Everything Old is New Again

Sean Glennon is a redshirt senior who, barring injury and collapse, will have the starting quarterback job all to himself this season. The last time a redshirt senior had sole possession of the Hokies' starting QB job was 1998 when Al Clark led Tech to a 9-3 record and a win over Alabama in the Music City Bowl.

That team was talented and young. They started the season 5-0 with impressive road wins over Clemson, Miami and Boston College. But Clark was hurt before the Boston College game and missed the next three games, including an embarrassing 28-24 loss to Temple.

The Hokies were 5-0 and the Owls 0-6 going into that game. Clark was a capable but unimpressive quarterback who had the reigns for parts of 1997 and all of 1998. His last season included three of the most jaw-dropping, heart-breaking losses in Tech history.

The Temple game, a last-second loss at Syracuse and an incredible 22-point comeback win by Virginia in Blacksburg. All three hurt and all three taught the Hokies something different. The Hokies' most difficult games were all on the road in 1998. They passed most of the tests, but fell at the Hokie House of Horrors in Syracuse. They also dropped home games against teams they should have easily defeated.

1998 was also the year a highly-touted quarterback from the 757 took a redshirt season and sat on the bench. When Clark went down, there was thought of pulling the redshirt off the freshman, but Michael Vick would have to wait another year before being unleashed on college football (pun intended).

This year is a slightly different scenario. Glennon is a better quarterback than Clark was and Taylor has a year of experience. But there are a lot of similarities. The 2008 Hokies are young and talented, most of their tough games are on the road and there are upsets waiting at home.

The Coastal Division is very poor in the ACC this year and I still expect Glennon to lead the Hokies to the division title. Some fans may be shocked or angry that Tyrod isn't going to play this season, but we've been down this road before.

Ranking the 2008 ACC Players

Here is a quick power rating of the top players in the conference:

1. Cullen Harper - Clemson - QB
- Had a ridiculous 27-6 TD to INT ratio in '07. Will need to duplicate that feat or defenses will be able to focus on Davis and Spiller.

2. Alphonso Smith - Wake Forest - CB
- I'm a huge fan of Wake's defense. Smith is the lead ballhawk for the Deacs. He had eight picks and four forced fumbles last season.

3. Michael Johnson - Georgia Tech - DE
- Is a freak at defensive end and will give opposing QB's fits all year.

4. James Davis - Clemson - RB
- The better overall back between he and Spiller. When he's on, he can't be stopped.

5. Sergio Render - Virginia Tech - OL
- Maybe the best guard to come through Tech. The Hokie line will be solid this year.

6. Brian Toal - Boston College - LB
- BC had one of the best defenses in the country last year. Without Toal. Scary.

7. Macho Harris - Virginia Tech - CB
- Will be able to impact games as a return man more in '08. Tied for the team lead in picks last year.

8. Aaron Kelly - Clemson - WR
- Led the ACC in TDs by a wide margin last year.

9. CJ Spiller - Clemson - RB
- Lots of speed. The Tigers have tons of talent at skill positions. But how will the O-line and D hold up?

10. Eugene Monroe - Virginia - OL
- Has a pair of good backs to open holes for this season.

11. Riley Skinner - Wake Forest - QB
- All he does is win.

12. Hakeem Nicks - North Carolina - WR
- Led the conference in YPC last year. Good deep threat.

13. Ron Brace - Boston College - DT
- Main reason BC was among the best against the run last year.

14. Clint Sintim - Virginia - LB
- Had nine sacks as a linebacker last year. Will he be able to repeat that number without Howie Long's son getting double-teamed this year?

15. Sean Glennon - Virginia Tech - QB
- Maybe the most accurate passer in the conference. Doesn't make dumb mistakes. Improved his TD to INT ratio immensely last season.

2008 VT Preview - Quarterbacks

During almost his entire Virginia Tech career, fate has conspired against senior Sean Glennon. Now, when it seems he's finally won the starting job. When he's finally convinced everyone he's a worthy starting quarterback and super-human, super-sophomore Tyrod Taylor should be used for a change of pace or only in certain situations, it appears fate has duped him once more.

With Virginia Tech's lack of playmakers and experience at running back and wide receiver, it appears Taylor will see more action in the fall because the Hokies need his ability to make defenders look stupid.



I won't argue that Taylor is the Hokies QB of the future. He'll likely be Tech's starter next season and he'll likely be an excellent one.

But Glennon has earned this season. He saved the Hokies last year and led them to a title. He improved game-by-game and is the Hokies' best option as the conductor of the offense.



He's had two bad bowl games, but Taylor wasn't exactly spectacular against Kansas, either. That's why until he proves that he's a better leader of the team than Glennon, he should be utilized only in situations where the Hokies need to throw a curveball to the opposing defense.

And Taylor will get his chances, as well. Glennon doesn't have much mobility and was injured against Florida State last year.

But this is Glennon's team. Give him a chance to have one last season and see what he can do with the reins.

My guess is Tyrod will get a lot of playing time early on while guys are establishing themselves at wide receiver and running back. I just hope this doesn't turn into a situation like some baseball teams go through where the "blow the team up" and play all the young guys.

Is it possible the coaches would play Tyrod, Ryan Williams and Dyrell Roberts to get them experience with an eye toward 2009? Sure. But I have more faith in the coaching staff than that. I expect Glennon will still get most of the snaps. He's the team leader. He's earned the right to play his senior season.

Comparing Glennon to Randall

I'll admit I've been harsh on Sean Glennon in the past. I was anything but a Glennon supporter going into the 2006 season and after that year's BC game, I gave up on him. I considered 2006 to be a lost season and Glennon to be the second-coming of Grant Noel.

But then Glennon and the Hokies rattled off six consecutive wins and led Georgia 21-3 at halftime of the Peach Bowl (We don't use corporate names here. It's still Peach and Citrus to me.). However, after a dismal second half against Georgia led to a 31-24 loss, Glennon was again in the dog house to Hokie fans.

The arrival of Tyrod Taylor to Blacksburg didn't help Glennon's cause either. Fans and media anointed Taylor the QB of the future and considered Glennon a caretaker of the position until the true freshman was ready. Glennon's every move was dissected and criticized.

But there's a problem. Glennon's a really good quarterback. He's won a lot of games for Virginia Tech and leads an effective offense. No, the offense isn't nearly as sexy as when Taylor's behind center, but Glennon is more efficient.

When I think back on it, my opinion of Glennon was the same of my opinion of Bryan Randall. I wasn't a big Randall fan until just before the 2004. Season. The Hokies had collapsed in the second half of the 2002 and 2003 seasons with him as the quarterback. I was ready to see Randall exit the scene and see Marcus Vick take over as the quarterback.

But then Vick got suspended for the 2004 season and I realized Tech would be better off for it. Randall no longer had to be looking over his shoulder to see if he was going to get pulled. He was a senior who had been through two difficult seasons. In 2002 and 2003, Randall and the Hokies were learning how to win games. And it paid off with a 2004 season that saw Tech win its final eight regular season games and win the ACC in its first year in the conference.

I think its going to be the same way with Glennon. He already has an ACC Championship that I give him a lot of the credit for. Now, I don't hope that Taylor redshirts, is suspended or injured. I hope Taylor plays a lot in 2008 and complements Glennon and the rest of the offense.

But it's my belief Glennon is going to have a great 2008 and gives the Hokies the best chance to do great things. To me, Randall and Glennon's career paths have been similar and I think Glennon will have just as good a senior year as Randall.

Glennon vs. Randall by the numbers:
(For records, I considered games in which the quarterback played the majority of plays).

Freshman Year
Randall: 12-34 (35.3%) 114 yards, 0 TD, 0-0 record
Glennon: 8-11 (72.7%) 137 yards, 1 TD, 0-0 record

Sophomore Year
Randall: 158-248 (63.7%), 2,134 yards, 12 TD, 10-4 record
Glennon: 170-302 (56.3%), 2,191 yards, 11 TD, 10-3 record

Junior Year
Randall: 150-245 (61.2%), 1,996 yards, 15 TD, 8-5 record
Glennon: 143-235 (60.9 %), 1,796 yards, 12 TD, 6-3 record

Senior Year
Randall: 170-306 (55.6%), 2,264 yards, 21 TD, 10-3 record
Glennon: ?

Sophomore and Junior Seasons
(Both started their sophomore and junior seasons)

Totals
Randall: 308-493 (62.5%), 4,130 yards, 27 TD, 18-9 record
Glennon: 312-537 (58.1%), 3,986 yards, 23 TD, 16-6 record

Vs. Conference Opponents
Randall: 158-265 (59.6%), 2,171 yards, 15 TD, 7-7 record
Glennon: 214-355 (60.3%), 2,767 yards, 16 TD, 11-3 record