Day 9 in the books…..breaking news
Before we get into what I just finished writing a few minutes ago, it appears that Virginia Tech running back Darren Evans is out for the season with a torn ACL.
This affects the ACC in ways too numerous to mention. The most obvious is that the Hokies are no longer the prohibitive favorite. I think that mantle may fall to Georgia Tech. What do you think? How does this affect the race?
———-
Now onto what I had written
First, a confession. Because of a commitment at work, I was only able to watch the last five periods of football practice.
So, I won’t have a lot to say about it, and for that I apologize.
Coach Johnson did say that he was happier with the effort the team gave, and that was during what felt like the hottest day so far. A few of the highlights are in the print notebook, which has already been posted on ajc.com.
I appreciate the thoughts you provided last night and today on the areas that need the most improvement from last year’s team.
As, hopefully, you’ve read, improving pass-efficiency is what I led the three-part series with. It’s posted now on the Tech channel on ajc.com.
As I noted, the stat itself is odd, for sure. To be honest, I’m not even sure how someone could have come up with it. But the theory is pretty easy to understand.
Johnson doesn’t seem like a coach whose too big on stats. As he points out, you can manipulate them to say just about anything. But, you’ll only find two teams among the NCAA’s top 25 in that stat that had a losing record last season. Don’t confuse total passing with passing efficiency. For example, there are seven teams among the top 25 passing leaders that had losing records last season.
Of course, flipping it around there are six teams among the to 25 rushing leaders that had losing records last season. There is no rushing efficiency stat (which stuns me). It would be an interesting exercise to come up with one. Anybody figures that one out, I owe you a coke.
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71 comments Add your comment
snapshot
August 12th, 2009
8:36 am
I like CPJ’s comment when someone asked him if it was more difficult play in large stadiums like those of most SEC schools. You know the ones that will hold fans that number in the 80 or 90 thousand range. He said you don’t get extra points for playing in those size stadiums. That should tell you he is not big on stats.
Boss Hogg
August 12th, 2009
8:59 am
Very unfortunate about Evans, but I remember that he got his chance last year after Kenny Lewis went down with an injury. I’m sure that VT has quality replacements. I remember in 1999 when Joe Burns & Philip Rogers went down & Sean Gregory filled in quite well for GT.
DawginLex
August 12th, 2009
9:08 am
I’m as big a Tech hater as there is around here but some of these comments dip way below the “mendoza line” of blog protocol. Anybody posting with glee over an injury that will sideline a kid for an entire season is a total douchebag. The QB for OSU dinged his leg yesterday but I want him 100% healthy when we play them.
I do believe UGA’s senior leadership and increased accountability for their actions is going to pay dividends this year. No one looking ahead toward the NFL contract that is waiting.
The year should be fun.
superDawg
August 12th, 2009
9:09 am
No not scared can’t wait to get in your house and rip the yellow streak right off your back,and shut the nerds up for another decade.tuckfech!
mtraininjax
August 12th, 2009
9:14 am
Realitry Check – You got yours in Athens last year, we are still watching Roddy Jones run down the Georgia sidelines. We’ll get you some salt and pepper for your crow come October and the game of Techs. Our O and Nesbitt will be much better, in fact, Nesbitt will be player of the year for the Tech team. He’s that good and will get better.
BankerDawg
August 12th, 2009
9:40 am
In talking with my Hokie buddies this morning (I lived in Virginia for a while and they are everywhere), they feel pretty strongly that while this is a tough blow, the youngsters behind Evans should be more than fine.
No doubt Evans was impressive as a Freshman, but they tell me that Wilson and Williams are indeed the real deal and more than capable of stepping in.
If it does anything, I think this puts even more pressure on Taylor to be smart about when and how often he runs. If he goes down due to injury, that backfield will be in serious trouble, regardless of how talented the RBs are.
Good luck to the kid on a full and speedy recovery.
GO DAWGS!
Dawghater
August 12th, 2009
9:57 am
Hey “Dawginlex” the pupper dawgs have losers posting as well. Same comments on your blog about the injury of the OSU QB. Boneheads exist on both sides. Just watch our government. So your are correct, anyone excited about a kid being injured is a jerk. However, these boneheads exist for every team!
William Casey
August 12th, 2009
10:06 am
I hope that Evans fully recovers. These are kids playing a game they love no matter what old goats and basement dwelling young wannabes want to make of it. GO JACKETS!
RAMBLE ON!!!
August 12th, 2009
10:09 am
What’s wrong with OSU QB?
Baba O'Riley
August 12th, 2009
10:14 am
Save this remark from Reality Check August 12 @ 7:22 AM. “This will be a very ordinary offense this year”. RC- you should be a coach with the “genius” remarks about the ends closing faster. Why didn’t the coaches who had many, many hours to stude film last year figure that out? They should’ve come on this TECH blog and asked for your advice.
ugablows
August 12th, 2009
10:19 am
Doug, you are easily the worst beat reporter that has ever been assigned to the team…it’s easy to tell that your heart’s not in it and you think it’s a b.s. assignment
jacket fans check out macon.com, there are some great stories and practice reports there….
example-http://www.macon.com/169/story/806767.html
superDawg
August 12th, 2009
10:41 am
Get well soon.
collegeballfan
August 12th, 2009
10:42 am
Doug I am getting the impression, from your reporting & Johnson’s comments, that the OL may have a system built problem. The physical type of lineman needed to make the required blocks in the running game is not the physical type required to make the required passing game blocks.
Am I way off base here?
Jacket Fan
August 12th, 2009
10:47 am
GOD MUST BE A JACKET! No Darreen Evans LOL. Hopefully he won’t be back and my Jackets will ROLL to a NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. If he comes back we need to stomp on that knee!! Great to be a JACKET!
Smitty
August 12th, 2009
10:50 am
The above is not any fan of GT. It’s amazing how much animosity and venom one can display after a hard fought, 3 point loss.
Dawghater
August 12th, 2009
11:01 am
Va Tech has athletes. It’s a shame this kid is injured. I’m a Jacket first but I hate to see any kid get hurt like this. I would expect VT to find someone to step in and do a good job. So I wouldn’t write VT off like everyone thinks. GT has to earn their spot at the top.
Baba O'Riley
August 12th, 2009
11:07 am
MOST UGA fans here have come with classy posts and aren’t hiding behind an alternate screen name.
Jacket Fan
August 12th, 2009
12:10 pm
GOD MUST BE A JACKET! Fate WRECKED that wobbly knee of Daren Evans. Now he’s been thrown on the SCRAP HEAP and GT will ascend to its destined position at the top of the standings. RAMBLIN WRECK!
Reality Check
August 12th, 2009
4:59 pm
mtraininjax…. You just made my point. The only thing extraordinary about last season form tech was they beat Ga. Otherwise it was Chan all over again. 4 losses and an embarrassment in a bowl game. Shows you how much tech needs Ga. Without beating GA. the season means nothing.
VTHokie2012
August 13th, 2009
4:04 pm
Tech Fan and Jacket Fan: Wow you guys are douchebags. Celebrating that Darren Evans got hurt you should be ashamed of yourselves. We still have Ryan Williams/David Wilson/Josh Oglesby to fill in we will be okay, but it is still a big blow to our offense.
matt
August 13th, 2009
4:24 pm
i wouldn’t go so far as to say VT is no longer the favorites. anyone who knows anything about VT football knows that 1 RB going down is not going to determine the season. It will suck for VT when they play alabama though because his blocking ability will be sorely missed