Looks as though everything is set for tomorrow’s home opener. Senior cornerback Victor “Macho” Harris seems ready to return after missing last week’s game with a sprained left foot. We know that redshirt freshman right tackle Blake DeChristopher won’t be out there; he’ll miss two to four weeks with a bruised right kidney, knee and quadriceps. And we know that Virginia Tech is going to play both quarterbacks, Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor, in some fashion.

Now, we wait for some answers. Just how sharp will Harris look? Will he play receiver? How will DeChristopher’s replacement, junior Richard Graham, hold up? How much zest will Taylor add to an offense that desperately needs it? We won’t find out any of that until tomorrow. But really, Furman poses such a minimal threat, compared to the other teams on Tech’s schedule, that the likely strong performances by Graham and the offense ought to be assessed in context. A bigger test comes next week, when Georgia Tech visits Blacksburg.

So in short: We’ll get part, but not all, of those answers tomorrow.

Here now, an early look at the “three keys” feature that will appear in tomorrow’s paper ...

THREE KEYS FOR VIRGINIA TECH

BEGIN FIGURING OUT THE QUARTERBACK SITUATION: Just how will Tech’s coaches rotate Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor? And what kind of effect will Taylor have on the offense? Those questions might not be completely answered today, in what should be a blowout, but it’s important that the Hokies make some progress with solidifying this position and with boosting their offense. The two-quarterback system worked late last season but sputtered in the Orange Bowl. Will it work again? Or will the coaches use this game to begin easing Taylor into the role of full-time starter?

IMPROVE TACKLING FUNDAMENTALS: In the season opener last Saturday against East Carolina, Tech’s missed tackles numbered “in the teens,“ said senior defensive end Orion Martin. Maybe this defense won’t be as dominant as Tech’s previous editions, but it at least needs to make the basic plays and avoid giving up crucial fourth-quarter touchdown drives like the nine-play, 73-yarder that ECU put together to pull within two points with 3:36 remaining.

GIVE DUSTIN KEYS SOME CONFIDENCE: He might be a fifth-year senior, but he’s in his first year as Tech’s primary kicker. Before the opener, he had never kicked in a game, and had dressed for just one. He struggled against East Carolina, missing a 44-yard field goal and an extra point. He also struggled in Tech’s final preseason scrimmage, on Aug. 22, missing both of his field goals – from 36 and 50 yards. Beamer, who oversees special teams, said he’s sticking with Keys, but there’s no doubt Keys needs to do his part.

Posted by Darryl Slater in • College Sports • Virginia Tech
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