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I didn’t have a tape recorder, so these “quotes” are more paraphrases, but you’ll get the point. Nothing earth shattering, but he does address a few key topics that most Hokie fans are curious about following the Nebraska win.

On Tyrod’s Ankle:

Yeah, actually it was his knee, but they feel like he’s going to be OK. He was trying to stay in bounds, but go in an awkward position, but yeah, I think he’s going to be okay.

On Losing Davon Morgan for the Season:

I really hate to see him go down. He’s such a good person for this team, not just his play, but off the field. He’s positive. Every day is a good day. He comes around, I feel better. When he’s around the team, they feel better. But he’s schedule to have surgery and he’ll be back next year.

On Morgan’s Replacement, Dorian Porch:

He made a big play at the end of the [Nebraska] game. He’s got the qualifications; physically, he’s very good. I think he’s going to do well.

On the Important of the Nebraska Road Win:

You don’t go into a stadium like that with an undefeated team, playing a tough, emotional team like we played unless we have some toughness ourselves. Two or three times we thought we had the game in good shape and then suddenly we weren’t in good shape. Everybody hung in there and kept playing. The onside kick, great play by [Greg] Boone and [Cam] Martin, great block by Martin. You don’t win in Nebraska, in that environment, unless you have some tough-minded kids … and we got ‘em.

On the Improvement of the Team from the Season-Opening Loss:

I like to think that we’re a little like Joe Torre [LA Dodgers Manager]. he went through some tough things this year but he was always the same. I like to think we’re like that as a coaching staff; not panicking, not pressing, let’s just get better. And our players have played hard. We don’t always play well, but they always play hard.

I like this football team. i like the kids. I like how we play. You don’t see us getting a lot of crazy penalties. You don’t see a lot of trash talking out there.

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Ryan Shuman, r-Sr., Center

Following the Hokies best offensive performance of the season, Virginia Tech center Ryan Shuman (r-Sr.) was named ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week after posting seven knockdown blocks and opening big holes that allowed the Hokies to rush for 206 yards against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Congratulations to Ryan on the well-deserved recognition! Click here to see the rest of the ACC Players of the Week honors.

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Bad news for the Hokies. Sophomore starting rover Davon Morgan will miss the rest of the 2008 season after tearing the ACL in his right knee in Tech’s 35-30 win over Nebraska. Morgan was returning a kickoff with 10:40 left in the second quarter when he planted to make a cut and his knee buckled. Morgan went down immediately without contact and began clutching his right leg. Trainer Mike Goforth said after the game that Morgan will have surgery to repair the torn ACL. If all goes well, Morgan should be back to 100% by fall practice next season.

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Box Score | Highlights

Well, it looks like Nebraska coach Bo Pelini will have to keep those black shirts hidden for a little longer. What a great road win! The Hokies played by far their best and most complete game of the season in beating Nebraska 35-30 in Lincoln … on NATIONAL TELEVISION! Of course, the win was tempered somewhat with the news after the game that rover Davon Morgan tore his ACL and will miss the rest of the season. His backup, Dorian Porch played well and even recovered the fumble in the closing seconds of the game to secure the win and had the presence of mind to fall down instead of risking getting hit and fumbling the ball.

This game marked the best offensive output of the season for the Hokies with 377 total yards. However, even Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer voiced his concern after the game about the offense’s struggles in the red zone. Four times the Hokies were inside the Huskers’ 20, but only managed a field goal on those four trips. But, the important thing to remember is that the offense was moving the ball with a very balanced and effective attack, which was a major improvement over Tech’s first four games. The red zone efficiency will come, of that I’m sure.

I was very impressed with a lot of things the Hokies did against Nebraska. The first was quarterback Tyrod Taylor’s command of the offense. Not just his ability to make plays, but it was clear he was playing with a great deal of confidence that was lacking in his previous starts. Taylor was barking out orders, getting his guys in the huddle and showing some emotion – he is emerging as the leader of this offense and it was a welcome sight Saturday night. The team as a whole played with fire, determination and a newfound level of confidence. Guys were making big plays and getting after it.

Breaking Down the Offense

It took five games, a lot of public criticism of offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring, and some defensive press conferences by Beamer, but the Hokies finally looked like a real Division I-A college football offense Saturday. What I find interesting is that it came against what was supposed to be the toughest defensive opponent of the season … on the road … in front of more than 85,000 people. Go figure.

Tech piled up a season-high 377 yards, more than 100 yards better than their season average of 272. More importantly, the Hokies got their passing game going and racked up a season-high 171 yards. Taylor was able to spread the ball around to five different receivers as Nebraska’s soft secondary left Hokies wide open.

Redshirt freshman Darren Evans continues to lead the Hokies running backs with 72 yards and two touchdowns against Nebraska. Evans leads all RBs with six TDs and 336 yards rushing this season. Tyrod is the team’s second leading rusher with 308 yards. Though, Tyrod average more yards per game (he didn’t play against ECU) with 77 and more yards per carry with 5.5.

The offensive line had its ups and downs against Nebraska, but for the most part, played well. They gave up a pair of sacks and the Hokies had trouble running the ball at times, but then the line would open up gaping holes and either Evans or Kenny Lewis Jr., who would run for a big gain. The big uglies are definitely playing better up front and are beginning to show signs of being able to dominate.

Lastly, NO TURNOVERS!

Breaking Down the Defense

Bud Foster’s lunch pail defense, like the UNC game, had its good plays and bad plays in this game. It effectively game up 23 points, which is a bit much for Foster’s liking, but just like the UNC game, the guys made the big plays when they had to, including Macho Harris’ interception and Stephan Virgil’s forced fumble and Dorian Porch’s recover in the final seconds to secure the win.

Kam Chancellor got burned on Nebraska’s first touchdown of the game; Harris lost his man on the Huskers’ final TD of the game; and on Nebraska’s second TD, three Tech defenders missed tackles as Roy Helu ran for a 12-yard score right up the middle. Tech lost containment on several plays, allowing Nebraska to get outside and pick up big chunks of yards. Check out Foster’s reaction to his defense losing contain at the 6:00 mark of the highlight video – he was not happy.

Look, defensively, it wasn’t pretty, but finally, the offense was able to step up and help the D out a little. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again … bend, don’t break. The defense continues to improve and make big plays – Foster’s got his guys going in the right direction.

Breaking Down the Special Teams

Talk about the good, the bad and the ugly. Beamerball got off to a great start with a blocked punt (first of the season) early in the first quarter. Stephan Virgil came through unblocked to bat the punt down and out of the endzone giving the Hokies a safety.

The Hokies also did a pretty good job of returning kicks averaging 21 per kickoff return and 23.5 per punt return. Tech’s kicking game was also solid as redshirt senior place kicker Dustin Keys was 4/4, booting FGs of 19, 38, 27 and 36 yards; he also nailed all three PATs.

Punter Brent Bowden also had a solid game, though he did shank a 21-yard punt early in the fourth quarter. Outside of that, he dropped three punts inside Nebraska’s 20 yard line and averaged about 35 yards a kick.

Of course, the glaring failure on special teams was the 88-yard punt return for a touchdown by Nebraska that cut the Hokies lead to 28-23 in the fourth quarter.

What does it all mean, Basil?

The Hokies now have a viable offense, which means that the rest of the teams on Tech’s schedule are now on notice … the Hokies appear to be back. Next up is Division I-A transitional team Western Kentucky, which lost 41-3 to Kentucky on Saturday. Well guys, I was up pretty much all night watching the game (again) and putting together highlights and reading all of the recaps from other publications, so I’m pretty beat. I’m heading to bed with thoughts of Hokie touchdowns dancing in my head. Great win, gang. We get a quick tuneup game before we go on the road against BC and FSU … those games won’t be cakewalks, trust me.

Closing Notes:

• The 85,831 fans at Memorial Stadium represented the largest crowd in stadium history.
• The Huskers lost to an ACC team for the first time in the school’s history (5-1).
• The Hokies scored nine points in the first quarter, the first game all season they’ve scored in the opening quarter.
• Tech has yet to have a running back rush for 100 yards in a game this season.
• For the third straight game, personal foul calls against Tech’s opponent have sustained 4th quarter drives for the Hokies, which helped them to burn time off the clock.
• Tyrod Taylor is now 8-0 as a starting QB for the Hokies.

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Recap | Box Score

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Recap | Box Score

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Just saw over on WSLS’s Web site – I know, I was shocked that they reported on a story first, too – that suspended wide receiver Zach Luckett was convicted of driving under the influence and will spend five days in jail as part of his punishment. He will also pay a $250 fine and perform 100 hours of community service. So, it doesn’t look like Luckett will play for the Hokies at all this season. Read more over at WSLS.com.

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Hey Hokie fans! We wanted to let you know that VTHokieFans.com was upgraded today to the current supported version of WordPress. We’ve skimmed the site and haven’t seen any errors just yet, but if you spot something that isn’t working correctly, please send e-mail to theteam@vthokiefans.com. Thanks and GO HOKIES!

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From HokieSports.com:

BLACKSBURG – The Virginia Tech Athletics Department has announced that the Hokies’ football game vs. Western Kentucky on Saturday, Oct. 4 will be broadcast on ACC Select. Tech will battle the Hilltoppers beginning at 1:30 p.m. The game is the Homecoming contest for the Hokies.

Fans interested in viewing the game on ACC Select can simply log on to http://www.theacc.com/accselect/ or by going to hokiesports.com the day of the game.

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Despite a strong second half performance that helped the Hokies to a come-from-behind win over the upstart North Carolina Tar Heels, Virginia Tech’s offensive production continue to drop. Take a peek at the official NCAA offensive stats for all 119 Division I-A (Bowl Subdivision) teams and you’ll see that the Hokies are currently ranked 112th out of 119 teams. The passing game is ranked 114th and the running game is ranked 45th. Temple, Central Florida, Army, Wyoming, UCLA, Virginia and Florida International are the only seven teams with a worse offense than Virginia Tech. Of the 12 teams in the ACC, the Hokies rank 11th, just ahead of Virginia in total offense.

Here’s my question to you, Hokie fans: Let’s say that you are the head coach of a Division I-A football program and are looking for an offensive coordinator. You meet with a candidate and you ask, “How has your offense ranked in each of the last three seasons?” And you get the following response:

“Under my direction, the offense ranked 99th, 100th and 112th in the last three years.”

Would you hire this offensive coordinator? I’m not making a judgement, I’m just asking a simple question and I’d love to hear your responses. Track the Hokies’ offensive stats throughout the 2008 season.

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