SB Nation - Kenny Lewis Jr.

Double Bourbon Shot: First Day of Practice Edition

furrer4heisman — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 02:06:35 -0000

Preseason practice is underway for the Hokies, definitely worthy of a second link-filled post of the day. Enjoy your second round on me.

Apparently Beamer's theme for this season is "A Journey of a Thousand Miles." That's cute and all, but if Tech only goes 1,000 miles, it will end up somewhere between Henryetta, Okla., home of Troy Aikman and the Troy Aikman Museum/McDonald's (I'm not kidding) and Roland, Okla., which is home to someone better.

Beamer needs to add another 14 hundred miles to his slogan if he wants to make it all the way to Pasadena. I don't think the Henryetta Hens host a bowl game.

The Eye Test (Kyle Tucker)
No pads and no hitting for the Hokies today, so KT goes over how the players looked on day one. It isn't nearly as creepy as his post last year when he was gushing over the linebackers. He loves him some David Wilson and was also impressed by Darren Evans, Logan Thomas and Xavier Boyce. He also has interviews with trainer Mike Goforth and running backs coach Billy Hite. Here's Hite on his stable of backs:

ON WHETHER, TALENT-WISE, THIS IS THE BEST GROUP OF TAILBACKS HE HAS EVER HAD AT TECH: "Best top to bottom. It really is. Before, I might've had two great ones and two good ones on the rise. But right now, to me, any of those four guys (Darren Evans, Josh Oglesby, Ryan Williams, David Wilson), you can shake them up in a bag, pull one out and put him in the game. Without a doubt. They're special. David Wilson ran a 4.3 when he came in, benched 300, had the fastest 10-yard shuttle of all our freshmen. He's going to be a special player."

Passing Drills on Display (Darryl Slater)
Darryl Slater notes that Greg Boone warmed up with the QBs to start practice but won't be taking Wild Turkey reps during the preseason. Tyrod's fastball looks good, but we'll see how good is deep balls are later on in camp. Freshman Antone Exum took reps during punt return drills and looked good in one-on-one drills.

Exum, a freshman free safety, broke up Taylor’s pass to Dillard on one play. On another, freshman Nubian Peak beat Exum, but Exum recovered, reached up and broke up the pass.

Kenny Lewis Has Another Setback (Nathan Warters)
"Tommie Frazier" updates Kenny Lewis' status, which isn't good. Lewis had to have surgery on his left ankle after he tore his Achilles tendon last year against Western Kentucky. This time it was to fix an infection associated with the injury. He'll miss at least the first month of the season, probably more.

"According to Kenny, (he has a) 100 percent (probability of getting back this season)," Goforth said. "We don’t quite feel that strong, but we’re not ruling him out. Kenny is a great guy. He’s very strong. He knows his body well, so I’ve got to trust him."

Here's the Scrimmage Schedule (HokieSports)
Jimmy Robertson has the official report over at HokieSports.com. He also has notes on the two highly-touted true freshmen, David Wilson and Logan Thomas. He has a quote from Beamer saying that if Thomas wins the No. 2 QB job, he will be used under center in an H-back role. Robertson also has the all-important public scrimmage schedule:

Once again this year, Beamer will open the three preseason scrimmages to the public in Lane Stadium. The dates are: Saturday, Aug. 15 (3:15-5:30 pm); Saturday, Aug. 22 (2-4:15 pm); and Wednesday, Aug 26 (4:45-7 pm). As always, no video taping devices of any kind are allowed inside Lane Stadium during these scrimmages. All other Virginia Tech practices are closed to the public.

ACC and Opponents

Tide Practice Report (Bama Sports Report)
The Tahde also opened their preseason practice Thursday and are already into two-a-days. This post goes over the morning drills, which were done in shells, but only had returning players. Needless to say, Alabama is starting off a little more hardcore than the Hokies. The poster gives his version of Bama's depth chart and said the two running backs returning from injury, Mark Ingram and Roy Upchurch, look good to go.

Injury Questions Loom on Clemson's First Day (Clempson Football)
Defensive end Ricky Sapp isn't at full speed as the Tigers start their preseason drills. Kyle Parker just looks better than Willy Korn right now. They also expect wunderkind Tajh Boyd to redshirt.

Duke Looking to Build Upon Success (Annette)
Annette is basically the default Duke blogger since none of them exist. She has quotes from Thad Lewis and Coach Cut about how much better the Blue Devils are this year. But everything's relative with Duke football. It still won't go bowling.

The Enigmatic Chris Turner (Turtle Waxing)
Don't expect Turner to lead the Terps to the promised land. Also, you can fergettabout Maryland joining the Big East, even though the Jersey transplants would love it.

What Kind of GT Team Beats UGa? (From The Rumble Seat)
Winfield takes a look how good the Yellow Jackets are throughout the season in years when they beat the Bulldogs.

Five Promotions for FSU Football (Scalp 'Em)
I completely agree with NoleCC's idea of throwbacks for the Noles. Those would look sweet. Free foam tomahawks? Nah. The chanting is annoying enough.

Stuff Only I Care About

Shane Beamer Interview (ACCSports.com)
David Glenn of 850 the Buzz and ACCSports.com interviews the younger Beamer, who is the recruiting coordinator for The Ol' Ball Coach. I'd love to see Shane get a head coaching job in the ACC before Frank retires. Beamer Bowl, baby!

Demonstration Sports for the Tulsa Olympiad (The Lost Ogle)
Tulsa wants the 2020 Olympiad. Yep, Tulsa. If you thought the possibilities were endless for the Atlanta Olympics, wait until you see what the Ogles cooked up (that's a meth joke) for a possible Tulsa Olympics.

Darcy Regier: Still Some Work to Do (Die By The Blade)
Sabres' GM Darcy Regier talks about Drew Stafford, Tyler Myers and other topics, including the demise of the mid-level salary. The NHL's middle class is shrinking, just like America's (it would be best not to get me started on this topic).

Ryan Miller Believes Technology has Made Us Lazy, Nonverbal (Puck Daddy)
Yes, Millsy, I know Twitter is going to be the downfall of our civilization. But, hey, I won a free inflatable beer pong table on it. That's a fair trade in my opinion.

2009 Husker Football Opponent Preview: Virginia Tech - Updated!

Husker Mike — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:00:23 -0000

More photos » by Don Petersen - AP

Virginia Tech's Josh Ogelsby (25) ain't do this to a guy wearing red Saturday. It just ain't happening.

Browse more photos »

This opponent preview post was originally done in July. Rather than do a whole new post - we thought it would be interesting if we'd leave the old post in place, and update it with how things have changed after a couple of games.

Original

Over the offseason, I'm sure more than a few Husker fans wondered just what would have happened if Nebraska would have played Virginia Tech later in the season. Certainly, the Huskers finished the season strong; clearly Nebraska was a much stronger team at the end of the season than earlier.

Only problem with that thought is that Virginia Tech also finished the season strong. The Hokies ended 2008 by beating Boston College 30-12 to win the ACC Championship, then beat Cincinnati 20-7 to win the Orange Bowl.

Offensively, Tyrod Taylor was a one-dimensional quarterback last year, hurting teams more with his legs than with his arms. That might be tough for Husker fans to accept, since Taylor hit 9 of 15 passes for 171 yards against the Huskers. That 171 was his season high, however, and Taylor only threw for two touchdowns all season. Part of the problem was inexperience at wide receiver. But 2009 might be a different situation, as the Hokies may be getting back wide receivers Brandon Dillard (achilles) and Zach Luckett (suspension) to bolster the receiver corps. Dillard impressed in the 2008 spring game with his speed before his injury. That may help with the perception that Taylor regressed as a passer last season. Part of that perception was a noticeable "hitch" in his passing motion, something he resolved during the offseason.

One year ago, Tech was scrambling to find a running back after suspensions and injuries depleted their depth. Enter Darren Evans, who rushed for 1265 yards and 11 touchdowns in his freshman season to solidify the Hokies. Depth improves with expectations for redshirt freshman Ryan Williams, who impressed in the Hokies spring game. And former starter Kenny Lewis returns as well for even more depth. A weakness going into last season is now a strength.

Husker fans will be glad that all-American Victor "Macho" Harris graduated. But as with any Virginia Tech defense, they return plenty of other great players. Athlon thinks Tech's defensive line is one of the best in college football, led by junior defensive end Jason Worilds who helped Tech lead the ACC in sack rate. Virginia Tech will have to replace two starters at linebacker, but sophomore Barquell Rivers got the start in the Orange Bowl due to injuries, and stuffed Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike on 4th and goal from the one yard line to snuff the Bearcats last comeback attempt. Despite the loss of Harris, the secondary should be just as strong as ever led by Stephan Virgil, who tied Harris for the team lead in interceptions.

Virginia Tech is a preseason top ten pick by many prognosticators, ranked as high as fifth by ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach. Whether that's too high or not, Virginia Tech is going to be a tough matchup for the Huskers on the road. Nebraska can't afford to make the mistakes they made last September if the Huskers are to have any chance.

Here are the results of the original poll, which has been reset, rather than re-opened. It'll provide a snapshot of where people were then, versus after a couple of games by both teams. Rather than post it

Update

Virginia Tech enters this weekend's game at 1-1. The Hokies lost to Alabama 34-24 to start the season, then destroyed Marshall 52-10 last week. Here's the surprise - the Hokies defensive line - Jason Worilds, Nekos Brown, Cordarrow Thompson, and John Graves - was supposed to be the strength of the defense, yet Virginia Tech gave up 498 yards of offense to Alabama and after two games the Hokies are 101st in the nation against the run. We'll have more on this later in the week.

The Virginia Tech offense is currently ranked 62nd overall, 115th in passing, and 13th on the ground.

If Tyrod Taylor's passing improved, it's a well-kept secret. After two games, he's completed 50% of his passes, 18 for 36 for 252 yards, one interception and two touchdowns. He's rushed 17 times for 32 yards for a massive 1.88 yard average. Below are his stats from his games so far this season from both games:

vs Alabama / 9.5.09	Passing					Rushing
	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	TD	Rush	Yds	Avg	TD
Tyrod Taylor	9	20	50.0	91	0	10	-26	-2.6	0

vs Marshall / 9.12.09	Passing					Rushing
	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	TD	Rush	Yds	Avg	TD
Tyrod Taylor	9	16	60.0	161	2	7	58	8.3	0

Not exactly world-beating.

Virginia Tech is going to do what they always do - establish a strong running game and beat the Huskers on the ground. Darren Evans injured his knee and is out for the season, leaving Ryan Williams and David Wilson as the ball carriers. Here are their stats so far this season - it should be noted that all of Wilson's yardage came against Marshall. : :

		Rushing					Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD
2009 - Ryan Williams	2	29	235	117.5	8.1	5	3	78	39	26	0

		Rushing					Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD
2009 - David Wilson	2	12	165	82.5	13.8	1	0	0	0	0	0

Virginia Tech is excelling in punt returns, currently ranked 14th nationally, averaging nearly 20 yards per return with one touchdown. In kick returns, they're at 20th, averaging over 28 yards per return, also with one touchdown.

There's nothing deceptive about what's going to happen Saturday. The Hokies are going to do what they've been doing for years under Frank Beamer - play tough-minded football and force their opponent into making mistakes.

The Huskers have done a better job of taking care of the ball so far this season, currently ranked 15th (tied) in turnover margin with +1.50, while Virginia Tech is even and ranked (also tied) at 59th. However, this is deceptive as the Hokies have played a top-ranked opponent on the road (Atlanta), while Nebraska has played two inferior opponents at home.

What to Expect:

Nothing fancy, nothing mysterious. This game is all about turnovers. If Zac Lee and his offense can keep their cool in a tough environment, the Huskers can win the game. If not, well, that's not a mystery either.

Poll

If you were a Vegas Oddsmaker, where would you set the Husker/Hokie betting line?

Huskers roll to a double-digit victory

13 votes

Huskers win a close one

115 votes

Virginia Tech edges the Big Red at home

77 votes

Virginia Tech rolls to a double-digit victory

29 votes

The Hokies blow out the Huskers

5 votes

239 votes | Poll has closed

Does Darren Evans Get Too Many Carries?

furrer4heisman — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:00:22 -0000

Virginia Tech running back Darren Evans was a workhorse for the Hokies last year, running for over 1,200 yards. But the 2nd Team All-ACC honoree needed 287 to do it and led the ACC in rushing attempts by 78. Evans received 71. 9 percent of the 399 carries given to running backs last year.

Evans' workload was the result of young players who weren't ready and an early-season injury to Kenny Lewis. Lewis was the second-most used running back with 63 carries despite only appearing in six games.

After Lewis was injured in the Western Kentucky game, the most carries from a Virginia Tech back not named Darren Evans was six, twice by Josh Oglesby.

Not even Maryland's Da'rel Sc'ott received that high a percentage of running back carries. Scott got 209 of his team's 325 RB carries (64.3 percent).

Evans' workload will likely decrease in 2009 with the emergence of freshman Ryan Williams, the reported improvement of Oglesby and the return of Lewis. But how many is the right number or attemps for Evans?

I think he should get closer to Scott's workload, around 60-65 percent of the running back carries. The rest should go mainly to Williams, who can do things Evans can't outside of the tackles and in the open field. Evans should be used to wear defenses down. Williams should be used to break them.

Evans showed that even as a freshman he can withstand a large workload. But I worry about him breaking down if he keeps bashing into the line of scrimmage as many times as he does.

Poll

What percentage of RB carries should Darren Evans get in 2009?

50-60 percent

57 votes

61-70 percent

42 votes

71-80 percent

11 votes

81+ percent

8 votes

118 votes | Poll has closed