The Furman preview that's All About Virginia Tech

It's a challenge to preview an FCS team. There isn't a lot of film available, and even when there is, it's either a game against another equally talented, therefor lesser when compared to FBS, FCS team, or a FBS-FCS blowout. A couple of FCS players might pop off the film, but more often than not the talent level doesn't move the needle. FBS teams pay FCS opponents for a winnable game in which they can get better.

Every once in awhile, that plan is derailed. That happened to Virginia Tech in 2010 against JMU, but I'm not going to let history dictate how I write this preview. It would take more time than I have and film available for me to develop a scenario for how the Paladins could upset the Hokies in Lane. Moreover, such a loss for Tech would have just enough, if not more, to do with that the Hokies did wrong than Furman did right. Therefore, these are four sticking points in the aftermath of Tech's loss to Ohio State that I'm watching closely from improvement or better understanding.

Riffing on Tech's Quarterback Situation in the Absence of Michael Brewer

There isn't a clear cut best option for Virginia Tech at quarterback. The two most popular opinions are: 1) Give Brenden Motley his shot; or 2) Forgo a possible redshirt season and get the Dwayne Lawson era in Blacksburg started ahead of schedule. It's the battle of experience versus upside.

There's no doubt Motley brings something to table with his legs. He piloted the Wild Turkey and jumpstarted the Hokies' offense against the Buckeyes on Monday. His feet also helped Tech move the ball against Duke and Virginia last season. Although, as a passer, in limited opportunities, he hasn't been productive (career 5/12, 41.7%, 53 yards 1 TD 1 INT). He has a bigger arm than Michael Brewer, but seems to lack comfort and composure.

On the other hand, Lawson's potential has the highest ceiling among the QBs on Tech's roster. He stands out from the crowd, but he's had limited time to master Scot Loeffler's pro-style scheme.

Wide receivers coach Zohn Burden summed it up best on Wednesday.

"He's got a long arm, a strong arm," Burden said of Lawson. "Very accurate. He's got some attributes that some other guys don't have. He's athletic, he can run. He runs like a wide receiver, so he's special, special talent. Just got to come along mentally."

With all that gushing, and given the lack of a reliable No. 3 receiver, is that a soft-sell to get the 6-6, 222 pound Lawson lined out wide? But seriously, Burden's analysis was succinct and accurate.

On Wednesday evening, Scot Loeffer unequivocally said Motley would be Tech's starter. After the Ohio State game, Frank Beamer admitted there were a couple of offensive packages installed for Lawson, and it's not the staff's intention to redshirt him.

At this point, I think both Motley and Lawson will play against Furman. Beamer Co. is committed to giving motley his shot, but how short is his leash? Tech has three more non-conference games before the start of ACC play. Is it feasible there are enough practice and game reps for Lawson to develop into the clearcut top option for the Hokies? Frank Beamer made sure to include Chris Durkin in the conversation, and even noted he'd be the backup against Furman. Although, if Tech wants to play the guy who knows the offense, the choice is Motley, not Durkin.

Regardless of who is behind or under center, there's a high probability timing will be off between the quarterback and receivers. I will watch to see which QB has the most familiarity and cohesiveness with the players around him.

Tech needs Andrew Motuapuaka to step up, or Bud Foster needs to find another option at Mike Linebacker

Andrew Motuapuaka had a rough game against Ohio State. His gap fits were off, and he got pushed around by running back Zeke Elliott. If I give him the benefit of the doubt, the former may get better with more experience (only 4 career starts), and the latter might have been an oversight by Foster.

"Instead of releasing their back, they were really aggressive blocking our mike," Foster said. "We were thinking more (about) all their guys out on quick screens, and we probably outsmarted ourselves a little bit from that standpoint as far as not getting edge pressure a little bit more."

However, I can't shake the memory of Trey Edmunds trucking Motuapuaka in the spring game. That single play represents the lack of instincts and aggressiveness have been cons of his game since Moto first saw the field.

At 6-0, 231 pounds, Motuapuaka is Tech's biggest mike on the depth chart. Foster has been complementary to a point of Sean Huelskamp. However, at 6-1, 207 pounds it's easy to envision a big offensive line or running back swallowing him up. As French noted, perhaps Foster will experiment against Furman and move one of his backers to mike.

I will watch for any signs of life/improvement from the mike.

How much will Yosuah Nijman Play

True freshman offensive tackle Yosuah Nijman's Lane Stadium debut was one of only a few pleasant things to happen for Tech during the Ohio State game. When Nijman played at left tackle, it allowed Stacy Searels to replace Wade Hansen at right tackle with Jonathan McLaughlin. Tech had a bunch of success with those two bookending the o-line.

Nijman is far from being Orlando Pace, but for the most part he held his own against Ohio State, and he has great upside.

"I think Nijman is going to be one terrific player," Beamer said. "He's not right now but he's 6-7 and athletic as all get out. Once we feed him a little bit, get him in the weight room a little bit he's got a bright, bright future. In the end you're building this thing but you want to be good for your conference games. The big picture you want to be good for your conference games. Hopefully when we open up the conference he's going to be a lot better player than he was even last night."

Hansen is a serviceable run blocker, but is an extreme liability in pass protection. I will watch to see if Nijman can continue to push for a permanent No. 1 role on the offensive line.

DBU

#DBU lol welcome to #Zone6 42-24— Cardale Jones (@CJ12_) September 8, 2015

Say what you will about Ohio State QB Cardale Jones, Virginia Tech's defensive backs didn't look like an elite group against the Buckeyes. Greg Stroman, Brandon Facyson and Kendall Fuller all got beat one-on-one. Rover Desmond Frye missed tackles. There were communication errors on the back-end. Defensive backs coach Torrian Gray noted the group's performance against Ohio State was average, and he doesn't seems afraid to shake things up.

"I'm going to play the next best guy even if he's not in that particular spot on the depth chart if the guy knows what he's doing," said Gray.

I will watch to see how the Dean of DBU shuffles his secondary, and if Kendall Fuller, who is working through, as Gray put it, a "nick", plays against Furman.