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Tech-BC postgame notes
• Virginia Tech wore maroon helmets, with maroon jerseys and white pants today. Tech is now 106-33 all-time under head coach Frank Beamer wearing the maroon-maroon-white combination.
• Temperature at kickoff was 43 degrees. Under Beamer, the Hokies are 29-14 overall (21-7 at home) when the temperature is 45 degrees or below (not wind chill) at kickoff.
• Willie Byrn had a 44-yard catch in the first quarter, marking the longest offensive play by the Hokies this season.
• True freshman Marshawn Williams scored a touchdown in the first quarter, his fourth of the year. Twenty of the first 28 touchdowns on the season have been scored by freshmen (22 of 28 by underclassmen).
• Williams’ touchdown in the first quarter extended Virginia Tech’s scoring streak to 252 games. The streak is the fifth-longest active streak in the FBS and the 11th-longest of all-time in the Division I-A/FBS history. The score came on Tech’s first drive of the game, the 82nd time in the streak that has happened and fifth time this season.
• Virginia Tech scored first in the game. This is the first time the Hokies have lost this season when scoring first (4-1).
• BC’s Myles Willis had a 68-yard run for a score in the second quarter, the longest offensive play the Hokies have allowed this season.
• Joey Slye had a field goal blocked at the end of the half. It’s the second field goal he’s had blocked this season. He’s also had one PAT blocked.
• True freshman Isaiah Ford had seven receptions in the game to give him 41 for the season, breaking the Tech freshman record for catches in a season set by Josh Stanford, who had 40 last season. His 522 yards receiving on the season are the second-most ever by a freshman at Tech (Stanford, 640, last season) and the most by a true freshman, breaking Eddie Royal’s mark of 470 set in 2004.
• Tech has trailed at the break four times this season and has yet to win a game when trailing at the half.
• Michael Brewer scored on a sneak in the fourth quarter, his second rushing score of the season. He threw for a career-high 345 yards and completed 31 passes. His 31 completions are the most ever in a game under Beamer, topping his 30 completions against ECU earlier this year. The 31 completions are the second-most in school history, just behind Don Strock’s 34 against Houston in 1972.
• Andrew Motuapuaka tallied a career-high 14 tackles in his second career start. He has 25 tackles in his two starts.
• Redshirt freshman tight end Bucky Hodges recorded his fifth touchdown catch of the season - the most by a Tech tight end since Andre Smith had five in 2010. Jeff King holds the school record for touchdown catches in a season by a tight end with his six in 2005.
• Deon Clarke set a new career high with 2.5 tackles for loss.
• Tight end Ryan Malleck’s touchdown catch late in the game was the first of his career.
• Virginia Tech is now 2-4 at home this year. The last time the Hokies lost four games at home in a season was in 1992 when they went 1-4-1 at Lane Stadium. The Hokies have never lost five home games in a season at Lane Stadium (1965) and have one home game left (Virginia; 11/28).
BC outlasts Tech
Boston College squandered a 13-point, second-half lead, but rallied to beat the Hokies 33-24 at Lane Stadium on Saturday.
The win moved BC to 6-3 overall, 3-2 in the ACC. Tech, which lost its third straight, fell to 4-5, 1-4 in ACC competition.
The Hokies scored touchdowns on back-to-back drives in the fourth quarter to take a 24-23 lead. A 1-yard quarterback sneak by Michael Brewer ended the first drive and a 7-yard touchdown pass from Brewer to tight end Bucky Hodges ended the second one, giving Tech the one-point advantage.
BC answered on its ensuing possession. A 25-yard pass from quarterback Tyler Murphy to Josh Bordner got the Eagles to the Tech 35. The drive stalled at the Tech 26, but the Eagles got a 44-yard field goal from Alex Howell to take a 26-24 lead with 4:12 left in the game.
Tech went three-and-out on its next possession and punted. The Hokies stopped the Eagles for no gain on first and second down, but on third-and-10, Murphy kept the ball and ran up the middle 57 yards for a touchdown with 2:59 left in the game.
That all but sealed the win for the Eagles. The Hokies scored another touchdown on a 5-yard pass from Brewer to Ryan Malleck with 28 seconds left, but BC recovered the onsides kick.
Murphy paced BC with 122 yards on 18 carries. He also completed 8-of-15 for 110 yards and two touchdowns.
Brewer led the Hokies, completing 31-of-48 for 345 yards and two touchdowns. But Tech again struggled to get the ground game going, rushing for just 69 yards.
BC adds to its lead
BC added to its lead on its second drive of the second half. A five-play, 50-yard drive ended when BC quarterback Tyler Murphy threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Outlow on third-and-goal from the Tech 2. BC missed the extra point, but took a 20-10 lead with 7:52 left in the third quarter.
Unforutnately for Tech, Deon Newsome botched the ensuing kickoff, and BC’s Matt Milano recovered it at the Tech 10. The Hokies’ defense held, forcing BC to kick a field goal. Joey Launceford’s 19-yard field goal gave the Eagles a 23-10 lead with 5:36 left in the third quarter.
This was not a pretty quarter for the Hokies, who had just one first down in the quarter and just 27 yards of offense The Hokies have just two first downs in the past five drives.
Virginia Tech Halftime Notes
• Virginia Tech is wearing maroon helmets, with maroon jerseys and white pants today. Tech is 106-32 all-time under head coach Frank Beamer wearing the maroon-maroon-white combination.
• Temperature at kickoff was 43 degrees. Under head coach Frank Beamer, the Hokies are 29-13 overall (21-6 at home) when the temperature is 45 degrees or below (not wind chill) at kickoff. This is the first game Tech has played where it’s 45 or below since last year’s Virginia game.
• Heading into today’s game, Dadi Nicolas had blocked a kick in back-to-back games. A blocked kick today would make him the first Tech player since John Graves blocked a kick in three straight games to open the season. Graves blocked a PAT against East Carolina in the opener, a field goal against Furman and a PAT against Georgia Tech. Graves is the only player under head coach Frank Beamer to block a kick in three straight games.
• The Hokies have posted a 31-6 record in the month of November (29-6 in ACC games) since 2004.
• Willie Byrn had a 44-yard catch in the first quarter, marking the longest offensive play by the Hokies this season.
• True freshman Marshawn Williams scored a touchdown in the first quarter, his fourth of the year. Twenty-one of the first 27 touchdowns on the season have been scored by freshmen (23 of 27 by underclassmen).
• Williams’ touchdown in the first quarter extended Virginia Tech’s scoring streak to 252 games. The streak is the fifth-longest active streak in the FBS and the 11th-longest of all-time in the Division I-A/FBS history. The score came on Tech’s first drive of the game, the 82nd time in the streak that has happened and fifth time this season.
• Virginia Tech scored first in the game. This season, the Hokies are 4-0 when scoring first, yet 0-4 when the opponent scores first.
• BC’s Myles Willis had a 68-yard run for a score in the second quarter, the longest offensive play the Hokies have given up this season.
• Joey Slye had a field goal blocked at the end of the half. It’s the second field goal he’s had blocked this season. He’s also had one PAT blocked.
• True freshman Isaiah Ford had four receptions in the first half to give him 38 for the season. His total is a record for true freshmen at Tech, but the freshman record for catches in a season belongs to Josh Stanford, who had 40 last season.
• Tech has trailed at the break three times this season and has yet to win a game when it was trailing at the half.
INJURY UPDATE: OT Jonathan McLaughlin is out for the rest of the game (left ankle). Wade Hansen will handle the right tackle duties.
BC leads 14-10 at halftime
BC answered Virginia Tech’s touchdown by scoring a touchdown on the first play of the second quarter. A seven-play, 41-yard drive ended when BC quarterback Tyler Murphy threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to receiver Charlie Callinan, and the extra point tied the game at 7 with 14:56 left in the first half.
Tech, though, retook the lead on its next possession. The Hokies drove to the BC 3, but back-to-back plays lost seven yards, and Tech settled for a 27-yard field goal by kicker Joey Slye to give the Hokies a 10-7 lead with 12:45 left in the first half.
BC took its first lead in the game after the Hokies couldn’t convert on fourth-and-1 from the BC 37. A two-play drive ended when BC tailback Myles Willis burst through the line and scored on a 68-yard run. The extra point gave the Eagles a 14-10 lead with 8:10 left in the half.
Tech had a chance to cut into the lead right before halftime, but Slye’s 30-yard field-goal attempt with three seconds left in the half was blocked. So the Hokies trailed 14-10 at halftime.
BC outgained Tech 192-165 in the first half. Tech quarterback Michael Brewer completed 13-of-17 for 151 yards. The Hokies, though, only rushed for 14 yards.
Willis paced BC with 76 yards on three carries. Murphy completed 5-of-8 for 82 yards, with the touchdown.
Hokies grab early lead
Despite an inauspicious beginning – the Hokies were flagged for an illegal block on the opening kickoff and then had to take a timeout before running the first play – the Hokies went 95 yards in nine plays on the opening drive of the game. A 44-yard pass from quarterback Michael Brewer to receiver Willie Byrn got Tech to the BC 12, and two plays later, Marshawn Williams scored on an 8-yard run. Joey Slye’s extra point gave Tech a 7-0 lead with 11:51 left in the first quarter.
The drive marked Tech’s longest of the season. The 44-yard pass to Byrn marked the Hokies’ longest play of the season.
The Hokies, though, were backed up on their other two drives of the first quarter and went three-and-out on both. Tech still finished with more yards (94) than BC (72), but BC was driving at the Tech 8 when the first quarter ended.
Tech dress squad notes
In all, 72 players made the dress squad for Virginia Tech’s game against Boston College today. That is one less than was on the dress squad for the Hokies’ game against Miami.
Tech mike linebacker Chase Williams will not dress for the game. He was listed as doubtful because of a knee injury coming into the game. Williams, who leads the team in tackles (54) and tackles for a loss (8.5), was in a blue jersey during practices this past week, meaning he was limited.
Der’Woun Greene is back on the dress squad. Greene, a backup rover, missed the Miami game with a neck injury.
Those who were on the dress squad for the Miami game, but are not on it for today’s game include Chris Durkin, Devin Vandyke, Drew Burns and Kevin Asante. Durkin, a freshman quarterback, is taking a redshirt year, but usually makes the dress squad. Vandyke and Burns made the dress squad last week because of Williams’ absence.
On the injury front, tailback Trey Edmunds (clavicle), tight end Kalvin Cline (knee) and Brandon Facyson (shin) are out because of injuries, and the latter two figure to apply for medical hardship waivers. Facyson has played in just three games this season and Cline just two.
Maddy talks about decision to end season
Days before the Pittsburgh game, Tech defensive tackle Luther Maddy decided to end his season and get a second surgery to repair cartilage in his right knee. He injured it in the Hokies’ loss to East Carolina and had surgery to repair a torn meniscus on Sept. 23 shortly after the Georgia Tech game. He expected to miss a couple of games.
But the knee responded slowly to rehab, and as it turned out, he has cartilage damage. So he decided to hang up his uniform for 2014, and he will apply for a medical hardship waiver. Since he played in just four games before the halfway point of the season – and never took a redshirt season – he should receive that waiver from the conference office and return as a fifth-year senior next season.
“It’s hard for me to rate pain because I think a lot of pain is tolerable,” Maddy said. “I was trying to play through it. But it was to the point where I wasn’t going to be the same player, so I thought I’d redshirt and get healthy. I want to get the tendinitis right in my left knee and get the cartilage taken care of in my right knee. That way, I’ll be healthy and ready to contribute a full season to our team.”
It was a tough decision for Maddy, who contemplated leaving school early last season and making himself available for the NFL Draft. But he returned, wanting to get his degree and wanting to lead the Hokies to a big season. He felt that would improve his NFL draft chances more than anything else.
Maddy places a lot of importance in his faith, and he felt that God led him to make his latest decision.
“When it came down to it, God felt like it wasn’t the right time for me to leave and go to the pros,” he said. “I think this is God’s way of telling me to stay in Blacksburg, take some more classes, get more knowledgeable about things and get healthy. God has a plan, and I’m not mad about it.”
Maddy (photo below) said he would undergo surgery in the near future and probably be out the next 4-6 months. That means he probably would miss spring practice.
In the meantime, he continues to go to Tech’s practices and to all the defensive line meetings. He chimes in whenever he sees something that may help one of the Hokies’ defensive tackles.
Tech’s rush defense hasn’t been up to its usual standards the past couple of games with Maddy out of the lineup. Pittsburgh rushed for 210 yards and the ’Canes rolled up 364 on the ground in back-to-back Thursday night games. The Hokies will have to find a way to improve those numbers here in the stretch run of the 2014 season.
“It’s small things – bad footwork here, or overrunning the play, or not flattening out,” Maddy said. “ I’ve been saying this since February. When it comes down to the small things, it’s all about practice habits. Those guys have been working on it, and they’ll get it corrected. Get those small things corrected in practice and that will eliminate some of the big plays that they [the Panthers and ’Canes] had. Practice how you’re going to play. Not that they haven’t been, but they need to address a few other things.”
Maddy’s return for 2015 means that six of the front seven would return on defense next season.
Wright wiling to change redshirt plans to help Tech
Talk about a crazy year for Tech tailback Jerome Wright. Back in August, he left the program for personal reasons, missing a two-week stretch of preseason practice. Then he returned to the team, and the coaches told him that they were going to have him take a redshirt year.
But injuries to tailbacks Shai McKenzie, Trey Edmunds and Marshawn Williams changed those plans. Williams’ ankle injury forced him to miss the Pittsburgh game, and in the preceding week, Wright found himself getting reps in practice with the first- and second-team offense. Unfortunately, a strained hamstring kept Wright from making the trip.
Yet running backs coach Shane Beamer kept Wright involved and decided to play him in the Hokies’ Thursday night contest against Miami, as he and the team continue the search for a consistent running attack.
“I wasn’t too surprised,” Wright said. “Throughout the week, they told me that I was going to get a couple of plays during the game. I had my mind ready to go in and play.”
Normally, Tech’s staff wouldn’t use a player taking a redshirt year this late in the season. But the Hokies were at 4-3 after the loss to Pittsburgh, and they’re looking to extend their bowl streak to 22 straight – the second-longest active streak (Florida State, 32) and the fifth-longest streak ever. The coaches are willing to do what it takes to win now, and Wright was fine with the decision to play, even if it meant costing him his redshirt season. He can still take one down the road.
“Whatever they [the coaches] want me to do, I’ll do,” Wright said. “I’ll do anything to help the team out. If they wanted to take my redshirt away or redshirt me, whichever, it was fine. Whatever they wanted me to do, I would have done.”
Wright got three carries in the Miami game for nine yards. But he fumbled at the Miami 17 on a drive late in the third quarter, costing the Hokies a scoring chance. In fact, the nine-play, 72-yard drive was the Hokies’ best of the game to that point (they later had a 77-yard drive that ended with a touchdown, their lone score of the game).
“I’ve got to go out and do my job and help the team out, not hurt them,” Wright said. “The fumble was a game changer. If we could have kept the possession and got a score, maybe we would have gotten it going. I’ve got to hold the ball. There are no excuses for fumbling. I’m going to go back and practice hard and hold onto the ball. That’s all I can say.”
“It was a tough position for him on Thursday,” Beamer said. “He’s a guy we’ve kept involved. It’s not like he’s been forgotten and we’ve moved on. He’s been getting reps with us. He’s been primarily on the scout team, and it was actually Coach [Bud] Foster and the defensive coaches that came and said, ‘You really ought to think about playing Jerome. He’s doing a lot of great things against us on the scout team.’
“So we repped him [gave him practice reps] quite a bit the past two weeks and he did a nice job, and we felt he could give us something, just another physical runner that can break tackles and can provide depth from a fullback spot. He knows both and brings a lot to the table. He’s ready. I wouldn’t have put him in the game Thursday night if I didn’t think he could execute.”
Wright figures to be a part of the tailback mix for the rest of the season. Head coach Frank Beamer said the trio of Williams, Sam Rogers and Wright would be the top trio at the spot against BC.
Wright gives the Hokies a physical presence at the position. He’s not overly elusive, more the ham-and-egg type, but at 225 pounds, he can push a pile three or four yards when nothing seems to be there.
Wright played last season as a true freshman, and he got seven carries in the Sun Bowl (for 27 yards, see the photo above). So he knows the system, and after a month of working with the varsity squad, he’s ready for an expanded role.
“I feel comfortable now,” he said. “I’m getting reps in practice and going to meetings and studying plays more. I’m feeling more comfortable now.”
If you're going to the @VT_Football game this weekend, wear extra layers and make the top one waterproof. pic.twitter.com/3lwMESlIy1
— Brent Watts (@wattsupbrent) October 30, 2014
Tech defensive line expecting another brawl in trenches
Virginia Tech defensive line coach Charley Wiles is a regular attendee at the media’s Tuesday post-practice interview session largely because he answers questions rather succinctly. He minced no words when analyzing his defensive line’s performance following the 30-6 loss to Miami last Thursday night.
“We got our butt kicked up front,” Wiles said. “That’s the bottom line.”
Certainly, Tech’s smaller front seven struggled somewhat against Miami’s big offensive line. According to their depth chart, the ’Canes average nearly 310 pounds per man on the offensive line, led by left tackle Ereck Flowers, who weighs a listed 324 pounds. Nigel Williams (photo below) is the biggest Tech defensive lineman at 291 pounds now that Luther Maddy is out for the season.
Behind that offensive line, Miami amassed 364 yards rushing. Tailback Duke Johnson rushed for 229 yards and a touchdown, while Gus Edwards rushed for 115 and two touchdowns. .jpg)
Obviously, the ’Canes have talent and can be explosive. They scored 31 in a loss at Nebraska and 55 in a win over Cincinnati. But Tech made its share of mistakes.
“I think a lot of that was us,” Wiles said. “We got cut off once and that cost us a touchdown. That was one big one. We lost leverage a handful of times. We contributed to it. We didn’t play our best – and we had to play our best. We had to play great, obviously, to win the game.
“We played better in the second half. We had the goal-line stop, and they scored the [second-half] touchdown when we had a guy slip. Then we turned the ball over a few times. The game could have been 24-14 or 24-21 and you’re feeling a little bit better, but it ended up 30-6.”
The concern now for the Hokies is that they play an opponent this Saturday in Boston College that resembles Miami – only with a better quarterback.
Tyler Murphy, a transfer from Florida, leads the Eagles with 843 yards rushing on 113 carries (7.5 ypc). He also has eight rushing touchdowns. Through the air, he’s completing 55.8 percent of his passes for 1,034 yards, with six touchdowns and six interceptions.
He does all this behind an offensive line that averages right at 300 pounds per man. In addition, the Eagles feature a couple of tight ends that weigh 250 pounds or more. Between Murphy’s speed and the blocking of that big offensive line, the Eagles are averaging 277 yards rushing per game – a number that ranks 10th nationally.
“He’s good,” Wiles said of Murphy. “They’re Boston College – with a running quarterback. He’s made them better this year than they were last year just simply because of that element. They’re basically the same. They play to their strengths. They’re using all their weapons.”
Tech has struggled some with mobile quarterbacks this season. Pittsburgh’s Chad Voytik rushed for 118 yards, and UNC’s Marquise Williams rushed for 94.
But the game is trending that way. A lot of quarterbacks these days are primary ball carriers.
“It makes it 11 on 11,” Wiles said. “When you’ve got a quarterback that can run, you don’t have an extra hitter [because you have to account for the quarterback]. The quarterback is the ball carrier.”
At 4-4 overall, 1-3 in the ACC, the Hokies find themselves needing two more wins with four games to play to become bowl eligible. Two of the four are at Lane Stadium.
Most of the players and coaches are calling this BC game a “must” win, especially since Tech is coming off two straight losses. But it won’t be easy.
“We’ve got to get better,” Wiles said. “Ain’t nobody feeling sorry for us. We’ve got to win this one.”
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