On the rise

BLACKSBURG Speaking in a calm and steady tone, Kevin Sherman sounds like a patient man. He likes to think of himself as one, too. This season, more than any of his 13 others as a wide receivers coach, required him to draw on his patience, to understand that for every eyebrow-raising catch his players made, one of their drops might leave him shaking his head.

Sherman, in this third season at Virginia Tech, never coached a group of receivers as young as this year's bunch: redshirt freshman Danny Coale and true freshmen Jarrett Boykin and Dyrell Roberts. The past two seasons, Sherman enjoyed the benefits of Eddie Royal, Josh Morgan, Justin Harper and Josh Hyman -- who were so familiar with the wrinkles of Tech's scheme that they handled their own substitutions between plays.

Though these new receivers have progressed -- especially Coale and Boykin the past three games Sherman said their package of plays still is "a lot less" than the one used by last year's quartet. "I keep telling myself, 'Hey, they've only played in 12 games,'" he said.

Coale and Boykin are peaking at the right time, as the Hokies prepare for Saturday's ACC championship game against Boston College in Tampa, Fla. The last time the Hokies played the Eagles, their three receivers each dropped a pass.

Coale and Boykin seemed to have left those miscues behind. In the season's first nine games, Tech's receivers gained 50 or more yards in a game four times -- twice by Boykin, once each by Coale and Roberts. In the past three games, Boykin and Coale each had two 50-yards-plus performances. Over that span, Boykin caught 11 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns -- the only touchdowns by a Tech wide receiver this season. Coale caught 11 passes for 132 yards.

"We're in a position where I hope the offense can count on the receivers," Coale said.

Even a sunny optimist like Tech coach Frank Beamer knows that wasn't the case earlier this season, as sophomore quarterback Tyrod Taylor adjusted to playing with a new set of receivers -- while continuing to develop as a passer himself.

"We started out this year, the receivers didn't know where they were going," Beamer said. "Tyrod didn't know where they were going. So if we completed one, it was a pretty good thing."

Tech's passing game hit bottom Oct. 18 at Boston College, a game Tech lost 28-23. Taylor completed 12 of 27 passes for 90 yards and an interception. His receivers gave him little help on three consecutive drives in the second quarter. Boykin dropped a 17-yard pass on third and 10. Coale dropped a would-be touchdown. Then Roberts botched a 45-yarder that would have put Tech in field goal range with 17 seconds left in the first half.

Sherman is reminding his players of those errors this week, telling them, "This is an opportunity to come back and show that we can produce and be a productive unit within the offense."

Boykin is emerging as the most productive of the group. He became the starting split end by the sixth game, and Coale moved from split end to flanker, which bumped Roberts from starter there to backup. Boykin has earned the promotion. His 407 receiving yards, on 27 catches, lead the team.

His numbers are beginning to rival Royal's from his freshman season, 2004, when had 28 catches for 470 yards and three touchdowns. Morgan, Harper and Hyman also played that season.

Yet Sherman still harps on Boykin about finishing at the top of his routes, which means continuing to run as he catches the ball. "Because in high school sometimes, you can slow down and try to catch the ball and see where it's going," Sherman said.

As Boykin watched himself on tape this season, then learned these techniques and applied them in games, he began to feel optimistic -- just as his predecessors did as freshmen -- about what the coming years might bring.

"It shows that we have a great future ahead of us," he said. "We're just going to take care of business this year and worry about next year when it comes."