have the speedy wideouts. You have the big, but fast tight ends. And you have Tyrod Taylor, who can do amazing things with an open field. Tech has the speed to wear other teams down. Turn that speed loose and quit trying to play old school, smash mouth, run it up the gut football. The o-line isn’t opening up the holes and the defense you have played so far have manhandled Tech’s running game. Imagine what Miami, Boston College, Clemson, Virginia and Florida State are going to do unless the blocking game improves.

I believe these kids will improve. Rather, I hope they do. I hope that at some point, the lightbulb will come on and things will start clicking. And when things start clicking, confidence grows. And when confidence grows, it becomes contagious. That is what this team needs right now; some confidence to get everyone back on track.

Oh, I almost forgot. The first-team defense was stifling. It played like you would have expected against a I-AA opponent. The second and third teamers gave up big plays and a field goal, but they held the entire second half and didn’t give up any more points. As I mentioned in my earlier blog, “What to Expect Against William & Mary,” Tech got some quality playing time for some of the younger guys and the first-teamers picked up another touchdown while the special teams did the same.

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