1.   At Virginia Tech they are serious about counting missed tackles and the consequences.

2.   A litany of missed assignments and missed tackles landed him on the sidelines.

3.   A missed tackle here and a bad pursuit there probably equated to several losses last season.

4.   But the defense was a passenger on Sunday, from missed tackles to blown assignments to an overwhelmed front four.

5.   Defensively, the Irish missed tackles, made some costly penalties and did not record a sack.

6.   Except for a missed tackle by Reynolds on Quinn Early that led to the winning score in Buffalo, the mistakes have been few and far between.

7.   He had at least three missed tackles in the decisive first quarter Saturday.

8.   In a game it could be a missed tackle, a bad pass or missed assignment.

9.   In football, where guaranteed contracts are rare, players are waived every week for nothing more egregious than an ill-timed fumble or a missed tackle.

10.   It was as if the SEC office had banned missed tackles, along with the cowbells that Mississippi State fans love to clang.