Kyle Tucker

Need a daily Hokie football fix? Virginian-Pilot writer Kyle Tucker, in his sixth season on the Virginia Tech beat, is your man in Blacksburg. Read stories from Kyle on the college football channel.

Category: Va. Tech football

■ 04 December 2008 | 5:47 PM

A little love for the offense ...

Sorry for taking last night off, folks. I think I’m coming down with The Funk – you know, the nastiness that goes around this time of year. Spent much of my evening curled up in a ball, with the covers over my head trying not to let any light hit my eyes, lest my brain explode.

Fun, huh? But I’m back in action this evening. Been power-loading Vitamin C all day, in hopes of squashing the sickness before hitting sunny Tampa tomorrow.

And to make up for my brief absence, I’ll try to be an especially generous blogger over the next 48 hours. Let’s start with a few more stats, because I know you folks like numbers as much as you dig the interviews.

(I don’t think Frank Beamer has enjoyed my number-crunching quite so much, however.)

But check THIS out … a real ray of sunshine for the Hokies:

After averaging just 280 yards per game over the first eight games of 2008, Tech’s offense has averaged 344 yards over the past four games. That’s a dramatic, 64 ypg improvement.

Meanwhile, Boston College’s offense averaged 335 yards over the first eight games and just 289 yards over the last four. That’s a dramatic, 46 ypg decline.

It would seem the two offenses are headed in different directions. Part of that, certainly, can be attributed to stability. The Eagles have lost some stability at QB with Chris Crane’s broken collar bone.

The Hokies, meanwhile, have gained some stability at WR with the emergence of rookies Danny Coale and Jarrett Boykin. That, along with solid QB play at times from Sean Glennon, and spectacular play last week by Tyrod Taylor … have made for an offense that can actually contribute to victory.

To me, the receivers are really the focus of Tech’s incremental improvement on offense. Through seven games, Coale had 16 catches for 160 yards. Boykin had nine catches for 135 yards. Think about that: the Hokies’ top two targets with 25 catches for 295 yards through SEVEN GAMES.

Since then, in the last five games, Coale has 16 grabs for 192 and Boykin has 18 for 272. That’s more combined catches (34) and yards (464) in two fewer games. A dramatic improvement, which in turn opens up the offense significantly.

If I were betting today, I’d say Coale will have a brilliant career as a super-dependable possession receiver and Boykin will leave here as a legitimate star, with a silly collection of highlight-reel grabs for his NFL resume.

Moving on …

How ‘bout some defensive numbers? Well, we’ve pretty much talked about the defense’s prowess to the point of exhaustion … so I’ll just go with a simple stat. Boston College has only allowed three opponents 300-plus total yards. Tech has given up five 300-yard efforts, but ZERO in the last five games.

That’s pretty astounding, on both teams’ part.

Oh, and here’s a number that really surprises me … and I’m guessing this says more about how often the defense forces three-and-outs than what the offense is doing … but … Tech leads the ACC and is 12^th nationally in time of possession (32:13) and BC is second in the league and 21^st nationally (31:31).

How ‘bout that?

On to a bounty of Qs and As. We’ll start with some thoughts on defensive end Orion Martin (who I wrote about for tomorrow’s paper), the most unlikely of leaders for this defense, considering he started his career at I-AA Norfolk State and came here as a walk-on.

Crazy …

DEFENSIVE LINE COACH CHARLEY WILES

ON SENIOR ORION MARTIN COMING FROM NORFOLK STATE, STARTING AS A WALK-ON, AND HOW HE KIND OF CAME OUT OF NOWHERE TO PUT TOGETHER AN IMPRESSIVE CAREER: “He wasn’t on the radar, really. It was his dad that came to Coach Beamer and said, ‘We’d like to have the boys together and could we get Orion in with Cam?’ And really, as soon as the kid got on campus, he started contributing. You saw he had a knack for making plays. He was behind some good players, but every spring he was making plays on Marcus (Vick) or making plays on these athletic quarterbacks we had. He earned everything he’s gotten. And I think Orion’s always been that kind of kid. He’s an overachiever. He’s a guy that flies under the radar, but it’s a production-based business and he’s a guy that turns plays. It’s always good when good things happen to good people. That doesn’t seem like it’s always the case, but Orion’s a great person, great leader, has a lot invested in our program, and it’s nice to see him be in position to be a leader.”

ON WHETHER MARTIN IS THE EPITOME OF WILLING ONESELF TO ACHIEVE A DREAM, JUST WORKING HIMSELF INTO WHAT HE WANTED: “No doubt about it. He’s not overly athletic. You watch him on tape and he’s not as smooth as some athletes we’ve had at his position. But the bottom line is production. He makes plays, gives great effort. He’s worked extremely hard to get his body where it is right now. And also, through studying film and all that, he’s an instinctive film. Orion’s been playing a lot since he’s been here, and everybody thinks he’s a guy you can beat out. But nobody beats him out. They wonder, ‘Why can’t I beat this kid out?’ Because he has a great character, a great desire.”

ON WHETHER ORION CAN, IN SOME WAYS, THANK HIS BROTHER CAM’S RECRUITMENT FOR HIS CAREER AT TECH: “Yeah. It wasn’t like we were recruiting him. I mean, Cam was already signed with him, so it wasn’t like his dad was using him as a bargaining chip or anything like that. Cam was already coming. It was just, ‘I’ve got another kid, and it sure would be easier on us if they were together.’ But, sure, we knew Cam and that he was a great kid from a great family, so we were happy to have the other one. And for it to turn out where you’ve got a guy that’s played for you three or four years, that’s a big deal.”

ON ORION BEING 230 POUNDS, BENCHING 300 POUNDS WHEN HE GOT TO TECH (NOW 255, BECHING 400) … WHETHER HE WAS UNDERWHELMED THE FIRST TIME HE SAW MARTIN: “I mean, he’s not an imposing-looking guy. But I give all those guys a chance in the spring. We coach them all. It’s up to them to do something with it. A kid makes a play, we give him a little more. He makes another play, you look at him some more. Orion just made the most of everything we gave him. I think it was all throughout that first spring. We had several scrimmages and … certain guys, when the lights come on, play a little faster, a little better. John Engleberger was like that. Orion’s a lot like that. Game day, he plays a little better.”

ON WHETHER MARTIN HAS AN NFL FUTURE: “I think he’ll definitely get into a camp. He’s made a lot of plays and I know there’s a lot of folks who like him. Whether he gets drafted or not, I don’t know. There’s a lot of kids out there. But I would not be surprised either way. You’ve guys scattered in that league that you would have said would never make it. But he’s got a lot of perseverance, so it wouldn’t surprise me at all.”

WR COACH KEVIN SHERMAN

ON HIS RECEIVERS STEPPING UP DOWN THE STRETCH: “I’ve always thought from the beginning they were good enough athletes to win with. The thing they were lacking was the game experience. I think what we saw from East Carolina, from Chapel Hill, when we had some mistakes and mental errors, to now … we’re a different group. There’s still a lot of room for improvement. Don’t get me wrong. We’re still young. We’re still gaining experience each week. We’re starting to make a little bit more plays, being consistent, but we’ve still got unfinished business and we’re back to work this week.”

ON WHETHER HE’S HAD TO REMIND HIMSELF TO BE PATIENT WITH THIS GROUP OF FRESHMEN: “I’ve never had a group this young. It’s all about patience. These guys have never been in big stadiums, they don’t know how to travel. They don’t know all the little details that go with being in college and traveling on weekends and playing in big stadiums, playing in big games, stepping up and playing hard. That’s a learning process, and I’m learning with them. I’ve got to know which buttons to push to try to motivate them and help them get better each week. They’re doing that and that’s all we can ask.”

ON WHETHER HE HAD A PROUD PAPA MOMENT AGAINST VIRGINIA, TO SEE HIS YOUNG WIDEOUTS CONTRIBUTE IN A BIG WAY IN A GAME THAT MATTERED SO MUCH: “They all matter. But I’m just blessed that they’re making plays for the team and giving effort. Their hard work is showing on Saturdays. That’s what I’m proud of. They’re giving good effort, stepping up and making some plays.”

DE JASON WORILDS

ON WHAT HE’S LEARNED ABOUT WORK ETHIC FROM SENIOR ORION MARTIN, A FORMER WALK-ON: “I really can’t put it into words. Watching him and how he attacks everything he does, that’s really inspired me to do the same thing. I know he’s learned from great defensive ends before I got here and just following his ways has really inspired me.”

ON MARTIN STARTING AT NORFOLK STATE, THEN AS A WALK-ON AT TECH, AND HOW FAR HE HAS COME: “It goes to show you what type of person he is, what type of character he has and what type of worker he is. He has, day in and day out, continued to work hard and he’s developed into a heckuva an athlete, a great player and a great leader.”

ON THE LAST MEETING WITH BC AND THE EAGLES’ O-TACKLES: “I would say they’re among the top. They’re big, they’re physical, they’re strong, they move well. It poses a different challenge (their size) and we’ll have to come up with something to level the playing field.”

ON THE EAGLES’ BACK-UP QUARTERBACK, NOW THE STARTER, AND WHETHER THEY’LL TRY TO RATTLE HIM: “No, I don’t think you look to rattle anybody. It’s big-time college football and it’s a big-time game. He’ll come to play. He’s a big-time athlete and I’m looking forward to the competition.”

ON WHAT HE SEES IN THE QB: “His poise. Having to come in and start behind Chris Crane after Chris Crane went down, and lead his team to a ‘W’ is very impressive.”

ON BOTH OFFENSES BEING LOW-RANKED GROUPS AND BOTH DEFENSES BEING TOP-RANKED: “Personally, I really don’t look at that. All I worry about is Virginia Tech the team. Ranking is cool, but I’m just happy to be where we are. I think we came together as a team and performed well enough to get to the ACC championship game.”

ON HIS BREAKOUT SEASON THIS YEAR: “I’ve progressed just by taking everything one day at a time, attacking everything that I do with ambition, watching the older guys do it and seeing how they do it and learn from them. Just being eager to learn.”

ON HIS SHOULDER POPPING OUT AGAIN VS. VIRGINIA: “Yeah, I hurt it again, but I’m alright. It’s just an injury. Injuries happen.”

ON HOW BUD FOSTER GETS THE DEFENSE IN TOP SHAPE EVERY YEAR, REGARDLESS OF THE PARTS: “He demands excellence, and not just from the starters. He demands it from everyone. He always preaches that you’re one play away from being the guy. And as a team, as a defensive unit, we all take to that phrase. We all prepare like it.”

ON TYROD TAYLOR’S BIG RUN AGAINST THE CAVS AND WHAT PLAYS LIKE THAT DO FOR PLAYERS ON THE SIDELINE: “It’s exciting for us. It’s exciting for us. How excited everyone was in the stands, we were just as excited.”

ON BUD FOSTER SPRINTING DOWN THE SIDELINE AFTER THE VIRGINIA WIN: “That’s just Coach Foster. He wears his emotions on his sleeves and he’s not going to hide how he feels. What you saw was exactly how he felt that day. It looked like he’d been working with Coach Gentry (strength and conditioning coach).”

K DUSTIN KEYS

ON THE TEAM BEING 0-4 UNTIL SATURDAY WHEN HE MISSED A FIELD GOAL AND HOW HAPPY HE WAS THEY STILL WON AGAINST VIRGINIA AFTER HE MISSED A SHORT KICK EARLY: “I was pretty happy that’s the way the game ended up turning out for us. I was kind of nervous after I missed that first kick. I didn’t doubt myself if I had another opportunity … but it’s one of those things that’s been with me all season, so it’s hard not to think about it.”

ON THE POTENTIAL FOR A CLOSE GAME AND IMAGINING THE TITLE COMING DOWN TO HIM: “We knew going into UVA that was going to be a tight game. Throughout the season, Coach Newsome has been telling us … we could either win or lose a game. Not just me making the kick, but also them blocking. Going into the UVA game, that’s what we expected. I had let my teammates down on that first kick and knew if I had another opportunity to come back and make it, I was going to do whatever I had to do to come through. We played Boston College earlier in the season and I know I missed one in that game. Like I’ve been saying all year: By getting a field goal, it’s putting some points on the board, keeps the game in your momentum. When I missed that one (at BC) it could’ve turned that game around. You just never know. So we’re going to prepare and go into that game and try to play the best game we have all season.”

ON MISSING THE 22-YARD FIELD GOAL AGAINST VIRGINIA: “I’ve told everyone I know ever since I started kicking: Anything that’s 20 and in, from the left or right hash, those are more difficult kicks to make than your 45- or 50-yarders that are way back, just because of the angle and there’s not as much room for error. And I did stub my toe when I came through that kick on Saturday and it kept my hips from getting all the way through it, and I just kick the ball right down the hash.”

ON WHICH OF TECH’S FOUR LOSSES WAS THE TOUGHEST TO DEAL WITH THE NEXT DAY: “I would probably have to say Florida State, just because … we had a good week coming off the loss up at Boston College, and just the bad luck that we had with both of our quarterbacks going out and how close we still were in that game. It was understandable the next morning waking up … but I think that was the toughest to understand why we had such a bad experience. Things just didn’t seem to go our way that night.”

ON WHAT BEAMER SAID TO THE TEAM AFTER THE MIAMI LOSS: “Coach Beamer told us he was proud of the way that we had worked. We played a good-fought game. And like I said about the Florida State game, nothing seemed to bounce our way that night against Miami. So Coach Beamer told us there was a lot that still could happen and all we could do is just go out and win our last games of the season. He said eight wins in one season is good and if we took care of business … you never know what could happen. So we all sat around watching that Georgia Tech game and everything seemed to turn back around for us.”

ON WHETHER IT’S SURPRISING THAT THEY’RE IN THE TITLE GAME AFTER EVERYTHING: “It’s not too surprising, because since I’ve been here, it just seems like the ACC is getting that much tougher. And this is kind of starting to be a regular thing with us, coming down to the last couple games of the season and if you take care of business, you never know what other people are going to do. “

ON WANTING, PERSONALLY, TO WIN AS MANY GAMES AND GO AS FAR AS HE COULD AND TO AS COOL A BOWL AS HE CAN IN HIS ONE AND ONLY SEASON STARTING: “Even if we hadn’t made it to the ACC championship, we knew we’d had a good season and we had done everything that we possibly could and played in a lot of hard-fought games. We knew we were at least going to another bowl game. If that was going to be it, that would be perfectly fine. We’d prepare to win that game. But the cards fell in our favor this year. We took care of business and other teams didn’t. Other teams had just as many chances as we did to knock us out or keep themselves in, and they didn’t take care of it. We did.”

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