Armchair Coach: the JMU Game
by Brad Ramsey, posted 9/8/99

There were a lot of coaches in Lane Stadium Saturday. 51,907 coaches to be exact.

Okay, so they weren’t all really coaches, but the majority of the 50,000 + fans in attendance for Virginia Tech’s opener have spent the last few months sharing with each other their opinion of the perfect way to utilize the talent returning for the Hokies. We do not all get the chance to walk the sideline, strap on the headset, carry the clipboard, and settle into a half crouch with our hands on our knees when 3^rd and long rolls around. So, this column will try to bring you an informative look at the coaching decisions made each week, and the ones Frank Beamer and crew will likely face the following week.

 

Beamer and his staff have also spent the last few months sharing with each other their opinion of the perfect way to utilize the talent returning for the Hokies. There is a reason Frank Beamer and Bud Foster are still roaming the Virginia Tech sideline, and not spending Saturday afternoons with the Bulldogs or the Gators. They knew something great was on the way here, and Saturday they took advantage of an opportunity to test a lot of scenarios.

 

The pre-game quotes are all the same: "You can never underestimate an opponent, they have some potential weapons, we have to stay focused, we can’t overlook them." Let’s face it, Saturday’s "game" was a scrimmage with hotdogs for sale, Domino’s pizza tops in the air, and Bill Roth on the radio. Hence the opportunity for scenario testing.

All the aforementioned fans/coaches have been talking for weeks about the way we were going to "open up" the offense on JMU. The passing game was to be wide open with bombs left, bombs right, and bombs down the middle. Well that’s not exactly the way to initiate a new quarterback. Tech’s 202 passing yards were significant, but a very quiet 202 yards. The reason for much of the play calling Saturday was to get a better idea of why the things that were working were working. Granted, it all worked for the most part, but several plays on the ground were obvious experimentation.

The crowd will always back Frank Beamer when he calls a double reverse to Andre Davis, or when he elects to go with Shyrone Stith on 4^th and 2 for a touchdown. So the run on 4^th and 2 didn’t work instantaneously, but when Virginia Tech faces a hypothetical 4^th and 2 against Miami on November 13^th, the entire offense has "been there and done that." That particular mishap led to Corey Moore’s first safety of the season, which was a direct result of field position. Had the Hokies kicked a field goal, odds are the Dukes would have advanced the ball out of safety range on the kickoff. Another reason for running more than most people might have expected is the simple fact that it was working. The Tech offense averaged 8.75 yards per play on scoring drives.

There are two more decisions for which the coaching staff deserves credit. #1 – To let Dave Meyer and Grant Noel pass the ball. Noel only threw two passes for one completion, but neither you nor I have ever had a 50% completion rate in a college football game. This is again an issue of "been there, done that." Every real snap Noel gets is one step closer to being ready if he is needed later on. #2 – To spread the ball around as much as was conceivably possible. Eight different Hokies were on the receiving end of a pass Saturday (Shawn Witten, Ricky Hall, Andre Davis, Jarrett Ferguson, Derek Carter, Cullen Hawkins, Emmett Johnson, and Shyrone Stith) and eight different Hokies carried the ball, excluding Meyer, Noel, and Michael Vick (Shyrone Stith, Andre Kendrick, Andre Davis, Lee Suggs, Jarrett Ferguson, Cullen Hawkins, Wayne Ward, and Keith Burnell). Offensive coordinator Ricky Bustle also gets credit for molding a very versatile squad. Four players appear in both the rushing and the receiving stats.

 

Two decisions lie ahead for the Tech coaching staff. The first is much more crucial than the second: To play or not to play - Michael Vick, that is. Even if he is cleared, the option of resting Vick will be on the table. Vick appears to be a trooper, but all those who love Virginia Tech football have lived the nightmare of "nagging" injuries (i.e. Al Clark’s knee). Only time and intuition will tell.

 

The second decision will not be one the fans can directly see, but will hopefully see the effects of. Beamer and his staff will assuredly invent an incentive for players to avoid penalties next week. Six penalties for 50 yards may seem insignificant, and it will probably happen again. But week-in-and-week-out mental mistakes will not enhance one’s likelihood of playing in the BCS, much less in the Superdome on January 4^th.

-- Brad Ramsey

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