Fifth-year senior Sean Glennon played all of seven snaps in the second half of today’s game against Furman.

The first four came immediately after his quarterback counterpart, sophomore Tyrod Taylor, rolled his ankle after scrambling for a 50-yard run. Glennon made the most of his time, side-arming a 10-yard touchdown pass to tailback Kenny Lewis Jr. to give Tech a 10-0 lead. Glennon didn’t play again until garbage time, when Tech led 24-7 with 6:02 remaining in the game.

Is this the beginning of the end for Glennon?

Remember that Georgia Tech is coming up next, and Glennon played very well last season against the Insects, in his second start after a high-ankle sprain sidelined Taylor. That Georgia Tech game also came a week after the stunning loss to Boston College. Glennon had a career game down there in Atlanta on a Thursday night: 22-of-33 passing, 296 yards, two touchdowns (passes of 40 and 71 yards), one rushing touchdown and no interceptions. Two years ago, in his first season as the starter, he threw for a career-high 339 yards against the Insects.

Glennon looked frustrated as he walked off the field today, and he admitted as much afterward in his first public comments since being demoted as the starter this week—the second consecutive season in which he has lost the job within the first two games.

As for the reason behind his minimal second-half playing time, “I wasn’t really told why or anything like that,“ Glennon said. (Offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring said it had to do with how the Hokies wanted to attack Furman’s eight-man defensive fronts.)

Glennon was disappointed with his lack of playing time in the rotation’s 2008 debut because, “This game, I was told, was going to work like last year,“ he said.

A reporter noted that Glennon and Taylor seemed to be friendly on the field. “It’s not like he’s making these decisions,“ Glennon said. “If I’m frustrated, he’s not the one to take it out on. I’m friends with Tyrod. We root each other on. We realize that both of us playing well is the best thing for this team. When coaches make personnel decisions, it does zero good to be bitter toward that person. You may have a beef to take up with who is making the decision, but as far as the player, where is that going to get me, being bitter to Tyrod?“

Does he plan to take up a beef with the coaches? “No. I’m gonna trust that they’ll use me the way I feel like I need to be used on this team. I’m just going to pray and have faith that I’ll be out there contributing to this team. I don’t want to think past that. I don’t want to think about the negative. I just want to focus on the positive and what could happen. I’m not looking at it [as]: What if this doesn’t happen? What if I don’t play? If it comes to a day where I’m not playing, then I’ll maybe having something to say, but right now, I’m just gonna do what I can while I’m in there.“

Here’s what Glennon and Tech head coach Frank Beamer had to say about some of the boos showered on Glennon today ...

“It doesn’t bother me,“ Glennon said. “They’re gonna do what they want to do. I will say, just for the benefit of those people in the stands, it’s only 10 percent maybe. I know that most of the Hokie Nation is behind me and most of the Hokie Nation is not booing me. And for the small group that is, maybe they’re jealous they’re not out there, maybe they don’t understand the game, maybe they just don’t like me personally. But I threw a touchdown three plays after they booed me coming on the field [after Taylor’s 50-yard run].“ 

“I don’t like that for college kids to be treated that way,“ Beamer said. “To me, it’s not the right thing to do. I love our fans. They hang in there with us. They’re hanging in there right now. We’re not playing great. But I still don’t think there’s a cause for that.“

Posted by Darryl Slater in • College Sports • Virginia Tech
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