Frank Beamer 2014 Ohio State opponent

Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer has a Hokies team that is one of Ohio State's biggest challenges in 2014. Can the Hokies beat the Buckeyes?

(John Bazemore, Associated Press)

COLUMBUS, Ohio – We can't pretend to be Virginia Tech experts, so we went out and found someone who could speak intelligently and thoroughly about Ohio State's biggest nonconference test. Andy Bitter of the Roanoke Times is the guy, so here's some deep insight on one the Hokies, one of Ohio State's biggest 2014 challenges, in five questions I posed to him.

1. How important do you sense this game is for Virginia Tech in terms of its goal to returning to national relevance?



I think a win would be huge, no doubt. This is the kind of game the Hokies have not been able to win lately, or even really stay close, losing 35-10 in the opener to Alabama last year (although the game was closer than that) and watching things get out of hand in a 42-12 Sun Bowl loss against UCLA.



That said, I don't think the Hokies' re-emergence on the national scene rests on this game. This is a very young team, one that I think is confident coming into The Horseshoe but one that nonetheless comes in with a nothing-to-lose type mentality. I think observers of the program would say that the team is better set up to get back its pre-2012 level next season, when the new offensive coaching staff will have had a couple of recruiting classes under its belt, the defense is more experienced up front and quarterback Michael Brewer is still around. A win Saturday — which would be the highest-ranked team Frank Beamer has ever beaten on the road — would certainly accelerate that timetable, though.



2. How do you think Virginia Tech plans to rattle the young J.T. Barrett?



The Hokies like to put their corners on an island and dare teams to make tight throws against that coverage. That usually frees Bud Foster's group up to blitz when it wants to, although he sounds wary of Ohio State's perimeter runs than to just all-out come after the quarterback every play.



I think the front four will be key. If the Hokies can generate enough pressure from its four defensive linemen -— Dadi Nicolas, Luther Maddy, Corey Marshall and Ken Ekanem — it won't have to send extra guys. And that front four is plenty capable of creating problems up front, especially for an Ohio State offensive line that sounds like it's still sorting things out.



The Hokies have some blitzing capability if they want it. Inside linebacker Deon Clarke is an athletic upgrade from last year's crew, and fellow linebacker Chase Williams had a couple of sacks on blitzes in the opener. So Tech can dial up the pressure when it needs to, but part of Foster's success his whole career has been picking his spots with it, leaving quarterbacks wondering when it's coming.



3. Do you feel as if the young talent the Hokies are relying on will respond to the atmosphere of Ohio Stadium?



That's the big question. A lot of those guys claim that it won't bother them playing in front of 108,000 people, but if they've never done it before, or even played on the road in college, how would they really know? I think it helps that they've gone through a game before playing this one, but they haven't gone through one where communication has to be silent and the sound around them is deafening. The Hokies had four procedure penalties in the opener, and that was in front of a friendly crowd. Offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler has been to Ohio Stadium multiple times from his time at Michigan and says it's definitely a factor.



I do think that it won't be that big of a deal for quarterback Michael Brewer, though. He might not have played in a while, but he's been around the block. He was playing in front of 30,000 people in high school playoff games in Texas. And while this is a huge bump up obviously in terms of people, I don't think the atmosphere will necessarily be unnerving for him. If it is for his receivers and they can run the right routes, then yes, that'll be an issue. But if they're in the right spots, I expect Brewer not to be rattled.



4. What do you think are the biggest reasons for Virginia Tech's 11-combined losses the last two years?



An offensive mess and special teams regression. The Hokies' offensive problems reached critical mass in 2012, when a couple years of poor recruiting classes and an offensive system that people like ESPN's Todd McShay said was 10-15 years out of date finally caught up to them. Frank Beamer overhauled the offensive coaching staff before the 2013 season, but last year, despite an updated scheme, was largely one filled with growing pains, with Logan Thomas at quarterback and not much else to help him. (My favorite stat from last year was Thomas accounting for 279 of the Hokies' 276 yards in a win at Georgia Tech, which is not a typo.)



The defense had a dip early in 2012 but has been solid ever since. The issue is that the special teams, once the Hokies' forte, has been below average the last few years. Beamer has said Tech has gone away from focusing on blocking punts, but the returns haven't been any better as a result, and last year's kicking situation (11 missed field goals) was abysmal.



Tech's recipe for success during its eight 10-win season was always play good defense, do enough on offense and make some special teams plays that turn the tide of the game. The offense the last couple years hasn't done enough and those special teams plays have been lacking, thus the falloff.



5. Does Frank Beamer have a few tricks left up his sleeve?



I don't think he's done by any means, if that was a question about his career in general. He seems re-energized by the youth in the program, livelier this year than the past couple, I would say. He just signed an extension through 2018 (which was largely to ease fears on the recruiting trail) and seems intent on getting the program back to the level he had it at prior to this recent dip. I just don't think Frank is ready to golf as his full-time job.



As for Saturday, he might have something in store. Although recently it seems like whenever Virginia Tech has tried to something unique or tricky, it ends up backfiring (re-watch the 2012 Sugar Bowl against Michigan for repeated examples of that). Honestly, I think the Hokies feel good about their chances playing this game straight up. I'd say the confidence around Blacksburg is as high as it has been in a couple seasons. They're just waiting for the changes made the last couple years to completely take root.

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