After its apparent warm-up game against Alabama two weeks ago, Virginia Tech's offense put five touchdowns on the board last week against Marshall.
While the Hokies put up 444 yards of rushing, 605 yards of total offense, and the improvement to 1-1 on the year with a win against the Thundering Herd, fans shouldn't expect similar numbers for the offense when the Hokies face No. 19 Nebraska on Saturday.
Nebraska is a much tougher opponent than Marshall, but any true Hokie fan should know that.
The Cornhuskers have the rank, record (2-0) and tradition to prove it.
That's why when the Hokies square up with the Associated Press' 19th-best Division I college football team, they'll need to bring their A-game.
What exactly that A-game is, however, has yet to be determined.
Without Darren Evans, are the Hokies still a run-first, pass-last offense?
Last week's performances by true freshman tailback David Wilson and redshirt freshman tailback Ryan Williams say so.
Each back carried the ball less than 20 times against Marshall, gained over 160 yards on the ground and scored at least a touchdown. Wilson had one score, while Williams put it in for six on three occasions.
When Tech faced Alabama, however, the Hokies ground game gained just 64 net yards on 31 carries.
One might ask, is Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor ever going to reach his full potential? Can Taylor be "the man" with two minutes left in the fourth quarter while the Hokies are down six?
Like its ground game, Tech's passing game improved from Taylor's less-than-stellar performance against Alabama last week when it hosted Marshall.
Up against the Thundering Herd, Taylor went 9-for-16 for 161 yards, scored two touchdowns with his arm and then one with his feet. He gained 72 yards rushing on the day.
Taylor was 9-of-20 for 91 yards and didn't score once on the ground or through the air against the Crimson Tide.
This week, in a nationally televised competition with Nebraska, the Hokies will need to control the clock.
Tech won the time of possession battle against Marshall, 31:28-28:32.
Against Alabama, Tech was trampled in the same battle, 37:02-22:58.
Last season, when the Hokies defeated the Cornhuskers 35-30, they did so by controlling the clock.
Tech held possession for 34 minutes and 44 seconds in the win and did so by pounding the ball into a weak Nebraska defensive line over and over again.
The Hokies eventually wore their opponent out with their monotonous, yet successful strategy.
In the game's final minutes, Taylor capped off an 11-play, 80-yard drive that spanned five minutes and 24 seconds by rushing from 2 yards out to put Tech up 12 and seal the game.
Chances are head coach Frank Beamer will have to look Taylor's way this week and next against ranked opponents, late in the game, in need of a similar drive.
Leave a comment 2 Comments Write a letter to the editor
All letters to the editor must include a name, e-mail, daytime phone number and affiliation to Virginia Tech. Affiliation includes: year and major for students; position and department for faculty and staff; current city for alumni and parents.
Tyrod nor this offense will reach total potential or 'a-game' status with Bryan Stinespring at the helm. Please don't get me wrong, he is a nice guy and doesn't need to be fired. Instead, put him in charge of o-line and get someone in that will use the speed of our backfield effectively. Think we are that far off? Look around and tell me who has a faster backfield than Taylor, Williams and Wilson. It is a Top 5 backfield and it is a shame to see that speed wasted in a power running offense. Go Hokies! Beat Nebraska!
Reply to this Top
After watching all the games since 06 and seeing the same predictable patterns against top 25 opponents I can only hope this game will prove me wrong. If I am right our offensive numbers will at best be 1/4-1/3 of what they were against Marshall and a win will likely come from a score or two from defense/special teams. What we did against Marshall was great but you can in no way have confidence that we will have a-game against a top 25 opponent because of Marshall unless our offensive strategy has improved which is doubtful. I however try to have hope that Stinespring will surprise me. I'd be surprised if we put up even 250 to 300 yards against Nebraska. I just hope Stinespring uses what we are best at thus far and that is running the ball. But throw a pass play here and there when appropriate to throw off the defense. Not when they are expecting a pass play.
Reply to this Top