Virginia

Can West Virginia Be “Successful” Against Penn State?

Published

1 year ago

August 29, 2023

Can West Virginia Be “Successful” Against Penn State?

On Saturday, the West Virginia Mountaineers will kick off their fifth season under Neal Brown while they are surrounded by 100,000 Penn State Nittany Lion fans in Beaver Stadium, under the bright lights of what Penn State is calling a “helmet stripe” game – essentially a white out with a single blue line. It will be one of the toughest road venues the Mountaineers have ever played and in order for Saturday to not be a blood bath there is one place they absolutely need to be good at.

Ok Jake so spill the beans already. A great writer I am not, but I do enjoy a good exposition of vocabulary and so I will do so in this space. The expectation of the 2023 season is that the Mountaineers will lean on junior quarterback Garrett Greene and his running ability to start the season. Yes, Brown hasn’t officially announced a starting quarterback but we can deduce that Greene will be the starter, and if he is the starter, the offense is going to look different than it has in previous season. Previous seasons have leaned on the arms of Austin Kendall, Jarret Doege (5th all time in school history in passing yards) and JT Daniels. What the offense has missed is the mobility of those quarterbacks. Greene figures to bring more mobility and less passing.

A running offense must be successful. Defining success in a running offense can be boiled down to efficiency and efficiency can measured as “staying ahead of the chains”. The formulas that break this down aren’t all that complicated but because they are formulas and rules, they will be debated, but we can all agree that a running offense can’t be caught in 2nd and 3rd-and-”long”. Generally the rules of efficiency are: 50% of necessary yards on first down, 70% on second down and 100% on third down. For a normal drive that starts with a first and ten, this would be: 5 yards, 4 yards, 1 yards. A drive that gains 5 yards on first down, 4 on second and 1 or more on third is successful on every play and would ultimately result in a score at the end of the drive.

Can Greene and Brown be successful? Can they generate the necessary yards and stay ahead of the chains? That is the question to be seen on Saturday. But – how has Greene does so far in his young career?

Greene got his shot on the fourth possession of the Oklahoma game. This first drive had a 36% success rate, starting at their own 10 yard line and moved to the Oklahoma 46 before punting, flipping the field. While this drive did not result in points, the expected success of this drive is low and a place where flipping the field is a win. Oklahoma fielded the punt at their own 10 and this meant the drive would cover 80 of the 90 yards and pin Oklahoma back.

Following two more poor drives with JT Daniels at the helm, Greene was given the keys to the car and immediately turned in a 100% successful drive. A 15-yard pass to Kaden Prather, a 33-yard scamper by Greene and a 5-yard touchdown run meant the Mountaineers stayed ahead of the chains and scored. Keeping score, Greene is now 7/14 (50%) on the day in success rate.

The first drive of the second half is where a running offense can go bad. A Tony Mathis 14-yard run put the Mountaineers at 1st and 10 before an illegal formation penalty that was declined put the Mountaineers at 2nd-and-11. Two incomplete passes later the offense punted. This is where a running offense can be bad – behind the chains and feeling like it has to pass to make up the yardage that it missed on first down. Momentum is fickle and when its on, passes are completed and when its off, passes bounce off the turf.

On the whole, Greene finished the Oklahoma game at a 52% success rate, gaining the necessary yardage 30 times in 57 plays. Against the Oklahoma State Cowboys, he finished 8/30 before injury. Against the Kansas State Wildcats, he finished 26/69. In his final three games, Greene had a success rate of 64/156 (41%). Can he be as successful or more on Saturday? We shall see.

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Virginia

Big Tests On The Horizon For Virginia Tech Wrestling – FloWrestling

Published

6 hours ago

November 28, 2024

Press Room

Big Tests On The Horizon For Virginia Tech Wrestling – FloWrestling

At 3-0 with marquee victories over #6 Missouri (23-10) and #21 Rutgers (26-11), as well as a second-place finish in the Keystone Open with just a handful of starters competing, Virginia Tech has swept through a tough November and is prepared for a difficult December.

The Hokies, #12 in Flo’s team tournament ratings but top 10 in various dual-meet rankings, are next scheduled for an annual trip to Las Vegas for the Cliff Keen Invitational, featuring 27 teams, of which 14 are among Flo’s top 25. And then it’s another trip west to Stillwater on Dec. 19 to challenge #5 Oklahoma State in a rare Thursday match.

The early key thus far for the Hokies has been the ability to win the bouts they’re supposed to win and grabbing a fair share of so-called toss-up bouts.

To wit, Tech’s #18 Sam Latona downing Missouri’s #13 Josh Edmond (4-2) at 141, or #25 Rafael Hipolito majoring the Tigers’ #32 James Conway (11-3) at 157 and #15 Jimmy Mullen stopping #20 Seth Nitzel (4-2) at heavyweight.

That trend continued at Tech’s Moss Arts Center match against #21 Rutgers when Latona used a late takedown to defeat Joey Olivieri 7-5, #4 Lennox Wolak pinned veteran Jackson Turley at 174 and #9 Andy Smith slipped past #17 John Poznanski 4-3 at 197.

Hokies coach Tony Robie only took a few regulars to the Keystone Open in Philadelphia and, led by championship efforts by #1-ranked Caleb Henson at 149 and heavyweight Hunter Catka, Tech placed second behind Lock Haven. Latona placed third at 141 and Sam Fisher did the same at 184.

Robie opted to use the Hokies’ roster as freshmen Dillon Campbell (125), Matt Henrich (157), Luke Robie (157) and Jack Bastarrika (133) competed as did redshirt juniors Jackson Spires (165) and Ty Finn (174). Spires placed second.

Who’s Ready For Change?

With legislation on the NCAA’s table affecting scholarship and roster limits — unlimited scholarships and a roster cap — as well as revenue sharing, some college wrestling programs likely have a serious dose of trepidation while others are confident they can deal with whatever happens.

Virginia Tech sits in the latter category.

“I have no concerns whatsoever about that,” Robie said earlier this month. “I think a lot of it probably will happen. It’s hard to say whether it’s good or bad for the sport; that’s not really for me to say. What I will say is you have to adjust with what the rules are and what the landscape of college athletics looks like, and that’s what we intend on doing.

“Is it good for the overall health of the sport of wrestling? The kid that’s the 35th kid on your roster? Probably not. But I think definitely there were probably some things that needed to change; the pendulum was starting to swing significantly the other way. At some point, it’ll probably start to go back to the middle.”

Robie said all anyone can do is wait for the final decisions.

“We have some contingency plans based on what we think is going to happen and we’ll move forward with our plan and try to execute it,” he said.

A Pretty Good Gig

Robie, in his eighth year as head coach, has been at Tech since 2006 and as each season passes, the commitment and enthusiasm remain the same.

“Well, you get to do what you like to do. And it’s a pretty cool thing to be able to coach wrestling for a living and be a part of a pretty good program, and work with some great people and try to affect the lives of the kids in your program,” he said.

“I think anybody would want to do that. For me, I’m not young anymore. I turned 50 … who knows how long I’m going to do it, but I’m going to give it the best I can while I’m doing it and hopefully continue to improve as a program and try to try to help these guys as much as possible. But it’s good, Virginia Tech’s a great place to work, it’s a great place to live. I’ve got a great staff and it makes my life pretty easy.”

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Virginia

VIDEO: UVA Football Players Preview the Virginia Tech Game

Published

14 hours ago

November 27, 2024

Press Room

VIDEO: UVA Football Players Preview the Virginia Tech Game

With the game of year looming this weekend, members of the Virginia football team were made available to to the media after practice on Tuesday morning to talk about the regular season finale against Virginia Tech in the Commonwealth Clash on Saturday night in Blacksburg. Watch the video below to hear what UVA senior safety Jonas Sanker, graduate tight ends Tyler Neville and Sackett Wood Jr., and graduate defensive tackle Jahmeer Carter had to say ahead of the Virginia Tech game:

Sanker is the team’s leader in tackles with 89 total tackles and also leads the ACC in solo stops with 60 unassisted tackles. He has racked up 8.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, four pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, and an interception as part of a strong senior campaign that should earn Sanker some serious consideration for a First-Team All-ACC selection.

A transfer from Harvard, Tyler Neville is Virginia’s second-leading receiver with 35 catches for 387 yards and two touchdowns. Sackett Wood Jr., meanwhile, has recorded three receptions for 18 yards and a touchdown this season. Between the two of them, Neville and Wood have combined to appear in 83 college football games and make 48 starts.

Saturday will be the 55th game in the five-year career of Jahmeer Carter, who has started nearly every game for the last four seasons at Virginia. This season, Carter has 30 total tackles, including nine solo stops, two tackles for loss, one sack, and a pass defender. For his career, Carter is up to 131 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 7.5 tackles for loss.

Saturday night will be the first time Virginia plays at Lane Stadium in front of fans since the 2018 season, as the 2020 edition of the Commonwealth Clash was played in front of only 250 fans due to COVID-19 restrictions and then the 2022 Virginia vs. Virginia Tech game was canceled due to the shooting tragedy at UVA.

Virginia is seeking its first road victory at Virginia Tech since 1998, as the Hokies have won the last 11 Commonwealth Clash games played at Lane Stadium. Virginia Tech has won 17 of the last 18 overall games against Virginia and leads UVA 61-38-5 in the all-time series that dates back to 1895.

Both Virginia and Virginia Tech bring a 5-6 overall record into the regular season finale and both need to win the game in order to reach the six-win threshold required for bowl eligibility. There is only one other game this weekend between FBS teams who are battling for bowl eligibility (Eastern Michigan vs. Western Michigan). Virginia and Virginia Tech played each other for bowl eligibility at the end of the 2014 season.

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Virginia

Virginia Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 Night results for Nov. 26, 2024

Published

21 hours ago

November 27, 2024

Press Room

The Virginia Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Nov. 26, 2024, results for each game:

Mega Millions

Mega Millions drawings take place every week on Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m.

05-22-24-39-42, Mega Ball: 03, Megaplier: 3

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 3

DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.

Night: 7-3-0, FB: 2

Day: 7-2-1, FB: 5

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 4

DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.

Night: 1-6-6-8, FB: 5

Day: 7-4-5-8, FB: 4

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 5

DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.

Night: 0-5-4-9-9, FB: 2

Day: 6-9-5-3-2, FB: 0

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Cash4Life

Drawing everyday at 9 p.m.

04-11-13-30-39, Cash Ball: 02

Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Cash Pop

Drawing times: Coffee Break 9 a.m.; Lunch Break 12 p.m.; Rush Hour 5 p.m.; Prime Time 9 p.m.; After Hours 11:59 p.m.

Coffee Break: 04

After Hours: 05

Prime Time: 06

Rush Hour: 09

Lunch Break: 12

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Cash 5

Drawing every day at 11 p.m.

12-22-31-38-44

Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

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This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Center for Community Journalism (CCJ) editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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