Frank Beamer on Mike LB: "Lydon he's the guy that's gonna come in there and do well"

Virginia Tech announced on Monday that starting mike linebacker Andrew Motuapuaka could miss up to 4 weeks with a sprained MCL suffered in the Hokies' 42-3 win over Furman. Frank Beamer was a guest on Tech Talk Live Monday night and discussed how Tech will move forward at mike.

"(Motuapuaka) he's definitely out (against Purdue), and going to be out for a while," Beamer said. "That's a hard loss too. It's at a position we don't have a lot of experience at, but (Carson) Lydon he's the guy that's gonna come in there and do well. He's a smart guy, and he'll get a lot of reps this week in practice. He'll do the best he can, and he's got skill and he's got smarts. I think that'll be good."

If you're interested in the full audio, it was provided to TKP by the IMG VT Sports Network.

Tech previously planned to redshirt Lydon this season, but it's apparent Beamer Co. has reversed course and the true freshman will have an opportunity to earn his way on the field ahead of schedule. Lydon enrolled early and practiced as Tech's No. 2 mike linebacker in the spring. This is a snippet of what French wrote about Lydon when he watched his high school film.

Foster's mike linebackers must fit interior gaps and find the football. Often, that requires the mike to identify a bubble in the defensive line (most often a cutback lane), fill the bubble, and find the football. So often, Hokie fans saw Jack Tyler or Chase Williams tackling a running back just behind where the center lined up. It wasn't because they were blitzing. Tyler and Williams were in that position because they read the play, and with their defensive line tying up blocks the bubble was unblocked. The mike has to read the play properly and get into that hole. If he can, he will put up big numbers.

After the initial gap fit, the mike has to pursue to the football, but only after the gap is secured. This nuance is a huge reason why linebackers who played downhill/north-south like Vince Hall and Jack Tyler were so effective in college, but received little NFL attention where inside linebackers play more of an east-west pursuit style.

Lydon fits that model. He has a knack for timing where to step into that interior hole without getting blocked

Walk-on Sean Huelskamp replaced Motuapuaka in the third quarter against Furman and tallied 2 tackles. The 6-1, 207 pound redshirt sophomore Chantilly product was listed as the No. 2 mike behind Motuapuaka on Tech's latest depth chart prior to the announcement of Motuapuaka's injury. Redshirt junior Dahman McKinnon is the No. 2 backer, but has experience at mike.

Defensive coordinator Bud Foster is set to meet with Tech's media this evening, and will hopefully be able to provide some additional clarity.