Tech Talk Live Notes for 8/30/10

Tech Talk Live (football and basketball season)

When: Every Monday from 7:00-9:00 during football season, 7:00-8:00 during basketball season.

Where: Click here for a list of radio stations, and to find the link for listening to the show on the Internet (look to the right on the hokiesports.com page that loads when you click the link). You can see the show in person Bull & Bones Brewhaus & Grill in Blacksburg.

• ACC Commissioner John Swofford was in town on Monday. The Hokies will be
  hosting every ACC athletics director on October 5 and October 6, including
  faculty reps. It’s a big meeting, and Virginia Tech is hosting this year.
• It will basically be a meeting of the minds. They will talk about current
  events, the football championship game and the ACC Basketball Tournament.
• Weaver checked with "the powers that be" about ticket sales on
  Friday. He said the Redskins expect 85,000 fans for the VT-Boise State game.
• Parking lots at FedExField will open four hours prior to kickoff, at 4pm.
• Weaver was introduced to the Notre Dame athletics director a little over a
  year ago, and they said "let’s play". So far it hasn’t happened.
  However, there is a possibility of it happening in four years or so. He had
  a conversation with someone on the phone about it last Friday. It would have
  to be a home-and-home or one single neutral site game.
• Jim Weaver has tried to schedule Navy a lot, but Navy won’t do it. Yet the
  Midshipmen have scheduled Penn State.
• Weaver is going to meet with the new West Virginia athletics director
  later this fall to have discussions. This meeting was initiated by West
  Virginia. Weaver isn’t ready yet to resume the series. The fans he talks to
  are not ready to resume it. If they play again, the first meeting needs to
  be at a neutral site.
• Boise State is bringing four tennis players on the football charter flight
  to play Virginia Tech in DC. Tennis coach Jim Thompson joined the show
  briefly, and said he is good friends with the Boise State coach. The first
  match will be on Sunday at the Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase,
  Maryland, and on Monday they will play at the Woodmont Country Club in
  Rockville, Maryland.
• To be clear, the new ACC television contract will begin on July 1, 2011.
• Corey Moore is being inducted to the Virginia Tech Hall of Fame. It will
  be tough for Corey to not make that trip, so Weaver hopes they can finally
  honor him on the field with his retired jersey.

• Billy Hite is the longest tenured assistant coach in the country. He is
  starting his 33rd year at Virginia Tech. There have been a lot of great
  moments.
• When Hite originally took the job, he told his wife not to look for a
  house and not to make any friends, because he didn’t plan to be in
  Blacksburg more than a year or two.
• David Wilson had talked about redshirting after spring practice. He was
  willing to do whatever was best for the team. Hite told him to have great
  preparation during the summer and try to win the starting job. Wilson had a
  great summer, and he’s been great in scrimmages. Hite just can’t see not
  playing a guy like that this year.
• Beamer, Stinespring and Hite met about Wilson on Sunday morning. Beamer
  even asked the defensive coaches for their opinion. It was unanimous.
  Everybody thought he should play.
• The Hokies will put more than one tailback on the field at the same time
  this year. There will be opportunity for carries for Wilson. Hite told his
  tailbacks that there will be certain games where one guy might get more
  carries than the other ones, depending on the matchups and who is the hot
  back. They were all fine with that.
• Hite thinks there is a chance that all three of his running backs could
  declare early for the NFL Draft. If Ryan Williams has another great year,
  it’s easy to see him go. Darren Evans has a wife and child, so he could go
  if he’s expected to be drafted high enough. David Wilson would have to play
  through 2011, but he’s very talented.
• Tony Gregory has been very good as well. He’s got great speed. The Hokies
  are trying to get him on some special teams, maybe some kickoff returns.
• Ryan Williams has had another great preseason. When the lights go on, Hite
  isn’t sure he’s had a more competitive running back. He’s a complete
  football player.
• Darren Evans had a great summer of preparation. He looks like a different
  guy. He’s worked hard and he’s an outstanding person. Hite is really proud
  of him. He had a child at 18 years old, and he’s really stepped up and taken
  responsibility for everything.
• Billy Hite was on a recruiting visit to see Evans, and he ended up being
  in the hospital as Darren became a father. Hite had Evans’ family on one
  side, his girlfriend’s (now wife) family on the other side, and he’s trying
  to talk about Virginia Tech football.
• It’s not difficult to recruit tailbacks at Tech, because they know they
  will have an opportunity to touch the football a lot.
• Brandon Minor of Michigan, a Virginia native, contacted the Hokies at one
  point and wanted to transfer to Virginia Tech.
• Branden Ore was told by Billy Hite that one more mistake would result in
  his dismissal. Hite probably should have kicked him off earlier, if it
  weren’t for Ore’s mom. Hite is close with her, and he still talks to her. It
  was a difficult thing to do.
• Hite’s son Griffin still talks to Ore a lot, and Ore has a job and is
  doing well.
• Stinespring and O’Cain will be in the box for games this year, just like
  last year. The rest of the offensive coaches will be on the sideline.
• Offensively, this team is possibly the best team Hite has ever been
  around. Curt Newsome has done a great job with the offensive line, and there
  are a lot of athletes and depth at the skill positions. Tyrod Taylor is
  special. Tech can put a lot of stress on a defense.
• Boise State is very good and very well-coached. They are tough up front,
  and that is the strength of their team.
• Hite loves playing good teams right off the bad. It makes you a better
  football team.
• The players are excited about this game. They want to hit somebody else.
  The Boise State defense reminds Billy Hite of the Virginia Tech defense.
  It’s going to be a great challenge.

• The
  preseason went well. It’s all about execution in the games. He thinks
  they’ll be pretty good.
• Friday gray-shirted, and is finally starting as a r-senior. It’s been a
  long time coming. Tech has had a lot of great defensive ends, and he hopes
  he can continue the legacy.
• There were times over the last few years where Friday wondered if it was
  worth it. His mom told him to hang in there, get his degree, and let things
  play out. Now he’s finally starting.
• When Friday talks to the younger players, he talks about patience. Even
  when you think the coaches aren’t watching, you should always try to better
  yourself.
• Boise State is a good team. They’ve got good players on offense. They
  deserve all the credit they are getting. Their coaches really know how to
  use their players. If everybody plays their gaps, Tech should be fine.
• Chris Drager is a good player, and Tech doesn’t have anything to worry
  about there. J.R. Collins and James Gayle make the future look good at
  defensive end.
• Friday came to Tech because he wanted to go to school in Virginia, and he
  "definitely didn’t want to go to UVA".
• Football in the 7-5-7 is very popular. There is a lot of competition from
  an early age. All the 7-5-7 guys on the Tech team are like a big family.
• Friday has been #82 since he played rec league football, and it’s always
  worked for him.
• It’s fun playing for Coach Foster, he’s a wild guy. You don’t want to make
  him mad, so you just go out and play as hard as possible.
• Tech’s offensive line looks pretty solid so far. Friday thinks that group
  will be fine.
• Tyrod Taylor is a great leader on and off the field. Just being around him
  is a good thing.
• Friday is already a Tech graduate. He might have to get a job, but he’d
  like to get a shot in the NFL.

• Smith
  had a 95 yard touchdown in Saturday’s scrimmage, and he’s never had one that
  long before. As soon as he broke free he wasn’t sure what to do, because
  he’s used to getting nailed as soon as he catches the ball.
• Every time Smith goes through the offseason strength program, he prepares
  like he doesn’t want any opponent to be better than he is. He’s also trying
  to prepare for the next level.
• Smith’s mom passed away from leukemia when he was 16. The Cochrane family
  basically raised Smith after that, and they are like blood relatives for
  him. They were there for him for everything he needed. Smith was best
  friends with their son, and it was an easy decision for him to become a part
  of their family.
• Smith is majoring in sociology and psychology. He decided to go ahead and
  get the dual degree.
• Smith would love a chance to play in the NFL. If that doesn’t work out,
  he’d love to be involved in law enforcement at the federal level. His best
  friend is actually in the police academy right now.
• Words can’t describe what it’s like to run out of the tunnel for a
  football game, especially in Blacksburg.
• Smith would love to catch more passes, but he’s just as happy making great
  blocks and opening holes for the running backs.
• David Wilson is a great player, so it’s not too much of a surprise that
  he’s going to play this year.
• This is the most athletic team Smith has been a part of since he’s been at
  Virginia Tech. There are a lot of weapons on both sides of the ball.
• Logan Thomas is an all-around threat. Whatever position he plays, he’s
  going to do well.
• The team talks about the National Championship and other championships all
  the time. Every day they prepare with the mentality that they want to win it
  all. Coach Stinespring sets the tone for them. You have to approach the game
  the same way every day.
• The loudest stadium he’s ever played in was probably Nebraska. He says
  that because he was flagged for a false start because he couldn’t hear
  anything.
• It will take a total team effort to beat Boise State. Tech has to execute
  in all three phases of the game.

• Tech is taking Tuesday off, and they will begin normal gameweek practice
  on Wednesday. Wednesday will be Monday.
• Tech had a scripted scrimmage on Monday, which covers special situations.
  Beamer thought it went well.
• The effort in the scrimmage was very good. It’s tough to be happy after
  scrimmages, particularly in a 1st team vs. 2nd team scrimmage. Tyrod Taylor
  was very good, and the 1st team offense was very good as a whole.
• Tech played very hard defensively. They’d like for some backups to step up
  on that side of the football.
• Tyrod Taylor is throwing exceptionally well. He’s getting the ball out of
  there quicker, and he has a great knowledge of the offense. He gives you a
  chance to win every Saturday. There are a lot of good quarterbacks in the
  ACC, but Taylor was the pass efficiency leader last season.
• Andrew Lanier will probably be the starting left tackle against Boise
  State. Nick Becton has missed too much practice. He needs to get good reps
  this week and get his conditioning back.
• David Wilson made plays in every scrimmage this August. He really brings a
  lot to the football team. When Beamer sees Wilson on the football field, he
  thinks about Reggie Bush. He’s running better than ever right now.
• Everybody was thinking that the best thing would be for Wilson to
  redshirt, but as they got into the preseason they really realized how much
  he can help the team. Beamer isn’t much of a guy to plan three years down
  the road. You do what you can to win games now, and things will take care of
  themselves down the road.
• Beamer likes the Pete Carroll philosophy (Editor’s Note: for determining
  playing time, not … all the other stuff). He tells kids that if they are
  the best player, then they will play early. The best players should be on
  the field.
• Backup linebackers are a bit of a concern for the football team right now.
  Gouveia-Winslow is doing fine, but Alonzo Tweedy is banged up. Tech needs to
  get him back healthy. Davon Morgan will get some work at whip, and Exum will
  get some work at rover.
• The free safety spot requires the player to make a lot of defensive calls.
  Exum is a good player, and they need to get him where his mind isn’t tying
  up his feet. He won’t have as many responsibilities at rover. He might also
  take over the gunner duties on the punt team.
• There’s not a division in college football that will be as tough as the
  ACC Coastal Division right now. Tech will have to play a lot of good teams.
• Boise State has a rugby style punter, and their punt team uses a lot of
  different formations. They’ll sometimes take two headhunters and put them on
  the same side. They do a lot of different things. They play a lot of their
  best guys on special teams.
• Kellen Moore was only sacked five times last year, mostly because Boise
  runs a quick passing game. He gets the ball out quickly. Tech has to be very
  good against screen passes.
• Boise State is not a trick offense. They are an execution offense. They
  execute very well.
• Kwamaine Battle has played well. He brings a lot of power to the defensive
  line.
• Kyle Fuller is definitely going to play. He’s getting some second team
  work at cornerback, and he’ll factor in on special teams. He’s a natural
  football player.
• Chase Williams has been banged up and he’s not as good as he was in the
  spring. He can factor into some special teams, but he needs to get healthy.
  The verdict is still out as to whether or not he’ll redshirt.
• The Tech coaches already know what they are going to do against James
  Madison. From a coaching standpoint, it won’t be hard to gameplan. It will
  be a short week for the players, however.
• J.C. Price and Chris Malone are on the JMU staff, and Beamer is proud of
  the job they have done there. JMU is a very good program.
• John Graves is one of Beamer’s favorite people. He’s the leader of the
  defense. When your best players are your best people, it gets your football
  team going in the right direction.
• Xavier Boyce, Lorenzo Williams and Barquell Rivers will all miss the Boise
  State game. Everyone else is expected to play.
• Chris Hazley went 8-of-9 on field goals this month, and Justin Myer had a
  54-yarder in Saturday’s scrimmage. Beamer feels very good about his kickers
  right now. Myer has a tremendously strong leg. If he can get consistent, he
  can be an exceptional kicker.
• David Wilson and Dyrell Roberts will probably be the kick returners. Tech
  will probably see some squib kicks with those two guys as returners.
• Boise’s talent level is very good. They recruit a lot of California kids
  from LA, San Francisco, etc. They are also very experienced, so they are a
  very tough opponent.

Monday was Day 2,102 of Virginia Tech’s continuous possession of the Commonwealth Cup.