Once again the first team defense was the dominant force it's been since Week 1. There were a couple shaky drives where we gave up a few more first downs that I would have liked. And the quick three play TD drive for the Herd at the end of the half was hard to watch. It appeared that we had some second string guys out there expecting them to just run out the clock, and then with their hurry up style, we were unable to switch personnel and communicate properly.
When it originally looked like Marshall had received the 2 points for returning the blocked xp, I told my friend that's the exact kind of unexpected play that scared me about picking the shutout. When it was overturned I thought it was a sign that maybe the big zero was fate, but that didn't last much longer. Cato was by no means overly impressive, but I see the raw skills that Marshall's true freshman QB possesses, and it will be interesting to see how much he improves by the time the Herd return to Lane in 2013.
On the positive side of the poor execution on offense is the fact that the players and coaches are aware and aren't satisfied either. Coale had a couple quotes in post game I read that gave off both the concern and desire to fix it that I would hope to hear. The skill is there, and it's proven in the total number of yards we're putting up each game. Something just happens when we're deep in the opponent's backyard, and we can't afford to leave points on the field for the majority of the games we have left.
Doing a little bit of a look forward to next week, I cannot be more excited about the game. Having moved far away from Blacksburg, I usually only get to go to one home game a year, and I had chosen this one a while back. (At the time the choice was down to either Clemson or Miami, and now I'm going to both, but more on the Miami story after next week). This is going to be the biggest game in Lane since Miami 2009, and it would be hard for any other home game to top it this season. It will be a treat to be a part of the terror that is a night game in Lane Stadium with a couple undefeated, top-20 teams down on Worsham Field.
Across the ACC
I've already touched a bit on Clemson and how good they've been the past couple weeks. One could say Auburn isn't last year's Auburn by a long shot, and that FSU was slightly depleted, but it was still two quality wins, and the Tigers have the one thing that matters the most in sports: overwhelming confidence.
Miami, come here we need to have a talk. Now I realize that I sort of slighted you by not talking about your game in my predictions blog, but that was because I just expected you to win in a nothing special game. I know, the only thing that seems to matter in South Beach is ego, and I hurt yours, and you wanted to take it out on me. But it wasn't just me; it was the league, your future opponents' strength of schedule, and your own fans' hearts that you hurt. Forget that last one, that actually makes me happy. My only real crime here is that I put too much faith in a program that hasn't been "The U" since joining the ACC, and will probably never "be back" after this year with what is about to happen to your program.
Same goes for Maryland. Now I never put too much stock in the Terps, but when I predict them to win, and they get completely killed like they did, it makes me feel stupid. And I don't like feeling stupid. Don't do it again.
Boston College, you're fine, because you just did your job.
Overall I had a horrible week on my predictions, going 5-4. No real excuse for that (except the people I just blamed earlier). As conference play starts, there will be less total ACC games each week, so I'll need to get as many right as possible to keep the percentage respectable.
Week 4 Predictions: 5-4
September Overall: 30-8
Overall Year-Long Predictions: 30-8
Final Parting Shot
Dear Miami,
Love,
H.O.T.F.G.
H-O-K-I-E-S HOKIES!!!
Follow on Twitter @UtProsimGobbler
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