Thursday, December 30 Virginia Tech: 4-3 Fire Strong
By John Mackovic Special to ESPN.com
Virginia Tech will run 4-3 Fire Strong in order to an overload of defenders attacking at the point of attack. The Hokies maintain their 4-3 alignment but with linebackers Ben Taylor (40), Benny Wolfe (45) and Michael Hawkes (43) shifted toward the strong side of the Florida State offense. Behind the linebackers, the secondary will be adjusted the opposite way so that the defense stays somewhat balanced.
The Hokies try to get quick movement at the line of scrimmage. Defensive linemen Chris Cyrus (99) and Chad Beasley (94) slant inside and the linebackers slant outside. Hawkes (43) will read the play to see if it is headed to the strong side. He will hold before attacking in that direction. The Hokies appear weak on the weak side of the field, but free safety will wait and see if the play is going to the weak side so he can be ready to hit the line of scrimmage on a run or help against any play-action pass. The cornerback will play man-to-man coverage on the outside.
This play is excellent for stopping the outside toss play, which is a key for Florida State. As we see, Taylor (40) and Wolfe (45) are in great position to make a play on Florida State running back Travis Minor once he gets the toss from quarterback Chris Weinke. Seeing that the play is headed to the strong side, Hawkes can come up and shut off any inside running lanes for Minor. This play would also be effective against the Seminoles' sprint-out pass. Regardless of run or pass, the Hokies can combat it with two defenders outside the tight end area attacking up the field.
