Aside from the worst officiating I’ve ever seen at a basketball game (an embarrassment to the NIT), the other news today is the beginning of spring football practice.

This spring brings a somewhat unusual challenge to the Virginia Tech sideline; filling holes from so many star Seniors. I caught you there didn’t I? You assume the most important question is who will start at quarterback in the fall. Unfortunately, the fact is that the defense lost several key players and will need some 2008 starters to fill some big shoes.

The biggest question mark appears the be in the line backing corps. Losing both Adibi and Hall, Tech’s tandem for several years, will be the biggest weakness that needs filled. The defensive tackle position is also looking for someone with big feet. After several years of defensive domination, the Hokies may need a less stagnant offense to rack up the wins. (more…)

The Hokies didn’t look polished. The first half Hokies looked downright bad. The offense couldn’t figure it out; Tyrod Taylor was completely ineffective. Somehow though, the team pulled together and decided to go for it even though they were down 17-0. They came back and made a game out of it but ultimately Kansas came to play.

Tyrod didn’t look good either. The Kansas pass rush was more than he could handle and he was shaken up several times. I haven’t looked up his stats yet (the game just ended) but clearly the decision was made to make Glennon the primary QB. It is hard to argue with when Glennon looks good and Taylor looks bad, but I will anyway.

What happened to the quick rotations between QBs? The last few games of the season, ACC Championship excluded, Beamer was rotating them every two plays. When they were both healthy it looked like they had almost even snaps and appeared efficient. Then comes the ACC Championship and Orange Bowl.

Tyrod Taylor is rarely used and can’t get into a rhythm. You can almost see Glennon’s mistakes before they happen, but the coaching staff won’t rotate the same way. In the ACC Championship the QBs were rotated more by drives than by snaps. While the Hokies came away with the win, it looked messy. Now in the Orange Bowl, Taylor gets only a handful of snaps with questionable play calls?

Our offense went from terrible to functional when the rotation was quick. The QBs were kept fresh; the defenses were kept off balance; the team seemed to get fired up. But no, we wouldn’t want to keep using a system that works. Lets let Glennon be our main quarterback again. Lets make sure that we burned Tyrod Taylor’s redshirt for no reason.

If Glennon was behind an O line like BC’s or USC’s then there is no question that he could be very good. However, our team just isn’t built for his style of play. He’s better now, no doubt, and I hate trashing on him over and over but we need Tyrod as our starter.

If Tyrod doesn’t get the first string call in the off season so we can build our unit around his style of play, I’m afraid next year will look even meeker. We’re already losing a pile of players and we definitely can’t have Glennon at the helm behind a once again terrible offensive line.

See Also: Jayski’s Rant on SpitzerTailgate

We’ve been working diligently over the past several weeks to complete the transition of all the information from the old Tyrod Taylor site onto this one. We think we have most of it. This design tested to be more professional looking and eye catching than the last design. Here is our latest Tyrod Taylor Wallpaper to keep you occupied before the Orange Bowl.

After reading all the experts picked Kansas, I can’t help but feel like the Mohawks don’t have a chance. The Hokies are healthy and firing on all cyllinders. Meanwhile the Mohawks didn’t beat a ranked team all season.

In an exciting battle, the Virginia Tech Hokies led by both Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor were able to overcome Boston College in the ACC Championship game on December 1, 2007.  The story of the game was not Matt Ryan, as apparently the announcers were hoping for, but rather Virginia Tech’s special teams and defense.

The special teams unit blocked two kicks which allowed the Hokies to come back and take the lead after the half.  Then toward the end of the game, the defense stepped up with several critical turnovers holding Boston College scoreless in the second half.

Matt Ryan seems to be the real deal and will get a shot at the next level, but a one man team can’t win the ACC…perhaps the Big 12 or Little 11, but the ACC is all around too good of a conference.

ACC officials were worried that the conference would be embarrassed by the turnout in Jacksonville this year, with two of the more northern schools fighting for the title.  But the Hokies turned out in droves to show that we’ll go anywhere, even to places like God-forsaken Jacksonville.  To be honest though I think I saw more homeless people than BC fans outside the game.  There wasn’t a single Eagle that I came into contact with that had actually come from Boston.

To solve this turnout problem the ACC moved the games for the next to years to Tampa.  Yes, that’s right.  They moved it farther from 11/12 schools.  After the next two years of an empty stadium, the game is planned for Charlotte, NC.  It seems like it will be a nice central location for the conference and it makes wonder why they scrounged around in Florida for so long (bye bye retirees and dimpled chads).

Taylor didn’t have a spectacular game against the Eagles, but they were supposed to be the ACC’s best run defense (at least statistically).  The mere fact that Brandon Ore gained yards means that they were an overrated unit.

The Hokies tossed oranges into the stands and leapt into the student section after the game.  It’s now official; Virginia Tech heads to the Orange Bowl in Miami, FL on January third to face the God awful and overrated Kansas Mohawks.

Here are the news articles posted from the 2007 season, transposed from the previous website version.

11.12.07 Tyrod and Glennon split time at quarterback; a shocking, but great move by Beamer in his first career win over FSU and Bobby Bowden. Using the two quarterbacks appeared to confuse the defense, and give some semblance of a spark to the Hokies’ offense. I was most disappointed with the referees in the game. Especially in the second half, it was apparent that they made several terrible calls and no-calls that all seemingly went against the Hokies. The worst was the no-call on the late hit on the kick return in the 3rd quarter. The rules are put there to keep the players safe; ACC ref bias aside, you have to protect to the players on both sides of the ball.

10.13.07 Tyrod left the game at Duke with an ankle injury. It has been reported as a high ankle sprain. The foot is currently in a boot that will come off on Saturday. Then a decision will be made as to whether Tyrod Taylor will play versus the probable #2 Boston College. Sean Glennon looked as good as ever against Duke, so I will not be surprised either way. I love that BC won’t know how to prepare because the two quarterbacks have totally different styles.

10.10.07 I was just notified that Tyrod Taylor has been named the ACC’s Rookie of the week. You can read an article on Hokiesports HERE.

10.06.07 I don’t have much to say about the Hokies win over Clemson, except ‘Oh thank God.’ Defense finally came to play and of course I don’t have to mention special teams. Adibi looked like he finally stepped his game up to the level we’ve been expecting. Unfortunately the news on Vince Hall (injury: wrist - out 4-6 weeks) will definitely hurt the defense in the coming games. Although this will likely give Purnell Sturdivant, backup linebacker, a fine opportunity to prove himself. He looked good against William and Mary and I’m excited to see what he can do against some ACC opponents.

9.27.07 The Hokies looked rough against a tough UNC team. This was the first ACC contest for Tyrod Taylor and the Hokies. Passing yards were tough to come by but a few defensive stands held off the trailing Tar Heels. Before heading to death valley next week and a battle with Clemson, the Hokies have some fine tuning to do. That will be a true test for the Hokies and may have huge significance on the ACC race.

9.23.07 Taylor looked good again against William and Mary, but only played in the first half before Beamer called in the second string offense. He had an impressive run early in the game down the sideline and was fairly well on the mark with his passes. Harper dropped a couple, but the ball seemed placed decently for the most part. Defense was pretty good as well, but it is hard to review such an overwhelming victory. Second string defense held their own for the most part although they did allow William and Mary to gain nearly as many yards as Tech. Purnell Sturdivant, backup linebacker, had an amazing performance with 2 interceptions and 8 tackles including two sacks for big losses. Expect this r-Junior to be a big factor in next year’s rebuilding defense.

9.15.07 Tyrod Taylor looked poised and confident in his first collegiate start versus Ohio. The offensive line may have played a bit better than last week but still isn’t great, just acceptable. Taylor used his feet as a weapon to escape the blitz and create opportunities downfield. Josh Morgan appeared to be Taylor’s favorite reciever, as the two connected 6 times for a total of 119 yards. The fans seem to love Tyrod’s style and chanted “tyrod taylor” after every great play. It was fun to see a quarterback play with confidence for a change. In other team news, Kenny Lewis Jr. looked great running in two touchdowns. I expect to see more of Lewis as long as Ore keeps forgetting how to hit a hole. Maybe Weaver shouldn’t have gotten rid of “Stick It In”, which was shouted loud and proud all game long…

9.09.07 Virginia Tech was embarrased by LSU. LSU played like a number 2 team and clearly they deserve their ranking, if not the number 1 spot. The Hokies on the other hand, seem to have some work to do. Talk of a National Championship has gone out the window because whether we get to the game or not, it is fairly apparent that at this point that we wouldn’t be competitive anyways. Tyrod looked promising in the game, however. Beamer has a tough decision to make as to who to start next week. He’s backed Glennon this far, hoping to save Tyrod’s redshirt, but I think Glennon just solidified his place on the bench.

9.02.07 The Hokies pulled out the win over ECU, but it was not as comfortable as the fans would have liked. After Glennon’s second big mistake of the game, the student section could be heard all the way from the South End Zone chanting “Tyrod Taylor” several times. The Hokie fans refrained from booing ECU, but still managed to boo Glennon after some broken plays. Virginia Tech pulls the win 17-7 over Eastern Carolina. All we can say now is…L S Who?

8.31.07 The Tyrod Taylor Fansite is live! Hopefully this will be a good season for the Hokies. If we can focus on the little things, rather than looking ahead to an ACC Title or BCS game we will end up in good shape. With so many returning starters, this should be a fun season for Virginia Tech.