Chris Coleman got it exactly right: we didn’t really learn anything from this game.

I had a sick baby on my leg and a pre-schooler going to town on Christmas gifts below the TV for the entire game, and I was thankful for the distractions. Like most everyone else, I’m glad the season is done. The holidays have trashed my writing schedule, so I won’t inflict slo-mo videos on you for this one.

This ended up being the easiest scout job of the year, or it was until Cincinnati QB Desmond Ridder went out. The game was showing the things Cinci had shown on film all year, down to individual quirks (like Ridder’s tendency to miss high), scheme-specific anticipations (like the bent read plays), tricky things (like direct snaps) and even the o-line penalties and interior weakness. And the Hokies at least seemed to have an idea of it. I’m not saying Tech played well, but there were plays where they slanted and stuffed hard into the read side on run plays in good anticipation of the call. Floyd was walking down into the box, creating a 4-3 look against run plays (I think UCF did something similar with success.) Dax Hollifield matched Warren (the primary RB) out of the backfield. Their big TE was mugged coming off the line. They bracketed Lewis, Ridder’s favorite receiver, hoping to trick the QB into bad throws.

On the first drive, Cincinnati ran a straight veer-blocked play that might’ve surprised Tech, but it was looking okay when they got Cinci to a 3^rd and 8. Then it was screen time. McClelland—who you’ll recall scared me on film—was sidecar in the gun.  And while I didn’t chart down/distance tendencies, I remembered enough that I knew they liked the slow screen on long downs. And that’s what they ran. It was off an arrow route by McClelland. No one read screen, Hollifield hesitated just slightly on the break instead of driving, and McClelland housed it.

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