Well, Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer called today's Maroon-White scrimmage one of the best Spring Games he's seen, which probably ranks it about 12,475th on his list of best games he's seen. Sean Glennon's White team defeated the Tyrod Taylor-led Maroon squad 24-3 in a fairly well-played scrimmage that had some encouraging signs on both sides.
For Sunday, Randy King will have a story with heavy emphasis on receiver Brandon Dillard, who definitely made a case that he deserves a scholarship. The former Bassett standout and redshirt junior still does not have one, but he was the top performer on the field today, rushing for 49 yards on one carry and catching a 25-yard touchdown pass. For a team looking for replacements in the receiving corps, Dillard stood out. Zach Luckett caught two passes for 20 yards, while Danny Coale had two receptions for 18 yards.
Glennon also looked good, completing 9 of 15 passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.
“Definitely not a perfect spring, but I like how it ended," Glennon said. "I thought I played pretty well today.”
Taylor's line wasn't as effective, and he was sacked three times while completing 11 of 19 passes for 67 yards and an interception.
Josh Oglesby's 25-yard run in the second half gave him a Maroon team-leading 40 yards. Darren Evans ran nine times for 24 yards and one touchdown for the White team, with Dustin Pickle toting it once for four yards.
The kicking game is another unsettled position. Chris Hazley hit a 42-yard field goal, the longest of the day. Dustin Keys connected from 18 yards out, and Tim Pisano was short on a 52-yard attempt.
Tech's not providing any estimates on the crowd, but the press box consensus is 30,000. Definitely not bad considering the cool, drizzly weather.
That's all for tonight. I'll have a column in Sunday's paper (and online) about what I think Tech should do with the quarterback situation, and Randy will have his story and other notes and quotes from the game. Hope you'll check it out.
---
White wins 24-3. Back with stats and a wrap-up later.
---
Fitting end to a tough day for the Taylor-led Maroon team. A 16-yard completion over the middle to Andre Smith ends in a fumble. Dean Hill recovers for the White team with 33 seconds left.
---
Getting sloppy here at the end, with two bad snaps in a row for the White team. They'll punt it away to give Taylor one more crack at leading a TD drive.
---
Maroon turns it over on downs with less than 3 minutes to go. Cory Holt did make his first catch on the drive, a 17-yarder from Taylor.
---
Unofficially, White has 199 total yards while Maroon has 74.
---
Ike Whitaker makes a diving catch in the end zone on a 12-yard pass from Glennon, and the rout is on for the White team. White leads 24-3 with 5:17 remaining in the fourth quarter after Dustin Keys boots the extra point. Spectacular play by the former quarterback and the present one. Glennon eluded pressure and threw on the run where only Whitaker could get it, and Whitaker went full-out on the dive to snag it in the corner. Highlights on the drive: Evans caught an 11-yard pass out of the backfield for a first down. Tight end Andrew Lanier got loose over the middle to collect a 27-yard pass from Glennon.
---
Maroon puts together a long drive, at least in terms of time, but they have to settle for a 52-yard field goal attempt and Tim Pisano is well short on it. Macho Harris fields the ball in the end zone and returns it to the White 36. On the drive: Danny Coale shows his stuff as a possession receiver, picking up a first down on a 8-yard pass from Taylor on 3rd-and-7. Tailback Josh Oglesby has his first big play of the day, breaking through a hole on the left side for 25 yards on third-and-2. But Macho Harris sacks Taylor from behind for a big loss and Maroon cannot make up that ground.
---
White goes three and out to start the second half. Zach Luckett dropped a sure first down pass from Glennon on third down. That's three drops from the unproven receiving corps thus far.
----
HALFTIME: Your MVP thus far is the White team's Brandon Dillard, who caught a 25-yard touchdown pass, had a 49-yard end around to set up another score and also had a nice kick return. The redshirt junior (have I mentioned he was a Bassett guy?) is a former walk-on with a diverse set of skills. As for the quarterbacks, Sean Glennon has looked great, while Tyrod Taylor hasn't looked very comfortable. I'll get some stats when they become available.
Spring awards are being announced. They are:
Paul Torgersen Award (top offensive and defensive newcomer) are Blake DeChristopher on offense and Barqell Rivers on defense.
Dr. Richard Bullock Award (most improved) are Ike Whitaker on offense and Demetrius Taylor on defense.
Frank O. Moseley Award (most hustle) are Dustin Pickle on offense and John Graves on defense.
Don Williams Award (team-first mentality) were Devin Perez on offense and Cam Martin on defense.
The Coaches Award (outstanding spring player) are Nick Marshman on offense and Brett Warren on defense.
President's Award (leadership): Orion Martin and Kam Chancellor, both on defense.
George Preas Award (most valuable spring performers): Greg Boone on offense and Jason Worilds on defense.
Biggest Loser Award (most weight loss): Cordarrow Thompson, defense.
---
The ATM (Evans) can't punch it in this time from 1-yard out, and an incompletion on second down forces White to settle for a field goal just before the half. They're up on Maroon 17-3 at the half.
---
Taylor is intercepted by Kam Chancellor and an underthown pass that the QB threw on the run across his body. Chancellor returns it from about midfield all the way to the Maroon 1. Hasn't been a great day for former QBs now playing receiver. A wide-open Cory Holt dropped a pass on that last drive.
---
Brandon Dillard again. The former Bassett Bengal catches a perfect 25-yard pass in the end zone from Glennon, and the White team leads 14-3 with :57 remaining in the first half. A nice connection from Glennon to Boone -- who was in his more familiar tight end position -- picked up 20 yards. Luckett also caught a 16-yard pass on the drive.
---
Chris Hazley boots a 42-yard field goal with plenty to spare, and the Maroon team is on the board. They now trail White 7-3 with 1:39 remaining in the first half. Hazley's boot was a good sign for the Hokies, who have struggled some in the kicking game this fall while trying to find a replacement for the departed Jud Dunlevy.
---
A 14-yard touchdown pass from Taylor to tight end David Stanton is called back by a holding call. Either way, very nice catch by the redshirt sophomore Stanton, who was face-guarded well in the end zone by Davon Morgan.
---
Here comes Maroon. Redshirt sophomore Prince Parker blocks a punt to set up the Maroon team first-and-10 on the White 15. A couple of guys playing relatively new positions got a shot on that last drive. Tight end Greg Boone lined up as a back and took a handoff for minus-2 yards. Then former QB Ike Whitaker, now a top contender to start at receiver this fall, dropped a pass over the middle from Glennon.
---
Another 3-and-out for the Maroon team. Taylor's been moving around back there in the pocket, but he's not finding a lot of room against this defense. The rain looks like it's coming down pretty good now.
---
Darren Evans -- aka the Automatic Touchdown Machine -- punches in the game's first score from 1 yard out. Dustin Keys boots the extra point and the White team leads 7-0 with 7:21 remaining in the first quarter. That 64-yard drive came exclusively on the ground.
---
The first quarter ends with the game scoreless, but the White team is threatening. They've got it first-and-goal from the 3 after a 10-yard run by Evans and a nice 49-yard end around by wide receiver Brandon Dillard, a former Bassett high school standout.
---
Linebacker Cam Martin is shaken up on a 2-yard run by Darren Evans. He's helped off the field.
---
The Taylor-led Maroon team picks up the initial first down of the game, when the QB hit Danny Coale for a 10-yard pass. But a fourth-down pass later falls incomplete, and the White team's got it back.
---
Both QBs are off to a shaky start. On his first play, Sean Glennon connects with tailback Darren Evans, who is stuck hard by linebacker Purnell Sturdivant for a loss of 3. A short pass to Zach Luckett and an incompletion down the middle followed, and the white team is forced to punt.
---
Tyrod Taylor leads a 3-and-out series for the Maroon to start things off. A false start by tight end Andre Smith, followed by two incompletions and a Demetrius Taylor sack will give Sean Glennon and the white team possession.
What this game needs is stakes -- or even steaks. My college baseball team would end each fall practice season with a seven-game intrasquad series, with the losing team buying the winning team a steak dinner. Always upped the intensity a tad, more out of pride than anything. Come to think of it, that's probably some sort of NCAA violation.
---
About to kick off. Might not be a record crowd, but it's a good one. The east side of the stands is about half full, while the west side is about 3/4 full. There are also several hundred in the end zone seating area.
Fans are pulling out their ponchos as a light rain begins to fall. Chilly down here today.
----
Aaron McFarling here from Blacksburg, where we're about an hour away from kickoff for Virginia Tech's annual Maroon-White scrimmage. I'll be posting here with updates throughout the game.
If the parking situation is any indication, we could be looking at a record Spring Game crowd today.
-Aaron McFarling
Comments
[April 19, 2008 1:57 PM]
Jim WajciechowskiHow did Tyrod's ankle/foot hold up?
[April 19, 2008 3:29 PM]
Aaron McFarlingJim,
Taylor's mobility looks fine -- he's moving around quite a bit back there -- but he's not in rhythm with his receivers today. With under three minutes left, he's passed for only 49 yards, and both teams are putting it in the air quite a bit.
[April 21, 2008 10:15 AM]
Greg BowyerTyrod looked lethargic from the beginning of the game. His energy level seemed minimal and as a result his decision making was a second off all day. He waited too long to break the pocket or deliver the ball at times. Beamer did comment that Tyrod was not protected by the line as well as Glennon. If you reverse the line play, Tyrod may very well have had the day Glennon had and vice versa. Glennon pumped twice on the TD pass to Dillard with plenty of time to go deep. I'm still dissapointed by Tyrod's lack of energy and urgency during the game. If the reason is his foot injury, he should not have played the game.
I think the QB competition is good for the team. My only comment is that it seems that Tyrod is having to prove that he is better in a pro-style system than Glennon. He should not have to show he is a better from the pocket. The coaches should compare what Glennon does best with what Tyrod does best and then determine what resulting offense play-calling will provide more production. My opinion -- Glennon is good for 20-some points a game and Tyrod 30-some. Tyrod will provide the more dynamic offense if the plays are called accordingly. Big problem considering who is calling those plays.
I know I've ranted on the OC before. But there is a simple way of evaluating the worth of a coach. Do other teams covet his services? I've never heard of a major D-1 program showing interest in Stinespring. Foster and Beamer have both been sought after by other major colleges. They are valuable in their capacities as the DC and Head Coach. Beamer is way to close to Stinespring on a personal level to be objective. The man called Beamer his second dad for God's sake. Tech's offense will never match the level of play from the defense side until we have a new OC.