Now that emotions have subsided a bit, we can look back on the Pitt game with a more analytical eye. Tech had big plays on both sides of the ball - as usual. Of course the Hokies made several key mistakes on both sides of the ball as well which ultimately did us in against the Panthers. However, looking past all that, there is one thing that bothers me - the line of scrimmage. Let's face it, there were more than a few plays where Pitt's OL simply showed the VT DL around. In particular, there were back-to-back plays during one of the first half TD drives where Rushel Shell ran for 11 yards per play...

This Summer I did a lot of analysis of the ACC in general and the Hokies in particular. I came up with a couple of things - one I've already posted here (Why do the Hokies always seem to lose the big game?). On a hunch, I looked at all of the OL and DL players on several ACC rosters; I included Pitt as well since I knew they were on the schedule from this year on. What I found is telling, IMO - VT is giving up something like 30 lbs per man up front. In fact, when we play teams like Clemson and Florida St (or next year, Alabama), we'll be out-weighed on both sides of the ball!

via 1.bp.blogspot.com

LINK - What ACC Teams can do - Bigger on the Line.

What do you guys think? Does the coaching staff need to recruit larger OL and DL players?

If you get a chance, check out my blog - ACCFootballRx.blogspot.com - there are several articles about Va Tech, including the one above, which goes into much greater detail about this topic. There's also another issue plaguing the Hokies that I discuss - Slow Starts!

Go Hokies! Blow out Bowling Green!