Virginia Tech Redshirt junior tailback Darren Evans announced he was skipping his senior season to enter the NFL Draft.
Evans rushed for 854 yards and 11 touchdowns this season after missing all of 2009-10 with a torn ACL. The season prior, Evans ran for a then freshman record 1,265 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Evans may soon be joined by fellow Tech back Ryan Williams who many feel is leaning towards declaring early as well.
Virginia Tech’s talent level this season is as high as it’s ever been in Blacksburg.
The speed and athleticism across the board is very impressive and for once, the abundance of weapons are on the offensive side of the ball.
The backfield alone has a staggering amount of star power, starting with Tyrod Taylor.
The senior quarterback is coming off a season in which he showed significant progress as a passer.
Taylor threw for 2,311 yards with 13 touchdowns and five interceptions.
The biggest concern for some is are there enough carries to go around in the backfield.
Redshirt sophomore Ryan Williams returns after his record-setting freshman campaign when he rushed for 1,655 yards and 21 touchdowns on 293 carries.
This season, Williams will be sharing the carries with Darren Evans and David Wilson.
Evans is coming off a torn ACL that derailed his 2009 season. In 2008, he set the freshman rushing record eclipsed a season later by Williams.
Evans rushed 287 times for 1,265 yards and 11 touchdowns that year, creating a dynamic one-two punch.
Adding Wilson to the mix brings yet another explosive element to the scene.
Wilson averaged 5.7 yards per carry last season and 19.1 yards per kickoff return.
Wilson runs a 4.29 40-yard dash and is also a member of Virginia Tech’s track and field team. Tech head coach Frank Beamer has compared him to Reggie Bush.
“He brings another element back there,” Beamer said.
He can help this football team be successful and he wants to do it. I think you need to try to get your best players on the field, and he’s one of them.”
Expect Wilson and Williams to an extent split out into passing formations while Evans stays in the backfield.
Hopefully we see some formations utilizing all three backs at the same time. Regardless, expect to see plenty of creative formations from the Hokies.
The receiving corps features Jarrett Boykin, Danny Coale and Dyrell Roberts along with pushes from young wideouts like sophomore Marcus Davis.
The offense is as stacked as it’s ever been for the Hokies. The only question is can this group live up to the high expectations?
The defense is more of a question mark. Bud Foster’s group has to replace several key starters and appears to lack depth up the middle.
Defensive tackle and captain John Graves looks like he will hold down the line while Rashad Carmichael looks to join Tech’s fine lineage of shutdown corners.
A number of players have a chance to step up and contribute significant time. While it’s a concern, always trust in Bud Foster.
I won’t say that my bias as an alumnus doesn’t have an impact, but honestly, my analyst side tells me that the Hokies will be hard-pressed to lose this season.
I don’t think Tech will go undefeated, but they are one of a handful of teams that stand an excellent shot to do so.
Also, we’re wearing black uniforms Monday. More to follow from the road.
I don’t really like trying to predict an entire season before a single snap has happened. I’m a far more accurate prognosticator week to week. The little things like injuries or who has the flu or weather all come into play and usually my gut tells me one of those odd factors is important.
None the less, I shall attempt to predict the future of Virginia Tech football.
One thing is certain; this Hokie team is extremely talented. Top to bottom this is one of the better groups head coach Frank Beamer has fielded in his 22 seasons in Blacksburg so it’s no surprise many are whispering (even shouting) about a possible national championship run.
I was at a bar in Blacksburg the night a friend walked up and said, “Darren Evans tore his ACL today, he’s out for the season.”
I wasn’t immediately sure if he was joking but I wasn’t overly concerned. I feel for Darren who was poised to become a household name this year coming off his MVP performance in the Orange Bowl and a 1,265 yard, 11 touchdown redshirt-freshman season.
Most teams would be in big trouble losing that kind of production from a starter unexpectedly, but these Hokies are as deep at tailback as any program in the country.
Freshman Ryan Williams will lead the charge. He was already going to get playing time as Tech backs always split the carries. Now he looks to shoulder the load and live up to the hype generated by his high school credentials and his electrifying performance in spring ball.
Freshman David Wilson who already was looking to return kickoffs will now be thrust into the mix and he may be the fastest of the backs.
I should note that redshirt sophomore Josh Oglesby is currently listed as number one on the depth chart. Honestly though, unless he’s improved a great deal and can hold onto the football a bit better, he’ll be hard pressed to earn the bulk of the caries in this group, but his experience, albeit limited, is comforting.
Oh, there’s also Tyrod Taylor. Taylor ran for 738 yards last season and as a quarterback, is the 6th leading returning rusher on the ACC.
The Techmen always run the ball, control the clock, and then pounce on defense and special teams. It’s not as sexy as the way USC and Texas put people away, but it’s extremely effective.
This year will be no different, but look for the Hokies to throw more as well. Taylor is finally the man at quarterback with the departure of trusted backup and sometimes starter Sean Glennon. Taytlor’s 13-2 record as a starter and 4 career 100-yard rushing games at QB (tying him with you-know-who) prove he has what it takes to lead the Hokie offense and his receivers will help.
The trio of sophomore wide outs Jarrett Boykin, Danny Coale and Dyrell Roberts all made huge strides towards the end of last season and look to keep that going in ’09.
Greg Boone, Andre Smith and Blacksburg native Sam Wheeler provide depth and talent at tight end and of course Boone will return to his role in the phenomenally named “Wild Turkey” formation.
The 6’3”, 283-pound Boone will continue to bruise defenders for tough yardage running and the former quarterback may even find himself throwing a bit more. Dynamic running back Ryan Williams is also expected to get some looks in this formation.
Defensively the Hokies have to replace some key players in corner Macho Harris and defensive end Orion Martin.
Senior free safety Kam Chancellor looks to anchor the secondary after tallying 52 tackles and two interceptions last season. He’s started 28 consecutive games since the start of the 2007 season.
Up front, redshirt-junior Jason Worilds looks to have a break out season. After recording 62 tackles and 8 sacks last season, he looks to realize his full potential and become a leader along the defensive line.
Tomorrow, I'll most my brief look at each game. In the mean time check out this amazing fan made trailer for the upcoming season:
On New Year's Day the Virginia Tech Hokies, powered by fantastic performances from FS Kam Chancellor and RB Darren Evans, were not going to allow a repeat of last year's Orange Bowl performance.
The Hokies took care of the Cincinnati Bearcats 20-7 for their first bowl win in the last three tries and the ACC's first BCS bowl win in its last nine attempts.
First Half
Victory did not come as easily as the final score suggests, though. Cincinnati drove down the field on the opening possession of the game to take a 7-0 lead when QB Tony Pike connected with WR Marshawn (Mardy) Gilyard for a 15-yard touchdown.
Not to be outdone, the Hokies offensive unit marched down the field on its first possession with the help of a few nifty plays. An end around to Dyrell Roberts went for 26 yards and QB Tyrod Taylor hit a wide open Danny Coale on a post route to the middle of the field for 34 yards putting the Hokies at the Cincy 14 yard-line. Dustin Keys missed a 26-yard field goal, though, as the Hokies came up empty.
With their third possessions of the game the Hokies and Bearcats reversed the accomplishments of their initial drives. Cincy came up short with missed 44-yard field goal by Jake Rogers while the Hokies put 7 on the board with a nifty 17-yard run by Tyrod Taylor.
The two teams traded punts on the next three possessions and what once looked like
a shootout settled down to a defensive battle. If not for their early game jitters the Hokies D might have putched a shutout as they continually forced Cincy QB Tony Pike out of the pocket and safeties Kam Chancellor and Victor "Macho" Harris were dominant against the Bearcats' aerial attack.
Chancellor nearly had an INT during the 2nd quarter, assisted by a tip from Macho Harris, but the play was reversed after an official review. Chancellor's right hand came down in bounds but, in order to have possession, a player must have his forearm land in bounds.
Virginia Tech got the ball back and ran at will against an unusually porous Bearcats rush defense as RB Darren Evans amassed 49 of his game high 153 rushing yards on the drive. Evans became the first back to run for more than 100 yards against Cincy this season. Tyrod Taylor threw an INT to Ohio State transfer Brandon Underwood to end the Hokies drive, setting up a Cincy drive down to the Hokies 8 yard line before Tony Pike was intercepted for the first of his 4 total INTs by VT cornerback Stephan Virgil. Dustin Keys connected on a 43-yard field goal to close out the first half with a 10-7 Hokies lead.
Second Half
Virginia Tech opened up the second half of play with a 13 play, 68-yard drive resulting in a Dustin Keys 35-yard field goal. The drive featured continued innovation by Hokies Offensive Coordinator Bryan Stinespring, who experienced well deserved criticisum throughout the year due to inept performances by the Hokies O.
The "Wild Turkey," which features mammoth TE Greg Boone behind center and is perhaps the greatest package name of all-time, was utilized during that opening drive and provided some spark for the relatively vanilla Hokies offense.
Pike threw his 2nd pick of the game to Kam Chancellor on the Bearcats first possession of the second half. The rest of the 3rd quarter was uneventful as neither team managed to cross the opposition's 40-yard line.
With the score 13-7 entering the 4th it was clear that the Bearcats were only a few big plays away from igniting the pro-Cincy crowd into a frenzy. Cincy could not capitalize on its first possession of the quarter, though, as Pike was intercepted by DE Orion Martin at the Cincy 10-yard line. Darren Evans ran the ball three straight times on the ensuing drive, scoring on a 6-yard run to put the Hokies up 20-7.
The Bearcats refused to quit, though, as they moved the ball at will through the air and drove deep into Hokies territory. A 7-yard completion from Pike to Dominick Goodman on 4th and 5 set up a Cincy first and goal from the 4-yard line.
In rather peculiar fashion, however, the Bearcats chose not to run the ball until 3rd down after two consecutive incompletions. On 4th down Cincy opted go for it but the Hokies defense held its own to make the stop.
Momentum had clearly swung the way of the gobblers but Virginia Tech went 3 and out on their ensuing possession. A Cincinnati player ran into Hokies punter Brent Bowden to give the Hokies another opportunity to run down the clock.
Cincinnati had one last shot when it regained possession with 2:31 remaining on the game clock. An ill-fated Pike pass was intercepted by LB Cody Grimm.
As the game came to an end the few fans still in the stands, who were no doubt all Hokies fans, payed tribute to their conference affiliation with chants of "A-C-C!"
Thoughts
Considering how effortlessly the Bearcats scored against the 7th ranked defense in the nation it appeared that Hokies fans could be in for another episode of last year's Orange Bowl bash won by the Kansas Jayhawks.
But the Hokies were determined not to let history repeat itself. A senior tradition that allows all VT seniors to forgo the first 3 days of bowl practice was broken to set the tone that this was a business trip and not just a fun reward for winning the ACC Championship.
While the Orange Bowl may not have been as hyped as the other BCS bowls this season it certainly was the most entertaining to date. Alabama started playing one quarter too late as the Crimson Tide was blown out by the Utah Utes in the Sugar Bowl and USC pounded Penn State in the Rose Bowl.
Virginia Tech fans may be pleased at the moment but make no mistake about it - they will not be truly satisfied until the trophy case "reserved for the national championship trophy" is finally occupied.
Notes
Virginia Tech finishd the season a perfect 6-0 in games where its defense allowed 13 points or less. The Hokies were 4-4 in games when 14+ points were surrendered.
Cincinnati punter Kevin Huber is known as "Phil Mickelson" in the clubhouse for his ability to back up balls inside the 10.
Tyrod Taylor entered the game having thrown 2 TDs and 6 INTs this season. His stat line for the game: 13 of 22 for 140 yards with zero passing TDs and 1 INT.
VT finished the season 10-4 for their fifth straight 10-win season, trailing only Texas (8) and USC (7) in that category.
FS Kam Chancellor announced to reporters after the game that he would return for his senior season.
Optimism is a commodity in short supply around here today. Both Virginia Tech and Notre Dame turned in real stinkers on the gridiron yesterday, Notre Dame inexplicably falling to Syracuse 24-23 and Virginia Tech winning a war of attrition with the Duke Blue Devils 14-3.
First let's dissect the Irish.
GOOD
Notre Dame had zero turnovers Saturday in South Bend and Jimmy Clausen turned in another solid performance completing 22 of 39 passes for 291 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Golden Tate continues to impress during his sophomore season. Tate caught 7 passes for 146 yards and 2 touchdowns. On the year, Tate has 50 catches for 888 yards and 7 touchdowns.
That's about all the good I could find in this one (granted I missed the end to go to the Tech game). BAD
This should be pretty obvious. The Irish led Syracuse 23-10 and looked pretty good doing it up to that point. 'Cuse looked like the hapless shell of a once great program that they are but something strange happened on the way to 7-4 for the Irish...
Notre Dame suddenly couldn't muster any offense. Starting inside the Orange 23-yard line on 4 possessions, the Irish managed just 6 points.
"I really don't know why that happened," said a bewildered Clausen after the game.
The only way to rationalize this game is to chock it up to the dreaded "look ahead" factor with the #6 USC Trojans on the docket next weekend. In the end, it's a matter of executing consistently on offense which has been a problem throughout the season.
Now for the Hokies. GOOD
The Virginia Tech defense played one of its best games of the season holding Duke to just 136 total yards. The Blue Devils were able to complete just 2 passes for 20 yards and quarterback Zack Asack threw 4 interceptions, though he did run for 87 yards and was effective on the ground most of the night. Sean Glennon played well again, completing 12 of 22 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown. It was the first touchdown pass of the year to a wide receiver, freshman Jarrett Boykin who led the Hokies with 67 yards receiving. Darren Evans also had another good game rushing 24 times for 111 yards. Evans needs just 74 yards to eclipse 1,000 for the season.
BAD
The Hokies offense scored just 7 points on a frigid evening in Blacksburg. I would have to say it was among the worst performances by a Virginia Tech team that I've seen end in victory. Tyrod Taylor had an alarmingly off night. Taylor was just 2 of 5 passing for 15 yards and two interceptions. He also lost two fumbles. Couple that with the unlucky interception on Sean Glennon's first passing play and Tech turned the ball over 5 times, in the first half.
Tech coaches will decide who starts against Virginia during the week. Based on recent performance, it's hard not to pull for senior Sean Glennon to get the start in his final game at Lane Stadium.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Irish are now 6-5 and will head out west to take on USC (9-1, 7-1). Virginia Tech is 7-4 overall and 4-3 in the ACC. If the Hokies can retain possession of the Commonwealth Cup and defeat Virginia (5-6, 3-4) on Saturday they will go to the ACC Championship for the third time in four years.
Notre Dame has a tough challenge ahead of them but I expect a game effort come Saturday. The result could get ugly, but I expect the team will rally around head coach Charlie Weis who has come under tremendous fire recently. Also, the Irish want to cement their bowl hopes. They could certainly go to a bowl at 6-6, but would be heavily criticized in the press in such a scenario. They don't want to limp into the postseason, but neither do the Trojans.
The Hokies are in an unbelievable position. The ACC has been an outrage of inconsistency this season, as a result, the Hokies are one win away from a pretty big accomplishment. Rivalry games are always tough, and this weekend should be no different. I actually give the Hoos a better shot at victory this year in Lane Stadium than last year up in Charlottesville. Just the nature of the conference and of these two teams this season lead me to expect the unexpected.
Plenty more to come on both these games as the week progresses.
Redshirt freshman Darren Evans surprised everyone, perhaps even himself, when he exploded for a school-record 253 yards rushing in a 23-13 victory over #23 Maryland Thursday night.
Evans also had 2 catches for 20 yards to go along with his 32 carries and a touchdown on the ground.
Sean Glennon made the start for the Hokies(6-3, 3-2) coming off an injury at Florida State. Glennon played well completing 14 of 20 passes for 127 yards and a 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end Greg Boone.
Boone was another interesting story on the night. Offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring implemented his new "Wild Turkey" formation, which puts the former high school and Tech quarterback in the shotgun formation. Boone ran on every play, carrying the ball 6 times for 22 yards.
All in all it was a very impressive night for the Hokies. Tech's much maligned offense piled up 400 total yards while the defense held Maryland (6-2, 3-2) to just -12 yards rushing.
Tech improved to 15-3 all-time in Thursday night games and they'll have another such game next Thursday when the Hokies head to Miami for an important ACC Coastal Division match up.
Virginia Tech ground out another victory but it wasn't easy. The Hokies led 27-3 early in the third quarter, but Western Kentucky made a game of it before Tech managed to win their fifth consecutive game 27-13.
The Hokies' top rusher Darren Evans led the Tech offensive effort running for 79 yards and 2 touchdowns on 21 carries. Kenny Lewis Jr. had 7 carries for 38 yards, but left the game early in the second half when he ruptured his Achilles. Lewis will miss the remainder of the season with the injury. Tyrod Taylor played well if not a bit conservative, completing 10 of 15 passes for 125 yards and one 27-yard touchdown to tight end Greg Boone. The play marked Taylor's first touchdown pass of the season. He also added 30 yards on the ground. Macho Harris made another interception on defense, and Tech essentially shut down the Hilltoppers (2-4) passing game giving up just 95 yards through the air. Western Kentucky was able to run the ball effectively however totaling 148 yard, just three fewer than the Hokies.
The win puts the Hokies (5-1, 1-0) in good position at the halfway mark of the regular season. Tech is now ranked #18 in the AP poll and half a bye week before traveling to Boston College Oct. 18th.
OTHER NOTES
-Sean Glennon saw several snaps at quarterback in the fourth quarter. He completed all three of the passes he attempted for 17 yards, but he was sacked 4 times.
-Back-up long snapper Matt Tuttle won the title of Homecoming King and was honored at halftime. In addition to being a member of the football team, Tuttle is a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. He was honored at halftime along with Homecoming Queen Malissa Bradshaw from Sigma Kappa.
-There was a strange connection to Notre Dame in this game. Western Kentucky starting quarterback David Wolke played two seasons for the Fighting Irish. Wolke completed just 7 of 19 passes Saturday for 49 yards, a touchdown and one interception.
With all the question marks surrounding the Virginia Tech offense, they stepped up and turned in an impressive performance defeating Nebraska 35-30 in Lincoln Saturday night.
Sophomore Tyrod Taylor completed 9 of 15 passes for 171 yards and added 87 yards on the ground.
The Hokie defense absolutely shut down the Big Red Rushing attack, holding Nebraska to just 55 yards on the ground.
Meanwhile between Taylor, Darren Evans and Kenny Lewis Jr. who had 72 and 50 yards respectively, the Techmen amassed 206 yards rushing and Evans had two touchdowns.
The performance was by far the best offensively this season, and despite some struggles in the first half, Taylor settled down and really showed some impressive progress as both a passer and a runner.
Some critical defensive plays, including Macho Harris' interception deep in Cornhusker territory in the first half along with Stephan Virgil's blocked punt to open the scoring gave the Hokie offense enough help to secure the victory.
The Hokies are now 4-1 overall and 2-0 in ACC play. The Hokies find themselves ranked #20 in the AP Poll and will now return to Blacksburg for a match up with Western Kentucky next Saturday. WKU is coming off a 41-3 loss to Kentucky.
OTHER NEWS AND NOTES
-Sophomore Davon Morgan tore his ACL and will be out for the rest of the season. Davon was the starting rover, and will likely be replaced by Dorian Porch.
-The Hokies wore their new white throwback uniforms for the first time on the road. Tech previously wore them in their victory over Furman.
-Tyrod Taylor remains undefeated as a starting quarterback in college. His record now stands at 8-0.
Coming into its season opener the Virginia Tech football team had many questions to answer, and after losing to East Carolina 27-22 Saturday in Charlotte, most of those questions remain unanswered.
Sean Glennon looked mediocre, completing 14 of 23 passes for 139 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns. The offensive lines protection wasn't very good either, leaving big questions while others were partly answered.
Kenny Lewis Jr. led Tech's rushers with 11 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown. Darren Evans added 12 carries for 37 yards and another touchdown. The Hokies were still out rushed by ECU 158-104, but the two eased some minds concerned with the tailback position.
True freshman Dyrell Roberts may have had the play of the day on offense for the Hokies, hauling in an impressive 62 yard pass from Sean Glennon on which he blew by the defender and was wide open for a beautifully thrown ball by Glennon.
I would like to point out that I called the play- Eric can attest to that- right before it happened. Roberts was isolated one-on-one and the Hokies hadn't called a pass downfield yet. In fact, that play would turn out to be the only real success Tech had on longer passes all afternoon.
The defense didn't look very impressive, lots and lots of arm tackles. Kam Chancellor seemed to be off and lacked the killer instinct and ability to finish tackles as did most of the defense. They were of course without starter Macho Harris at corner. His return from an ankle injury will really help the energy level on defense and hopefully provide some leadership on a very young, but talented unit. Stephan Virgil showed he has loads of ability and will be a big player for Tech this season at the other corner spot.
By the end of the season, Bud Foster will have yet another excellent defense on his hands.
In the mean time, it's back to the drawing board for Frank Beamer and Co. and time to move on to next week's special white out game against the Furman Paladins. More to come throughout the week.
