Hard-luck Hokies deal with rash of QB injuries

Scattershooting around the ACC, while not ever remembering a school losing both its top two quarterbacks in the same game as Virginia Tech did last Saturday against Florida State ...

Tyrod Taylor and Sean Glennon both suffered high ankle sprains, causing coach Frank Beamer to finish the game with fifth-year senior Cory Holt, a wide receiver, at the quarterback spot.

The Hokies are idle this week before playing Maryland in the first of two consecutive Thursday night appearances next week. Beamer didn’t want to discuss the status of either Taylor or Glennon during Wednesday’s ACC coaches teleconference, although it should be noted that Taylor suffered a similar injury last season and didn’t play again for nearly a month.

“Both quarterbacks are in a boot,” Beamer said. “They both came out and were throwing a little bit. We’ll talk about them when we need to put them on a list about being available for the game.”

The ACC has a new injury policy this season, listing the status of players on Thursday of game week. Because Tech doesn’t play until a week from today, there may not be any official news about the quarterbacks until next week.

Tech used a basic offensive plan when Holt went in the game but he will spend the next week increasing his knowledge of the system. Holt’s backup will be 280-pound tight end Greg Boone, a former all-state QB in high school, who was 40 pounds lighter then.

Holt, who was recruited as a quarterback, moved from that position to receiver near the end of last season, buried behind Taylor and Glennon on the depth chart.

“For that situation, Cory did a real good job,” Beamer said. “He’s a good athlete. He has a good, strong arm. He’s a big, tall kid. I know this football team believes in Cory. He’s well-liked and respected. We feel like he can get the job done.”

Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen said he’s still trying to figure out what quarterback to prepare for in anticipation of next Thursday’s game in Blacksburg.

“I think Holt is kind of a blend between both of them [Taylor and Glennon],” said the Fridge. “He’s mobile, not as fast as Taylor, but can do all the things that Taylor does. He’s a big, strong guy like Glennon.”

Charlottesville Giants

Miami coach Randy Shannon said Wednesday that preparing for the Hurricanes’ game at Virginia this Saturday reminded him a lot of playing the New York Giants teams of the Bill Parcells era when UVa coach Al Groh was on Parcells’ staff.

Virginia probably did look like those Giants teams last year when the Cavaliers hammered Miami 48-0 in the final game played in the Orange Bowl stadium.

“It’s phenomenal how [Virginia] responded from coming back from those two big losses [at UConn and at Duke],” Shannon said. “They’re not giving up big plays anymore. They’re playing great special teams. We have to find a way to win field position in this game and to make big plays offensively.”

The Cavaliers’ four-game winning streak ties Florida State for the longest streak in the league at this juncture of the season.

“Virginia’s a well-coached team,” Shannon said. “It reminds me of the old New York Giants teams when Coach Groh coached there. That 3-4 defense doesn’t give up big plays, they consistently use their tight ends, they take a shot deep with wide receivers, and they run the ball hard. Coach Groh is a hard-nosed type of guy.”

Groh probably would love the comparison. While he was on Parcells’ staff, the Giants were one of the top teams in the NFL, winning three divisional titles and two Super Bowls. The defense, a swarming 3-4, was referred to as “Big Blue.” Hmmm, that’s Virginia’s color, too.

Stat of the Week I

If you’ll look at Miami’s statistics, you’ll understand why Shannon is concerned about Virginia not giving up big plays. That’s how the Hurricanes like to score.

In fact, 18 of Miami’s 26 offensive touchdowns have come on drives of three minutes or less. Nine of those have come in less than a minute. Miami’s longest TD drive this season lasted four minutes, 28 seconds.

Stat of the Week 2

When Duke and Wake Forest meet this Saturday it will mark the first time since 1971 that both teams have collided with both having a winning record.

By the way, Wake won that ’71 meeting in Winston Salem, site of this weekend’s battle.

Quote of the Week

When UVa tight end John Phillips lined up at a running back slot in the Cavaliers’ backfield against North Carolina a couple of weeks ago, quarterback Marc Verica realized he had called the wrong formation, a running formation.

Apparently Phillips barked that things would be OK and to give him the ball. Verica did and what followed was described by the quarterback as “a disaster.”

Needless to say, Phillips is much better at catching the ball than running it.

Told of Verica’s quote about the play being a disaster, this is what UVa coach Al Groh had to say about it at his weekly Tuesday press conference the other day:

“Some of the coaches called it something other than a disaster,” the coach remarked, unable to keep from chuckling about the situation.

Calling all Fords

We wondered how long it would be before new Clemson coach Dabo Swinney made a phone call to legendary Tigers coach Danny Ford, who still lives on a farm down the road from Death Valley.

Swinney placed that call this week.

“I have a lot of respect for him,” Swinney said. “We come from the same background [both played at Alabama] and know some of the same people. Coach Ford understands the Clemson people well, so it was a no-brainer for me to speak with him, get his input, kick some things around. I got a lot out of it. He’s an insightful, colorful man to say the least.”

Clemson football has never been the same since Ford left the program after the 1989 season with an overall record of 96-29-4.

Fumbleitis

Perhaps Georgia Tech’s offensive players should take notice of a famous quote from one of the Yellow Jackets’ greatest coaches: John Heisman. Yes, that Heisman.

Tech has fumbled 26 times this season (eight games), and lost 14 of them, the most in the ACC by eight. Two of those were against Virginia last week, which the savvy Cavaliers took advantage of in a comeback upset win.

Heisman once said to his team of butterfingers: “Gentlemen, it is better to have died a small boy than to fumble this football.”

Jackets coach Paul Johnson has been there before, though. His first Navy team fumbled the ball 38 times in the risky option offense and lost 25 of them. The Middies cut that to 29 the second year, then 19 the third when the team went 10-2.

Win or else

Duke coach David Cutcliffe said he won’t let his Blue Devils slip into the negativity of the past and will do whatever it takes to make sure a chance at a winning season doesn’t vanish.

Duke stands 4-3 and is aiming at its first winning campaign since 1994. Beating Vanderbilt on the road last weekend was huge for the Blue Devils.

Cutcliffe reiterated that he won’t let his players fold.

“No, because if I do, I’m going to get them around the throat,” the coach said. “I better not see anybody losing anything. I’m a nice guy, but I am not a nice guy if you’re not laying it on the line if you’re a part of this program. That’s not going to happen or you’ll be saying, ‘Where did that guy go?’”

The Lil’ General

While Dave Odom has been gone from Charlottesville since 1989, he remains a popular figure.

Odom was on Terry Holland’s coaching staff and made a lot of friends around town. In fact, many Wahoo fans would have loved to have brought Odom back as UVa’s coach throughout the years.

Odom retired at South Carolina after last season and no one believed he would remain inactive. He won’t.

Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C., announced Wednesday that Odom has been hired as a part-time assistant to the school’s president as a consultant. Odom, who graduated from Guilford, will have many responsibilities for a part-timer, including fundraising and alumni and student engagement.

“I am proud to be called a Guilfordian,” Odom said.

He finished with more than 400 wins under his belt at ECU, Wake Forest and South Carolina.

Short yardage ...

...The ACC has eight first-year starters at quarterback this season. ... UVa coach Al Groh said that other than Cedric Peerman, the hardest-running tailback he’s had at Virginia was Antwoine Womack back in 2001, but that Womack didn’t get to demonstrate his power after breaking an ankle in the first game of that season (at Wisconsin) before coming back strong in the last game (a UVa home win over Penn State). ... Bobby Bowden said he hasn’t seen the wishbone style of offense ran by Georgia Tech since the 1980s, when Pat Dye was coaching at Auburn. ... Said Bowden of the option attack: “When you first go out there and play it, they’ll run up and down the field on you, but then you get used to it. I noticed that against Virginia last week. Virginia figured out how to play it. Whether we can ever stop it, I don’t know.” ... Bowden also said that he’s never had a quarterback as smart as Christian Ponder, who has graduated in 2 1/2 years and is already talking about getting his Ph.D. ... Clemson will start Cullen Harper at quarterback this week rather than freshman Willy Korn. ... The Tigers are 0-3 against this week’s foe, Boston College, with all three losses coming by a combined seven points. ... The ACC is the only conference that has 10 teams with winning records. ... Maryland is bowl eligible for the sixth time in the last eight seasons under Ralph Friedgen. ... N.C. State’s Russell Wilson has thrown 117 passes without an interception, the longest such streak by a Wolfpack QB since Philip Rivers went 126 without a pick in ’03.

The picks

Last week: 4-2. To date: 49-18. This week: Florida State 27, Georgia Tech 24; Clemson 24, Boston College 17; Wake Forest 27, Duke 23; Virginia 26, Miami 19.