Tech Talk Live Notes for September 14, 2015

Charley Wiles

Winning cures all.  They wanted to get back out and play quickly after Ohio State.  It was a short week and it was challenging, but they got it done.  They played with energy.

Everyone is glad to be back on a normal schedule.  For awhile, Wiles didn’t know what day it was.

Tech had about 100 recruits on campus for the Ohio State game.  It was an exciting day for them, and the fans made it a big time atmosphere.

Ohio State is explosive, but Tech has to execute defensively.  If you don’t get your proper gaps, you will give up big plays because OSU is elite.  When Brewer got hurt, it took a little wind of the team’s sails, but that’s no excuse.  They have to go out and defend their gaps better.

Tech didn’t see many chop blocks on film when they watched Furman, but there certainly was a lot in Saturday’s game.  Andrew Motuapuaka and Ken Ekanem got hurt on the same play.  It’s hard to get off chop blocks and cut blocks when they are coming from the side rather than from straight ahead.

It’s great to have Luther Maddy back.  He’s a really good player, and his leadership skills are great too.  He played well in the Ohio State game.

OSU shortened their offensive line splits against Tech, and that limited their ability to get penetration.

Wiles thinks there will be a lot of improvement between Furman and Purdue.  They ran a special defense against OSU, and the Furman game was the first time they ran their regular defense in awhile because they spent two weeks preparing for OSU.

Luther Maddy

It was a great feeling to get back on the field against Ohio Stat, especially after missing most of the 2014 season.

Rehab wasn’t easy.  It’s a blessing to be back.  He’s not a patient guy, but the injury helped him stay patient.  For a time his leg felt weak and he wasn’t sure if it would respond, but he’s back to 100% now.

Maddy feels like his career has gone by fast.  His first game was against Appalachian State, and it feels like it was last week.

Tech has to prepare for each game the same, no matter if it’s on the road or at home.  Maddy tries to help keep the younger players even-keeled.

Ohio State was a tough loss.  Tech just didn’t execute defensively.  They did a few things differently, and Tech adjusted in the second quarter, but they couldn’t sustain.  Maddy has a lot of respect for Urban Meyer and his staff.

The crowd at the Ohio State game was wild.  The fans really give the team no choice but the play hard.

Woody Baron had some big plays against Furman, and it was great to see.  He had some ankle injuries his first couple of years, but he’s healthy now.

Maddy graduated with a degree is Property Management.  He hopes to work in a business where he can provide low-income housing to those in less fortunate situations.  That’s the background Maddy came from.  He’s Haitian, and the first player in his family to graduate from college.

Purdue is a capable team.  They have some weapons at receiver and running back.  They have a big offensive line that reminds him a bit of Boston College and Miami.

The family atmosphere is what’s most special about football to Maddy.  He’s a big family guy, and he considers his teammates to be his family.

Frank Beamer

Brenden Motley did well against Furman.  He’s a smart guy who doesn’t get excited.  He knows what’s going on.  He got better as the game went along, and that’s what you would expect.

Tech has had short weeks in the past, but the circumstances were different this time.  They had to prepare in a short week while breaking in a different quarterback.  The players hung in there, and Mike Gentry’s strength program and Mike Goforth’s training room did a great job.

Dwayne Lawson’s role changed.  Last week they just wanted to get him some reps.  This week they are trying to figure out how he can help them win the game.  They don’t just want to get him into the game…they want to get him into the game with a purpose.

Purdue has a big quarterback with a really good arm.  Their running backs remind Beamer of the UNC tailbacks.  They run hard.

Andrew Motuapuaka is a tough loss.  It’s a position where they don’t have a lot of experience. Carson Lydon is a guy who will do well, and he’ll get a lot of reps in practice this week.

Beamer isn’t surprised that Tyrod Taylor did well in his first start.  He’s worked very hard to improve his passing.  He’s a complete quarterback.

Tech always takes their quarterbacks on road trips, even if they are redshirting.  Brenden Motley has been on the sideline for all of Tech’s big games the last few years, so he knows what it’s like on the road.

Virginia Tech has held the Commonwealth Cup for 3943 days. #Hokies

— Commonwealth Cup (@CommonwlthCup) September 14, 2015