Hendon Hooker’s No Good, Very Bad Day and How to Solve It

A “perfect storm” refers to a particular collection of circumstances and events that effect one another to create something extraordinary. In Hendon Hooker‘s case, the perfect storm resulted in his worst performance in a Virginia Tech uniform.

The storm has been brewing for several weeks. Hooker’s passing stats this season aren’t great — he’s completing less than 58 percent of his passes and is averaging just 7.7 yards per attempt, both far below the standard he set in 2019. Hooker was one of the most efficient passers in the conference last season, but he’s been little more than a passerby in 2020. Continue reading “Hendon Hooker’s No Good, Very Bad Day and How to Solve It”

Louisville’s Roller Coaster Performances Leave Unanswered Questions

The Louisville Cardinals’ hype train had plenty of steam in preseason.

Scott Satterfield‘s bunch was coming off an eight-win season in Satterfield’s first year as head coach and the team returned some talented players on both sides of the ball.

Twenty-twenty hasn’t gone as well as planned. The Cards are 2-4 thus far — those four losses coming in succession. They included lifeless defensive performances vs. Miami and Georgia Tech and a narrow defeat to a reeling Pitt squad.

However, Satterfield’s birds might be starting to fly in the right direction. And if they’re figuring things out, they’re as dangerous as anybody outside of Clemson.

Continue reading “Louisville’s Roller Coaster Performances Leave Unanswered Questions”

ACC Analysis: Notre Dame Rolls, Carolina Returns and Boston College Gets Right

Another week, another crazy set of ACC games.

Syracuse made life hard on Clemson for three quarters, while Florida State laid an egg after upsetting North Carolina last week.

If there’s anything we’ve learned through the first several games, it’s that the ACC is a roller coaster outside of Clemson. Teams vary widely in performance from game-to-game, depending on individual matchups. There is very little consistency to the conference.

Ranked Virginia Tech lost to Wake Forest. Florida State followed up their upset win over North Carolina with a dud against Louisville. And those are just two examples.

We’ll highlight the conference’s inconsistency in this article.

Continue reading “ACC Analysis: Notre Dame Rolls, Carolina Returns and Boston College Gets Right”

Tech Takeaways: Hokies Underachieve in Upset Loss to Wake Forest

We should have known. We should have seen this coming.

Losing to an unranked opponent while being ranked is something Justin Fuente is familiar with. Since taking over the head whistle at Virginia Tech, Fuente’s team has lost to six unranked teams after coming into the game ranked in the top-25.

With the Hokies riding high after a blowout win over Boston College, they were due for a clunker. And that’s exactly what fans got on Saturday in the Hokies’ 23-16 loss to Wake Forest.

Continue reading “Tech Takeaways: Hokies Underachieve in Upset Loss to Wake Forest”

The Many Obstacles Facing Dave Clawson at Wake Forest

Coaching in the ACC Atlantic Division is stressful.

Take NC State’s Dave Doeren for example. In a normal year, Doeren gets to face both Clemson and Florida State every season, two historically good football programs. He gets to recruit against those schools in his own state, as well as other top-end programs like Georgia, Virginia Tech, Tennessee, Florida, etc.

Now imagine you are Dave Clawson and you’re coaching at Wake Forest. The job just got tougher.

Continue reading “The Many Obstacles Facing Dave Clawson at Wake Forest”

ACC Analysis: Florida State’s Upset of Carolina Throws ACC Into Disarray

There is Clemson, and then there is everyone else.

Six weeks of games have taught us that, and only that, about this year’s ACC. The conference just refuses to put forth a legitimate challenger to the Tigers’ reign.

Let’s run through some of the headlines from this past week’s slate of ACC games.

Continue reading “ACC Analysis: Florida State’s Upset of Carolina Throws ACC Into Disarray”

Tech Takeaways: Hokies Find Their Identity in 40-14 Win Over Boston College

Good football teams know what they’re good at. They play to their strengths and use those strengths to cover for their weaknesses. Virginia Tech did just that on Saturday.

The Hokies’ 40-14 win over Boston College was by no means a masterful performance — the defense still allowed more than five yards per play and the passing game never found a sustainable rhythm. And still, Virginia Tech pounded Boston College with a smash-mouth brand of offense not seen in Blacksburg in quite some time.

Enough of the intro, here are your Tech Takeaways.

Continue reading “Tech Takeaways: Hokies Find Their Identity in 40-14 Win Over Boston College”

Virginia Tech’s Statistical Profile Highlights Hokies’ Offensive Efficiency

Sometimes, numbers lie. That said, if you know which numbers to value and which to weigh more heavily, you get a better idea of what’s actually going on.

Data is driving change in sports. How we view players, how coaches value players, how we discuss team’s strengths and how we examine their weaknesses is increasingly dependent on advanced data that goes beyond the box score. Virginia Tech is no different and therefore, we should take a look at what the advanced analytics say about the Hokies through their first three games.

Continue reading “Virginia Tech’s Statistical Profile Highlights Hokies’ Offensive Efficiency”

Jeff Hafley Using NFL Background to Succeed at Boston College

The American Northeast is home to a few well-known items — the Patriots, the Red Sox, the Bruins and clam chowder.

What the Northeast isn’t known for is their love affair with college football. Boston College plays second fiddle in that market and everyone knows it. That’s part of the reason why building a successful program there has been so tough over the last decade-plus.

Continue reading “Jeff Hafley Using NFL Background to Succeed at Boston College”

ACC Analysis: Clemson Reigns in a Hurricane, NC State Rights the Ship and More

Another week, another crazy set of ACC games.

Each week, we learn more about each of these teams. We learn who is for real (Clemson, duh), we learn who is actually good (North Carolina) and we learn who might be a fraud (Louisville).

Let’s get into this past week of ACC games — except for Virginia Tech’s, we’ve beaten that horse to death.

Continue reading “ACC Analysis: Clemson Reigns in a Hurricane, NC State Rights the Ship and More”