LSU flat out whipped my Virginia Tech Hokies last night 48-7. Of course, realistic Hokie fans knew that this was probably coming, so it should not come as any surprise. What is surprising is that I wake up this Sunday morning, Sept. 9, without the normal sense of despair and hopelessness that general dominates my mood for a few days after a Tech loss. Instead, I feel like a sense of hope, albeit faint; but I feel like Virginia Tech, and especially Frank Beamer, have turned a corner and have set forth on a new path, in a new direction.

It took all of two games for Tyrod Taylor, the highly touted true freshman quarterback, to get into a game and the circumstances couldn’t have been any more daunting. It was a risk that Beamer had no choice but to take. To put a true freshman, who is one month removed from his 18th birthday, into a game against the nation’s best team (I don’t care about USC being No. 1 - LSU is the best team in the country), in the middle of a blowout, was bound to test the mettle of any player, especially a kid making his first college appearance.

I was impressed with Taylor’s play. He showed the ability to escape one of the best defenses in the country, which is going to be very important going forward since Tech offensive line can’t seem to block anyone.

Something else I noticed immediately, is that Taylor seemed quite comfortable stretching the field and going deep to his talented receivers - something his predecessor struggled with. Granted, Taylor didn’t complete many passes, but I chalk that up to playing one of the best defenses Tech has seen in the Beamer era, and to the fact that it was Tyrod’s first game.

Good grief, think about it, that’s like telling a Christian back in the Biblical days, “Hey, your Christian buddies aren’t fairing too well against those lions, why don’t you go in there and see what you can do … go get ‘em KID!”

So … this probably means that the Tyrod Taylor era has officially begun. I am not really surprised, especially after Beamer names Taylor his No. 2 quarterback before the season started. That told me that Sean Glennon was on a very short leash. That leash got even shorter after the first game in which, despite impressive stats, Glennon repeatedly failed to see wide open receivers down field and was routinely behind on the timing of his passes - a trend that continued into the LSU game.

It appears that Glennon, barring an injury, has played in his last meaningful game for the Hokies. He is a redshirt junior (which means he has been in the Tech system for four years) and still hasn’t shown much progress. He did an admirable job last season and didn’t lose any games. He played hard and gave his best for his teammates. But his role now is to help Taylor become the team’s starting quarterback. Outside of that, Glennon will join the likes of Dave Meyer and Grant Noel; former Virginia Tech quarterbacks who filled in until more talented signal callers were ready to take over. Someone has to do it, right?

Next up for the Hokies is a home game against Ohio University. This will be a great opportunity for Taylor to get some quality game experience against a team that won nine games last season. Tech’s defense will still have their hands full with a very good running back by the name of Kalvin McRae, who rushed for three touchdowns yesterday, and rushed for more than 1,200 yards last season.

I think the Hokies will bounce back after some serious soul searching and licking of some deep wounds after last night’s butt-kicking. But, like East Carolina, I don’t think this will be an easy “W” for the Hokies. But, it will give their new starting quarterback some quality playing time. In fact, the Hokies schedule is very favorable for the next three games - Ohio University, William & Mary and then UNC. I think by the time the Hokies get to the Georgia Tech game, they will have found some rhythm to their new offense and will give the Yellow Jackets a great game.

Alright, my fellow Hokies - I am off to the beach for a much needed vacation. Let me know what you think about the Hokies - e-mail me at gary@vthokiefans.com. I will take the best e-mails and put them together in a blog posting.