Never seems to be enough room in the print edition for everything. Days like these are why I’m glad we have this Interweb supplement.

Let’s get some business out of the way first. Predictably, head coach Frank Beamer declined to elaborate on the press release announcing receiver Zach Luckett’s suspension. He also declined to reveal whether he knew about Luckett’s previous DUI charge ... or whether he has a timetable for the suspension ... or whether the length of the suspension depends on how the legal process plays out.

OK, now to Dyrell Roberts, the true freshman receiver who probably will start now that Luckett is out. Here’s the summary of the six minutes that fellow scribe Norm Wood and I spent chatting with Roberts today (this is just leftover stuff; the rest of the pertinent information will be in the paper) ...

- Roberts was quick to point out that while he played running back in Smithfield High, it wasn’t a traditional running back (I wish I could explain this sort of stuff in the paper, but there isn’t enough space). Roberts played a running back/quarterback/receiver hybrid position, so he was in open space more than a traditional tailback would be. He rushed for 2,236 yards, passed for 257 and had 148 as a receiver. He had 38 touchdowns in 10 games.

- Plus, Roberts always knew he’d move to receiver in college. Not many 6-1, 183-pound Division I-A tailbacks out there. He played receiver at all of the high school camps and combines he attended. “It’s kind of a big change, but it’s really not,“ Roberts said of playing receiver in college.

- One thing Roberts had to learn earlier this preseason was how to catch the ball away from his body, at its highest point. He said he’s gotten better at that and has also mastered the plays the Hokies installed earlier this preseason. But he pointed out that they’re still installing some plays, so more information is coming every day.

- As for nerves, Roberts admitted he’ll have some. “Any game I go into, whether it’s high school or college, I always have butterflies until that first play, then I settle down,“ he said. “Right now, it’s a new level so of course I’m going to have that little nervousness about me. But once things get in the swerve of things, I’m going to be OK.“

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YOU HAVE LEARNED WELL, GRASSHOPPER: When Roberts mentioned butterflies, senior cornerback Victor “Macho” Harris just chuckled. He was sitting next to Roberts, waiting to be interviewed. Harris said he hasn’t gotten butterflies before a game in a long time, maybe since youth league. He had a chat with Roberts last week, trying to give him a dose of confidence. “You’ve got all the tools to be a great receiver,“ he told him. “When you go out there, when you line up against somebody, I don’t care who it is, you prove to him that you’re better than him.“

“He’s still young,“ Harris said (in an interview yesterday, not to Roberts). “There’s lot for him to learn. But as far as the physical part, he’s there.“

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NOW, TO THE COACHES’ THOUGHTS ...
- “I think every day he’s learning something new, because I think different things happen to him every day,“ receivers coach Kevin Sherman said of Roberts. “I think the biggest transition he’s had, other than the mental aspect of it, is just the speed of the game and reacting and seeing things like that. He’s starting to play a little faster. We noticed that in Saturday’s scrimmage.“

- Roberts’ big adjustment, Sherman said, is playing in space more, rather than in the tackle box. “I think if you try to take an athlete and put him out in space, I think he might feel a little bit more comfortable,“ Sherman said. “I think he is comfortable, but he’s got to get used to seeing things right now. That’s where he’s getting caught up a little bit.“

- As for playing young guys, it’s not a surprise. “We knew coming into this year that we were going to have to have some of those young guys ready,“ Sherman said. “I was prepared for that.“

- He also said, as Beamer did, that the staff didn’t talk about moving anyone from split end to flanker to help fill Luckett’s shoes.

- And as for what this does to an already inexperienced receiver group ... “It’s everybody’s chance,“ Sherman said. “When one guy moves, that means somebody else has to move. My goal hasn’t changed and our goal hasn’t changed as an offense. We’re going to try to find six guys to get ready to play.“

- Beamer said three freshman receivers—Roberts, Xavier Boyce and Jarrett Boykin—will likely play. The odd (fresh)man out is Randall Dunn, who seems to be a redshirt candidate. The other freshman receiver, Marcus Davis, is out for the season after having shoulder surgery. Also, Luckett’s suspension won’t affect the number of snaps that Harris gets at receiver, though the coaches still plan to play him there.

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That should do it for tonight.

A quick final thought: It’s not unheard of for Tech to play young receivers. Many of you will remember that the Hokies did it in 2004, when Eddie Royal, Josh Morgan and Justin Harper played as true freshmen, and Josh Hyman played as a redshirt freshman. They all played at least 11 of 13 games in 2004. Hyman was a starter. Royal led the team with 28 catches. Morgan had three catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns in the Sugar Bowl. And those four ended up being pretty good. Morgan has the second-most catches in school history, Royal the fourth-most. Harper and Hyman rank 14th and 15th on that list.

Posted by Darryl Slater in • College Sports • Virginia Tech
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