Spring Football Game Report

Well, despite the torrential rain that came down early and then settled into a typical Blacksburg downpour, forcing me to run for cover (in The Hokie House, where I was able to console myself with a pitcher of beer) I was able to get the scoop on the Spring game. I've spent the last few days scouring the local TV sports, The Roanoke Times and World News, and radio call-in shows, and here's what happened....

The Scenario

They played it as the Maroon vs. the White, with the first-team offense and second-team defense donning the maroon, and the first-team defense and second-team offense wearing the white. This set the game up as first-team versus first-team, and second-team versus second-team.

Notable offensive absentees were Jay Hagood and Billy Conaty, both out due to injuries, while the defense was missing Cornell (no last name required), Brandon Semones, and Waverly Jackson, also due to injuries. Larry Green is sitting out this spring to concentrate on his grades, but word around Blacksburg has it that what he's really doing is hanging from a chin-up bar in the local gym in an effort to get taller than 5'7" (just kidding, Larry).

The All-Bad-Publicity-Team? They were all present and accounted for: Druckenmiller, Tony Morrison, and James Crawford.

The Results

The final score was 28-7, Maroon over the White. Brian Edmonds scored on a 15-yard run, while Shawn Scales caught two TD passes (8 and 40 yards) and Michael Stuewe snagged one TD throw (4 yards) for the Maroon. For the White, Al Clark tossed one 20-yard TD to James Crawford, and that accounted for all of the scoring.

The Offense

Druckenmiller looked great, despite his off-the-field problems. He was 14 of 24 for 142 yards and 3 TD's. He stood tall and looked strong, striding into his throws and hitting his receivers in the hands, for the most part. As we all realized against Boston College last year, and it's still true, Tech's got no problems at the starting quarterback spot. As for the backup, Al Clark went 10 of 19 with one TD and two INT's. Not a bad performance by Al.

At running back, I may have spoken too soon when I wrote a few weeks ago about The Ox being the starter. Right now, Marcus Parker is pushing Oxendine hard for playing time (for the record, Ox played for the first-team offense, and Parker for the second team). Parker had 5 carries for 40 yards, while Oxendine had 8 for 37. A toss-up, with neither one doing anything amazing. It looks as if Tech's got two good tailbacks, and you can never have too many running backs.

At receiver, it looks as if Shawn Scales is going to step up and fill the void left by Still and Holmes graduating. Scales had 4 catches for 65 yards, including 2 TD's, one of which was an impressive comeback on a poorly thrown ball. Scales ditched the defender and twisted his body around, making a nice catch. Stuewe was, well, Stuewe. He got open and caught everything near him.

Senior Bryan Jennings put in another good performance. I'm telling you folks, the tight end down the middle is a deadly weapon (I say that at least ten times a week), and if Beamer and Bustle continue to use Jennings like they did in the Sugar Bowl, he could have a monster season and go high in next year's NFL draft. He has stepped up his blocking to go with his great receiving and running skills. He is a phenomenal talent, a Parade All-American in high school, and a time bomb waiting to go off on opposing teams.

Despite missing Conaty and Hagood, the offensive line played well. Todd and T.J. Washington ate Christiansburg over the winter, and they are each weighing in at about 700 pounds. It hasn't seemed to hurt their ability though, thanks to strength and conditioning coach Mike Gentry, whose motto is, "Offensive linemen aren't born naturally. We make them in the weight room at Virginia Tech."

The Defense

I wish I could skip this part, because the defense wasn't such a bright spot. But then again, Akron scored 27 points on our second team defense last year, and that was essentially what was on the field last Saturday. With Cornell and Waverly missing, not a single player on last year's two-deep line rotation was present, and it showed.

As for the linebackers, Myron Newsome was, according to Beamer, "the best player on the field." That's good news. Myron was a terror in the Sugar Bowl last year, and if we can station him and Cornell on opposite sides of the field, we ought to be in good shape.

But the bottom line with the linebackers is that George Del Ricco will be sorely missed. Both Newsome and Morrison played some at middle linebacker, and neither one looked as comfortable as big George, who had an instinct for the game that very few people have. This is where my favorite incoming freshman, Jeremy Kishbaugh of Berwick in Pennsylvania, might be able to help. He's big (6'3" and 240 lbs), physical, and if he has Del Ricco's instincts, maybe we'll be okay. Newsome and Morrison are great outside linebackers, sure, but we need a run-stopper in the middle.

At defensive back, we were led by .... Cody Whipple? That's right. The former bench-warming QB picked off Al Clark once. I don't know who had the other INT of Clark, so I'll give Cody all the accolades here. Overall, we have no problems at D-back, believe me, with everybody but William Yarborough returning, and some talented freshmen coming in.

The Verdict

Beamer summed it up pretty well in the newspaper, so I'll let him do the talking:

"I don't think we're good enough to be Big East champions right now or even contend for it. But maybe if we can get the chemistry right and get this thing together next fall, we could have a shot. But right now I don't think we make enough plays. I don't think defensively we're as strong as we need to be."

Bingo. Last year the defense carried the offense, pretty much, and next year, it will have to be the other way around, until the defense can jell. It's a simple as that.

Still and Price Get Drafted

If you haven't heard yet, two Hokies went in the NFL draft over the weekend. Bryan Still was picked early in the second round, 41st overall by San Diego, and J.C. Price was drafted late-third round, at number 88, by the Carolina Panthers (I promise NOT to say The Price was right for Carolina. Slap me if I do).

Still, a virtual unknown through most of the season, burst upon the scene with his MVP performance in the Sugar Bowl, and then he followed that up by running the third-fastest 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine (something like 4.36, if memory serves me correctly). That will get the scouts' attention, for sure. So, despite a well-deserved reputation for inconsistent hands, Still went fairly high and early in the draft, ahead of many other well known receivers, like Penn State's Bobby Engram.

I will be surprised if J.C. Price doesn''t make it in the NFL. He's big and quick and has a heart like a lion, so I think he'll do whatever's necessary and will make the team.

I remember watching the first three years of J.C.'s career. Every once in a while, he would do something spectacular, but for the most part, he didn't distinguish himself consistently.

Then came the Miami game last September. Price ripped off four sacks in a monster game against a high-profile team, and in my opinion, it was that one game that got everybody's attention. Remember his last sack in that game, when he exploded into the chest of the Miami quarterback as UM was driving late in the game? Price closed in on the QB from five yards away in a heartbeat, forcing Miami backwards from a comfortable position on about the 20 yard line. UM then had to heave a pass into the end zone on their last play from almost the 30 yard line, and we all know how that one ended up. Thanks, J.C., for turning the season around on one play. We'll miss you.

Other highlights of the draft: UVa (ugh) only had two guys picked, Patrick Jeffers and Rhonda Barber (yes, I know I spelled it wrong. I was trying to decide whether to call him Rhonda or "Toast," since he gets burnt so often, and I settled on Rhonda). I don't know where they got picked, and I don't care, but I think that both Tech players went before the first Wahoo (ugh) was picked.

Also, while I'm bashing on people, the Big East did much better in the draft than the ACC. In the top forty picks, about 5-6 Big East players were picked (I'm not sure exactly how many it was, because I don't have the results right in front of me), while only 1 or 2 ACC players were picked. Just goes to show ya, I guess. The early part of the draft was dominated by Big Ten and SEC players, as well as a few players from the PAC 10 and the now-defunct SWC.

And did you see how many West Virginia players were picked?!? Somewhere in the neighborhood of about, oh, 40 or 50 were drafted, which makes WVU's lousy season last year all the more shocking. I repeat myself, folks: the Mountaineers have got big trouble brewing. BIG. If you can't win with that kind of talent, then something is definitely wrong.

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