QB is under the radar entering 2010 opener
When No. 3 Boise State faces No. 10 Virginia Tech on Monday at FedEx Field, the focus will be on Kellen Moore, the Boise State system quarterback with spectacular numbers. Moore has 26 wins in 27 career starts and threw 39 touchdown passes against only three interceptions in 2009.
Moore’s Heisman Trophy credentials are impeccable, which makes Labor Day a perfect opportunity for Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor.
What would a nationally televised Hokies win — fueled by a few touchdown passes and perhaps a couple electric scrambles — do for Taylor’s Heisman candidacy?
The senior had the same chance in last year’s opener, but Taylor and the Hokies didn’t seize it, falling to eventual national champion Alabama 34-24.
But after directing Virginia Tech to five straight wins to close 2009 and then showing uncommon accuracy in the spring and preseason, Taylor appears ready to live up to the daunting comparisons with Michael Vick that have followed him since he arrived in Blacksburg three years ago.
It’s a comparison Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer doesn’t shy from.
“I’ve said it all along. I feel the same way with him out there as I did with Michael Vick,” Beamer said. “The next play could be a big play.”
Beamer said that Saturday after Taylor completed 16 of 17 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns in the Hokies’ final preseason scrimmage — albeit against the Hokies’ second-team defense.
It was the continuation of the efficient work Taylor demonstrated at the end of 2009, when he finished with the best quarterback rating (149.4) in the ACC.
Most of the preseason Heisman talk in Blacksburg has centered on sophomore running back Ryan Williams (Stonewall Jackson), the 2009 ACC Rookie of the Year. With the 2008 ACC Rookie of the Year, Darren Evans, back in the backfield after missing 2009 with a knee injury, Virginia Tech will be decidedly run-oriented, which should give Taylor ample opportunity to find open receivers when the Hokies throw.
A talented crew of wideouts — Jarrett Boykin, Danny Coale (Episcopal) and Dyrell Roberts — are back. Senior Andre Smith (Seneca Valley), who takes over for Greg Boone at tight end, had a 95-yard catch-and-run touchdown in Saturday’s scrimmage.
The Hokies’ offensive weapons — plus their lack of experience on defense — and Boise’s high-octane offense could make for a high-scoring game Monday night.
“I believe our defense can go out there and play well,” Taylor said. “But if it is a shootout, I think the offense is prepared to go out there and score points.”
