Last year, Virginia Tech ushered in head coach Frank Beamer’s 25th season at the helm with early-season success and late-season disappointment.
Beamer, the winningest active FBS head coach, led his team to a fast start by winning the first four games before a blowout loss to Clemson, and then finished the regular season strong with seven straight wins. The disappointment arrived with defeats in the final games—the ACC Championship and the Sugar Bowl—to Clemson and Michigan, respectively.
No. 16 Virginia Tech will try to rebound from those losses behind an offense that faces a great deal of uncertainty. Though they rank third in the ACC, they return just four offensive starters, especially junior quarterback Logan Thomas, who threw 19 touchdowns and rushed for 11 more last fall while completing 60 percent of his passes. The loss of two primary wide receivers presents an opportunity for redshirt senior Marcus Davis to step up.
Along with gaps in the receiving core, the running game will take a blow this year, losing four starters on the offensive line as well as running back David Wilson, the reigning ACC Player of the Year who averaged 122.1 yards per game. On the opposite side of the ball, the Hokies return nine starters from a team that allowed the seventh fewest points per game, and there are several Virginia Tech defenders who have the potential for breakout years. The duo of junior rush ends, James Gayle and J.R. Collins, combined for 13 sacks and 22 tackles for a loss in 2011. Junior Kyle Fuller, who was named to the All-ACC Second Team after snagging two interceptions, and redshirt junior Antone Exum, the team’s leading tackler in 2011, will step up to fill holes in the secondary.
After missed field goals cost Duke a game against the Hokies last year, Virginia Tech is poised to be a tough upset once again.
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