A Sam Wheeler Sighting and Spring Depth Chart

Annette has the Hokies' pre-spring depth chart over at the Four-Letter Blog. Remember that there are a number of players, especially on the offensive line, that won't be participating in spring drills. Here 'tis:

OFFENSE

SE Jarrett Boykin -- Austin Fuller
LT Ed Wang -- Nick Becton
LG Greg Nosal -- Will Alvarez
C Beau Warren -- Michael Via OR Richard Graham
RG Jaymes Brooks -- Vinston Painter
RT Blake DeChristopher -- Andrew Lanier
TE Greg Boone -- Chris Drager OR Sam Wheeler
QB Tyrod Taylor -- Ju-Ju Clayton
RB Darren Evans -- Josh Oglesby OR Ryan Williams
FB Kenny Jefferson -- Kenny Younger
FL Danny Coale -- Dyrell Roberts

DEFENSE

DE Nekos Brown -- Steven Friday
DE John Graves -- Isaiah Hamlette
DT Demetrius Taylor -- Kwamaine Battle OR Courtney Prince
DT Cordarrow Thompson -- Antoine Hopkins OR Dwight Tucker
OLB Cody Grimm -- Jeron Gouveia-Winslow OR Alonzo Tweedy
ILB Barquell Rivers -- Bruce Taylor
ILB Jake Johnson -- Quillie Odom
FC Rashad Charmichael -- Cris Hill
FS Kam Chancellor -- Lorenzo Williams
ROV Dorian Porch -- Davon Morgan OR Matt Reidy
BC Stephan Virgil -- Eddie Whitley

SPECIAL TEAMS

FG Matt Waldron -- Justin Myer
KO Justin Myer -- Tim Pisano
P Brent Bowden -- Brian Saunders
LS Colin Carroll -- Matt Tuttle

One of the first things I noticed was Sam Wheeler listed as a co-No. 2 at tight end behind Greg Booooooooooooone. Wheeler was last seen being a general bad ass before tearing his left ACL at Georgia Tech in 2007. In my mind Wheeler was Sean Glennon's most reliable target in 2007 before the injury.

He didn't see a lot of playing time in 2008 because he wasn't all the way back from knee surgery. Hopefully he's 100 percent and can earn playing time in the spring and summer. I was a big fan of Wheeler's in 2007 and he's a solid pass-catching tight end.

It also appears Vinston Painter has been moved back to the offensive line. The argument could be made that this is just to provide depth to a depleted offensive line during the spring, but spring drills would be a crucial time for Painter to grow as a defensive lineman. My guess is this move is permanent.

No real surprises on the defensive side of the ball. It'll be good for the younger guys to get more reps at linebacker with Cam Martin out for spring practice. I like the group we have at linebacker, they're just all very green with the exception of Martin and Cody Grimm.

Beamer in the Blogging Business... Sort of

BeamerBall.com has a new blog on its Web site, but no RSS reader which means I'll check it about as often as I call my mom. I know, that's terrible and I should call her more often, I'm a bad son, blah, blah, blah.

Right now it's a glorified Twitter feed, but the big news on there today is Brandon Dillard is cleared to practice this spring less than nine months after rupturing his Achilles' tendon. The other big news is Beamer played 36 holes of golf at Augusta over the weekend. This was one week after he raced at Bristol. Must be nice.

JP Giglio is an Ass Hole

Actually, I like Giggity, but this little snide remark rubbed me the wrong way in his "Final Four cheering guide for ACC fans":

Clemson, Florida State, Maryland: UNC
Conference pride!

Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College: UConn or Villanova
Conference pride!

"Hardy-har-har, those invaders used to be in the Big East so they must want their Big East brethren to win. Doopy-doop-doop." For the record I'm rooting for Sparty because Carolina AND the Big East can eat my ass with a spoon.

Hockey > Hoops

I caught former OU signee Scottie Reynolds' shot to beat Pitt (yay) and Carolina's smackdown of my alma mater (boo), but most of my weekend was spent either A) cooking dead animals, B) watching college hockey or C) both. What's that? You missed the NCAA Hockey Tournament because you're uncultured? Well, let me recap it for you:

- 3 of the 4 No. 1 seeds lost in the first round.
- 3 of the 4 No. 2 seeds lost in the first round.
- No. 4 seed Air Force shocked Michigan 2-0 despite being out-shot 44-13 to kick off the Tournament.
- Minnesota-Duluth scored two goals in the final 40 seconds to force overtime with Princeton in the first round and then won in OT. The tying goal came with 0.8 secs left.
- New Hampshire scored a pair of third period goals, the last one coming with 0.1 secs left to force OT with North Dakota in the first round and then put away the hated Sioux in the first minute of OT.
- Cornell scored three unanswered goals, the last one with 18 seconds left, to knock off Northeastern, 3-2 in the first round
- No. 4 seed tiny Bemidji State crushed hated Notre Dame in the first round.
- Miami U. held off another last-second comeback by UM-D to advance to its first Frozen Four.
- Vermont punched its ticket to the Frozen Four by beating underdog Air Force in OT on a goal that went through the net and was then reviewed for 20 minutes before being counted.
- BU scored with 15 seconds left to beat UNH to advance to the Frozen Four.
- Tiny Bemidji State completed the Forzen Four with another huge upset of Cornell. The Beavers became the first team from outside a Big Four (Hockey East, WCHA, CCHA, ECAC) to advance to a Frozen Four. Oh, and the Beavers have no clue what conference they'll be in next year because theirs is disbanding after this season.

It was wild, it was unpredictable and I can't wait for the Frozen Four in two weeks. I just wish that I was going. Last year's trip to Denver was outstanding.

Linkage

Hokies

- The softball team won its series with UVa. (HokieSports)
- Bourbonstreet has his Top 10 things to watch in spring practice. (Blogsburg)
- Defense was the downfall of this year's Hokie hoopsters. (Tech Hoops)
- Vote Fraggle. (The North End Zone)

Atlantic Coast Conference

- I now hate Seth Curry. (ACCSJ)
- Miami had its spring game this weekend. (All Canes)
- What FSU WR Taiwan Easterling will experience after tearing his Achilles. Good read that makes me really impressed with how Dillard has recovered. (Tomahawk Nation)
- UVa won a 7 OT lacrosse game that kept me from seeing the first period and a half of UNH-North Dakota. (Good Ol' Blog)

Duke Game Post

Feel free to leave your thoughts on the game in the comments. I'll be tailgating and going to the OU-Texas Tech game tonight, so you'll get nothing from me today. However, the game's on ESPNU which means I can DVR it.

What to Watch vs. Miami

Most stats are from cfbstats.com.

Dolphin Stadium

- I'm interested to see how many people show up to Dolphin Stadium on a Thursday night. Will there be just as many Hokie fans as Cane fans like in 2006? Will the place be half full? Or will there be a strong showing from Cane fans for a team that may very will win their division for the first time since joining the ACC?

Offense

- I'm predicting Glennon will start. Then again, I said Holt would start against Maryland. But, with Glennon healing faster than Tyrod and Glennon not having to rely on his running ability, it will very likely be Glennon under center.

- We'll see the Wild Turkey formation with Boone under center again. I'm interested in seeing more zone road option from Boone in this game. Almost every time we ran the Wild Turkey against Maryland, it was either a reverse to the receiver in motion or Boone running to the left or right.

- There was one Wild Turkey play where Boone faked the run and dropped back to pass. If our offensive line hadn't broken down on the play, Boone would have been able to throw a pass for the first time in his career. However, he was forced to scramble. If that play looked familiar, it's because Ryan Perriloux ran it and threw a touchdown against us last year in Baton Rouge.

- The Hokies will be able to run the ball better than they did against BC but not as well as they did against Maryland. Expect a performance more along the lines of what we saw against Georgia Tech or FSU. Evans averaged 4.9 YPC against the Jackets and 5.1 against the Noles. If he can get around that against the Canes, I'll be happy.

- The problem for the Hokies is Miami is best in the ACC in YPC allowed. It allows 2.9 YPC this season. However, that number goes up to 3.5 against ACC foes, which ranks No. 5 in the ACC (VT is No. 1).

- As for yards per game numbers, Miami's D gives up 146.2 YPG against ACC foes, No. 8 in the conference. The Hokies gain 166.2 YPG in conference games, No. 3 in the conference. So while it will be more difficult for the Hokies to get yards on the ground against the Canes, it may not be as difficult as I originally thought.

- The Canes have had a lot of injuries on defense this year, but still have talent. I have been exponentially impressed by freshman defensive end Adewale Ojomo. The kid is a freak and has disrupted every offense he has played. He will line up against the Hokies' best tackle, Ed Wang. If Wang can mitigate Ojomo's effect on our offense, we'll have a lot better luck moving the ball.

- A big problem for the Hokies is that Glennon is still missing high when he is inaccurate. This will lead to interceptions against a defense as skilled as Miami's.

Defense

- The Canes have two quarterbacks with basically the same skill sets in Jacory Harris and Robert Marve. As you read in our Q&A with Canes305 from allCanes, Harris is the better passer and Marve is the better runner. However, what you will see is Marve start, Harris play early and then head coach Randy Shannon go with whoever has the hot hand down the stretch.

- In Miami's six wins, both quarterbacks have been very good with passer ratings in the 120s. In the three losses, both have been bad with passer ratings in the 80s. This is a little surprising to me because I expected one quarterback to be a little more consistent in their win/loss splits with the other one having a bigger difference when Miami is succeeding vs. when they are losing.

- It also tells me the key to disrupting the Miami offense is to get pressure on the quarterback. The Hokies must be able to cut down on how much time both QBs have to make their decisions while at the same time containing them in the pocking and keeping them from scrambling for yards.

- The Hokies have been good at getting to the quarterback lately and I think we'll have the same success against the Canes. The trick will be stopping Miami's run game.

- When the Canes run the ball, it will be strength against strength. As I mentioned above, the Hokies are giving up an ACC-best 3.1 YPC in conference games. However, the Canes are averaging 4.3 YPC on offense in conference games, No. 3 in the ACC.

- Miami features two solid running backs in Javarris James and Graig Cooper. Cooper became a hoss when James was out with injury earlier this year. James is back, but still not at 100 percent.

- Not surprisingly, there's a big, big difference in rushing yards for the Canes in games they win and games they lose. They average 4.6 YPC in wins and 2.9 YPC in losses. Stop the running game and you stop Miami. Our DTs, particularly Taco Thompson, have been playing their best football. However, I think Miami will have success running the ball, particularly with Cooper.

- Macho Harris needs to have a big game for Tech. I don't think he's played his best the last couple of games, but could get back to the way he played in the middle of the season against Miami. He'll have the chance at least. The Canes have very talented wide receivers and the scouts will be watching. Remember how big a game Brandon Flowers had against the Canes in 2006? Macho needs to have that kind of game.

Outcome

- The Younglings are a talented football team. Like Tech, they have a lot of freshmen and sophomores at the skill positions. They also have experienced players at key positions on defense.

- I don't think we'll be able to take advantage of Miami's weakness, which is their secondary. Because of this, I think you'll see a 2006-type game that's low scoring with a few big plays here and there that decide the game.

- Miami's big, skilled wide receivers will be able to make plays against our secondary, which has been exploited when we haven't been able to get pressure on the quarterback. These receivers aren't as good as Florida State's, but it's close. I've been very impressed with Aldarius Johnson this year.

- In the end, one mistake late will decide the game. Unfortunately, with this game being on the road, I think the Hokies make that mistake.

Watch the Box Score For:

1. Turnovers.
2. VT sacks
3. Miami rushing yards.
4. Non-offensive touchdowns.

VT Players to Watch:

8 - Greg Boone, Jr., TE/QB/RB
77 - Ed Wang, Jr, LT
1 - Macho Harris, Sr., CB
95 - Taco Thompson, Jr., DT

Miami Players to Watch:

4 - Aldarius Johnson, Fr., WR
2 - Graig Cooper, So., RB
97 - Adewale Ojomo, Fr., DE
31 - Sean Spence, Fr., LB

Final Score: Miami 17, Virginia Tech 10

VT 23, UMD 13

Hats off to Bryan Stinespring. He called a good game. Glennon was less than sharp, but played well for a one-legged quarterback. The offensive line played like we all thought they could at the beginning of the season. The question is, how much of it was due to how bad Maryland was on D?

Quick Hits

- The Wild Turkey or Wild Boone or whatever you want to call it worked two ways. Boone is tough to take down and took his toll on whoever tackled him. It also pumped the crowd up every time he took a snap.

- It will be interesting to see if Boone still gets plays under center when Tyrod gets healthy.

- Our offensive and defensive lines were dominant, as predicted. The Terps couldn't do anything on the ground and when Turner was forced to throw, he never had enough time.

- Taco Thompson and Cody Grimm share defensive players of the game in my book. Grimm was all over the field on both defense and special teams. Thompson always seemed to be around the ball and seemed like he knew what the snap count was going to be every play.

- Maryland was able to use Tech's aggressiveness against it on the Heyward-Bey screen pass touchdown. However, you won't fool Bud Foster on the same play twice, as Heyward-Bey later learned in the red zone.

- Finally a decent game from Kam Chancellor.

- This was an experienced, good offense that the Hokies shut down. Yes, Da'Rel Scott was banged up going into the game, but everyone else was taken out of the equation as well. Other than the Hey-Bey screen pass, it was a damn near perfect performance by the D.

- Maryland's defense, particularly its defensive line, isn't very good. As they like to do, they lined up in a 3-4 a lot with their "leo" player on the the line in a two-point stance. That's the main reason Tech was able to destroy them up front. The Terps were under-sized and compensated for it by not stacking the box and running a 3-4. It was comical.

- However, give credit to Darren Evans. He ran with purpose on Thursday. It was great to see.

- Glennon is still missing high. That's going to lead to interceptions if he isn't careful.

- The receivers continue to get better. They made some tough catches and ran much better routes this time around. Boykin and Coale have stepped up as the No. 1 and No. 2 receivers. Roberts is getting better and hopefully is close to emerging as a legitimate deep threat.

- Speaking of Roberts, he was a machine on kick returns. Macho also had a nice punt return.

- On the flip side of that coin, we let another punt get blocked. The punt coverage team is still terrible, but the kickoff coverage team had a better game.

- Miami is a much better team than the Terps and the game this Thursday will be on the road. While I feel better about this game than I did on Wednesday, I still think it's going to be tougher to move the ball and get pressure on the quarterback this week.

- Apologizes to anyone who sat near me in the Tech student section Thursday. I was invisible. Sure I've been much drunker for Hokie games, but that was probably the most belligerent I've been in a while.

- The staggering hangover I had Friday was cured by the Cracker Barrel in Bristol, Va. Damn skippy I stopped on the Virginia side. The only place in Tennessee I'll give my money to is Corky's.

ECU Depth Chart Notes

Greg Boone has been nothing short of spectacular this summer as a tight end, wide out, fullback and dump truck. So I wasn't surprised to see his name at the top of the tight end depth chart in this week's game notes.

What did surprise me was Sam Wheeler was nowhere to be seen. He's listed behind co-No. 2s Andre Smith and Chris Drager. Wheeler, who will wear No. 18 and not No. 83 this year, is listed on the travel roster and will make the trip to Charlotte.

I expected a lot from Wheeler this season. He was a reliable target for Glennon before tearing his ACL against Georgia Tech. My hope is Wheeler's still not 100 percent and will work his way back up the depth chart as the season progresses.

Having two viable tight end threats will allow Boone to be moved around and utilized effectively in the offense. He's tough to tackle as a fullback and poses a problem for undersized defensive backs when moved out wide.

I expect Boone to get the ball a lot (and do a lot with it) early in the season. However, I'd like to see Wheeler get back in the mix as well.

Yes, I realize that was waaaaaaaay too much to write about tight ends.

Other goings on in the depth chart:

- Glennon and Taylor are linked by a big "OR" at quarterback, although a starter is supposed to be named tomorrow. My guess is it will be Glennon with Tyrod getting 30-40 percent of the snaps on Saturday. They just aren't announcing it so ECU doesn't know what to prepare for.

- Kenny Lewis is the starting tailback with Darren Evans as the back-up. I just don't think Lewis is an every down back. This might not work out too well.

- Danny Coale, not Ike Whitaker, is listed as the No. 1 split end, meaning we will be started two freshman wide receivers on Saturday. This goes against everything we thought from reading the scrimmage reports and quotes. It looked all along like it would be Whitaker as the starter. I expect he'll still see a lot of playing time.

- Davon Morgan is the starting rover over Dorian Porch. I'm a big fan of Morgan's. Porch is consistent, but unspectacular and I think Morgan is the better player. He'll still get beat from time to time, but is the better playmaker.