Tech has quarterback quandary at a bad time

By Darrell Laurant  |   Tuesday, October 23, 2007  |  Comments( 0 )

Virginia Tech Hokies
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The Virginia Tech Hokies are undeniably fun to watch. They always have been. Their defense is opportunistic and aggressive, their offense freewheeling, their special teams perhaps the best in the nation year after year. Beamerball, they call it.

Moreover, under Frank Beamer, they've been consistently in the top 20, often in the top 10. They won the ACC championship two years ago in their first season in the league, and they played in the BCS title game against Florida State in 2000.

But then there's that embarrassing statistic: 1 for 26. That's what Tech has been against top-five teams in its football history, and Thursday night brings them another one in unbeaten, second-ranked Boston College.

On the other hand, another stat would seem to be in Tech's favor. In eight Thursday night games at Lane Stadium, the Hokies have won seven of them. Plus, at 1-25, you have to figure they're due.

Ranked eighth in the AP poll and BCS standings, once-beaten Tech isn't exactly chopped liver.

This is not, however, a good time to have a quarterback quandary. Beamer will have to choose between promising freshman Tyrod Taylor and his gimpy ankle, or Sean Glennon and his uncertain psyche.

Glennon, a junior, is like the girl in that oft-repeated nursery rhyme -- when he's good, he's very, very good, but when he's bad, he's horrid.

He was good in the first half of the Chik-fil-a Bowl against Georgia last January, sparking the Hokies to a 24-0 halftime lead. After intermission, he turned horrid -- and turned the football over on four straight possessions, allowing the Bulldogs to come back and win.

This year, Glennon was installed as the starter and played decently against East Carolina. Then came a meeting with No. 2 LSU in Baton Rouge, and Glennon imploded again. Granted, his offensive line crumbled against the onslaught of Glen Dorsey & Co., but Glennon made little attempt to move laterally and escape the rush. He was 2 of 10 passing for 16 yards, and Beamer finally inserted the freshman.

When Taylor was hurt last week against Duke, Glennon came in to complete 16 of 21 passes for two touchdowns.

"He went in and ran the offense, and it's a credit to him as a human being," said offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring.

Yet here it is again -- a national spotlight, a No. 2 team. Can Beamer trust Glennon? Or does he run the risk of rushing Taylor back into the lineup and losing him for the rest of the season?

Why couldn't this have happened before the Ohio University game?

Boston College coach Jeff Jagodzinski, meanwhile, has no quarterback concerns -- his QB, Matt Ryan, just might win the Heisman Trophy. Tech's only hope is to bring enough heat to throw him off his game.

And hope that nobody's told Sean Glennon about that 1-25 legacy.
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