Hokies Prepare for First Road Trip of 2015

A two-sport star at Hanover High School, Hokies' fullback Sam Rogers was the very definition of the "Big Man on Campus" before he enrolled at Virginia Tech. But even Rogers was taken aback by his first collegiate road trip.

"My first road game was against Alabama in the Georgia Dome, so that definitely stood out by itself," laughed Rogers. "We traveled really well, I will say that, but it echoed in there. I remember that being so loud. Obviously coming from high school, that's a little bit different."

So while the first road game of 2015, a trip to Purdue's less than intimidating Ross-Ade Stadium (4-11 at home since 2013 under head coach Darrell Hazell via cfbstats.com), may present less of a challenge than an Alabama-filled Georgia Dome, Rogers said the Hokies' mentality should remain the same.

"You've got to get your mind right and you've got to be professionals about it," said Rogers. "It's real business-like, you just gotta get on the plane and just go and do your business."

As Rogers noted, crowd noise can be a huge disruption for visiting teams, especially for offensive lines who depend on communication for calls and various snap counts. But thanks to offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler, the Hokies should be well-prepared for anything the Boilermaker faithful can throw at them.

"We'll go in the (Lane) stadium and just blare this static noise," said Rogers. "Coach Loeffler knows it makes us mad, but it's hard to think in there. But that's the point. That's what he's trying to get across. Trying to make it a little chaotic just so you have to really focus on your job and focus on getting the right play in and stuff like that. So it does help a lot."

And with the Beamer Barn now finished, the Hokies have yet another tool at their disposal to ready themselves for raucous environments around the ACC.

"We always have the ability to have crowd noise in our new (indoor) facility. We can crank that up and simulate the noise," said offensive line coach Stacy Searels. "You've got to be great communicators. You've got to be great with your snap counts."

And for years now under the Beamer-led regime, the Hokies have taken their full compliment of quarterbacks to road games to let them experience environments away from Lane Stadium.

"From the very beginning, we always take our quarterbacks, they're always there whether they're a redshirt or not, just to experience signaling and crowds and game procedures," said head coach Frank Beamer. "He's (Brenden Motley) been through a lot of that."

That sideline experience, combined with a solid second-half performance against Furman, has Beamer confident that his new quarterback will be comfortable in West Lafayette this Saturday.

"He's made out of the right stuff," said Beamer. "He's in control. He's calm. He's not going to get all crazy on you. I think the offensive team picks up on that too. It's not like a guys out there out of control and 'Hey, we've got to calm him down.' It's like 'Hey, I'm in control, let's take the ball down the field.' I like what he's all about."

But outside of a few small preparation details, Beamer was clear that his team's approach should remain unchanged.

"Our big deal is you play the same way," said Beamer. "I don't care what stadium, what day, how many people in the stands, whatever."

Running backs coach Shane Beamer, well-schooled in the Beamer family approach to playing on the road, spoke at length about how the Hokies view road trips.

"I think the one thing we do here is we just try and treat everything the same," said the younger Beamer. "We don't talk a whole lot about it. I've heard of some schools, coaches, that they have a team meeting about here's where you're going, here's the hotel you're staying in, here's what the stands look like, here's where your locker room is. We don't. Whether that's right or wrong, we don't really make a big deal about it. We talk about it, we embrace going on (the road)."

The biggest difference in Shane's mind? Not staying at the Hotel Roanoke.

"When we travel, our schedule's the same on Friday's whether it's a home game or an away game," said Beamer. "Our schedule with the hotel is the same. The only difference is we're just getting on a plane in Roanoke instead of going to the Hotel Roanoke. And sleeping in a different hotel than the Hotel Roanoke. But everything else is the same and I think that's, knock on wood, helped us be successful on the road over the years."

While Saturday's game will represent the first ever matchup between the Hokies and Boilermakers, there is some familiarity between the two coaching staffs. John Shoop, Purdue's third-year offensive coordinator, led the offense at North Carolina from 2007 to 2011.

"We've always had great respect for him (Shoop) throughout his coaching and do now," said Frank Beamer. "He's doing a nice job. Like I said...first couple of weeks they're over 500 yards averaged, 217 rushing, 279 passing. Running backs, I mean they run hard. That's a North Carolina deal right there, if I've ever heard of one. They do a lot of the same type of things. Good, tough, solid, sound football."

Greg Hudson, now in his third year as defensive coordinator at Purdue, spent time at both East Carolina and Florida State, two schools the Hokies have played often over the years. On Monday, with the Hokies just beginning their Purdue preparation, Searles was already impressed with the physicality of Hudson's unit.

"I think they're a much bigger front (than Furman)," said Searles. "Guys are 6'5", 275 (pounds), two or three of them. One of them is over 300 pounds. Their mike backer is very active. They give you multiple fronts. They try to take away the inside zone. They've got some multiple blitzes on third down that we really got to work at."

So despite the fact that head coach Darrell Hazell is just 5-21 in two-plus years in West Lafayette, Searles believes Purdue is close to becoming a winning football program.

"They're a solid football team," said Searles. "You look at them, they've played close with a lot of really good football teams. Whether it's Michigan State, or whoever up there. Nebraska. Some teams that are good football teams. And they're playing them close in the fourth quarter. So we've got a huge challenge."

While Frank Beamer may be taking a "wait-and-see" approach as to how his team will respond on Saturday, Loeffler is confident that his new quarterback will remain poised.

"Played at Purdue many times, it's a tough place to play," said Loeffler. "Motley's been to a lot of places that communication is a problem and he'll do a great job with it. There's no concerns."

Additional Quotes

Frank Beamer

ON PURDUE:

"Another Big Ten school. I think a coach that (is) a proven winner, Coach Hazell. I think you see good things happening in this program, progress. They play hard. They've got good players, getting better all the time. It's one of those that's a real test for us."

ON THE HOKIES FIRST ROAD GAME:

Going on the road is always a big deal and I think when you've got a lot of young guys that haven't been on the road, it gets bigger. I think going into a new stadium, new surroundings, how you treat that...I'm not sure this football team is ready for that. I think we'll know more about that after Saturday. It's another big week. Another week to see where we all with this football team."

ON WHAT HE'S SEEN FROM QUALITY CONTROL COACH MAX WARNER:

"Knowledge. Eagerness. I think he's got a good future. All those things...I think he's got a terrific future."

Isaiah Ford

ON ROAD GAMES:

"You've got to prepare mentally. It's like nothing you've ever experienced before. It's not high school anymore. You've got to really prepare. There's going to be a lot of noise, mentally you have to be really focused on the game, focused on the game plan. We have no time for mental lapses or mental brain farts."

ON IF HE FEELS PRESSURE WITH NEW QB:

"I wouldn't say I feel any extra pressure, but there is an urgency. We have to really be on top of your game because we don't have Brewer to bail us out. Brewer bails us out sometimes when we slack up on our things, so now it's our turn to kind of bail Motley out when he's not on his details as much as he will be when he gets more experience. It's our job as more experienced players on the field, on the offense, to elevate our game."