the grab bagPosted Apr22, 2006 at 09:19 PMOLB Clint Sintim assisted on three tackles today for the orange team. Q: What have you seen this spring from ILB Jon Copper? I respect Jon so much, because Jon’s the type of player where if he’s not good at something, he’ll work himself 'til he’s good at it. You don’t get too many guys who do that. He’s just always working hard and always trying to make himself better. After practice, I’m walking around and he’s in there stretching and taking care of his body. He’s like 45 in a 20-year-old’s body. He had a hell of a game. I saw him mess up the screen play. He’s a really good dude and I’m really proud of him and happy for him that he’s excelling at the position like he is. … He played well. He played really well. [It's good] to know that he’s in the middle and to know that you can count on him when we lost some guys back there. We lost Kai [Parham] and we lost Ahmad [Brooks] but a lot of the younger guys are stepping up. [Antonio] Appleby and Copper are back there now and they’re trying to make people know their name. They’re not trying to have people [worry] ‘Where is Ahmad?’ It’s not going to be the same team without Ahmad and Kai, but they’re just coming in here and trying to assert themselves. We’re all just trying to fulfill our roles. Q: Coach Groh said just now that you have ‘a chance to be one of the better players that we’ve had since we’ve been here.’ What do you say to that? [smiles broadly] From what I hear, Coach Groh thinks very highly of me. You can't be but appreciative when you hear things like that from the head man. I mean, I’m just trying to work hard to get better. I’m just trying to excel in everything I do, as far as rushing the passer, playing the run and covering the seam and dropping [into deep coverage] and things like that. I’m just trying to take it one day at a time and one game at a time and just get better and better every day. QB Christian OlsenPosted Apr22, 2006 at 08:24 PMAs Groh got up to leave the post-game interview room, his new No. 1 quarterback, rising fifth-year senior Christian Olsen, was coming in for what surely was his first post-game meeting with the UVa press corps. “Boy, you’ve been waiting five years for this, huh?” Groh joked. “This’ll probably be a double feature.” Olsen was up for the challenge: Q: You’re not wearing your ‘Joe’ shirt? Q: So should we refer to you as Chris or Christian? Christian’s good. Q: Does it feel pretty good to be voted a team captain without having played much? Yeah, you know, I wasn’t expecting that at all, to be honest with you. Myself, I voted for Deyon [Williams] and Chris Long and I thought those were two very deserving players. But I think everybody that was chosen [also CB Marcus Hamilton] has really tried to step up. It’s an honor for all four of us, but especially a guy like myself who actually hasn’t played, to be chosen by our teammates. I’m thankful for that. That gives us a big step of confidence going into the season. Q: Are you comfortable being a leader and a spokesman, privately and publicly? Yeah, I hope so. You know, the quarterback, just the nature of the position is … as [wide receivers] coach [John] Garrett puts it, he’s the ambassador of the team. We’re going to have to deal with things. It’s always our fault if we lost. We never get too much credit and sometimes we get a little too much [blame] when we lose. That’s just the nature of the position. I think that everybody that plays the position understands that. I’m comfortable with it and I’m willing to take the blame for anything that happens this year. I’m not saying it’s going to, but you know, that’s just part of being the quarterback. Groh speaksPosted Apr22, 2006 at 06:35 PMIn his post-game news conference, Al Groh mentioned that oft-injured TB Michael Johnson was in street clothes today because he injured his ankle in practice this week. He also noted that NT Kevin Crawford (shoulder) has been practicing but wasn't ready for full-speed game action and termed ILB Rashawn Jackson (shoulder) "probably ahead of schedule" in his recovery. [joined in progress] We got a lot done. We’re going down the right road. We’ve got a lot more to do. Obviously this is one of the most inexperienced teams we’ve had, as indicated by the fact that we only have one senior [CB Marcus Hamilton] in the whole defensive lineup. But we have a lot of talented young players, and so they just need a lot of days like this to come on. It’s going to be very important that we bring them on as fast as we can. The clock is running, whether they’re young or old. Q: Did you have a full-fledged draft or assign players to each team? Because of the depth situation, we kind of drafted units rather than individuals. One coach drafted the offensive line, and so therefore the other coach thought he should match the defensive line up against them. Then that coach thought he should put the first receivers with the first line, so then the other coach thought he better put the first secondary with that group. So that’s kind of how it went. Final statsPosted Apr22, 2006 at 06:05 PMBack from the bowels of Scott Stadium -- oddly, I got lost on my way back to the press box -- I bring you the individual standouts from the orange team's 10-7 win against the pesky Bluemen. Blue Team Orange Team P Ryan Weigand: 7 punts, 39.3-yard average, 51-yard long Interviews coming soon ... It's over!Posted Apr22, 2006 at 04:45 PMA rainy, increasingly messy fourth quarter featured missed field goals by Noah Greenbaum (51 yards) and Chris Gould (46) and further evidence that redshirt freshman Jameel Sewell is an exciting but very raw QB prospect. Sewell did enough, though, to win the game for the orange team, including a long catch-and-run by TB Cedric Peerman that set up Greenbaum's 44-yard field goal as time expired. 10-7, Orange. Stay tuned for a full post-game wrap-up, including transcripts of interviews with Coach Groh and a veritable Whitman's Sampler of players. More quick hitsPosted Apr22, 2006 at 04:26 PMQuick hits from the third quarter: - Kevin McCabe, apparently fighting to secure the backup QB job, led Orange on a productive drive to open the third quarter, highlighted by a 30-yard pass to WR Kevin Ogletree. WR Andrew Pearman made a tough catch over the middle near the goal line and TB Cedric Peerman punched it in on the next play. Noah Greenbaum's extra point tied the score at 7 with 2:55 left in the third. - UVa announced today's attendance as 7,869 -- nearly 20,000 less than Virginia Tech's estimated crowd last weekend. - After a promising start, prospective punter Ryan Weigand, a junior college transfer, has been a bit shaky on his past few kicks. - The Cavalier Marching Band is in full effect in the southwest corner, busting out with Kanye's "Touch the Sky." That song was made for college marching bands. HalftimePosted Apr22, 2006 at 03:53 PMWe're zipping along here at the Carl Smith Center. The first half took only 30 minutes. Blue leads, 7-0. I would provide first-half stats if I had any. But here's some unsorted observations: - Andrew Pearman and Mikell Simpson (who was called "Michael" by the P.A. announcer for most of the second quarter) are very fast. Backup QB Jameel Sewell has a strong arm and quick feet, but we'll see if he can make accurate reads and throws. - Blog favorite Cain Ringstaff (BFCR) made his UVa debut by sliding to the turf to catch a 1-yard pass from Sewell in the second quarter. - Former UVa stars James Farrior, Heath Miller and Alvin Pearman got a nice hand from the crowd when they were introduced between the first and second quarters. - The third quarter is just underway and there's a pickup truck on the field. It was given away at halftime and is now going through a tortured three-point turn to get off the sideline. Something mildly substantative coming soon ... Quick hitsPosted Apr22, 2006 at 03:38 PMQuick hits from the first quarter: - The blue team, which has most of the first-team offensive players, moved the ball well behind QB Christian Olsen and an offensive line of Zak Stair, Gordie Sammis, Ian-Yates Cunningham, Marshal Ausberry and Will Barker, left to right. - Orange ILB Jon Copper, a Northside graduate fighting for a starting spot, had two standout plays early. On the first play from scrimmage, he arrived just as WR Mike Robertson (Blacksburg) caught a pass and knocked the ball loose. On the next Blue drive, he sacked Olsen. - Another Timesland product, TE John Phillips (Bath County), got Blue to the 15 with a leaping, 20-yard catch over the middle. Olsen seemed to put the ball where only Phillips could get it. Jason Snelling finished off the drive with a short touchdown run and Chris Gould's extra point made it 7-0 with 4:07 left in the 10-minute quarter. - Special teams today, it appears, will consist only of field goals and punts, with no kickoffs or coverage units. Ryan Weigand got off a booming punt at the end of the first blue possession. awardsPosted Apr22, 2006 at 03:29 PMBefore we get to "actual game action," the Cavs have a few announcements. The winners of the Rock Weir Award as the most improved players this spring are TB Mikell Simpson, DE Jeffrey Fitzgerald and OLB Clint Sintim. The 2006 captains, elected this week by their teammates, are QB Christian Olsen, CB Marcus Hamilton, WR Deyon Williams and DE Chris Long. PK madnessPosted Apr22, 2006 at 03:27 PMThe orange team – which is wearing white jerseys, blue pants and barely a stitch of orange – was far more pumped up than their blue counterparts as they huddled at the end of pre-game warm-ups. So, uh, keep that in mind. I’m sure it will have little to no bearing on today’s proceedings. Chris Gould, Noah Greenbaum, Chase Burns and Dan Wellman stayed on the field to kick 47-yard field goals. They all looked pretty good. Tyrus Gardner of George Wythe is the long snapper and the holder is “Memphis” John Phillips (not to be confused with TE John Phillips of Bath County). Connor Hughes, hanging out on the sideline in shorts and a T-shirt, resisted the urge to join in. In case you had any question how highly the Cavaliers regard rising junior DE Chris Long, they featured him on the cover of their 2006 spring prospectus alongside WR Deyon Williams and CB Marcus Hamilton, both seniors. Al Groh and tight ends Tom Santi and Jon Stupar appear in smaller photos. The back cover has Groh with RBs Jason Snelling and Cedric Peerman and LBs Jermaine Dias, Clint Sintim and “Antoniio [sic] Appleby.” Actual game action is only minutes away … vs.Posted Apr22, 2006 at 02:57 PMThe Hoos are on the field for pregame warmups and I've sampled the media buffet (hot dogs, potato chips and cookies -- a far cry from last week's meal at Lane Stadium), so let's take a look at some areas I'll be keeping a beady eye on this afternoon: Offense Defense Special teams morePosted Apr22, 2006 at 02:38 PMWR Emmanuel Byers, whom UVa announced was sitting out spring practice to focus on his academics, appears to have another good reason for not playing today. He is on crutches with a boot on his left foot. Former Cavs LB Byron Thweatt is down near the end zone, watching with what looks like mild approval as the Blue team of firefighters takes a 14-6 lead with 2:45 left. start me upPosted Apr22, 2006 at 02:05 PMGood afternoon from Scott Stadium, where the rain is holding off, the sun is fighting through the clouds and Kendra and the Kingpins are keeping a host of orange-clad patrons entertained with oldie after oldie. Hundreds of fans are on the field and the pergola-lined North concourse. There appears to be not two or three but as many as four moon-bounce apparatuses. Some of last year's seniors are helping to run stations where fans can test themselves in the 40-yard dash, vertical leap, passing accuracy and kicking ability. Connor Hughes is showing a rag-tag bunch how to kick extra points and Brian Barthelmes, Ron Darden and Kai Parham are running the show over at the vertical leap. (I think Kai wins that battle.) Bart's head, covered by a blue Cleveland Indians cap, appears completely shaved. See him in more hirstute times here and here. Some of the Cavaliers were casually warming up a few minutes ago, including No. 1 quarterback Christian Olsen, who wore a gray T-shirt, blue jeans and flip-flops as he made his first throws of the day. A firefighters' flag football game just started at midfield. They are scheduled to play 12-minute halves, which seems like a lot of time on David A. Harrison III Field. Who hooked them up with this gig? one lastPosted Apr21, 2006 at 08:42 PMSorry to interrupt this Hoos lovefest, but Hokies softball pitcher Angela Tincher broke the ACC season strikeouts record in today's 2-0 win against visiting Florida State. That's impressive no matter your allegiance. Tincher, a James River graduate profiled in today's Roanoke Times by Mark Berman, struck out 13 Seminoles, pushing her past the record set two years ago by FSU's Jessica van der Linden. Tincher (20-6) has an 0.81 ERA and 393 strikeouts in 190.2 innings -- 2.06 per inning. Yikes. of hoos, hokies and hobbitsPosted Apr21, 2006 at 07:06 PMRandom football thoughts as I consider my options for a Friday night in Charlottesville ... - Looking at those orange and blue rosters, it appears we won't see many substitutions. Only 67 players are scheduled to fill the 44 starting slots. Each team has only five offensive linemen and 13 defensive players. - Our corporate sister The Weather Channel predicts a crappy day tomorrow with a good chance of rain throughout the afternoon. Nothing like the lovely day the Hokies had last weekend. Bring a slicker! - I didn't think any Hoo could match VT running back/linebacker Dustin Pickle for Best Name honors, but redshirt freshman running back Cain Ringstaff is a worthy nominee. Did Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took sign elsewhere? And you know the Hokies have fun with the Cavaliers "yacht club" foursome of Bernie McKeever, Ian-Yates Cunningham, Hall Simmons and Crutcher Reiss. Our man Jackson Andrews (North Cross) is a solid fifth. - I am excited to see tomorrow if RBs Mike Johnson and Jason Snelling look ready for their long-awaited breakout years. To see if 6-foot-7 DE Alex Field is the next Chris Canty -- and Chris Long the next Patrick Kerney. To see if young talents Chris Cook, Chris Gorham, Mike Brown and Vicqual "Does It All" Hall can give the Cavs depth at CB behind Marcus Hamilton. To see ILB Antonio Appleby take his first steps toward replacing Ahmad Brooks and Kai Parham -- with Northside graduate Jon Copper at his side. To see OL Eugene Monroe (6-6, 318) and Branden Albert (6-7, 306) hanging out on the sideline next to WR Emmanuel Byers (5-9, 186). And of course, to see QB Christian Olsen. His prep pedigree is impeccable, his acting/modeling resume is impressive and there's no shame in sitting behind the likes of Matt Schaub and Marques Hagans. But we need to see him do it. for the rest of usPosted Apr21, 2006 at 06:42 PMVirginia’s spring football festival will begin tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. at Scott Stadium with food and all manner of games before the team hits the field around 3:30. A musical collective calling itself Kendra and the Kingpins will provide "swingin' soul and rockin' pop." Former Cavaliers Heath Miller, Alvin Pearman and James Farrior are scheduled to sign autographs. No word on whether there will be Feats of Strength or an Airing of Grievances. Former UVa offensive coordinator Ron Prince apparently liked the festivus idea so much he brought it with him to Kansas State. my name is Jim; i'll be serving you tonightPosted Apr21, 2006 at 06:38 PMWhat can I get you, Hoos fans, from the spring festivus? We have a wide selection of tasty choices. Hit the little comment button there and let me know what you want me to keep a particular eye on tomorrow at Scott Stadium. rosteria!Posted Apr21, 2006 at 03:57 PMTo kick off our UVa Spring Game Blog eXtravaganza (SGBX), let's check out the orange and blue rosters, announced today: ORANGE (click here for a print-happy pdf) QB Kevin McCabe, Jameel Sewell UVa picks new wrestling coachPosted Apr21, 2006 at 12:48 PMUVa announced yesterday that Steve Garland, an NCAA runner-up for the Cavaliers in 2000, is its new wrestling coach. Garland, 28, was an assistant coach the past six seasons at Cornell, which placed in the top 11 at the past four NCAA championships. He replaces Lenny Bernstein, who resigned two weeks ago after 13 seasons as Cavs head coach. UVa unsure about Duke lax transfersPosted Apr21, 2006 at 12:43 PMAs members of the embattled Duke lacrosse team consider transferring to other schools, Virginia coach Dom Starsia said it is “very, very unlikely” they will join the Cavaliers. Starsia said UVa has not ruled out accepting Duke transfers — as Syracuse has — but “I have been told by administrators to tread very lightly in that area.” There is also an ACC rule that requires lacrosse players to sit out a year if they transfer within the conference. No player has made such a move, Starsia said. “I just don’t think it’s going to happen,” said Starsia, whose top-ranked Cavaliers play April 30 in the championship game of what is now a three-team ACC tournament in Baltimore. “I don’t want to say never … but it’s just very, very unlikely that we’re going to get involved with any of those players.” Two Duke players, sophomore Bo Carrington and freshman Steve Schoeffel, attended the Covenant School in Charlottesville. Tech sells outPosted Apr19, 2006 at 03:07 PMThe Indianapolis Star recently published a massive report on the finances of college athletics, drawing from 2004-05 budgets submitted by 164 of the nation's 215 biggest public schools. Nearly one-quarter of public schools, including the University of Virginia, did not provide budgets to the Star. Private schools, as is their right by law, also declined to respond. That group includes ACC schools Miami, Duke, Boston College and Wake Forest and national powers such as Notre Dame, Southern Cal, Georgetown, Villanova and Syracuse. The first stat that stands out is ticket sales, where Virginia Tech reported $12 million for football, $1.85 million for men's basketball and $14.1 million overall. Tech's football sales ranked first in the ACC and 15th among all schools surveyed. Clemson, the conference's second-place team, was less than $30,000 behind the Hokies. Florida State was third with $11.2 million. (Note that the data covers only seven of the 12 ACC teams -- though none of the conference's private schools are contenders in this race, anyway.) Ohio State led the nation with $29 million in football ticket sales, followed by Michigan, Texas A&M, Tennessee and Texas, each of which had more than $20 million. The Hokies were 34th nationally (fifth in the ACC) in men's basketball, behind national leaders Kansas ($8.5 million), Kentucky, Louisville, UNC and Arkansas. In overall ticket sales, Tech was 21st. Sift through mounds of potentially interesting numbers in the Star's handy-dandy database. Glennon wins the job. For now.Posted Apr17, 2006 at 10:39 PMFrank Beamer has decided third-year sophomore Sean Glennon will be Tech's No. 1 quarterback when preseason camp opens in August. Beamer puts Glennon ahead of Cory Holt, Ike Whitaker and Greg Boone, in that order, because Glennon "has been the most consistent. He's thrown the ball better than I thought he might. I thought he made good decisions" in Saturday's spring game. The hokiesports.com article that first had the news Monday night also mentions that Victor "Macho" Harris has at this point moved ahead of Roland Minor for a starting cornerback spot. Squabble about Glennon and the QBs on our message boards. Updated: 4/19/06 12:08 p.m. the annual overreactionPosted Apr17, 2006 at 10:04 PMTom Dienhart of the Sporting News weighs in on the ACC football coaches "who need to deliver this fall." In what appears to be merely alphabetical order, he lists North Carolina State's Chuck Amato, North Carolina's John Bunting, Miami's Larry Coker, Maryland's Ralph Friedgen and UVa's Al Groh. On Groh, he opines: By winning the national title, Mack Brown has shed the label of "coach who does the least with the most." It's time for Groh to assume the throne. Time and again, he signs blue-chip recruits. And time and again, UVa marches off to the Who-Give-A-Crap Bowl. And sometimes loses! A New Year's Day bowl -- and ACC title -- should have been mixed in somewhere during the last four seasons. Didn't happen. And it sure isn't gonna happen this year for a program that faces myriad questions and is breaking in two new coordinators. Certainly Groh has not achieved his stated goal of winning championships. UVa's best finish in his five seasons was a tie for second place, if I recall correctly -- which isn't bad at all. As I see it, Groh's scrappy first team in 2001 and overachieving 2002 team laid the groundwork for championship expectations in the following two years, but the Cavaliers missed their window. They lost a few games they could have won, proving yet again how slender the margin is between a wildly successful, 10-win season and an 8-win year that has fans and media grumbling. draftapaloozaPosted Apr17, 2006 at 09:26 PMWith Tech's spring game receding into memory and UVa's still five days off -- what, you thought this was solely a Hokies blog? -- this seems as good a time as any for a primer on the huge pool of NFL draft hopefuls coming out of the Commonwealth's top two programs this year. The Cavaliers almost certainly will the highest pick in OT D'Brickashaw Ferguson, but the Hokies should have more players taken. (Have you heard enough yet about Brick's weird first name, his saxophone and his black belt in karate? I have.) Each team should have a first-rounder and maybe 1-2 other first-day picks. Virginia Tech Also: TE Jeff King, OL Will Montgomery, S Justin Hamilton, OLB James Anderson, RB Cedric Humes, RB Mike Imoh, OT Jimmy Martin, OL Jason Murphy, DT Tim Sandidge, QB Marcus Vick. Virginia Also: RB Wali Lundy, K Connor Hughes, OL Brian Barthelmes, OL Brad Butler, DT Kwakou Robinson, DL Brennan Schmidt, K Kurt Smith. final thoughtsPosted Apr16, 2006 at 07:35 PMThe Hokies tried to give Sean Glennon, Cory Holt and Ike Whitaker roughly the same amount of playing time, splitting 14 drives almost exactly in thirds, but Holt ran 30 plays, nearly twice as many as Glennon (18) and Whitaker (16) – and unsurprisingly, he produced more yards, 145 to 11 and 70, respectively. Certainly the variety has a lot to do with the teammates who were out there with and against each quarterback. Also, a look at the play-calling supports Glennon’s contention that he didn’t get as much of a chance to make big plays. Glennon handed off 8 times and had the ball in hand for a pass or a quarterback run only 10 times. Compare that to Holt’s 8 and 21 or Whitaker’s 3 and 12 or even Greg Boone’s 1 and 6. Note, however, that Glennon had three of the first five drives – when the Hokies likely wanted to see what the running game could do – and only two drives after that. It’s hard to know quite what to make of the rest of Saturday’s Maroon-White game, to sort out who or what should get credit or blame for the day’s successes and failures. How much can be expected, for instance, of a young offensive line that was split into two teams, or a group of running backs that did not include Branden Ore, Kenny Lewis Jr. or Elan Lewis? Should Virginia Tech care that its secondary was burned for touchdown passes of 49 and 50 yards? The answers, respectively, are, “not much” and “probably not.” But we do know that Vince Hall and Xavier Adibi are as dangerous as ever, that this corps of wide receivers could be the best Tech has had in some time, that youngsters such as Boone, William Wall and Macho Harris demand your attention this fall. Tune in this August for a far, far better look at the 2006 Hokies. We’ll keep you updated as needed here on the blog. Spring awardsPosted Apr15, 2006 at 06:39 PMThe Hokies handed out individual spring awards at halftime today. Top newcomers: OG Sergio Render, S Robert Parker Other notes: Of the teams' 16 drives, only four produced more than a dozen yards. Kickers Jared Develli (3 of 3) and Jud Dunlevy (2 of 3) booted touchbacks on all but one of their kickoffs. LB Jonas Houseright led all defensive players with 4 tackles (3 solo, 2 assist) and LB Xavier Adibi had 3.5. CB Stephan Virgil, CB Jahre Cheeseman, LB Cody Grimm and DE Orion Martin each had 3 tackles. QB Cory Holt led all rushers with 27 yards on five carries. TB Devin Radford (2-17) and TB George Bell (6-14) were the only others in double figures. WR Justin Harper (6 catches for 79 yards) and WR Josh Morgan (4-90) were the only players with more than one catch. Brent Bowden, the backup to Nic Schmitt, punted three times for an average of 44.7 yards. Today's captains: For Maroon, Glennon, Adibi, Hall and Duane Brown. For White, Rouse and Brandon Frye. Quarterback quotesPosted Apr15, 2006 at 06:11 PMCory Holt (4 of 12, 83 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception): Q: What do you need to do better to win the job? Be more consistent. Coach Beamer says that a lot, that I’ve got to be more consistent. I think if I do that, I can really separate myself from Sean and Ike. Q: What about that interception on your first pass? I held onto the ball too long and Vince Hall made a great play. I just put that play behind me and looked forward to the rest of the game. Q: Was that a pass you should have thrown faster or shouldn’t have thrown at all? Should have thrown a little faster. Q: Did you feel you got better from there? Yeah, that’s what it’s all about. It’s not where you start; it’s where you finish. As the game went along, I think I got better. Q: Is it tough working with an ever-changing mix of teammates? That’s how it’s been all spring in practice – you know, different receivers, different tailbacks, different offensive linemen. I think me and Sean and Ike, we’re used to that now. Q: In terms of picking a starting QB, are we still where we were this morning? I think so, because like I said, I had a lot good plays and some mental breakdowns. Sean had good plays and mental breakdowns. So we’ll see how the fall goes and hopefully they’ll name one then. QBs coach Mike O'CainPosted Apr15, 2006 at 05:45 PMNew quarterbacks coach Mike O’Cain joined the fray as well: [joined in progress] Q: It sounds like you weren’t blown away by the quarterbacks today. I’m not dissatisfied with the quarterback play over the course of the spring. I thought we made tremendous improvement. I was very pleased with particularly Sean and Cory coming into today. It’s just a matter of them growing up and getting opportunities. They need more of this. They’ve had very little game experience. So do you expect them to go out there and perform like a veteran quarterback? No. You hope they do, but at the same time you understand that they’re probably not going to. But I was very pleased. I think both quarterbacks can lead this football team and I believe we can win with both of them. Q: Who is ‘both’? Cory and Sean. Q: What about Ike Whitaker? Ike, I don’t know yet. I haven’t been around Ike enough. Ike’s only practiced seven days, eight days. Ike can do a lot of things. He’s very talented. He doesn’t have a great understanding of our offense and how it all works – and a lot of that’s because he hasn’t had enough reps. He missed the first seven days of practice. We installed half our offense – well, more than half – in the first seven days, and he’s not out there playing. He’s behind, but he’s got tremendous ability. It’s just a matter of getting him what he needs to get better. Beamer speaksPosted Apr15, 2006 at 05:14 PMHokies coach Frank Beamer held a relatively brief post-game news conference this afternoon: Opening statement: I think what we are is a defense that is going to play very well. We developed some depth at a couple more positions. I think we’ve got to kick the ball great and I think we’ve got the potential to do that. ... We didn’t really work on this so much today, but our punt block and returns teams have got to be an active role for this football program. The last couple years we’ve gotten in close and haven’t done great in those areas. And then offensively I think we’ve got to keep developing. We’re too young at some positions. We’re just not mature enough at some positions. ... I think we can identify exactly what we’ve got to do to be OK as a football team, and now we’ve got to get that done this summer. We’ve got to get us about six, seven offensive linemen and just go like heck and play like heck. I think that we’ve got some playmakers. [Injured tailback] Branden Ore was back on the sideline here today and we’ll get him back in the fall. The wide receivers made some plays today. That’s where the plays came today. Now I think we’ve just got to get consistent play at the quarterback. I think that’s the deal. I know that’s the deal. And we’ve won a lot of football games doing exactly what I just said. So that’s what we’ve got to get to. Q: Can you declare anything on the starting QB spot or will that carry over to August? I actually – and we’re going to sit here and talk about this Monday and Tuesday – I’d like to get it settled. I’d like to get it more settled, to be honest with you, because I think we will be better once we have a direction. … I think the quicker we can do that, the better this football team will be. Now, you know, whether we’re ready to do it right now, I think that’s some discussion and let’s watch this video very carefully and then think back [over] what’s taken place over spring practice. Whichever quarterback it is, I think we’re going to have a good quarterback. I do think that. I don’t think there’s a bad one; it’s just which one can give us the best opportunity to win next year. So that’s our deal. Final StatsPosted Apr15, 2006 at 04:55 PMGiven that the quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends all played for both teams, I’m not sure there’s much point in poring over the statistics for the Maroon and White teams. But for what it’s worth, Maroon out-gained White 161-94 in its 14-10 win, including a rushing advantage of 42 yards to negative-4 yards. The defenses were credited with five sacks and got constant pressure. The quarterbacks combined for 217 yards on 17-of-26 passing, with two touchdowns and one interception. They ran 22 times for 20 net yards, with 40 yards lost to sacks. Here’s how they broke down individually: redshirt sophomore Sean Glennon: 5-of-6 passing, 36 yards; 3 rushes, negative-3 yards. redshirt sophomore Cory Holt: 4-of-12 passing, 83 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception; 9 rushes, 31 yards. redshirt freshman Ike Whitaker: 6-of-6 passing, 85 yards, 1 touchdown; 6 rushes, negative-3 yards. redshirt freshman Greg Boone: 2-of-2 passing, 13 yards; 4 rushes, negative-5 yards. (And FYI, assistant coach Bryan Stinespring says Boone is down to about 265 pounds these days.) Interviews with Glennon, Holt, Whitaker, Frank Beamer and QBs coach Mike O’Cain will be up soon. another spring game is in the booksPosted Apr15, 2006 at 03:36 PMDespite a missed 31-yard field goal by Pulaski native John Hedge -- the hold by blog favorite Grant Throckmorton (BFGT) looked good -- the maroon team hung on for a 14-10 win. Ike Whitaker was at the helm for the white team in the final minute, but couldn't lead a miracle comeback from his own 20. We appear no closer to determining the 2006 starting quarterback than we were this morning. Stay tuned for full postgame coverage -- stats, analysis and transcripts of interviews with Frank Beamer, the quarterbacks and anyone else that comes within range of a tape recorder. crunch timePosted Apr15, 2006 at 03:32 PMAnd there goes Devin Radford over the right side on a toss from Maroon QB Cory Holt. Good blocking gets the 5-foot-9 freshman 17 yards to the White 20-yard line. Maroon has the ball and a 14-10 lead with 1:15 left. Be advised, any of you who are actually rooting for one team over the other today. freight trainPosted Apr15, 2006 at 03:20 PMApparently there is good reason redshirt freshman QB Greg Boone is listed at 6-3, 287 pounds. The dude ran over a couple defenders for a 6-yard gain on the first drive of the third quarter and then spun and danced for 4 yards up the middle on the next play. Cory Holt just missed tight end Ed Wang wide open over the middle for good yardage -- and then zipped a 12-yard pass to Eddie Royal, keeping it low so only Royal could get it. Then cornerback Stephan Virgil chased Holt down for a sack. As expected, it's been an up-and-down day for all these QBs. Glennon has by far the best completion percentage, but Holt and Whitaker have huge arms and have connected with Josh Morgan and Justin Harper, respectively, on the day's biggest plays. For you astronomy fans, we've got another cheesy pun: "Orion a star in the making." Does anyone know if Dustin Pickle rooms with Brandon Dillard? halftime statsPosted Apr15, 2006 at 03:13 PMA little behind schedule, here's the first-half passing stats: Passing The highlight of the half was Eddie Royal's nifty, 14-yard punt return. Dancing machine. White closes the gapPosted Apr15, 2006 at 03:09 PMJustin Harper's fumble led to an impressive, 49-yard field goal by kicker Brandon Pace, bringing White to 14-10 with 5:28 left in the third quarter. Ike Whitaker led the drive, throwing just one pass: a 3-yard completion to fullback Devin Perez. Greg Boone was back at QB for Maroon on the ensuing possession. BoonePosted Apr15, 2006 at 03:05 PMThis game is moving almost too fast to chronicle, but Greg Boone was in at QB for the maroon team on the first possession of the second half just now. He completed a short first-down pass to Justin Harper, but Harper fumbled it away. To cleanse your palate, enjoy the following Dustin Pickle-related puns that have been bandied about in the press box this afternoon. And you think we don't earn our paychecks: Pickle relishes the opportunity. Cory makes like IkePosted Apr15, 2006 at 02:58 PMCory Holt redeemed himself on the final possession of the first half, leading a touchdown drive that pulled White within 14-7 at halftime. Holt scrambled left for 1 yard, threw incomplete under pressure and converted a third-and-9 by running left for 10 yards with 50 seconds left. He scrambled up the middle for 4 yards and then threw an ill-advised, across-his-body pass into a pocket of defenders that was tipped to the ground. Then another third-down conversion: 13 yards on a strong throw left to Josh Morgan. An 11-yard sack by Kent Hicks pushed Holt back to the 50, but on the next play he unleashed a tremendous throw just before DT Cordarrow Thompson hit him. Morgan caught it at the goal line with D.J. Parker hanging on him and Hicks a step away. On the movePosted Apr15, 2006 at 02:53 PMSean Glennon got the maroon team moving again, starting with a 9-yard completion to Josh Morgan, though the pass wasn't quite on the money. Two runs gained nothing, so Glennon flipped a fourth-and-1 pass to fullback Carlton Weatherford in the right flat for 10 yards to the 22-yard line. Devin Radford gained 9 yards by juking Andrew Bowman after a pass in the flat, but Glennon killed the drive with a horrible flip to Eddie Royal on an end-around. Royal recovered the fumble while getting walloped for a 19-yard loss, and Glennon got 3 yards back with a pass to Justin Harper, but Dustin Keys missed a 46-yard field goal from the right hash -- well short and possibly wide right as well. Blog favorite Grant Throckmorton was the holder. He seemed to do an excellent job. |
