Chip REED: 2009 Virginia Tech Campus Correspondent Media Predictions for 2009 July 30, 2009 Virginia Tech claimed 78 of the 87 first place votes for the ACC Coastal Division and 69 of the 87 first place votes to win the conference. Florida State claimed the most votes to win the Atlantic Division and play the Hokies in Tampa this season for the conference title. First team preseason All-ACC selections were also made at the ACC Football Kickoff. The Hokies led all schools with four selections. TE Greg Boone, OG Sergio Render, DE Jason Worilds, and FS Kam Chancellor were all first-team selections.
12 Days of ACC Football August 2, 2009 Starting tomorrow, August 3rd, theacc.com will begin the “12 Days of ACC Football”. Each day one ACC school is featured and a season preview will be written by a student blogger for their school. Boston College is up tomorrow, and the schools run in alphabetical order through the Atlantic Division, then alphabetically through the Coastal. I will write Virginia Tech’s preview, scheduled to post on August 14th. As a supplement to the main story on theacc.com, each blogger will post a prediction for that day’s feature team. Be sure to check in here each day for school predictions.
BC Predictions August 2, 2009 Until some players prove themselves in fall practice, things are looking bleak for Boston College. They have their work cut-out trying to replace nine starters including two of the nation’s best DTs, an All-American LB, and an All-ACC TE. QB Chris Crane has graduated and projected starter Dominique Davis has transferred leaving the quarterback battle wide open and Coach Spaziani is “considering every available option.” Sophomore running backs Josh Haden and Montel Harris combined for 106 yards per game last season as true freshman and should be a strength for the team this season, as should the offensive line which returns four starters. Whoever wins the quarterback job will have last year’s leading receiver Rich Gunnell to throw to. Gunnell caught 49 passes for 551 yards and four touchdowns last season. The offense has some horses back but will have trouble moving the ball if they can’t find a stable performer at the quarterback position. The Eagle’s defense was one of the best in the nation last season but they are replacing a lot of talent. ACC Defensive Player of the Year Mark Herzlich will likely miss the entire season as he disclosed in May that his focus will be on his current battle with cancer. Defensives Tackle B.J. Raji and Ron Brace formed one of the nation’s elite interior defensive lines, but both were first day draft selections and will have to be replaced. Linebacker is also a bit of a question mark for the Eagles with the loss of Herzlich and the graduations of Brian Toal and Robert Francois. Returning MLB starter Mike McLaughlin is rehabbing an Achilles injury, but hopes to be ready for fall practices. The secondary has far less unknowns as SS Paul Anderson is the only starter lost from a unit that was seventh in pass efficiency and 18th in pass defense nationally.
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Most of the conference should be better than last season, unfortunately for Boston College, they won’t be. The defense will remain tough but the offense may struggle with a new quarterback. Prediction: 5-7
Clemson Predictions August 4, 2009 9-5 Middle Tennessee State W 9-10 @ Georgia Tec L 9-19 Boston College W 9-26 TCU W 10-3 @ Maryland W 10-17 Wake Forest W 10-24 @ Miami (F) L 10-31 Coastal Carolina W 11-07 Florida State L 11-14 @ North Carolina State W 11-21 Virginia W 11-28 @ South Carolina W Prediction: 9-3 Clemson played like a different team in the last half of the season under Dabo Swinney and I expect that to carry over into this season. This Tiger team has a lot of talent, but far fewer expectations than they have had in the past. Clemson has playmakers throughout the offense and defense but will need to play consistently. Offensive success will be dictated by the stability of the offensive line and the reliability of whichever QB earns the starting spot. The offensive skill positions are solid, lead by speedy playmakers RB C.J. Spiller and WR Jacoby Ford, and should play well all season. The defense should be among the conference’s best giving Clemson a chance to win any time they take the field. I think Clemson will have a solid 9-3 season that will earn them a Gator Bowl birth.
FSU Prediction August 5, 2009 9/07 Miami (FL) W 9/12 Jacksonville State W 9/19 @ Brigham Young W 9/26 South Florida W 10/03 @ Boston College W 10/10 Georgia Tech L 10/22 @ North Carolina W
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10/31 North Carolina State W 11/07 @ Clemson W 11/14 @ Wake Forest L 11/21 Maryland W 11/28 @ Florida L Prediction: 9-3. The Noles should be tough this year. I think they will win the Atlantic Division and play Virginia Tech in the conference championship. Florida State always has the players to beat any team in the nation; it’s just a question of if they can put things together. In talking to LB Dekoda Watson and QB Christian Ponder I got the feeling that the Noles expect to be a top 10 team this season. I also found it hard to pick against them after watching them maul Wisconsin in their bowl game. Ponder is a solid QB, few people realize how injured he was last season. QB has been a weak spot for the Noles over the past few seasons, but Ponder has a very good arm and can create with his legs. It’s hard to pick against a team with the best offensive line in the conference, so these predictions were a little difficult. I don’t think FSU will win out, but also wasn’t sure who would beat them other than UF. When you have an O Line like the Noles, it should be easy to put points on the board. The scary thing is they still have one of the youngest offensive lines in the country. RB Jermaine Thomas will put up very solid numbers this season and finish in the top 5 in the conference in rushing yards. He is a solid RB that put up great numbers last season despite being a freshman and splitting time with Antone Smith. Key Games: At BYU is a game that could easily be a battle. I think FSU wins that one because of the advantage in sheer athleticism. I picked GT because their offense will be better this season than last season, and last year’s was very good. FSU always has speed on D, but you can counter that with smash mouth football. GT breaks more big plays than most teams in the nation, but they do it by getting to the edge and also by inside handoffs. They can break enough big plays to stay ahead of the Noles. Miami could go either way, but I think the Noles win. Miami is good, but they are still young and I think the Noles are just a little bit better. At UNC will be a war. I think FSU takes them just because they have more NFL caliber players, but UNC will be a very tough team for anyone to beat this season. Bottom Line: FSU has a very solid team and should make it to the ACC Championship game. Anything worst than 9-3 would surprise me because they have handfuls of NFL ready players and a Mickey Andrew’s coached D.
Maryland Prediction August 6, 2009 9/05 @ California L 9/12 James Madison W 9/19 Middle Tennessee State W 9/26 Rutgers L 10/03 Clemson L 10/10 @ Wake Forest L
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10/17 Virginia W 10/24 @ Duke W 11/07 @ NC State L 11/14 Virginia Tech L 11/21 @ Florida State L 11/28 Boston College W Maryland returns 12 starters from last season’s 8-5 squad ( 6 on offense, 4 on defense, and 2 specialty players). Maryland is returning two explosive offensive skill players and thirdyear starting quarterback Chris Turner, giving Maryland the potential to have a consistent offense. Junior running back Da’Rel Scott was one of the conference’s top rushers last season accumulating 1,133 yards. Wide receiver Torrey Smith caught 24 passes for 336 yards last season but showed his playmaking abilities more as a kick returner. Smith set an ACC single-season record with 1,089 kickoff return yards last season. Quarterback Chris Turner enters the season 7th on Maryland’s career passing yards chart. Some questions are centered on how much time the offensive line will provide them to work. The Terrapins have to replace three starters on the O-line, and five of their top 7. The inexperience on the line will cause the offense to sputter at times, especially early in the season. The defensive side of the ball will be scrambling to fill seven vacated starting spots; five of the front seven and two members of the secondary need to be replaced. LB Alex Wujciak and FS Terrell Skinner are both preseason All-ACC selections and will be relied on heavily this season. Linebacker is a position that is not deep with experience as only Wujciak and Adrian Moten have played in multiple games. Expect this unit and the defensive line to struggle to play consistent football. The secondary should be the strong point as there is depth at all four positions. This team may be difficult to pass on, but running teams should have no trouble against such an inexperienced front seven. Bottom-line: Too many players have to be replaced this season for Maryland to contend for the Atlantic title. They may pull an upset or two but a .500 season, or slightly under, seems more realistic. Side Note: Congratulations to Ralph Friedgen who has worked hard this offseason and lost 95 pounds.
N.C. State Prediction August 7, 2009 9/03 South Carolina W 9/12 Murray State W 9/19 Gardner-Webb W 9/26 Pittsburgh W 10/03 @ Wake Forest L 10/10 Duke W 10/17 @ Boston College W 10/31 @ Florida State L
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11/07 Maryland W 11/14 Clemson L 11/21 @ Virginia Tech L 11/28 North Carolina L NC State rallied last season to become bowl eligible and finish the regular season as one of the hottest teams in the conference. That being said, I don’t think they have what it takes to compete for a conference title this season. The Wolfpack will finish behind FSU, Clemson and Wake in the Atlantic. The Pack offense could easily be one of the ACC’s best, as they were last season. The team returns a lot of talent at each group. Arguably the team’s best player, sophomore QB Russell Wilson, returns and could easily be the best at his position in the conference. Running back should be another strength with seniors Jamelle Eugene and Toney Baker. The offensive line returns a combined 60 starts and should be an experienced unit. Last season’s starting wide receiving corps remains intact but TE Anthony Hill will need to be replaced. This side of the ball should rank in the upper half in most statistical categories. The questions lie more on the defensive side of the ball. The defense took a big hit when star LB Nate Irving was injured in a car crash. Hopefully he makes a full and speedy recovery. The front seven should be relatively strong with four returning starters but the secondary has some holes. This seems to be an area opponents can take advantage of and create mismatches resulting in big plays. Bottom line: The Pack have plenty of athletes and playmakers but the loss of Nate Irving could prove to be devastating. The offense should put up plenty of points but the D may allow just as many. Expect NC State to be involved in a lot of shoot-outs, coming up on the short-end of 5 of their games.
USA Today Coaches Poll released August 7, 2009 Coaches Poll released: For full poll visit http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/rankingsindex The Hokies enter the season ranked 7th in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Three other ACC teams are ranked: GT at 15th, FSU at 19th, UNC at 20th. Miami received the 8th most votes outside of the top 25, Clemson received the 11th most. NC State, Wake, Maryland, and BC all also received votes. Tech’s out of conference schedule is as tough as expected with both ‘Bama and Nebraska earning preseason top 25 honors. Alabama is ranked 5th while the Cornhuskers are ranked 22nd. East Carolina received 3 votes. This season should be very interesting for Virginia Tech and the ACC as a whole.
Wake Forest predictions August 8, 2009 9/05 Baylor - W
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9/12 Stanford - W 9/19 Elon - W 9/26 @ Boston College - W 10/03 North Carolina State - W 10/10 Maryland - W 10/17 @ Clemson - L 10/24 @ Navy - W 10/31 Miami (FL) - L 11/07 @ Georgia Tech - L 11/14 Florida State - L 11/28 @ Duke - W Over the past three seasons, Virginia Tech and Boston College are the only ACC teams to win more games than Wake Forest. Wake Forest’s schedule starts out relatively weak; the Deacons should be able to rack up some wins early before they get to a very tough back half of the schedule. Wake returns seven players on an offensive line that has combined for 116 starts. This experienced unit should help pace an offense led by returning quarterback Riley Skinner. Skinner already holds school records for completion percentage and passing efficiency. The biggest offensive loss is WR D.J. Boldin. Boldin was a solid performer in his career at Wake accounting for 699 yards and 3 TDs. WR Marshall Williams seems poised to pick-up where Boldin left off. The Deacons running attack is led by experienced tailbacks Brandon Pendergrass, Josh Adams and Kevin Harris. Defensive coordinator Brad Lambert has coached some of the nation’s top defenses over the past few seasons. In the past two seasons, no team in the country has created more takeaways than the Deacons. However, this season Lambert has his work cut out replacing six of his seven best players and seven starters overall. The biggest losses, undoubtedly, are linebacker Aaron Curry and cornerback Alphonso Smith who were selected in the first and second rounds of this year’s NFL draft. The defense will have some new faces, but played well in Wake’s spring game. Bottom line: Wake should be able to capitalize on a weak out of conference schedule. There are some questions on defense but the offense should be able to put up enough points to win eight games. The Deacons are 43-13 under Grobe when scoring 24 or more points in a game and this offense seems poised to reach that number in most games.
Duke prediction August 9, 2009 Sept. 5 Richmond W Sept. 12 Army W Sept. 19 Kansas L Sept. 26 N.C. Central W Oct. 3 Virginia Tech L Oct. 10 N.C. State L
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Oct. 24 Maryland L Oct. 31 Virginia W Nov. 7 North Carolina L Nov. 14 Georgia Tech L Nov. 21 Miami L Nov. 28 Wake Forest L Duke was much better last season than they have been in years, and I think that progression will continue. David Cutcliffe has this team making big strides. The blowout of UVA was a huge win. Duke also was close in a lot of their games including their second to last game on the road against Virginia Tech, with a back-up QB in. Cutcliffe has this team believing they can play with anyone in the conference, a sentiment that hasn’t been in the program in past years. Duke has an easy out of conference schedule that should help them rack up three wins early. Led by QB Thaddeus Lewis and DT Vince Oghobaase, this team has more talent than they have in a while. Cutcliffe is doing a good job of landing recruits from the Raleigh-Durham area. Duke will be better this year, but will still struggle to become bowl eligible. However, they are a team that can compete and will steal a win if they are overlooked. Duke is probably still a year or two away from becoming bowl eligible.
Pride and Joy August 9, 2009 Coach Beamer proclaimed that this year’s “Pride and Joy” unit could be the best ever at VT. “I think we’ll have our best Pride and Joy team this year,” Beamer said. “I plan on having Marcus Davis there and Xavier Boyce and Jarrett Boykin. Maybe D.J. Coles. These are all 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 guys who are athletic. In blocking kicks, the faster you can get from here to there, and with guys with longer arms, you’ve got a chance to block some kicks.” “Then those guys block people in open space all the time as receivers and that’s what you’re doing on punt returns. So I fully expect to have our Pride and Joy [punt block/return team] ever here at Virginia Tech.”
GT Predictions August 10, 2009 9/5: vs. Jacksonville State W 9/10: vs. Clemson W 9/17: @ Miami L 9/26: vs. North Carolina W 10/3: @ Mississippi State W 10/10: @ Florida State W 10/17: vs. Virginia Tech L
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10/24: @ Virginia W 10/31: @ Vanderbilt W 11/7: vs. Wake Forest W 11/14: @ Duke W 11/21: BYE 11/28: vs. Georgia L Prediction: 9-3 Georgia Tech overwhelmed the conference with the 4th best rushing attack in the nation last season. The two biggest names from that attack are back. Quarterback Josh Nesbitt effectively ran Paul Johnson’s offense last season, but will look to put the ball on the turf less this season as it plagued the Jackets at times last year. The ACC’s reigning Player of the Year Jonathan Dwyer could easily be the conference’s best back, and could put up better numbers than last year’s stellar stat line of 1,395 rushing yards and 12 TDs. Jacket’s leading receiver Demaryius “Bay-Bay” Thomas also returns. He may get more catches this season but that is not a given. Paul Johnson is more concerned with winning than a balanced offensive attack. If a team can’t keep the Jacket’s from moving the ball on the ground, then he sees no need to go to the air for the sake of balance. As he said at the media kickoff “People say what do you want to be on offense? I want to be balanced. Well I don’t, I want to be good.” The defense has more questions. The defense is without three starting defensive lineman and a starting corner (started in seven games) from last season. The front seven will be a big question during fall practices as a total of nine letterman were lost from this group. The secondary seems poised to improve with the leadership of safety Morgan Burnett. Bottom line: Similar to my analysis, all of the focus this season is on GT’s offense. Their flexbone attack is a novelty in college football and proved highly effective last season. Paul Johnson announced “I promise you we will be better this season.” A lot of people think that the GT offense snuck up on people, but the truth is teams have 20+ years of Paul Johnson film that they can watch. It is an effective offense that is difficult to stop. GT puts together another good season, but won’t win the Coastal.
Miami predictions August 11, 2009 9/7: @ Florida State L 9/17: vs. Georgia Tech W 9/26: @ Virginia Tech L 10/3: Oklahoma L 10/10: Florida A & M W 10/17: @ UCF W 10/24: Clemson W 10/31: @ Wake Forest W 11/7: Virginia W
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11/14: @ North Carolina L 11/21: Duke W 11/28: @ South Florida W Prediction: 8-4 Miami should be tough again in 2009 as they are a very, very young team (52 of their 89 players are freshmen or sophomores). The Hurricanes return 17 starters from last year’s team. Offensive linemen Xavier Shannon and Chris Rutledge both graduated, while quarterback Robert Marve transferred to Purdue. On the defensive side, starters Dwayne Hendricks (DL), Glenn Cook (LB), Anthony Reddick (DB), and Bruce Johnson (DB) must be replaced. True sophomore quarterback Jacory Harris no longer has to split time. Robert Marve started in 11 games last season, but Harris took almost an identical number of snaps. This season every snap is Harris’ and Coach Randy Shannon thinks he will excel in that role. The receiving and running back units should be improved as just about every player who made an impact last season returns. RB Graig Cooper and WR Aldarius Johnson are big play threats and the biggest names at their respective positions. The offensive line should be tough and is led by Preseason All-ACC tackle Jason Fox. Safety Randy Phillips leads a defense that returns six players that started at least seven games last season. Sophomore LB Sean Spence had a big freshman season, establishing himself as one of the hardest hitters in the conference. The defensive line could be the best it has been in years. They are a very deep unit, led by physical freak Allen Bailey. He has moved from linebacker to defensive end, now to defensive tackle. He is almost three hundred pounds but still moves like a linebacker. Kicker/Punter Matt Bosher could be the best in the conference. Sophomore WR Travis Benjamin will once again return kicks after he was so successful in that role last season. Both players have legitimate chances to be All-ACC performers. Bottom line: Miami should be better this season, as should most of the conference. Their biggest issue to a huge season is their schedule. The ‘Canes open with the toughest September in college football and will be lucky to even be 2-2 entering October. These games will better prepare Miami for the rest of the conference, but it will be hard to overcome a rough September.
UNC’s Moss charged with assault August 11, 2009 UNC freshman defensive end Donte Moss was charged with misdemeanor simple assault after getting in a dorm-room fight with a teammate. Moss was one of the top high school players in the country last season. Check out the article on the Charlotte Observer website. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking/story/882189.html
Darren Evans will miss entire season August 11, 2009 Darren Evans practiced today after suffering a sprained knee a few days ago. This afternoon he suffered a torn ACL and will miss the entire season. This is a huge loss as he rushed for a VT
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freshman record 1,265 yards last year and was named Orange Bowl MVP. Evans became a fan favorite after his 253 yard record breaking performance against Maryland at Lane on a Thursday night last season. Williams, Wilson, and Oglesby look good so far but Evans productivity and experience will obviously be missed. Redshirt freshman Ryan Williams will get a chance to make an impact this season after redshirting last year. Williams was regarded by most as a top 5 running back coming out of high school, and showed why in the spring when he took a screen pass 56 yards for a TD and amassed 151 yards on 12 touches in the Maroon-White game in April. Williams also broke an 80 yard run in a separate spring scrimmage. David Wilson ran a 4.33 in fall workouts, placed first at the Nike Indoor Nationals for the triple jump, and did 8 consecutive back-flips without his hands touching the ground at Media Day. This is an indicator of just how explosive he is. Stephan Virgil claims that Wilson has a rare “sixth-gear” that he gets to in the open field. Olgesby is the number 1 on the depth chart now that Evans is out. Although less discussed, he had a very solid spring. Oglesby is a solid back and has the potential to break out in 2009. The backs are still in good position but the loss of Evans hurts, no doubt. For more info on the injury check out the article below. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4392725
UNC Predictions August 12, 2009 Sep. 05 vs The Citadel - W Sep. 12 at Connecticut - W Sep. 19 vs East Carolina - W Sep. 26 at Georgia Tech -L Oct. 03 vs Virginia - W Oct. 10 vs Georgia Southern - W Oct. 22 vs Florida State - L Oct. 29 at Virginia Tech - L Nov. 07 vs Duke - W Nov. 14 vs Miami - W Nov. 21 at Boston College - W Nov. 28 at NC State – W Final record of 9-3 (5-3 ACC) The Tar Heels are growing more talented and deeper with each Butch Davis recruiting class. Within the first few minutes of talking to him, it’s easy to see why he is such a great recruiter/coach. He knows how to sell his program and generate excitement about each season. I believe UNC will be one of the ACC’s perennial powers and a national player in the near future, I just don’t see it quite yet. Quarterback T.J. Yates returns after he missed much of last year with a broken ankle. The offense
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ran smoothly with Yates at the helm, and he had them in the lead against ACC Champion Virginia Tech until Orion Martin broke Yates’ ankle. The Tarheel rushing attack was good at times but inconsistent last season. They should be better this year since everyone is more experienced. UNC will have to find new playmakers at wide receiver with the departure of their top three wide outs. The ‘Heels will also have to replace two three-year starters on the offensive line. The defense should be better and faster than last season’s. Butch Davis really likes his team’s speed on D, but would like just a bit more in the secondary. Linebacker Quan Sturdivant had a big season last year and was selected to the Preseason All-ACC squad. The defensive line returns every contributing player from last season. Defensive tackle Marvin Austin is another Preseason All-ACC selection. The secondary lost safety Trimane Goddard but still return three starters. Each defensive unit should be improved. Bottom line: UNC is good and is a solid dark horse candidate to win the Coastal division. They have experience at some key positions and continue to improve. They are athletic and well coached. I think they are close in terms of competing for a conference crown, but are still a step behind some other programs in the ACC.
Virginia Predictions August 13, 2009 Virginia Schedule Prediction: Sep. 05 vs William & Mary - W Sep. 12 vs TCU - L Sep. 19 at Southern Miss - L Oct. 03 at North Carolina – L Oct. 10 vs Indiana - W Oct. 17 at Maryland - L Oct. 24 vs Georgia Tech - L Oct. 31 vs Duke - W Nov. 07 at Miami - L Nov. 14 vs Boston College - W Nov. 21 at Clemson - L Nov. 28 vs Virginia Tech – L Final record of 4-8 (2-6 ACC) The University of Virginia returns 11 starters from last season’s 5-7 team: six on defense, five on offense. Virginia had an up and down season last year and much of the conference remembers the mauling they received at the hands of Duke. This was not a very good team a season ago and will have to replace 11 starters. Expect a lot of freshman to see time this season, especially at wide receiver and linebacker. The offense must replace its top rusher, Cedric Peerman, and top receiver, Maurice Covington. In addition to Covington, the team lost its fourth and fifth leading receivers. Peerman’s role will be filled by Mikell Simpson who finished the 2007 season as strong as any back in the ACC but never
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got going last season. He can be a good back, but his consistency is very much in question. Wide receiver looks to be a position where some freshman will get a chance to play early. The offensive line is a good news, bad news situation for the ‘Hoos. The good news is that four of five starters return. The bad news is somebody has to fill in for the NFL draft’s eighth overall draft pick, tackle Eugene Monroe. The offense will have a different look this season with new offensive coordinator Brandon Gregg, who came to Virginia after being the head coach at Bowling Green. Before being promoted to head coach, Gregg was Urban Meyer’s offensive coordinator. The quarterback position is between Jameel Sewell (suspended last season) and former cornerback Vic Hall who enters the fall number one on the depth charts. Hall is an uber talented athlete and a playmaker who threw well while breaking records at Gretna (Va) in high school. He may provide a big boost to this offense, but he lacks an ideal supporting cast at the skilled positions. The defense is replacing six starters, including the top three linebackers. UVA will have a new leading tackler this season for the first time in a while now that ILB Jon Copper has graduated. Copper has led the team in tackles for three straight seasons. Vic Hall’s move to quarterback weakens the starting cornerback tandem, but remaining starter Ras-I Dowling was a second team all-conference player last season. Cornerback Chris Cook is expected to rejoin the team after missing last season and could team up with Dowling to form a solid duo in the secondary. The defensive line is anchored by Matt Conrath, one of the conference’s best defensive ends. Bottom line: Virginia lost half of their starters from a team that was not bowl eligible last season. The offense will have a new look but may lack the weapons to move the ball efficiently. The defense should be mediocre. UVA will have to win every close game they play in this season, because there will be several games where they fall behind too much to come back. They may win six games and become bowl eligible, but three or four wins seems more likely.
Virginia Tech preview August 14, 2009 2008 Season Recap: The Hokies exceeded expectations last year when they won their second consecutive conference championship and defeated Cincinnati in the Orange Bowl. Despite losing seven starters on defense, last year’s defense still ranked in the top ten in points and yards allowed. The offense ranked on the opposite end of the offensive spectrum. The Hokies had to replace Brandon Ore and their top four receivers from the 2007 season. This lack of experience showed early but the offense seemed to mature and progress throughout the season. The Hokies finished 10-4 for their fifth straight 10+ win season. Quick Facts: • Tech football teams are 36-5 since the start of the 2003 season. • Lane Stadium has been sold out for 68 consecutive games. • The Hokies have been to 16 straight bowls, the third longest active streak in the nation. • 14 different players have earned AP All-America honors over the past 11 seasons. • Virginia Tech has had 47 players drafted since 2000. • Under Beamer, Tech’s defense has scored 79 TD’s; the special teams have scored 41 TDs.
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Quarterback: Tyrod Taylor enters his junior year as the unquestioned starter for the 2009 season. In each of his first two seasons the coaching staff opted to burn redshirts on Taylor to utilize his mobility behind a weak offensive line. In the previous two years, Taylor has proven he can win compiling a starting record of 13-2 (including his 2008 start at Florida State where he was knocked out on the first offensive play). In that span he has had some brilliant games and some poor ones. He worked very diligently all off-season on his throwing mechanics and looks to be more accurate this fall. The graduation of Sean Glennon opens the number 2 position for battle. Ju-Ju Clayton is the back-up QB after beating out Marcus Davis in the spring. Clayton can be a solid quarterback but still struggles with consistency and sometimes with decision making. Number 3 QB, true freshman top 100 recruit Logan Thomas, will push for time in the back-up role all season. If Thomas does not see time at QB, he may take some snaps at wide receiver, tight end, or h-back. Thomas is 6-6, 235 and runs a 4.6 forty so should the coaching staff choose not to redshirt him, expect to see him lined up all over on special teams and offense. Running Back: The Hokies took a huge hit Tuesday when it was announced that running back Darren Evans will be out for the entire season. The redshirt sophomore broke VT’s freshman single season rushing record (1,265 yards) as well as the school’s single game rushing record (253 v. Maryland) last season. The loss of Evans is tough but there is still plenty of depth at the running back position. Redshirt sophomore Josh Oglesby, redshirt freshman Ryan Williams, and true freshman David Wilson will likely all see significant playing time this season. It was already doubtful that David Wilson would redshirt, now it seems almost impossible that the coaches will keep him on the bench all season. Josh Oglesby was listed as the number two running back before Evans’ injury. Oglesby improved greatly this spring and ran far more consistently than he had previously. Oglesby is a hard runner and has the best hands of anyone in the offensive backfield. Ryan Williams is a former U.S. Army All-American and showed flashes of brilliance all spring. He gained 122 yards on eight carries in the spring’s first scrimmage and impressed in the Maroon-White game. Williams is fast, but freshman David Wilson is freakishly fast (he ran a 4.33 forty in workouts). Wilson rushed for 2,291 yards and 35 touchdowns last season for G.W. Danville. Wilson has amazed people in the offseason by earning MVP honors in the Polynesia Mainland Bowl in Hawaii and dominating the 2009 Junior Football World Championship. This group of players should still produce very good numbers all season long. Wide Receiver/Tight End: Last season this was hands down the least experienced unit on the VT roster. Danny Coale, Jarrett Boykin, and Dyrell Roberts were all freshmen last season and were thrown into the fire. Coale proved to be a reliable target with sure hands and underrated athleticism. Boykin is a large receiver that became a popular target for Tyrod in the second half of the season. Dyrell Roberts was a running back in high school and played wide receiver for the first time last season as a true freshman. He had some drops, but also made some big plays and seemed to progress very well. Xavier Boyce and Marcus Davis are big targets that look to get some catches this season. True freshman D.J. Coles greyshirted last season and may be able to make an impact this season. Greg Boone returns at tight end and was selected to the Preseason All-ACC team. Last season Boone ranked third on the team in receptions and receiving yards, and also took snaps at quarterback in the Wild Turkey formation. Andre Smith and Sam Wheeler will each get some
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snaps at tight end and both have contributed in past seasons. Freshman Logan Thomas may take some snaps here (or at quarterback or wide receiver if he doesn’t redshirt). His size and athleticism can be an asset, especially in the red zone. Offensive Line: The offensive line returns four starters from last year’s Orange Bowl. Coach Beamer said that he thought “we fell behind on the offensive line but we’re catching up.” This line is deeper and more athletic than anyone put together in the past several years. Center Beau Warren is slated to replace Ryan Shuman and has taken all of the first-team snaps this spring. Left guard Sergio Render is a Preseason All-ACC selection. Left tackle Ed Wang has rapidly improved since his move from tight end two seasons ago. Wang could potentially be a first day draft selection after this season. Right guard Jaymes Brooks played extremely well in his first start in the Orange Bowl. Right tackle Blake DeChristopher started in 11 games last season and had a huge spring. Depth on the line will be provided by Nick Becton, Greg Nosal, Michael Via, and Vinston Painter. True freshman Andrew Miller may play some this season as well. Defensive Line: Defensive end Jason Worilds was a second-team All-ACC selection last fall despite playing with an injured shoulder for most of the season. Worilds had surgery on his separated shoulder in the off-season and should be at 100% for the season opener. Orion Martin, last season’s end opposite of Worilds, will be replaced with Nekos Brown after he had a solid spring. Depth at defensive end will be a question, but hopefully the move of Chris Drager from tight end to defensive end will add one more solid player to the rotation. Defensive tackle could be one of the deepest positions for the Hokies this season. Last year’s starters John Graves and Cordarrow Thompson return. Senior Demetrius Taylor, sophomore Kwamaine Battle, and redshirt freshmen Antoine Hopkins, Dwight Tucker, and Courtney Price should all see time this season. Linebacker: Some questions surrounded the linebacker position entering the spring but many of those were answered by the spring game. Barquell Rivers and Jake Johnson are the front runners to replace last season’s starters Brett Warren and Purnell Sturdivant. Rivers and Johnson both had solid springs and are quickly improving. The WHIP position returns both Cody Grimm and Cam Martin, each of whom tallied at least 50 tackles last season. Coach Bud Foster still would like to develop more depth at linebacker, but the starters seem ready for a big season. Defensive Backs: Coach Torrian Gray feels very good about this season’s group of defensive backs. The departure of star cornerback Victor “Macho” Harris is a big loss, but he is the only player that needs to be replaced. Stephan Virgil will move from field corner to the boundary corner spot vacating by Harris. Virgil had a great season last year and has high expectations this season. Rashad Carmichael is the leading candidate to be the starting field corner for the Hokies this season. Carmichael played in all 14 games last season and has played really well in the spring and thus far in the fall. Chris Hill and Eddie Whitley currently sit tied for the back-up spot at field corner. Whitley is a player with remarkable football IQ and is taking snaps at both corner spots and free safety. Speaking of free safety, that position is about as locked up as it can get. Kam Chancellor returns after starting all 14 games last season. This is the first time he has played the same position in consecutive seasons since arriving in Blacksburg. He started the season off slowly at free safety but really played well in the bowl game and Torrian Gray loves what he is seeing this fall. Finally,
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the rover position is another one that looks very solid. Davon Morgan started last season until he tore his ACL against Nebraska. From that point on, Dorian Porch filled in and did a great job. The two seem even so far this fall and Coach Gray has said both will get significant playing time this season. Special Teams: Punter Brent Bowden is returning after a very solid season last year. Kicker is still unsettled. Redshirt Senior Matt Waldron currently leads Justin Meyer in the battle to kick, but freshman Cody Journell may get a chance as well. Long and short snapper Collin Carroll returns this season. The return spots are still up in the air as so many talented players have shown that they can perform. Running backs Ryan Williams and David Wilson, wide receiver Dyrell Roberts, and cornerback Cris Hill seem to be the favorites to return kicks but a handful of players could slide into these roles. 2009 Season Preview: Coach Beamer says there is a lot of excitement but there is still a lot of work to do. Tyrod seems to be improved and the people around him are better. This is a very talented running back corps, despite the loss of Evans. The offensive line is more athletic and tougher than last season’s. The offense seems like they should be vastly improved. The only catch is it’s not hard to improve on an offense that has been ranked right around 100th over the past three seasons. A top 50 offense is a realistic expectation, but we will see what Stinespring and company can do. The defense should be better than last years. The Hokies have fielded a top ten defense nationally over the past five seasons and this season looks to be the same. The starting defensive line is very talented; the only question is the depth at defensive end. The linebacking corps replaces two starters, but should be still be improved. The secondary will miss Macho Harris, but seem deeper at corner. The guys behind Macho and Virgil last season have progressed very well and even the three freshmen given looks in the fall are impressing. The secondary should be very talented and very deep. A lot of hype surrounds the Hokies this year. They are ranked #7 in the USA Today Poll and open the season with #5 Alabama. While the players and coaches say one game doesn’t make or break a season, you know they want this one. The Hokies are the favorite to win the Coastal once again and play in the ACC Championship game. My prediction is that the Hokies beat Florida State in the 2009 ACC Championship game to earn another trip to the Orange Bowl. The Hokies are hearing whispers about a national title chance but they will likely have to go undefeated or lose early and then win out to make the title game. VT is capable of an undefeated season but between Alabama, Nebraska, East Carolina and all of the difficult conference games, the Hokies will slip up once or twice to finish 10-2, possibly 11-1. Another Orange Bowl victory seems likely this season.
Scrimmage notes August 15, 2009 Quick Scrimmage notes: Logan Thomas looked sharp at quarterback considering he has only been practicing for one week. Freshmen Nubian Peak and Tony Gregory made a few big plays. The running backs suffered another injury today as freshman David Wilson injured his shoulder on a collision with Cody Grimm. It appears that he has a sprained shoulder, no word yet on how much time he will miss.
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Here are a few stats. Passing Taylor: 4-7-1-31 Clayton: 11-17-0-84 Thomas: 6-14-1-128 1 TD Rushing Leaders Gregory: 11-53 Williams: 6-27 Oglesby: 2-8 Wilson: 2-(-3) suffered sprained left AC joint (shoulder) Terry: 1-22 Receiving Boykin: 4-21 Peak: 2-33 1 TD Barber: 2-20 Roberts: 1-33 Dunn: 1-48 Punting: Bowden: 3-43.3 avg Field Goals Waldron: 4-4 (42, 25, 46, 25) Punt Returns Williams: 82-yard TD Defensive Leaders Tucker: 7 tackles Hill: 5 tackles Gibson: 5 tackles, 1 INT Friday: 5 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack Scales: INT
Scrimmage notes August 22, 2009 A lot of focus on today’s scrimmage was directed towards evaluating the running backs. Darren Evans is out for the season with a torn ACL. Josh Oglesby is out with a staph infection. David Wilson was sidelined with a sprained shoulder, which happened during last weekend’s scrimmage. Today, another running back joined the list of injured Hokie rushers when linebacker Barquell Rivers intercepted a pass and returned it down the sideline where he was tackled into Ryan
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Williams’ leg. Williams was not playing that down. The injury appeared to be minor but he did not return and was limping for the remainder of the game. Freshman Tony Gregory impressed a lot of fans by scoring twice on the day. Gregory is a straight-line runner who gets up field quickly. The defense played very well and seemed to always be around the ball. Cornerback Cris Hill and linebacker Barquell Rivers both intercepted passes. Cody Grimm recovered a fumble forced by Cordarrow Thompson. Safety Matt Reidy blocked a punt. The defense looks poised to be top 10 nationally again this season and the offense seems to be improved. The Hokie O was very efficient with Tyrod Taylor at quarterback. The main thing for the offense between now and September 5th will be to avoid injuries. The team’s final scrimmage before the Alabama game will be held Wednesday. Scrimmage Stats Passing Comp-Att-Int-Yds Taylor 8-11-0-78 Clayton 6-10-1-61 Thomas 2-10-1-16 Receiving Leaders Rec-Yds Boyce 2-47 Davis 2-18 Dunn 2-11 Rushing Leaders Carr-Yds Gregory 18-48 2 TD Z. Evans 13-27 Williams 5-22 1 TD Jefferson 3-15 1 TD Punting Bowden 4-40.5 avg Field Goals Waldron 4-4 (31, 32, 43, 30) Hazley 1-1 (28) Journell 1-1 (37) Defensive Leaders Thompson 7 tackles, 4 TFL, 1 sack, FF Grimm 6 tackles, FR (14 yard return) Rivers 5 tackles, INT (38 yard return)
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D. Taylor 5 tackles, 1 sack Reidy 5 tackles, blocked punt Worilds 3 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack Hill 3 tackles, INT (21 yard return) Odom 3 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack
Freshman Impact August 25, 2009 There are still some uncertainties pertaining to freshmen redshirting this season. Coach Beamer typically likes to decide redshirts within the first week of practice. Redshirting becomes a difficult process due to the unpredictability of injuries. If you redshirt a freshman and injuries occur to a starter requiring a freshman to burn the redshirt, they have missed valuable reps by practicing with the scout team. If you don’t redshirt a freshman and they don’t start, they take reps away from the starter. This is a very complicated decision to make early. So far at least 14 players from Virginia Tech’s freshmen class are redshirting, while the jury is still out on the decision for others. Listed below are the most likely freshmen contributors. David Wilson With the season-ending injury to Darren Evans, David Wilson seems to be a lock for playing time this season. He has looked very solid in practice, but missed a week with a shoulder sprain. He is a strong running back with amazing speed. Wilson appears set to split carries with Ryan Williams and Josh Oglesby and may also return kicks. D.J. Coles Coles was a 2008 wide-receiver commit but attended prep school and is now entering his freshman season. Coles is a big receiver at 6’3” 223 lbs but also displays good speed. He has performed well this fall and is vying for the 6th receiver spot. Coach Beamer has announced that six receivers will play and if Coles can make it into that group, he will see time this season. Jarrett Boykin, Danny Coale, Marcus Davis, Xavier Boyce, and Dyrell Roberts are the top five receivers (in no particular order) leaving Coles and Brandon Dillard in a competition for the last spot to earn playing time. Jayron Hosley Hosley was a bit of a surprise commit earning a very late offer from Virginia Tech after being recommended to the coaching staff by former Hokie Brandon Flowers. Hosley is a cornerback from Flowers’ high school in Delray Beach, FL. Hosley had scholarship offers from several big programs but selected the Hokies on signing day, the week after his first visit to Blacksburg. Cornerback is a very deep position for Tech but Hosley’s playmaking ability may what earns him time this season. He had a 43 yard punt return in last Saturday’s scrimmage. Logan Thomas Ju-Ju Clayton has been named the Hokies’ back-up quarterback making Logan Thomas the team’s third option. He throws a tight spiral and has looked solid in the scrimmages. He completed only 2 of 10 passes in the second scrimmage, but there were six passes that hit receivers’ hands and were either dropped or knocked away by defenders. It was originally speculated that Thomas
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would play WR/TE but for now he remains the team’s third quarterback and the coaches would like to redshirt him if possible, but he may still see some playing time. Antone Exum Exum is a tremendous athlete who has been mentioned at playing time for a multitude of positions. At last discussion, Exum seems a possibility to play sparingly at safety. He impressed at the Virginia high school all-star game this summer and has impressed coaches thus far. Both rover and free safety are solid positions for the Hokies but Exum may still get a chance to take a handful of snaps per game. Andrew Miller Miller is a big offensive lineman who was a state champion wrestler in high school. His size and athleticism could get him on the field in a back-up role if VT decides they want a full 10 offensive linemen rotation. The catch for Miller is that VT found a lot of depth in the spring at O-line, likely resulting in a redshirt for Miller. Telvion Clark Clark is a speedy linebacker who could see time in a back-up role as Bud Foster is still trying to find depth at inside linebacker.
Stats from the 3rd scrimmage August 26, 2009 Below are the stats from today’s third and final scrimmage before the Alabama game. Scoring FIRST - Wilson 1 run (Waldron kick) FIRST - FG Waldron 43 FIRST - Oglesby 4 run (Waldron kick) FIRST – FG Waldron 27 FIRST – Coale 20 pass from Taylor (Waldron kick) Passing FIRST TEAM Comp-Att-Int-Yds Taylor 15-24-0-218 1 TD THE REST Comp-Att-Int-Yds Clayton 3-10-0-27 Thomas 0-6-1-0 Receiving FIRST TEAM Rec-Yds Coale 4-72 1 TD
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Smith 3-54 Boykin 2-27 Oglesby 2-6 Boone 1-27 Boyce 1-17 Roberts 1-12 Davis 1-3 THE REST Rec-Yds Fuller 1-16 Wheeler 1-6 Coles 1-5 Rushing FIRST TEAM Carr-Yds Wilson 10-52 1 TD Oglesby 9-44 1 TD Taylor 1-6 Williams 2-3 THE REST Carr-Yds Thomas 3-15 Z. Evans 4-14 Dillard 1-5 Gregory 3-3 Clayton 3-0 Punting FIRST TEAM Bowden 4-39.8 avg THE REST Saunders 1-44.0 avg Team 1-18.0 avg Field Goals Waldron 2-2 (43, 27) Defensive Leaders Reidy 6 tackles
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Hill 5 tackles Rivers 4 tackles, 1 TFL Chancellor 4 tackles, INT, PBU Whitley 3 tackles, FR, PBU Brown FR Coale punt block
All games for 2009 season sold out. August 28, 2009 Individual game tickets were returned by both Marshall and UNC for their games at Lane Stadium this season. The remainder of their allotments went on sale today at 10am and these games are now sold out. This means that now every game since the 1998 season finale against Virginia has been sold out.
Interview with Torrian Gray (DB Coach) August 30, 2009 How are the defensive backs shaping up? Torrian Gray: “I like the way we’re shaping up. It’ll be the first time where I feel good about four cornerbacks that we can play and I have confidence in. It’s gonna be the first time Kam Chancellor has played one position two times in a row.” On Kam Chancellor TG: “He understands all those things. That East Carolina game was a tough game for him last year. It kind of messed with his confidence for the first part of the season but once he got it going he kind of took that into the off-season and the spring season and I look forward to him having the kind of season we expected him to have last year.” Field corner. TG: “The front runner right now is Rashad Carmichael. He’s looked very sharp. Cris Hill and Eddie Whitley are still guys who he is a little ahead of but I like the way those guys are coming along. I can see all those guys playing significantly and me having confidence in those guys going out there and playing but right now Carmichael is a little ahead of those guys.” Any thought about moving a corner to free safety. TG: “Yea, Eddie Whitley has been practicing some free safety too. Hopefully Lorenzo will come along. I’m giving Whitley about 9 or 10 reps or so a practice. I think he’s smart enough to handle it and that will give us some added depth.” How is the rover positions shaping up? TG: “Awesome. Davon went down and Dorian came in and was very solid last year. Davon is finally getting back healthy this spring. It looks like he’s gotten that part of it back where he can finally cut.”
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September 1st Press Conference notes September 1, 2009 Below are some notes from today’s press conference with quarterback Tyrod Taylor and Head Coach Frank Beamer. Unfortunately I was unable to hear the first three players speak because of class, but I was able to catch Tyrod and Coach Beamer. Without too much introduction, here are some of the things they had to say, mostly regarding this weekend’s highly anticipated season debut. Tyrod: ON WHEN IT IS APPROPRIATE TO SCRAMBLE V. STAYING IN THE POCKET AGAINST ALABAMA They’re very talented, but if I get a chance to recognize the blitz before the snap then it’s up to me to change the blocking assignments. If I do get a chance to run, then it’s just about getting as much yardage as you can and then getting down or getting out of bounds. ON WHAT A WIN AGAINST ALABAMA WOULD MEAN TO THE PROGRAM It means a lot to the program but it doesn’t make or break the season. We have plenty of games to play after this game and that is one thing he (Frank Beamer) has been stressing to us. We have to take one game at a time. ON HIS COMFORT LEVEL IN THIS BIG OF A GAME I try to stay comfortable in the game. It’s very important to not let too much get to me. Even if there’s a big play I don’t get too hyped, I just try to stay level minded and on the field. ON WHERE ALABAMA’S DEFENSE RANKS AGAINST THE ONES HE HAS PLAYED SO FAR IN HIS CAREER I guess one of the top 3. They are very fast on the defensive side of the ball. Defensive backs are fast, the linebacker crew is very fast, and the defensive linemen make great moves at the line. I think they are one of the top 3 defenses I’ve played since I’ve been here. Beamer: ON PREASON POLLS AND WHETHER POLLS SHOULD START IN OCTOBER I think you wait until mid-year. There is so much that can change. For us, we were 3 and ½ point underdog to Cincinnati, but if we lost that game, with the same team we wouldn’t be number 7 where we are. All teams would be better served if we waited but it makes good summertime reading. The accuracy would be better if we waited a while to see what the teams have this year. HIS THOUGHTS ON AN EXHIBITION GAME FOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL I’m getting ready to lobby hard for an exhibition game. Here you’ve got Pros, and they’ve got four I guess, 5 whatever they’ve got. High schools got scrimmages. In college you play an opponent and it’s the first time you’ve hit someone other than your own teammates. It just kind of makes sense. I think that would be a good idea. ON FRESHMAN RECEIVER D.J. COLES We’re planning on playing him (D.J. Coles) and that is part of the problem. That is why you would like to have five years of eligibility because you have to make a decision on D.J. right now and part of that decision is you are guessing on how he is progressing in three or four weeks but we think he’s going to get in the mix. He has the ability to, now he has to get there. Right now we’ve got him on some special teams (specifically on the Pride and Joy team) and we are going to play
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him with the idea that he’ll get better. ON OPENING THE SEASON WITH A GAME OF THIS MAGNITUDE I think this game is good. It’s a great atmosphere. Playing a program that has enjoyed great success over the years. Nationally known, nationally thought of. I think Virginia Tech gets better playing a team like this. ON RETURN MAN JAVIER ARENAS They really do a good job. We’ve got all of his returns on one real and that’s a big video. You’ve got to be good in your coverage lanes, if you get out of your lanes and give him time, you know he’s going to make you miss. ON OBLESBY, WILLIAMS, AND WILSON MISSING TIME You wish they had all the reps from the days they missed but there is nothing you can do about that. They are going to play as well as they can play. They’ve worked hard and they are all great kids. ON JULIO JONES Jones can change a game around. Somebody said Calvin Johnson and that’s kind of what he reminds you of. He can catch, he’s tall, he can make people miss. You see a lot of long plays with him. He is an exceptional talent and is a guy on their offense who can certainly turn the game around. ON HOW ARE THE RECEIVERS READY TO HELP TYROD I think they are ready. I think our whole offense is ready to hopefully run the ball better. Losing Evans hurt that situation but we’ve got some good talent. We just have to play well and throw the ball well. That starts with the offensive line protection and includes the receivers being where they’re supposed to be and getting there when they’re supposed to. It gets to Tyrod making a good decision and getting the ball there and I think we’ve seen all those things. We need the running backs being good in protection. If one guy breaks down in protection then the whole thing is messed up. I think we’ve seen that in preseason that we’ve been better in all those areas, hopefully we’ll see that Saturday night. ON PLAYING IN MORE OF THESE BIG GAMES (ACC CHAMPIONSHIPS, ORANGE BOWLS) AND IF IT HELPS THE TEAM I think so. The more you play in these games, it kind of effects recruiting. Recruits get used to talking about Virginia Tech playing these different programs too. I think the more experience you’ve got in anything is a good thing. That is why I worry a little bit about our tailbacks going into this one. Their talented, you just worry about the experience factor. ON XAVIER BOYCE EARNING THE STARTING JOB We think we’ve got a couple good kids there but Xavier has been in the program, I think Coach Gentry has helped him. He’s made some good plays. He’s got a tall body there and he’s played very consistently there. He is a guy who we think they can help this offense. ON PLAYING VIRGINIA’S 3-4 EVERY YEAR AND HOW IT COMPARES TO ALABAMA’S I don’t think its scheme as much. There are benefits, that is why you see both odd and even fronts, but it gets back to players. That’s what they’ve got. They’ve got a good scheme and they know what they’re doing but they’ve also got players. That is the big plus for them.
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Preview: VT D v. Alabama O September 2, 2009 Virginia Tech Defense Defensive Coordinator Bud Foster and his “Lunch Pail Defense” have been one of the nation’s most dominant groups in recent history. Foster’s defenses have ranked in the top 10 nationally in total defense in each of the past five seasons (4th in 2004, 1st in 2005 and 2006, 4th in 2007, and 7th in 2008). It is no surprise that expectations are high for this unit with seven starters returning. Gone is defensive end Orion Martin, linebackers Brett Warren and Purnell Studivant, and cornerback Victor “Macho” Harris, but plenty of talent returns. Depth at defensive end is still a slight concern, but far less than it was at the end of spring practices. Jason Worilds is at full strength and is one of the nation’s top pass rushers when healthy. Nekos Brown rose to the challenge of replacing Orion Martin and has played very well in practice. The coaches love these two starting ends, and the move of Chris Drager from tight end to defensive end has added one more quality player at defensive end. Steven Friday and Isaiah Hamlette will also take some snaps at defensive end to spell Worilds and Brown. Defensive tackle is one of the strongest and deepest positions on Tech’s roster. Returning starters John Graves and Cordarrow “Taco” Thompson formulate a very talented interior line. Demetrius Taylor, Antoine Hopkins, and Kwamaine Battle will take several snaps as all three have vastly improved and look to provide plenty of depth on the interior line. The linebacker corps replaces last season’s starters in Brett Warren and Purnell Sturdivant, but return both Cody Grimm and Cam Martin at the Whip position. Grimm and Martin split time last season and both played very well. Jake Johnson and Barquell Rivers will start in the positions vacated by the graduations of Warren and Sturdivant. Both are strong, athletic linebackers who continue to improve as each learns the system more. Rivers recorded his first career start in the Orange Bowl and played very well last season against Cincinnati. The secondary returns three starters, including preseason All-ACC cornerback Stephan Virgil. Virgil excelled last season in his first year as a starter and coach Torrian Gray hopes that new starter Rashad Carmichael can have a similar impact as a first year starter. Eddie Whitley and Cris Hill will both see plenty of time as Coach Gray feels all four are solid, reliable cornerbacks. Free Safety Kam Chancellor returns and coach Gray expects him to have the type of season Hokie fans expected of him last season. This is the first time in Chancellor’s career where he has played the same position in back-to-back season and he seems very comfortable at free safety. His big play potential could be pivotal versus Alabama. The rover position will see two players rotate. Davon Morgan was last season’s starter until he tore his ACL against Nebraska, after which Dorian Porch replaced him and played very well. Both players will see time at rover and both will play in the nickel package to get the most possible athleticism on the field for the Hokie D in this formation. Alabama Offense The Alabama offense was much improved last season under first-year coordinator Jim McElwain, who coached the Alabama offense to its most productive season in several years. The Crimson Tide had a solid rushing attack led by Glenn Coffee, who decided to leave early for the NFL. The passing game was paced by graduated three-year starting quarterback John Parker Wilson. The line was anchored by three players who will have to be replaced, but arguably the team’s biggest playmaker, Julio Jones returns. Only four starters return on offense. This season’s offense may be a more balanced attack since that is what Head Coach Nick Saban
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would like to see. With three significant contributors returning at wide receiver (Julio Jones, Mike McCoy, and Marquis Maze) Alabama may have a better passing attack this season if QB Greg McElroy can efficiently lead this offense. McElroy has seen limited game time action but is a junior and has spent years learning under John Parker Wilson. Jones is a big play threat and an extremely hard to bring down in the open field. The only wide receiver who may be more dangerous in the nation is Oklahoma State’s Dez Bryant. Maze is a speedy receiver who is a threat not only in the passing game but on end-arounds and designed screens. As stated, the Alabama offensive line returns three starters and remains an area of concern for the Tide. The loss of Andre Smith in the Sugar Bowl seemed to be severe as Utah defenders routinely disrupted plays and wreaked havoc in the backfield. Edge rushers gave Alabama trouble last season, even with Smith, so it remains to be seen how the replacements will fair in this aspect of pass protection. , James Carpenter, William Vlachos, Barrett Jones appear to be the replacements for the departed starters. The bottom line is this unit has the talent to dominate, but they are green. It will be tough first game against a Bud Foster defense. Running back is an interesting position as Mark Ingram seems to be the starter, barring a suspension from the NCAA for a deep sea fishing trip him and Julio Jones received for free. Ingram is a talented back, who was selected to the All-SEC freshmen team by SEC coaches last season after rushing for 728 yards and a team-high 12 touchdowns. Ingram is a power runner with good speed. Very highly-touted freshman tailback Trent Richardson will get some carries despite being listed as the 4th running back. The most interesting news surrounding Richardson are rumors about him taking snaps in a Wild Cat formation. Expect the Tide running backs to be very tough, but it will all depend on the room their line can create against a loaded box. VT D v. Alabama O There are a lot of questions surrounding the ‘Bama offense, mostly at quarterback and offensive line. McElroy seems comfortable and it certainly helps that he faces one of the nation’s top defenses in practice. Alabama is loaded with speed and playmakers, if the VT defense gets caught out of position, the Tide can put up points in a hurry. The defensive line for Virginia Tech should be able to disrupt plays against a much less experienced offensive line. Virginia Tech’s swarming defense should be able to limit running room and with seven solid defensive backs, McElory will struggle to find his receivers. Advantage: Virginia Tech Defense.
Virginia Tech Offense v. Alabama Defense September 2, 2009 Virginia Tech’s Offense The Virginia Tech offense suffered a big loss in fall practice when last year’s starting running back and Orange Bowl MVP Darren Evans tore his ACL. Despite the loss of Evans, the Hokies return an abundance of talent on offense. The most notable returner is quarterback Tyrod Taylor. Taylor has a stigma as a run first quarterback, but has looked much improved in the passing game this fall. Part of this can be contributed to his hard work in the offseason and part can be contributed to the improvement of his supporting cast. The Hokies offensive line returns four starters from last season’s Orange Bowl championship team: Jaymes Brooks, Beau Warren, Sergio Render, and Ed Wang. This offensive line is deeper and more
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athletic than their predecessors. Blake DeChristopher is the fifth starter on the offensive line and has impressed coaches so far. The Hokies finally have 8-10 offensive lineman that will rotate in, giving the starters more rest than they have had in previous seasons. The Hokies return all receivers and tight ends from last season. Xavier Boyce put together very solid and consistent spring and fall practices, earning him the starting spot across from returning starter Danny Coale. Boyce will replace last year’s starter Jarrett Boykin. The Hokies are deep at wide receiver and look to play six receivers this season: Coale, Boyce, Boykin, Dyrell Roberts, Marcus Davis, and true freshman D.J. Coles. This receiving corps has plenty of big play potential with four receivers being at least 6’2” and all possessing good or great speed. Starter Greg Boone returns at tight end and is deceptively fast and agile for his 6-3 287 pound frame and can create mismatches in the passing game. Also expect Andre Smith and Sam Wheeler to play at tight end. All of Taylor’s passing options are more mature and have a better understanding of the offense, leaving the passing game with much higher expectations this season. Despite the lose of Evans, Virginia Tech still has three very talented tailbacks. Sophomore Josh Oglesby, freshman Ryan Williams and David Wilson will all play against Alabama. The concern with this unit is experience, not talent, as all missed part of fall practice with various injuries. Oglesby has played very consistently and is the best pass catcher out of the backfield. Williams is an elusive back who dazzled Hokie fans in the spring game. Wilson is a true freshman with amazing speed who will be tough to catch in the open field. Expect Tyrod Taylor to be an improved passer and a leader for this offense all season long. The passing game will be much improved, but the lack of experience at tailback is a concern. The key to offensive production will be how the Hokies offensive line controls Alabama’s front seven, one of the best in college football. Alabama Defense Without a doubt, the strength of this Alabama team is its defense. The Tide returns 9 starters from a very tough defensive unit in the 2008 season. However, in all likelihood only 8 will start against Virginia Tech after defensive end Brandon Deaderick was shot in the forearm late Monday night while attempting to be robbed. His injuries were not very severe and he is already back practicing in non-contact drills, but his status remains in limbo for Saturday’s game. I’d like to wish him the best of luck on a speedy recovery. ‘Bama runs a 3-4 set, which is something the Hokies rarely face (UVA once a year). This in itself could cause trouble for Virginia Tech as it is a formation they don’t have much experience in handling. The defensive line is a very good one, anchored by nose tackle Terrence Cody, referred to by some as “Mount Cody”. Cody is enormous at 6-5 354 lbs, but also possesses a surprising amount of agility and flexibility making him a nightmare for opposing offensive lines. His endurance is a bit of a question, but he is an undeniable force that requires constant double teams while in the game. Defensive end Lorenzo Washington has made at least 9 starts in each of the past two seasons and is a very solid defensive end. If Deaderick doesn’t play, the Tide will lose one of their best pass rushers, but still remain very deep at defensive end. His likely replacement is sophomore Marcell Dareus who is fast and athletic. He has played well in practice and could have a real impact stepping for Deaderick Linebacker is a position loaded with talent for the Tide and it starts with phenomenal inside linebackers in Dont’a Hightower and Rolando McClain. McClain is very quick and will be used some to spy on Tyrod Taylor to try and minimize scrambles. Both McClain and Hightower are NFL ready prospects and both seem to be very high picks in the 2010 NFL draft. Cory Reamer is
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a returning starter and could create problems if the Hokies focus too heavily on McClain and Hightower. The final starter in their four linebacker set is Eryk Anders. Anders replaces Brandon Fanney but is a senior and will be a very solid linebacker for the Tide this season. Defensive back is yet another strength for the Tide, proving why their defense is poised to be one of the nation’s best. Both starting cornerbacks return, Javier Arenas and Kareem Jackson. Arenas is a very talented corner but also one of the nation’s premier return man. He is a talented cover corner who is rarely out of position. Jackson is a third year starter who registered 110 tackles, four interceptions, and 14 pass break-ups during his freshman and sophomore years. Jackson was also selected as a Freshman All-American two seasons ago. The safety position was hit hard with the loss of secondary leader Rashad Johnson. Johnson was a third round selection in the 2009 NFL draft after ending his career at Alabama as one of the country’s top safeties. His replacement, Mark Barron, is inexperienced but is a very hard hitter. Justin Woodall returns at the strong safety position. Woodall is a big safety (6-2 220) who provides exceptional run support. Virginia Tech Offense v. Alabama Defense The Hokies offensive attack looks to be much improved, despite the loss of tailback Darren Evans. The wide receiver position and offensive line should both be vastly improved. The tailback inexperience could be the weakness heading into the season opener. Meanwhile, Alabama’s defense is very experience and loaded with playmakers. The difference could be McClain’s ability to spy on Tryod. If the Tide can utilize him in this way, without it affecting pass coverage the Hokies may have difficulty moving the ball. Advantage: Alabama Defense
Alabama Prediction September 3, 2009 Well Hokie fans, it’s finally time to predict the game I’ve been thinking about since the day it was announced. Saturday night at 8pm, Head Coach Frank Beamer will debut his #7 Hokie squad against Nick Saban’s 5th ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. These two well respected coaches have met only once, with Virginia Tech beating LSU 26-8 in Lane Stadium September 1, 2002. Virginia Tech is trying to earn respect on the national stage, which Alabama has been a part of [four] decades. The Hokies are also trying to erase the memories from 2007’s embarrassing loss to LSU. A win against Alabama would be a milestone win for the Hokies, similar to the 1995 Sugar Bowl win over Texas. The Hokies have traditionally not fared well against top 5 teams (tallying a measly 1-24 record). This game has the potential to earn a lot of respect if the Hokies can upset a top-5 team and SEC power to begin the season. Clemson’s disastrous performance in this game last season took its toll on the ACC’s reputation; the Hokies would like to win this game for the Hokie Nation and for the conference. NEWS: Alabama WR Julio Jones and RB Mark Ingram were cleared by the NCAA to play this Saturday. These two were the center of an investigation about a free deep sea fishing trip they received. The NCAA determined this did not violate rules and these two players are eligible to play. Alabama has announced that defensive end Brandon Deaderick will not play after being shot in the forearm Monday night. Now, time to briefly address three key match-ups.
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Alabama Defensive Line v. Virginia Tech Offensive Line Alabama’s defensive line will give the Hokies offensive line all they can handle. Nose tackle Terrence Cody will require a double team every time he is in the game. This will free up the ends to rush and any blitzers to potentially exploit openings. Virginia Tech does have the option to keep Greg Boone on the line as a sixth blocker to contain this dangerous front. However, the obvious downfall to this will be the loss of a potential receiver. The Hokies will have to rely on the athleticism of their lineman to stay in front of Alabama’s line. Alabama Defensive Backs v. Virginia Tech Wide Receivers Both of these units return a majority of their starters. The Hokies have six receivers who should all see time and can make plays. ‘Bama returns both starting corners and their starting strong safety. They like to keep their strong safety near the line to support the run, leaving an opportunity for big pass plays if the Virginia Tech offensive line can protect for Tyrod Taylor. Also, Virginia Tech’s receivers as a group are very big and this could pose a problem for Alabama. Also, perimeter blocking becomes crucial with the loss of Darren Evans. Evans was a power runner who stayed mostly between the tackles. Josh Oglesby somewhat fills this role, but Wilson and Williams both like to break outside if there is an opening. If the wide receivers cannot block the Tide’s secondary, outside runs will be highly ineffective. Alabama Offensive Line v. Virginia Tech’s Defensive Line I know, I’m pointing at both of the battles in the trenches as keys, but they are vital in this game. The game will be won by the team that can disrupt/protect. Virginia Tech has four very talented starters on the defensive line while Alabama has three spots vacated by last year’s starters. Utah was able to penetrate the Alabama offensive line in the Sugar Bowl and that led the offense to stall all night long. It will be up to Worilds, Graves, Thompson, Brown, and the reserves to create a similar kind of pressure. Also look to Cody Grimm to make a big impact blitzing. Prediction: Virginia Tech’s defensive line will perform well both against the run and while pass rushing. Tyrod will struggle at times, but Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy will struggle more. The Virginia Tech offense won’t be highly effective but Tyrod will find a way to put enough points up to win. VT wins 20-17. Go Hokies.
Alabama post-game September 6, 2009 The trip to Alabama was a great one, despite the loss. My friends and I agree that Alabama fans were classy, for the most part. Every school has their bad egg fans, but for every ‘Bama fan that obnoxiously yelled “Roll Tide!” to Hokies after the game, there were three times as many who apologized for the taunt. I talked to lots of Alabama fans and enjoyed them as a whole. I thought they were a courteous fan base, I hope other Hokies had similar experiences. Also, the game was very well organized and was fun to be at, despite the loss. The atmosphere was electric but I’m ready for our stretch of three straight home games. THOUGHTS ON THE GAME A 34-24 loss isn’t the outcome I was hoping for but there were some things (not many) to be pleased with. Dyrell Roberts looked great returning kick-offs averaging 48.8 yards per return
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on 4 returns. Roberts ripped off a 98 yard return for a touchdown in the first quarter giving support to a stagnant offense. Ryan Williams impressed in his debut, rushing for 71 yards and two touchdowns. Williams also had a big play beating the safety for a 43 yard catch out of the backfield. Williams’ lone mistake was a muffed punt deep in Virginia Tech territory giving Alabama great field position, but that is somewhat forgivable considering he accounted for 113 yards of the Hokies 155 in total offense. Punter Brent Bowden performed well punting eight times (a sign of the poor offensive production) for an average of almost 46 yards per punt. The offense left a lot to be desired. There were hopes that the Hokie offense may finally be able to move the ball after finishing 99th or worse in total offense each of the past three seasons, but this wasn’t the case. Stinespring’s offense tallied only 151 total yards, meaning he is already on the hot seat again this season, at least among Hokie fans. Tyrod Taylor looked mediocre at best, completing only 9 of 20 passes for 91 yards. The offensive line blocked fairly well against the down lineman but seemed to struggle in picking up blitzes, leaving Tyrod with little time to find receivers. Virginia Tech is really going to have to figure the offense out quickly with both Nebraska and Miami coming to Blacksburg in September. The defense looked strong for three quarters, but they didn’t seem to have an answer for running back Mark Ingram in the 4th quarter. Fatigue may have been an issue as the offense only recorded 11 first downs, leaving the defense on the field for most of the game. Through three quarters, Bud Foster’s defense limited Alabama to only 16 points despite the Tide starting in VT territory for most of the first half. WHERE THE HOKIES LOST Offense. The offense was anemic; many more games like this one and it will be hard for Beamer to not look elsewhere for a new offensive coordinator. Special teams. Despite the great night by Dyrell Roberts returning kick-offs, the Hokies special teams were uncharacteristically mistake laden. Davon Morgan dropped the opening kick-off resulting in a very limited return. Later in the game Morgan fumbled a kick-off return, which Alabama recovered. Ryan Williams dropped a punt, placing Alabama inside the Virginia Tech 20. The Hokies defense held ‘Bama to a field goal on this drive, but two turnovers and three total dropped kick are inexcusable. Up next: Hopefully the Hokies offense can make big strides quickly as Marshall comes to Blacksburg next week, then Virginia Tech hosts Nebraska and Miami.
Brighter Side of the Alabama Game September 8, 2009 Every cloud has a silver lining, and the Alabama game is no different. Obviously the outcome isn’t what the Hokie Nation would’ve liked to have seen. While the score was close, Virginia Tech tallied 343 less yards of total offense than Alabama. It only took one game for fans to begin calling for offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring’s resignation once again. Stinespring spent most of last season as the whipping boy of Hokie fans and this season looks like it may be similar. It seems a majority of the fans want a change at coordinator, which I don’t want to comment on at this time. I may address that topic later, but for now I want to dwell on some of the things the Hokies did well. There were a lot of mistakes, but there are a surprising amount of things that point to a solid season in Blacksburg.
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Successes: Dyrell Roberts. This one is obvious. He was one of the conference’s best kick-off returners last season and started this year off with a bang. Roberts had returns of 98 yards (TD) and 46. He has great speed and better vision. Ryan Williams. The long awaited debut of Ryan Williams didn’t disappoint. He did drop one punt, but it’s hard to hold that against a guy who accounted for 113 of 155 total yards and scored twice. Williams can play and looks to be the Hokies next 1,000 yard rusher. Jake Johnson. Some people think he played poorly because he was beat by the running back for a TD pass but the truth is that wasn’t his responsibility. Johnson tallied 13 tackles, 9 solo, in his first game. In my humble opinion, he has a very bright future. Jayron Hosley. He only returned one punt for 11 yards but he made a lot of people miss on that return. It seems like the punt returning duty is now his after Williams dropped punt, plus the Hokies can’t risk having Williams injured on returns. Hosley almost broke a punt return in one scrimmage and seems poised to be a great return man. Antoine Hopkins. Hopkins recorded his first career interception and got into the backfield on several occasions. Virginia Tech has a good, young defensive tackle in Hopkins and his younger brother has already committed to play for the Hokies next season. Brent Bowden. Bowden punted more than you would like to see in a game (8 times) but he punted very well. Bowden had a 57 yard punt and averaged almost 46 yards per punt on the night. Also, most of his punts were not returnable by Javier Arenas, leaving him with a great net average. Offensive line. Alabama is the best defense the Hokies will play all season long (with the possible exception of a bowl game). The O-line blocked well with the exception of mass blitzes. This is more a testament of play calling than play ability. It is hard to block 7+ rushers with 5-6 people, which the Hokies tried for most of the 4th quarter. The line is vastly improved. Summary: Yea, the Hokies lost, but there are some things to be excited about for the remainder of the season. The offense was stagnant (half of the production came on two plays by Williams), but can improve. Once again, it looks like some better play calls and the Hokies can be a force. Fans shouldn’t be too down over this game, Alabama is a legitimate top 5 team.
ACC Power Rankings- Week 1 September 9, 2009 ACC Power Rankings The conference opened the season in a less than desirable fashion. Virginia Tech and North Carolina State both lost to SEC teams. Duke and Virginia both lost to FCS schools. California absolutely humiliated Maryland. Only Clemson (who beat Middle Tennessee State of the Sun Belt Conference) and Miami recorded wins against FBS schools, and Miami’s win was in-conference. All-in-all, week one was a rough start for the Atlantic Coast Conference but things might not be as bad as they seem. Week one isn’t a fair judge of a whole season’s potential. Different teams prepare differently and it’s hard to prepare for the first time you can hit someone in another jersey. This is why Coach Beamer is lobbying for an exhibition game. One to get the kinks out that won’t affect a team’s record. Enough rambling, time for the power rankings.
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1. Miami. I find it hard to put anybody else here. The Hurricanes registered by far the best win of ACC schools. The defense and special teams gave up some big plays but Jacory Harris impressed in his debut as the sole quarterback in Miami. Harris looked very poised, especially late in the game. Despite an injury, he made some very big plays. If Miami can win upcoming games against Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech, they will put themselves in the driver seat to win the Coastal. 2. Virginia Tech. I realize it may seem a little biased to leave the Hokies at second despite a loss and an anemic offensive performance, but I still think they win the ACC this year. The defense played well, they just couldn’t get stay off the field. Ryan Williams will be the next great Hokie back. Oglesby, Wilson, and Williams should be able to put big numbers on the ACC all year long. The defense will still be top 10 when the season ends. 3. Georgia Tech. Dwyer opened the season in mid-season form rushing 7 times for 95 yards and 2 TDs. The reigning ACC Player of the Year will be tough for ACC opponents to keep under wraps. The win over Jacksonville State wasn’t overly impressive, but it was a good tune up before Clemson comes to Atlanta tomorrow. 4. Florida State. The Seminoles lost a heartbreaker to Miami on Monday. Quarterback Christian Ponder played very well throwing for 294 yards and scoring three total touchdowns. Although FSU is 0-1, they could easily find themselves to Tampa Bay in December. 5. North Carolina. The Tarheels spent most of last season looking for a rushing attack, but failed to find consistency. North Carolina found what they were looking for when the ‘Heels ran for 261 yards in a 34-point win over the Citadel. However, I find it hard to rank them above 5th since they did play a lower-level FCS school which only won four games a season ago. 6. Clemson. C.J. Spiller started the Clemson season off with a bang, returning a kick-off 96 yards for a touchdown. The Tigers played well, but they face their first real test in Atlanta tomorrow. 7. NC State. There weren’t a lot of positives for the Wolfpack in their home loss to South Carolina. Quarterback Russell Wilson started the season in a much different form than he ended it, throwing for only 74 yards. The Wolfpack have a lot of work to do if they want to win the Atlantic this season. 8. Wake Forest. The Deacons lost their opener to Baylor, who isn’t a bad team. Riley Skinner entered the season as one of the conference’s most efficient quarterbacks but his three interceptions were a big reason for Wake’s loss. 9. Boston College. BC opened the season with a 54-0 shutout of Northeastern earning Coach Spaziani a win in his debut as a head coach. Montel Harris, Rolandan Finch, and Josh Haden combined to rush for 216 yards and 4 TDs. This was a big confidence builder for the Eagles, but it was against a severely overmatched Northeastern squad. 10. Maryland. I expected a majority of the ACC to be improved, but I picked Maryland to be on the outside of that group looking in. Their 52-13 loss to California proved that the Terps have a ton of work to do if they even want to play .500 football this season. 11. Duke. The Blue Devils lost to an FCS school, but at least it was a respectable FCS school. They still may sneak up on a couple of ACC teams this season, but the opener yielded a less than desirable result. 12. Virginia. The Cavaliers made a lot of people laugh this weekend. A loss at home to William & Mary is flat out embarrassing. At least Duke has basketball season to look forward to. Boom! Roasted!
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Links September 10, 2009 Here are two interesting links to look at. The first is a breakdown of NFL players by ACC school. http://blogs.newsobserver.com/accnow/acc-in-the-nfl-0 The second is a breakdown of how each AP voter ranked Virginia Tech in the latest AP Poll. http://pollspeak.com/pollstalker/pollstalker.php?r=T&s=9&p=18&w=2&t1=112&t2=0&v=21 A Marshall preview will be posted later today.
Marshall Preview September 10, 2009 Marshall Preview With all due respect to Marshall, this game couldn’t have come at a better time for the Hokies. The Thundering Herd are not to be overlooked, but are an overmatched opponent. Following the Alabama loss, Virginia Tech could use a game to figure out the offense and build confidence before Nebraska and Miami come to Blacksburg in the next two weeks. The Hokies put up less than stellar performances against teams perceived to be weaker opponents last season. Duke, Virginia, Furman, and Western Kentucky were all closer than they should’ve been which leaves me a little skeptical about Marshall. Not as much because the Hokies might lose, but because we might not hang up at least 40 on the scoreboard like we should. Many fans feel the Hokies have weapons at every offensive skill position and should be very capable of performances significantly better than we saw against Alabama. Stinespring needs his offense to put on a show to temporarily quiet some of his critics. My last point regarding the significance of a big win in this game would be voter perception. In 2007, Virginia Tech was ranked first in the computer polls but did not make the national championship game because of the human polls (Coaches and AP). Teams don’t earn voter respect by playing courteous football. As bad as it sounds, the Hokies need to win by at least 28 to help ease the blow Alabama delivered. There are three AP voters who currently think VT isn’t a top 25 team (see the link in my previous article for where each voter ranked VT). These perceptions don’t change with a decent win against a non-BCS conference school. If Virginia Tech wants to be in the national picture at the end of the season, they must win out and win some games convincingly. Breakdown The Hokies have too much fire power for Marshall to remain in the game for very long. Ryan Williams tallied 113 of Virginia Tech’s 155 yards against Alabama. His explosiveness and speed will create all kinds of match-up problems for Marshall. Also, Marshall is traditionally a heavily blitz oriented school. If Williams or Wilson can get into space around a blitz, expect nobody to run them down. I fully expect an explosive running attack by all Hokie parties (Williams, Wilson, Oglesby, and Taylor). This quartet could easily (and should) combine to rush for 250 yards on Marshall. I don’t think anybody would be surprised to see Virginia Tech put on a rushing clinic against Marshall, but the passing attack is what concerns most fans. Hopefully Stinespring will give Tyrod plenty of chances to connect with his receivers. Tyrod’s passing numbers were sub-par against Alabama and many Hokie fans would like to see some sign of a productive passing attack. Alabama may have the best defense in the nation, but it is hard
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to point out anything the Hokies did well in the passing game. Marshall is much slower in the secondary and our receivers should be able to create space. Xavier Boyce will have a break-out game in the near future, and Marshall is a great candidate for it. Boyce flew through the depth charts in the off-season due to his consistency and his ability to make plays in the open field. There is no reason the Hokies shouldn’t score at least 40 points, but Beamer and Stinespring may call a conservative game once the Hokies go up a couple of scores. Despite allowing a hair less than 500 yards of total offense, I still feel the Hokies D is one of the best in the nation. Star corner Stephan Virgil has missed two straight practices with a strained knee, and may miss Saturday’s game. Currently, Carmichael and Hill are listed as the starting corners. Regardless, the Hokie defensive line will prove to be too disruptive for the Marshall offense to get anything going. Jason Worilds beat double teams numerous times against Alabama and should tally at least 3 tackles for losses (2 sacks) against Marshall. Expect to hear the names of Graves and Brown several times for being in the backfield as well. In my opinion, linebacker Jake Johnson had a great game against Alabama in his first career start and I expect much of the same this week. Cody Grimm may disrupt as many plays, or more, than Worilds this weekend. The Hokie corners did a good job of limiting the ‘Bama receivers last weekend, who are far superior to the receivers Marshall possesses. Most of the big plays occurred against Kam Chancellor. The one advantage Marshall has is at tight end. Cody Slate has caught 21 touchdown passes and gained over 2,100 yards in his career and returns as the nation’s leading tight end. Last week Slate turned in a 114-yard performance on nine catches last week, including two touchdowns. If Slate can find a spot in the seam, he may give the Hokies trouble. Prediction. VT 41 Marshall 13 Virginia Tech has too much speed and talent for this game to be close. The Hokies should have their way on both offense and defense. Also, look for another big return from Dyrell Roberts. If Marshall can contain him, David Wilson or Jayron Hosley will make a play on returns. Personally, I really want to see a blocked kick this weekend. Beamer called this “Pride and Joy” unit the best he’s ever coached, so I don’t feel like a blocked kick is too much to ask. Go Hokies!
Marshall Post-game September 12, 2009 Wow!!! I know it was Marshall but you can’t help but be a little excited about the performance today. VT took an early lead and never took their cleats off of Marshall’s throat. Today’s game is exactly what the Hokie Nation (and voters) needed to see. You don’t move up the rankings by coasting and today the Hokies never let up. A lot of comparisons have been made to the 1999 team and today they lived up to the bill. That team blew out opponents and earned national respect; a 52-10 win and 605 yards of total offense sends a message. I’ve said that our rushing attack might be the best in the conference and today’s display was incredible. Led by two freshman backs, the Hokies rushed for 444 yards. Ryan Williams tallied 164 yards on 16 carries and scored three times. True Freshman David Wilson wowed fans in his first real debut, carrying the ball 12 times for 165 yards and a touchdown. Both of these backs are FAST and have an uncanny ability to hide behind blockers and then accelerate through the hole. Also, good
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luck to any DB who tries to bring them down in the open field. If you’re lucky enough to keep your cleats on, it’s probably because you got truck sticked (yea, that’s an EA Sports reference). The Hokies scored on special teams for the second time this season. True Freshman Jayron Hosley returned a punt 64 yards for a touchdown. Beamer and co. decided to not redshirt Hosley because of his playmaking ability and he exhibited that today. The special teams units have set the bar high for themselves by scoring in each of the first two games, but Wilson, Dyrell Roberts, and Hosley have the ability to break any play wide open. The defense looked very solid, with the exception Darius Marshall’s 61 yard touchdown run. The Hokies remained disciplined and were seldom out of position. Despite Stephan Virgil’s absence, the Hokie cornerbacks were stuck to Marshall’s receivers all game. Sophomore Eddie Whitley really impressed me. He was beat on one big play, but he broke up a couple of passes and left no space between himself and the opposing receivers. Look for Whitley to contribute all year. What We Learned. The Hokies can move the ball. Today’s 605 yards of offense was something Hokie fans have been dreaming about for a while. The offensive line kept Marshall’s D at bay all game long and the vision of Wilson and Williams was incredible. Each player had multiple touches that could’ve gone for no gain or losses but instead picked up first downs. The ACC will have their hands full with this explosive duo. This is the deepest secondary I can remember seeing at VT. Hill, Carmichael, and Whitley all played very well. Freshman Jayron Hosley received a limited number of snaps but displayed why he was a highly-touted corner coming out of high school. The safety position is solid with Kam Chancellor, Davon Morgan, and Dorian Porch and the Hokies have 4-5 talented corners at their disposal. The Hokies can play special teams. Not a big surprise here as special teams has become Beamer’s mantra. However, it’s worth noting that in just two games the Hokies have a kick-off and punt return for a touchdown. Up next: Nebraska. The Cornhuskers have won convincingly in both games thus far, but have yet to face a top level opponent. In other news, Notre Dame lost and I love it. Is it wrong that I can’t watch Lou Holtz without laughing?
ACC Power Rankings- Week 2 September 16, 2009 ACC Power Rankings- Week 2 Week two looked slightly better for the conference, as only Virginia lost a non-conference game, and in their defense it was to a team now ranked 15th in both major polls. The ACC managed to capture attention once again on the an ESPN night game as Clemson and Georgia Tech fought for 60 minutes with GT edging out the Tigers 30-24. UNC tallied a win against a BCS conference school in UConn, as did Wake over a much improved Stanford program. The conference as a whole totaled 6 fourth quarter comeback wins this week. The two near set-backs were Florida State’s and Maryland’s late wins over FCS schools. 1. Virginia Tech. The Hokies rebounded in a strong fashion after a tough loss to Alabama. The
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Hokies amassed 605 yards, including 444 rushing. This offensive outburst was the Hokies largest total in Bryan Stinespring’s eight years as offensive coordinator. The Hokies will have to prove that they can move the ball against top teams and will get that chance this weekend against No. 19 Nebraska. 2. Miami. The Hurricanes dropped one spot on a bye week. They stand the chance to slide back up the rankings with a win over Georgia Tech tomorrow night. Their impressing win over Florida State lost some of its shine after the ‘Noles struggled to beat FCS school Jacksonville State last weekend. 3. Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets looked very impressive in the first half against Clemson, opening up an early 24-0 lead but allowed 27 unanswered points and lost the lead with 11:33 left to play in the fourth quarter. The Jackets displayed great poise, posting two fourth quarter field goals to win 30-24. The Jackets did win, but due to this game essentially being a tail of two halves, I find it hard to move GT up in the rankings. 4. North Carolina. The Tarheels beat a decent BCS school in Connecticut, on the road. UNC scored 12 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to win 12-10, but the fact that they were shutout during the first three quarters can’t be overlooked. 5. Clemson. See Georgia Tech above. Essentially, the Tigers scored 27 unanswered points at one point in this game, but still lost. A lot of weaknesses were exposed early illuminating the fact that Clemson still has some improvements to make if they want to reach the ACC Championship game in December. 6. Wake Forest. The Deacons avenged a tough loss to Baylor with a win at home against Pac10 school Stanford. Quarterback Riley Skinner engineered his 7th career fourth quarterback comeback. Interestingly enough, Skinner has led the Deacons to a fourth quarter comeback in the second game of the season during each of his four years at the school 7. NC State. Murray State was the in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Wolfpack offense struggled in every facet of the game in their opener against South Carolina but came out guns blazing scoring 65 points in the first three quarters of a 65-7 win. Russell Wilson returned to form throwing for 228 yards, 4 touchdowns, and zero interceptions. 8. Florida State. FSU falls four spots as they needed 12 fourth quarter points to edge out Jacksonville State 19-9. The ‘Noles looked impressive in their opening loss to Miami, but failed to show much against the Gamecocks. 9. Boston College. BC remains 9th after another big win against an inferior opponent. The eagles beat Kent State 34-7 but have yet to face a tough opponent. This week the Eagles face Clemson in a game that will reveal how this squad will fare in ACC play. 10. Duke. What a weird start to the season. The Blue Devils lost to FCS Richmond, but responded with a 35-19 win over Army. The most interesting story here is the quarterback competition/ controversy that may be developing in Durham. QB Thad Lewis had a very strong season last year and entered the season regarded as one of the best quarterbacks in the conference. However, he struggled mightily against Army going 5 for 16 with 60 yards and a touchdown. Backup freshman Sean Renfree entered the game late and completed 7 of 8 passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns spear-heading the Devils second half comeback. Their efforts were also greatly helped by Leon Wrights two interceptions returned for touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Coach Cutcliffe has announced that Lewis will start this weekend against Kansas. 11. Maryland. Maryland had another poor showing early in the 2009 season. Following a
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demoralizing loss to Cal, the Terps needed overtime to beat FCS power James Madison. Coach Friedgen will struggle in ACC play if this team doesn’t make some improvements quickly. 12. Virginia. The Wahoos lost to TCU, but this is a much more respectable loss than the season opening loss to William & Mary. Things started poorly for the Cavaliers when Cavman fell off of his horse while running onto the field before the game, and never improved. See link below of Cavman falling, sorry for the poor quality.
Nebraska Preview September 17, 2009 For the second time in three weeks Virginia Tech faces a ranked, non-conference team with a prestige that rivals almost any school in the nation. The Hokies fell just short of a monumental win in their season opening fourth quarter loss to Alabama. Beamer and Co. will try to off-set that loss with a big win this weekend over No. 19 Nebraska. VT still has national championship game aspirations, but know that they cannot slip up again if they want to make that dream a reality. Many Hokies remember last season’s Nebraska game very well. Tyrod Taylor led a very young offense into Lincoln, NE and came away with a 35-30 win. Taylor recorded one of his best performances of the season throwing for 171 yards on 15 attempts and carried the rock 15 times for 87 yards, including a key 4th quarter 2-yard touchdown run. The Hokies will look to sweep the two-game series with a win at Lane this Saturday. Nebraska has looked impressive thus far outscoring their first two opponents 87-12. First-year starting quarterback Zac Lee has completed 42 of 57 passes for 553 yards and six touchdowns while throwing only one interception. Junior running back Roy Helu, Jr. has 212 yards and three touchdowns through two games. However, this offense has yet to play a solid defense. While these stats are impressive, it must be noted that their first two opponents were Florida Atlantic and Arkansas State. The Cornhuskers offense has yet to play a defense as fast, as aggressive, as disciplined, and as athletic as Virginia Tech’s. The key for the Hokies will be limiting big plays. Virginia Tech’s defense is only allowing 3.3 yards per play less eight big plays, but those plays happened and can’t be ignored. To contain Nebraska’s offense, Virginia Tech will need to create pressure with their front four. Bud Foster’s defensive success is due to the ability to generate pressure at the line, allowing the linebackers to control the gaps or blitz freely. Standout defensive end Jason Worilds played well against Alabama despite facing double teams throughout virtually the entire game. Expect Nebraska to double Worilds as well. The Hokies need interior lineman “Taco” Thompson and John Graves to disrupt the middle of the line. Cornerback Stephan Virgil is questionable, and would be a big loss if he can’t play given the efficiency with which Nebraska passes the ball, but the Hokies still have three solid corners in Rashad Carmichael, Cris Hill, and Eddie Whitley. Also, freshman Jayron Hosley played very well at corner against Marshall. Virginia Tech center Beau Warren did a solid job of containing Alabama defensive tackle Terrence Cody in the season debut and will face a similar task this weekend. Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh recorded 76 tackles including 7.5 sacks last season in route to All-Big 12 honors and already has 1.5 sacks in two games this year. Suh is a very athletic 300-pounder, as evidence by his two interceptions returned for touchdowns last season. The Hokies will need to exploit the Nebraska linebacking corps, which starts two freshmen and a sophomore. This unit is very green, and the freshmen have yet to see players with the speed
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or size the Hokies possess at the skilled positions. The inexperience at linebacker also means that Tyrod may have lanes to tuck it and scramble for a few big gains. Nebraska allowed 18 plays of 8 yards or more against Arkansas State (13 in the first 3 quarters) which makes me very optimistic about Virginia Tech’s ability to break open a few big plays. Freshman running backs Ryan Williams and David Wilson each rushed for over 160 yards and both broke runs of over 50 yards against Marshall. While I don’t expect them to duplicate those numbers, I do think the Tech backfield (also including Taylor and Josh Oglesby) will rush for over 200 yards. Ball control could become vital. Zac Lee and the Nebraska offense can score in a hurry so limiting possessions could become the key to a win Saturday. The Hokies, under Frank Beamer, are 157-30-2 when outrushing the opposition. This is yet another indicator of the importance of ball control for the Hokie O. Special teams made an impact on last season’s match-up as Stephan Virgil blocked a punt for a safety and Nebraska return man Nate Swift returned a punt 88 yards for a touchdown. I have to give the advantage to the Hokies on special teams as kick returner Dyrell Roberts and punt returner Jayron Hosley both have returned kicks for touchdowns this season. Their other kick returner, David Wilson, is equally explosive and could become the third Hokie returner to house one this season if he gets a hole. Prediction: Virginia Tech — 34 Nebraska — 20 The Hokies are far more battle tested than Nebraska and that will be the difference this weekend. It also helps that the Hokies are at home in the nation’s toughest environment as determined by Vegas spreads. Virginia Tech receives 6 points for home games, tied with Boise State for the most in the nation. Nebraska QB Zac Lee may have a big game, but it won’t be enough. The Hokies will rush for over 200 yards, which should open up some passing lanes. Nebraska is strong on the defensive line and in the secondary, but the inexperience at linebacker will show. Also, the Hokies will have at least one big special teams play. Eat ‘em up Tech!!!
Huge Win! September 19, 2009 WOW!!! That might have been the best finish of any game I’ve been to. The only one I can think of to rival it was the 1995 UVA/FSU goal line stand. Touchdowns on the bookend drives, but no offense in between. We probably broke a record for most running back draws in a game, not happy about that. However, once we were forced to open up the offense, they came through. Huge touchdown and a great interception to seal the deal. Story to come tomorrow. Going out tonight to celebrate!
Taylor Leads Hokies to a Miracle Comeback September 20, 2009 As I stated in my previous post, that may have been the best finish to any game I’ve been to. The Hokies scored on the game’s opening drive and then struggled to produce any offense until the final two minutes. Tyrod Taylor made two phenomenal plays in the last two minutes. The first was
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a pass to an open Danny Coale who streaked 81 yards down the sideline until he was pushed out inside the five. Three plays later Tyrod moved around in the pocket, buying time, and made a strong pass to Dyrell Roberts for the winning touchdown. Taylor had a defender’s arm on his shoulder pads when he threw the touchdown strike. Roberts’s contributions on that play cannot be overlooked either. Roberts saw Tyrod rolling out and had the presence of mind to roll with him across the field and made a nice grab to keep the ball off of the ground. It was an incredible drive that Frank Beamer summed up perfectly when he said “great players make great plays.” So, my 34-20 prediction was a little off. In my defense, I didn’t have the foresight to predict that almost every run Stinespring called would be a running back draw or dive from the Shotgun formation. Can’t say I agree with that, but the offense made plays when we were forced to pass. Tyrod used his mobility to create time; he kept his eyes downfield and made two great plays at the end. People like to knock his ability to throw but you can’t deny he has an uncanny ability to win games. They may not always be pretty but the most important thing a quarterback can do is win games and Tyrod does that very well. His 192 passing yards are the most he has recorded since his freshman season. The defense looked great at some points, but terrible at others. There were more missed tackles than Hokie fans are accustomed to seeing, but the defense did a great job of not allowing a single touchdown. Nebraska quarterback Zac Lee entered the game averaging about 275 passing yards and three touchdowns per game. Despite the absence of star corner Stephan Virgil, the Hokie secondary limited Lee to 11 completions on 30 attempts for only 136 yards. The Hokie secondary also intercepted two passes, including a Hail Mary attempt on the last play of the game. The biggest concern with Virginia Tech’s defense has to be their ability to get to the quarterback. The Hokies have only recorded three sacks in three games (while allowing 12). The defensive line entered the season with high expectations, especially end Jason Worilds. Worilds had a monstrous season last year despite dislocating his shoulder early in the season. However, he has only recorded three tackles for a loss and one sack this season. Looking at the bright side, the Hokies have recorded 32 hurries, they just need to find a way to get to the quarterback one step quicker. Pressure will be vital next Saturday. If Jacory Harris has time to sit in the pocket and find receivers, the Hokies could be in for a long game. What We Learned This team has heart. The Hokies showed that they have a tremendous amount of heart and refuse to quit. The defense held Nebraska to a huge three and out to allow Tyrod Taylor and the offense the opportunity to score the winning touchdown. The offensive production is unpredictable, but the play calling isn’t. The Hokies scored a touchdown less than four minutes into the game and then again with less than a minute left. In the other 55+ minutes, only three points were scored. The Hokies showed they can move the ball, they just need to do it more consistently. The Hokies are very deep and very talented in the secondary. Despite the loss of Virgil, the Hokies still only allowed 136 passing yards and zero touchdowns. The Hokies have only allowed one passing touchdown all season while holding opponents to 164 passing yards per game. Ryan Williams and Dyrell Roberts can play. Both players have scored in every game. Dyrell continues to impress on kick-off returns and Ryan Williams broke yet another big run (46 yards). Game Balls: Tyrod Taylor. Taylor was the victim of lots of criticism and even some booing but kept his
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composure and manufactured an incredible fourth quarter comeback. Dyrell Roberts. Roberts returned two kicks for 95 yards, including a 76-yard return to open the game. He also caught the game winning 11-yard touchdown. Danny Coale. Coale found an opening in the zone and streaked down the sideline for an 81 yard gain in the final minute of the game. Coale was pushed out inside the five yard line. He finished the game with two catches for 89 yards. The entire defense. Although they allowed 343 yards, Virginia Tech limited Nebraska to five field goals and zero touchdowns. Kam Chancellor and Rashad Carmichael each intercepted passes. Some seasonal stats to consider Bowden is 4th in the nation in punting Roberts is 2nd in the nation in kick returns Hosley is 7th in the nation in punt returns Ryan Williams is 6th in the nation in scoring, 12th in the nation in rushing (114 ypg) and 1st in the ACC in rushing. Total O is 78th in the nation Total D is 77th in the nation
Links September 21, 2009 Four links to enjoy two days after the miracle win over Nebraska. Link to Q & A with Dyrell Roberts. http://www.sportingnews.com/college-football/article/200909-19/va-tech-s-dyrell-roberts-i-had-make-catch Taylor makes up for horrific day with magic moment. http://www.sportingnews.com/collegefootball/article/2009-09-19/taylor-makes-for-horrific-day-magic-moment Ryan Williams named ACC Rookie of the Week for the second time this season. http://www. theacc.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/092109aac.html Virginia Tech’s late heroics didn’t surprise the team. http://www.sportingnews.com/collegefootball/article/2009-09-20/hokies-improbable-victory-was-no-surprise-us
ACC Power Rankings- Week 3 September 22, 2009 Miami and Virginia Tech look to be the class of the ACC. Miami has looked very impressive in their first two games moving to 2-0 overall and in the conference. VT’s win was lucky, but it’s a win. As usual, the Hokies will need to figure out how to put up points if they want to make a return trip to the ACC Championship game. Florida State looked very impressive in a win over BYU and seems to be the favorite to represent the Atlantic Division in the ACC Championship Game. Meanwhile, Duke, Maryland, and UVA will duke it out for the rights to be the conference’s worst team. 1. Miami. It hurts me to put the Canes above the Hokies but I don’t see any way around it. They are 2-0 with conference wins over Florida State and Georgia Tech. VT will have their hands full with Mark Whipple’s offense.
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2. Virginia Tech. It wasn’t pretty, ok, it was ugly, but it’s a win. It sounds like the game winning drive has given out offense some confidence and I pray that is the case. This weekend could get embarrassing without some improved play on offense and a better rush d. 3. North Carolina. UNC remains unbeaten after beating East Carolina. I still can’t tell how good UNC is, but I think they have the potential to beat any team in the ACC. As the rankings indicate, the Coastal is loaded this year. 4. Florida State. Congratulations to the Noles on their big road win over top-10 BYU. The Noles fielded a team that many people expected to see. It’s hard to believe that was the same team that struggled against Jacksonville State. 5. Georgia Tech. The Jackets didn’t have an answer for the Hurricanes all night. They are still a tough team, but may have been overrated. GT needs to put that loss behind them and focus on the rest of the season. 6. Clemson. Clemson notched a big win following a tough loss to GT. The Tigers easily handled Boston College 25-7 and are the only Atlantic team with a conference win. 7. NC State. Russell Wilson threw for a career high 345-yards passing and four touchdowns in a 45-14 victory over Gardner-Webb. After a slow start against South Carolina, the Wolfpack have been finally putting up the offensive numbers people expected. 8. Wake Forest. The Deacons beat Elon 35-7, led by Riley Skinner’s 289 passing yards. The defensive line looked the best it has all season, but it was against Elon. Wake still has some consistency issues which could lead to trouble against ACC teams. 9. Boston College. BC beat inferior opponents by large margins in their first two games of the season, but was exposed against Clemson. This team has some serious questions, especially at QB, and will likely struggle in ACC play. Justin Tuggle completed four of 20 passes while also throwing three interceptions. David Shinskie fumbled twice, one of which resulted in a turnover. 10. Duke. Sean Renfree had another solid performance throwing for 115 yards, while starter Thaddeus Lewis threw for 184, but did throw two picks. It will be interesting to see how this quarterback “competition” plays out. Duke was routed by Kansas, but still looks better than Maryland and UVA. 11. Maryland. Maryland lost to Middle Tennessee State. Ralph Friedgen really needs to figure things out in College Park in a hurry. The Terps are 1-2 with the lone winning coming in overtime against FCS James Madison. At least Maryland plays UVA. 12. Virginia. Ouch. Just when it looked like the Cavaliers were finally starting to show signs of improvement, they allow 20 unanswered points in a late loss to Southern Miss. I think the question has changed from ‘Will Al Groh keep his job?’ to ‘Will UVA make a mid-season coaching change?’
Behind Enemy Lines: Q & A with Miami’s Correspondent September 22, 2009 I asked Miami’s ACC Campus Correspondent Christina De Nicola a few questions about this weekend’s match-up. I thought it would give Hokies an interesting insight into the perspective ‘Canes fans have about the match-up. She knows Miami football inside and out so it is a good read. Below are the questions with her responses.
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Q: Jacory Harris has played tremendously well in the season’s first two games. What is different about him this season? A: He’s on the field! Last year, Harris came off the bench when Robert Marve, who has since transferred to Purdue, started games and led the offense nowhere. Head coach Randy Shannon continues to preach that “J12” is the same person and player he was down here at Miami Northwestern Senior High School. In fact, Harris’s poise and composure is old news. In his senior year, he led the Bulls on something like a 90-yard touchdown drive en route to a high school (and even national) championship. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s had plenty of time in the pocket; he has been sacked just twice in two games, both of which came against Florida State. Q: The whole Miami defense is fast. Which defensive match-up (group wise) will create the biggest problems for Virginia Tech? A: Coming into the season, Shannon stated that the defensive line would be the strength of the team because of its depth and talent. People thought he was crazy at first since the unit got beat up for 472 yards against Georgia Tech last year. But when you look at what’s happened so far this season – 95 yards for the spread option - he seems pretty sane after all. The return of redshirt senior defensive end Eric Moncur patches up a hole with sophomore Adewale Ojomo out with a broken jaw. A pair of Marcuses – Forston and Robinson – will try to plug up the middle and stop the run game. Q: Virginia Tech has given up only one passing touchdown in three games. What must Harris do to find the end zone through the air? A: Nothing against the Hokies D, but part of the reason for only one passing touchdown allowed might be because of the efficiency teams like Alabama and Nebraska have had running the football. Harris has many targets to look to. Last Thursday night against the Yellow Jackets, he completed a pass to nine different players, and two of his three touchdowns went to tight ends. I won’t give away a favorite play of mine that offensive coordinator Mark Whipple seems to use, but let’s just say that the mix of short and long passes has the offense producing more than 30 points a game. Q: Conversely, the Virginia Tech run D is giving up over 200 yards per game. What kind of impact will Cooper, James, and any other running backs have? A: That’s the thing. With junior Graig Cooper and senior Javarris James, who lost weight over the offseason and is now more explosive, the Hurricanes have a balanced attack. Not only are the two threats running the ball, but they’re really good catching the ball out of the backfield. They’ve combined for 10 catches and a touchdown. “Coop” ranks third nationally in all-purpose yards per game (209.0). Q: From a Miami perspective, what are your honest thoughts on the Virginia Tech offense? Can we move the ball against Miami? A: I’ll be straight with you. After seeing what the Georgia Tech offense couldn’t do against the Miami defense, if I was a Hokie, I’d just hope that Tyrod Taylor tries to put the ball in the air more often, especially if the Miami D tries to focus on stopping the run. The unit got beat on a couple of deep pass plays because it focused on stopping the run. And kudos to Taylor: he already has one more touchdown than he had all of last season, right?
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Just from looking at stats, Ryan Williams’s 6.8 average and David Wilson’s 10.7 yards a carry scare me a bit, particularly if the injury to junior defensive lineman Steven Wesley keeps him out of the game. Q: Miami has somewhat struggled early in kick coverage (Reid averaged 33.3 yards per return, Smith averaged 27.8). Dyrell Roberts is the nation’s second leading kick returner this season; Hosley is 7th in the nation on punt returns. What kind of impact will these special teams players have on the game? A: At the moment, the kickoff team is lucky that the offense and defense have been picking up the slack. Part of the problem has been giving junior Matt Bosher, who was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award last year, a bit of a break so he only has to kick field goals and punts. In the Georgia Tech game, walk-on senior Alex Uribe was clearly nervous and kicked two balls out of bounds. His next two, however, were inside the 10 with good hang time, and clearly gave the players time to run down the field to make a tackle. Shannon said today at the press conference that guys might switch around a bit on coverage teams. As for punting, Bosher hasn’t had to do much work – he only needed to punt once in the Yellow Jackets game. All of his punts have actually been around opponents’ 20-yard line for fair catches or downed by a teammate, so there hasn’t been a true test on that sort of coverage yet. Q: Miami has a lot of weapons on offense. Which player(s) do you see creating the biggest problem for the Hokie defense? A: Graig Cooper. I mentioned it before with the fact that he can catch the ball out of the backfield, run and return kicks. Q: What has made coordinator Mark Whipple’s offense so effective early this season? A: He utilizes all the weapons that he has. Harris hands the ball off for a running play of four or five yards and then can use the play action to go deep. Everyone gets in on the action with Whipple’s “pro-style” offense. Q: If Virginia Tech wins it will be because…. A: The Hurricanes make a costly mistake or the kickoff/punt coverage fails to show up on the road in a hostile environment. Then again, Harris and company rallied after a key interception for a touchdown at Florida State, so apparently not much fazes them. Q: If Miami wins it will be because…. A: The offense scored often and early, allowing the defense to focus on stopping big plays from Virginia Tech’s offense. If Whippleball produces like it did against Georgia Tech, the Hokies will need to pass more and get out of their comfort zone.
Miami Prediction September 25, 2009 For the third time in four week the Hokies play in one of the marquee match-ups this weekend. The Miami Hurricanes, in my opinion are VT’s biggest rival since UVA is fielding a JV football squad, come to Lane Stadium this Saturday for a battle of top 15 teams. Miami has hit this season in a full-out sprint quickly becoming a media darling. The ‘Canes have catapulted themselves from being unranked to No. 9 in the nation after impressive wins over Florida State and Georgia Tech. Meanwhile, the Hokies are 2-1 and are ranked No. 11. The Hokies have won four of the last six in
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the series, but did lose last season in Miami. Miami Offense ESPN and other sports networks have fallen in love with Jacory Harris and the Miami offense, led by coordinator Mark Whipple. Yea, that statement reeks of jealousy. The Hurricances put up 38 points on Florida State and 33 points on Georgia Tech and have looked explosive in every facet of the offense. In two games Harris, a sophomore, is now being referred to as a serious Heisman candidate. Whipple has opened up the Miami offense and allowed Harris to get the ball in the hands of his receivers in open space. Harris has shown great touch on his passes and has made great decisions thus far. He’s stood tall in the pocket and made accurate reads and solid passes all season. The most interesting thing, in my opinion, Whipple has done is institute an unbalanced line on certain run formations. Left tackle Jason Fox moves to the right side next to the right tackle. This allows for less traditional blocking on the left side with a tight end next to the guard on the left. Usually, the left guard pulls, allowing the Canes to significantly outnumber the defensive lines right side. A tight end remains on the left to block a defensive end in backside pursuit. If he is effective in this, then big runs usually follow. BUT, if the end can beat the tight end, there is a great potential to stop the play in the backfield or at the line. The Hokies will need tremendous efforts from Jason Worilds and Nekos Brown on these sets to limit big runs. This formation can be switched, I was just illustrating left to right because that seems to be the prominent choice for Whipple. The Hokies are ranked 106th in the nation in rush defense allowing just over 200 yards per game. Miami has a pair of game-breaking ‘backs in Graig Cooper and Javarris James. Cooper and James average 5.2 and 4.3 yards per carry, respectively. Cooper is also a big threat as a receiver out of the backfield, as Florida State learned by allowing him to sneak open for a 24 yard touchdown. In order to contain these two on the ground, the Hokies will need to control the line and have linebackers Barquell Rivers and Jake Johnson play solid gap control. Both Johnson and Rivers have looked questionable thus far, as each have taken poor angles and missed tackles on several plays. Bud Foster will need to prepare these two well to limit Miami’s rushing attack. I would list Miami’s weapons at receiver but that would be like listing a full basketball team roster. Sophomore Travis Benjamin is the biggest long ball threat as he has explosive speed and great open field moves (think Devin Hester). The majority of Miami’s receivers are big (around 6’3”, 6’4”) and could create trouble for the secondary. Stephan Virgil is listed as a starter this weekend and his return could be crucial for the Hokies. Virgil possesses the skills to lock down one side of the field but may be playing field corner this weekend, leaving safety help for him over the top. Miami’s receivers have good hands and can make plays with the ball in their hand so the secondary will need a lot of pressure from the front four to force Harris to throw earlier than he would like. Miami Defense While Alabama is still the best defense the Hokies will face all year, Miami is probably the fastest. They have freakish speed at every position, but this sometimes costs them. They play full-throttle but occasionally lack the discipline to avoid giving up big plays. The best example I can think of was Christian Ponder’s 30 yard run up the middle after the line and blitzers over pursued. If Miami over pursues, Tyrod Taylor may find running lanes, something he has yet to see this season. Miami’s front four is very good but very injured. Defensive ends Adewale Ojomo and Andrew Smith along with defensive tackle Marcus Forston are all out. Defensive lineman Dyron Dye is listed as doubtful. Defensive tackle Marcus Robinson has to be the player to watch. Robinson was a force
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against Virginia Tech last season, tallying seven tackles, including four for losses and three sacks. In total, Miami had six sacks last year against the Hokies. Defensive tackle Allen Bailey is a freak. He has somehow gained enough size to move from linebacker, to defensive end, to defensive tackle while retaining a majority of his speed and quickness. He could create mismatches on the interior portion of the line. The one benefit for the Hokies is that they have faced two of the nation’s top defensive tackles already. Despite the injuries, Miami is still very deep on the defensive line. The injuries will hurt but they are very fast and still will cause trouble for the Hokie offensive line. The linebacking corps at Miami is fast and physical. Led by senior Darryl Sharpton, this unit seems to always find the ball. Sophomore Sean Spence has already made a name for himself in the ACC as a hard hitting ball hawk. Spence has phenomenal speed for a linebacker and could create havoc for the Hokies as both a QB spy and in run support. The key to beating this group will be getting Tyrod out of the pocket. If Tyrod stays in the pocket, these linebackers will have their way with the Hokie offense both on blitzes and in pass coverage. Also vital will be whether or not the Hokie ‘backs can get by them in space. If the Virginia Tech tailbacks can get past the linebackers then they should break open some monsterous runs. What to say about the secondary? This always seems to be Miami’s strength. You can rattle off name after name of NFL DBs and they are Miami grads (even as a Hokie, Ed Reed and Sean Taylor, RIP, were/are my favorite NFL players). This year is no different. Miami safety Randy Phillips is an animal but is overly cocky. I’ve met him and he is a nice guy but I can’t overlook statements like “The U is back” and “Every year that we play them (Virginia Tech) we always beat them in special teams so I guess it’s Coach Shannon Ball”. These sound like a call to arms by me, but I’m not on the field. Corners Brandon Harris and DeMarcus Van Dyke as well as redshirt freshman safety Vaughn Telemague are all to be feared. If the Hokies want to pass, the receivers will need to create more separation than they have to date. There seems to be a steady progression among Tech receivers game to game, but so far they aren’t quite where they should be. Separation will be crucial as this secondary can make plays on any pass. Keys to the Game. Tyrod Taylor has to find a comfort zone. He looked nervous in the pocket against Nebraska and often held the ball too long. Either he didn’t trust his arm or didn’t trust his receivers. Hopefully the last two completions against Nebraska will instill some confidence in him. Tyrod needs to let loose on his passes and fire them at his targets instead of trying to ease them in. Roll-outs or waggles could be beneficial, as this will get Taylor out of the pocket and force spies to roll with him, leaving the middle of the field as a soft spot. Also, by moving the pocket, there is less chance of passes getting batted down at the line, which Nebraska has great success in doing. Of note: Tyrod Taylor is 10-0 as a starter at home. Pressure Jacory Harris. Against both Florida State and Georgia Tech, Harris had ample time to stand tall and find receivers. When he can do this, he will pick a defense apart. The front four of the Hokies need to be in his face and get him to the ground. The Hokies have 32 hurries this season, but only 3 sacks. They have got to knock Harris down to get him out of his game. Special teams. Miami has struggled on kick-off coverage. Against Georgia Tech, Miami kicked two kick-offs out of bounds, followed by back-to-back returns to the 38 or 39 yard line. Dyrell Roberts has excelled early in the season on kick-off returns and the Hokies will likely need at least one big return from him to win this game. Limit Miami’s possessions. Miami has an explosive offense and the worst thing Virginia Tech can do would be to allow them lots of opportunities to score. Virginia Tech’s defense couldn’t stay
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off the field against Alabama, and a similar situation against Miami will result in another loss. The offense needs to move the ball and pick-up first downs. Three and outs take a toll on defenses and Miami has too many weapons to play against fatigued. Weather. As of now, it looks like there could be heavy rain. This would change the dynamics of the game allowing less passing opportunities (think BC game in 2007). The game would become more smash-mouth and defensive line penetration would become more difficult. Prediction This is tough. To date, I think Miami has shown more than Tech. Our offense against top teams has been anemic. That said, I’m hoping Stinespring comes through with a big game. With his back against the wall last season he came up with two big games, BC in the ACC Championship and Cincinnati in the Orange Bowl. I expect an improved, more versatile offense against Miami. That coupled with the way the defense played last week, especially in the fourth quarter, I think we have a chance. Special teams could likely be the key. Cooper and Benjamin are good returners for Miami but I think Dyrell Roberts, David Wilson, and Jayron Hosley are better. This could be the key, especially if the rain comes in like the forecasts predict. Also, I’m still waiting for the Hokies to block a punt. Beamer said this ‘Pride and Joy’ unit is the best he’s ever coached. What better time than this week for a blocked punt? Since I’m incredibly biased, I can’t pick against my Hokies. Virginia Tech 20 Miami 17
Quick Notes after the Miami game September 26, 2009 Now that is HOKIE FOOTBALL. Great win, it will probably be dismissed by saying either Miami was overrated or the weather hurt them. Either way, that is how you play football. With today’s win the Hokies now have to be the favorite to win the Coastal. A Few Quick Notes. Ryan Williams is the best running back in the ACC. Williams carried the ball 34 times for 150 yards and 2 touchdowns. Today was a great rushing performance for him, but the offensive line needs their credit. They did a great job of creating holes. Bud Foster is the best defensive coordinator in the nation. Heisman candidate Jacory Harris was 9-25 with an interception. The defense seemed to be in his face on every pass attempt. The Hokies generated great pressure from the front seven, and maintained lockdown coverage all night. Great play calling and the entire defense deserves credit for their near flawless execution. Finally, I’m calling out Randy Phillips. He made a lot of cocky statements before the game and now he is eating those words. According to him, “Beamer Ball” should be called Coach Shannon Ball because Miami had outplayed Virginia Tech on special teams every year he’s been a Cane. Well, not tonight. Blocked punt for a touchdown. That’s why it’s “Beamer Ball”. Great win and thank yous go out to South Carolina and Oregon for creating more room for Tech to move in the polls. Now it’s time to celebrate!
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Miami Post-game September 27, 2009 The weather was miserable. I was already sick heading into the game and now feel like death but it was totally worth it. I knew rain would be miserable to stand in for three hours, but I believe it greatly helped out the Hokies. I’ll gladly get soaked and sick if it assists in a Virginia Tech win. I haven’t been outside in rain that hard since the Boston College game two years ago, but this time it was far more enjoyable. The Hokies notched a huge win over Miami yesterday in Lane Stadium. The 31-7 smack down puts Virginia Tech in the driver seat to win the Coastal division. Virginia Tech played Virginia Tech football and Miami didn’t seem to have an answer. The Hokies outgained Miami 370 yards to 209, including a decisive 272-59 rushing advantage. Tyrod Taylor did a great job of managing the offense, completing 4 of 9 passes for 98 yards, including a 48 yard touchdown pass to Jarrett Boykin. The Hokies recorded two takeaways while committing zero turnovers. Bud Foster called a great game, as he often does in big match-ups. Miami’s Jacory Harris was virtually untouched in his first two games but was not quite so lucky yesterday. Harris was sacked three times, including one and a half by Jason Worilds. Worilds also recorded two quarterback hits. Dorian Porch recorded a sack which forced a fumble that he was able to recover. This fumble set up Ryan Williams first of two rushing touchdowns. Defensive tackle Kwamaine Battle recorded the other half sack. Both Cody Grimm and Kam Chancellor were all over the field, recording 11 tackles (1.5 for losses) and 10 tackles (0.5 for a loss) respectively. Chancellor’s biggest play, which likely is overlooked was his recovery on a muffed punt by Jayron Hosley. Had Miami recovered this, it would’ve given them the ball deep in Hokie territory. Instead, the Hokies manufactured an 89 yard drive, capping it off with a 48 yard touchdown pass from Taylor to Boykin. Players of the Game: Ryan Williams. Williams ran a career high 34 times for 150 yards and two touchdowns. Williams and the Hokies took advantage of an injured Miami defensive line, often running left where both starters on the line were out. Williams also had two catches for 40 yards. Williams has had over 100 all-purpose yards in every game this season. Tyrod Taylor. Taylor only completed four of nine passes, but had 98 yards and a touchdown. We also saw the mobility team’s fear as Taylor ran for 75 yards on 10 carries. Taylor managed the game and capitalized on a few well timed play action passes. Jason Worilds. Worilds manhandled the line recording six tackled and one and a half sacks. Worilds wreaked havoc on Harris all night also recording several hurries. One of Worilds sacks forced Miami out of field goal range and into a punting situation following a bad snap to Virginia Tech punter Brent Bowden, which Miami recovered at the VT 23. Jacob Sykes and Matt Reidy. Sykes came through untouched and blocked a Matt Bosher punt, which Reidy returned for a touchdown in the second quarter. This was the Hokies first blocked kick of the season. Dorian Porch. Porch had an incredible game, stepping in for Davon Morgan, who injured his shoulder in the first quarter. Porch and Morgan usually split time at rover, leaving the responsibility to Porch for the majority of the game. Porch recorded nine tackles including one and a half for losses, forced and recovered a fumble, and broke up one pass. Porch outshined most Hokies, who
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all played well. What We Learned: Bud Foster is the best defensive coordinator in the nation. This is evident by his defenses being ranked in the top ten over each of the past five years, but he once again showed what makes him so good. The Hokie defense pressured Harris all night and left little room for Javarris James and Graig Cooper to run. The Hokie defense entered the game ranked 106th in the nation in rushing yards allowed but held Miami to just 59 on the ground. Ryan Williams in an animal. As mentioned before Williams had 190 all-purpose yards and scored two more touchdowns, giving him eight in just four games this season. He should be considered a Heisman candidate but probably won’t get that respect just yet. The Hokie offense is better than it has been in past years. It seems the last drive against Nebraska gave Taylor and the rest of the offense some confidence and that carried over against Miami. Also, the offensive line created some huge holes and blocked well on the limited amount of pass plays. Starters Blake DeChristopher and Sergio Render both left the game with injuries (Render left twice), but both did return. Beamer Ball is alive and well. The Hokies recorded their third special teams touchdown in four games, this time thanks to a blocked punt. Final thoughts. The Hokies have now positioned themselves in the driver seat to win the ACC Championship once again. Miami received a lot of hype heading into this game but was clearly overmatched. The weather did benefit Virginia Tech, but Miami should be used to the rain. The Hokies are now ranked 6th in each poll and are the highest ranked one loss team in the nation. If they can win out, they could easily find themselves in the thick of the national title hunt. I do think Virginia Tech should’ve jumped LSU, who barely beat Mississippi State, but I don’t get to vote. LSU still has to play Florida and Alabama. Even if Florida and Alabama each win out, they will face each other in the SEC Championship, meaning one will have a late season loss. Texas still has Oklahoma to play. Boise State should win out, but hopefully if the Hokies win out also, they will jump the Broncos due to their strength of schedule.
ACC Power Rankings- Week 4 September 29, 2009 This season looks to be another slugfest in the ACC. Two weeks ago I thought Georgia Tech was overrated and that North Carolina would walk all over them. Dead wrong. I thought Florida State was the favorite to win the Atlantic Division after a close loss to Miami and a blow-out win over BYU. Wrong again. South Florida held Florida State to 7 points, now the Atlantic seems wide open again. This season is shaping up like last year, a series of beat-downs and upsets with Virginia Tech winning the conference. 1. Virginia Tech. The Hokies put together a great game against the “U”. Tyrod Taylor only had to throw nine passes to keep the Hokie offense moving. The Hokies dominated the trenches rushing for 272 yards, controlling the ball and limited Miami’s possessions. This was the Hokies best defensive performance of this young season, sacking Harris three times and knocking him down repeatedly. The Hokies forced two turnovers and scored a special teams touchdown. If the Hokies can play this well week in and week out, they stand a strong chance to win out and be very
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much in the thick for a national title appearance. 2. Miami. The Hurricanes sprinted out of the gate, hurdling to a number nine ranking, but face planted against Virginia Tech. The weather did factor in somewhat, but with the way the game was played I think the Hokies would’ve won in any conditions. The injuries on the defensive line proved to be a major issue for Miami. Harris didn’t look like the Heisman candidate the media had hyped him as entering the game. Miami will need to figure out how to rebound, and quickly, as they play Oklahoma this weekend. 3. Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech, in the past two games, have personified the last year and a half in the ACC. The Jackets got crushed by Miami and then follow it up with a 24-7 win over North Carolina. Every game is tough to predict because any team can win. The Jackets are a hard team to peg, their rushing attack can be devastating but sometimes they fail to execute. I had questions about their defense but they held UNC to 17 rushing yards. Georgia Tech seems to be a team that can beat anyone in the conference, but are equally capable of losing if they have some mishaps executing the option. 4. N.C. State. The Wolfpack looked terrible in an opening season loss to South Carolina, but now that loss doesn’t seem so bad. Since then, they have won three straight. Quarterback Russell Wilson has looked like the best quarterback in the conference in his last three games and could be the reason N.C. State makes the ACC Championship game. Wilson threw for 322 yards and 4 touchdowns in a fourth quarter win over Pittsburgh last weekend. 5. Florida State. The Seminoles come in at number five because nobody else has shown anything to be ranked higher than them. This is a team that seems to come to play every other game. Florida State will need to find consistency if they want to win the Atlantic. The South Florida loss was a terrible one, but luckily for the ‘Noles it was a non-conference game. 6. North Carolina. North Carolina is in a similar situation to Florida State. They are ranked here more due to other team’s poor play, than their own success. North Carolina was manhandled by Georgia Tech and will need to find a solid rushing attack if they want to win the Coastal. 17 Rushing yards per game won’t cut it in ACC play. 7. Clemson. The Tigers lost to TCU. It shouldn’t really be a surprise as TCU was ranked 15th, but Clemson fans were probably expecting a better showing than just ten points. C.J. Spiller seems to be the one bright spot for Clemson this season; he tallied 191 of Clemson’s 309 yards on offense last week and scored the only Clemson touchdown. 8. Boston College. The Eagles edged out Wake Forest in overtime and are off to a surprising 3-1 start (two wins were against very weak competition). The Eagles found solid quarterback play from David Shinskie and accumulated nearly 400 yards of offense but did give up almost 500 yards. Unfortunately, for Boston College, the schedule is about to get much more difficult with home games against Florida State and NC State surrounding a road trip to Blacksburg. 9. Wake Forest. The Deacons put up almost 500 yards of offense but still lost to Boston College. There are obviously some issues on defense as an young Boston College offense, led by a firstyear quarterback recorded 398 yards. 10. Duke. The Blue Devils easily handled North Carolina Central. The Devils haven’t looked very impressive, but at least they are beating the teams they should which is why they are 10th and not 11th or 12th. 11. Maryland. Maryland lost again, this time to Rutgers. The Terps lost 34-13 despite outgaining the Scarlet Knights 299-249. Maryland committed five turnovers while failing to take the ball away
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from Rutgers. Maryland is in for a very long season. 12. Virginia. The bye week couldn’t have come at a better time. Maybe the time off has given Al Groh & Co. some time to figure out what has been going wrong this season.
What I want to see from the offense against Duke September 30, 2009 I was reading a Virginia Tech football message board and came across an interesting thread topic: What kinds of things do you want to see the O do against Duke? This got me to thinking about what the offense has done through four games, and what I think they are capable of doing. Here are some team statistics through the first four games. I would like to point out, as everyone knows, these stats include games against Alabama, Nebraska, and Miami. Also of note, the “weak” link of the Hokie schedule thus far is Marshall, who is 3-1 this season. Team Stat Team total per game NCAA Rank
Rushing yards
216.5
16th
Passing yards
135.5
115th
Total yards
352.0
79th
Scoring (points per game)
30.75
34th
As you can tell by the numbers, the offense is much improved. Bryan Stinespring has taken the brunt of any criticism about the Hokies over the past three seasons. In this span, the highest the Hokies offense has finished in total yards per game is 99th. There is no question that Virginia Tech has had enough talent to put together an offense that ranks at least near the 50 percentile in the nation, but things have not fallen into place. This season things seem to be clicking on offense since the Alabama game. The offensive line if playing well. Ryan Williams is truly special and has quickly become a Hokie favorite at running back. His back-ups Josh Oglesby and David Wilson have also both performed well when they get the chance. The receiving corps still has issues creating separation but has improved game by game. Which leads me to what I want to see the offense do against Duke: • Considering the numbers put up against Marshall, Nebraska, and Miami I feel 450 yards of total offense is a realistic goal. •
Ryan Williams has rushed for over 100 yards in three of four games and had at least 100 total yards in every game. I would like to see him continue that trend this weekend, but would also like to see Oglesby and Wilson get some meaningful game time experience. I’m thinking the rushing attack should be delegated as follows: around 15 carries for Williams and at least 10 a piece for Oglesby and Wilson.
• Tyrod Taylor needs a chance to air it out. He only threw nine passes against Miami, which was a good decision given the effectiveness of the rushing attack and the weather. Taylor and the receivers need some game time work to prove that we have
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a serviceable passing attack to keep defenses from loading the box with eight or nine defenders.
• Some shots downfield. Having a deep threat helps to stretch out the defense. • Tyrod getting outside of the pocket. Roll-outs move the pocket and allow Tyrod to see the field better to throw, or gives him the opportunity to run. •
Real reps for several back-ups. David Wilson was one name I mentioned earlier. His redshirt is already burned, might as well use him to keep Williams rested and lessen the chance of injury. Wide receiver D.J. Coles is another true freshman who is not redshirting. I would like to see what he can do. Ju-Ju Clayton should get some time to prove what he can do, as should WR Marcus Davis.
• Most importantly, and this goes without needing to be said, stay healthy. The Hokies also need to stay focused and not fall victim to Duke in a “trap game” following two emotional wins.
Duke Preview October 1, 2009 A lot of my friends are worried that this weekend’s game against Duke could be a “trap” game, and they could have a point. A mediocre 2-2 Duke squad could be easily overlooked given the back-to-back emotional wins the Hokies have had. However, I don’t see this being the case. This team seems focused and they still maintain their team goal is making the national championship. The players and coaches know that one more loss would derail any shot at a title run. Also, this team has to look no further than last season to see how tough Duke can be. Last year, Duke came to Lane Stadium and played the Hokies tough, losing 14-3. It took an interception returned for a touchdown by Macho Harris late in the fourth to seal the game. The atmosphere could be more intense than a usual Duke home game, but that is because Hokie fans have been buying up the available tickets. It wouldn’t surprise me to see more Hokies than Blue Devil in Durham on Saturday. There is only a 20% chance of rain Saturday in Durham so hopefully we can seem a little bit of a passing game from the Hokies. The Blue Devils will likely use two quarterbacks this weekend. Thaddeus Lewis was one of the ACC’s best quarterbacks last season and is a four-year starter. Lewis is a dual-threat quarterback who has completed almost 60% of his passes accumulating 783 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions. Lewis’s back-up, redshirt freshman Sean Renfree, has seen some action this season completing 29-of-43 passes for 286-yards, four touchdowns and one interception. The Hokies can expect to see both quarterbacks this weekend, especially if Lewis’s ankle injury is bothering him. Renfree and Lewis have four legitimate passing threats to throw to. The Devils top four receivers all have more catches and yards than any of the Hokies receivers. Austin Kelly and Johnny Williams each have over 235 yards receiving this season (as a frame of reference, Boykin leads the Hokies with 142) while Donovan Varner is a touchdown vulture with 4 of the teams 9 receiving touchdowns. Duke could easily struggle to run the ball against a Hokie defense that held Miami to under 2 yards per carry a week ago. The Blue Devils only average 3.4 yards per carry as a team, and that includes games against Richmond, Army, and North Carolina Central. To make matters worse for the Dukies, their top two backs Re’Quan Boyette and Jay Hollingsworth are both questionable.
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Expect the Hokies to shut down the run and make Duke one-dimensional. The Blue Devils offensive line will struggle to contain the Virginia Tech defensive line. The Hokies interior line should be able to drive Duke’s line into the backfield blowing up a majority of running plays. Also look for another big game from Jason Worilds coming off the edge. Duke’s defense is led by linebacker Vincent Rey who currently leads Duke with 37 tackles. Duke is allowing over 25 points per game this season against a weak schedule to date. The Blue Devils have only intercepted two passes this season (both were by Leon Wright, both were against Army, and both were returned for touchdowns). The Devils are giving up 153.25 rushing yards per game and 181.25 passing yards per game. Key to the game: Stay focused and stay healthy. The Hokies need to prove that they are taking one game at a time like they say. They have a significant talent advantage and better coaching, Virginia Tech just needs to be ready. Prediction: VT 48 Duke 10 Look for the Hokies to play their style of football: run-first oriented offense, control the clock, and solid defense. Tyrod will throw in the neighborhood of 15-20 passes but Virginia Tech will keep the ball on the ground because once again it will be effective. Ryan Williams should break 100 yards rushing for the fourth game in a row. David Wilson and Josh Oglesby should also each get several carries. The Hokies have an advantage at every position, except for maybe wide receiver. This talent should lead the Hokies to a big win, similar to the Marshall game earlier this season.
Duke post-game October 4, 2009 Yesterday’s win over Duke was a lot closer than Hokies wanted to see, but 34-26 is a win nonetheless. The game was completely different than I expected but it may have been even better for national perception of the Hokies. The Hokies proved they have a multi-dimensional offense. The talk entering the game was about Ryan Williams and Virginia Tech’s ground game but Tyrod Taylor and the receivers won this game. Boykin and Coale both made great catches in the end zone on good throws from Taylor. The key to this game were Virginia Tech penalties. Penalties killed the Hokies as they had 12 for 105 yards including a big penalty on a punt return and a couple defensive penalties that kept Duke drives alive. The Hokies raked up 477 yards of total offense, 150 rushing and 327 passing. Ryan Williams struggled, recording only 83 yards on 24 carries. Sophomore Josh Oglesby picked up the slack carrying 6 times for 59 yards and 2 touchdowns. Oglesby provided a nice power running style to compliment Williams’ elusiveness. The biggest concern Saturday has to be the play by Virginia Tech’s secondary. They were torched for 359 yards. There were several breakdowns in coverage, allowing five plays of over 25 yards. That type of defensive performance won’t hold up in ACC play. It’s tough to see that big of a collapse after such a good performance against Miami.
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Helmet Stickers Tyrod Taylor: Taylor had the best game of his Virginia Tech career, completing 17 of 22 passes for 327 yards and two touchdowns. Taylor made smart decisions all day including throwing away passes instead of taking sacks. He created time and did a great job of looking downfield when he was outside of the pocket. Jarrett Boykin: Boykin had the best game of his career game recording six catches for 144 yards and a touchdown. Boykin had a big 62 yard catch and also made a beautiful play on a jump ball from Taylor in the end zone. Danny Coale: Coale caught his first career touchdown catch this weekend. Coale finished with three catches for 94 yards. Josh Oglesby: Oglesby’s style of running proved to be more effective against Duke as he ran for almost 10 yards per carry and scored twice. Oglesby proved his legitimacy as a back and should see more playing time in the coming weeks.
Reflections after Duke October 4, 2009 This is my objective take of this weekend through my lovely Orange and Maroon glasses. My viewpoint is slightly tinted with Hokie vision, but I saw some great things this weekend, both in our team and across the nation. The original goal of a Hokie national title remains intact, despite an ugly win. I bet the coach’s talk to the team after the game was funny to hear. It probably went along the lines of “Offense, you played well. Defense, WTF!” Miami’s win over Oklahoma was almost as big for Virginia Tech as it was for Miami. It adds validation to the Hokies 31-7 beat down of Miami and gave the Sooners a second loss, moving them off of our butts. Now all Hokies need to cheer for an Oklahoma win over Texas in two weeks. What We Learned This Weekend. The Hokies have a balanced offense. The Hokies rushed on 64% of their plays accounting for only 31% of their offense. Virginia Tech rushed 39 times for 150 yards and this opened up the passing game beautifully as Duke had to maintain loaded fronts. Tyrod Taylor was able to capitalize on Duke overloading against the run and passed for a career high 327 yards and two touchdowns. Taylor looked confident, poised, and decisive. He made a couple of risky passes, but they paid off. He was accurate on both short and deep routes. Hokie fans already knew this guy is a winner (17-2 as a starter excluding a Florida State loss where he played one play) but this weekend he didn’t manage a game, he took it over. Duke moved eight and sometime nine guys into the box and the Virginia Tech wide receivers, especially Jarrett Boykin and Danny Coale, were able to beat their defenders in man coverage. Taylor found the mismatches and exploited them. ESPN’s Jesse Palmer praised the Hokies offense saying this game proved they have an explosive offense. The Hokies stuck to Beamer’s run first philosophy and utilized the run to set up the pass. Williams rushed several times early but was mostly ineffective early. Then Taylor took over. The Hokies scored on their last three possessions (excluding the QB kneel at the end of the game). After Taylor’s success passing, the run game opened back up allowing Virginia Tech to mix play calls. Josh Oglesby made a huge impact on only six carries. Oglesby ran six times for almost 60 yards and two touchdowns. This gives the Hokies another weapon. Oglesby has made the most of
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limited carries against Miami and Duke and will likely see more touches against Boston College. This is huge because the Hokies now have two good backs with differing styles to utilize. Oglesby can spell Williams and wear down opposing defenses. With this 1-2 punch, teams will have to continue to stack the box leaving Taylor to pick apart one-on-one coverage. Why Not to Worry About Such a Close Game. The only real disappointment in the game came in the secondary but you have to believe Bud Foster and Torrian Gray will have things fixed quickly. This secondary is talented but seems to take plays off. Lewis completed only 55% of his passes, but five went for over 25 yards. There were several breakdowns in coverage. The pass defense needs to straighten things out and Bud Foster is looking for a player to step up and lead this team. He called the defense out and says he can’t be the leader every week. He needs a player to step up and be a leader on the field. This makes me think that he will be down guys throats this week until the team steps up to a level he deems acceptable. This might be an appropriate time to lock the lunch pail in his office until the defense earns it back, as he has done in the past. On the positive side of things, the Hokies allowed less than 100 yards rushing against Duke and Miami combined. The strength of Virginia Tech’s next two opponents, Boston College and Georgia Tech, are in their run game. If the rush defense keeps playing at this level, the Hokies may be able to force them outside of their comfort zone. I think this defense will figure things out quickly, basing that solely on Bud Foster’s resume. If the offense can continue to spread the ball around, this team stands a chance to run the table.
ACC Power Rankings- Week 5 October 7, 2009 Last weekend was a relatively good one for the ACC. The only two teams playing out of conference opponents each notched victories: Miami over Oklahoma and Georgia Tech over Mississippi State. Virginia Tech and Miami still seem to be the class of the ACC, while Georgia Tech looks to be a contender in the Coastal. The Atlantic still seems to be a toss-up, but Boston College and Maryland helped their cases with wins over Florida State and Clemson. 1. Virginia Tech. The Hokies successfully made it through their “trap game” at Duke, although it wasn’t pretty. There has been a spotting of offense in Blacksburg and that is great news for Hokie fans. The Hokies rushed all over Miami and then passed for 327 against Duke. There seems to be some emerging playmakers which could help balance the offense throughout the season. The defense isn’t where it usually is but I am still optimistic with Bud Foster at the helm. 2. Miami. The Hurricanes rebounded very well after a loss to Virginia Tech with an impressive win over Oklahoma. Jacory Harris put together an impressive performance keeping his composure recovering from two very early interceptions to lead the ‘Canes to a 21-20 win. The ‘Canes may be able to win out, but the loss to Virginia Tech could prove to be a vital one if the Hokies win out or loss just one conference game. 3. Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech recorded a big out-of-conference road win over a Mississippi State team which lost to LSU on a goal line stand in the previous week. Quarterback Josh Nesbitt had one of his best games throwing for 266-yards and rushing for 53-yards. GT has two huge games in terms of ACC implications over the next two weeks, Florida State and Virginia Tech. If Georgia Tech wants to win the Coastal, these are must win games.
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4. Boston College. The Eagles beat a struggling Florida State squad thanks to a well-balanced offensive attack. David Shinskie was solid completing 12-for-21 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Montel Harris rushed for 179 yards and two touchdowns. Boston College rolls into Blacksburg in the wake of a big emotional win. The Eagles have won three straight regular season match-ups with the Hokies and this meeting could heavily impact which teams make the conference championship game. 5. NC State. The Wolfpack fell to Wake Forest last weekend but I still think they have a better shot of winning the Atlantic than the Deacons. Russell Wilson threw two interceptions against Wake, something he rarely does. He can still lead this team to compete for the divisional title. 6. Wake Forest. The Deacons did beat NC State but seem to still have some issues. They have been turnover prone this season and the defensive line seems to struggle to pressure the opposing quarterback. The bottom six are hard to distinguish because each school has shown an over whelming amount of weaknesses over the past few weeks. 7. Florida State. Quarterback Christian Ponder played well against Boston College throwing for 341-yards and zero interceptions. He helped lead Florida State on two drives which tied the game up until Montel Harris’s 42-yard touchdown run. Florida States offensive struggles come from the inconsistent play on the offensive line. The Noles rushed 29 times for just 70 yards. Bobby Bowden’s “seat” may now be the hottest in the ACC. 8. North Carolina. They lost to UVA. I really don’t have much to say about UNC except for I still believe they have more talent than their play would indicate. The offensive line is injured and it’s paralyzed the Tar Heel offense. The defensive line is the bright spot for this squad, but they need to find some answers at other positions in a hurry. 9. Duke. They played the best team in the conference very tough. Lewis looked like the quarterback everyone was expecting to see this season throwing for 359-yards and two touchdowns. The Devils gave the Hokies their best shot and came up short, but if they play other teams that tough they could become bowl eligible. 10. Clemson. What is going on in Death Valley? They shouldn’t be this bad. The sad thing is Tiger fans probably miss Tommy Bowden right now. They looked good against Boston College and Georgia Tech, but have looked awful since those games. This team actually seems to be getting worse as the season goes along. 11. Virginia. Al Groh utilized his bye week well to defeat UNC. UNC played a miserable game, and I’m not really convinced it was because of anything the Wahoos did. They still have numerous weaknesses but at least running back Mikell Simpson may be getting back on track as he recorded his first 100-yard game since 2007. It will be interesting to see if UVA can build off of this win or if they return to the form they started the season with. 12. Maryland. The Terps beat Clemson, but now have lost their star running back. This team was already behind the eight ball in terms of talent and now will really struggle to find offensive production.
Behind Enemy Lines- BC October 8, 2009 I asked Boston College Campus Correspondent David Auffenberg a few questions about the
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Eagles. Below are his responses. Q: Virginia Tech held Miami and Duke to a combined 97-yards rushing on 65 carries. Can Virginia Tech’s rush defense contain Harris and Haden? A: The key to containing our running game is not allowing Dave Shinskie to spread the ball around. Take the Clemson game. We couldn’t pass the ball at all, and consequently our running backs were swallowed up every time they ran. Then these previous two weeks, Shinskie stepped in and established a passing game, and the result was a career day against Florida State for Montel Harris. As Shinskie has been fond of saying lately, “You’ve got to pass the ball to run the ball.” Q: If Virginia Tech can limit Harris and Haden’s impact, can Shinskie take over the game? A:If V. Tech limits our running backs, I’m not sure that Shinskie can take over. While I have been very impressed with his play, Lane Stadium is a whole new beast, especially for a guy making his first collegiate start on the road. Let’s hope our chances don’t rest solely on his shoulders. Q: How has the Boston College offense progressed since the Clemson loss? A: After the Clemson game, our offense found a whole new identity. Shinskie was installed as the starter, and is 2-0. Our offensive line, after a disastrous performance in Death Valley, has gotten back to the elite level they should be on. And our receivers have really performed well. Our offense is significantly better than they were three weeks ago. Q: Which Boston College group will give Virginia Tech the most trouble, on offense and on defense? Jason Worilds had a huge game last season against the Eagles (12 tackles, 2.5 for loss, 1 sack)? Will BC be able to keep him and the rest of the Hokie front 7 out of the backfield? A: I think our offensive line could give you guys some fits Saturday. They have really come together the past two weeks and will look to prove it on the road. Preseason All-ACC guys Matt Tennant and Anthony Castonzo have this group in top form heading into Lane. Defensively, our linebacking situation has gone from ambiguity to certainty. True freshman Luke Kuechly is dominating every game he plays in, and Mike McLaughlin is in his third week back after returning from injury. These guys are only going to get better. Q: What match-ups will Boston College look to exploit? A: Like I said, our offensive line is a strength right now. If they follow the plan of offensive coordinator Gary Tranquil, they should limit the hits on Shinskie. But we all know what happened once things got loud and rowdy at Clemson… Tyrod Taylor has improved his passing game a lot, but I still think the focus of our defense will be to clamp down on the Hokie running game and force Taylor to pass. Ryan Williams is a dangerous threat out of the backfield, and the Eagles would much rather Taylor beat them with his arm. I think we will try and exploit Taylor’s passing all day. Q: Virginia Tech has given up several big passing plays this season. Who in the passing game pose big play threats outside of Rich Gunnell? A: Maybe even moreso than Gunnell, Colin Larmond Jr represents a deep threat. After hauling in a 56-yard TD against FSU last week, he continues to prove his big-play ability. Larmond has developed into a legit No. 2 receiver for the Eagles, so I’d watch out for a big play or two from him.
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Q: If Boston College wins, it’s because… A: They limit the mistakes. Beamer ball is all about forcing the opponent to make mistakes and capitalizing. If BC can keep it conservative and smart, they have a chance. Q: If Virginia Tech wins, it’s because… A: Their defense is just too much. Our offense is definitely improved, but Virginia Tech’s defense is unlike any we will face all year. If Shinskie can’t find a groove early, it could be a long day.
BC Preview October 9, 2009 The Hokies face Boston College at home on Saturday. The Golden Eagles have given the Hokies trouble in the regular season, winning the last three match-ups. There is a 60% chance of thunder storms Saturday which could bear a large impact on the game. Both teams are paced offensively by strong running backs. BC running back Montel Harris had a huge game against Florida State rushing for 179-yards and two touchdowns. The Hokies will have their hands full trying to stop him this weekend. When Boston College has the ball: It will be interesting to see how Harris and Josh Haden perform against a stout Hokies rush defense. Harris has seen almost twice as many carries as Haden this season, but Haden is the bigger big play threat and will get around ten carries this weekend. The Hokies struggled to contain Alabama’s rushing attack but have hit their stride of late. Duke and Miami combined for less than 100-yards rushing on 65 carries. Boston College is averaging 151.4 rushing yards per game. The offensive line has progressed well since a dismal performance against Clemson where the Eagles had only 54 total yards of offense and four turnovers. 25-year-old freshman Dave Shinskie was inserted as the starting quarterback after this loss and has helped this offense find an identity. The Eagles are 2-0 since Shinskie has been named the starter. In that span, Shinskie has thrown for 431-yards, five touchdowns, and one interception. The offensive line is protecting long enough to allow the receivers to get open and Shinskie has done a good job of getting them the ball. Rich Gunnell and Colin Larmond Jr are the two biggest threats at receiver for the Eagles. Gunnell is a playmaker, as VT found out last season when he returned a punt for a touchdown against the Hokies. Larmond is deep threat and could create trouble for Virginia Tech as they have had problems limiting the big play. Larmond has 12 catches for 245-yards and two touchdowns while Gunnell has 16 catches for 212-yards and three touchdowns. The VT secondary will have their hands full containing these two, but may get some help from the weather. Expect Virginia Tech to load up the line of scrimmage and force Shinskie to beat them through the air. Bud Foster has to respect the threat of Harris and Haden on the ground, as they have been very productive so far this season. If the Hokies can make the Eagles try to beat them through the air, Shinskie’s inexperience may show. Stephan Virgil, Rock Carmichael, and Cris Hill should be able to keep up with the Eagle’s receivers. As long as coverage assignments aren’t blown, expect Boston College to have difficulty moving the ball. I’m expecting a dominant performance by Virginia Tech’s defense, something like the play we saw against Miami. When Virginia Tech has the ball: Boston College will play the Hokie offense similarly to how the Hokie defense plays BC. Expect the
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Eagles to load up the box in an attempt to limit Ryan Williams and Josh Oglesby productivity. Boston College wants to try to force Tyrod Taylor to beat them with his arm. The linebackers will crowd the line on several plays and corners will be left essentially on an island in one-on-one coverage. Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder was able to pick BC apart when presented with single man coverage and Tyrod Taylor can do the same thing. Taylor looks like a difference quarterback since the last drive against Nebraska. He has been poised and confident. He only threw nine passes against Miami, but almost all of them were crisp and accurate. Duke was Taylor’s best career passing game, throwing for 327-yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Taylor showed the ability to complete the deep pass, something he will need to do Saturday to keep BC’s safeties back. If the Hokies can pass early, this will open up the running game. Despite what seemed like a passing dominant Hokie offense against Duke, there were still almost two runs for every pass. This is the Hokies’ style of offense and expect much of the same against Boston College. Ryan Williams will be given a chance to get things done on the ground early (Oglesby should also see an increase in carries this week). If this is successful expect them to keep getting carries until BC stops them. If they are limiting his productivity, Stinespring will then move to play action passes, rollouts, and simple drop back looks to give Taylor a shot to win the game for the Hokies. The biggest mismatch the Hokies will look to exploit will be WR Dyrell Roberts against a safety. The Eagles mostly play with four defensive backs so whenever a slot receiver enters the game for VT, a safety or linebacker will pick him up. Roberts speed could create trouble for the Boston College secondary. Danny Coale and Jarrett Boykin will face single coverage with safety help over the top but should have success with medium depth routes. Also, look for the tight ends to continue to see some action in the passing game. Greg Boone has caught a pass in three straight games, and that streak will likely extend to four this weekend. One guy to watch on the Boston College defense is true freshman linebacker Luke Kuechly. Kuechly is filling in for star linebacker Mark Herzlich, who is out for the season after a battle with cancer. Herzlich announced last week that he is now cancer free, which is great news. Kuechly leads the team with 45 tackles and has a nose for the ball. He is an excellent open field tackler and reads offensive lines very well, enabling himself to predict where runs will go with great success. Prediction: The Hokies should rebound well after a mediocre performance against Duke. The offense has been the most productive Virginia Tech has seen since 2005. The Hokies have a solid running game and now have a reliable passing attack to keep defenses honest. Bud Foster will have the defense ready to play after a lot of mental mistakes against Duke. The Hokies need to be well prepared for this game as BC has won the last three regular season match-ups. VT: 27 BC: 13
BC Post-game October 12, 2009 The Hokies recorded another hugely impressive win this past weekend. Boston College was dominated in every facet of the game allowing 34 points in the first half while only having three
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yards of offense in that same span. Tyrod Taylor only needed to pass ten times, completing seven of those attempts for 126-yards and two touchdowns. Taylor has been very efficient this season, holding an 8:1 touchdown to interception ratio. Ryan Williams got back on track with a huge game. Williams carried 18 times for 159-yards and one touchdown. Williams also had one catch for 24 yards. Jarrett Boykin, Danny Coale, and Marcus Davis all caught touchdown passes. It is hard to believe that the every receiver who plays is either a freshman or sophomore with how this group has played in the last few games. What we learned. The Hokie defense is one of the best in the nation. They have stepped up huge in most of the games since Alabama. The Duke game left something to be desired, but the Hokie defense came up big in the end of that game. Boston College and Miami combined for only 21 points. The secondary rebounded beautifully after getting burned several time by Duke. BC starter Dave Shinskie was 1-12 with two interceptions and four yards passing. The back-ups gave up 114 yards and two touchdowns, but even that isn’t too terribly bad for almost one whole half. This is the most balanced offense Virginia Tech has had since 2005. Virginia Tech had 206 yards passing and 235 yards rushing. This team is still a run first team, but with the success they have had on the ground, teams have to load up the box setting up some great passing opportunities. Taylor has been very efficient in the past three games, completing 28 of 41 passes (68%) for 551 yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions. The Hokies have a legitimate chance to win out. After a lackluster offensive performance against Alabama, the Hokie O has rebounded in a huge way. The defense is playing great. This team is clearly the best in the ACC. Virginia Tech is now a legitimate title contender as they are ranked 4th in the nation and Florida and Alabama will have to play in the SEC Championship game if both win out. That being said, it is very difficult to win 11 straight in college football. While the Hokies may be better than any team they play, all it takes is one bad performance to lose a game. Game Balls: The coaching staff. Both Bud Foster and Bryan Stinespring called solid games. Foster’s defense harassed BC while Stinespring’s offense did whatever they wanted to do in the first half. Every coach had their guys ready to play and it resulted in a great team effort in a big 48-14 win. Ryan Williams. Williams got back over the century mark after rushing for less than 100-yards against Duke. Williams has legitimized himself as a top tier running back in the ACC. Williams has 734-yards rushing (5.8 yards per carry) and nine touchdowns in just six games this season. Ju-Ju Clayton and Marcus Davis. Both get their most significant playing time of the season and connected on an 80-yard touchdown pass. Davis broke open in the secondary and Clayton hit him in stride for the score. What’s next. The Hokies travel to Georgia Tech next weekend. The Yellow Jackets seem to be the toughest team left on Virginia Tech’s schedule. VT was lucky to win last season’s match-up at home and GT will be looking for a shot at redemption. Paul Johnson’s triple option is difficult to stop; it will be up to Bud Foster to get this defense prepared to stop Nesbitt, Dwyer, and company.
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ACC Power Rankings- Week 6 October 14, 2009 1. Virginia Tech. The Hokies look like the most complete team in the ACC. The defense has turned in dominating performances in two of the past three games holding Miami to 7 points and BC to just 26 yards in the first three quarters. Meanwhile, in the past three games (all ACC games) the offense is averaging over 37 points and 429 yards per game. The offense has shown progression both rushing and passing and will be very tough to contain if the offensive line continues to play like they have. 2. Miami. The Hurricanes beat the mighty Rattlers of Florida A & M without much difficulty. Miami is very similar to Virginia Tech. Both are playing well offensively and have defenses that can win ball games. After coming through their first four games with only 1 loss, Miami has already played the best teams on their schedule and could win out. 3. Georgia Tech. The third and final ranked ACC school. The Jackets enter this weekend ranked 19th but host the Hokies Saturday night. This will be a huge game; if the Jackets lose they can pretty much discard any hopes of making the ACC Championship game as they will have lost to both VT and Miami. 4. Wake Forest. Wake has a lot of issues but still looks to be an early favorite to win the Atlantic Division, mainly due to the weakness on that side of the ACC. Quarterback Riley Skinner has played very well of late, throwing for 360-yards in his last outing. The defense needs to put more pressure on the opposing quarterback, but this team as a whole is playing better than anyone in the Atlantic. 5. Boston College. The Eagles looked terrible against Virginia Tech, but there are teams with more issues than the Eagles. This weekend was the Eagles second wretched offensive performance of the season. BC needs to find a quarterback who can move this offense if they want to rebound and make the ACC Championship Game. 6. Duke. David Cutcliffe has his squad playing very well. The Blue Devils followed up a great performance against Virginia Tech with a 21-point win over NC State. Thad Lewis is playing like the best quarterback in the ACC. Duke is now 3-3 and could very well become bowl bound if they continue to play like they have over the past two weeks. 7. NC State. The Wolfpack have a miserable secondary and Russell Wilson can’t seem to play consistently. He had a poor game against Duke and this team only goes as far as he does. However, there are some bad teams in the ACC and I think this team stands a better chance than any of the bottom six to become a competitive team. 8. Virginia. UVA has won two consecutive games after a 0-3 start, but I’m still not convinced they have figured things out. They beat UNC who has the worst offensive line in the ACC and an Indiana team who isn’t very good. The UVA offensive line is playing much better and Sewell seems to be finding his stride. This weekend’s game against Maryland should be a win, but I’m curious to see how the ‘Hoos play against some of the league’s better teams. 9. UNC. The Tar Heels have some good players but are struggling to find productive offensive lineman. They have injuries on the line and it’s impeding the offense. While the Heels did put 42 points up on Georgia Southern, they still allowed four sacks. 10. Florida State. The Seminoles are moving the ball well, but can’t do anything right on defense. Christian Ponder has strung together some great performances of late but he can’t find any
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support. Bobby Bowden says he hasn’t ruled out returning next season as head coach, but he may not have a choice if the ‘Noles can’t turn this program around 180 degrees. 11. Clemson. The Tigers have almost nothing going for them except for CJ Spiller on returns. Dabo Swinney is struggling in his first season as head coach and really needs to turn things around coming off a bye week to quiet critics. 12. Maryland. Maryland made the game against Wake respectable, despite being down 35-10 at halftime. Chris Turner had a solid day passing but the story of this team is the playmaking ability of Torrey Smith, both as a receiver and a return man. The Terps are struggling to replace running back Da’Rel Scott and have been lackluster on defense.
Georgia Tech Preview October 15, 2009 Virginia Tech faces likely the last ranked team they will play in the regular season. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are ranked 19th and enter the game 5-1 with the lone loss coming at the hands of Miami on the road. It is really a toss-up as to which team this game is bigger for. Virginia Tech is in the thick of the national title hunt, but will need to win out and need some help from other teams to make it (Oklahoma over Texas would be a good start). Conversely, Georgia Tech is still in the hunt for an ACC Title but a loss to Virginia Tech would essentially eliminate the Jackets from contention. Both teams are playing well, especially on offense, and this is really an intriguing match-up. Georgia Tech on Offense Paul Johnson and his triple option/flexbone offensive attack present a difficult challenge for any defense they face. This offense is difficult to defend, especially when it is hitting on all cylinders. In the past three games, the Yellow Jackets are averaging 472.3 yards and 38.3 points per game. A large reason this offense is playing so well in that span is the play of quarterback Josh Nesbitt. Nesbitt has thrown for 486-yards, completing 22 of 33 passes for two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Nesbitt also has 290-yards rushing and five rushing touchdowns. On the season, Nesbitt has rushed for 503-yards and six touchdowns while throwing for 843-yards and four touchdowns. Nesbitt is the ACC’s third leading rusher, barely trailing his teammate Jonathan Dwyer (last year’s ACC Player of the Year). Dwyer has 511-yards rushing and five touchdowns. The other big weapon, and the one that scares me the most, is wide receiver Demaryious “Bey-Bey” Thomas. Thomas is a very big receiver (6’3” 229) with great hands. He attacks the ball and seems to rip it out of the hands of any defender with a shot at an interception. Georgia Tech is a big play team and Thomas may be their biggest big play threat with 620-yards receiving, four touchdowns, and an eye-popping 23.8 yards per catch. Thomas is by far the best receiver on this squad but the scheme makes it very difficult to double team him. Even though you’d like to avoid the situation, sometimes defenses don’t have a choice but to leave him in one-on-one coverage. Now, to look into how this offense works. The triple option is a unique attack to which the defenders must key in on a “dive guy”, the quarterback, and a “pitch man.” The basics to defend the option are to play solid “assignment” defense. The defensive tackles need to penetrate the interior line while trying to take out the dive man. The defensive ends need to stay at home. It becomes difficult for a defensive end to fight their instincts to drive into the backfield, but they can’t do that against this offense. The ends need to secure the tackles to
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free up the linebackers to roam the field. Another key for defensive lineman is to stay on their feet. Georgia Tech’s offensive linemen like to cut block and put defenders on the ground. This neutralizes the line and allows their playmakers opportunities in space. If the Virginia Tech defensive line can take up the blockers it becomes the linebackers and safeties responsibility to pick up the dive guy, quarterback, and pitch man. The linebackers will have specific designations based on the formation and the pre snap motion. It is crucial to not try to make a big play and to simply cover who they are supposed to. Kam Chancellor will be very important in this game. It will fall upon him to provide run support while also supplying deep help on the few pass attempts GT mixes in. The corners may need deep help as this system requires them to play closer to the line of scrimmage. This makes them susceptible to getting beat deep. However, assignment football isn’t as easy as it sounds. Paul Johnson is very good at making in game adjustments. When he sees how assignments are playing out, he moves a fullback or tight end into a beneficial position. This is why everyone must know their responsibility and stay where they are supposed to be instead of trying to make a big play. The X-Factor when GT has the ball will be red zone performance. Georgia Tech will get their yards; it’s just the nature of the beast. They will move the ball but locking down in the red zone could be the difference. Once inside the redzone, the deep pass becomes less of a threat and the line can be a little bit more loaded. I think GT moves the ball well but will have a couple turnovers and drives stall. Virginia Tech on Offense The Virginia Tech offense is playing better than it has since 2005 and maybe even better than they did then. The offense is well balanced and has found playmakers at every skill position. The Hokies continue to run at lets 2/3 of the time, and do this well enough to set up the pass. Bryan Stinespring is doing a great job of mixing in passes amongst the many runs. He was under a lot of criticism over the past couple years (I’ll admit I did my fair share of criticizing) but he’s getting the job done now. The offense is clicking in large part due to the offensive line play. This group is blocking extremely well. This season’s new starters Blake DeChristopher and Jaymes Brooks are playing extremely well. Also, since the Miami game Andrew Lanier has seen an increase in playing time. Ryan Williams has had plenty of room to run and Tyrod Taylor is seeing more time to pass than he has had since he’s been at Virginia Tech. The Miami game was really a pivotal game for the offensive line. They dominated that game and haven’t looked back. The line will have to keep their eyes on defensive end Derrick Morgan; he has six of the team’s ten sacks despite facing constant double teams. Ryan Williams is starting to get national attention. He has won ACC Rookie of the Week four out of six weeks and is a strong candidate for ACC Player of the Year. Williams could have a big game against Georgia Tech, seeing how the Yellow Jackets allowed 213-yards rushing two weeks ago to Mississippi State. There is also the chance that Williams may see a smaller role than he has so far this season. Williams has been sick, but is expected to play. If he is still under the weather for this game, expect Josh Oglesby and David Wilson to both see more carries. Both backs have played well in their limited action this season and still pose a big threat to the Jackets. The passing game has looked very impressive since the last drive of the Nebraska game. Taylor
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is 28 of 41 for 551 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions in the past three games. He has seen limited attempts due to the rain against Miami and a blowout over Boston College but has been very efficient over these three games. Taylor is getting time from his line and is also doing a good job of moving outside of the pocket to free up his receivers downfield. He is creating with his feet like he always has, but the difference this year is that he is creating while looking for open receivers instead of tucking the ball and taking off. Danny Coale (269-yards and two touchdowns) and Jarrett Boykin (355-yards and three touchdowns) have emerged as the two best Virginia Tech receivers. Both Coale and Boykin have a receiving touchdown in each of the past two games. GT allowed 359-yards passing against Florida State so this may be another weakness to exploit. Prediction: Georgia Tech is good and their option attack is always scary. They have the potential to really put up some yards and points. However, the defense has allowed 31 and 44 points to mediocre teams in the past two weeks. The Hokie offense should be able to put up points. Also, Virginia Tech holds the special teams advantage as the Yellow Jackets have been bad in kick and punt coverage so far this season. Look for Dyrell Roberts or Jayron Hosley to take advantage of this. At least one of them will have a big return. VT 34 GT 17
GT Post-game October 18, 2009 So my second trip to Atlanta in less than two months turned into my second long drive back. This loss was devastating for Virginia Tech. The national title hopes are out the window and we are now in need of a little help to make it back to the ACC Championship Game. Basically, the loss to the Yellow Jackets was a big one. I knew Georgia Tech could win, but I really didn’t think they would. They were well prepared and just seemed to want it more. I don’t know if we didn’t make halftime adjustments or just made the wrong ones, but GT came out in the second half and took over the game. Bud Foster is usually a master of in-game adjustments but this time was an exception. Georgia Tech did a good job of getting blockers (mainly fullbacks and tight ends) to the secondary and taking out Kam Chancellor allowing Josh Nesbitt to run wild. For the second straight game against the Jackets, Nesbitt did the most damage. He only completed one pass, yet that didn’t matter. I think there were two main keys to this loss: John Graves leaving the game and not passing enough. Graves was an animal in the first quarter, routinely blowing up plays and drawing multiple holding calls. Graves took out the dive back and left other players free to roam and make plays. Once he left the game, the whole middle of the defense became vulnerable and Georgia Tech capitalized. Georgia Tech’s secondary had been exposed as a weakness in previous games, yet we only passed 14 times. Tyrod Taylor did throw two interceptions, but one was a Hail Mary and one was a great play by Georgia Tech defensive tackle Jason Peters. With Williams being sick and seeing less playing time than usual, I thought the Hokies would air it out more but that wasn’t the case. The Hokies passed well late in the game and I would’ve liked to see what they could’ve done
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throwing the entire game. With that said, this game is over. No sense on dwelling too much on the loss. Virginia Tech was outcoached and outplayed. It is clear that this game meant more to Georgia Tech than to VT. Game Balls: Ryan Williams. Williams was sick yet still tallied 122 total yards (100 rushing and 22 receiving) and two touchdowns. He was bottled up for most of the game but did break a 66-yard touchdown run and scored on a 22-yard reception both in the second half. Tyrod Taylor. Taylor complete 10 of 14 pass for 159 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions. Taylor also scrambled more than he had this season, running for 63 yards including a 22 yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Dyrell Roberts. Roberts had three catches for 66 yards but his biggest impact was on special teams. Roberts broke a 58 yard kick-off return but the Hokies were unable to capitalize. That was a big break for Georgia Tech or a costly series for the Hokies, depending on how you want to look at it. Roberts also had a 31 yard return. Up Next: The Hokies have a bye week before playing at home on Thursday October 29th against the North Carolina Tar Heels. Hopefully the Hokies use this time to get healthy and to make improvements. I don’t envy UNC as I expect the Hokies to rally and take out their frustration on UNC.
Coach Beamer Teleconference Notes October 19, 2009 Quick Notes from Beamer’s weekly teleconference. Coach Beamer conducted a brief (roughly 10 minute) teleconference this morning. It was mostly “coach speak” with a lot of common phrases thrown out, but here are a few notes: • There was a lack of execution but not a lack of effort on Virginia Tech’s part against Georgia Tech. • Georgia Tech made some good adjustments to move blockers out to pick up Kam Chancellor in the second half. • The offense struggled in the first half but Tyrod Taylor made plays and got things going in the second half. • The offense played with the same intensity throughout the game, things just started clicking more in the second half. • Punter Brent Bowden has played very well this season; he is getting more height on his punts, getting them away quickly, and the distance his distance has improved. • Virginia Tech has not had a JV program for 2 or 3 years. They would like to but can’t seem to get the personnel. If a player redshirts then they can’t play on JV. It would be nice to get the scout team that playing experience but the rules make it difficult. • The bye week comes at a good time. It is about mid-way through the season. There are some players battling injuries and illness and will hopefully be ready to go for UNC. • The Hokies will practice Tuesday and Wednesday this week, then comeback Saturday to begin preparation for North Carolina.
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Mid-season Awards October 23, 2009 Now seems like a good time to hand out mid-season awards. It’s technically one game past Virginia Tech’s halfway point, but the bye week seems like a good time to dish out awards. Offensive MVP: The offensive MVP could go two ways: it can either be based on the player the offense couldn’t function as effectively without, or the player who has been the most productive. Tyrod Taylor deserves props for his leadership, poise, and the season he is having but I have to go with Ryan Williams. Williams filled in for an injured Darren Evans and has done an incredible job at running back. Williams has rushed for 834 yards this season (119.1 yards per game, 6.0 yards per carry) with 10 touchdowns. He also has 165 yards receiving and one touchdown. Williams has been a force for the offense, and defenses have had to game plan around stopping him. Defensive MVP: Cody Grimm is the hands down choice for defensive MVP. Other players have performed well so far (Jason Worilds and Rashad Carmichael come to mind) but Grimm has been a standout performer. Grimm is second on the team in tackles (57) and is tied for the team lead in tackles for losses (5.5). Grimm also leads the team with three fumbles forced. He is constantly around the ball and has been by far the defenses most consistent performer. Special Teams MVP: Brent Bowden received heavy consideration (44.1 yards per punt with 10 inside the 20) but Dyrell Roberts has to win this award. Roberts is averaging an astounding 40.8 yard per kickoff return, including a 98-yard touchdown against Alabama. The opposition has kicked three kickoffs out of bounds in the last three games trying to kick away from Roberts. Best Offensive Play: This is the easiest award to hand out. Tyrod Taylor’s 11 yard touchdown pass to Dyrell Roberts to take the lead over Nebraska with 21 seconds left in the game takes this award. The offensive line blocked well, allowing Tyrod Taylor about nine seconds to find a receiver. Roberts saw his quarterback rolling out and came across the field in the back of the end zone to give Taylor a passing option. Tyrod threw a solid pass (a little low but catchable) while being grabbed and Roberts made a great play to dig out the ball and the win. Best Defensive Play: Congratulations to Dorian Porch, his efforts against Miami won him this award. Porch blitzed Jacory Harris , forcing a fumble at the Miami 15. Porch then topped off the play by recovering the fumble at the Miami 11. This led to a Ryan Williams 2-yard touchdown run giving the Hokies the early 7-0 lead. Best Special Teams Play: Dyrell Roberts and Jayron Hosley are both legitimate candidates for this award with their return touchdowns, but I’m sticking with the Miami game for the key special teams play. In the second quarter, holding a 14-0 lead, the Virginia Tech special teams did what they do best, blocked a kick. Cornerback Jacob Sykes blocked his first career kick when he got his hands on a Miami punt. Walk-on safety Matt Reidy scooped up the ball at the 1 yard line and scored his first career touchdown.
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ACC Power Rankings- Week 9 October 26, 2009 1. Georgia Tech: Georgia Tech is now in control of the toughest division in the ACC. The Yellow Jackets have ACC games against Wake and Duke left, if they win these, they win the division. 2. Virginia Tech: The Hokies can still make the ACC Championship game but need GT to lose and they need to win out. Side note: I feel bad for UNC, they play VT at Lane on a Thursday night with the Hokies having 10-days to prepare following a loss. I expect this game to get ugly. 3. Clemson: The Tigers came through with potentially a season changing performance in their OT win over Miami. This win catapulted them into a tie for the Atlantic with Boston College, whom they beat earlier in the season. Clemson finally found an offense, now it’s time to see if they can maintain that same level of play throughout the remainder of the season. 4. Miami: The Hurricanes suffered a devastating loss to Clemson. In just one game, Miami went from the driver seat in the Coastal division to needing a lot of help to make the ACC Championship game. It looks like the Hurricanes are still a year away. 5. Duke: It seems weird to put Duke this high up, but they’ve earned it. The Blue Devils have only loss 1 ACC game and that was a close loss to Virginia Tech. Thad Lewis is the arguably the ACC’s best quarterback giving Duke a chance to win any game they play. 6. Boston College: The Eagles are tied with Clemson for the lead in the Atlantic but lost the head-to-head meeting earlier this season. BC’s has three conference games remaining: Virginia, Maryland, and UNC who have a combined conference record of 3-7. If the Eagle can find consistent play at quarterback, they stand a good chance to win out in conference play. 7. Virginia: Virginia was only down 7 points at the half to Georgia Tech but was outscored 21-3 in the second half to lose 34-9. UVA looks better now than they did at the beginning of the season but they still may struggle to become bowl eligible. 8. Wake Forest: Wake Forest lost to Navy, who didn’t attempt a pass in the entire game. Navy rushed for 328 which has to make you wonder what GT will rush for against the Deacons in two weeks. 9. Florida State: The Noles had a big comeback win Thursday night over UNC to win their first conference game. Christian Ponder is playing incredibly well, but this team still has lots of issues. Maybe this win will help get things turned around in Tally. 10. Maryland: The Terps are bad. They have lost three straight conference games and will look to reset things with their bye week coming up. They need to improve both on offense and defense if they want to win another game. Luckily for them, their next game is NC State who is winless in the ACC. 11. NC State: As mentioned above, the Wolfpack are one of two winless teams in ACC play this season. The Wolfpack have lost their last two games (Duke and BC) by a combined 53 points. It’s hard to find something good to say about the way NC State is playing right now, so I won’t. 12. North Carolina: The Tar Heels entered the season as a dark horse pick by some to win the ACC but have looked awful. UNC’s “strong point” was supposed to be pass defense, but they were thrashed by Christian Ponder and Florida State. The Heels have some injuries on the O-line but their problems run much deeper than that.
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What is a Hokie? October 28, 2009 If every Virginia Tech fan, student, and alum got $1 every time they were asked that question, I bet we’d all be in a higher tax bracket. It’s a difficult question to answer but I’m going to give it a shot. When I think Hokie, I instantly think of the loveable Hokie Bird. For those who say Hokie Bird isn’t intimidating, ask Otto, the Syracuse Orange and you might get a different opinion. Hokie Bird is fun, energetic and a bad ass! As a Hokie, you can’t help but smile every time you see him. He’s a symbol of the passion and pride every Hokie feels for their school and team. Being a Hokie can’t be described by tangible objects, it’s more of a mindset. It’s a feeling of respect, pride, passion, and community. The Virginia Tech football team loves their school and loves representing them and the fans love and respect them for that. This is why Hokies stay until the end of every game, even if the game is essentially over at halftime (BC and Marshall this season). This is why Hokies still fill every seat in a downpour (BC in 2007, Miami this year). This is why every home game has been sold out since the season finale in 1998. This is why Hokies make sure to be at their seats early in order to not miss the team taking the field to “Enter Sandman”. And this is why every Hokie looks forward to one day more than any other each year, the Thursday night home game at Lane. Lane Stadium is referred to as one of the most electric atmospheres in college football; I affectionately refer to Lane Stadium as “the happiest place in America” and many Hokies would agree. Real Clear Sports ranks “Enter Sandman” as the top college football entrance. The team entrance is the perfect example of the passion Hokie fans feel for their teams. Hokie fans are proud of the accomplishments the football team has achieved over the past few years: ACC Championships in three of the last five seasons, an Orange Bowl victory, and ten or more wins in each of the past five seasons to name a few. A Hokie also loves the color combination of orange and maroon. Some people say that the colors don’t go well together, yet almost everybody loves to see the leaves turn orange and maroon in the fall. The colors are gorgeous together. All Hokies have weeks’ worth of orange and maroon clothing. I have an orange and maroon bathroom in my house with a Hokie Bird shower curtain and mat. My dog proudly wears a Virginia Tech collar. The colors symbolize the passion, pride, and unity of the Hokie Nation. This is why the Orange and Maroon Effect games are so great; it’s inspiring to look around a stadium and see 65,000 fans all wearing the same color. But being a Hokie is also more than just supporting the sports teams, it’s about supporting each other. The whole community was hit hard on April 16th, 2007, but the way the Hokie Nation responded was astounding. I was already proud to be a Hokie, but the incredible resilience and unity showed by the Virginia Tech community throughout the ordeal made me even more proud to be a part of such a great place. The strength and compassion shown for those fallen was phenomenal. I honestly feel we have the most tight-knit group of students, alumni, faculty, and fans in the nation. Everyone associated with Virginia Tech LOVES being a Hokie. A new spirit was born as a result of the tragic shootings. A spirit of compassion, generosity, giving, and support for others. Last year, the community and supporters pledged over 400,000 hours of community service to honor those lost on April 16th. While Hokies still remember those lost, we’ve tried to move on and honor them by fulfilling the school motto: Ut Prosim (That I May Serve).
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“Hokies Respect” was a campaign that some jested about before the April shootings, but now many take to heart. An overwhelming amount of people showed their support for the Virginia Tech community after that incident and Hokies have tried to return the same support and compassion. True Hokie fans show respect to every opponent before and after each game because much of America showed us respect and compassion following the events on April 16th. This respect is evident by the letters written to Tech administrators from Nebraska fans who visited Blacksburg in September. Incoming students are coached at orientation to answer the question ‘What’s a Hokie?’ with a simple response: ‘I am’. When I first heard this, I thought it was corny and actually rather humorous, but in my four years at Virginia Tech I completely agree that “I am” is the best response possible. So, to sum things, maybe it isn’t hard to answer what a Hokie is: I AM!!! And so is everyone of the great fans, students, alum, faculty and staff, and supporters of Virginia Tech across the nation and the world. Some of my friends at other schools think that I am overly passionate about my Hokies, but I think it’s impossible to be overly passionate about a school, place, and community that means so much to me. And by the way, all of this Hokie passion is coming from a guy who had UVA season football tickets for ten years. I truly believe there is no place like Virginia Tech.
What is a Hokie? (Part 2) October 28, 2009 Dorian Porch: On why he chose Virginia Tech: I chose Virginia Tech because first and foremost they’ve got a great program. I’d watched them for a couple of years and I’d been a fan. When I came up here the environment and the people and everything was such a “Hokie” environment I got a family feeling. That is the main reason I came here. It was the most comfortable place and I felt at home here. On Lane Stadium compared to other places he’s played in his college career: There is nothing like playing in there. It’s definitely my place to play. I’m not just saying that because it’s our home stadium. The fans travel well so it’s like every place we go is Lane Stadium but I feel like it’s insane in there. It’s my favorite place to play for sure. On Enter Sandman: There is nothing like running out to that, I can’t describe the feeling. Thinking about it, time’s winding down and I’ve only got a couple more times to do that and I just want to enjoy it all because you don’t get much time to do that. On what a Hokie is: The literal meaning is a turkey, like a bird. Hokie Bird, that’s what we are. But a Hokie to me is a little bit more than that. It’s about a family environment; anybody from the Hokie Nation knows how tight they get here. When anything happens, you can depend on anybody here whether it’s a complete stranger you don’t know or a coach or a best friend. It’s more than just a bird. The whole town is basically surrounded with the Hokie feeling. I think it’s a feeling, it’s an environment, and a connection we have here.
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On playing as a part of the Lunch Pail Defense: That is another major reason I came here because I knew I was going to play on the defensive side of the ball and I just love the way Coach Foster gets into it. We compete every year to be the best defense in the nation and that’s a tradition around here and people expect that. That is something we try to go out and do. Rock Carmichael: On why he chose Virginia Tech: Honestly, one word I can say is the brotherhood. That is what I was a part of in high school. I won a state championship in Maryland in high school and I was part of a high school that had a lot of big time division 1 athletes. I knew what it would take to win and that is having that trust in the person playing next to you. When I got offered a scholarship by coming up for one day and working out (at a summer camp) I got the feeling the coaches felt the same way. It’s special being a part of that defense; Coach Foster feels like you’ve got to be ready to give it up for your brother, he tells us that all the time. You have to want to play for somebody like that. I like the feeling and I like the tempo, the passion and desire he brings forth makes me try to match that. I try to play the game with that same mentality, that lunch pail mentality. On Lane Stadium compared to other places he’s played in his college career: Oh man, out of all the stadiums I’ve been to there is nothing like being at home. It doesn’t matter if it’s a night game or noon game its electric, and that’s how it makes you feel. When you’re running out the tunnel and hit that “Hokie stone” it’s war time. It feels like the fans are right there with you, I love our fans. I love our fans! On Enter Sandman: You know when you come out to that you have to put on a show for the fans because you know they have your back. These are the people who come out to see you play and do what you do. I can’t compare it to any other stadium. I’ve been down to Death Valley at LSU, Florida State, but there is nothing like Lane. On what is Hokie: You never really know what a Hokie is. They say it’s some kind of turkey or something but I don’t know. If I see a Hokie I think of some kind of warrior, that’s how I look at it. We’re going out there and I feel like we’re the baddest. We put our equipment on and I think of like 300, Achilles, and Gladiator. It’s like “Hey!, We’re the Hokies! We’re the Hokies! The Fighting Hokies! The warrior turkeys!” We’re gonna be the baddest turkey. I thought I would link the Hokie 300 Trailer since it goes along with what Rock said. Hokie 300 Trailer
UNC Preview October 29, 2009 The Hokies have had an extra half week to prepare for Thursday’s game against North Carolina. Sometimes a bye following a loss is helpful, but not always. As defensive backs coach Torrian Gray said Tuesday, “sometimes the best cure is to get back out there and play. I wish we could’ve played this past Saturday and gotten that taste out of our mouth.” The good news is the Hokies seem to be a little bit healthier coming out of the bye week. Cornerback Stephan Virgil is
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practicing with the varsity squad and not the scout team for the first time in weeks. There are a few nagging injuries, but everybody should be on the field Thursday night. I speak for all Hokie fans when I say we love Thursday night home games. I can’t think of a better way to rebound following a devastating loss than a blowout win at home on a Thursday. I’m not exactly sure that will happen, but I can hope. North Carolina enters the game in the midst of a highly disappointing season. The Tar Heels entered the season with fairly high expectations, picked by some to be a dark horse to win the ACC. Instead, the Heels are 4-3 (0-3 ACC). UNC beat UConn by two, East Carolina by 14, and then tallied larger wins against the Citadel and Georgia Southern. In conference, the Heels have been outscored 70-37. However, the thing that scares me is that this is still a team with talent who now knows each game is crucial towards becoming bowl eligible. A win at Virginia Tech would be a big statement for UNC and could potentially get their season back on track. The unquestioned strength of North Carolina is their defense, specifically the defensive line. Defensive end Robert Quinn is only a sophomore but is one of the best pass rushers in the ACC. Quinn has tallied 33 tackles, 11 for losses, and seven sacks already this season. Defensive tackle Marvin Austin also has the talent to be a star but seems to take plays off. If he plays an aggressive, hard-nosed game he can disrupt plays all day by penetrating the interior line. One interesting stat to me is that the Heels have recorded 17 sacks but only have 12 hurries in seven games. Basically, if these guys can get in the backfield, they get to the quarterback. For comparative purposes, the Hokies have 13 sacks and 26 hurries this season. Jason Worilds has as many hurries (12) as the entire UNC team. UNC’s defense is paced by linebacker Quan Sturdivant. Sturdivant is one of the best linebackers in the conference; he has tallied 48 tackles (8.5 for losses) and forced and recovered a fumble. Sturdivant has a nose for the ball and will be a key player for the Hokies to put a helmet on. Linebacker Bruce Carter is an athlete and the player I expect to be used primarily as a spy on Tyrod Taylor in passing situations. UNC will try to limit Taylor’s scrambles and it will be Carter’s job to do this. UNC has the third best pass defense in the ACC, but it should be dually noted that Florida State passed for 395 yards against them last week and UNC’s pass defense shined against weak competition in the Citadel and Georgia Southern. UNC has intercepted 10 passes; this total includes three in each game against the aforementioned teams. While UNC is the top team in the ACC in total defense (266.3 ypg allowed) and first in scoring defense (16.4 ppg allowed), I still think the Hokies can move the ball. UNC has had the luxury of several weak opponents to cushion these statistics. Virginia Tech running back Ryan Williams has asserted himself as arguably the ACC’s best running back and maybe the conference’s best offensive player. UNC will have no choice but to key in on him, but even when teams do that it hasn’t slowed him down. I think the mismatch to exploit is the secondary, but we aren’t a passing team. Virginia Tech will use the run early to set things up. If this goes well they will stick with it, if it doesn’t expect Tyrod to throw for over 250. UNC’s starting cornerbacks are 5’-10” and 5’-9”; the tallest corner in their 2-deep is 5’-11”. This creates a huge size mismatch for the Hokie wide receivers. The Hokies will be able to pass if necessary but will likely use the run to set this up. North Carolina’s offense is much easier to talk about because there isn’t much to say. UNC is 10th in the ACC in scoring offense (23.1 ppg) and 11th in total offense (289.4 ypg). The Tar
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Heels are finally having success running the ball but are still struggling to throw effectively. This will allow Virginia Tech to load the box up and blitz T.J. Yates freely. Unless UNC’s offensive line has made huge strides in the last week, this will be a long game for the Tar Heels. The line has been heavily injured, resulting in poor performances and inconsistent play. Couple that with trying to block Jason Worilds and Nekos Brown off the edges and Yates is in for a long night. Brown played his best game against Boston College and should carry that momentum into the game Thursday night. The key for the Hokies defense will be to contain running back Shaun Draughn. If the Hokies do this, they can build an early lead and force Yates and a group of young receivers into a situation where they have to make plays. Once this happens, the Hokie defense will take over. Prediction: Virginia Tech 34 UNC 13
UNC post-game October 30, 2009 I’ve put off writing my post-game because I’ve tried to put off thinking about the game. Sad is the only word I can think of to describe the Hokies 20-17 loss to North Carolina last night. I don’t want to take anything away from UNC because they had a good game plan and played well, but the Virginia Tech offense made me want to cry. The team seemed flat and as a result the crowd wasn’t as hyped as usual during the first half; it didn’t feel like a typical Thursday night game. You know it’s a rough night when the loudest the student section got were on the three or four times paper airplanes made it onto the field from the top of the East stands. A huge amount of the students made paper airplanes out of their tickets and began launching them towards the field in the third and fourth quarters. This is something I’ve never seen at a football game. I can’t really blame anybody for losing interest. The offensive play calling had me baffled. We had early success running the ball under center, then move into the shotgun. In the second half, we have a touchdown drive that was predominantly off of plays under center, then comeback unsuccessfully to the shotgun again. Every time something worked, we abandoned it. Execution didn’t help things either as Taylor had several passes dropped by wide receivers. However, Taylor isn’t immune to blame. He did have a couple balls sail too high for his receivers and also held the ball too long on occasion. UNC ran a lot of wide receivers in motion and the Hokies seemed lost on D as a result. People weren’t sure whether to key in on the running back or the receivers and this resulted in some big runs. We also dropped a lot of guys into weak zones on passing defense and Yates picked us a part. I don’t really want to dwell on things because I feel like it was an ugly game that we shouldn’t have lost. This team has too much talent to be 5-3. If a little more pride and passion aren’t shown next week, I wouldn’t be surprised if we lose a third straight game. Game Balls: Tyrod Taylor: He is receiving some criticism for his play but I thought he played relatively well. The offensive line didn’t help him out very much. We weren’t able to establish a run threat and
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that left Taylor behind the eight ball. He made some great scrambles to keep plays alive and connect on key passes. Taylor completed 11-23 for 161; he also rushed for both of the Hokies touchdowns. Rock Carmichael: Rock played a solid game. He had 6 tackles (1 for a los) and one interception. I thought he looked good in coverage all night and his interception set up one of the Hokies touchdown drives by giving them the ball at the 5. Dyrell Roberts: North Carolina wisely kicked away from Roberts on kickoffs but he still made an impact on offense. Roberts had a team-high five receptions for 73 yards. Nekos Brown: Brown had a big game, at least rushing the quarterback. Brown tallied 6 tackles, including 1.5 of the teams two sacks.
ACC Power Rankings- Week 9 November 3, 2009 1. Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets control their own destiny in the ACC. Georgia Tech still has Duke and Wake Forest left in ACC play and simply put, if they win out they represent the Coastal Division in the ACC Championship Game. Georgia Tech has played very well in the past few weeks; both Duke and Wake Forest will need to play their best games of the season if either wants to beat the Jackets. 2. Miami: Following a loss to Clemson; the Hurricanes almost dropped their second consecutive contest. Miami scored twice (both on Jacory Harris touchdown passes) in the 4th quarter, including the game winner with 1:08 left in the game. The Hurricanes are a good team, but they have seemed to struggle lately to play a complete game. 3. Virginia Tech: What is going on in Blacksburg? The Hokies have played somewhat well in the second half of each of the past two games, but can’t seem to open a game. The Hokies have had nine drives in the first half of the last two games cross midfield and only translate into three points. If Virginia Tech can’t start coming up with points when they cross the 50, the Hokies could easily drop another game or two. 4. Clemson: The Tigers beat Coastal Carolina 49-3. Clemson tallied 400 yards of total offense while only allowing 170. It was an impressive team performance, albeit against an outmatched opponent. 5. Boston College: The Eagles became bowl eligible with a win over Central Michigan and are still tied with Clemson for the Atlantic Division lead. The Eagles have Virginia, North Carolina, and Maryland left to play in conference. BC needs to win out to make the ACC Championship Game, but also needs Clemson to lose as the Tigers have the head-to-head win. 6. Duke: It’s weird to say this but Duke is actually in control of their own destiny. The Blue Devils have four conference games left to play, including a game against divisional leader Georgia Tech. If Duke wins out, they win the ACC. I doubt it will happen, but the past few seasons in the ACC have been unusually strange. 7. Florida State: The Noles can’t stop anybody on defense, but they can sure put up points. If you like offensive shoot-outs just want any FSU game. 8. North Carolina: UNC has had a poor start to the season but may have gotten things back on track with a win over Virginia Tech last Thursday. The Tar Heels have talent but have played inconsistently for most of the season. It will be interesting to see how they follow up the biggest
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win of their season. 9. Wake Forest: The Deacons hung in with Miami but blew a fourth quarter lead. That loss likely leaves Wake Forest on the outside looking in at the ACC Championship Game. Riley Skinner continues to play well for Wake Forest, but this team has lots of issues. 10. Virginia: Two straight losses to Duke? If Al Groh wasn’t already on the hot seat, he sure is now. Things look pretty bleak in Charlottesville as the Hoos still must play the two teams tied for the lead in the Atlantic (Clemson and BC)plus Miami and Virginia Tech. UVA might be lucky enough to win one of those games but needs three wins to become bowl eligible. 11. Maryland: Maryland has one ACC win so I put them above NC State, but I can’t find much to say about them expect for they didn’t lose during their bye week. 12. NC State: The Wolfpack has struggled in ACC play (0-4). NC State is comparable to Florida State in that they can’t play defense but they have no trouble putting up points. The main difference is that Florida State can occasionally win.
East Carolina Preview November 4, 2009 So, the past three weeks have not gone as I had expected. I figured at this point in the season the Hokies would be 7-1 and in control of the Coastal Division. To quote Lee Corso, “Not so fast my friend!” After two lackluster performances, resulting in back-to-back losses, the Hokies still need a win just to become bowl eligible. A win over East Carolina Thursday night to become bowl eligible would be somewhat redemptive. It was the Pirates who beat Virginia Tech in the season opener last year in Charlotte and almost won the 2007 season opener at Lane. In both of the previous two match-ups against East Carolina, Sean Glennon took every snap at quarterback. Both games were season openers and at times when it looked like Tyrod Taylor would redshirt so the Pirates haven’t seen him in person yet. Glennon had two turnovers in each of those games (three interceptions, one fumble) and was sacked a total of six times. Virginia Tech has allowed 2.75 sacks per game this season (97th in the nation) so ECU may still get to Tyrod several times, but it will be a different scenario than having Glennon in the pocket. ECU won’t be able to pin their ears back like they did in the previous two games with Glennon under center, they will need to have players spy on Taylor to keep him in the pocket. It’s apparent that Virginia Tech is a run first team, which makes ground control a vital part in their success. This sets up an interesting match-up as Virginia Tech is 26th in nation in rushing offense while East Carolina is 27th in the nation in rushing defense. East Carolina has a massive defensive line with two 300+ pound defensive tackles and defensive ends that average 275 pounds apiece. The East Carolina front seven starts an overwhelming six seniors (everybody except for junior defensive tackle Linval Joseph). This group is good, but not as tough as the front seven the Hokies faced last week with North Carolina. If the Hokies can control the line, Ryan Williams is too fast for the linebackers to contain all night. The problem with controlling the line is that Virginia Tech will likely be without center Beau Warren (doubtful) and back-up Michael Via was inconsistent in his first real playing time last week. The Hokies may run more sweeps and off tackle runs than usual given the 600 pounds of defensive linemen in the middle and the inexperience at center. The area to exploit seems to be the secondary. East Carolina is allowing 249.75 passing yards
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per game and will be outmatched in both size and athleticism. Every Virginia Tech wide receiver is bigger than any starter in the Pirate secondary. Dyrell Roberts had five catches for 73-yards (both career highs) last week against North Carolina. I expect him to have a big game against East Carolina as they will have trouble matching up with his speed, as evidence by his one catch for 62-yards against ECU last season. The Hokies should look to capitalize on their size and speed advantages by throwing early. This will move linebackers and safeties deeper off the line of scrimmage opening up the run. For this reason I would love to see the Hokies take some shots deep early, but it’s just not the style of offense Beamer wants Stinespring to run. When East Carolina has the ball, everything centers around senior quarterback Patrick Pinkney. Pinkney was devastatingly efficient last season against the Hokies, completing 19 of 23 passes for 211 yards and one touchdown. He has started this season much slower, completing 57% of his passes with eight touchdowns and nine interceptions. The Pirates enter the game ranked 80th in the nation in both passing offense and total offense, and 56th in rushing offense. Their ground attack is led by Dominique Lindsay, who is 30th in the nation with 95.0 yards per game. Dwayne Harris is the team’s leading pass receiver with 5.88 receptions and 68-yards per game. Keys to a Virginia Tech victory: Score early. The Hokies scored a combined three first half points in their past two losses, despite nine drives into the opponents territory. Virginia Tech needs to score early in order to put the pressure on the Pirates. Here are some stats to prove this importance: the Hokies have scored an offensive touchdown in the first quarter of five games this season… and won all five. The first offensive touchdown against Alabama came 29 minutes into the game, against Georgia Tech was 37 minutes in, and against UNC was 38 minutes into the game. In order to score early, the Hokies will need to… Establish a passing threat. If the Pirates have to respect a Hokie passing attack, Ryan Williams will have much more room to run; Williams can break tackles but he excels when given open space. Personally, I would also like to see Ryan Williams become a pass catching threat but Stinespring has been leaving both running backs and tight ends primarily as blockers on passing downs. Williams would be a defensive nightmare coming out of the backfield as a receiver or motioning into the slot pre-snap. Pressure Pinkney. East Carolina is only allowing 1.25 sacks per game this season (tied for 29th in the nation). Jason Worilds and Nekos Brown have the speed to blow past the Pirates offensive tackles; they just need to avoid getting locked up right at the snap. The Hokies need to get him out of rhythm with early pressure and force Pinkney into making some poor decisions. Special Teams: ECU scored the game winning touchdown against the Hokies on a blocked punt last season. Obviously, blocking on punts and field goal attempts will be important for both teams, but the return games could become a huge factor. Dyrell Roberts leads the nation with an average of over 40 yards per kickoff returns this season. Subsequently, teams are now kicking away from him. Meanwhile, East Carolina is fourth in the nation on punt returns, averaging 17.7 yards per punt return. If either team can get a return man loose, it could be the difference in the game. Prediction: Since the Hokies began their 16-season bowl streak, only the 2002 Virginia Tech squad has lost three regular season games in a row. I don’t see this year’s team joining the 2002 Hokies by losing a third straight regular season game, but I also didn’t see the last two losses coming.
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VT 31 ECU 20
East Carolina Post-game November 6, 2009 The Hokies finally got back on track with a 16-3 win last night at East Carolina University making them bowl eligible for the 17th straight season. It wasn’t necessarily pretty but there were some positives from the game. I feel that was the best defensive performance in weeks. The Hokie defense allowed only 277 yards and three points and forced three turnovers. Maybe it was because the opponent was outmatched, but the defense seemed to swarm to the ball all night. Their seemed to be more intensity on the defensive side and it showed on several huge hits. The red zone offensive play-calling was still very predictable, but I thought the game was called rather well outside of the 20-yardline. The Hokies ran several wide receiver screens, which played right into one of the big matches of the day. The Virginia Tech wide receivers were bigger and faster than the ECU secondary and this gave them a chance to make plays in space. The Hokies spread the ball around effectively, hitting six different receivers on the night. Tyrod Taylor completed 17 of 30 attempts for 137-yards and also rushed 11 times for 68-yards and touchdown. The offensive line still struggled, but that didn’t slow down Ryan Williams. Williams is definitely one of, if not the top running back in the nation. He turned in another huge performance, rushing 26 times for 179-yards, often making big plays out of nothing. Williams’s 46-yard run in the second quarter was a magnificent play and show-cased all of his skills. He was hit multiple times in the backfield but kept his feet moving and broke through tackles to get to the outside where he outran almost everybody. This guy has incredible leg drive, balance, speed, and agility. His nickname is “Lil Sweetness” and you can see shades of Walter Payton every time he touches the ball. Williams has over 1,100-yards and 10 touchdowns in his first nine collegiate games. However, while Williams played well, the offense still looks complacent. In the past three games, the Hokies offense has had the ball in opponent’s territory 14 times in the first half and yielded only 16 points as a result. The team seems to have no trouble crossing midfield but then implodes. Boykin had a fumble against UNC and Taylor fumbled at the one last night. I’m not sure what the numbers are but it seems like VT is plagued with offensive penalties once they cross midfield often causing drives to be stymied. The coaching staff needs to figure this issue out in a hurry as it cost the team games against Georgia Tech and UNC and led to a closer game last night than we should’ve seen. Game Balls: Williams: As stated earlier, this guy is special and he proved it again last night. He carried the offense, tallying 187 total yards of offense. Williams finally saw some action in the passing game, although it only resulted in nine yards on three catches. If the Hokies continue to utilize him as a receiver, he will become even more of a defensive nightmare. Tyrod Taylor: Taylor threw efficiently last night and ran well, scoring the team’s only touchdown on a 13-yard run that was eerily similar to his touchdown run against Cincinnati in the Orange Bowl (minus the ball out in front, hand on the head taunt). Taylor has scored all three of Virginia Tech’s touchdowns in the past two games and all have been on runs.
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Cody Grimm: Grimm was everywhere last night and proved again that although he is undersized, he is one of the top linebackers in the conference. Grimm filled up just about every column on the stat sheet last night recording 12 tackles (one for a loss), one sack, one fumble forced, one fumble recovered, one pass break up, and one quarterback hurry. Wherever the ball is, that is where you will find Cody Grimm. Rashad Carmichael: Rock intercepted a pass for the third time in four games. He is a very solid corner and should be getting heavy consideration for first-team all-ACC. Up Next: The Hokies have an extended week to prepare for their game at Maryland on November 14th.
ACC Power Rankings- Week 10 November 11, 2009 1. Georgia Tech: Their overtime win over Wake Forest was less than impressive, but it was a win nonetheless. The Jackets have won seven straight games and can lock up an ACC Championship Game birth with a win at Duke this weekend. It seems easy enough but the Jackets have been vulnerable against the pass and Duke has the second best passing offense in the ACC. 2. Miami: After several consecutive close games, the Canes got back on track with a 52-17 win over Virginia. Miami dominated this game (515-149 yards of total offense) and looked like the team that earned tons of national exposure in late September. 3. Virginia Tech: The Hokies ended their two game skid with a mediocre 16-3 win over East Carolina. Ryan Williams shined once again rushing for 179-yards. The Hokies got back to their style of play by dominating the ground game and playing tough defense. 4. Clemson: The Tigers control their own destiny in the ACC Atlantic Division, which would’ve sounded absurd back in mid-October. The Tigers have put together a four game win streak after topping Florida State 40-24. 5. North Carolina: The Tar Heels are another team that began the season in disappointing fashion but have seemed to find their stride. UNC followed up their win over Virginia Tech with a 19-6 win over Duke. The Tar Heel defense absolutely dominated Duke’s offense holding them to 125 total yards of offense and only 12 yards rushing on 19 carries. 6. Boston College: The Eagles were off this weekend and consequently lost their share of the Atlantic Division lead with Clemson’s win. Boston College needs Clemson to drop one more conference game since the Tigers hold the head-to-head win. 7. Duke: The Blue Devils looked terrible this weekend in a loss to UNC but are still 3-2 in the ACC (5-4 overall). Duke made drastic improvements last year in David Cutcliffe’s first season and are continuing to become more competitive this season. Duke is no longer a guaranteed win. 8: Wake Forest: The Deacons have a losing record and are 2-4 in ACC play but did take Georgia Tech into overtime this weekend. The Deacons have lost four straight, but the last three have been by a combined seven points. Five of Wake’s six losses have been by three or less points. If the Deacons could close out games, the ACC Atlantic Division would have a completely different look. 9: Florida State: The one bright spot for the Noles this season had been the play of quarterback Christian Ponder and now he is out for the season. Florida State fans will get their first real look
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at five-star quarterback prospect E.J. Manuel. Considering how bad the Noles defense is, Florida State fans better hope Manuel can put up as many points as Ponder had been. 10: Virginia: The Hoos have lost three straight games and have a plethora of issues. The defense had looked alright for most of the season but that went out the window when they allowed 52 points to Miami. The Cavalier offense averages 31 less yards per game than the conference’s next worst O. 11: NC State: Outside of Florida State, NC State might be the ACC’s biggest disappointment. The Wolfpack had high aspirations entering the season and were dark horses to win the Atlantic; instead, they are 1-4 in the ACC after notching their first conference win this weekend over Maryland. 12: Maryland: The Terps recorded their lone conference win against Atlantic Division leader Clemson, but have dropped five straight since. They are 10th in the ACC in scoring offense and last in the conference in scoring defense. When you see those statistics and look at Maryland’s last five games, it’s easy to think they may not win again this season (please don’t upset my Hokies).
Maryland Preview November 13, 2009 Many Hokies remember last season’s 23-13 Thursday night victory over Maryland. This game was pivotal in a lot of ways for Virginia Tech last season. The Terps entered the game ranked 23rd while the Hokies were unranked at 5-3 following back-to-back losses to Boston College and Florida State. It was this game that set the tone for the Hokie offense in the rest of 2008. Darren Evans broke the Virginia Tech single-game rushing record when he rushed 32 times for 253yards and one touchdown. From this point on in the season, he became the focal point in the offense. This was also the game that revealed the “Wild Turkey” Formation which featured Greg Boone taking snaps out of the shotgun. Boone carried six times for 22-yards. I never really saw the effectiveness in the “Wild Turkey” (VT ran the formation 22 times for 76-yards) but most fans loved it and it showed some kind of wrinkle to the typically bland Virginia Tech offense. It was a sign that offensive progression was a possibility. We haven’t seen much of the “Wild Turkey” formation this season, but I do think we have seen offensive progression. The Hokies are currently 70th in the nation in total offense and 21st in the nation in rushing offense. The passing offense is ranked 103rd, which is much lower than I would like to see given Tyrod Taylor’s ability and the maturation we’ve seen in the receivers he throws to. Wide receivers Danny Coale, Jarrett Boykin, and Dyrell Roberts have made their fair share of great plays, but drops have also plagued the Hokies receiving corps. The Hokies, in my humble opinion, need to pass more but that is against Frank Beamer’s philosophy. We have a quarterback who is 32nd in the nation in passing efficiency (5th in the ACC) but we limit his chance to make plays. That quarterback is Tyrod Taylor. It should also be noted that Taylor didn’t play in the Maryland game last season. Taylor is a threat to run, but I would love to see him pass more. It would open up Ryan Williams to make more plays if the Hokies posed a viable passing threat. Speaking of Ryan Williams, how special is he? To date, he has 1,109 rushing yards and ten rushing touchdowns through 9 games. He also has 176-yards receiving and one receiving touchdown. He had three of his 13 catches last week, a trend I would like to see continue.
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Teams can’t cover Williams out of the backfield. He is too fast for any linebacker or safety to cover; the only possible option is to bring in an additional corner to cover him. An additional corner to handle the threat to cover Williams means a bigger chance for Williams to break off a big run. It’s just wishful thinking. The bottom line is that you should get a player like Ryan Williams as many different touches as you can. He can break any play open, especially against a team like Maryland who has been weak all season on defense. The Terps enter this game as arguably the worst defense in the ACC. Maryland is ranked last in the conference in scoring defense (allowing 32.3 points per game) and second to last in the ACC in total defense (390.6 yards per game). Ryan Williams should see plenty of room to run as the Terps are allowing over 140-yards rushing per game and they haven’t seen a back as good as Williams yet. The one thing Maryland does do well is get to the quarterback. They are one sack behind ACC leader Clemson on the season with 23 sacks this year. This may pose trouble for Virginia Tech who has allowed 23 sacks this season (tied for 85th in the nation despite the limited amount of times the Hokies actually pass). I’m not sure what the stat is but the Hokies’ sacks allowed per pass attempt are probably in the bottom 10 in the nation. The offensive line was strong early but injuries and inconsistent play have made this group a question mark. Maryland’s offense is equally less intimidating. The offense is currently ranked 10th in the ACC in scoring and total offense. Since the loss of talented running back Da’rel Scott, Maryland hasn’t posed a real rushing attempt. Back-up Davin Meggett has yet to post a 60-yard game. The only thing remotely positive about their offense has been the passing attack and quarterback Chris Turner is listed as questionable. Turner is 6th in the conference in passing average and 8th in the conference in passing efficiency. If Turner does miss the game, they turn to freshman Jamarr Robinson who is 5-11 for 27-yards (all against NC State last weekend). Maryland Player to Watch: The Terps haven’t done much this season, but they do have a couple of players who can make noise. Torrey Smith: Smith has 44 catches for 630-yards with 4 touchdowns this season; he has also carried the ball nine times for 63-yards. Smith is a playmaker who can make his presence known on offense or special teams. Smith is 1st in the ACC in all-purpose yards thanks to his 1,113 yards on kick-off returns (26.5-yards per return which ranks 3rd in the ACC). Alex Wujciak: Wujciak is 1st in the conference in tackles with 11.33 per game. He has a nose for the ball and will need it to contain Ryan Williams this weekend. Adrian Moten: Moten averages 0.56 sacks per game placing him 6th in the ACC. Moten could create trouble considering the amount of sacks the Virginia Tech line has allowed this season. Prediction: This game is incredibly tough to predict. Virginia Tech has had offensive sightings against Marshall and Boston College but has been spotty since (generous in that descriptor). The Hokies have the talent to run all over Maryland. Ryan Williams could easily gash Maryland for 200-yards, but the weakness of this team is their pass defense, which is last in the ACC. Taylor and company could accumulate 300-yards through the air against Maryland. Unfortunately, as history indicates, this won’t be the case. Virginia Tech will run the same game plan they always run without taking the opponent into consideration. The Hokies will run twice as much as they pass, despite the mismatches.
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Virginia Tech: 31 Maryland: 10
Maryland Post-game November 16, 2009 The Hokies finally put together a performance that was about what I expected. My prediction of 31-10 wasn’t too far off from the Hokie’s 36-9 victory. The Hokies looked good in every facet during the first half of yesterday’s contest jumping to an early 27-3 lead at the break. Those three points were the only points allowed by the Virginia Tech defense all day. The Hokie defense played great, but was troubled by the mobility of sophomore quarterback Jamarr Robinson. Robinson had only played half of a game entering the contest so the Hokies had some difficulty in preparing for him. They did a good job limiting him through the air, holding Robinson to 12-32 passing for 104-yards. The bulk of his damage was done on the ground, where he ran 24 times for 129-yards. Robinson’s rushing total accounted for 55 percent of Maryland’s total yards and 98 percent of the team’s rushing yards, proving how dominating the Hokie defense was when they were able to keep him in the pocket. I am really pleased with the progression of the defense since the Georgia Tech game. The Hokie defense has allowed only six points in the past two games. Linebacker Jake Johnson was benched during the East Carolina game, but looked good yesterday. He played under control and over pursued far fewer plays than he had done early in the season. Johnson recorded teamhighs in tackles (7) and sacks (2). Johnson’s two sacks only accounted for 1/3 of the sacks on the day as Nekos Brown, Cam Martin, and Steven Friday all recorded one sack a piece. Chris Drager and Demetrious Taylor also combined for one sack. The line played their best game of the season, constantly disrupting plays and forcing Robinson to rush his pass attempts. On the other side of the ball, the offense recorded over 200-yards rushing and passing for the second time this season (the first was against Boston College). Virginia Tech’s 484-yards of total offense was their second highest of the season behind the 605-yard explosion against Marshall. Four different Hokies scored touchdowns, which was awesome to see after the offensive struggles in recent weeks. Ryan Williams score on a one-yard rush while Andre Smith, Jarrett Boykin, and Dyrell Roberts all scored on receptions from Tyrod Taylor. Game Balls: Tyrod Taylor: Taylor completed 13-23 passes for 268-yards and three touchdowns; he also added eight carries for 81-yards. Taylor did have one glaring mistake: a fumbled in Virginia Tech’s end zone, which Maryland recovered for their only touchdown. Despite this mistake, Taylor put together a very strong performance. Jarrett Boykin: Boykin only had three catches but one was a 64-yard touchdown. Boykin recorded his second 100-yard game this season with 118 receiving yards and leads the team with 551-yards receiving on the season. Ryan Williams: Williams rushed for over 100-yards yet again when he turned in a 126-yard performance on Saturday. Williams now has 1,235-yards rushing and 11 rushing touchdowns this season. Brent Bowden: Bowden has had a huge season, but lacks the proper credit since he is a punter. Bowden punted four times Saturday for an average of 38.8 yards. Two punts were downed inside
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the 20, including one that was downed at the 1-yard line. Up Next: The Hokies square off against North Carolina State Saturday, November 21st at 3:30pm in Lane Stadium.
ACC Power Rankings- Week 11 November 17, 2009 1. Georgia Tech: The Jackets locked up the ACC Coastal Division by scoring 49 unanswered points against Duke after trailing 10-0 early. The Jackets played stout defense and had a wellbalanced offensive attack accumulating 306-rushing yards and 213-passing yards (519 total). Georgia Tech is playing very well right now and is 10-1 entering a bye week before their regular season finale against rival Georgia. 2. Virginia Tech: The Hokies had no trouble with Maryland, winning 36-9 at College Park. The Hokies offense cruised through the first half putting up 27 points on touchdowns by four different players. Ryan Williams recorded his seventh 100-yard game of the season and Tyrod Taylor looked strong throwing touchdown passes to three different receivers. The Hokie defense allowed only three points all game (MD recovered a Tyrod Taylor fumble in the end zone for their only touchdown). 3. North Carolina: The Tar Heels have made an incredible turn-around winning three straight including games over Virginia Tech and Miami. North Carolina put up 33 points on Miami despite only scoring one offensive touchdown; kicker Casey Barth made 4/4 field goals and both Melvin Williams and Kendric Burney returned interceptions for touchdowns. 4. Clemson: The Tigers have won five straight and can lock up with Atlantic Division this weekend with a win over Virginia. C.J. Spiller pulled off a rare feat in Clemson’s 43-23 win over North Carolina State; Spiller threw a touchdown, rushed for one, and caught one. Spiller has been unstoppable in the past few games, a large reason for Clemson’s current winning streak. 5. Miami: The Canes lost for the second time in their last four games when North Carolina upended them this weekend. The Canes recorded over 400-yards of offense but were severally crippled by Jacory Harris’s four interceptions (two of which were returned for touchdowns). Miami has really fallen off since a strong start; maybe their youth is to blame, maybe not. 6. Boston College: Boston College barely got by Virginia on the road this weekend, winning 1410. Running back Montel Harris has placed this team on his back, carrying 38 times for 151-yards on Saturday; in doing so, Harris broke the 1,000-yard milestone on the season. The Eagles need to win-out and need Clemson to lose to Virginia if they want to make the ACC Championship game this season. Good luck with a Clemson loss to UVA! 7. Florida State: The Seminoles won this weekend behind freshman quarterback E.J. Manuel. Manuel completed 15-20 passes for 220-yards and a touchdown; he also added 45-yards and a touchdown on the ground. Running back Jermaine Thomas provided Manuel with some much needed support rushing 25 times for 149-yards and a touchdown. The Noles have now won three of their last four games. 8. Duke: The Dookies were dismantled by Georgia Tech, but at least they aren’t a bottomdweller this season, 5-5 (3-3 ACC). 9. NC State: The Wolfpack have lost five of their last six games. The defense has serious issues as they have allowed 30 or more points in their last seven games.
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10. Wake Forest: The Deacons dropped their fifth straight game with a loss to Florida State over the weekend. Wake has a bye week before their season finale against Duke 11/28. Wake desperately needs to win this in order to take any kind of momentum going into the off-season. 11. Virginia: The Cavaliers are another team with a nice losing streak going (four straight). The Virginia offense has been atrocious, scoring an average of 14.8 points per game in ACC play. 12. Maryland: The Terps have lost five straight and seven of the last eight. They have only beaten one FBS team this season and that was Atlantic Division leader Clemson in week 5. The Terps offense was held to three points against the Hokies on Saturday.
North Carolina State preview. November 20, 2009 Last week the Hokies had their first game against a team with a losing record and had no problem dismantling them. This week’s match-up is a little bit different. Despite North Carolina State’s 4-6 record, they have enough playmakers to win a big game. I feel like these playmakers will show up to try to salvage a less than satisfactory season. NC State was a “dark horse” to win the Atlantic Division but have vastly underachieved. Even if the Pack win out and get to six wins, they will fail to be bowl eligible because they have wins over two FCS (1-AA), only one of which counts towards bowl eligibility. North Carolina State has an explosive offense, ranked 23rd in the nation in scoring offense. They are lead by sophomore quarterback Russell Wilson, a native of Richmond, Virginia. Wilson has put together a huge season thus far completing 58 percent of his passes for 2,534-yards, 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Wilson has also rushed for 319-yards and four touchdowns proving he is a dual-threat quarterback. Wilson is a playmaker in every sense of the word… he comes up with big plays but has lacked consistent support from a rushing attack that ranks 78th in the nation. North Carolina State’s leading rusher, Toney Baker, is averaging only 66.40 yards per game. Wilson is second on the team in rushing with 31.9 yards per game. This illustrates the fact that NC State is a pass heavy offense. N.C. State has completed passes to 24 people so far this season, with five catching 24 or more passes and ten catching touchdowns. That stat illuminates the versatility of North Carolina State’s offense. You can’t key in on any one player, you somehow have to find a way to limit Russell Wilson as a whole. After some stat analysis, here is one thing I found interesting: N.C. State is ranked 23rd in the nation in scoring offense. After taking out there two games against FCS opponents they average 25.43 points per game, good for 69th in the NCAA. That is a huge difference. From that stat, it seems they can score on teams they should have, but are mediocre against normal competition. The defensive stats are even more indicative of how this team has performed this season. The Wolfpack are ranked 99th in scoring defense, but again, exclude those FCS games and they are now ranked 113th in the nation in defense. That is flat out horrendous and show why the Pack have only beaten two FBS schools this season. They are allowing 36 points per game against FBS (1-A) schools leading me to believe Tyrod Taylor and Ryan Williams should both be able to manufacture several touchdowns.
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Random Stats/Information: -The Hokies have lost all 10 coin tosses this season. -North Carolina State is the only team to beat Pittsburg this season. -Ryan Williams is just 30-yards from tying the Virginia Tech freshman rushing record set last season by Darren Evans and 412-yards from Kevin Jones’s season rushing record. -Russell Wilson has thrown all ten of his interceptions in the past six games, with at least one in each game. -Tyrod Taylor has rushed for 61 or more yards in three of the last four games. -Since 1993, no Hokie has had more than six interceptions in a season; Rashad Carmichael is currently at five. -Tyrod Taylor needs 280-yards passing to reach 2,000. -N.C. State is 111th in the nation in turnover margin per game (-1), Virginia Tech is 35th (.4). North Carolina State key players: Russell Wilson: As pointed out earlier, Russell Wilson IS the North Carolina State offense. He is 2nd in the conference in total offense and 4th in the league in passing efficiency. Wilson has accounted for 32 touchdowns this season. As Wilson goes, so does the NC State offense. In the season opener against South Carolina, Wilson threw for only 74-yards and the Pack were held to only a field goal. Willie Young: Young is the defensive leader of this Wolfpack team. Young is a solid player, both against the run and the pass. He leads the team in tackles for losses (1.1 per game) and sacks (0.7 per game) and ranks third and fourth in the conference in those respective categories. Considering the fact that the Hokies are 8th in the conference in sacks allowed with 2.5 per game, Young should be able to get into the backfield and disrupt plays. Toney Baker: Baker is a versatile back who poses a threat as a pass catcher, as well as a rusher. He is the Packs leading rusher with 664-yards and six touchdowns this season. Baker also has caught 24 passes for 306-yards and three touchdowns. The Hokies will need to match-up well on him when he comes out of the backfield as a pass catcher. Owen Spencer: The junior receiver is the team’s leading receiver with 561-yards and three touchdowns. Spencer is a big play threat, averaging over 24-yards per reception. The Hokies will have to keep an eye on him because he has a chance to break any play open. Jarvis Williams and George Bryan: These two receivers have combined for 865-yards and 15 receiving touchdowns this season. Between Spencer, Williams, and Bryan the Hokie secondary will have their hands full. Expect the Hokies to play more nickel packages (5 defensive backs) than they traditionally do and maybe throw in a few dime packages (6 defensive backs) to combat this pass heavy offense. Prediction: North Carolina State has a powerful offense, but their horrendous defense will cost them this game. The key will be how the Virginia Tech secondary handles the North Carolina State passing attack. Expect N.C. State to pass early and often. Virginia Tech will look to grind it out on the ground against the Pack and keep Russell Wilson off the field. Ryan Williams will rush for his third consecutive 100-yard game, and Tyrod will rush for over 50-yards.
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Virginia Tech: 34 North Carolina State: 17
North Carolina State post-game November 22, 2009 Virginia Tech’s senior night got off to a solid start after senior WHIP Cody Grimm won the coin toss. This doesn’t seem like a big deal, but the Hokies had yet to win a coin toss all season before Saturday’s game. Cody Grimm then made a much more significant impact on the game with North Carolina State’s first play from scrimmage. Grimm came on a blitz and hit quarterback Russell Wilson’s blind side, forcing a fumble which he also recovered. This set up the Hokie’s first points of the day when redshirt senior kicker Matt Waldron made a 26-yard field goal. Two plays later Cody Grimm was at it again. Russell Wilson completed Darrell Davis for eight yards before he was stopped by Grimm. Grimm stripped Davis of the ball on the sideline and senior cornerback Stephan Virgil dove and recovered the fumble before the ball rolled out of bounds. A six play, 28-yard drive ensued, capped off by a Ryan Williams rushing touchdown. On the first play after Virginia Tech’s kick-off, Cody Grimm forced his FBS record tying third fumble of the game, but this time North Carolina State was able to get the ball back. The Wolfpack mounted their first drive of the game going 81-yards on 10 plays. The Wolpack got on the score board when Russell Wilson threw a 20-yard touchdown strike to an open Owen Spencer to pull the Pack to within 3. The Hokies scored on their third possession of the game when Ryan Williams scored from 1-yard out to take a 17-7 lead. Williams’ run capped off an 8 play 48-yard drive. The drive had stalled on an incompletion to Dyrell Roberts on third and 10 but the Hokies were bailed out. Roberts had his arms tangled up by C.J. Wilson as he reached for the pass and the refs threw the flag. The pass interference gave the Hokies a first down on the N.C. State 14 yard line. Each team had two drives a piece stall out before North Carolina State converted a field goal, their last points of the game. Ryan Williams scored his third rushing touchdown of the game with 37 seconds left in the first half. The Hokies took a 24-10 lead into the half and never looked back. The solid defensive play continued for Virginia Tech as they shut out the ‘Pack in the second half. The Hokie’s defense was stout for the second straight game. North Carolina State was held to 245-yards and 12 first downs. The Hokies forced four turnovers: Cody Grimm, Davon Morgan, and Stefan Virgil all recovered fumbles while Kam Chancellor made an interception. Grimm paced the Hokie pass rush with two sacks, but Rashad Carmichael, Chris Drager, Jason Worilds, and Mark Muncey each also recorded one sack a piece. This was the Hokies second straight game with six sacks. Game Balls: Ryan Williams: Williams broke the Virginia Tech and ACC freshman rushing record for a season with his 120-yard, four touchdown performance Saturday. Williams now has 1,355 rushing yards on the season with two games to go (UVA and a bowl game). Williams is 292-yards behind Virginia Tech’s school record of 1,647 yards, set by Kevin Jones. That is a tough number to get in two games, but Williams is a very special back. Cody Grimm: Grimm had a huge senior night, forcing three fumbles on N.C. State’s first four
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plays. Grimm was the team’s second leading tackler on the night, with eight tackles. He also had two tackles for losses and two sacks, a fumble recovered, and one quarterback hurry. He now leads the nation with seven fumbles forced on the season. Grimm has been an animal the past two seasons and will be sorely missed next year. Jarrett Boykin: Boykin had a career day catching 6 passes for 164-yards and a touchdown. Boykin is the first Hokie receiver to record over 700 receiving yards in a season since Ernest Wilford did it in 2003. Boykin, only a sophomore, is 17th on Virginia Tech’s all-time receiving list with 1,156 career receiving yards.
Virginia Preview November 27, 2009 Rivalry weekend could easily bring about Al Groh’s last game as Virginia’s head coach. Al Groh has been on the hot seat for a couple of season’s now and this year’s season opening loss to William & Mary didn’t help his cause any. After the Wahoos 0-3 start, Groh & Co. ripped off three consecutive wins beating North Carolina, Indiana, and Maryland. At that point, it looked like Virginia may be able to correct things and become bowl eligible. That same team that saw a little bit of hope around the middle of the season hasn’t won since October 17th. The Cavaliers enter this weekend’s match-up 3-8, but would no doubt like to take home the Commonwealth Cup for the first time in six seasons. Virginia hired a new offensive coordinator in the off-season with hopes of instilling an explosive spread offense. The results have been less than desirable and have all but sealed Al Groh’s fate. The Cavaliers enter the season finale ranked outside of the top 100 (out of 120 teams) in rushing offense, passing, offense, total offense, passing efficiency, sacks allowed, and scoring offense. Virginia has only scored more than 21 points twice this season. Their offensive upgrade has turned into a nightmare for everybody associated with the program. It may cost Groh his job, but in his defense it does usually take more than one year for an entirely new offense to become effective. Players need to learn the system and learn their roles, plus coaches need time to bring players into the program that fit into the scheme. UVA began the season playing musical quarterbacks with Jameel Sewell, Vic Hall, and Marc Verica all taking snaps. This team had no offensive identity and it has continued to plague them all season. Sewell has mostly locked up the quarterback job at this point, attempting 270 of the team’s 341 passes but the team is still struggling. Sewell is 10th in the ACC in total offense and 11th in the ACC in passing efficiency. He has very little support from a rushing attack which ranks 11th in the ACC and 112th in the NCAA with 92 yards per game. Running backs Mikell Simpson and Rashawn Jackson and quarterback Jameel Sewell have seen a bulk of the carries accounting for 77 percent of the carries and 87 percent of the yards. Simpson and Jackson are also 2nd and 3rd on the team in receptions. To date, the Hoos have thrown eight touchdowns and eight interceptions and accounted for 1,926-yards through the air. For comparison purposes, the yardage is almost identical to Tyrod Taylor this season (1,917). However, the big difference between the two passing attacks is that Tyrod has thrown 13 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Virginia Tech has been much more effective in limiting turnovers than UVA has this season. Virginia has eight receivers with at least 100 yards this season. Virginia Tech doesn’t spread the ball around quite as effectively, but with the emergence of Jarrett Boykin, they haven’t needed
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to. Boykin is now the first Hokie receiver with a 700-yard season since Ernest Wilford in 2003. Boykin has become a favorite target of Taylor and a huge big play threat. Boykin has size, good hands, speed, and he adjusts beautifully to passes that are a little off the mark. His size will create problems for either of Virginia’s talented cornerbacks: Ras-I Dowling and Chris Cook, both of whom have three interceptions this season. As mentioned, both of Virginia’s cornerbacks are very good. They pace a pass defense which is one far and away the bright spot of this Cavalier squad. UVA enters the game 4th in the conference in both pass defense and passing efficiency defense. Corner Chase Minnifield is another solid performer in the Wahoo secondary, recording 27 tackles and two interceptions this season. The secondary is tough, but they get little help in the form of a pass rush. These corners are good but sometimes they are forced to cover receivers for five or more seconds thanks to a pass rush which ranks eighth in the ACC in sacks. Virginia Impact Players: Nate Collins: Collins has been the defense’s best performer this season. Collins has amassed 70 tackles (3rd on the team), including team leading totals in tackles for losses (9.5) and sacks (5). Collins also has one interception and one fumble recovered. Jameel Sewell: Sewell has had a rocky season but will need a great performance if Virginia is going to win. This will be tough considering that Virginia Tech’s defense has allowed only 5.3 points per game in the past three contests. Sewell is averaging 172-yards passing per game this season with seven touchdowns, seven interceptions, and six rushing touchdowns. Prediction: The Hokie defense is about due for a shut out, and I would love for them to shut out Al Groh in his final game as a UVA coach. The Cavalier offense will struggle to produce any points and Ryan Williams should have no trouble finding room to run. VT: 31 UVA: 3
Random statistical notes November 29, 2009 Ryan Williams * Needs 110 yards to break the school’s single-season rushing record set by Kevin Jones in 2003. Williams has 1,538 yards. Jones set the mark with 1,647. * Set the ACC freshman touchdown record with his 20th score, passing NC State’s T.A. McLendon (18, 2002). * Tied the ACC single-season rushing touchdown record with 19. He is tied with Robert LaVette (GT, 2982) and Don McCauley (UNC, 1970). * His 1,538 rushing yards are the fourth-most in ACC single-season history. He needs 95 yards to move past LaMont Jordan (1632 yds., MD, 1999) and into third place. * His ninth 100-yard rushing game ties the school’s single-season mark (Kevin Jones, 2003). He is now tied with Branden Ore and Phil Rogers for the eighth most career 100-yard rushing games in school history. * He became the first Tech freshman to rush for 100 or more yards in four-straight games.
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* He is fifth in the country in rushing yards per game, third in total rushing yards and tied for third in rushing touchdowns. Tyrod Taylor * Moved to 22-5 as a starter, passing Michael Vick for victories by a starting quarterback under Frank Beamer. He is second in wins, only behind Bryan Randall’s 26.
Al Groh receives an unpleasant good-bye from VT November 29, 2009 The Hokies downed Virginia 42-13 in Al Groh’s final game. As all Hokies were, I was saddened to hear that Al Groh will no longer be calling the shots in Charlottesville. Thanks to him, the Hokies have won six straight match-ups and 10 of the last 11 against Virginia. To his and Virginia’s credit, they did show up ready to play this weekend. The game was close through three quarters with the Hokies holding a 21-13 lead at the start of the fourth. The fourth was a fun sight to watch from a VT point of view as the Cavaliers imploded and the Hokies stepped up their play. Virginia fans had to know it wasn’t their day with 10:21 left in the game as that is when Ryan Williams ripped off a 51-yard run. That was bad enough in itself for Cav fans, but to make matters worse, Vic Hall forced a fumble which Jarrett Boykin recovered in the end zone for a touchdown. This score made it 35-13 and put the game out of reach. The offensive production for both teams seemed dominated by just a few players. Ryan Williams and Danny Coale accounted for 66% of Virginia Tech’s offense and that number could’ve been higher had Williams not been pulled to give more reps to the back-ups midway through the fourth. Williams had a career day rushing 24 times for 183-yards and four touchdowns. Redshirt sophomore Danny Coale also had a career day catching six passes for 135-yards. Coale had little difficulty beating one of the ACC’s best cornerbacks in Ras-I Dowling. He made an impact early catching two passes for 77-yards on the opening drive, which Williams capped off with a 5-yard touchdown run. Coale made some great catches, but none better than his phenomenal 10-yard sideline grab on third and three. Tyrod Taylor was forced out of the pocket and threw a laser on the run, which Coale snagged on the sideline while falling out of bounds. This set up another Williams touchdown run to give the Hokies a 28-13 lead early in the fourth quarter. For Virginia, it was all Jameel Sewell. Sewell gave the Hokie defense fits early on rushing three times for 45-yards, including a 15-yard touchdown on the game’s opening drive. On UVA’s next drive, he carried the ball three times for 47-yards but this drive stalled and they were forced to kick a field goal. Sewell ended the day with 17 carries for 104-yards and one touchdown. He also completed 12 of 22 passes for 120-yards. Sewell’s 224 all purpose yards accounted for 76% of Virginia’s total offense. His rushing success was significantly limited following the initial two drives, and as a result, UVA had only 166 yards in the final three quarters (following 128-yards in the first). Minus a couple early breakdowns, the Hokies looked dominant for the third straight game. Since the UNC loss (four games ago), Virginia Tech has outscored their opponents by an average score of 33.75-8.75. The offense, especially the running game, is playing extremely well over the past four games. In each of the past four games, VT has rushed for at least 200-yards and averages 239 per game on the ground. Ryan Williams has rushed for at least 100-yards in every game during that span. The passing game has been almost equally influential over the same span, averaging almost 197-yards per game. Hokie fans are finally seeing the offensive production
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they had been hoping for over the past three or four years. It’s always great to win a rivalry game, but it’s even better to win one by 29 points. The Hokies seem to be playing their best football right now. There is an outside chance of a BCS at-large birth but the loss to UNC probably will cost Virginia Tech that opportunity; the Gator Bowl or Chick-fil-A Bowl seem the most likely destination for the Hokies this bowl season. Key Plays: Kam Chancellor recovered a dropped option pitch (Sewell pitched to RB Mikell Simpson) and returned it 15-yards to the UVA 10 with 6:22 left in the third quarter. This set up a Ryan Williams touchdown and gave the Hokies a 21-13 advantage. Danny Coale’s sideline catch. As mentioned early, Tyrod Taylor connected with Danny Coale for a key third and three conversion. This incredible grab gave the Hokies a first down and lead to Ryan Williams’s fourth rushing touchdown of the day. Jarrett Boykin’s fumble recovery in the endzone. With 10:21 left in the game, Ryan Williams ripped off a 51-yard run but fumbled the ball into the endzone. Jarrett Boykin alertly jumped on the fumble for a touchdown, putting a dagger in UVA’s chances to win by giving the Hokies a 35-13 lead. Game Balls: Ryan Williams: I won’t dwell on him since he’s already been talked about several times. 24 carries, 183-yards, four touchdowns. Danny Coale: Again, his numbers have been referenced. Six catches, 135-yards (career high). David Wilson: Wilson saw some time late in the game and impressed Hokie fans (and probably UVA fans). Wilson carried the ball five times for 54-yards and a touchdown including a big 25yard run.
ACC Season Award Winners December 1, 2009 C. J. Spiller, Clemson: ACC Offensive and Player of the Year Clemson’s C. J. Spiller etched his name in the Clemson, ACC and NCAA record books this fall as he became only the fifth player in NCAA FBS history to top 7,000 all-purpose yards for a career. Spiller led the Tigers to the Atlantic Division title and shattered the ACC single-season record for all-purpose yards with 2,207 yards while also setting an NCAA career mark for kickoff returns for touchdowns in a career with 7 and tying an NCAA record most combined returns for scores with 8. Earlier this year, he became the first player in Clemson history to run for, throw for and catch a TD pass in the same game. He currently ranks 2nd nationally in kickoff returns and 3rd nationally in all-purpose yards, while having scored 16 touchdowns. Derrick Morgan, Georgia Tech: ACC Defensive Player of the Year One of the most feared pass rushers in college game, Georgia Tech’s Derrick Morgan leads the ACC in quarterback sacks with 12.5 and is second in the conference in tackles for loss with 17. A junior defensive end from Coatesville, Pennsylvania, Morgan also ranks 6th nationally quarterback sacks and is 17th in the nation in tackles for loss. Despite facing double-team attention throughout most of the season, he still made 50 tackles including 35 solo hits, forced two fumbles and recovered two more. Made probably the key play in Tech’s season, with a
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crucial QB sack against Wake Forest which forced the game into overtime. Ryan Williams, Virginia Tech: ACC Rookie and Offensive Rookie of the Year In the 57-year history of ACC football, no freshman has ever led the Conference in rushing and scoring and this young first-year player from Manassas, Va., is currently doing both. This year Williams leads the ACC and shattered the Conference’s freshman rushing record by almost 300 yards, having rushed for 1,538 yards in 12 games. The yardage total is the 6th-best in ACC history and his 20 touchdowns—including 19 rushing—are the most ever by a freshman and are within one of the ACC record for a season. Chosen ACC Rookie of the Week seven times this year, the second-most in ACC history—Williams also topped the 100-yard mark in a game nine times. He currently ranks 5th nationally in rushing and 6th nationally in scoring. Luke Kuechly, Boston College: ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year The leading tackler in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Kuechly keyed a Boston College defense which finished 2nd in the ACC in rushing defense and 3rd in the conference in scoring defense as the Eagles won 8 games and became bowl eligible for the 11th straight year. Kuechly, who has 142 tackles this season, ranks 2nd nationally among all defenders in total tackles and 2nd in solo tackles. He also has made 12.5 tackles for loss, 1 interception and a 28-yard return for a touchdown and1 quarterback sack. In his last two ACC games he has totaled 35 tackles including a season-high 19 versus 25th-ranked North Carolina. Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech: ACC Coach of the Year Johnson, also the 2008 ACC Coach of the Year, becomes only the third coach in conference history to be named Coach of the Year in each of his first two seasons at his school. He led Georgia Tech to its first 10-win regular season since the Jackets captured the national championship in 1990. Johnson guided Tech to its first Coastal Division title since 2006, posting an eight-game winning streak, the school’s longest in 19 years. His Tech team, which has been ranked in the BCS Standings as high as 7th nationally, ranks 2nd nationally in rushing offense, 7th nationally in passing efficiency and 12th nationally in scoring offense, leading the ACC while averaging 35 points per game. Tech’s spread option offense also leads the nation in time of possession. Johnson’s two-year record of 19-6 is the 8th best in league history for a coach in his first two seasons. Riley Skinner, Wake Forest: ACC Jim Tatum Award Wake Forest senior quarterback Riley Skinner, who posted a 3.08 career GPA with a major in the Wake Forest business school, is the 2009 ACC Jim Tatum Award-winner. The Tatum Award is presented annually to the ACC’s top football senior student-athlete. Named to the Dean’s List four times at Wake, Skinner enjoyed his best season athletically in 2009, completing 66 percent of his passes for 3,160 yards and 26 touchdowns. He completed his four-year Deacon career as one of the most accurate passers in ACC history, missing by just a few hundredths of a point in setting a career completion percentage record. He completed almost 67 percent of his career passes and finished ranked 2nd on the ACC career list in pass completions, fourth in passing yardage with 9,762 yards and seventh in touchdown passes with 60. One of only three quarterbacks in ACC history who have thrown for over 2,000 yards in four consecutive seasons, he led Wake to a 31-18 overall record, an ACC Championship and three bowl game appearances. Skinner is the secondWake Forest player to be honored with the Tatum Award, but the first since 1992.
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Toney Baker, NC State: ACC Brian Piccolo Award NC State senior running back Toney Baker, who overcame a possible career-threatening knee injury which forced him to miss two straight years of competition, is the 2009 ACC Brian Piccolo Award winner. The Piccolo Award is presented annually in the memory of the late Brian Piccolo to the “most courageous” football player in the ACC. Baker suffered a severe injury in the opening game of the 2007 season which was though to be at the time, career ending. Surgeries in the fall of 2007 and in August of 2008, forced him to miss two complete football seasons in rehabilitating the knee. Demonstrating great determination, Baker came back this season, to lead NC State in rushing–he is currently ranked 6th in the ACC with 773 yards–and has scored nine touchdowns to rank 6th in the conference, while accumulating 1,128 combined yards this season—yards both rushing and receiving. Baker has also topped 2,000 rushing yards for his career. He is the third NC State student-athlete to be honored with the Piccolo Award, but the first since 1991. Rodney Hudson: ACC Jacobs Blocking Trophy Florida State junior guard Rodney Hudson, who has named to some kind of all-conference honor in each of his three seasons of college football, is the 2009 ACC Jacobs Blocking Trophy Award winner, which is presented annually to the ACC’s top blocker. Hudson, who was named to the All-ACC first team in 2008 and 2009, was also a second-team All-ACC selection as a freshman in 2007. The 6-2, 283-pound junior from Mobile, Ala., was the leader of an offensive line which paved the way fir Florida State to rank 13th nationally in pass offense, 24th nationally in scoring and 19th nationally in total offense. Twice named ACC Offensive lineman of the Week, Hudson did not allow a sack or quarterback pressure this season while grading out to 88 percent for the year, including a pair of 97 percent grades for individual performances against nationally-ranked Georgia Tech and Clemson.
All-ACC honors and a few notes about the season December 1, 2009 I’d like to congratulate the Hokies. This season won’t result in an ACC Championship like the team had intended, but the season was still a pretty good one. The UNC loss still stings but the other two losses were to very solid teams. This team has nine wins and will have a shot at a sixth straight 10-win season in their bowl (likely the Chick-fil-A Bowl v. Tennessee). While the record isn’t what Hokies had hoped for, there were some great things. The offense has performed much better than it had over the past three seasons. Virginia Tech’s offense is currently ranked 56th in the NCAA; the past three seasons had all fielded offenses ranked 99th or worse. Ryan Williams has turned into one of the nation’s best backs, leading a rushing offense that ranks 15th in the nation. Tyrod Taylor hasn’t thrown a ton this season, but he has been very effective, ranking 14th nationally in passing efficiency. The Hokies are averaging over 31 points per game this season, good for 27th in the nation. The defense struggled at times but really elevated their play over the past four games. In that span, the Hokies defense hasn’t allowed a single point in the second half. The Hokie defense will need a strong bowl performance to rank in the top 10 in total defense for the 6th straight season; they are currently 13th in total D. The scoring defense is slightly better, ranking 11th. Despite some injuries to the secondary this season, the Hokie pass defense is the 7th best nationally. The defense was inexperienced early but that seems to be less of a factor now and
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the entire defense is playing faster. Now to honor individual achievements: Congratulations to Ryan Williams. Williams won both the ACC Offensive and ACC overall Rookie of the Year awards. Williams absolutely deserved these honors as he holds the ACC rushing yards and touchdown records and is only 110-yards from the single season school rushing record. Congrats to Cody Grimm. As many people know, he came to Virginia Tech as a walk-on and eventually earned a scholarship. His hard work and nose for the ball have made him a Hokie fan favorite. Grimm leads the nation in fumbles forced. The Hokies will miss him next season. ALL-ACC First Teamers RB Ryan Williams LB Cody Grimm K Matt Waldron P Brent Bowden ALL-ACC Second Teamers TE Greg Boone OT Ed Wang OG Sergio Render DE Jason Worilds FS Kam Chancellor Congrats to the guys who made first or second team all-conference. Also, I want to say that it is too bad for Rashad Carmichael that he didn’t make it. He deserved to be at least second team all-conference but was snubbed.
Five reasons to watch the ACC Championship Game December 4, 2009 C.J. Spiller v. Derrick Morgan: Both players were named players of the year in the ACC, Spiller on offense and Morgan on defense. Spiller edged out Morgan to win the overall ACC Player of the Year. Spiller is fourth in the nation in all-purpose running and leads the nation in return touchdowns. Morgan has been a nightmare for opposing offensive lines and is ranked 6th nationally in sacks and 17th in tackles for a loss. You can count on these two meeting several times throughout the game. The first meeting was exciting and fun to watch. The two teams met in Atlanta in the second week of the season and played a great game. Georgia Tech jumped all over Clemson early and built a commanding 24-0 lead in the first 20 minutes. Then things imploded for the Yellow Jackets as Clemson put up 27 unanswered to take a 27-24 lead with 11:53 to go. Georgia Tech answered with two field goals, including the game winner with 57 seconds left to win 30-27. There were five touchdowns of 34 or more yards. All-ACC Players: Georgia Tech has six first team All-ACC selections (five on offense) while Clemson had three. Georgia Tech safety Morgan Burnett made the second team, while Clemson had five second team selections. Spiller made first team all-ACC specialist and second team
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running back so I’m only going to count him once. This means there will be a total of 14 all-ACC players on the field Saturday night in Tampa (seven for each team). The ACC’s leading rushing attack vs. the conference’s 4th best rush defense: Georgia Tech enters the game ranked first in the ACC and second nationally with 305 rushing yards per game. Clemson is allowing 135 yards per game on the ground. Clemson will have to limit Nesbitt, Allen, and Dwyer if they want to win this game; these three players combined for 284-yards rushing in the regular season meeting between these two teams. Special teams: Few plays in football are as exciting as a big kickoff or punt return and both teams are very good in this respect. Clemson enters the game first in the ACC in kick return average and second in punt return average while Georgia Tech is third in punt returns and fourth in kick returns. Goergia Tech’s Jerrard Tarrant has two punt returns for touchdowns this season (including one against Clemson); C.J. Spiller of Clemson has one punt return for a touchdown and four kickoff returns for touchdowns. If either of these players get room to run, it should be exciting to watch. Turn in to ESPN at 8pm for a great game!
Quotes from Tyrod and Grimm about the Chick-Fil-A Bowl December 8, 2009 QB Tyrod Taylor Is it good that you have been on a roll going into the bowl game? “The last couple games we put up a lot of numbers on the offense. We just have to keep continuing to get better in practice heading into the bowl game.” Does heading back to Atlanta bother you, with you all being 0-2 there this year? “This is just another game that we get to play on our schedule. I am looking forward to going in there and turning it around from the first [two] times we went to Atlanta.” Do you think this is a good example to showcase the ACC? “This is a very good example to showcase our talent, and show what the ACC has talent-wise. In the ACC, we know we have a lot of talent and we are just looking to go out there and prove it.” Does this game get that much more hyped with how energized both fan bases are? “I didn’t know this was going to be as big as it was when it comes to the fans. I’m looking forward to this challenge. I know a couple guys on their team, and it is going to be a great game.” Two teams are very hot going into this game, how great of a game is this going to be? “It’s going to be a great game. I’m looking forward to it because they have a lot of talent out there, and it is all going to come down to who wants it more at the end of the day.” How does it feel to quarterback a team that has had this many 10-win seasons? “It feels great. It is a confidence booster, and it helps the recruitment with guys coming in next year to a team that [may have] won two bowl games, and is always in a bowl game. That means a lot for the program.” Have you looked at your records this season? “No I haven’t. I’ll probably sit down and think about that after the season is over. Right now I am
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just worried about getting to this bowl game, staying healthy, getting bigger, faster and stronger going to the bowl game.” How do you feel now that the regular season is behind you, and you had such a good year? “I don’t think the season is over. I am just still trying to continue to be the best quarterback I can be going into this game. They have a very talented defense, and I think I can go out there and try to showcase my talents against their defense.” How much does a win in this bowl game propel you next season? “I think [it would] be big for the confidence of the team. To go out there with 10 wins and finish on a strong note heading into spring ball with everyone on the same page. Just getting pretty much the same team we had last year, it gives everybody a lot of confidence.” LB Cody Grimm The fan bases have wanted this match-up for a long time. Can you talk about that? “You always hear the rumors about us and Tennessee playing, all the hype that would be around it if that game were to ever actually happen. Now we actually get a chance to play them. Just being around Blacksburg for five years now and meeting people from Southwest Virginia, you are either a Tennessee fan or a Tech fan. We are excited for an opportunity to play them, and we just have to go play our heart out.” What is the importance of going out on a good note? “It is exciting to play a good team, and there will be a bunch of fans there. This is going to be a big game for us. Some bowl games are bigger than others, but as for getting to 10 wins, that will give us momentum heading into next year. It will kind of sum up our season if we can get a win, we can come out and finish with 10 wins against and finish as a top-10 team. Does both teams hot streaks factor into this game? “It definitely factors in a little bit, but bowl games are different. You have that break in between that is a month long where you are not playing football and practicing every day. What we need to do is just come back and try to pick up where we left off, and try to do everything as quickly as we possibly can.” How do you feel about playing in Atlanta? “Being to Atlanta three times, you think you would get sick of it, but it is a great place. We went to a bowl game there four years, and the Georgia Dome is a fun place as well. When you go during the season, you don’t really get to experience it, all you really see is the hotel and the stadium. So it’s not like going to Atlanta and getting sick of it, it is kind of going on a little vacation.”
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