Tech Talk Live Notes for October 5, 2015

Stacy Searels

Searels’ back is getting better. He missed the ECU game, but he’s glad to get back with the guys. Not going to the ECU game was probably the hardest thing he’s ever had to do in his life.

Searels played for Auburn and blocked for Bo Jackson. Blocking for Jackson made Searels’ job a lot easier.

Players are bigger now than they were when Searels played. He finished his career between 280 and 285. These days, Tech is recruiting guys who are that size in high school.

Pitt was very good defensively, and Tech knew that going in. They knew it would be tough to run the ball, but he wasn’t expecting it to be that bad. The Hokies made plenty of mistakes up front. Tech is going to focus on technique, fundamentals and effort in practice this week.

Tech is eliminating their regular Friday practice this week, which is a walk through. The rest of the week remains the same as usual. He’s glad the game is a day earlier than usual, because he’s ready to get that bad taste out of his mouth.

The Hokies had some guys who were normally reliable who were not so reliable on Saturday. Yosuah Nijman will play more when Searels can trust him. Parker Osterloh needs to step up.
Searels challenged Wade Hansen earlier in the year. He’s gotten a little better each week. The results of the whole team don’t show it, but Wade Hansen had a great job against Pitt on Saturday. That goes to show you that it’s not an individual game.

Eric Gallo has done a good job. He’s not where they want him to be yet, but he will be. The game is very important to him.

NC State is a good team. They have a very good defense statistically. They are very athletic. They will be a big challenge.

Wade Hansen

On the offensive line, five guys have to have the same heartbeat each game. Everyone has to play well for the offensive line to succeed. That didn’t happen on Saturday.

Tech is in the middle of ACC play, and they have high expectations. It all starts up front. They have to be chomping at the bit to play NC State.

Only 17 players were on Hansen’s high school team, so he didn’t get recruited. Fortunately Virginia Tech gave him the opportunity to walk-on after two years playing Division III football.

Hansen doesn’t have any regrets. If it’s not worth working hard, then what’s the point? He worked hard to become a good player at Tech.

It doesn’t matter to the offensive line which quarterback is behind them. They are going to block hard no matter what.

Yosuah Nijman just has to keep his focus and he has to shake off bad plays. Everybody is going to make mistakes. You just have to keep going forward.

Going against Dadi Nicolas each week has helped Hansen develop quite a bit. He’s a great player.

Frank Beamer

Tech has to play with more emotion. That goes back to Beamer. When they don’t perform well, that goes back to Beamer. They have good coaches and good players. This is a game you have to be excited about playing. It didn’t really hit Beamer until they watched the film. He didn’t feel like they played with enough emotion. They are going to get that back this week.

The Hokies got themselves into a position where Pitt knew they were going to throw the ball. But still, they need to do better. They need to change their launching point a big. They can’t just drop the quarterback back in the pocket every play. They have to change his release point.

Greg Stroman will be a full-time receiver. The Hokies need help on that side. They need some playmakers on offense. He’s fearless, and he’s good with the ball in his hands. That will be a positive for the offense.

Yosuah Nijman has a ton of talent, but he doesn’t have the experience right now. He’s a guy who needs to get in there and play. Hopefully he can have a good week of practice so Stacy Searels can feel more confident in him. Experience is a big factor on the offensive line.

The staff had a conversation about who needs to touch the ball more. Beamer isn’t going to get into details, but they need to get the ball in the hands of guys who can make people miss.

Andrew Motuapuaka played much better against Pitt. He came back quickly from his injury. It was good to have him back.

Beamer would like to play Tremaine Edmunds more. He’s got great talent and size. They are hoping he can come along quickly, but it’s tough for a true freshman.

It was tough losing Kendall Fuller and CJ Reavis. Both of those guys are going to play in the NFL. Freshmen like Adonis Alexander and Terrell Edmunds are talented, but they are freshmen. We’ll also see more Mook Reynolds going forward.

Tech has to get everybody working together to improve the running game. Everybody has to do his job for the running game to succeed.

For a long time, Tech didn’t lose at Lane Stadium. They need to get that back. He hopes the fans will show up and be the best they can be this week. The Hokies need them right now. Beamer was appreciative of the fans who showed up for the Pitt game.

ESPN pays the ACC a lot of money, and that’s what’s in conrol. You have to play when they want you to play. It’s a great opportunity to play when nobody else is playing. However, Beamer doesn’t like interfering with high school football.

Virginia Tech has held the Commonwealth Cup for 3964 days. #Hokies

— Commonwealth Cup (@CommonwlthCup) October 5, 2015