Tech freshman linebacker Jake Johnson tries to chase down Western Kentucky wide receiver Wenquel Graves during Saturday afternoon's game at Lane Stadium. The Hokies held the Hilltoppers to just 95 passing yards.
But at what point in this season does the offense get on the same page? Western Kentucky seemed like a golden opportunity to do just that before Tech goes toe-to-toe with some of the best defensive teams in the country.
Perhaps the Hilltoppers were closer to Tech's class than most imagined. Either way, the Hokies will not be facing another team with the statistics of Western Kentucky for a while.
Tech's next two opponents, Boston College and Florida State, nationally rank 10th and third respectively in total defense. Neither defense has allowed more than 278 yards of total offense in any of their games this season. It is hard to say that the Hokies will confidently roll into Chestnut Hill and Tallahassee after this offensive performance.
Once more, Tech has to face those defenses without Kenny Lewis Jr., who is out for the season with a ruptured Achilles' tendon. Lewis currently ranks second on the team in touchdowns and third in overall rushing.
"That's a tough loss for us," Beamer said. "We've lost a guy on offense who is very positive and who has put so much in this."
There was also an issue with the defense as well. Although Harris had a 49-yard interception against the Hilltoppers, the Tech defense could not seem to stop the opponent's running game at times. Western Kentucky's top two rushers averaged nearly seven yards per carry on 22 runs. I'll give you one guess as to what two teams currently rank second and third in the ACC in rushing offense.
At least Beamer and the Hokies can remain content with where their record stands at this point.
"If you would've given me the choice to start the season 5-1, I would've taken that in a heartbeat, especially considering how young this team is," Beamer said. "Five-and-one is pretty good but we still have our work cut out for us."
The North Carolina and Nebraska games were eye-openers and consecutive solid performances by the Hokies against decent teams. Notice that the Tar Heels clobbered Connecticut by 26 on Saturday.
The Western Kentucky game could have been confirmation that the Hokies can do some real damage and further assert their legitimacy as major contenders for the ACC crown. Instead, halfway through the season, there is still much to wonder about where this 2008 team stands.
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Tyrod...in the future you might not want to use the phrase "dogfight"...just a thought
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Taylor, you have one thing you can work on even with young receivers: protect the football. Your fumbling of the football every single week has nothing to do with young receivers, or lack of maturity, or a new offense. It has to do with you failing, or neglecting, to put the time in on fundamentals such as protecting the ball, and it kills all the hard work everyone is doing on offense and on defense. And also - man up, and take responsibility for everything yourself. Defending your own play by "reminding" fans that our offense is young does nothing for the team. Tell us what they did that was good, because that's what obsevers may NOT know.
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