Virginia Tech Football: What We Learned from the Hokies' Domination of Duke

Geoff Burke/Getty Images

It was the first complete game Virginia Tech has played this entire season. And it couldn’t have come at a better time with the tough November schedule quickly approaching.

The Hokies have a bye week this upcoming week to prepare for the Georgia Tech triple option, which will likely include a lot of film watching from Saturday’s game at Clemson.

Given that extra time, what does Virginia Tech need to focus on? The game against Duke provided a lot of answers.

Tyrod Taylor Is Better than You

If there was any doubt as to who the best quarterback was, Tyrod Taylor eliminated it with his performance against Duke. Yes, it was against Duke but when was the last you saw anyone play a full three quarters and have a passer rating of 273? And he ran for 47 yards.

With the stable of running backs that Virginia Tech has, teams went all out run block and dared Taylor to beat them with his arm. That was a mistake. Whenever the running game isn’t operating at its prime, Tyrod just makes things happen and finds a way to score points.

The Christian Ponder Heisman campaign ended after the Seminoles got blown out at Oklahoma. Without a couple of blown calls, Tyrod would be in the thick of the Heisman race with Cam Newton and LaMichael James. Not that he would win as of today but he would definitely get invited to New York.

The Receivers Don’t Like Logan Thomas

For whatever reason, the receivers don’t feel like catching the easy balls they get from backup quarterback Logan Thomas. He throws a remarkable ball and given spring and summer practices and the light out-of-conference schedule in 2011, Thomas should fill the shoes left by Taylor sufficiently.

But this year is another story. He’s had 24 passing attempts but only completed 10 of them. At least five of those were just dropped by the receivers. And he hasn’t typically had the first-string offensive line to back him up either.

The Defense Can Stop Big Plays

Elsa/Getty Images

The longest play Duke had during the game was a 25-yard pass. After allowing runs of over 40 yards in almost every game this season, not allowing a run over 20 yards came as a breath of fresh air.

Duke has a big-play offense and holding them to 208 yards and no plays over 25 yards might be overlooked by the nation but Hokie nation fully appreciates everything it means.

In order to beat the triple option, the opposing defense must play a full game of disciplined football. And all of this was done without Eddie Whitley.

This was the boost of confidence the Hokies needed heading into a bye week. For the first time this season I have hope that could happen against Georgia Tech.

Defenses Play the Run When Ryan Williams Is in

Geoff Burke/Getty Images

Ryan Williams is an animal of a running back and has a bright future ahead of him. But his yards per carry have been considerably underwhelming, going from 5.6 to 2.9. It’s not that he has lost a bit of talent but he has no space to run whenever he gets the ball. Give him an inch and he can take it a mile but defenses load the box against him.

He looked 100 percent against Duke and made some strong runs. The smart thing for Stinespring to do, not that he will, is to keep Williams and/or Evans/Wilson in for almost every play and let defenses crowd the box to let Tyrod beat them with his arm. Then give it back to the running backs and let them pound away at the line.

Marcus Davis Will Be a Household Name by 2012

The Tech receivers are one of the most underrated units in college football and catch 95 percent of the balls they can get at. Somehow with Jarrett Boykin, Danny Coale and Dyrell Roberts, sophomore Marcus Davis has worked his way into the rotation and he appears to be Logan Thomas’ favorite target.

At 6'4', 229 lbs, Davis is a big target with soft hands who will only improve with time. Once the current juniors graduate or get drafted, Davis will likely be the premier receiver on the team along with currently injured Xavier Boyce. And after Thomas and his receivers gel, Davis will be a nightmare matchup for cornerbacks and will have the experience to beat a back on a poor throw.