2010 Virginia Tech Hokies Football Preview

2009 Results: 10-3, Won Chik-Fil-A Bowl vs. Tennessee

Head Coach: Frank Beamer (24th Year, 187-92-2 @ Tech, 229-115-4 Overall)

Home Venue: Lane Stadium (66,233), Blacksburg, Virginia

Virginia Tech football has really become a machine in the last decade. Last season’s ten win campaign saw their streak of double digit win seasons extended to six straight years and the Hokies have gone bowling in seventeen consecutive autumns! The only negative note to 2009 was that Virginia Tech lost their grip on the ACC Championship after winning the league in 2007 and 2008. This season’s team is certainly talented enough to reclaim the league title but the pressing question on every Hokie’s mind is this: Can Tech rebuild their gutted defense quickly enough to get the job done?

OFFENSE

The offense is the far more veteran side of the football and they overcame a lot of adversity to produce the ACC’s 2nd highest scoring unit last year. 1,200 yard rusher Darren Evans missed the entire season due to a torn ACL in camp and there was serious concern that his production would not be replaced. However, sophomore Ryan Williams (1,655 yards, 21 TDs) stepped up in his absence and ran away with the ACC rushing title, earning 1 st Team Freshman All-American honors in the process. This fall, the Tech rushing game will be downright terrifying, as Evans was fully healthy in the spring and looked as good as ever. This will be one of the country’s elite tailback tandems in 2010.

Senior quarterback Tyrod Taylor (2,311 pass yards, 13 pass TDs, 5 INT, 370 rush yards, 5 rush TDs) is also a major threat running the ball, though he also proved last season that he was also a solid passer. Taylor has really evolved in his three seasons at Virginia Tech and he should have his best season this fall with his top three targets from 2009 back. Juniors Jarrett Boykin (40 catches, 835 yards, 5 TDs, 2nd Team All-ACC), Danny Coale (30 catches, 614 yards, 2 TDs) and Dyrell Roberts (22 catches, 390 yards, 3 TDs) are a talented group of big play receivers and they should have an even stronger campaign in 2010.

The final piece of the puzzle is the offensive line, which paved the way for the league’s 2nd best rushing game last fall. The Hokies have to replace two starters, both of whom were 2nd Team All-ACC selection, which started for a combined total of seven seasons. These are clearly huge losses but the three returning starters are all upperclassmen and the O-Line performed well during spring practice. I have confidence that this group will protect Taylor and open big holes in the running game this season.

In the end, I believe that this Virginia Tech offense compares favorably to the Alabama attack from last season that carried the Crimson Tide to the National Championship. The Hokies have two of the best tailbacks in the entire country in Evans and Williams and both could eclipse the 1,000 yard barrier this season. Furthermore, Tyrod Taylor’s experience and athleticism provides an extra dimension to the rushing game as he can take a broken play and turn it into a big gain. Finally, Virginia Tech’s wideouts were actually more of a big play threat last season than the group that was led by Julio Jones in Tuscaloosa! All of this leads me to believe that the Hokie offense is going to be a vicious force in the running game this season and their passing attack will gain yards in bunches off of play action. I fully expect this to be one of the country’s top running teams and the Hokies will bulldoze over a lot of opponents this fall en route to one of the ACC’s highest scoring offenses.

DEFENSE

There are considerably more question marks on the defensive side of the football, as Virginia Tech only has five returning starters from the ACC’s #1 rated scoring defense. However, this unit is still coached by Bud Foster and he is generally regarded as one of the best defensive coaches in the nation, so I have a great deal of faith in his ability to reload.

The D-Line is generally a strength for the Hokies, so last year’s run defense was a disappointment as they gave up more rush yards than any year since 2003. The only starter returning from 2009 is senior defensive tackle John Graves, who is a stalwart against the run but will not make an impact in the pass rush. Sophomore Antoine Hopkins will pair next to him and I think that this will be a solid duo against the run. Where this line will suffer is in the pass rush, as departed ends Nikos Brown and Jason Worilds combined for eleven sacks last fall. Junior Chris Drager (22 tackles, 2.5 sacks) seems likely to start in one of their spots but I don’t expect to see the front four get after the quarterback with a lot of consistency this year.

I am much more confident in the linebackers. Junior Barquell Rivers is the team’s top returning tackler after making 96 stops last fall and he should continue to be a force against the run. Meanwhile, sophomore Lyndell Gibson (53 tackles) was impressive in five starts and should be a tackling force this fall. Much like the D-Line, this looks like a strong group against the run but I don’t see this group pressuring the quarterback frequently.

The secondary is also full of athletes. Senior corner Rashad Carmichael (55 tackles, 6 INT) is one of the league’s best shutdown defenders and he should cut the field in half for the pass defense. On top of that, there should be a solid pair of safeties this season as senior Davon Morgan (47 tackles) will pair with redshirt freshman Antoine Exum, who was very impressive in the spring. While there will probably be two underclassmen starting for this unit, I have a lot of confidence that Carmichael will provide great leadership and guide this group to a strong 2010 campaign.

In the end, I have a lot of faith in this defense. Even with all of the replacements, the front seven looks to be quite solid against the run this fall. My only concern is the lack of any proven pass rushers, which could undermine a solid group of defensive backs. That said, Head Coach Frank Beamer and DC Foster have built up a lot of cache from their consistent reloading on defense in the last decade and I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt when it comes to getting pressure on the quarterback. I think that this will be a typically tough Virginia Tech defense, especially on the ground, and they should continue their presence near the top of the conference in scoring defense.

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SCHEDULE

This will be a significantly easier non-conference tilt for the Hokies when compared to last season, which saw them play Nebraska, Alabama and eventual C-USA Champion East Carolina. This fall, their big non-league game is a Labor Day showdown with Boise State in Washington, D.C. and you can bet that most of the country will be cheering for Virginia Tech to knock the Broncos out of the National Championship picture quickly. Other than that game, it is an easy slate for the Hokies because they play Central Michigan, East Carolina and D-1AA James Madison at home in the first half of the year.

The ACC schedule is also very favorable, as they avoid both Clemson and Florida State from the Atlantic Division. This is huge because they are the only one of the four contenders that doesn’t face off against one of the favorites from the other division! On top of that, the Hokies don’t play their major division rivals until December, so an 8-0 start is a strong possibility with a win over Boise State. However, after a Thursday night home clash against Georgia Tech, they do have to travel to North Carolina and Miami in back to back weeks and that stretch will likely decide their conference fate. Despite that tough three game stretch, this is one of the most favorable schedules in the country among National Championship contenders.

OUTLOOK

Yes, you read that right: I think that Virginia Tech is a bonafide National Championship contender. The Hokies will be dominating offensively with their great running game and play action passing attack and I am very confident that their defense will settle in quickly as one of the toughest units in the league. After their opener against paper tiger Boise State, Virginia Tech also has one of the easiest schedules of any team in the country through October. When I say paper tiger, I mean it: Boise State has a meager 4-4 record against BCS Conference teams in the regular season since 2005 and I fully expect the Hokies control the game with their double-headed monster at tailback. After all, Boise State’s last regular season foray outside of the Pacific Northwest was a 48-13 beatdown at the hands of Georgia in 2005 and I expect them to get whipped again. While I don’t think that Tech will emerge from a tough three week stretch in November unscathed, Virginia Tech is my pick to win the ACC Coastal Division in 2010.

That will match them up with Florida State in the ACC Championship Game. The Seminoles will certainly be a tough test with their balanced offensive attack and excellent quarterbacking, but the Hokies will be favored. In fact, Virginia Tech could be playing for a spot in the National Championship Game! I believe that the Hokies will defeat Florida State on the strength of their multifaceted running game as they will control the clock and keep Ponder and company on the sidelines. Virginia Tech is my pick to win the 2010 ACC Championship, their third league title in four years.

Unfortunately, I don’t see a 12-1 Virginia Tech team earning a berth in the National Championship Game as I believe that 12-1 Nebraska will carry enough votes coming off of an upset Big XII Championship to meet Ohio State for the National Championship. That will leave the Hokies Orange Bowl-bound while ranked #3 in the country. Now, I could be completely wrong here: The media and coaches might vote against an Ohio State-Nebraska matchup because both teams will be members of the Big Ten in 2011 and they might not want to see one conference have a monopoly on the championship game. I could certainly envision the Hokies playing for all the marbles if that becomes a concern. Either way, I am confident of this much: 2010 will be a banner year for the Virginia Tech Hokies.

PREDICTED RESULT: 11-1 (7-1 ACC)