Chicken Bowl Blog, Volume 4 (Passing and Protecting edition) ...

In three days, Virginia Tech QB Tyrod Taylor, one of the nation’s most efficient quarterbacks, will take on one of the country’s stingiest pass defenses. It should be a fun match-up to watch.

Tennessee safety Eric Berry said today that he can’t remember playing another QB – not since high school, anyway – with the blend of running and passing prowess that Taylor has.

The junior has enjoyed his finest season in 2009, blossoming as a passer while keeping himself healthy for all 12 games (a first in his career) by being smarter about when to take off and when to get out of bounds. He said today that “taking care of my body” was a priority this year with uncertainty at back-up QB.

(That approach might be out the window, however, for this final game. See Taylor’s comments about Berry below for a peek at the potential for an interesting collision.)

Taylor ranks 14th nationally in passer rating, seventh among underclassmen. He has thrown 13 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He passed for 2,100 yards and rushed for 344 yards and four more scores.

His ever-improving skills will be put to the test by a Volunteers pass defense that ranks 11th nationally. UT has allowed just 166 yards per game through the air and, more impressively, just FIVE total passing touchdowns 12 games.

Being an Xs and Os novice, I sat down with the Hokies’ quarterbacks coach to help me break down this match-up, and to explain to me just how Monte Kiffin’s Tampa-2 defense (no, really, he invented it while working for the NFL’s Buccaneers) works and how much Kiffin is using that set-up this year in the college game. Turns out, not so much.

I also caught up with one of the guys who will be trying to buy Taylor time against the Vols’ stout defensive line. Guard Sergio Render will make his 52nd and final start for the Hokies on Thursday.

If it seems like he’s been in Blacksburg forever, he has. I remember the August camp before the 2005 season when he was a freshman defensive lineman for about two days ... then got sent home on a bus because he had some clearinghouse issues. He came back the next year as an offensive lineman and started as a true freshman. He has been a staple (and star) of the line ever since.

That bus five years ago brought him back home to Newnan, Ga., which is roughly 35 miles from Atlanta. It’s kind of fitting that Render’s final game will be in his back yard.

He and the Hokies have something to prove against a stiff Southeastern Conference test this week. He and Tech both need to play well in the Chicken Bowl to improve their reputations.

Here’s Render (but first, O’Cain and Taylor) to talk about the big game ...

QB COACH MIKE O’CAIN

ON HOW MUCH TAMPA-2 DEFENSE THE VOLS ACTUALLY RUN: “Sparingly. Maybe a third of the time in a true long-yardage situation, maybe third-and-long or second-and-long. They’ll mix some other things in there on third down, too. They play the Tampa-2 maybe a third of the time at most (in passing situations), but very little in normal downs.”

ON WHAT MAKES THE TAMPA-2 WORK: “I can’t really answer that, because we don’t see it very much, but what it does do is keep everything in front and force you to throw everything underneath and now rally to the ball and come up and make the tackle. A lot like our defense. You know, Bud and them will play some Tampa-2, and even in other things they’ll force you to throw underneath and then rally to the ball and come up and make plays.”

ON ONE REASON THE TAMPA-2 IS LESS EFFECTIVE OR PREVALENT IN THE COLLEGE GAME BEING THAT THERE ARE MORE MOBILE QUARTERBACKS AND WHETHER A QB LIKE TYROD TAYLOR IS A BIG THREAT TO THAT DEFENSIVE APPROACH: “I think yes, yes he does. Basically what you end up with is a three-deep with four underneath. That middle backer is almost like a free safety. He doesn’t get quite as deep, but he’s back there. So, yes, it does create some zones underneath (to thrown and run).”

MORE ON WHAT THE TAMPA-2 HOPES TO ACCOMPLISH: “Without getting into too much football, what they’re trying to do is take away the flat zones with their hard corners, get the safeties off the hash outside to take away your deep throws outside – which is a weakness of a true Cover-2 defense – and now your middle backer is the guy running down the middle of the field to keep you from throwing there. What you’ve got to do is be patient and take your underneath throws, your little things underneath. They’re going to have two other linebackers underneath that are going to try to rally to anything thrown underneath and quarterback draws, quarterback runs.”

ON HOW MUCH TIME TECH HAS SPENT ON THE TAMPA-2 IN PREPARATION FOR TENNESSEE, KNOWING IT’S NOT THE MAJOR FOCUS OF THEIR DEFENSE: “Just the normal amount. Probably everybody we’ve played has played a snap of it. But I’m not sure we’ve seen a snap of it in a game this year. We’ve seen it on film as we’ve prepared for every team. I think we understand the concept of it. It’s just a matter of getting it matched up. It’s not like they play it every snap. If they played it every snap, then you would attack Tampa-2. But we’re not going into this attacking Tampa-2. We’re calling things that should be good if they play some three-deep man coverage or Tampa-2.”

ON WHAT MAKES THE VOLS’ DEFENSE TICK, THEN, ON ALL THE DOWNS WHEN THEY AREN’T IN TAMPA-2: “Good athletes. They run very well, are physical up front. Just their team athleticism is the thing that makes them as good as they are. They do a good job of rallying to the ball. They’re not going to give up the big play. You don’t get behind their corners. Their corners run very well. I’m not sure I’ve seen a deep ball thrown on their corners in all the film that I’ve looked at. So they play the deep ball very well. They play their corners very soft. They don’t ask them to get up there in your face. They will occasionally, play bump and run, chase you all over the field. They will do some of that. But what they do a lot is get in your face just before the ball is snapped, then they’ll bail the corners out and get outside leverage, cover soft and just keep everything in front. That’s the main thing. They’re going to bend. They’re going to give you some shorter stuff. But you’re not going to get much down the field.”

ON HOW AWARE HE IS – AND TYROD TAYLOR HAS TO BE THURSDAY – OF STAR TENNESSEE SAFETY ERIC BERRY, WHETHER HE’S THE TYPE PLAYER A TEAM HAS TO GAME PLAN SPECIFICALLY FOR: “Not really. They play him more like a linebacker than a defensive back. In stopping the run, they’re going to outnumber you around the football. They’re going to get more people there than you can block. And he’s one of those guys there. I haven’t seen him make as many plays in the secondary. His big plays are as force in the run game. He’s more a linebacker and a hitter than he is a true defensive back. We’re not really doing anything special for him or away for him or anything like that. If he’s a corner, and he’s out there matched up one-on-one with one of our guys, then you track him all day. But he’s not doing that. He’s not really a match-up problem.”

ON HOW SHARP TECH’S PASSING GAME – AND THE TIMING BETWEEN TAYLOR AND HIS RECEIVERS – HAS LOOKED THIS WEEK AFTER A BIT OF A LAYOFF FROM THE LAST GAME TO THE BOWL: “It’s been very good. That’s something the last two years that we’ve made a conscious effort of trying to keep that going, particularly this year. That week after our last game, obviously we didn’t play for the ACC championship, but we practiced that day. And our quarterbacks and receivers threw on Tuesday and Thursday of that week before we practiced on Saturday. Then the next week, they had a pass scale against the defense on Tuesday and Thursday, then we practiced Friday, Saturday, Monday. So we’ve tried to continue the passing game – or pieces of it – all along to keep that continuity. Because that’s the thing that will go away the quickest. And I like the way we’ve practiced. We’ve practiced three days, taken a day or two off, then come back and practice three or four days, take two or three days off. So you never have too much time off for them to get out of whack. We came back from Christmas (on Saturday) and threw the ball well. Timing has been good.”

ON FEELING GOOD ABOUT THE PASSING GAME, THEN? “Well, the other part of it that you can’t simulate until game day is the protection aspect and getting back into the rhythm of being in the pocket and making decisions and things like that. That’s yet to be seen. We go live against our defense, 1 vs. 1. It’s not tackling to the ground, but it’s a live pass rush, live in the secondary – except for tackling. We don’t do it on Mondays, but we do it a full period (12-plus plays) on Tuesdays, and then on Wednesdays we go three full periods of pretty much live pass rush. To me, that’s critical. You’ve got to simulate that.”

ON BEAMER’S CHANGES TO BOWL PREP THE LAST TWO YEARS SEEMING TO PAY OFF: “I can’t say for sure, because I’ll be very honest with you, I didn’t think the Georgia game (in the 2006 Chick-fil-A Bowl), when we had a couple interceptions, that wasn’t due to timing. One was an overthrown deep ball by Sean (Glennon). Another was a tipped ball. I didn’t see that much wrong with the timing. But when things aren’t as good as you want them to be in the passing game, for whatever reason, you want to do something. But I put it more just on the quarterback and just some bad luck. Those things had nothing to do with timing. Still, you want to emphasize it and work to make sure it’s right, and that’s what we’ve done the last two years.”

ON TAYLOR, AMAZINGLY, NOT MISSING ANY TIME WITH INJURY THIS SEASON (AVOIDING FANS’ WORST NIGHTMARE) ... BUT WHETHER IF HE WENT DOWN AGAINST THE VOLS, THERE IS MORE CONFIDENCE IN BACK-UP JU-JU CLAYTON AFTER 12 GAMES: “Well, it’s better than what it was, but still not good from a game standpoint. In practice, he handles things well. He can run the team. He’s had a chance to play two or three times in game situations. That’s always a hard thing, because we haven’t really been able to ask him to do what we’d like to. You don’t want to bring him into a tight game and when you’re up 30 points on somebody, you don’t want to ask him to throw it a bunch. But I do feel confident in him being able to get out there and run the team, get us in and out of the huddle, get the plays called and all that. Now, can he get it done when the ball is snapped? That’s still a question mark.”

ON KEEPING TRUE FRESHMAN LOGAN THOMAS, A 6-FOOT-6, FREAK OF AN ATHLETE, OFF THE SCOUT TEAM AND OVER WITH TAYLOR AND CLAYTON ALL SEASON TO LEARN ... AND WHETHER IN LIMITED SNAPS, THOMAS  HAS CLOSED THE GAP ON CLAYTON: “No, I wouldn’t say that. Not yet. That’s what this spring is for. But what he has done ... well, yeah, he has closed the gap because he knows more. It was this kind of gap (holding his hands five feet apart), but because of his reps and his time in our meeting room, the gap is like this (holding his hands about a foot apart). Now he knows how to call plays, knows the timing of motions and things like that. He can run the team. In August, the first three weeks, he really couldn’t run the team. He can today. Now he just needs reps. There is still a gap between him and Ju-Ju.”

ON HOW EXCITED, AS A TEACHER, HE IS ABOUT THIS SPRING AND WATCHING THOMAS GROW AND BATTLE CLAYTON TO BECOME THE HEIR APPARENT TO TAYLOR, WHO WILL BE A SENIOR IN 2010: “I’m very excited. I don’t want to just pass over Ju-Ju, but just in talking about Logan – not comparing him to Ju-Ju – he has all the intangibles, all the qualities, to be the kind of quarterback you want, physically, emotionally and mentally. He’s smart; he catches on so quickly; he pays attention. That excites. Now let’s see how far he can come in a short period of time.”

ON TECH’S OFFENSE GETTING INCREMENTALLY BETTER ALL SEASON, HAVING SOME HUGE GAMES, BUT ALSO STRUGGLING AGAINST THE TOP DEFENSES IT FACED ... AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A STATEMENT AGAINST THE VOLS’ STOUT DEFENSE: “Well, who has done it against those great defenses? But yes, it’s always a chance to make a statement when you play a team like this. We don’t talk about it that way, about proving anything to anybody. For us, it’s let’s go be the very best we can be. If we do that, if we play that way, it will prove something to people. That’s not our goal, though. We just want to play well, by our own standards. I don’t have the exact numbers, but  when you play the No. 1 team in the nation in defense and the No. 15 team in the nation in defense and the No. 25 team ... I think five or six teams we’ve played this year have been ranked top-25 in defense ... I mean, that’s a chore.”

ON THOSE PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES PREPARING TECH TO FACE THE VOLS’ DEFENSE: “No question. And so is practicing against our defense. It’s a battle all year long. The guys know, they know what we’re facing. And they know what it will take to get the job done. We need to and want to do that. To go out there and rack up as many numbers as we can against a defense like this would be very rewarding. But that’s not the No. 1 goal. The goal is to win the game.”

QB TYROD TAYLOR

ON HAVING LOOKED AT PLENTY OF FILM ON TENNESSEE’S DEFENSE NOW AND WHETHER IT MAKES HIM MORE EXCITED FOR THE MATCH-UP OR SLIGHTLY INTIMIDATED: “Never intimidated. I look forward to any talented defense. I believe we have a number of talented guys on our side of the ball that can go out and make plays. That’s what this game is going to be about: who can make more big plays.”

ON THE HALLMARK OF THE VOLS’ DEFENSE: “They have a very fast defense – just like any other SEC team. But our team is very fast, too. Especially the guys who are going to get the ball. So this is a great match-up. Speed against speed.”

ON AREAS OF STRENGTH FOR UT: “Their linebackers are very strong and their secondary, especially at safety, is really tough. The corners play well, but the two safeties are great. Of course Eric Berry is there.”

ON HOW BIG A PRESENCE BERRY, AN ALL-AMERICAN, HAS IN THE GAME: “We have to know where he’s at, but I wouldn’t say that changes the game plan. We just have to be cautious of where he’s at sometimes. You have to go out there and play football. There’s a big-time player on any team you play against. At the end of the day, you’ve just got to play football.”

ON WHETHER HE HAS FACED A PLAYER SIMILAR TO BERRY: “You could compare him to a lot of different people. The tape I’ve seen, he’s actually rolled down (in run coverage) much more than other safeties. He’s playing a lot more in the linebacker box, more physical. They tend to use him as an extra linebacker, but he can cover and make a play on the ball when it’s in the air.”

ON HE AND BERRY HAVING SOME CHANCES TO MEET, THEN, WHEN TAYLOR TAKES OFF TO RUN: “Yeah, I’m sure we’re going to see each other throughout the game. I haven’t seen him since the All-America Bowl (their senior year in high school). But he’s a great player and I’m looking forward to the match-up.”

ON WHETHER HE’D BE INCLINED TO LOWER HIS SHOULDER ON BERRY, THE WAY FLORIDA’S TIM TEBOW DID (PRODUCING AN EPIC COLLISION) OR TO TRY TO ELUDE HIM: “I’m not that type of guy, but if I have to I will. You never see me try to run a guy over. I’m more of a shifty guy or get what I can get and get out of bounds. You always want to protect your body, but if there’s nowhere else I can go and I have to lower the shoulder, I’m not afraid to do that. If the game is on the line, I trust myself.”

ON HIS BREAKDOWN OF THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LANE KIFFIN AND FRANK BEAMER: “I think Coach Kiffin – I don’t know him personally, never met him – is more outspoken. Some coaches are like that to get their team fired up. I think Coach Beamer likes to keep everything within the team, whatever he says. But like I said, I don’t know Coach Kiffin personally. I’m sure he does a good job coaching their squad, just like Coach Beamer does a good job coaching our squad.”

OL SERGIO RENDER

ON HOW FAR FROM THE GEORGIA DOME HE GREW UP: “About 35 minutes south. It’s pretty nice that my whole family and all my friends get to come watch me play my last college football game. I know I’ll have a bunch who’ll watch it on TV, too. To play this last one in Georgia, it’s a pretty special moment.”

ON HOW MANY TICKETS HE HAS TRIED TO TRACK DOWN: “If I could get 20 tickets, there would be 20 people. If I could get 30 tickets, there would be 30 people. I only have about 10 or 15, so I still have a lot of work to do. I’m asking my teammates if they have extras. I’d love to have them. I need them.”

ON HIS CAREER – STARTING ON THE O-LINE SINCE HIS TRUE FRESHMAN SEASON – FLYING BY: “It’s crazy. I have had a great time being a Virginia Tech Hokie. It went by fast, like everybody says it does. It went too fast. I’m not really ready to leave college. I guess I have to, and I do look forward to my future (which will start next year in the NFL).”

ON HIS FINAL SEASON BEING AN UP-AND-DOWN YEAR, AND WHETHER THIS GAME, AGAINST AN SEC OPPONENT AND TOP DEFENSE, IS ONE LAST CHANCE TO MAKE A STATEMENT: “Yes it is. They have good players, good defensive tackles, and they’ll be a good test for me. I’ve been battling injuries this year that have kind of slowed me down, but I’ve been feeling real good the past four games. I’ve been playing like I know I can. I just have to do the same in this last one.”

ON HOW MUCH HIS STRAINED PEC – SUFFERED ABOUT TWO MONTHS AGO – HAS BOTHERED HIM: “It was bothering me for a long time. For a while, it hurt pretty bad. It still bothers me today, but not so bad. I can punch again and I started back bench-pressing, so it’s good to go. (Said he won’t need surgery after the season).”

ON HOW UT’S D-LINE STACKS UP AGAINST THE LIKES OF ALABAMA, NEBRASKA AND NORTH CAROLINA – AMONG THE COUNTRY’S BEST – THAT HE HAS ALREADY FACED: “Their two D-tackles are pretty good. Their ends are good, but they’re more pass-rushers. The tackles can play with anybody. They kind of remind me of Cody (from Bama) and one of them reminds me of B.J. Raji (former Boston College star) but not as quick. They’re pretty good in the middle.”

ON WHICH VOLS PLAYER TECH’S OFFENSIVE LINE HAS TO WORRY ABOUT MOST: “Really all of them. All of them can play ball. All of them can run, play hard, play strong and physical. You just can’t look at one guy; You’ve got to be ready for all of them.”

ON ONE OFFENSIVE LINEMAN WHO NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT NOW BUT WHO HOKIES FANS WILL ALL KNOW BY THIS TIME NEXT SEASON: “I’d say (OT) Nick Becton. He has a chance to be better than Duane Brown (former Hokie first-rounder and current NFL starting LT). He can move, has long arms and he’s physical. He’s going to be a good player. A real good player. I think Coach Newsome was kind of scared to put him in there more this year, just because he’s a young guy and it’s hard to know if he’s really ready for it. Next year, he’ll be ready.”

ON OTHERS TO WATCH: “Greg Nosal (OG) is a very good player who just has to put some weight on. The other guy is Michael Via (C/OT). He’s pretty solid, too.”

ON WHETHER HE EVER GETS IN THE EAR OF YOUNG LINEMAN VINSTON PAINTER, A FORMER BIG-TIME RECRUIT (WITH THE MOST IMPRESSIVE PHYSIQUE OF ALL THE LINEMEN) FOR WHOM THE LIGHT HAS YET TO COME ON: “It’s not much you can really say to a guy like that. He just has to put it all together. All he needs is one good year and he’ll be off making a lot of money. I think he has it in him, but it’s just going to take him a little more time.”

ON WHETHER THE BOWL PRACTICES THIS YEAR HAVE BEEN AS INTENSE AS LAST YEAR’S, WHEN COACH FRANK BEAMER MADE SOME CHANGES TO BOWL PREP: “It’s still the same. It’s the same way we’ve practiced all season, except that we have a midnight curfew every night. That’s good, because we’re not out all hours of the night and we’re able to practice the next day with no trouble. They’ve been intense. Nobody is slacking.”

ON ALL THE SENIORS ON THIS TEAM HELPING TO KEEP EVERYONE FOCUSED: “We would not be happy to go out with a loss. Everybody is focused. Everybody is looking forward to Tennessee.”

ON BEING FROM SEC COUNTRY BUT NEVER HAVING BEATEN AN SEC TEAM IN HIS TIME AT TECH: “It eats at me a lot. I’ve lost every time I’ve come back to Georgia, except for once at Georgia Tech. (He is 0-2 in the Georgia Dome.) It’s a big deal. I would love to go out of here with a win over an SEC school. It matters to us. The ACC hasn’t had much luck against the SEC. It’s a big deal to go out here and beat them. They say they’re the best conference in the nation.”

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