Defensive Line Continues to Search for Depth, Offensive Line Shows Improvement

With just one week of spring practice remaining, the Virginia Tech football team still has several unanswered questions.

Among the chief concerns that continue to persist are the search for a competent two-deep rotation on the defensive line and the continued development of an offensive line with three new starters.

Defensive Line Depth

Tech's defensive line depth is thin on the ends. Defensive coordinator Bud Foster noted after the Hokies' second scrimmage that the search would continue for a fourth defensive end to supplement the trio of Dadi Nicolas, Ken Ekanem and Seth Dooley.

Dooley's improvement has been duly noted by the coaching staff over the past month. The redshirt sophomore suffered an ankle injury in the early stages of Saturday's scrimmage, but figures to be okay. He mouthed to fellow defensive lineman Nigel Williams that he'd just rolled his ankle.

On the other side, Melvin Keihn is still a player trying to earn a role. The sophomore's relatively small size (6-foot-1, 211 pounds) has made him a target of skepticism from fans and coaches alike.

"Melvin Keihn is a little bit undersized," Foster said. "He's playing hard but he's still a freshman from a knowledge standpoint."

The latest undertaking by the Hokies' defensive coaching staff is the experiment of moving defensive tackle Vinny Mihota to end.

"He has earned the right," said defensive line coach Charley Wiles (via Andy Bitter of the Roanoke Times). "We're going to play him. We need to play him somewhere. Hopefully it'll work out and he can be productive at the defensive end spot."

The move is being considered a trial, though it's not something that would play out in Foster's perfect world.

"It's a plan B for us," Foster said. "If we can't find a fourth end, Vinny plays with such a high motor and he's a big physical kid. He's probably a step slow to be an end but he plays so hard."

Head coach Frank Beamer suggests that the redshirt freshman is a good fit for either spot.

"I think he's a guy that plays with good football sense, does things naturally and has a quick step," Beamer said. "It gives him a chance to be out there in space at defensive end a little more. With his quickness, he's really good inside."

Mihota got some action at defensive end in the Hokies' third scrimmage on Saturday and finished with two tackles and a sack.

"I think Vinny is a guy that plays with a great motor," Beamer said "He's a big guy. He's a nifty guy. I think we'll sit down at the end and evaluate where we are as a team. He's a good player. I'm glad he's playing for us."

Mihota's dedication this spring hasn't escaped Foster's notice.

"Vinny solved some depth issues for us. He's had a great spring. He's one of those guys that hasn't had a good spring; he's had a great spring," Foster said. "We gave him a couple snaps at end today and just threw him to the wolves. He hasn't repped that yet but of our top eight guys in the front, Vinny would be in it. He has had a great spring. I like what the kid's all about."

Offensive Line Development

Tech head coach Frank Beamer noted at the beginning of spring that the offensive line was his biggest concern.

As spring has progressed, however, there's been a noticeable improvement in its cohesion — particularly from a focus standpoint.

The Hokies' offensive line sizably cut down on the penalties committed in the first two scrimmages.

"I think we only had one false start," said offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler. "Wyatt (Teller) jumped off once."

One issue that continues to persist, however, is the shotgun exchange between center and quarterback. Loeffler insists that a number of errant snaps in the Hokies' third spring scrimmage can be chalked up to inexperience.

"You've got two guys, Colt Pettit and Tyrell (Smith) that have never snapped in a live situation," Loeffler said. "Those guys will improve. No question about that. I've seen it everywhere with a freshman center. That will improve."

Loeffler downplayed the notion suggested by Beamer that the offense would have to go under center more often to avoid botched shotgun snaps. The head coach insists that the problem should be solved, however, with repetition.

"We're going to do about 1,000 snaps per day during summer school," Beamer said. "Hopefully those snaps will become routine and you won't see them dribbling back there. If not, we've got to talk about getting our quarterback under center. And we don't want to do that particularly all the time."

Returning guard Augie Conte, who's been noted frequently this spring as someone taking a leadership role, has tried to help the young centers.

"You can't have turnovers. But, when you have a freshman center, a true freshman center which both of them are, obviously you're going to have some trouble snapping the ball," Conte said. "That's just part of being a center. Obviously we're trying to help them out, I'm trying to give them some tips to help them along."

One player that didn't commit a penalty, or botch a snap, was offensive tackle Yosuah Nijman.

The Fork Union product made the switch from defensive to offensive line at the beginning of spring practice — a move that coaches attributed to lack of depth on the offensive side.

Loeffler sang his praises following the scrimmage.

"He's tall, he's long, he's going to be 330 pounds before it's said and done," Loeffler said. "He's athletic. He just needs to learn. He's walking into a situation similar to Wyatt (Teller) and we knew Wyatt was going to be a great player. (Yosuah) is also going to be a great player. I'm ecstatic he's on our side of the ball. He's a great person and a great kid."

Though still improving, the state of the offensive line is in a better spot than it was four weeks ago — particularly on the front line.

"The thing that you've seen with our offense is we're scoring," Loeffler said. "The ones ran the ball well. I didn't think the twos did. The things we saw in the passing game were good with the ones. There were some good things and some bad things."