Hokie Hotline Notes for 10/27/08

The Hokie Hotline (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 at Awful Arthur’s in Blacksburg.

Bryan Stinespring

• Tyrod Taylor and Sean Glennon are both sore and in protective boots. They
  hope there will be improvement throughout the week. VT should know more on
  Friday about their status for Maryland.
• It’s difficult preparing for Maryland not knowing who your quarterback will
  be. It’s difficult to gameplan. Obviously Cory Holt will be getting the reps
  this week in practice. Ju-Ju Clayton is there, but it would be tough to pull his
  red shirt. Greg Boone will get some snaps as well. Boone can certainly throw the
  deep ball.
• Stinespring has never been in a game where he lost both quarterbacks,
  especially not one on the first play of the game.
• The Hokies have had some major injuries on offense this year, but it’s part
  of the game. You have to improvise and keep going.
• Cory Holt did a good job on Saturday. He hasn’t taken any reps at
  quarterback. He’s been a full-time receiver. That was a tough task, but he did
  a good job.
• The receivers really stepped up on Saturday. They had a tough game against
  BC, but they came out strong against FSU. The Hokies felt really good about
  their chances at halftime.
• Tech was able to get some yards after the catch against FSU, and that was
  big. That’s something they haven’t done this year.
• Tech could run the ball better than they did the last two weeks. They need to
  run it better. There were times at Florida State where the Hokies ran it well.
  The sacks obviously cut down on the rushing totals.
• Darren Evans only had four carries in the second half, but Tech only had six
  offensive snaps in the third quarter. Glennon got hurt, then there was a
  turnover on special teams, and VT was down by 13 very quickly.
• Recruiting is going well this year. Stinespring doesn’t think they are
  losing any offensive recruits this year because of the current state of the
  offense.
• Ju-Ju Clayton is doing a pretty good job in the Monday scrimmages. Spring
  practice will be very big for his development.
• Tech’s goal is to sign a quarterback in February, and it’s important to
  sign a quarterback this year.
• On the play Taylor went down, Tech was supposed to have a tight end dragging
  in the flat area. He would have been wide open and it would have been an easy
  throw, but he got tripped at the line of scrimmage.
• The team is definitely disappointed in the two losses. Every time they step
  on the field, they expect to win. However, they know they’ve been in a
  position to win. They’ve moved on and they had a good day on Monday.
• It will be good to be back home against Maryland. This team needs to feel the
  energy and passion of the Hokie nation.
• Ryan Shuman has been a great leader in the huddle for the Hokies. It’s a
  role that he’s grown into. He has a great feel for the game. Tech needs more
  players like him.
• Tech’s goal in each game is to average 4.5 yards per carry and to complete
  60% of their passes. 45% is their goal on third down conversions.

• There is a lot of parity in the ACC this year. Both divisions are up for
  grabs, and they will probably come down to the last week again.
• The Hokies still control their own destiny. Virginia Tech is very capable of
  winning out and going to Tampa.
• The Maryland game will be a great stage for the team and the fans to show
  what they are all about. This will be a huge game. Weaver expects Tech to play
  very well.
• Tech has a great basketball coach in Seth Greenberg. They have had a first
  round ACC Tournament bye three out of the last four years. The media picked Tech
  sixth this year, but that doesn’t mean anything.
• The Hokies need to come out a little stronger in the out-of-conference
  portion of their men’s basketball schedule this year. They’ll do just that, because this is a
  more experienced team.
• Tech was able to offer an extra 124 student season tickets last week. They
  first went back to all seniors who purchased season tickets last year, but who
  didn’t get them this year. After the seniors, they went to the grad students.
• VT will allow people into empty seats in the student section this year. Tech
  is trying to tweak policies to allow more students into the game.
• Tech will have discussions this winter about when to reseat Lane Stadium and
  Cassell Coliseum again.

• It was a tough loss. The kids played hard. Tech just didn’t have enough to
  get it done.
• This entire season has been a little bit different, and Saturday was the same
  way. Beamer is proud of the way Sean Glennon came in and played, and the same
  for Cory Holt.
• Beamer thought the timing was right to go for the punt block against FSU. He
  didn’t really like the down and distance. Tech had a couple of good returns
  early. The rush was going to be good on this punt, because FSU made some changes
  to account for the good returns by Macho Harris.
• When you go after a block, you have to do it aggressively. Tech didn’t use
  the proper technique and instead put themselves on a collision course with the punter.
  (It’s assumed Beamer is talking about Eddie Whitley, the true freshman who
  roughed the punter.)
• Beamer did admit he was a little hesitant on going after the block, but he
  just felt like the Hokies were going to get something. And they should have
  gotten something if they had used the proper technique.
• Regarding the punt with just under two minutes remaining in the game:
  “That’s
  my mistake. That was my mistake. We should have gone for it. No question.”
• The further away you get from home, the more difficult it is to get a read on
  a recruit. So there aren’t any plans to expand the recruiting territories.
  Tech is fine there.
• Maryland is a good team. They have some weapons and they have a good
  offensive line. On the defensive side of the ball, they have a lot of seniors.
• Tyrod Taylor and Sean Glennon will try to play if they possibly can. Tech
  just has to wait and see what happens.
• Ju-Ju Clayton has been doing well in practice, and everyone is excited to see
  him in the spring. However, it would be tough to pull the red shirt off a guy at
  this point in the season.
• The Hokies still control their own destiny. It will be tough, but they can do
  it. Playing in Lane Stadium in such a huge game should be big for this team.
• Jahre Cheeseman will get some work at tailback this week. He feels like he
  can help Tech at that position, and they’ll give him that opportunity.
• They still want Josh Oglesby to just turn it loose. He hasn’t done that in
  a game yet, but he’s fully capable.
• Kam Chancellor is playing the free safety position much better right now. He
  has steadily gotten better.
• Tech has some good young linemen in the program, like Nick Becton and Michael
  Via. They are hoping Will Alvarez steps it up as well. Obviously Blake
  DeChristopher is advanced for a r-freshman.
• The Hokies still have their preseason goals intact. They can still win the
  Coastal Division and they can still win the ACC. This is a great group of
  players. They just have to finish strong.

Monday was Day 1,430 of Virginia Tech’s continuous possession of the
Commonwealth Cup.