Virginia Tech Fall Camp Primer

After a disastrous 2012 campaign, the Hokies began the 2013 season by riding an experienced defense to a 6-1 start. Tech delivered a standout defensive performance in a loss to perennial national title contender Alabama, and then won a series of close games. However, key injuries in the secondary, poor special teams, an offense that lacked a big play threat, and a consistent running game derailed a run at the ACC Coastal Division title, as the Hokies lost four of their last six games.

This season Virginia Tech finds itself facing the loss of their best players on offense (Logan Thomas) and on defense (Kyle Fuller). There's a primetime road matchup against perennial power Ohio State looming on the schedule. Almost nobody gives the Hokies a chance against Heisman candidate Braxton Miller and the elite Buckeye defensive line. Beyond the showdown in Columbus, the Hokies face ACC opponents that now have had a season to review Coach Loeffler's tendencies, as well as game plan and adjust to an offense that seemed to change identity week in and week out last season as matchups dictated.

Handicapping the Quarterback Battle

Most of Hokie Nation will be focused squarely on the quarterback battle in Blacksburg. Many members of the media and most fans assume that Michael Brewer is the favorite for the job, even though he did not have the opportunity to scrimmage with the rest of the team in the spring. Coach Beamer indicated that he quickly wants to establish a two player rotation and get those players as many repetitions as possible before the William & Mary game. Brenden Motley, Mark Leal, and Andrew Ford received their audition this spring. With Brewer's experience, Chris Durkin, and Travon McMillian will have to impress the offensive staff quickly in order to stay in the competition (although I would not be shocked to see Durkin in the Brandon Connette, Duke role as a short yardage quarterback).

When I look at the battle, I don't try to gravitate to the skills of the individual player, but more to the needs of the offensive system. Logan Thomas's biggest weakness as a quarterback was accuracy in the short passing game, and that weakness was exasperated as Coach Loeffler utilized a wide variety of pick action and counter-action oriented routes to get his inexperienced receivers open. Poor throws, especially when receivers were wide-open, derailed opportunities to extend drives. Without a big play threat, the Hokie offense only had success when they sustained long drives. Until a deep threat emerges, accuracy on those short routes is critical to success. Motley, who has a big arm like Logan Thomas but struggled with accuracy at times in the spring, may not be consistent enough on those short routes in order to be the starter while the offense develops a solid running game and deep passing threat.

Also, Coach Loeffler needs his quarterback to identify good matchups quickly. The offense will have difficulty overcoming situations where Loeffler gets one of his quick receivers matched up on a linebacker, but the quarterback fails to recognize it. Leal's performance in the Sun Bowl, where he repeatedly missed opportunities to identify major matchup advantages, coupled with a spring where he did not separate himself from Motley, may have eliminated him from the competition early. Ford, Durkin, and McMillian all lack experience making those reads at a Division I level and will need to really dominate early practices to get an opportunity to gain Loeffler's trust in the rotation.

Finally, Loeffler's offensive system requires the quarterback to have slick ball-handling and running ability to make read option plays effective. Brewer, as I noted when reviewing his film, has a really strong arm and is a better than advertised runner. In high school, Brewer was tremendous on read option plays, but Kliff Kingsbury's Air Raid didn't emphasize that skill set. Brewer also suffered a back injury which kept him from competing in the Red Raider quarterback competition in camp last season. If Loeffler does plan on giving his quarterbacks anywhere from five to ten designed carries a game, durability becomes a question mark. Leal and Ford are not threats in the option game. McMillian is a good runner who is outstanding with his mesh development in the option, as is Motley. I have noted before that Chris Durkin could be a game changer with his combination of power and elusiveness, but much like Logan, there is little mystery of who is carrying the ball when he runs an inverted veer.

The "New" Running Game

Spring practice and numerous comments by different members of the Hokie coaching staff indicated that Frank Beamer wants the Hokies to have a more power-oriented running game in 2014. Their recruiting approach targeted big running backs Shai McKenzie, DJ Reid, and spring practice breakout performer Marshawn Williams. The spring game featured the starting offensive line group run the power play almost exclusively. At the same time, I can't imagine that Loeffler will abandon the inside zone read and the zone read-jet sweep series that we saw against UCLA and in the spring. It is difficult to fairly judge the competition. I think Edmunds is clearly the workhorse tailback if healthy, and he may be better suited for a rule-blocking system than a zone blocking system. He is also a weapon in the passing game. Shane Beamer continues to rave about J.C. Coleman, but I still have doubts that Coleman can be a viable every down back. Shai McKenzie looked special on high school film, but is coming off injury. Marshawn Williams gives the Hokies a powerful running option inside, but his production slowed towards the end of spring practice. Joel Caleb had the best spring game, but seems to be lost in the shuffle. Chris Mangus, who played well in limited duty early last season, gives the Hokies a good receiving back who may be better suited to a zone-blocking offense. One thing is certain; six running backs can't split carries and develop a cohesive running game. There are going to be experienced and talented players who won't get many touches for the Hokies at running back this season barring injuries. Balancing team need with individual ego will be a tough challenge for Coach Shane Beamer.

We do know that the offensive line will be bigger, stronger, and less experienced. Augie Conte stepped forward to seemingly win a spot at right guard in the spring, while Wyatt Teller received a bulk of the snaps at left guard. Teller showed tremendous quickness and power as a pulling guard, but the game still needs to slow down a little for him. Once he gets comfortable enough to play aggressively and he learns to quickly get his hands on defensive tackles without using an elongated wind up, he will make many defender's lives miserable. Until that happens, new offensive line coach Stacy Searels has a tough decision to go with Teller while letting David Wang and Caleb Farris battle for the center position, or chose to go with a more experienced lineup by moving Farris back to his left guard position with Wang at center. Farris was terrific early last season at guard, but both he and Wang struggled to create inside movement as the offense started to use less and less inverted veer as the season moved along.

Establishing a Vertical Threat

The tight ends and receivers return an experienced group. Bucky Hodges, along with a talented group of arriving freshmen, look to give the Hokies a deep threat that they lacked last season. I know the specter of the three tight-end set is something that Mason discussed, but I don't think that the return of Ryan Malleck and the potential of Bucky Hodges will make the most impact in the running game. Malleck can play in almost any role, be it H-Back or as a true tight end. Darius Redman gives the Hokies a solid blocker in short yardage and a dependable target on bootlegs. But, Michael Brewer's best success at Texas Tech came working vertical routes in the slot to Jace Amaro, and I envision Malleck, Hodges and Kalvin Cline utilized in a similar fashion. Both are quick enough to get behind linebacker coverage and are big enough to win one-on-one battles with safeties on deeper throws. If the Hokies don't develop a deep threat on the outside, I expect Hodges and Cline to be deep threats up the seams while the receiving group continues to exploit zone coverages with underneath routes and screens.

Linebackers and Defensive End

On defense, Bud Foster is looking to replace five of his six starters on defensive line and inside linebacker. The defensive tackle position appears to be in good hands with Luther Maddy poised for an All-ACC season and Corey Marshall coming off a terrific spring. Backups Nigel Williams and Woody Baron are experienced and productive. Vince Mihota could be a special talent and could swing out to end, while Wade Hansen had a solid spring. Ricky Walker and Steve Sobczak are talented freshmen who will make an impact in Blacksburg even if they are redshirted this season.

Defensive end and inside linebacker are more worrisome. Dadi Nicolas is a dynamic threat, but he has never been an every down player. Ken Ekanem had a strong spring and was highly recruited, but is inexperienced and has had trouble with the injury bug. Seth Dooley and Dwayne Alford were largely ineffective in scrimmages that I attended and during the spring game. Additionally, there is not any help coming from the incoming freshman group. Dadi and Ekanem will have to prove that they can stand up for four quarters against good running games, and unless Dooley and Alford improve significantly the starters won't get much rest. Despite Charley Wiles comments in the spring, I wouldn't be shocked to see Mihota swing out to end. Forget about Marshall; he is too productive at tackle to move back outside.

Inside linebacker is the position that worries me the most, especially given how critical the mike and backer will be to shutting down the inside zone read offensive series that is a staple of the Ohio State, Duke, and North Carolina offenses. Despite praise from Coach Foster, the film I have reviewed of Chase Williams makes me worry about his ability to hold his gap fit and tackle in space. Andrew Motuapuaka looked strong against the run in spring scrimmages but broke his scapula before the spring game. Still, I loved Motuapuaka's high school film and his power and ferocity filling those inside gaps. If he can prove to be dependable defending the pass, I could see him winning the job from Williams, if not in fall camp, perhaps as the season progresses. Also, while some of Bud Foster's comments created speculation that Ronny Vandyke could move inside to backer, I expect that he could be moved into the mike position against spread teams. His experience, coverage ability, and quickness could definitely be assets against teams with elite speed like Ohio State. Meanwhile, expect Melvin Keihn to start out at the mike position unless his pass rushing ability is needed at defensive end.

While I worry about the mike linebacker, Deon Clarke could be a star in the making at backer. He has tremendous speed and reach, and a heavy shoulder taking on blocks on the edge. Again, experience is a concern, but he looked very comfortable and played fast during the spring. Dahman McKinnon has elite speed, but wasn't as productive in the spring as Clarke. Raymon Minor is a talented freshman who could push both guys if they falter, and Williams does have experience at the backer position.

The Impact of Talented Underclassmen on Special Teams

Last season Virginia Tech ceded 3 returns for touchdowns (2 punts, 1 kick) and missed 11 field goals. I know next to nothing about the art of kicking field goals so I will leave handicapping that battle to Coach Beamer. As for kick and punt coverage, the Hokies were plagued by a lack of depth created by numerous promising depth players leaving the program. The core of good kick coverage teams is the availability of big, fast, athletic players that can tackle in space. Last season many of those players either didn't perform as expected, left the team, or suffered injuries. The influx of big, fast, strong tackling players like Dooley, Minor, Keihn, Motuapuaka, Holland Fisher, and C.J. Reavis should significantly improve coverage. For those players who may not win starting positions, there are countless opportunities available for playing time on special teams.

Summing It Up: Get Back to Virginia Tech Football

I am sure some of you have noticed that I have written very little about my expectations for this football team in 2014. I think that the offensive talent is significantly better, but there is still inexperience in many critical spots. I still don't have a good feel for what a "Scot Loeffler offense" really is, and as result it is hard for me to decide if the players that are joining the roster will make the Hokie offense better. And, for the Hokies to improve on last season's 8 win total, the offense has to be more effective. I wouldn't be shocked to see any of four different quarterbacks, five different tailbacks, and any number of offensive line combinations depending on how Loeffler puts the offense together. Defensively, Bud Foster has a secondary that could be elite, but can it make up for an inexperienced and undersized front seven?

I can't make a prediction on record. Looking at the schedule, the Hokies can win every game on the schedule if the offense improves and the defense maintains last season's performance level. That doesn't mean much, as the Hokies lost to teams that were not as talented against Boston College, Duke, and Maryland. The margin of error for wins and losses is tiny, as last season proved.

One thing is certain, with so many unknowns and a marquee matchup with the Buckeyes in week 2, it will certainly fun to find out if this team is on the right path. With such a young team, the most important part of this season is to establish a clear identity, re-establish the Hokies as the most physical team in the ACC, and create the perception as the team on the rise. With so many potential stars in this freshman and sophomore class like Fuller, Facyson, Edmunds, Hodges, Stanford, McLaughlin, Teller, both Fords, Williams, Durkin, Fisher, and Reavis, the Hokies have a foundation for a dominant ACC team in the near future, and creating that perception as a physical team on the rise will be critical to winning over elite recruits like Josh Sweat. I want to see the Hokies return to being the bully of the ACC, both on offense and defense. Do that, and the winning will take care of itself.