Frank Beamer has named true freshman Tyrod Taylor as Virginia Tech’s starting quarterback against Ohio this Saturday. Taylor will be the first true freshman to start at quarterback for Virginia Tech in the Frank Beamer era. He is already one of just a handful to see playing time in his first year.
According to Beamer, the main reason Taylor is starting is to give the Hokies a spark in the running game. The Hokies managed just 33 yards on the ground against East Carolina. Against LSU, Taylor led the team with nine carries for 44 yards on the ground, and as a team the Hokies had 71 yards rushing.
Taylor did a decent job throwing the ball in his very first college game, finishing 7-of-18 for 62 yards. He gave the Hokies a spark offensively that they desperately needed, though it didn’t matter much on the scoreboard. Taylor led the only Tech scoring drive of the game.
The most recent quarterback to play as a true freshman was Sean Glennon in 2004, the man Taylor is replacing. Glennon had to play that year. Bryan Randall was the starter, and the only other quarterback on the roster was true freshman Cory Holt. Glennon served as Randall’s backup and played some mop up duty.
Before Glennon, the only other true freshman quarterback to play under Beamer was Bryan Randall in 2001. He served as the top backup to starter Grant Noel.
Will Furrer started for the Hokies as a r-freshman in 1988. Furrer spent a year at Fork Union, and then redshirted, giving him a lot more experience than most freshmen starters.
Saturday’s game against Ohio, the beginning of the Tyrod Taylor era at Virginia Tech, will begin at 1:30pm. It will be broadcast live on the internet via ESPN360.
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