Yardbarker: Virginia Tech Hokies

WEEK 12: PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:47:00 -0500

OFFENSIVE BACK: Jacory Harris, Miami, QB, So., 6-4, 190, Miami, Fla. (Northwestern) For the fourth time this season, Miami sophomore quarterback Jacory Harris had the top performance by an offensive back after completing 25-of-43 passes for 348 yards and two touchdowns in the Canes’ win against visiting Duke. Harris’ 348 passing yards gives him four 300-yard passing games this season, including three in his last four games. Harris also went over the 3,000-yard passing mark in 2009 to become t...

Williams scores four TDs as Hokies hammer Wolfpack

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:10:00 -0500

Ryan Williams ran for 120 yards and four touchdowns and helped make sure No. 16 Virginia Tech would send its 21 seniors out of Lane Stadium with a win one last time as the Hokies beat North Carolina State 38-10 Saturday.

Senior Day - Hokies take on NC State

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:47:00 -0500

NC State needs two wins to become bowl eligible and it's not looking good. The Wolfpack have to travel to Virginia Tech and then face North Carolina at home. Meanwhile, the Hokies are looking to pick up the pieces and build on its two consecutive wins. The Hokies are one of two teams that come into this season with a five straight ten-win season streak -- So. Cal. is the other -- and both are in danger of ending those streaks this year.As for the game, in both the previous ACC meetings be...

W. Volleyball. Clemson Volleyball To Play Hokies, Cavaliers this Weekend

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:15:26 -0500

Clemson Volleyball will play host to the Virginia Tech Hokies and Virginia Cavaliers on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Both matches are slated to begin at 7:00 p.m. Saturday's match was originally scheduled for 6:00 p.m., but has been pushed back to accommodate fans who wish to attend after the football game.

NC State Football: When Does The Hurting Stop?

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:06:20 -0500

Tyrod Taylor (5) dives for a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against East Carolina in Greenville, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)" />

More photos » by Gerry Broome - AP

12 days ago: Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor (5) dives for a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against East Carolina in Greenville, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Browse more photos »

Probably not this week, I'm guessin'. A few reasons why the Virginia Tech game is going to be an unpleasant affair:

1.) Tech's improved passing game. The Hokies still don't ask Tyrod Taylor to do a lot through the air and he remains a bit erratic, but he's averaging almost three more yards per attempt than he did a year ago and he's completely turned around his TD:INT ratio. (2:7 in '08, 12:3 in '09. He's got a trio of big-play guys in the receiving corps, which doesn't hurt. Danny Coale (19.8 yds/rec.), Jarrett Boykin (18.6), and Dyrell Roberts (16.4) are in the top ten in the ACC in yards per catch.

2.) Ryan Williams. Oh god, Ryan Williams. Williams leads the ACC with 1235 yards and ranks 5th in yards per carry (5.8). I'll set the over/under on his YPC against the Wolfpack at 6.5. What do you think?

3.) It's still Bud Foster's defense.

OppYds/PassAtt OppYds/Carry 2008 7.1 3.2 2009 5.4 3.9

They've been more vulnerable on the ground this season but they've compensated with some huge improvement in their pass defense. Opponents are completing just 45.2% of their passes; 7 of 10 have been held to a completion percentage below 50%, 8 of 10 have been held under 200 passing yards.

Overall, the Hokies rank third in the ACC in both total defense and yards allowed per play.

Plus their leading tackler is a linebacker named Cody Grimm. With a name like that, I'm assuming he's unstoppable.

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Game Review - VT vs. Maryland

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:11:00 -0500

The Hokies throttled Maryland in Byrd Stadium yesterday 36-9. The offensive line picked up blitzes, RB Ryan Williams ran with authority and QB Tyrod Taylor delivered crisp passes mixed in with big plays downfield. The Hokie defense was dominant in every aspect with the exception of keeping contain on the Maryland QB Jamarr Robinson who had one of the craziest stat lines I can remember seeing - out of Maryland's 236 total yards, Robinson ran or passed for 233 of them. He accounted for all ...

3 Key Plays - VT vs. Maryland

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:01:00 -0500

1) On the opening drive, on the first set of downs, the Hokies faced a 3rd and 4. In the past three weeks, the Hokies first half offense has been nothing short of miserable and it's been marked by an appalling lack of rhythm in the passing game. But on this play, Taylor dropped back and fired a quick hitter to Danny Coale for 7 yards and a first down. It set the tone for the first half against the Terps by avoiding a punt and it eventually led to a TD on the opening drive. This play also ...

Terps a little punchless early on

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:39:56 -0500

Quarterback Jamar Robinson is starting slowly against Virginia Tech in his first career start. Trailing 14-0, Maryland did not have a first down until its third possession. Robinson completed his first two passes of the game on the series. From the Virginia Tech 27, his throw into the end zone for Torrey Smith attracted a 15-yard pass interference penalty, sending the ball to the 12. Nick Ferrara followed with a 36-yard field goal, cutting the Hokie lead to 14-3. Virginia Tech d...

CODY GRIMM: UNDERWEAR MODEL?

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:02:00 -0500

Linebacker Cody Grimm (#26) and quarterback Tyrod Taylor were the models for Monday's unveiling of Tech's new Nike uniforms, which the Hokies will wear in Saturday's game at Maryland.When asked if his runway moves could launch a career for him in the fashion industry, Grimm said: "Yeah. I've been getting calls from Jockey, Hanes, stuff like that. I guess they want me to be an underwear model, but I'm going to have to wait until after the season to get to that, though....

Virginia Tech Hokies 2009-2010 Season Preview

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:16:08 -0500

Virginia Tech Season Preview Record Last Season 19 - 15, 7 - 9 ACC Players Lost AD Vassallo, Hank Thorns" target="_new">Hank Thorns, Cheick Diakite" target="_new">Cheick Diakite New Players Erick Green, Manny Atkins, Ben Boggs, Cadarian Raines Projected Lineup Malcolm Delaney" target="_new">Malcolm Delaney, Dorenzo Hudson" target="_new">Dorenzo Hudson, JT Thompson, Jeff Allen" target="_new">Jeff Allen, Victor Davila" target="_new">Victor Davila Schedule Highlights 11/27 vs Temple, 12/1 @ Iowa, 12/6 vs Georgia, 1/2 vs Seton Hall Virginia Tech Schedule Virginia Tech Scouting Report
Projected Statistics (Returning Players Only) Explanation of Statistic Projections

Name Pts Asts Rbds Stls Blks TOs % Correct Jeff Allen 16.3 1.7 8.3 1.3 1.1 2.4 61 Malcolm Delaney 16.3 3.9 4.0 1.4 0.2 2.6 75 J.T. Thompson 11.3 1.1 6.0 0.8 0.5 1.7 85 Dorenzo Hudson 6.7 1.5 2.5 0.6 0.3 1.2 88 Lewis Witcher 6.4 0.6 4.9 0.6 1.6 1.2 84 Victor Davila 5.5 0.6 4.2 0.3 0.8 1.0 93 Terrell Bell 4.2 0.7 2.9 0.6 0.6 0.9 89 Chris Panneton 4.1 0.6 1.0 0.2 0.0 0.6 100 Tom Amalfe 1.1 0.4 0.5 0.2 0.0 0.3 99 Paul Debnam 1.0 0.5 0.7 0.4 0.0 0.3 98 Terrance Vinson 0.9 0.2 0.7 0.1 0.0 0.3 99 Gene Swindle 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.1 100 Things to Watch

The Hokies lost one of the top scorers in team history in A.D. Vassallo, but return the other two big time scorers from last season in juniors Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen. The two account for over 50% of the team's returning scoring. There is still reason to believe the Hokies could be better this season provided someone besides Delaney and Allen can hit some shots, which was difficult at times last season.

Delaney is the leader in the backcourt. His scoring averaged nearly doubled from his freshman year to his sophomore year (9.6 to 18.3). Delaney will have some help with the returns of juniors Dorenzo Hudson and Terrell Bell" target="_new">Terrell Bell, along with incoming freshmen Manny Atkins, who is expected to replace Vassallo, and Erick Green, who will back up Delaney, and may be the heir apparent to the point guard position.

Allen averaged 13.7 points and 8.4 rebounds last season, and plays like a power forward, even though he's only 6-7. As a sophomore Jeff Allen stepped on the floorer a lighter version of himself, but reports are Allen consulted with Seth Greenberg and has added back some of weight. Greenberg felt that Allen lost of some his interior effectiveness when he slimmed down.

Junior J.T. Thompson came onnicely in the postseason for the Hokies where he averaged 12 points and five rebounds, and hopes to build on that success. Also expected to help are Victor Davila and Lewis Witcher" target="_new">Lewis Witcher, and freshman Cadarian Raines, who is similarly built like Jeff Allen, and plays a lot like Allen as well.

by Will Ojanen

Fantasy Player to Watch

Malcolm Delaney only hit 38.5 percent of his shots last season, but still found a way to score 18 points per game last season, and it is quite possible that he could score 20 points per game if the rest of the team fails to pick up the scoring. If that's the case, he could be an All-American.

Last Year's Player Statistics Virginia Tech Name GP Mins Pts Asts Rbds Stls Blks TOs FG% 3P% FT% AD Vassallo 34 36.6 19.1 2.6 6.2 0.8 0.9 2.5 45.0 36.7 82.9 Malcolm Delaney 34 36.8 18.1 4.5 4.0 1.5 0.3 2.9 38.5 35.4 86.9 Jeff Allen 33 30.7 13.7 1.3 8.4 1.8 1.3 2.7 48.8 40.5 61.1 Dorenzo Hudson 34 20.8 4.6 1.1 1.9 0.6 0.1 1.1 36.2 33.3 80.0 J.T. Thompson 24 21.0 6.5 0.7 3.7 1.0 0.3 1.4 52.5 0.0 62.5 Cheick Diakite 32 17.7 3.8 0.3 3.9 0.1 1.2 0.3 54.3 0.0 55.9 Victor Davila 33 11.8 3.1 0.2 2.0 0.1 0.2 0.5 54.1 0.0 53.8 Terrell Bell 32 12.5 2.3 1.0 2.7 0.4 0.2 0.8 33.3 19.4 45.8 Hank Thorns 30 18.9 2.7 2.4 1.6 0.6 0.0 1.2 29.9 19.5 62.5 Lewis Witcher 30 8.8 2.0 0.0 1.4 0.2 0.3 0.3 55.1 0.0 40.0 Terrance Vinson 8 1.3 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 Paul Debnam 5 1.0 0.8 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.6 50.0 0.0 100.0 Chris Panneton 3 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Evan Synstad 2 0.5 0.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Gene Swindle 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Tom Amalfe 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Darrion Pellum 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Team Stats

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Game Review - VT vs. ECU

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:16:00 -0500

The Hokies went down and handled their business in Greenville, NC on Thursday night, coming away with a 16-3 win over the ECU Pirates. I have heard of lot of hemming and hawing about this game and by any account it was an ugly win. But there are two points that need to be made, one that isn't controversial and the other which apparently is. The point we can all agree on is that the Hokies needed this win. To keep the season on track for 10 wins and to keep the season from spiraling into a...

HOKIES TOP PIRATES

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:28:00 -0500

AP - Greg Williams ran for a season-high 179 yards and the Hokies (No. 23 BCS, No. 22 AP) avoided their first three-game losing streak in six years, holding off East Carolina 16-3 on Thursday night.Tyrod Taylor had a 13-yard touchdown run, Matt Waldron kicked three field goals and Williams atoned for his critical miscue last week against North Carolina by cracking the 1,000-yard mark for Virginia Tech (6-3)."That fumble did something to me, mentally, last week," Williams said. "...

2009-10 Virginia Tech Hokies Basketball Schedule

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:45:23 -0500

2009 Virginia Tech Hokies Basketball Schedule Sun., Nov 15, 2009 Brown 4 p.m. Cassell Coliseum Tue., Nov 17, 2009 UNC Greensboro 7 p.m. Cassell Coliseum Mon., Nov 23, 2009 at Campbell 7 p.m. Buies Creek, N.C. Philly Hoop Group Classic Fri., Nov 27, 2009 vs. Temple 8:30 p.m. Philadelphia, Pa. Sat., Nov 28, 2009 vs. Delaware 6:15 p.m. Philadelphia, Pa. Big [...]Post from: College Hoops Video2009-10 Virginia Tech Hokies Basketball Schedule Related posts:2009-10 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Basket...

ACC Roulette: North Carolina lives; Hokies are alpha dogs no more

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:54:35 -0500

North Carolina 20, Virginia Tech 17. In the big picture, the Tar Heels' season-saving upset is on the ACC-leading defense: Carolina shut out Virginia Tech for a half, held the Hokies to 256 yards, sacked Tyrod Taylor three times and forced two turnovers, one setting up the game-winning field goal. Twice with its back against the goal line, the Heel defense was inches away from turning Tech away on its only two touchdowns. The Hokies had to work for everything they got, and they didn'...

Hokies leaving 'Enter Sandman' in hands of rock 'n roll punter

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:41:42 -0500

I'm not a Metallica fan, but I have always respected Virginia Tech's (usually successful) effort the last few years to blow the traditional, peppy field entrance into smithereens with the country's most hardcore kickoff: Nothing says "impending doom" like 65,000 people screaming for blood at the top of their lungs over thumping heavy metal lyrics about uncontrollable night terrors, sure. But somehow I sense that, once you decide to prominently feature the punter in the r...

VA Tech’s title dreams evaporate in loss to Georgia Tech

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 23:54:54 -0500

Only once in the history of the BCS has a two-loss team every played for the national title (LSU in 2007). So forgive the Virginia Tech Hokies if they’re not feeling too good about their title hopes after they were upset 28-23 by Georgia Tech on Saturday. The Hokies became yet another victim of the Yellow [...]

The Revolt Is On In Tallahassee

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:00:00 -0500

I began my freshman year at The Florida State University in the fall of 1999. A few months later, the Noles won their last National Championship by defeating a Michael Vick led Virginia Tech Hokies squad. Boy was that a joyous time. Fast forward 10 years later and the Noles are mired in mediocracy. They are a despicable 2-3 with recent losses to Boston College and South Florida. What was once a whisper for Bobby Bowden to retire has now become a loud yell for his head. FSU message boards ...

The Big 5 College Football Games of Week 3

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 06:17:00 -0500

In week 3 there is no heavyweight slugfest but there is many games of intrigue. 5. Nebraska Cornhuskers at Virginia Tech Hokies Last time the two met the Hokies cleaned up the Huskers in Nebraska, this time the black shirts head into Blacksburg in search of revenge. Nebraska looks to throw their name into the top 25 hat while the Hokies look to get their 2009 campaign straightened out for another trip to the Orange bowl. The Pick: Hokies by 6 4. South California Trojans at Washington Huskies...

2009 CFB Preview: Virginia Tech Hokies

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:23:15 -0500

Check out our other 2009 college football previews. Preseason Ranking: No. 7 in AP Top 25; No. 7 in USA Today Poll. Key Returning Players: Tyrod Taylor (QB); Darren Evans (RB); Jarrett Boykin (WR); Danny Coale (WR); Greg Boone (TE); Blake DeChristopher (OT); Ed Wang (OT); Sergio Render (G); Cody Grimm (LB); Cam Martin (LB); Jason Worilds [...]

What to Make of Virginia Tech

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 08:59:09 -0500

We're three weeks into the ACC season, and the surprise so far has to be the Hokies. They've shot out to a 4-1 record and have two road wins against upper division teams, including handing the Deacs their first loss. Still, they've been outscored on the conference season (-25 against Duke, +23 combined in their four wins, although they hold a positive efficiency margin thanks to having 6 more defensive possessions than offensive) and are only a few weeks removed from a thoroughly unimpressive non-conference slate where they lost to every team they played that was better than they were (and even one or two - Georgia, Seton Hall - that are worse).

So far, the reason for their success has been offense. After being dismantled by Duke in the ACC opener to the tune of a 70.18 offensive rating, Tech has put up four performances of 107, 120, 112, and 121. As is traditional with Seth Greenberg teams, they don't cough the ball up - only 17.7% of their possessions end in turnovers, and that number is even skewed downward by an aberrant 28% performance against Duke. Their ability to hold onto the ball has been key - in non-turnover possessions, VT has the 7th best offense in the ACC, but when all possessions are included, they jump to 4th. They've also been solid with their interior scoring - 50% from 2 in ACC play and 56% in their last three games. Overall, Tech's converted well from the field - their .511 efg% is second only to Wake. This seems unlikely to last. They've actually been better shooting the ball in conference than out, despite playing better opponents.

Leading the charge has been the Hokies' big three, who all have been playing exceptional basketball of late. Delaney, Vassallo, and Allen have combined for 276 of the Hokies' 367 ACC points. Delaney and Vassallo in particular have excelled. The sophomore point guard scores 32% of Tech's points, and has put up a 114.73 offensive rating while using over 27% of the possessions. The senior 2 has had slightly less usage (23.31% of possessions) but been even more efficient, posting a 120.23 offensive rating. In the four conference wins, Vassallo is 23 of 39 from 2 and 9 of 23 from 3 - that's lights out shooting.

The question now is whether this is sustainable. There are plenty of dubious signs - this is, in many ways, a run driven by hot shooting, which has a tendency to revert to the mean. VT doesn't do the other things (rebound, shoot free throws) well enough to overcome a poor shooting night. Plus, with so much pressure on Allen, Delaney, and Vassallo, the inability of their teammates to play at even an adequate level could prove problematic. However, there are positive signs as well, first and foremost being the schedule. The Hokies' next 6 games look like this: Clemson, @ BC, NCSU, Georgia Tech, @ Maryland, @ Virginia. Aside from the Clemson game (which is in Blacksburg), that's a list of the worst teams in conference. It's entirely possible that they could be staring a 9-2 record in the face after their trip to Charlottesville. The finish gets tougher: FSU, @ Clemson, Duke, UNC, @FSU. And thanks to the pre-conference performance, 9-7 could put the Hokies on the wrong side of the bubble, particularly if their last 5 games feature 3 or 4 losses. But all of a sudden, the Hokies, despite again performing poorly before the calendar turns, have made themselves relevant in conference play. If they keep stealing upsets and holding court at home, they could be one of the most surprising NCAA tournament teams of the season.

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