A beautiful afternoon here in Blacksburg. Figured there would be more folks out at Lane Stadium for the scrimmage.

If you weren’t there and are looking for some information on what went down, here is the notebook that will appear in manana’s fish wrap. Lots of leftover material, too, so I’ll divvy that up between the next few posts. But for now, here are the basics ...

QBS CLAYTON, DAVIS STILL BATTLING FOR BACKUP JOB: Virginia Tech is getting closer to accomplishing a crucial part of spring practices – finding a backup for junior quarterback Tyrod Taylor. A decision could come as soon as tomorrow.

But the candidates for the job, redshirt freshmen Joseph “Ju-Ju” Clayton and Marcus Davis, made the choice tougher for the coaches with their performances in yesterday’s scrimmage at Lane Stadium.

Clayton, a Hermitage High graduate, completed 7 of 9 passes for 70 yards. He threw touchdown passes of 12 and 8 yards – the former against the first-team defense – and ran three times for 34 yards. He looked most impressive in leading a 90-yard drive against the second-team defense, completing all four of his passes for 50 yards, including the 8-yard touchdown.

By that point, Davis had played just one series and three snaps. But on his second series after the 90-yard drive, he ran for a 62-yard touchdown against the second-team defense. He completed 3 of 6 passes for 19 yards and finished with six runs and 85 yards.

“When he had that drive,“ Davis said, “that was the first thing that came to my mind: I’ve gotta go out there and do something to show that I’m ready to play also, so the coaches won’t say, ‘Oh, well, he couldn’t handle the pressure.‘“

Quarterbacks coach Mike O’Cain said Clayton remains slightly ahead of Davis, mainly because of experience. Davis moved from wide receiver after last season and played quarterback full-time only during his senior year of high school.

The coaches planned to pick a backup by tomorrow. Head coach Frank Beamer isn’t sure if that will happen. O’Cain thinks it probably will. The Hokies have three practices this week before Saturday’s spring game.

“I think we’ve got to make a hard, fast decision and live with that decision,“ O’Cain said. “Because you keep trying to get both of them work, and neither of them can get as good as they can be.“

O’Cain doesn’t want to open the job for competition again during August practices. But whenever the coaches name a backup, O’Cain will tell Clayton and Davis that nothing is set in stone.

Davis is more athletic and faster than Clayton but feels less comfortable with the passing game. O’Cain wants Davis to make crisper throws and improve his timing.

Both players made significant progress since spring practices began April 1. Clayton said he improved with recognizing defensive coverages and spotting receivers during cornerback or safety blitzes. Davis said Clayton helped with pre-snap cadences by reviewing them while they sat together in intro to acting class.

“I came a long ways from Day 1, thanks to Ju-Ju,“ said Davis, who plans to share an apartment with Clayton this fall.

O-LINE SURVIVES SCARE, BOASTS DEPTH: Offensive line coach Curt Newsome experienced a scare during the scrimmage when his starting right guard, sophomore Jaymes Brooks, collapsed after a play and grabbed his left ankle.

But X-rays were negative, trainer Mike Goforth said, and Brooks just has a high left ankle sprain. He likely is done for the spring but should be fine by August.

So Newsome was able to talk optimistically afterward about his group’s depth. He plans to play more backups this season and give his starters a break once every two or three series. “We’ll be better if we can,“ he said. “We need to play more people.“

Newsome wasn’t comfortable enough with his second string to do this in recent seasons. But three backups have impressed him this spring: sophomore left guard Greg Nosal, who can also play tackle; sophomore right tackle Andrew Lanier; and redshirt freshman center Michael Via.

THIS AND THAT: Beamer, who supervises the kickers, said fifth-year senior Matt Waldron is the top candidate to replace Dustin Keys. Waldron said Beamer likes that he’s getting more height on his kicks. But Beamer has said incoming freshman Cody Journell will get a shot at the job this summer. … Bud Foster, the defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach, said sophomores Barquell Rivers and Jake Johnson are leading the race for the two open linebacker spots. … Redshirt freshman tailback Ryan Williams, who struggled with blocking assignments last season, laid out 283-pound defensive tackle Kwamaine Battle in the open field yesterday, creating space for a scrambling Clayton. It was just the latest highlight of a strong spring for Williams. “I feel like everybody’s putting me on a high pedestal, and I love it,“ he said.

—Darryl Slater

On the backup quarterback race, a scare on the offensive line and an impressive block by tailback Ryan Williams ...