This is a good bowl for us. We get matched up with VaTech, divisional champ and the #2 team in the ACC. As bad as the Mizzou loss was, I don’t think it hurt our bowl placement any. WPS
Playing a team that will basically have a home game that is strong against areas where we are weak. We’ll just have to see.
I feel confident!! We will shut down their running game, stifle their passing game and gash their defense for huge runs. I base this on how we’ve done this season. Win, Win, Win, Loss, Win, Loss, Win, Loss, Win, Loss, Win, Loss. So we are now due for a WIN!!!
Agreed! I think we backed into a bowl that would almost be worthy of similar opponent in the Outback bowl or maybe even the Sugar Bowl! Amazing reward for the so so season the Hogs had as this is certainly a gift. I hope we win this one or make the game very competitive as Va Tech is one of the higher-profile programs and the game will definitely get the attention of our recruits!
tough match up for us
I bet Va Tech fans aren’t real happy with the match up. 9-4, top 25, and just played a playoff team down to the wire. Get matched up with an unranked 7-5 team that finished in bottom half of SEC.
I remember before the 2012 Cotton Bowl a lot of the K-State fan base was carping about being matched up with “lowly” Arkansas. And then we went in and handed them their a$$. Hopefully we can pull something like that off again.
Agreed . Fuente is a good coach and they have talent. We better figure some stuff out on defense or it could be a long day for us. Their D is solid.
I agree VaTech is a good team and our defense MUST play better to keep us in it so our offense can win it in a squeaker by 1-3pts. HOGS YA’LL.
this game gives the hogs a chance to prove to alot of us fans that the program is indeed still on an upward tick. this is the best game we could of hoped for after the Mizzou lost. it also give us the opportunity to prove the SEC is still the best conference. at best we’re prolly the 5th best team in SEC and Tech is at worst the 3rd best team in ACC. unfortunately we face another mobile qb, which seems to be our kryptonite. as always our key will be to get ahead, shorten the game and make them one dimensional. after a big downer at mizzou, we can end season on higher note than we prolly should of been given so the hogs need to seize the opportunity. definitely excited for game and to see what CBB has up his sleeve for the bowl. WPS
I am afraid it will not be competitive. VT is a very good team and they play a very hard nose defense that will give us problems. Their offense is tailor made to kill our defense. My prediction: VT 42-10
Agree with reddiehog. This is one of the worst matchups we could have hoped for. Athletic quarterback that can run and pass, with a talented receiving corps. We’ll be lucky if Tech doesn’t hang at least 50 on us. Our defense is really struggling, and our DC is clueless. Only hope is to out score them, which simply won’t happen against a tough, well coached Tech defense. We’ll be lucky to keep this to within two touchdowns.
Hogs will have to be ready to play on both sides of the ball against VaTech. Evans must be contained, so the front seven will have to stay at home and make plays. Offensively, we must be balanced throughout the game. A Bud Foster defense is not to be trifled with.
We’re going to get our tail kicked. Bigly.
Defense needs to stay at home? This defense needs to attack and disrupt! They’ve been staying home and reading on defense all year and that is why they’ve been gashed. Our LB’s are not good enough to read and then fill a hole and the only way to defend a mobile QB is to have him make quick decisions and guess what the defense will do.
If a defense is not gap sound it does not matter if you are aggressive or reading and reacting.
That’s why I said our LB’s aren’t good enough to fill those gaps. We will need much better LB play next year!
Sadly, I fear you’re right. Seems like a very tough matchup. But Bielema does well at getting his teams ready for a bowl game. So I’ll be watching and hoping.
Glad Dre is coming back as well as Kevin Richardson for next year. Scoota should be much improved with more agile speed at the ILB position next season. What will help is our more experienced Ss taking sounder angles, stronger and more agile enough to either get around or shed off their blockers on the second level, and becoming surer tacklers.
How do you revolutionize? Clemson had a lot of problems with Va Tech’s QB. If there are schemes where the DEs are instructed to focus on the QB and eliminate the initial gaps makes you wonder. How then to “revolutionize” defensive schemes against NHHU offenses with strong running/passing QBs because you have to read and react specifically to elite running QBs on these run/pass plays and option fake to RB that you get on every play against these teams. For instance, the staying at home part I am getting now as I am watching replay of the Miss State game where Fitzgerald had two long TD runs, the second was from 15 yards or so. The 1st TD, our DE on the side where the RB was lined up (right side next to the QB) was assigned schematically to that RB and follows him on a fake handoff where the RB is going left instead of staying at home spying on the QB who is very accomplished in the run game. The QB runs right into the gap vacated by the left DE for the long TD. The ILB was walled off on the play as well as the OLB. Mainly SS Deandre Coley initially took a bad angle, still had opportunity to make the tackle but whiffed on him and the TD was subsequently scored. Fitzgerald’s a big guy with a head of steam and the angle was terrible but Fitzgerald does this to just about every team he plays. I still would not let this type caliber of QB (including Va Tech’s QB) to keep the ball–let their RBs try and win the game against our LBs. On the 2nd TD run by Fitzgerald, again the left DE ran with the RB this time on a QB option fake leaving another big gap for Fitzgerald to run through as our LBs were pushed back. Santos came in but whiffed on the tackle this time but Fitzgerald is a big QB with some moves. Va Tech’s QB is very similar so thus I believe the Hogs will be ready this time to tackle and compete better against their QB after 3 weeks preparation but also perform better in the secondary. Everything performs together thus I hope we can also get solid interior push along the entire defensive front. CBB should have us ready after 3 weeks in all phases.
LB play looks to be much improved next season along with improved play by our safeties, DTs, and hybrid DE/S/OLB. It’s been tough sledding for the Hogs going against these types of offense but it is getting rectified through recruiting and having all of our players injury free and ready to contribute in a major way next season.
What Houston did against U of L was attack. I favor this approach if you have athletes at DE, LB, S and other team’s OL is not a strongpoint or weaker due to player attrition, etc.
Arkansas was ranked higher and we were a big Favorite in that game
Just wonder where are those homers who constantly ran their dirty mouths in here?