Senior quarterback Sean Glennon threw two touchdown passes and led the White team to an easy 24-3 win over the Maroon team in the Maroon-White Game in Lane Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Virginia Tech’s starters were split evenly between the two teams, but the White team was able to hit a couple of big plays on offense, as well as take advantage of a critical mistake by Maroon quarterback Tyrod Taylor. The Maroon offense struggled the entire game, and could only manage a field goal after a blocked punt set them up with great field position.
Glennon finished the game 9-of-15 for 119 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He had good protection for most of the game, and on several occasions when he did not get great protection, he escaped pressure and made plays in the passing game.
Glennon’s counterpart on the Maroon team, Tyrod Taylor, was 11-of-19 for 67 yards, with an interception.
The White team’s first score game early in the second of four 8-minute quarters. Brandon Dillard provided the big play needed to get in scoring position. He took the handoff on a reverse from Glennon, got some good blocks on the outside, made Cris Hill miss, and scampered 49 yards down the sideline before being pushed out of bounds at the 3-yard line.
Two plays later, r-freshman tailback Darren Evans carried it in from one yard out. The extra point was successful, and the White team lead 7-0 with 7:21 remaining in the second quarter.
The Maroon team cut into that lead later in the quarter. 6-6 wide receiver Prince Parker blocked a punt, and the Maroon team recovered in the red zone. A touchdown pass to tight end David Stanton, who made a great play on the ball in the back of the end zone, was negated by a holding penalty. The Maroon team had to settle for a 42-yard field goal by Chris Hazley with 1:39 left in the second quarter.
Glennon excelled in the two minute offense down the stretch last season, and that was the case on Saturday as well. The White team got the ball back on their own 33 yard line, and Glennon had them in the end zone in just 42 seconds. He completed all three passes on the drive, the last being a 25 yard touchdown pass to Brandon Dillard, who beat Cris Hill on the play.
Glennon pumped twice on the play, and eventually hit a wide open Dillard in the back of the end zone for the big play. That made the score 14-3 White, and there was more before the half ended.
Tyrod Taylor tried to make a big play before halftime, but it backfired. He rolled to his left, then threw across his body to the middle of the field. However, Kam Chancellor was playing center field and made the easy interception, returning it to the 1-yard line with nine seconds remaining.
However, the White team didn’t punch it in. A run by Darren Evans was stuffed, and then Glennon made his one bad play of the day by missing a wide open Greg Boone in the back of the end zone. They settled for an 18-yard field goal by Dustin Keys to make the score 17-3 at halftime.
There was only one score in the second half. Midway through the second half, Glennon was pressured up the middle by John Graves. Glennon rolled to his right, got away from Graves, and fired a pass in the back of the end zone to Ike Whitaker, who made a great diving catch for the touchdown. That put the White team up 24-3, and the Maroon team couldn’t come up with a rally.
Overall, it was a well-played Spring Game for the most part. The two teams only combined for four penalties and two turnovers. It wasn’t a close game, but things seemed to flow easier and smoother than most spring games.
TSL will have a general recap of spring practice this coming week. The Hokies begin the 2008 season on August 30 when they play East Carolina in Charlotte.
Editor’s Note: Full spring game statistics are not available. A box score was never posted on hokiesports.com.
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