Last year, the Hokies set a record under Frank Beamer by playing 11 true freshmen for the season, and the inexperience showed in an uneven year.
Now, it just might be a promising sign of things to come.
The Hokies played nine true freshmen in their season opener, and they werent shy about making use of them early and often.
"I told you guys, I feel really good about where this thing is going," said head coach Frank Beamer after the game. "It's only one ball game, but generally speaking, (it's) a lot of young people contributing."
Whether it was new starting receiver Isaiah Ford, tight end Bucky Hodges, running backs Shai McKenzie and Marshawn Williams, or even newly anointed starting kicker Joey Slye, the young guns helped carry the Hokies to an easy 34-9 win over William and Mary.
McKenzie and Williams looked particularly impressive once the coaching staff started to lean on them in the third quarter. They ran for 106 and 41 yards respectively on the day, with McKenzie picking up a 39-yard score.
"They're really good backs and they're very straight ahead," Beamer said. "You get tired of tackling those guys all day long."
J.C. Coleman got the start in Trey Edmunds absence, and did little with the opportunity. He looked timid on his 10 carries, finishing with 20 yards and a fumble, but also the teams lone short-yardage rushing touchdown of the day.
Yet, as it became clear that the junior wasnt getting anywhere, the staff gradually leaned more and more on the freshmen, and it paid off.
On one fourth quarter drive alone, McKenzie ran for 11 yards, 14 yards and six yards on consecutive plays, showing a fluidity and vision not exhibited by any other Hokies back on the day. Thats made all the more remarkable by the fact that McKenzie is still rehabbing from a torn ACL he suffered in high school.
"I'm feeling a lot better. When I'm out there playing I dont feel it," McKenzie said. "I'm still rehabbing, but when I'm out there playing, I'm in the zone."
By contrast, Williams lived up to his reputation as a bruising, energetic catalyst for the offense. He bullied Tribe defenders all day, particularly on the teams opening drive after halftime.
Williams ran over several members of the William and Mary defense to convert a second down and one, then ran for 14 yards on the next two carries to set up Tech in the red zone. The drive stalled on the 10-yard line, leading to a field goal from Slye, but Williams impact on the offense was clear.
He got a chance to show his abilities as a goal line back in the second quarter, but he came up a little short, yet he seems confident that will come with time.
"It was just execution problems, and it was my first time on the goal line, so things were moving way faster in the game, so after that first one, it won't happen any more," Williams said.
The player that was able to bail the offense out on that frustrating Hokies drive that started on the two-yard line after a forced fumble shouldn't come as a surprise. Freshman tight end Bucky Hodges battled his way over a comically smaller Tribe defender for his first score.
"I don't know what the defense can do," Hodges said. "I don't say that to brag, but I definitely create a lot of mismatches, and that helps our offense."
Hodges led the team in receiving with six catches for a total of 38 yards. Ryan Malleck chipped in with three catches and 40 yards of his own, making it perfectly clear that this is what offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler has been dreaming about this offseason from his tight ends.
"It's everything I've ever wanted," Loeffler said.
Michael Brewer may not be a freshman, but considering his lack of experience at Texas Tech, this game felt like a career debut for him as well. The good news for the Hokies is that he looked as poised as a seasoned veteran despite getting meaningful action for the first time since 2012.
"I was impressed with Michael Brewer. He was making good decisions, and you talk about the stage not being too big, I thought he was very much in control and handled himself great," Beamer said. "He picked up some valuable yards when things broke down, never panicked. We took a big step there."
He led an impressive, 14 play, 84-yard drive in his first time under center for Tech. Not one of his throws was longer than 10 yards on the sequence, but his decisiveness stood out the field, as did his quick feet on a 16-yard scramble on for a key third down conversion.
"We were able to put some things together on that first drive and all it took was a couple plays and I felt like my old self," Brewer said. "I felt like we had some rhythm and were able to move the football."
Tech's offense is still plodding by the Red Raiders old standards, but Brewer ensured that the offense had a quick pace with a barrage of screens and quick throws.
"(The Tribe) had a good game plan, made us throw a lot of underneath stuff, and its a credit to our receivers that they got in there and made plays," Brewer said.
The only area that looked concerning for Brewer are the problems that could arise with his height while trying to get balls over the defensive line. His lone interception only happened because a lineman tipped the ball, and he had several other low-flying passes that came close to getting hands on them.
"You just have to do that Drew Brees deal, finding the passing lanes because it is a fact that him and Drew are about the same height," Beamer said. "You've just got to find those lanes."
Luckily for Brewer and his small frame, the offense never had much pressure on it because of the defense's dominance. The Tribe did better than expected on the ground, with 125 yards before sacks were subtracted, but the Hokies put relentless pressure on quarterback Steve Cluley.
Tech totaled four sacks on the day, and Chase Williams, Dadi Nicolas and Corey Marshall put several big hits on Cluley on a variety of other plays.
"We had it in the game plan all week to get to the quarterback," Williams said.
And that certainly came to fruition. The biggest play came when Williams got a clean shot on Cluley, forcing a fumble that whip linebacker Derek DiNardo was able to take down to the two-yard line that set up Hodges' score.
"It was bittersweet," DiNardo said. "It was nice to get a big play like that, but it would've been nice not to get the offense back out there too."
DiNardo's no stranger to the end zone despite spending most of his time on special teams, last scoring on a blocked punt against Marshall last year, but it was still a surprise for some to even see him out with the starting defense.
But Ronny Vandyke doesn't seem to be all the way recovered from the injury that kept him out of the teams last scrimmage, and when Josh Trimble suffered a last minute injury, that sealed DiNardo's spot.
"I've been getting reps with the first team for most of camp, so with Ronny hurt and Josh tweaked his hamstring late, so I kind of had the feeling I'd start a while back," DiNardo said.
The defense certainly looked like it did in 2013 at times on the day, allowing just nine completions, but the unit still gave up a few long runs. It can't afford that kind of sloppiness against the Hokies next opponent.
"Ohio State is an extremely talented football team. We've been doing this in the winning business for about 20 years but they've been doing it for about a hundred years," said defensive coordinator Bud Foster. "We're going to have to go up there and play really well."
With the Buckeyes pulling off a 34-17 win over Navy in their first game of the year, it's clear that Foster's group will have their work cut out for them, no matter how impressive they looked this week.
Comments
No doubt about it, we have an offense that can keep us in games this year. It is nice to know what that feels like. Even after factoring in the opponent, it is obvious that McKenzie, Ford, and Hodges are the real deal. Phillips and Williams looked sharp too.
The defense started out slow and the lack of size among the front 7 worries me against certain opponents. They applied more pressure in the 2nd half and it worked. Fuller's smack-down on the potential TD was the play of the day for me.
I hear an eerie silence this morning, and it is among those who doubted Loeffler. I feel an optimism that comes from knowing that we can explode on either side of the ball.
Next stop, Columbus. All aboard.
I got a really good feeling yesterday during the W&M game. It has been such a long long time since we have seen a quarterback who could deliver passes with that kind of touch. I know thw opponent was only W&M, but in the past I've seen our QB's missed receivers that were wide open. He made about 5 or 6 plays that me and buddy turned around and said, "Haven't seen a throw like that in awhile"
I love the hurry up offesive. Obviousy, Brewer has experience at that, but it was so smooth. All in all, I thought the freshmen played very well and the upside is the sky. I think OC Scot did a great job of not showing too much and still get the job.
Today we head out to the OSU to get ready for next weekend, I can't wait because the fture's so bright, I might have to wear shades.
Let's go HOKIES!!
Yes, awesomely smooth. You know, besides the internet, before yesterday and after yesterday no one is talking about us. AT ALL. If the offense can finally compliment the defense, all the commentators will be sorry they slet on us.
You know I kinda thought the same. It seems like none of the commentators were giving us any credibility at all, or any chance at all!!!! It seems now, that what little love we got from the talking heads came out of nowhere, and all came after Braxton went down. I was somewhat happy that OSU came back and won over Navy. I want us to go up there and shock the world. All the commentators have been talking a lot about OSU and how we don't belong in the same stadium with them.
I just hope that we can put together a good gameplan nxt wknd, play smart when we have the ball, control the clock, run like we mean it, and for love of God, let Foster's D wreak havoc on the quarterback......like they did yesterday.
Heck yea, that would definitely put us back on the map. Even keeping the game close or making OSU look sloppy would help.
Great write up Alex, Im very confident after what I saw from Brewer and the Freshman on offense yesterday and I am just anxious to see how they grow and progress through the season. To me our D looked as fast as advertised especially on the line. I believe I speak for a lot of us when I say this is gonna be a long week and wait for the big game Saturday.
When DiNardo didn't get in on the fumble pick up I was glad. I wanted to see if we could punch it in on the ground. Those plays down on the goal line revealed a weakness - I don't know enough to know if it was an "execution" issue or our O-Line was just not good enough to dominate the Tribe down there. But the data from the goal line series was important. Hopefully we can improve in the weeks ahead.
I think I remember French or someone pointing out the DL for W&M as maybe the best in CAA (or was it I-AA)? Or maybe it was biggest. Also, I was concerned with some of the early punt/kick return yards they were getting, then the announcers pointed out that McBride was CAA special teams POY.
I was pretty happy to see what I saw yesterday. I've been sprinkling comments about throughout the threads, but I liked:
Shai and Marshawn, our #1 and #2 running backs
Ford and Hodges, both skinnier than I imagined them. Where's Gentry? Get him over here.
DiNardo and Williams had their name called a few times. Wish DiNardo hadn't fallen all over himself at the goal line.
Corey Marshall is back, baby!
Brewer makes me nervous still. I saw all the throws, all the completions, the deflected balls, I see the stats, I just don't know yet. anOSU is going to be a big challenge.
I was incredibly disappointed in the fact that it took us, what, SIX downs to score? Starting at the 2 yard line? I'm gonna go ahead and shelve that whole, "It would be nice to be able to Stanford," thing. We apparently can't do that. To William and Mary
All things considered, great performances & improvements duly noted: I'm glad we got a game under our belts before the big one this time around. We still clearly needed it.
When you're as tall as Bucky, you will look like you're skinny. He has some mass to him. Still, it's possible to add another 20-25 lbs to that frame and hopefully keep his burst.
I loved the fight he showed to pull down that TD. I also love the fact that he can catch the ball in the flat, take a step or two and fall forward for a 6-7 yard pick-up.
Put Marcus Davis in that same situation and that's an interception errrry time.
Now now. Davis took plays off, but if there was a chance the ball was coming to him, he generally made a great attempt at it. He made some great contested grabs in his career.
He could make the circus catches, it was the ones that hit him in the numbers he dropped. But that is in the past, no ssince on dwelling.
I'd say he looks pretty big.
Well, yeah, when he's lined up next to Ol' Stiney. I remember seeing him in a shot yesterday and getting the impression that he wasn't as big as the legend foretold. But he was also standing next to a bunch of offensive linemen, so it confused me a little. On the field, I thought he looked like he's built more like a wide receiver than a tight end.
It seemed a little more clear when you saw the team headed back to the sideline. There was one hat that was just way above all the other ones.
And then, standing just behind Parker Osterloh, was Bucky Hodges.
Not many WR that are 6'6" and 245 lbs. He's the perfect size for a tight end, if he puts on too much more weight he'll lose his speed and his vertical. He's the perfect prototypical Tight end.
Ford's only been there since late July, plus he's still a kid. Hodges looked pretty yoked to me.
Bucky is A Big Dude. Not quite Logan Thomas big, but big.
Nice pic! Is this a linebacker covering Bucky? Also for me it's notable to see the William & Mary staff member in the background doing a chorus-line kick.
Yes, that's LB Airek Green.
Or is it another attempted trip?!:
This is Joe Gieck: Is there a similarity?
)
You be the judge......
I'll bet those Zima women up there in C-ville really dig that jacket and tie combo. He's a real hipster.
'That ostrich-hide will get after ya!'
Haha...I saw that, too.
Then, as a concerned citizen, I had to inform PETA.
This was just one game but in this game Brewer was the truth , and I only expect him to get better. To hate on him now is beyond premature.
Yep, but with that size...hopefully he's durable. Hopefully the O-line can help some with that.
Were there any plays that Brewer took the ball under center? It's nice that Leoffler could modify his offense into primarily shotgun for Brewer's skills.
Yeah, the one play near the goal line at the south endzone. I think it was a busted play due to a bad center-qb exchange....
We ran the ball several times from under center and looked pretty darn good doing it. I would imagine we'll run some play action out of it next week. Agreed though, definitely did a good job of getting Brewer comfortable.
Brewer's pocket presence was nice to see, he seemed to have a good sense of blindside pressure and not to hold onto the ball to long. The touch on his throws and field vision quickly alleviated my typical nervousness I have when VT is on offense.
All the false starts by the O-line (at home) is a bit concerning, especially playing at night in the shoe next week.
Yeah I agree with all the stupid false starts. It seems as if we have always had a history of doing that at the most inopportune times. Last year it definitely stalled a bunch of drives for us. Hopefully they can clean that up before we get to the "shoe". Theres no excuse for that....especially at home, especially by the veterans.
5 trips to the red zone. 5 scores, 3 of which were touchdowns. I LIKE!
Yep!!! Its been a long time since we've had that kind of RZ efficiency.
I was absolutely thrilled with what I saw yesterday. It is easy to agree with Beamer when he claims that something special is in the making, these freshman tailbacks are going to be making defenses hate playing the Hokies for the next three years (at least).
So, I think we can all agree that Hokies Lacrosse player is quite the recruiter, and she needs to get her teammates to do the same!
I'm sorry, you'll have to refresh my memory.
I believe they came from the same part of PA
http://www.thekeyplay.com/content/2013/july/23/shai-mckenzie
Ahh yeah, thanks.
Not looking good for us…
…oh, sorry, forgot to refresh.
Yeah...some of those comments on that thread. Smh
Did anyone see the picture on Twitter of that same girl with 2015 commits Trevon Hill and Damien Dozier at the game Saturday?
My first chance to hop on TKP since getting from the game last night. I was impressed with Brewer, dude looked in total command of the offense. Yes, the batted balls were worrisome but it seems like they were cleaned up by later in the game. Defense was their usual solid selves (how about that TD saving play by Kendall in the SEZ?) even though W&M surprised them a time or two. If you wanna win put Shai in!
Oh and even though that's the most empty seats I've seen in a game I attended, I thought the crowd was great. Especially the students, and in spite of the heat. Sitting in the East Stands facing the sun we were sure to reapply sunscreen every quarter or so. What I forgot though was that I was wearing my T-Mobile jersey and with the way the collar comes down I now have a bright red triangle on my lower neck.
Its official Im very confident in loeffler and the freshman lived up to the hype, I'm a little concerned about our run defense next week though...its OK though because we can score points
On another note brewer looked pretty shaep
I was thoroughly impressed with most of what I saw yesterday. I kind of came into the game tho expecting to see a very "vanilla" (no pun intended) gameplan, as not to give OSU much tape on us. I was cerntainly surprised though with all the various formations......things that I've never seen before at VT ie. the 4 receivers lined up on the same side & Sam Rogers lined up out wide to the left. Those were just a couple that come to mind.
On the drive back to Bristol last night I couldn't help but think, for the first time in a long time, that this team poses a lot of challenges for opposing defensive coaches to game plan for. I remember in years past how predictable we were. It was always run, run, pass, punt. NOT ANYMORE!!!!!
Beamer & Co. now have a wealth of young talent on the offensive side of the ball. Im excited to see how they will develop them and utilize them. Im excited to hopefully seeing us put some points on the board this year. I saw a lot of scores on the board yesterday in the 40s &50s. Im hopeful that we can keep the chains moving, be efficient in the RZ, and keep our "smaller, quicker D" rested. I think that's gonna be a necessity for us to be the front runner in the coastal.
Couldn't be happier to see the offense perform like it did yesterday. Yes, it was only against W&M, but it just looked more polished than it did at any point since... man, I'd say since the Danny Coale days. The passing was crisp and on the numbers, with appropriate touch placed on passes to make catches easy for the receivers. The RBs were able to move the pile more than I have seen since Darren Evans. Our OL kept our QB off the ground, and when there were breakdowns, our QB could get outside the pocket, and even more impressively, was still looking for the pass down the field. The first TD yesterday was something that impressed me most of all. Brewer could have tucked and run and likely picked up the first down, but he kept his eyes downfield, and found a wide open Ford for the easy TD. That was all instinct, and something you cannot teach. It was something that took Tyrod a few years to develop, and Brewer is already showing he can do it.
Do I think we will win in Columbus? Probably not, but I like our chances a whole hell of a lot more right now than I did at this time yesterday. We had an effective offense, even as it was being run as vanilla as possible. I'm excited to see what we can do with the playbook opening up more. I really, really liked the hurry up offense, and I think its something that will definitely get us going in the right direction.
With that said, I was unimpressed with the rest of the ACC yesterday. At this point, I think we have to be the favorite to win the division (especially if Miami loses tomorrow). UNC looked like poo against Liberty, and UVa threw the game away early to a very clearly overrated UCLA squad. As expected, Clemson fell back down to earth, and surprisingly, FSU looked a bit pedestrian in their win over Okie St. I'm liking our chances in this conference right now.
Anybody think we're saving the Wild Turkey for OSU?
I definitely think we're saving something. We had all of these practices and scrimmages that were closed to the media. Surely we were practicing some crazy batty something, right? Right?
Honestly, I'm hoping that in our first play from scrimmage, we line up in a power-I with Brewer under center. Just to screw with Urban Meyer and his coordinators. Do whatever after that, but just give them some panic for a little while that W&M was all smoke and mirrors.
If power-I is our crazy batty something, sign me up.
We'll, if I were coach, I would have lined up in the wildcat this week, just to make OSU practice for it. Then I wouldn't use it.
maybe they are thinking the opposite... don't show it, but then bring it out next week
Should've only run Wild Turkey plays with Bucky and Travon McMillan as qb. Give OSU no tape to study at all.
Very happy with what I saw on both sides of the ball. I wanted to see us execute a basic set of offensive plays crisply, be aggressive on defense, have no special teams mistakes, and suffer no injuries. From what I can tell, we met or exceeded all of those goals which puts us in the best possibly shape for OSU.
Areas of concern would be the batted passes, inconsistent LB play, and youth... although no one showed signs of youth yesterday.
Big week of practice ahead, if we see that 'coachspeak' improvement from game 1 to game 2, I like our chances.
3 TEs and Williams or Shai with Rogers lead.
You know what the best part of that game was? The fumble return in the first half. The hit was awesome obviously, but how great was it seeing a 8-man convoy trying to get Dinardo in the endzone?
My comments from the best 1st game in a long time. In no particular order:
Cam Phillips- Great route runner and nice strong hands.
Isaiah Ford- Dynamic WR, could be scary good if he keeps working hard.
Brewer,"Smooth Brew" - Needs to look for better throwing lanes. Other than that, almost a perfect game....
Juice - Drop the pads and hit the hole. A bit dancy in a crowd.
Shai - Real Deal, in every way. The Dude is all that and then some.
Coleman - Love ya, 4th string, Caleb hits the hole harder. When Trey returns, special teams.
D Line- Fast, but line needs to play with better leverage and clog some running lanes.
D backfield - standing ovation. One bad play, they played lights out.
Linebackers - solid! They did everything they were asked to do.
O-Line - A-, no sacks and 222 running, nuff said!
Lots of work to do, but I am pleased and really look forward to seeing them live at the Shoe. Maybe I am still giddy from yesterday, but I actually think we have a shot to win, REALLY!
Random: I just realized that Shai wears Lee Suggs' old number. That can't be a bad thing.
I noticed yesterday that the average of Shai's and Juices numbers is Cedric Humes' old number. I have no idea why I thought of that or what it means.
It means we are destined for greatness.
It is obligatory at this point...
After yesterday's performance I see no reason we can't keep the Ohio St game to a 7 - 10 point loss, and possibly shock the world with a win.
The Hokies have now scored in a school and ACC record 244-straight games. I really dig these infographics
It is now a fact that we are, and always have been, an offensive juggernaut.
All I've wanted was to see us line up, open holes, and run the ball right at them and get good yardage. It's been a long time since we won a game and I felt like we did that. So happy and with Braxton out I feel like it's going to be a good ball game which is all I can really ask for!
One of the things I was looking for, more than anything, was energy on the sideline. I remember playing Cincinnati a couple of years ago, winning going into the fourth quarter, and watching Cinci's bench storming down the field with their fists held high. On the other side was VT, lazily meandering their way to the other side. I thought that was a huge contrast to what I used to remember VT being. Yesterday I saw energy and a little hop to everyone's step. That was a welcome site, regardless of the opponent.
Leonard's take...
I'm waiting for French to tell me what to think.
Other than that, I thought w&m wasn't really good. OSU game will be the pudding in which we all find the proof.
holy electric banana slicers batman, there are a ton of threads and posts after 1 game and French and TKP co largely have not hit us with their brilliance. I can barely get through all of what has been said so far... wow, so different than last year, and really I guess that's where my .02 analysis is about.
Bitter made a good point that we had beat a cupcake the past couple years and so it shouldn't be a given that our win Saturday foretold any greatness. I tend to agree with that insomuch that I think we have a long way to go before we are great team but I tell you what really stuck out to me was the difference in how we won.
1) Poise: Unlike the last couple years against Austin Peay and the like, it just seemed like we were calm, collected and not forcing the ball or our offense. It knew exactly what it was doing and it was executing it. To me that is a HUGE difference from before. No longer is it a few players trying to fit a square peg in a round hole, it's 11 players flowing smoothly and firing on all cylinders. I mean, no huddle for one but it looked effortless for us. amazing
2) Patience & Control. Brewer himself looks like he sees everything like it's stuck in Texas mud. He steps up into the pocket, side steps a rusher and out of the pocket, never seemed like he was "searching" for the play. He just saw the play was there or not and made it or moved on to the next play. For me, I absolutely love this. Even in no huddle he just seemed like it was all half speed to him. Maybe it's the AirRaid offense that taught him that but I was impressed with the way he controlled the tempo. He had his faults, though not many, but I suspect those will get worked out.
3) VT of Old and New: RB's that were running with power was such a thing of beauty and yet they were running out of a playbook with so many things that are new to VT football. I have been generally neutral on Lefty. I've liked what he is doing and I have been willing to give him time to get the personnel he needs, and really I can see something special happening. VT re-establishing a power run game with a modern offense. Loved it. Shai and Juice are freaking studs.
4) Foster: Can we give this guy a uniform with a number so we can hang it in Lane Stadium already? Our DL looks small and is going to have a rough time next week but stout as usual.
All in all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable game at 4am in the morning. Can we beat anOSU? Yes, of course we can. Is it going to be a disaster if we don't? No, of course it isn't. Because what I saw Saturday makes me know 2015, 2016 and 2017 are going to be seriously magical years.
Your're spot on about the D, which is probably my biggest concern at this point. They are small and fast. I was a little disappointed in some of the big runs that Bill and Mary had though. I know its early, and that was our first game, but I really didn't expect that from them. It's Bill&Mary. We'll face a bigger O-line this wknd. I know OSU's strength is NOT their O line. I think they are a little better than average, at best, according to what I've seen/heard.
What concerns me though is the fact that we are now using the hurry up offense, which is all fine and dandy, when we are executing and moving the chains. I fear though, that if we aren't moving the ball, and are forced into consecutive 3 and outs that our smaller D will become gassed. We've seen in the past what happens to us in those situations. The other team owns the second half and runs the ball straight at us. We cant stop it, and it becomes a painful game to watch.
I hope and pray that we can sustain drives, control the clock, put some points on the board, and keep the D rested.
IF we can do that, we could have a really good opportunity to witness something special this coming weekend!!! GO HOKIES!!!!
Arrived in OSU last night and went to one of their college bars (of course dressed in full HOKIE attire) and as we were leaving, one guys says you guys are here a little early. We said we coming for the whole experience and one of the students yelled GO HOKIES! You have to love it.