The Good in the Bad

I stated last week that I didn't think a young GT team with numerous injuries could go into a hostile environment in Blacksburg and win like they did the previous week against BC. Despite a blood and guts performance from Josh Nesbitt (who by the way is growing up before our eyes), the game was ultimately lost on a 2nd Q turnover, that allowed VT to drive down the field and score a touchdown before halftime.

There's a lot of good to take away from this game. The VT defense, despite being young, is as athletic and talented as GT will see this year and the type of defense that people said Paul Johnson's offense wouldn't work against. This was the best PJ's offense has looked in three games and they moved the ball at will during times of this game. The offense generated 278 rushing yards, averaging 5.6 yards per carry. The unheralded sophomore Lucas Cox looked great in relief of Dwyer and could be a real weapon as the season progresses. Its not hard to imagine that as players get more experience, 17 points will turn into 30 and 40 points.

A great article this week by former Navy QB Chris Candeto, who compares the first season at Navy to the current GT team.

Chris Boggs of the AJC sums up my thoughts on the game, exactly.

Some other observations:

-Don't know if it would have made a difference but not having Daymarius Thomas, certainly didn't help GT's cause. Hopefully he'll return from the mild concussion he's suffering because he's clearly the best WR on the team.

-The horrible "helmet to helmet" contact late in the game probably sealed GT's fate. Cooper Taylor was called for the penalty and even the ABC game announcers thought it was a terrible call. VT would have been forced to put and who knows what happens then...

-So up next for the Hokies are Bo Pelini's Skers. A friend texted me yesterday and said how bad it would have looked had GT beaten VT and Nebraska lost to them. I told him that comparing Nebraska and GT right now is comparing apples and oranges. Paul Johnson is flipping the culture, installing a radically different offense. His team has a roster made up almost exclusively of freshmen and sophomores and he is dealing with self-imposed scholarship reductions from the previous staff's NCAA infractions. Pelini's job involves fixing the psyche of the defense, but otherwise the offensive philosophy was kept intact with Shawn Watson. I think provided Nebraska can keep Tyrod Taylor in check, it will be a young VT team that will have trouble coming into hostile Lincoln and escaping with a win.

I said what matters to me is what happens in 2-3 years. When you look at GTs roster, you see that nobody will want to play them starting next year. It could be that Dwyer isn't even the starter with Louisville sophomore transfer Anthony Allen in the mix. All reports I've seen are that Allen, who is redshirting this year due to the transfer rule, is simply a man among boys.

-VT coach Frank Beamer, during his post game interview with ABC, called GT a great team and said the Hokies were very fortunate to win. "They do some stuff that...messes with you."

Next week Mississippi State comes to Atlanta. The Bulldogs lost to Auburn yesterday 3-2. Maybe their defense is okay but at home, GT should be able to get it done. I'd look for the Jackets to be 5-1 heading into Clemson next month.