By Neal Turnage
December 30, 2008
Leading
up to the Orange Bowl we'll preview the matchups between the Hokies and
Bearcats. Today we look at the offenses
on both sides. Virginia Tech ranks 107
in the country in total offense but has done just enough in stay in and win most games. Cincinnati throws the ball all over the field regardless of who lines up under center. Will the Hokie offense continue its late-season improvement? Will the Bearcat quarterback(s) be able to get the ball into the hands of the Cincy receivers?
Quarterback
Injuries
forced Cincinnati
to play five different quarterbacks this season. Senior Dustin Grutza started the season but
went down with a leg injury against Oklahoma.
Junior Tony Pike took over the starting job from there but suffered a broken
arm on a roll-out against Akron. Freshman Chazz Anderson filled in from there
in wins at Marshall and against Rutgers. Throw in
snaps from freshman Zach Collaros and Notre Dame transfer Demetrius Jones and
you have plenty of guys the Bearcats can call on if necessary.
Pike
will be the starter with Grutza as the primary backup. Pike, an extremely efficient passer (144.1
rating), leads a 24th ranked passing attack that likes to use screen
and swing passes as a running-game analog.
Pike has the ability to avoid pass rushers but tends to stay in the
pocket and throw the ball away instead of run down the field when pressured. Should he get knocked out of the game or play
poorly, Grutza should be able to fill in with little offensive adjustment. In one complete start and three partial games
he's thrown five touchdowns to just one interception.
For
the first time in forever the Hokies look comfortable with their chosen signal
caller, settling on sophomore Tyrod Taylor over senior Sean Glennon. In the ACC Championship game Taylor showed exactly why his redshirt was
lifted for the second year in a row. His
elusiveness bought him the time to find open receivers for crucial third-down
conversions and allowed him to evade the pass rush and find the endzone on the
ground. Over the course of the season
his accuracy has improved but Tech has been unwilling or unable to let him put
up the deep pass. His longest completion
this year went for just 40 yards.
Without the threat of the deep ball expect the Bearcats to bring a lot
of pressure on Taylor
to force him into making mistakes.
Because
of how often Taylor
pulls the ball down to run, expect to see Glennon take some snaps. However, unless Taylor suffers an injury, most of Glennon's
action will be limited to handing the ball off to Darren Evans. While Ohio State
has hinted that its gameplan includes plays that feature both Todd Boeckman and
Tyrell Pryor on the field at the same time, it is highly unlikely that the
Hokies will follow suit. Instead, their
not-so-secret weapon at quarterback is Greg Boone. The 6'3", 280 lb tight end played quarterback
in high school but so far has only passed once out of the formation.
Cincinnati wins out in this category based on its ability to
operate consistently regardless of who takes the snaps. Taylor
adds an element of unpredictability to the mix, but the Bearcats see him as a
slower version of WVU's Pat White, whom they already beat this season.
EDGE: Cincinnati
Running Back
Since
Virginia Tech started its run of 16 consecutive bowl games the one thing you
could count on, even more than the defense, has been its highly productive
stable of running backs. The Hokies
parted ways with former All-ACC tailback Branden
Ore prior to this season, opening
the door for senior Kenny Lewis. Midway
through the season Lewis ruptured his Achilles tendon against Western
Kentucky. Cue Darren
Evans. The redshirt freshman had been
sharing duties with Lewis until the injury but stepped into the role of
every-down back. He's racked up 10
touchdowns so far and is Tech's first freshman to top the 1,000-yard mark. Evans runs hard and hits holes very quickly
but sometimes relies too much on the holes to open up. He is still learning to make reads and adjust
mid-play but having the ability to carry 30+ times per game he's getting plenty
of on-the-job training.
The
designed quarterback run will be another essential component of Virginia Tech's
strategy. In third and long situations
where defenses are playing the pass, Taylor
will often line up in shotgun and take the ball himself on the draw for a first
down. He's shown a penchant for big
plays with eight runs going for over 20 yards this year including a 73 yarder
against Virginia
and a 50 yarder against Furman. For two
years in a row Taylor
has been the Hokies second-leading rusher.
Cincinnati uses a two-back set with Jacob Ramsey and John
Goebel sharing the carries. They average
4.3 and 4.7 yards per carry respectively, but combine for just over 20 carries
per game. Ramsey has two touchdowns on
the year and Goebel has found the end zone seven times this season. Splitting the workload allows them to always
play with fresh legs, but recent opponents have found ways to neutralize their
impact. In their regular season finale they managed just 60 yards on the ground
against a Hawaii
team that had been giving up 148.8 rushing yards per game.
But
Cincinnati uses
the run game to supplement the passing game, not set it up. Goebel and Ramsey
both factor into that strategy. Goebel
is the primary receiving threat out of the backfield, having caught 25 passes
for 265 yards.
Both
teams will have to work on protecting the ball better. Evans went all season without losing a fumble
then lost two against Boston
College in the ACC
Championship game. The Cincinnati duo has put the ball on the turf
five times in the last four games, losing possession twice.
Evans'
bruising style and limitless stamina combined with Taylor's propensity to run and the occasional
Wild Turkey appearance give the Hokies the advantage in the ground game.
Edge: Virginia Tech
Tight End
The
Bearcats tight ends do factor in their passing attack, though not
prolifically. Ben Guidugli and Kazeem
Alli combine for fewer receptions and yards than the running backs but have
come through with big moments on the national stage. Guidugli pulled off a one-handed grab for 33
yards during a Thursday night game against South Florida and Alli caught the
game-winning touchdown to beat West
Virginia in overtime. Their main purpose, however, is
to stiffen the pass protection for their quarterback.
The
numbers say that the Tech tight ends are nearly identical in production to
their Cincy counterparts, but closer analysis shows that they have greater
game-changing ability. As mentioned
earlier, Boone's command of the Wild Turkey formation adds a much-needed spark
to the Hokies anemic offense. In
passing situations both he and Andre Smith provide some of the most reliable
hands on the team. The pair combined for
three touchdowns before the first Hokie receiver could muster one. Couple that with the way Hokie fans erupt in
a chorus of "Booooone!" every time he catches a pass or lines up under center
and it becomes apparent just how critical the tight end position is to Hokie
success.
Edge: Virginia Tech
Wide Receiver
This
difference in these two squads is the difference between potential and
proof. Virginia Tech is loaded with
freshmen who have the potential to be as good as or better than the class that
preceded them, which included Eddie Royal and Josh Morgan. Cincinnati
showcases two receivers in Mardy Gilyard and Dominick Goodman who have proven to
be game changers. Tech's top three wide
receivers-Danny Coale, Jarrett Boykin and Dyrell Roberts-combine for 984 yards
and a whopping two touchdowns. Goodman
alone has 977 yards and seven touchdowns.
Gilyard has been even more productive with 1118 yards and 10 touchdown catches.
There
is no denying the Hokie receivers have made great strides. The top three options at the position were
gone before the year even got under way.
Speedster sophomore Brandon Dillard suffered an injury in the offseason
that forced him to take the year off; sophomore Zach Luckett was projected to
start at flanker but couldn't stay out of trouble and was dropped before the
first game; and oft-troubled quarterback-turned-wideout Ike Whitaker was
dismissed from the team in October. After
making the adjustment from the number four to the number one spot, Coale
surpassed Royal for most receptions by a VT freshman (33 catches). Boykin steadily improved in the second half
of the season and has finally managed to put his massive hands to good use,
snagging a season-high six catches in the regular season finale against Virginia.
In Cincinnati's last
game against Hawaii Goodman suffered a shoulder injury but returned in time to
practice with the team in Florida. Against Bud Foster's defense probably isn't his
first choice to test the shoulder, but as a senior he's faced enough adversity
over his career to not let it affect his play.
Gilyard possess the quickness and breakaway speed to turn the short pass
into a long gain. He also earned the
reputation of being a class act. In a
game against USF Gilyard caught a pass out of the back of the endzone and his
momentum carried him into the stands, steamrolling a seven-year-old fan. Stunned by the collision, the young boy began
to cry. Before returning to the field of
play Gilyard removed his helmet and stopped to check on the boy to make sure he
was okay then gave him a big hug. If you
hadn't seen the clip already, you can see it here. It's not a bad thing when a guy with
double-digit touchdown catches and over 1,000 yards receiving can be best remembered
for a catch that was ruled out of bounds.
Tech has talent, but Cincinnati has proven
winners. The track record wins out here.
Edge: Cincinnati
Post a comment