Skinny - Tyrod Taylor finally takes full control of the Hokies this season after two years of splitting time with Sean Glennon. Taylor's potential is limitless as he is a stong, fast dual-threat quarterback. The question for Taylor now is his throwing ability. Will the Hokies' passing game be strong enough to compete for an ACC Championship or will it be their downfall? First team All-ACC RB Darren Evans returns after a very good freshman year with 1265/11 on the ground and should only improve in his second season. As always Virginia Tech's defense will be what allows the team to compete for championships. Macho Harris is gone, but the rest of the secondary returns and Jason Worilds has first team All-ACC potential at defensive end. Virginia Tech is a team that thrives on its defense and special teams, but the potential for the offense is high if a passing game develops.
Strength - Defensive Line
Three starters return on the defensive line with valuable depth. Jason Worilds was second team All-ACC last year with 8 sacks as a sophomore. Cordarrow Thompson, Demetrius Taylor, and Kwamaine Battle should provide solid depth in the middle with Thompson returning last year and the other starter John Graves moving to end to give a spot to Taylor. Virginia Tech ranked 9th in scoring defense and 14th in rushing defense last year. Cam Martin is the only returning linebacker, so to maintain that ranking the defensive line needs to continue what they started last season. The Hokies only had 19 sacks last season, so that number needs to improve and it should as there's more experience on the inside opening up holes for the defensive ends and linbackers.
Weakness - Passing Game
Splitting time as a quarterback is not an easy thing to do, as it limits a quarterback from getting in a rhythm but the TD-INT ratio Tyrod Taylor had last year was unacceptable. He threw only two TD passes to seven interceptions. One could put part of the blame on the wide receivers though. The team returns its top 4 receivers (WR Jarrett Boykin, Danny Coale, and Dyrell Roberts and TE Greg Boone), but the production from the three sophomore WRs is less than desirable. Boykin led the team with 30/441/2. Those are solid numbers for a role player, a second or third option, but thats ridiculous for a team's leading receiving. Yes, Virginia Tech operates under a very conservative offense and only scored 30 points twice last season but Jordan Shipley had 89 receptions last season which is more than the three receivers reception totals combined. Taylor must become a better passer and the sophomore trio of receivers must prove their worth for the Hokies to compete against teams with good offenses.
Key Game - 9/5/09 Alabama
This game could dictate the Hokies season and is just the beginning of one of the best non-conference schedules in the country (Bama, Marshall, Nebraska, and East Carolina). Alabama will have a strong running game, led by Mark Ingram, and have a game breaker at receiver in Julio Jones. Despite a new quarterback, Alabama should be able to put some points on the board, but will Virginia Tech be able to match them. Alabama returns 9 starters from a top 10 defense last season. Alabama was second in rush defense last season, which should neutralize Evans. A passing game would be the best option against Alabama, but thats what Virginia Tech lacks.
Key Player - Tyrod Taylor
Taylor must develop his passing game if the Hokies want to win an ACC Championship for the third year in a row. Taylor has proven to the nation that he can be solid on the ground, but can he become a true dual-threat? Darren Evans will be keyed on by opposing defenses after his breakout freshman season and also Taylor running ability will try to be contained. This should open up the passing game and allow for a lot of single coverage plays when playing teams that play man defense. Tyrod Taylor was a highly ranked player coming out of high school, but now he has to prove his worth.
Impact Freshman - DJ Coles
Predicted ACC Finish - 2nd (Coastal)
Top 5 Players
1. RB Darren Evans
2. DE Jason Worilds
3. OL Sergio Render
4. CB Stephan Virgil
5. FS Kam Chancellor
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