What to watch for:

NC State – stay patient, take what the defense is giving, move the chains. Spread the ball around, utilizing the depth they have at RB. Use Darrell Blackman’s receiving skills on screens and wheel routes, aligned in the slot as well as at RB. Use the combination of TJ Williams in the flat to the field side and Blackman underneath to challenge the discipline of Aaron Rouse and Roland Minor in coverage.

VT – look to get pressure on Davis from the DL, blitzing a LB against split back formations. Mix man and zone coverages, matching Adibi on Blackman on protect-then-release routes. Check/adjust in real time to full zone, 3-deep coverages against unfamiliar looks.

This one is easy. Tech’s defense has a lot of experience against the type of offense they are expecting to see on Sunday. It’s an offense that takes a long time to fully install, so while there are concerns about facing Trestman’s offense in the opener, it’s also an advantage to get them early in the season.

Tech surprised some people a year ago with some new defensive looks combined with the fact that they were new to the league. Trestman and his coaches have watched all of Tech’s games from last season and they now know how Tech used a lot of 2-high safety looks pre-snap before rolling down into an 8-man front. They will be prepared for those looks this year and will have specific plans to attack it.

In this game, look for Tech to show a lot of pre-snap sets that will take us back in time. I am expecting to see a lot of single high safety, 8-man front looks pre-snap to force Davis to consider where the pressure is coming from. This will give Tech better matchups and put Aaron Rouse closer to the line of scrimmage where he is most effective. Word is that he has improved his cover skills in space and while he is no longer a liability in deep coverage, he is a dynamite playmaker closer to the ball, so look for the Tech defense to take advantage of that as often as possible.

At the snap, look for the Hokies to blitz very little (unless they see spread formations) and play a lot of the combination zones they used last year with great success. Look for the Tech defense to drop the two outside linebackers (Anderson and Rouse) into flat coverage, with the secondary playing a combination of 2-deep and 3-deep zones. It will be very difficult for State to get a lot of things going against this type of defense, especially if Tech is getting consistent pressure from the DL. They want to make Davis think, throw into coverage or dump it to a back that is looking at Adibi, Rouse, and Anderson or a combination of a LB, safety and corner in a triangle zone.

What to watch for:

NC State – work inside with the running game to open up opportunities for the backs and receivers outside with the short passing game. Slant and zone up front forcing the Tech safeties to come up in run support on the cutbacks. Work the middle of the field by flooding zones, rely on a RS-Sr QB to challenge the inexperienced Tech safeties to correctly read the long to short progressions.

VT – no big plays. Load the box, blitz on run keys, drop out and zone on pass keys. Forego all out blitzes to take away screen passes. Make Jay Davis win the game by getting pressure from the DL, using one and two-man blitzes against base formations, and playing a mix of zone coverages. Do not expose the inexperience of the free safeties by relying on all out blitzes (Cover-0) or man free (Cover-1) coverages. Play a lot of 8-man front, keeping Rouse closer to the line of scrimmage or in under flat coverage.

This one is a must. A lot has been said about Tech’s OL trying to hold their own against a great Wolfpack DL. The same can be said on the other side as well. Tech’s DL is terrific in their own right and, on paper, goes into the game with several matchup advantages against the Wolfpack OL. Darryl Tapp, Noland Burchette, and Chris Ellis are going to be difficult to handle for anyone this year, but the key to winning the battles upfront is DT Jonathan Lewis. Tech’s scheme is a 1-gap defense that expects the DT’s to get penetration and make plays – not neutralize traffic and free up lanes for the linebackers. Tapp and Jim Davis got a lot of credit for the disruption and havoc caused upfront last season, but the guy that made it work was Lewis. His ability to consistently penetrate disrupted the timing of plays and forced offenses to utilize double teams on him.

This season, look for more of the same from an interior lineman that has become an outstanding player. He will continue to work as the 3-technique in the guard/tackle gap, as well as combine with Carlton Powell and Darryl Tapp to create mismatches against the center/guard trio in Tech’s “46” 8-man front look. With limited depth at DT, Lewis’ ability to stay healthy will be a critical factor in this game and throughout the season. Lewis is a plus matchup for the Hokies against the Wolfpack OL. His ability to disrupt and get penetration is a key component in allowing the Tech defense to rely on pressure from the down four, while using a mix of zone, zone blitz and combination coverages with the back seven.

One concern for Tech will be the performance of the second team DL. Charley Wiles likes to rotate his complete DL during games to keep everyone fresh. Last year, teams found some success running the ball against the second group. Look for State to go heavy on the run game against that second line. For Tech, Barry Booker and/or Kory Robertson play a key role here. If they do not perform, then Lewis will have to play more snaps, likely reducing his effectiveness and ability to be consistently disruptive.

What to watch for:

NC State – test Tech’s discipline and gap control running misdirection up front and lead draws off of play action fakes. Start with quick game, five-man protection and five receivers, adjusting protection to six and seven-man protection packages as dictated by the battles upfront.

VT – challenge the DL to win the battles consistently against the State OL. Force adjustment to keep TE’s and/or backs in to block. Take away the deeper passes by using zones in the backend. Rely on the DL to penetrate and pressure, limiting the amount of time Davis has to cycle through a complex set of progressions that he is using for the first time in an actual game.

In other words, tackle! A primary premise of the west coast offense is quick, short passes that look to gain most of the yardage after the ball is caught. This became such an important factor for these types of offenses that a new term (YAC – Yards After Catch) was invented. Under a Trestman led offense, look for the ball to get spread around on a series of quick, short passes with the intent that all these skill players can do the vast majority of their damage after the catch. With Tramain Hall, Darrell Blackman, TJ Williams, and Brian Clark, State has the type of players that can be very effective with this approach.

Again, look for Tech to mix it up, but primarily go with a variety of zone coverages that keeps everything in front of them. For the defense to get off the field, limiting the YAC with crisp tackling will be at a premium (recall Coach Beamer’s comments after the last scrimmage). This will be most critical for the Tech LB’s, who should expect to see a lot of action between the hashes against the short passing game. Adibi, Hall, Anderson, and Rouse in the open field versus Hall, Blackman, Williams, and Clark is a set of matchups that both coaching staffs would be happy with. Keep an eye on how many yards those State players are getting after they catch the ball. Likewise, track how many missed tackles we see from that group of Tech defenders.

To the outside, look for Jimmy Williams and Roland Minor to match up in man coverage in a mix of middle zone and zone blitz looks. Tech wants to protect its inexperienced safeties and they can do that in several ways. One way is to let Jimmy Williams and Roland Minor match up outside, while playing zone in the middle of the field (they can zone blitz from these sets as well). That puts some additional pressure on those corners (as they may not have a lot of help outside deep), but those are matchups that favor Tech’s personnel at those positions. It also takes advantage of Tech’s defensive speed, while preserving the umbrella approach in the middle to cut off the effectiveness of the short passing game.

Against the spread formations, look for Tech to bring the blitz, matching up in man across the board. This will disrupt the timing and precision of those west coast routes. It will also test to see if Davis and his receivers are on the same page with sight adjusts and hot routes in their first game with a new offense.

What to watch for:

NC State – short passes, left and right. Davis is a good fit for the west coast offense, so allow him to spread the ball both horizontally and vertically. Game plan heavy with Blackman and Hall. Utilize those big, talented freshmen backs (Toney Baker and Andre Brown) to show the defense a completely different look.

VT – zone the middle, keep everything under, converge on the ball and tackle. Against a spread look, man across and bring extra pressure. Become more aggressive in the red zone, forcing Davis to show he can make the tougher passes.

Jay Davis was inconsistent in his first year as a starter, but expect him to be much improved this season leading Trestman’s offense. He is a RS-Senior now and the west coast offense fits his skills well. If he makes good decisions and cuts down on the interceptions, then this offense has more than enough talent to do some real damage.

For Tech, expect to see some of the same things you saw against Auburn. I have touched on several of those areas in the earlier keys – a lot of zone looks, take away the screens, keep everything in front, rely on team speed to converge on the ball. Also expect to see the pressure applied if and when State goes to any of those spread formations. Tech wants to put the game in the hands of Jay Davis, in much the same way they put the game in the hands of Jason Campbell in the Sugar Bowl. To his credit, Campbell made some big time plays that were the difference in that game. I think Tech would be comfortable challenging Davis to make similar plays.

If Davis struggles, expect to see Marcus Stone in the game. Stone played reasonably well in Blacksburg last year, enough to convince Chuck Amato to go with him for the entire second half (minus the first series). Stone brings a different set of skills. He is a terrific athlete, with great size and speed. He is most dangerous with the ball in his hands, so look for State to do some different things with him. A mobile QB enhances the effectiveness of a west coast style offense, as Steve Young showed for so many years with the 49ers. If Stone gets in the game, expect the Hokies to continue doing the same things – overload the run, zone up, stretch out horizontally, and force Stone to make plays.

What to watch for:

NC State – a mix of runs and short passes with the QB under center (expect to see little if any shotgun formations from State in this game). Get the ball out of Davis’ hands quickly, then take some shots down the field against Roland Minor. Work left and right, then look for some room in the middle against the Tech safeties.

VT – rattle Davis early, look to force him into poor decisions and mistakes. Be willing to let him take the short stuff. Make the offense drive down the field five yards at a time. Force this offense to prove that they have solved their discipline issues from a year ago (eg, penalties and turnovers).

Will we see a new look for the Tech offense this season? Under Frank Beamer, Tech’s foundation on offense will always be a tough, physical brand of football, so don’t expect to the see the run and shoot around Blacksburg any time soon. However, that style does not preclude a balanced attack that utilizes the strengths of the players on the field.

The Hokies offensive brain trust has been visiting and studying the Indianapolis Colts offense for the past two years and now they have the skill at all the positions to unleash what they have learned. How much of that will we see in this first game? Only the coaches and players know for sure, but look for a more spread out look with some subtle changes to formations and execution. For example, look for lots of different play action type plays, off inside run formations from shotgun, deep handoffs from under center, and lead draw fakes off counters and other misdirection plays. Also, look for formations that isolate the slot receiver on a LB or safety in single coverage. And, of course, look for a lot of Humes and Imoh between the tackles.

With all of the talent on the offensive side of the ball, the expectations for the Tech offense are very high this season. They will get the chance to show what they’ve got right out of the chute against a defense that dominated them for most of the game last season. Statistically, NC State led the nation last year in total defense and their performance in Lane Stadium last year certainly measured up, holding the Hokies to a paltry 30 yards of offense through the first three quarters of the game. It's the 162 yards of fourth-quarter offense that Tech hopes to use as a springboard for this year’s game.

The Wolfpack returns most of their starters from last year’s defense, led by LB Oliver Hoyte, DE’s Mario Williams and Manny Lawson, and DT’s John McCargo, DeMario Pressley, and DeMarcus Tyler. Much like the Hokies, the Pack had to rebuild their secondary this year after three key players exhausted their eligibility. They will have some experience at corner with Marcus Hudson and A.J. Davis, but (again like the Hokies) the safeties will be inexperienced and untested.

State also brings in a new defensive coordinator this year with Steve Dunlap replacing Reggie Herring. The Hokies are quite familiar with Dunlap, having faced him for several years when he was coaching defenses at West Virginia and Syracuse. He is a very different character from the fiery, animated Herring and some have wondered what changes Dunlap would look to make. Expect to see very few changes. While Herring and Dunlap have been successful in what they do, this is Chuck Amato’s defense, characterized by speed, aggressiveness, and pressure.

Herring was a master of the zone blitz, and the Hokies saw plenty of them last year. Since they worked so well last year, I am expecting to see them again, but not as frequent. Some of that will depend on what State wants to show early against Vick, but it will also depend a lot on what the Hokies want to do with personnel and formation. Some coaches are going to try to confuse Vick with a lot of zone looks and a good case can be made for that being the correct approach, but that’s not Amato’s style. I’ll be surprised to see a lot of base zone coverages in this game by the Wolfpack, but that’s what is unique about the first game of any season. The Hokies will need to be ready for it just in case.

Let’s get to the keys for the Tech offense.

You were expecting to see something else right? Maybe something about Marcus Vick getting to the edge or hitting his talented wide receivers deep down the field? I considered many angles to capture how important Vick’s performance will be to the offense in this game. For me, “Poise” captures it best.

For Vick and the offense, this game is about performing under pressure and overcoming adversity. Marcus hasn’t taken a live hit on a football field in 20 months. His first hit will come on the road in a hostile environment on national TV. His first live snap as the starting QB will be against an aggressive, talented, speedy defense with one of the best defensive fronts in the nation. Vick has a bulls-eye on his chest, and he knows that the Wolfpack would love nothing more than to take him down a notch and knock the Hokies off the ACC pedestal.

How will he handle the adversity? I expect he will handle it well, but the key will be poise. Look for efficiency and crispness in and out of the huddle. Is the play clock an issue? Keep an eye on Marcus when he sets up in the pocket. Is he sure about what he wants to do? Does he go through his progressions in rhythm? As physically talented as he is, the most important aspect for a successful QB is decision making. The jury is still out a little bit in that regard, but Marcus has shown the ability to make correct decisions quickly in pressure situations. Remember the infamous 4th down pass-interference-that-wasn’t-called in the Pitt game two years ago? That play is remembered most for the non-call, but in film study, Vick made the right decision on a play where the primary options were taken away.

Against a very fast State defense, look for Vick to be on the run a lot. His re-introduction to the college football scene will be about as tough as it gets, as he looks to do his magic amidst a (pardon the pun) pack of speedy wolves trying to hunt him down. Watch his head when he breaks out of the pocket. If he keeps his head up, then he is under control and maintaining a pass/run option. This will put tremendous pressure on the defense down field as they have to determine how long to stay back and when to come up to challenge Vick’s running ability. Defenses are taught to utilize the sideline and collapse the field when QBs break the pocket and roll to either side, but Vick has enough arm strength and the type of release that will force the defense to defend the backside of the field. Vick’s ability to deliver the ball while on the run will test the Wolfpack’s discipline on defense and will present a case where their aggressiveness can be used against them. That will be critical because the Hokies cannot afford to let this defense just tee off like they did last year. If Marcus stays composed, then look for at least one big pass play down the field with Vick on the run after breaking the pocket.

It goes without saying that protecting the ball will be critical for Vick and the offense in this game. Vick will have the ball in his hands a lot, on designed runs as well as on plays that break down. Will he protect the ball or will we see the ball on the ground a few times? No one really knows, but he is certain to be tested by this defense. It’s his first game after a long layoff and those first few hits will be a big test in that regard. On the initial series, look for the Tech coaches to design an outside run that isolates him on a perimeter defender where he can see where that first hit is coming from. After he gets his uniform a bit dirty and is into the flow of the game, look for him to take it up inside on a QB draw and run the bootleg off of misdirection.

What to watch for:

NC State – look to overwhelm Vick early in the game, using their speed, athleticism and the energy of the crowd to maximum advantage. Show a lot of movement pre-snap, run safeties up then drop them off, slide the front after Vick gets his hands under center.

VT – script the first several plays and limit audibles and checks. Ease Vick into the flow of the game utilizing Humes, Imoh, and the quick game to get the ball into the hands of those playmakers at WR.

NC State’s defense was very successful last year by playing aggressively, foregoing containment and challenging offenses to take advantage of what was available in the face of relentless pressure on the ball. Expect to see that same approach this year as well.

Tech didn’t have the ability to counter that very well last year, but they will have more weapons available this time around. As the game developed last year, State’s defense continued to collapse down and force everything at the line of scrimmage. They ignored containment so much that they were completely exposed to the misdirection run that Mike Imoh broke off for long yardage early in the 4th quarter.

This year, look for the Hokies to attack the perimeter early and often. I anticipate the State defense to be aggressive early, looking to stop the run and to get pressure on Vick. There will be some things available on the edges and the Hokies have to show that they can exploit those opportunities. Here are some things to look for:

Attacking the edges successfully will force State’s defense to balance aggressiveness and pressure with containment. Suddenly, the corners and linebackers have to take a step back, the defensive line has to play more honest and the safeties have to think about stopping Tech’s perimeter players instead of which one of them gets to blitz on the next play. If that happens, then things will be going well for the Tech offense. They will start to see fewer defenders in the box which will open up the running game for Humes and Imoh.

What to watch for:

NC State – contain Vick in the pocket by rushing DE’s wide and prevent him from stepping up by blitzing LB’s and safeties through the middle. Mixing it up with their defensive backs to try to confuse Vick while protecting an untested secondary against big plays.

VT – Quick passes to the wide receivers, bootlegs off of play fakes with run/pass option to the tight end in the flat. Lot’s of play action passes from a variety of formations to get the ball down the field to Royal, Hyman, Clowney, Morgan. Getting Vick to the outside against DE’s crashing down.  

The offensive line is the one concern causing heartburn for the coaches heading into the season. In the first game, as luck would have it, they get to face one of the best defensive fronts in college football and the one that dominated them last season. We are all going to find out in a hurry whether there are some real problem areas along the offensive line.

Needless to say, “protections” was a big issue for Tech in last year’s game. There were protection breakdowns in every area. The protection is part of the play call and is subject to changes and adjustments at the line of scrimmage as part of the QB’s pre-snap read. Last year, Bryan Randall had a lot of difficulty recognizing where the pressure was coming from and when he did get the protection call right, a lineman or a back or a tight end missed his assignment. The first snap of the 2nd half could have been a huge play for the Hokies, but the fullback (John Kinzer) missed his blitz pickup and Randall was sacked. These types of mental mistakes and missed assignments resulted in seven of the ten Wolfpack sacks. Clearly, the Hokies will have to do a much better job executing their protection packages this year if they want to get out of Raleigh with a victory. Let’s take a look at a few key points in this area:

What to watch for:

NC State – be aggressive, challenge Vick’s ability to handle the heat. Surround him from the outside and bring additional pressure up the middle to cut off his running lanes. Try to confuse the Hokies by showing a lot of different blitz looks – it worked to perfection last year. Look for the LB’s to run blitz often. Have a contingency plan to use a “spy” on Vick, but use only if Vick causes damage early with his legs.

VT – use last year’s game as great motivation -- they have been studying and practicing their protection packages all summer. Like Miami did last year in Raleigh, hit big plays early and get State’s defense back on their heels. Spread the formations to simplify the pre-snap reads. Keep a run/pass balance by running at the blitzes with options, misdirection and draws toward the boundary. Rely on a group of very motivated seniors along the OL (Martin, Montgomery, and Murphy) to step up to the challenge.

The move of Duane Brown to OT has been discussed and anticipated for awhile. Tech’s TE’s and tackles practice together and Danny Pearman coaches both positions, so the move isn’t as drastic as it may have originally appeared. He still has a lot to learn and he has to get comfortable with the line calls for the tackle position. Over time, he will only get better but he is, by far, the best athlete to play an offensive line position at Virginia Tech. How the Hokies plan to take advantage of that athleticism will be the focus of this game key.

Against NC State, Brown will generally find himself across from Mario Williams, John McCargo and weakside LB Stephen Tulloch. Brown’s strengths are his quick feet, long arms and his overall athleticism. His weaknesses (at least for now) are his size and strength. The Hokies will design their blocking schemes to take advantage of those strengths and minimize the weaknesses. Let’s look at some ways they can do that:

This move also has a trickle down effect on the personnel groupings and formations preferred by the Tech coaches. The 2-TE formations have become a favorite for the Tech offense the past couple of seasons. They have preferred that look instead of the standard I-formation with a fullback, primarily because they had very experienced TE’s in Jeff King, Keith Willis, and Jared Mazzetta. The 2-TE formations also allowed Tech to use King as an H-back with great success last season.

This year, the personnel makeup is quite a bit different, particularly with the move of Brown to OT. As a result, look for the Hokies to have a balance of fullback and 2-TE formations, while showing a lot more spread formations with multiple wide receivers. Again, this is about the coaches utilizing the strengths of their personnel. The preferred personnel groups and formations will vary from game to game, based on what the situation warrants or what the defensive sets dictate.

What to watch for:

NC State – look to defeat Brown at the point of attack, getting penetration on the right side, disrupting the Tech run game. Use the “tricks of the trenches” against an inexperienced player by tying him up, getting hands on him, keeping him from releasing to the next level. Run some stunts up front to confuse the newly assembled Tech OL. Overflow the other side and challenge Tech’s left guards.

VT – drive block left and trap right. Replace Brown in short yardage situations, perhaps moving him to TE (with a different number). Start the game allowing Brown to lock up with Williams in pass protection and adjust as necessary.

Early on last season, Tech’s offense really struggled to put pressure on the edges of a defense. That played right into the hands of a Wolfpack defense that was looking to load the box and lock down the perimeter with two corners and a single safety. The Hokies moved the ball initially until the Pack figured out that Tech’s WR’s couldn’t get off the line of scrimmage against press coverage. They made some adjustments accordingly and then continued to clamp down tighter and tighter as the game developed. It wasn’t until the 4th quarter that Tech’s offense was able to get some things done on the perimeter.

The growth, development and maturity of the Tech WR’s combined with the skills of Marcus Vick and a revamped Wolfpack secondary tips the matchup scales considerably towards the Hokies this year. It will be much more risky for State to rely on their corners to clamp down the Tech receivers with single press coverage, but expect to see it because base man/man bump and run coverage is a staple of a Chuck Amato defense. It is imperative for the Hokies to exploit those matchups outside when they get the opportunity. Look for Vick to check at the line and take some shots deep when he sees single coverage outside without help over the top. That also gets back to the importance of protections because those deep shots require 3-4 seconds to develop.

Let’s consider some things the Hokies will look to exploit in the passing game:

What to watch for:

NC State – same game plan as last year with the contingency to adjust out as needed. Force the VT offense to prove they can beat a package based on speed, blitzing and press coverage. Will not be intimidated by the hype and press clippings.

VT – challenge the corners physically and the safeties mentally. Give the outside receivers chances to defeat press coverage. Work the middle with play action to see if the safeties are mentally focused. Work the option to the boundary if the read is man coverage outside with zone blitz from the field.

No matter how I dissect this game, I see a close one. Historically, these two teams always play each other tight with most games decided by a touchdown or less. I don’t see any evidence that would indicate a different outcome this year.

In the end, setting aside big plays from the special teams, this game comes down to how well the QB’s play. Will Marcus remind us of that other guy named Vick or will he struggle in his first game out in almost two years? Will we see a rerun of Jay Davis 2004 or will we see an experienced RS-Sr that plays with confidence and leadership?