COLLEGE FOOTBALL LOOK AHEAD

Lindy’s Top 40 Countdown: No. 39 Virginia Tech

Lindyssports.com Staff

July 10, 2014 at 12:25 pm.

Trey Edmunds (14) leads the Hokies ground attack. (USA TODAY Sports)

HOKIES at a GLANCE

LOCATION: Blacksburg, Va.

COACH: Frank Beamer – At Virginia Tech: 224-109-2, 27 years; overall: 266-132-4, 33 years

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Scot Loeffler

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Bud Foster  

LAST LEAGUE TITLE: 2010

LAST TIME DIDN’T GO BOWLING: 1992

RETURNING STARTERS: 12; 7 offense, 4 defense, punter

PLAYERS TO WATCH: RB Trey Edmunds, RB J.C. Coleman,TE Ryan Malleck, DT Luther Maddy, DE Dadi Nicolas,CB Kendall Fuller

PRIMARY STRENGTHS: Edmunds sat out the spring to heal a leg injury but is the type of back who has made the Hokies difficult to stop in the past. Plus, there’s depth at tailback and no shortage of receivers and tight ends. The defense should be one of the ACC’s better units this season, and one of the fastest.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS: If transfer Michael Brewer can’t distin- guish himself at quarterback in training camp, then the Hokies will be mired in a quarterback controversy. The offensive line has players with starting experience at every position but hasn’t exhibited the type of cohesiveness that once made Tech’s running game almost unstoppable.

OFFENSE

It has been a long, long time since the starting quar- terback situation has been so unsettled in Blacksburg.

With redshirt sophomore Brenden Motley and fifth-year senior Mark Leal unable to create any separation during the spring, they left the door wide open for Texas Tech transfer Michael Brewer. Brewer was supposed to be the Red Raiders’ next golden arm in 2013, but a late-summer back injury forced him to miss August training camp and the first month of the season.

By the time he recovered, Texas Tech’s starting and backup positions had been established. Brewer graduated in May with two years of eligibility remaining.

While he played mostly mop-up duty prior to his injury, Brewer could be the key piece to Frank Beamer’s puzzle. He’s not exactly battle tested, but neither are Motley or Leal. With a strong arm and passing game smarts, Brewer may be the man to beat for the job. If so, he has a stable of strong backs, led by Trey Edmunds and JC Coleman, plus a better corps of receivers than a year ago. Edmunds showed flashes of brilliance in 2013 before injuries ended his season.

The question is: Can the Hokies, under their third line coach in three years, establish a dominant blocking unit that could include some redshirt freshmen?

DEFENSE

The Hokies had questions about a front seven that lost five quality starters from a year ago, but as usual, veteran coordinator Bud Foster seemed to find the answers.

Tech has built a reputation for physical, stingy defenses and this should be no exception. In fact, this could be Foster’s fastest defense in years.

Luther Maddy and Corey Marshall, back from a suspension, should make the Hokies strong up the middle at the defensive tackle spots, while Dadi Nicolas should terrorize opposing quarterbacks from his end position.

Maddy posted 13.5 tackles for loss, including 6.5 sacks, last season. Nicolas added seven tackles for loss and four sacks.

As usual, the secondary should be strong, with Brandon Facyson and Kyshoen Jarrett returning from injuries. Cornerback Kendall Fuller should pick up where he left off after a phenomenal fresh- man season.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Hokie fans are wondering what happened to Beamerball, which hasn’t been up to par the past couple of years. Other than finding a quarterback, Beamer’s main priority in the spring was findinga kicker. While Richmond transfer Remington Hinshaw had moments, Beamer did not commit to any of the three kickers already in house, choosing to delay a decision until after he’s seen two incoming freshmen.

OVERVIEW

After eight consecutive seasons with 10 wins or more, the Hokies have won only 15 games the past two seasons combined, leading to a worrisome fan base. There’s a lot riding on solving the quarterback situation and establishing a worthy offensive line. Still, Tech should win its share of games to keep its bowl streak intact.

TOP NEWCOMER

QB Michael Brewer: The Texas Tech transfer is in position to start for the Hokies. Brewer basically had a cup of coffee with the Red Raiders last season, completing 7 of 10 passes for 65 yards, but he has a lively arm and has come up through successful passing offenses.

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