Tyrod Taylor: Will He Improve Or Will We See Much The Same?

Tyrod Taylor: the Junior quarterback for the Virginia Tech Hokies. Last season, he passed for 2 TDs and 7 INTs with 1036 yards passing and 738 rushing yards on 147 attempts. Not exactly a spectacular season for a quarterback. However, the Hokies went 10-4 and won the ACC Championship against Boston College for the second straight season.

Now, the 2009 College Football season is underway and the Hokies are expected to be a better team than they were last year. Tyrod Taylor is expected to improve and if all goes as planned, they should find themselves playing for their third straight ACC Championship.

However, with last night's 34-24 loss against Alabama, Tyrod Taylor looked much the same as he did last season. Taylor went 9-20 for 91 yards with no interceptions and no touchdowns. On the ground, Taylor ran for -26 yards on 10 attempts. He was virtually invisible the entire game. However, Taylor was playing against a very stout defense in the Crimson Tide. There is no way to tell as of now how he will fair against ACC competiton.

Now, with the first game of the Hokie season finished, Virginia Tech will start to prepare for their next game against the Marshall Thundering Herd. This game should be an easy win for the Hokies and a good chance for Tyrod Taylor to improve slightly on his overall play. After Marshall, Virginia Tech will host Nebraska, a team that is looking to play better than they did last year when they went 9-4. This game could be another challenge for the junior quarterback, Tyrod Taylor.

It is in Week 4 of the college football season that the Virginia Tech Hokies will open conference play against the Miami Hurricanes, a team that expects to compete for the chance to play in the ACC Championship game after three mediocre seasons from 2006-2008.

So, with the first game of the 2009 Hokie season in the books, the question arises: Does Tyrod Taylor have what it takes to lead his team to the ACC Championship? Or will he be the reason that Virginia Tech does not make it? The key for Tyrod Taylor to be successful this season is to manage the game and to make plays on the ground when needed. If Tyrod Taylor can manage to do this, the Hokies will be in good shape. If Tyrod Taylor can not manage to do this, the Hokies could be in trouble.

With that being said, Tyrod Taylor is a remarkably talented athlete. However, Taylor is by no means reliable when it comes to the passing game. Where he thrives at the ground game, he lacks at the passing game. Will he improve from last year? It is too early to tell. He has the skill-set to be a decent quarterback for the Virginia Tech Hokies if only he can refrain from turning the ball over. If he does just this, then the sky is the limit for this program.

However, things never go the way you think they will.