There were several storylines from Saturday's Maroon-White game in Blacksburg. We've already covered the day Ryan Williams had and how Tyrod Taylor was two yards away from a game-tying score on the game's final play. However, there is much more to discuss from the mainstream media in attendance.
The Battle Between Receivers and Corners
Kyle Tucker from the Virginian-Pilot has been all over the battle for the starting field corner spot the last week. Rock Carmichael appears to be the leader going into the fall, but he'll have to fight off Cris Hill and Eddie Whitley for the starting job.
However, Tucker reports that Carmichael had an up close and personal view of one of Saturday's better offensive plays, a touchdown catch by Dyrell Roberts.
Along with his 41-yard kickoff return, Roberts also snagged a Tyrod Taylor pass at the sideline - about 15 yards down the field - and shrugged off two tacklers for a 40-yard gain. Later, he out-jumped likely starting corner Rashad Carmichael for a 3-yard touchdown on a perfect fade from Taylor.
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"We were looking forward to showing everybody the type of offense we have this year," Roberts said. "Last year, we had to hold back a couple things. The receiving corps was new. But now they know they can open the offense up and depend on us."
Good news for everyone is KT is moving to the 'Burg fulltime in July. His blog has been the most diligent of the mainstream guys and his being in Blacksburg means we'll all have a lot more 24-hour news cycle coverage than we've seen in the past.
Like Riding a Bike for Davis
In other wide receiver news, Tech's newest pass catching threat also had a solid game. Marcus Davis was moved to wide out days before the spring game after Ju-Ju Clayton was named the Hokies' No. 2 QB.
According to Aaron McFarling of the Roanoke Times, Davis outshined Clayton on Saturday.
Contrast Clayton's day with that of Davis. After the QB announcement was made Monday, Davis began taking snaps at wide receiver, the position where he'd begun his career at Tech. And on Saturday, the big, physical speedster showed just how much of a weapon he could be on the outside this fall.
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Tech's receiving corps still has plenty of room for improvement, and he has a chance to step in and play right away. At 6-foot-4 and a cut 235 pounds, the redshirt freshman can match up physically with the best the ACC has to offer.
Clayton play was one of the few disappointments from Saturday. He completed only four of 15 passes for 103 yards.
Maybe We Should Fire the Special Teams Coach
Another disappointment was the kicking game. Matt Waldron and Justin Myer are battling for the starting kicker spot. However, neither did much to state their claim for the fall on Saturday, according to the Lynchburg News and Advance's Nathan "Tommie Frazier" Warters.
The kicking game had very few highlights in Saturday’s game. Justin Myer missed an extra point. Chris Hazley missed a 35-yard field goal. Brent Bowden averaged a pedestrian 36 yards a punt, had one kick blocked and took a 19-yard loss after chasing down a snap that sailed over his head. He also bobbled the snap on a field goal attempt at the end of the first half.
Finally, the future was not only on display in the form of Williams, who will be a force in the backfield in 2009. But playmakers for 2010 and beyond were on the sidelines, according to the recruiting gurus at Tech Sideline. According to Chris Coleman, there were over 20 recruits on hand Saturday, including wide receiver Justin Hunter.
The 6-4, 180-pound Hunter, considered one of the top wide receiver recruits in the country, is coming off of a successful visit to LSU last weekend. The Dolphins standout does not claim any favorites but has been high on Virginia Tech to this point, though the weekend is certainly important for the Hokies to impress. He'll get to spend time this weekend with former teammates Marcus Davis and Randall Dunn, who signed with Tech in the 2008 class.
Linkage
Hokies
- Round by round, conference by conference break-down of the NFL Draft. (College Game Balls)
- Chris Drager is emerging as one of Tyrod's favorite targets. (VT Fan)
ACC and Opponents
- The ACC pwned the draft again. (ACC)
- Tyler Yates isn't very good at being a hippie. (Tar Heel Fan)
- Bama's recieving corps is a lot deeper than Julio Jones. (Bama Sports Report)
Stuff Only I Care About
- Why do I suddenly have the urge to visit Legoland? (Holly)
- Suck it, Yankees and Teixeira. (Over the Monster)
- We are guaranteed two Game 7s, but if we don't have at least three I'll be stunned. (Puck Daddy)