1) It has been reported that Michael Brewer has never taken snaps under center. However, Stacy Searels wants more emphasis on downhill blocking in the running game. Assuming Brewer wins the QB battle, what does that mean for VT personnel and packages on offense? Could we see a majority of VT’s offense run out of the pistol this season? And given that many believe TE is VT’s strongest position on offense this year, what would running mostly out of the pistol mean for Ryan Malleck, Kalvin Cline and Bucky Hodges?

Chris Coleman: Great question(s)!  I’ll take your advice and operate under the assumption that Michael Brewer wins the starting quarterback job.  If that’s the case, then the Hokies will have a quarterback who is best suited for the shotgun, but they’ll also have running backs such as Marshawn Williams, Trey Edmunds, and perhaps Shai McKenzie who are better suited for a downhill running offense.

We’ve covered this in the past.  If you go back and watch the high school tape of Williams, Edmunds and McKenzie, all three backs operated primarily from the traditional running formations such as the I-formation or the ACE singleback set.  However, Michael Brewer spent his entire high school career and his time at Texas Tech running an offense out of the shotgun.

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