Virginia Tech Skill Positions Preview

NC State is set to take on Virginia Tech tomorrow night at 8:00 PM.  Take this chance to get to know the weapons Virginia Tech have in their arsenal.

Quarterbacks

Rs-Junior Brenden Motley- 6’3″/221 lbs (64/112, 861 yd, 7 TD, 5INT, 150 rush yds, 3 Rush TD)

Rs-Senior Michael Brewer- 6’1″/195 lbs (11/15, 161 yd, 2 TD)

Today the news came out that Michael Brewer appears ready to go and was listed as probable for the game vs. NC State.  A lot of Hokie fans are going to be static at this news, and for some reasons they should be.  He looked fantastic in the first half against Ohio State before going down.  It could however benefit NC State for Brewer to be under center.  He is nowhere near the athlete that Motley is, and NC State can struggle to defend mobile quarterbacks.  If Brewer plays he will make all his plays from the pocket, and that plays to NC States strengths.  I would imagine State will see some of both tomorrow.

Keys to Containment

If Motley ends up running the show, State needs to focus on hitting him every chance they get.  If they try a read option the end needs to tee off on him and let the linebackers clean up the rest.  If Brewer plays the majority of snaps, the D-Line has to put him under pressure often.  He has missed a ton of time, and hasn’t been able to practice much.  The game will already be fast for him and a goal for the defense should be to speed it up even more.

Running Backs

Rs-Freshman Travon McMillan – 6’0″/196 lbs (32 att, 223 yd, 30 rec yd)

Rs-Junior Trey Edmunds – 6’2″/223 lbs (36 att, 149 yd, 2 TD, 8 rec yd)

Senior JC Coleman – 5’6″/187 lbs (37 att, 120 yd, 1 TD)

This is not a positional group that is going to ‘wow’ you.  Coleman is technically the starter and is a tough runner for being undersized, and he has only lost 4 yards all year.  Edmunds has the best athletic ability and is the goal line back, but none of the group are a real threat in the passing game. Motley ran the ball a lot for them, so it will be interesting to see where it will be made up if Brewer plays the majority of the snaps.

Keys to Containment

NC States defense doesn’t need to do anything special here.  They have excelled at taking away the run, and have faced much more talented running backs.  Be physical up front, swarm the ball, cover your gaps, and they will limit the running game.

Receivers

Sophomore WR Isaiah Ford – 6’2″/188 lbs (21 rec, 382 yd, 3 TD)

Sophomore WR Cam Phillips – 6’1″/ 191 lbs (16 rec, 214 yd, 1 TD)

Rs-Sophomore TE Bucky Hodges –  6’7″ 241 lbs (12 rec, 174 yd, 2 TD)

Rs-Senior TE Ryan Malleck – 6’5″/253 lbs (9 rec, 120 yd, 2 TD)

It doesn’t matter what the numbers say, the guy that pops in this group is Bucky Hodges.  He is a huge target and is a surprising athlete.  Virginia Tech likes to target their TE’s in the red zone, so Hodges and Malleck must be accounted  for when Tech is in scoring position.  Ford is a good athlete who is capable of breaking big plays.  This is a relatively young, but capable group.  The ball will get spread around a lot so it is hard to focus on one position.

Keys to Containment

This is where the game changers reside for Virginia Tech.  They have some real nice pieces, headlined by Ford and Hodges.  It is really going to take a complete game by the secondary to hold them in check.  If they can hold the receivers to under their season averages, NC State will be looking very good in this one.

Who worries you the most on Virginia Tech’s offense? Comment below, or head over to The Forum and give your input!