Virginia Tech: Quarterback Preview

Ever since the departure of Bryan Randall after the 2004 season, the Hokies have had numerous question marks at the quarterback position.  

This year will be no different, as questions regarding who’s going to be the starting QB for the Hokies this fall still remain.

Senior Sean Glennon is back after a great second half of the 2007 season.  Also, sophomore Tyrod Taylor returns after starting five games in his true freshman year.

So I guess Ill go ahead and ask the question… Who is going to be Tech’s starting QB when the team takes the field against the East Carolina Pirates on August 30th?

Well first, let's take a look at how each quarterback fared last season.

Sean Glennon:
143/235 – 60.9 percent
1796 yards
12 Touchdowns
5 Interceptions

Tyrod Taylor
72/134 – 53.4 percent
927 yards
5 Touchdowns
3 Interceptions
429 yards rushing and 6 Touchdowns

Glennon really struggled the first two weeks of last season. He led the Hokie offense to a total of 10 points in over five quarters of play before he was pulled for a more mobile Tyrod Taylor during the second quarter of a LSU thrashing. 

For the next four weeks, the more mobile Taylor started and led Tech to a 4-0 record until he was injured during the Duke game down in Raleigh.  Glennon then took over and led the Tech offense to over 400 yards of total offense in that game. 

After the Duke game, the coaches implemented a dual quarterback system, which lasted the rest of the season.  That system worked very well at times, although both players have said publicly this offseason that they would rather have one player leading the team and the other playing a normal backup role.

2008 Outlook:

As spring practice came to a close, Tyrod and Sean were still listed as 1a and 1b on the official Virginia Tech depth chart.   So even after an impressive performance in the spring game, Glennon still wasn’t able to separate himself enough to be named Virginia Tech’s starting quarterback.

The coaches will have a tough decision to make, as they will have to monitor closely the performance of both players each day in practice this August.   With such a young wide receiver corps, would it be better to have a senior quarterback tossing them the ball or would it be better to have a game changer at quarterback who can make plays with his feet when nobody gets open? 

These are just some of the questions that remain as Tech opens its fall practice on Monday.

My Thoughts:

With sophomore Zach Luckett being Tech’s most experienced returning wide receiver with three career catches; it’s quite obvious that the passing game will not be the focal point of this Virginia Tech offense. 

Therefore, the Hokies don’t need a dropback passer that’s going to struggle due to a mediocre offensive line and a gaggle of inexperienced receivers.  

Taylor should be the starting quarterback, just because he gives the coaches more options with play calling and he gives opposing defensive coordinators more things to lose sleep over. 

When Tyrod enrolled at Virginia Tech a year ago, he was immediately regarded as the future of the program.  Well, that future is now for the Hokies. 

Let Tyrod and this young offensive squad take their lumps this year and then let them loose in 2009 when Tech should be able to once again challenge for a National Championship.