Joe Dexter
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Ohio State Buckeyes @ Virginia Tech Hokies — Lane Stadium Monday 8:00 PM ET
One of the countries’ most dangerous defenses against what has become College Football’s most vaunted offense. Two legendary coaches facing off for just the second time — with the games’ most touted head man trying to get one back from one of the game’s legendary minds.
Adding to the mystique is a road game for the defending champions against the only team to defeat them a year ago. At Lane Stadium — one of the top 10 toughest places to play for opposing non-conference opponents.
Since 1996, non-conference opponents have gone 3-48 in Frank Beamer’s house. In those 51 games, The Hokies have held offenses to 17 points or less 42 times. The vaunted Virginia Tech defense has won 32 straight non-conference games at Lane.
Meanwhile, the Buckeyes start their season on the road for the first time since 1998. They’ll do so with the nation’s longest road winning streak. Head coach Urban Meyer has never lost a season opener during his 13 year career.
His team will take the field with a sour taste in their mouth, despite being named champions just over 9 months ago.
A group of developing stars that have now become household names were embarrassed by this same Virginia Tech team a year ago on their home field. Now they’re out to prove against the same key defensive cogs, that they have ascended beyond the defensive dominance that kept them a step behind in their only loss last season.
Ladies and gentleman, is there a better way to start the season for the #1 team in the nation? The only issue with playing in a prime time game on Labor Day to conclude week 1 is waiting three extra days to get the season started.
The Intangibles
TV: ESPN (Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Heather Cox)
Westwood One Radio: Scott Graham and Derek Rackley
Radio: OSU Radio Network/97.1 WBNS (Paul Keels/Jim Lachey/Marty Bannister/Skip Mosic)
Online: WatchESPN | 97.1 WBNS (Audio)
Social Media: @VT_Football | @OhioStAthletics
Series Record: 0-1
COLUMBUS, OH – SEPTEMBER 6: Adolphus Washington #92 of the Ohio State Buckeyes pressures the quarterback against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Ohio Stadium on September 6, 2014 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
Previewing the Hokies
Defense wins games.
The tandem of Frank Beamer and Bud Foster have won a lot of games solely on the havoc they’ve created against opposing offenses. Since 1996, the Hokie defense has compiled more sacks than any other Power 5 team. They’re fourth in that span in total takeaways. Bud Foster’s defense has held offenses to a 31.5% 3rd down completion percentage since he took over as the lead defensive mind in Blacksburg.
As Ohio State fans witnessed last year, what makes Bud Foster’s system so dangerous is the pressure they can create up front. The fact that their secondary can make every play in the book makes it potent.
The same defensive line that sacked J.T. Barrett 7 times returns to field in 2015 as the most vaunted unit in the country. Ends Ken Ekanem and Dadi Nicolas as well as tackles Luther Maddy and Corey Marshall were all named to preseason Nagurski Trophy list, given to the defensive player of the year at the end of the season.
Roanoke Times beat writer Andy Bitter, who joined Clair Crawford and I on the Script Ohio podcast earlier this week, believes that this line will go down in school history. Ekanem agrees.
“I think the sky’s the limit for us, honestly,” Ekanem said. “I mean, we have everybody coming back. Everybody is finally healthy. … It’ll be really exciting to see what we can do this year. Dadi had a hell of a year. Corey is always a disruptive force. Luther is just a different animal, and now, he’s healthy. So I don’t even know what’s going to happen this year, but it’s going to be crazy.”
The quartet opens plenty of possibilities for Foster, a defensive coordinator known to blitz at will. Combined, the starting four has 43 sacks and 81.5 tackles for a loss in their careers, a testament to Tech’s recruiting philosophy up front of finding playmakers and not simply space-eaters.
“That makes it tough for offensive linemen right now or an offensive coordinator, ‘Who do we want to get an extra hat on when it may potentially turn another guy loose?’” Foster said. “And that’s good to have. … Anytime I think we can get our front guys one-on-one, I like that matchup right now.”
Alongside that dominance is a total of 375 tackles between these four monsters.
That pressure allows the highly touted Virginia Tech secondary to be able to make plays on an island. Three time All-American Kendall Fuller’s athleticism and shut down coverage, combined with the play making ability of Brandon Facyson has proven to be a very dangerous package. Facyson missed most of the season last year, but was nearly unstoppable in pass coverage last year against Ohio State.
Add in the mix the hard hitting ability of Chuck Clark at corner and it becomes clear why this unit is so diverse in various play coverages. Bud Foster has a lot of tools to work with in the secondary and can mask the youth pretty easily at linebacker because of it.
Last year, Foster’s flyin’ Gobblers only allowed 4 3rd down conversions against the Buckeyes and it played a major factor in the game. Ohio State was forced into trying to make big plays happen in their comeback attempt to win their 36th straight at Ohio Stadium.
It’s what makes Virginia tech so dangerous on that side of the ball. They are one of the most consistent units in college football over the last ten years.
Unfortunately, the complete opposite can be said about Tech’s offense.
The Hokies finished 96th in total offense a year ago and struggled to find a balance. Their running game struggled throughout the year, averaging less than 150 yards per game on the ground. In the pass game, Michael Brewer proved that he could be a top level signal caller in the ACC if he cut down on the turnovers.
The former Texas Tech Red Raider only had three games last season in which he didn’t throw an interception. During a four game stretch at the beginning of the year, he throw a total of nine picks.
Brewer was named the most improved player of the spring by the coaching staff and there is proof that he can become more efficient on the field. The Hokies didn’t have too many weapons in the aerial attack a year ago but one player that did emerge was former quarterback Bucky Hodges.
Hodges emerged as a number one target for Brewer a year ago. The tight end showed his athleticism throughout the year, starting 10 games and setting a record for single-season catches by a TE with 45.
The USA Today Freshman All-American will play all over the field for the Hokies on Monday. Offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler likes to use him in the slot, as a traditional tight end and even in the backfield as an H-Back.
Hodges without a doubt is the x-factor offensively for the Hokies and he’ll need to have a big day if Virginia Tech wants to make it two straight against the Buckeyes.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – NOVEMBER 15: J.T. Barrett #16 of the Ohio State Buckeyes hands the ball to teammate Ezekiel Elliott #15 during the first quarter of the game on November 15, 2014 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
Previewing the Buckeyes
It’s been an interesting few months for the Buckeyes before the start of the season.
While the coaching staff has been using every waning moment to evaluate whether a Big Ten Championship MVP or Heisman finalist is best served as their team’s starting signal caller, fans have wondered how the team will implement former two-time B1G offensive MVP Braxton Miller into the offense at two new positions.
Wide Receiver coach Zach Smith has to figure out how to replace the suspended Dontre Wilson and Jalin Marshall at H-Back. He’s in charge of finding the best rotation to fill the void of Noah Brown, who was lost for the whole season after breaking his leg in practice less than two weeks ago.
Adding to the complexity of the changes on offense is the fact that two new coaches has taken over as offensive coordinators.
Even with the change in coaching, there is a higher comfort level of being able to succeed on that side of the ball the second time around against Virginia Tech. Urban Meyer, Ed Warinner, and Tim Beck know what they have this time around.
They know that they will be able to change schemes and make adjustments on the fly.
That wasn’t the case in 2014. Four new offensive lineman were making just their second start together as Buckeyes. There was still a three way battle at running back between Ezekiel Elliott, Rod Smith and Curtis Samuel.
Elliott had less than 40 yards on the ground and just 8 carries. J.T. Barrett was Ohio State’s leading rusher by default. He rushed the ball a game high 24 times mostly due to the fact that he couldn’t get comfortable in the pocket or make quick decisions in just his second start.
Flash forward to now and both have some of the best odds in the country to win the Heisman. Elliott is a completely different player that will demand more respect than ever before. Barrett transformed faster than any quarterback in Urban Meyer’s offense.
Against Virginia Tech last year, he completed just 9 passes on 29 attempts.
Now, he is considered the most efficient quarterback in school history. Many believe his tools have opened up the Meyer offense more than any other player during his 13 year tenure as a head coach.
Even with injuries and suspensions at wide receiver, this offense is nearly too much to handle. The Buckeyes will still be in a great position to use the run game to set up the big play. Even with Curtis Samuel listed at H-Back, it wouldn’t be surprising to see he and Elliott have a combined 50 carries on the night.
Each touch is a strategic measure to set up the pass down field or to force the Virginia Tech defensive line to over pursue on screen plays and sweeps.
Defensively, the Buckeyes without a doubt will miss Joey Bosa, who will miss the game due to suspension. That doesn’t mean that the front line isn’t in a good place to make a ton of plays. Veteran Adolphus Washington is enough firepower inside to stop an already watered down rush attack.
Tyquan Lewis and the slew of guys that will play at defensive end are athletic enough to make plays to pressure Brewer into making timely mistakes.
Everywhere else on the field defensively, the Buckeye coaching staff knows what to expect from it’s veteran players — which has to be nerve racking to the offensive staff at Virginia Tech. The Hokie offense gained just 3 yards per carry against Ohio State last season and had just 199 passing yards.
The turnover battle will be an interesting one. If the Bucks can force more than one throughout the night, it will be hard for the Tech offense to catch up.
The Most Amount of Wins vs. The Most Frequent Winner
One of the most underrated story lines heading into Monday’s game is the coaching battle between a legend in Frank Beamer and the man many consider the best coach in college football today in Urban Meyer.
Beamer has more wins than any active coach. He has tallied more victories than legends like Woody and Bo. He has led Virginia Tech to 22 straight bowl game appearances. And last year he proved that he still has it against the best of the best.
Just ask Meyer, who has a better win percentage than anyone in the country that has coached at least 10 years at the FBS level.
While the veteran legend was able to make the adjustments needed on defense throughout the game, the current coaching king didn’t have the personnel to change his team’s initial game plan. Plain and simple, Meyer and then coordinator Tom Herman didn’t know what they had on the field.
Beamer knew his team’s strengths and didn’t shy away from them for a second. Now, after a national championship run partially fueled by their loss to the Hokies, it seems Meyer has the upper hand heading into Monday.
You can never count out the dynamic duo though of Beamer and defensive coordinator Bud Foster, who have been together since 1981, and since 1987 at Virginia Tech.
Common Ground
- Ohio State Defensive Line coach Larry Johnson coached in the state of Virginia from 1992-1993. He was the head coach of the famous T.C. Williams program in Alexandria, Va. I still think Larry Johnson is much more of a hunk than Denzel Washington.
- #10 Jalyn Holmes, who will see plenty of playing time at defensive end, is from Norfolk, Virginia. Freshman kicker Tyler Durbin is from Fairfax and fellow frosh Matthew Burrell is from Woodbridge. Tight End AJ Alexander is from Burke.
- Virginia Tech Offensive Coordinator Scot Loeffler coached at Florida under Urban Meyer as a quarterbacks’ coach in 2009 and 2010. Loeffler is from Barberton, Ohio.
- Cole Pettit (Deshler) and Chris Durkin (Poland) are the only Virginia Tech players from the state of Ohio.
(Click play above for a more detailed breakdown of these key matchups with Joe Dexter and Clair Crawford on Script Ohio)
Ohio State’s Offensive Line vs. Virginia Tech’s Defensive Line
Last year’s game came down to the play in the trenches and fans shouldn’t expect anything different this year. The Ohio State offensive line molded themselves into a unit that helped the Ohio State rushing attack average over 6 yards per carry after struggling in the first two games of the season. Normally that would give them the edge against a defensive line, but what makes Virginia Tech’s front so scary is that they are much healthier than they were last season.
Kendall Fuller vs. Michael Thomas
Many are saying that Michael Thomas is the most important offensive player for the Buckeyes because of the injury to Noah Brown and the suspensions of Jalin Marshall and Dontre Wilson. Against a stud corner like Kendall Fuller, even a couple of big plays could make a huge difference in what should be a run heavy game plan on offense.
Not only will be Fuller be targeting Thomas, but you can bet Bud Foster’s defense will be schemed heavily on shutting down Ohio State’s top receiver to force unproven players to beat them. Where things could get interesting for Thomas is if Meyer and company are comfortable using him in more slant plays or in the slot down the middle of the field.
Bud Foster vs. Ed Warinner/Tim Beck
The Ohio State coaching staff was the first to admit last season that they lost largely in part to the fact that they were not able to make adjustments throughout the game offensively. You have to have a solid game plan heading into the game, but the biggest part of beating a Foster defense is being able to make adjustments against it.
Tim Beck prides himself on being able to do that throughout the years. Warinner is one of the best at exploiting the holes he sees throughout the week in video scouting and on the field as a play caller.
As much as I love that Ohio State combination, there is no doubt that Foster is one of the greatest defensive minds in the history of college football.
The biggest part of this battle will be 3rd down. If the Buckeyes can extend drives by moving the chains in third down situations, not only will they be able to extend time of possession, they will be able to enforce their run first attack at a high level.
Foster is such a genius though when it comes to anticipating the packages opposing offenses will roll out on third down.
That’s what gives this game such a throwback feel.
Whatever team is able to be more physical throughout the evening will be able to impose their will throughout the night.
Rumor has it that Urban Meyer has been preaching to his team this week that the Buckeyes will not have secured a true national championship until the defeat Virginia Tech on Saturday.
If the Buckeyes embrace the grind on Monday, there’s a very good chance the could close the last chapter on The Chase to a National Championship. All while starting a new story on the greatest title defense of all-time.
The post Game Preview: Ohio State @ Virginia Tech appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
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