Offensively, QB Chris Weinke has been the mainstay. The 27-year old has shown poise not only in the pocket as a passer, but also as a leader during the season's toughest times. Weinke is blessed with the most all-around gifted wide receiving corps in the nation, led by senior Peter Warrick, and a running attack, spotlighted by junior Travis Minor. The Seminoles are concerned about Virginia Tech's pass rush, but the "Fast Break" offense will simply adapt to the Hokies' style of play rather than abort the system. What people do not realize is that FSU has one of the most athletically gifted offensive lines in the nation. Virginia Tech will get upfield and will create penetration, but not with the type of consistency that it has become accustomed to. Weinke is going to have to hurry some throws and make some crucial "hot reads" against the blitz, but that is to be expected. As much as the Virginia Tech defensive pressure is highlighted in this matchup, the real spotlight is going to be on Virginia Tech's secondary. Peter Warrick is the most explosive player in college football, finishing the season with 71 receptions and averaging 103.8-yards per game even after missing two games in the middle of the season, but the talent does not end here. Florida State's complementary receivers (Ron Dugans, Marvin Minnis, Robert Morgan, Atrews Bell, Anquan Boldin and Germaine Stringer) will cause the Hokies plenty of trouble. Virginia Tech is going to be forced to make a decision early, either to back off the pressure and play a softer zone in coverage, or come after the Seminoles with a heavy blitz, hoping that the secondary can hold up in press, man-to-man coverage. The Seminoles have shown the ability to score points against either type of scheme. Now all it comes down to is execution on game day.
Florida State has some of the best defensive speed in the nation, but even that is going to be tested against QB Michael Vick. The last time the Seminoles met up with a quarterback similar in talent, Georgia Tech's Joe Hamilton, they allowed 501 total yards and 35 points. Expect a more disciplined performance from a defensive unit that has 45 days to prepare and has come a long way since the Sept.11 meeting against Georgia Tech. The defensive scheme will be predicated on the play of DTs Jerry Johnson and Corey Simon. The team only has 29 sacks on the season, but the pressure has been relentless and the surge against the run is what may be the difference. The interesting matchup will be on Simon. The Hokies faced a similar talent, Chris Hovan of Boston College, and were forced to use a double-team up front. If Simon is double-teamed, the speed and athleticism of the rest of the front seven will create trouble for the Hokies. LBs Tommy Polley, Brian Allen and Bradley Jennings are not well-publicized names, but the production has been incredible, with 302 tackles between them. Vick is going to put pressure on the defensive front with his ability to take off and run the ball, but FSU's biggest concern is going to be how its secondary holds up. The popular perception is that this is a weak area for the 'Noles, but game films show that this is a solid unit, capable of matching up with some of the best athletes in the nation. The team finished 17th in the nation in pass-defense efficiency, and even that is a tribute to its success, as most teams are forced into throwing the ball to catchup for most of the game.
Virginia Tech Hokies
Against all the odds and with a schedule that all but prohibited it, the Hokies emerged undefeated and earned a chance to play Florida State for the national title. In control of its own destiny, Virginia Tech needs to play the best game of the season to emerge victorious.
The name of the game offensively is balance. Hokies QB Michael Vick is the key to this offense, and gives Virginia Tech a chance against Florida State's swarming defense. Vick finished the season completing 90-of-153 passes for 1,840 yards, with 12 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also rushed for 580 yards and eight scores. Against the Seminoles' tenacious defense, Vick must create second chances in the passing game as well as limit his turnovers. The other huge key is going to be the running game. RB Shyrone Stith is a powerful back with good vision and the ability to change direction. Stith, who finished the regular season with 1,119 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns, is going to play a critical role because the Hokies need to establish the run to neutralize the blitz. The strategy up front will likely be to double team DT Corey Simon in both the running and passing game. That means Virginia Tech will need excellent help at the point of attack from FB Jarrett Ferguson in order to open up holes and protect Vick against the blitz. Just as important as balance is to this offense, the Hokies are going to need some big plays out of their receiving corps. WR Andre Davis, averaging 27.5 yards per catch with 962 total receiving yards, will receive a lot of double coverage from the Florida State secondary. WRs Emmett Johnson and Ricky Hall are going to play huge roles as complementary receivers. If Vick can create time -- in and out of the pocket -- the difference will be in the wide receivers' ability to stretch the defense and make some big plays down the field.
Defensively, the Hokies have been dominant, which is due mostly to their defensive ends' ability to get up field and disrupt teams in the backfield. DEs John Engleburger and Corey Moore are menaces in the pass rush, and will need to upset the rhythm of the Florida State passing game. The Hokies are solid in the secondary, but they are not deep enough to matchup against FSU's four-and-five receiver sets. The critical matchup on this side of the ball is CB Anthony Midgett against WR Peter Warrick. The Hokies would ideally like to double-team Warrick, but the problem is that Florida State has too many other weapons in its receiving corps. Look for Virginia Tech to play a lot of "cloud coverage" to Warrick's side, pressing the receiver off the line of scrimmage with a safety playing over top to defend against his speed in the deep third. In a game of this magnitude, the Seminoles are going to concentrate their offense toward Warrick. If the Hokies can take Warrick out of the game, they will take their chances against the rest of the unit. Virginia Tech is third in the nation against the run, and even though the Seminoles are not a predominately run-oriented team, they pick up a lot of critical yardage on the ground because they spread defenses so thin and utilize RB Travis Minor's speed to exploit the running lanes in the middle of the field. Tech is solid up front, and should be able to hold FSU's running game in check if they are to prohibit the Seminoles from sustaining drives.
Keys to the game
1. Virginia Tech's pass rush. Florida State has the most explosive passing game in all of college football. The key to breaking up the rhythm of the attack is to get pressure on QB Chris Weinke. Anchored by DEs Corey Moore and John Engleberger, the Hokies have an athletic defensive front that is capable of applying heat on the Seminoles and taking some of the pressure off of the secondary. Weinke is not overly athletic, and does most of his damage inside the pocket when he has time to make reads and wait for his receivers to come out of their routes. The Hokies need to flush Weinke out of the pocket, where he is known to force the ball into coverage and make errant throws that result in turnovers.
2. Florida State DT Corey Simon drawing a consistent double team. Against All-American candidate Chris Hovan, the Hokies were able to get away with the double team. However, against a Florida State team with so much speed throughout the unit, the Hokies put themselves at a distinct disadvantage by double-teaming Simon because it opens up blitz lanes for the linebackers and gives the rest of the line one-on-one assignments. If Simon is effective enough early to draw a consistent double team, the Hokies are going to find themselves undermanned up front, which should result in a lot of plays for losses.
3. The ability of Virginia Tech's secondary to hold up versus Florida State's deep and explosive receiving corps. No matter how effective the Hokie pass rush is, FSU is going to put pressure on its secondary by spreading the field and running the "Fast Break" offensive attack. The Seminoles are going to throw the ball and will be effective doing so, but the key for the Hokies is going to be their secondary's ability to keep plays in front of them and avoid giving up the big strike. FSU has committed a lot of costly turnovers, and as a whole, it has struggled to sustain drives. The Hokies have an explosive enough front to get to Weinke over time, but it is the secondary's responsibility to give the blitz package enough opportunities to get after the quarterback.
War Room Edge: Florida State Seminoles
This is a matchup of great team speed and explosion. In a game with so much talent and so many playmakers, the victor is usually the team that executes most often and limits its turnovers. Virginia Tech has had to live with the tag of a team that snuck in the back door with the 53rd best schedule in the country. The Seminoles, on the other hand, withstood the test of a rigorous schedule despite internal troubles and constant injury problems. Virginia Tech is going to keep this contest closer than most think by disrupting the timing of the Seminole passing attack and capitalizing on some big plays. Nevertheless, Florida State has too many athletes and has overcome too much adversity to let this opportunity go by the wayside. A swarming defensive attack and a few game breaking plays will lead the Seminoles to a victory in the Nokia Sugar Bowl en route to a national title.
 | Material from The War Room. Visit their web site at http://www.nflwarroom.com |
