Monday Thoughts: Thomas, Hokies Steamroll Jackets

Thursday night was a blast. It’s what college football fans live for. A
critical conference game, under the lights, playing the college football
equivalent of Monday Night Football, with your favorite team pulling away at the
end and enforcing its will upon an opponent that fell apart as the clock wound
down. The Hokies really did us proud Thursday night, and
throughout the weekend, Virginia Tech fans were abuzz about the performance of
the offense, chattering about what they had seen from a young quarterback who is
rapidly building himself a legend.

This game is a challenge to do justice, because there were so many twists and
turns, and you can’t cover them all. But I will tell you something that I’ve
noticed about my game reviews this season. Since the Miami game, all I’ve wanted
to write about is the offense. I find myself watching the game on DVR, taking
note after note about what the offense is doing, and losing my concentration and
my appetite for analysis while the defense is on the field.

I used to crunch numbers about what the defense was doing. Now I find myself
sifting through the drive charts and analyzing what the offense is doing,
running numbers on Logan Thomas and David Wilson and Danny Coale and Jarrett
Boykin, comparing them to the greats.

I find myself typing “read option” after every play that is a read
option, and “sneak” beside every play that is a QB sneak, the same way
I used to type “scramble” beside the play every time Tyrod broke the
pocket and ran. I take notes on which players Logan Thomas knocked backwards on
his runs. #6 for Georgia Tech was the victim this week. Dude had help on the
tackle, and LT still knocked him on his can.

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