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Cobrabit

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Too many missed opportunities and big plays given up, but they kept working.

Jackson is inaccurate as a passer leading to missed open receivers and tipped balls for interceptions. I haven't really followed the other QBs on the roster, but from what some of you have said, we've got a redshirt that should compete for the starting job and another coming in that could also be in the mix. While Jackson was a good game manager early in the season, in which I praised his ability to throw the ball away and not force things in order to get points, he's not one that I think can be a true passing threat.

The running game in the bowl game was great, but most likely due to the defense we were facing rather than a really strong performance of our OL that will bode well for next year. We do have some talented RBs and if the OL can improve to make the running game a force next year, then that would take a lot of pressure off the passing game. Then again, hasn't that been a constant theme for us over the last decade or so?

Defense played 'okay', but still got burned on several big plays. Even though it was against one of the most explosive offenses in the country, this again seems to happen often enough against good teams.

Overall, I thought going in that if we could keep it in the low 20s we'd have a shot, but the fumble on the 1 (why are we in shotgun there?!?), the INT, and bad snap inside the 30 were huge momentum killers.


A 9 win season is certainly an improvement over the last several years with Beamer at the helm, but with Miami starting to rise and the Atlantic, we've got to improve a lot to really compete. A good recruiting class is a nice step in that direction and I hope to see the additional talent making a difference over the next few years.
 

amszete

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Just saw your post. My how this place has turned into a ghost town compared to 7 or so years ago. I thought our staff had a really good game plan in place but we did not have the talent to fully execute. Jackson is basically a game manager that can run a bit. This is fine if we were littered with talent at other spots, but we aren't and probably will never be to the level of the blue bloods that are out there. As a result, I really hope that CJF has a solid plan for the QB spot next season. IMO Jackson just does not have the talent to get us to (and win) an ACC Championship. Hooker seemed to play the best out of all the QBs at the last Spring Game, but that's just what that was - spring ball. Regardless we need a solid dual threat that can effectively run Coach Fu's system.

I think in order to compete with Miami, Clemson and FSUs moving forward, we will also need to close on some of the 4 star talent that we have been missing out on the past few years. To your point, having a Top 20 class is a solid start, but we need to keep at it.

Going into next year, it would be nice to see our offense stand on its own and not need to be bailed out by the D. This seems to be the story of our life as a Hokie I guess.

EDIT: I also think we need to get AJ Bush into the game in some way. He doesn't need to be running our offense, but with the talent that we will have at the qb spot next year, it would be a waste to see Bush sit the bench for most of the year. Maybe move him into another role if needed...

Too many missed opportunities and big plays given up, but they kept working.

Jackson is inaccurate as a passer leading to missed open receivers and tipped balls for interceptions. I haven't really followed the other QBs on the roster, but from what some of you have said, we've got a redshirt that should compete for the starting job and another coming in that could also be in the mix. While Jackson was a good game manager early in the season, in which I praised his ability to throw the ball away and not force things in order to get points, he's not one that I think can be a true passing threat.

The running game in the bowl game was great, but most likely due to the defense we were facing rather than a really strong performance of our OL that will bode well for next year. We do have some talented RBs and if the OL can improve to make the running game a force next year, then that would take a lot of pressure off the passing game. Then again, hasn't that been a constant theme for us over the last decade or so?

Defense played 'okay', but still got burned on several big plays. Even though it was against one of the most explosive offenses in the country, this again seems to happen often enough against good teams.

Overall, I thought going in that if we could keep it in the low 20s we'd have a shot, but the fumble on the 1 (why are we in shotgun there?!?), the INT, and bad snap inside the 30 were huge momentum killers.


A 9 win season is certainly an improvement over the last several years with Beamer at the helm, but with Miami starting to rise and the Atlantic, we've got to improve a lot to really compete. A good recruiting class is a nice step in that direction and I hope to see the additional talent making a difference over the next few years.
 

Cobrabit

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Just saw your post. My how this place has turned into a ghost town compared to 7 or so years ago. I thought our staff had a really good game plan in place but we did not have the talent to fully execute. Jackson is basically a game manager that can run a bit. This is fine if we were littered with talent at other spots, but we aren't and probably will never be to the level of the blue bloods that are out there. As a result, I really hope that CJF has a solid plan for the QB spot next season. IMO Jackson just does not have the talent to get us to (and win) an ACC Championship. Hooker seemed to play the best out of all the QBs at the last Spring Game, but that's just what that was - spring ball. Regardless we need a solid dual threat that can effectively run Coach Fu's system.

I think in order to compete with Miami, Clemson and FSUs moving forward, we will also need to close on some of the 4 star talent that we have been missing out on the past few years. To your point, having a Top 20 class is a solid start, but we need to keep at it.

Going into next year, it would be nice to see our offense stand on its own and not need to be bailed out by the D. This seems to be the story of our life as a Hokie I guess.

EDIT: I also think we need to get AJ Bush into the game in some way. He doesn't need to be running our offense, but with the talent that we will have at the qb spot next year, it would be a waste to see Bush sit the bench for most of the year. Maybe move him into another role if needed...


Yeah, there certainly aren't many of us old timers left. I'm sure "life" happened for many and taking a brief hiatus away could easily turn into longer absences. Especially when you would check in from time to time during the last few years of the Beamer era and there wasn't a whole lot of excitement going on.

Of course the changes with SportsHoopla in general with a lot of new refugee influxes that brought a lot of the posting styles that the original members wanted to avoid by leaving ESPN and the like. So while it may be still good on the team board, there wasn't a whole lot of positives to discuss, then you'd go to the CFB or water cooler and see trolls galore. While I've always been one that posts infrequently, even though I read daily, my posting became almost nonexistent for a time. Oh well, things change and I'm still around daily checking out the CFB board and a few others, but figured I'd post this thread here to get some actual Hokie thoughts without trolls jumping in.


QB is the most important position in all of football for a reason. As you mentioned, we just don't have the talent around (yet) to have a game manager lead us to the ACC championship or be able to compete and win against elite teams. I'm interested to see how Fuente does with recruiting over the next 2-3 years after having a solid class this year. We know we'll never be a Miami, FSU, or Bama when it comes to recruiting, but I would love to see a top 10 class here or there.

AJ is someone that I have heard good things about, but really haven't seen much of his play myself. Like you mentioned, we're going to have Jackson back next year as the starter or definitive backup, with the younger QBs competing for the starting job or backup. Having AJ find a position that we could use in matchups would be nice. Could he work out of the slot? Be a pass catching TE with a short split out from the OL? Or work out of the backfield with always the possibility of an HB throw? What I don't want to see is another year where AJ comes in and it is an automatic read option without a real chance of throwing. That may have been something that defenses had to really worry about, but after the first few games where you see Bush come in for a 1st or 2nd and goal, only to run it every time, then Jackson coming back in on 3rd down to pass, everyone on the defense knows what's going on.

Knowing we had a lot of new faces to replace a lot of production from the year prior, we had a pretty good year with some positives and bright spots getting some experience. Still a lot of work to do to be close to contender level, but I am looking forward to seeing how the offseason goes and excited to see what happens.
 

wildturkey

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Yeah, there certainly aren't many of us old timers left. I'm sure "life" happened for many and taking a brief hiatus away could easily turn into longer absences. Especially when you would check in from time to time during the last few years of the Beamer era and there wasn't a whole lot of excitement going on.

Of course the changes with SportsHoopla in general with a lot of new refugee influxes that brought a lot of the posting styles that the original members wanted to avoid by leaving ESPN and the like. So while it may be still good on the team board, there wasn't a whole lot of positives to discuss, then you'd go to the CFB or water cooler and see trolls galore. While I've always been one that posts infrequently, even though I read daily, my posting became almost nonexistent for a time. Oh well, things change and I'm still around daily checking out the CFB board and a few others, but figured I'd post this thread here to get some actual Hokie thoughts without trolls jumping in.


QB is the most important position in all of football for a reason. As you mentioned, we just don't have the talent around (yet) to have a game manager lead us to the ACC championship or be able to compete and win against elite teams. I'm interested to see how Fuente does with recruiting over the next 2-3 years after having a solid class this year. We know we'll never be a Miami, FSU, or Bama when it comes to recruiting, but I would love to see a top 10 class here or there.

AJ is someone that I have heard good things about, but really haven't seen much of his play myself. Like you mentioned, we're going to have Jackson back next year as the starter or definitive backup, with the younger QBs competing for the starting job or backup. Having AJ find a position that we could use in matchups would be nice. Could he work out of the slot? Be a pass catching TE with a short split out from the OL? Or work out of the backfield with always the possibility of an HB throw? What I don't want to see is another year where AJ comes in and it is an automatic read option without a real chance of throwing. That may have been something that defenses had to really worry about, but after the first few games where you see Bush come in for a 1st or 2nd and goal, only to run it every time, then Jackson coming back in on 3rd down to pass, everyone on the defense knows what's going on.

Knowing we had a lot of new faces to replace a lot of production from the year prior, we had a pretty good year with some positives and bright spots getting some experience. Still a lot of work to do to be close to contender level, but I am looking forward to seeing how the offseason goes and excited to see what happens.

We definitely need to be getting good classes. I've always said if we are ever going to consistently win at a national level (which is the goal), you need to consistently recruit at the national level. It's no accident that the top 10 in recruiting classes usually end up resembling the final standings once the season plays out. And its no accident that a lot of those 5 and 4 star kids end up in the NFL draft either. Fuente had a good class last year (can't remember the ranking) and I think we're like 17th and 18th currently this year. That's a big step up from where Beamer had us in his final years (usually in the late 20s to mid 30s). I'd like to see us be in the top 15 every year recruiting wise. It's doable. We're in a talent rich area (DMV and Carolinas). There's enough talent to still get good recruits even with the Bamas of the world coming in and taking the top guys.

Hopefully these classes will pay off soon. We were really young in a lot of areas this past season and the talent just wasn't there or developed enough (especially at OL and RB). I'm higher on Jackson than it sounds like you guys are but I'm still on board with an open competition come Spring but that has more to do with my general philosophy anyway. I've always felt that best man should win the spot regardless of seniority. If it is open, I kinda think incoming recruit Quincey Patterson wins the job. By all accounts, the kid is a stud. He's been to several elite QBs camps and scouts are raving about him
 
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