2011 Virginia Tech Football Predictions
Written by Steve Janus
The Virginia Tech Hokies went into the 2010 season with the expectations of going undefeated and winning a National Championship. Those dreams didn’t last long, as the Hokies dropped the opener against a very good Boise State team and then were stunned the following week by James Madison. To the Hokies credit they went on to win their next 10 games, including a 44-33 win over Florida State in the ACC Championship Game. The strong finish landed them in the Orange Bowl, but they were upended by Stanford 40-12. This year Frank Beamer and the Hokies will once again go into the season with the goal of winning it all. They have just 12 starters back, but a very favorable schedule should land them back in the ACC Championship Game.
To get a better idea of how the Hokies will do this season, let’s take a look at who they are projected to send to the field on both sides of ball, plus I will give my prediction on where they finish the year in the ACC.
Offense:
The Hokies will have to replace the school’s all-time leading passer, Tyrod Taylor, who threw for 2,743 yards with 24 touchdowns to just five interceptions in his senior season. Taylor was also the second leading rusher with 659 yards and another five scores. The hope is that sophomore Logan Thomas is ready to take over. The Hokies are extremely high on Thomas, who at 6’6 245 lbs has a physical make up very similar to that of Cam Newton.
Virginia Tech also loses their two best running backs from last year in Ryan Williams and Darren Evans. The Hokies still have a solid back in junior David Wilson, who was third on the team with 619 yards to go along with his five touchdowns, but overall this unit figures to be a notch or two down from last season.
While the Hokies lost a ton of talent at quarterback and running back, they return their top four receivers from last year. Senior Jarrett Boykin led the team with 53 catches for 847 yards and six touchdowns, and is expected to be one of the premier receivers in the ACC this season. Also back are seniors Danny Coale and Dyrell Roberts, along with junior Marcus Davis.
Up front Virginia Tech has four starters back on the offensive line. The right side features two of the best linemen in the conference in senior right tackle Blake DeChristopher and senior right guard Jaymes Brooks. Look for sophomore Andrew Miller to step in and take over at center. This unit should be much better against the pass rush and should be able to create some big holes for the running game.
Defense:
While the Hokies defense was solid in 2010, it wasn’t up to the level that we are use to seeing under Beamer. A lot of that had to do with just three starters returning from the 2009 squad. This year they have five starters back and add a bunch of talented freshmen to the mix.
Junior defensive tackle Antoine Hopkins is the only starter back on the defensive line. Redshirt freshman Nick Acree and sophomore Derrick Hopkins are expected to team up inside with Hopkins, while sophomore James Gayle and redshirt freshman Zack McCray take over at the two defensive end spots. Even though this unit lacks experience, they should improve on their 156 yards per game they allowed on the ground last season.
At linebacker the Hokies have one of the best in the conference in junior middle linebacker Bruce Taylor, who led the team with 91 tackles, including 6 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss. Virginia Tech also brings back junior Jeron Gouveia-Winslow, but heading into the fall it looks like redshirt freshman Nick Dew and Tariq Edwards will be the other two starters. This unit also returns senior Barquell Rivers who missed all of last season with an injury.
Virginia Tech should also see some improvement against the pass this year. They bring back one of the best corners in the country in junior Jayron Hosley, and also return senior free safety Eddie Whitley. Sophomore Kyle Fuller looks to have the edge at the open corner spot opposite of Hosley, while Antone Exum is expected to team up with Whitley at safety.
ACC Prediction: 1st ACC Coastal - The Hokies have been the class of the ACC since they joined the conference, and I really like their chances of coming away with another perfect record in conference play in 2011. They get their four toughest conference games all at home (Clemson, Miami, North Carolina, and Boston College), and should have no trouble winning on the road against the likes of Virginia, Duke, Wake Forest, and Georgia Tech. While I have the Hokies easily winning the Coastal Division, I think they will fail to beat Florida State in the ACC Championship Game.
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