High hopes in bloom for Hokies

By: Paul Woody | Richmond Times-Dispatch
Published: April 26, 2009

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BLACKSBURG With the tailgating going full strength before the game and an estimated 41,000 fans in the stands during the game, this little corner of the world had a very Texas-like feel.

You know what they say about the Lone Star State. The two most popular sports in Texas are football and spring football.

The majesty of the southwest Virginia mountains provides far better scenery than the plains of Texas. But the view of what is expected from the University of Texas football team and the Virginia Tech team is similar.

Texas expects to compete for the national championship every year.

All those fans at the Hokies' spring game yesterday -- "I think it was the biggest ever," Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said -- weren't here because they had nothing better to do on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.

Expectations are high for the Hokies. They have an offense filled with capable players and a defense that always seems to shut down opponents.

"We know if we put in the work and time, we've got a good chance of going as far as we want to go," wide receiver Dyrell Roberts said. "There are no limits to what we can do."

Yesterday was not quite a showcase day for the Maroon and White teams.

The White team offense, led by starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor, was disjointed. However, tailback Darren Evans, who ran for 1,265 yards last season as a redshirt freshman, was held out of the game because of leg injuries.

Taylor found his rhythm late in the afternoon, leading a last-minute drive that almost saved the day. The Maroon team won 13-7.

The Virginia Tech special teams usually are awfully good. Yesterday, they were good and awful. The punt-block team was in midseason form. That meant the punt-protection team had problems.

"We need to have a talk with that special teams coach," Beamer said. "I thought it was very sloppy today."

Beamer handles the Hokies' special teams.

"What that tells me is we need to settle on people and get them in there," Beamer said.

Beamer saw other things to take the edge of the special teams faux pas. Redshirt freshman Ryan Williams had a terrific day at tailback -- 10 carries for 86 yards and two receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown.

The wide receivers played faster and with more confidence than last season.

"The encouraging thing is we've got some playmakers out there, some guys who can do it," Beamer said.

Last year, the Hokies' offense consisted of two options: No. 1 was let Tyrod do it; No. 2 was let Evans do it.

This fall, things should be different.

Last year, Virginia Tech won the ACC championship and the Orange Bowl in what was supposed to be a rebuilding season.

The Hokies already are appearing in the top 10 in the 2009 preseason polls, which is nice. But a slow start will drop them out of the Top 10 and erase the hopes of a championship season.

The Hokies need to be very good very early.

They open against Alabama in Atlanta, then play at home against Marshall, Nebraska and Miami.

"When I first came here, they talked about improving your schedule," Beamer said. "When you're opening with Alabama and then playing Nebraska and you've got Miami there in the first four ball games, we've certainly upgraded our schedule."

Beamer became Virginia Tech's coach in 1987, so it's time the schedule was upgraded.

"We're playing good people," he said. "I think we've got people in this program who want to play good people."

The fans want to see strong opponents, especially if the Hokies beat them.

And based on yesterday's attendance for a meaningless spring game, this is the year the fans believe the Hokies can beat just about anyone.

Contact Paul Woody at (804) 649-6444 or pwoody@timesdispatch.com.