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Hokies set for spring game
April 27, 2000
By Jimmy Robertson
After 14 practices, the Virginia Tech football team is ready to perform
in front of an audience.
The Hokies held their final practice Wednesday before the spring game
this upcoming Saturday. The latter part of practice was a scrimmage in
which Tech worked on a plethora of things, including the two-minute drill,
goal-line situations and special teams. The sports information staff, at
the request of head coach Frank Beamer, did not keep any stats.
But several interesting things occurred in this scrimmage:
Reserve quarterback Dave Meyer hit tight end Keith Willis down the
middle for about a 30-yard touchdown pass against Tech's second-team
defense. Willis has improved this spring. He's gotten more aggressive and
he's working a little harder. He still needs to get stronger. He may not
play a whole lot this season, but he should be the tight end of the future.
Linebacker Jake Houseright made a nice play stopping tailback Wayne
Ward short of the end zone on a goal-line situation. Houseright also played
in the scrimmage Monday and moved around quite well after being hampered by
a sore hamstring nearly all of spring practice. Tech desperately needs him
healthy and plugging that middle. He's got all the physical tools. He just
needs to stay on the field. It certainly will be interesting to see how he
fares Saturday.
Safety Willie Pile continues to get better. He made a ton of plays in
Monday's scrimmage and followed that up with a few on Wednesday. A lot of
people - including this writer - have been suspect of his skills. But the
kid has improved in all areas, gained confidence and solidified that
position. He probably will win one of those awards handed out at halftime
of the spring game. We'll have more on him in the Hokie Huddler next week.
Fullback Jarrett Ferguson injured his leg in the scrimmage and may not
be able to play Saturday. But he was putting weight on it afterwards and
didn't seem to be in too much pain.
No surprises on the kicking front. Carter Warley continues to boom the
ball between the uprights on a consistent basis and punter Bobby Peaslee
punted well in Wednesday's scrimmage, solidifying that job.
Here's some other observations:
Keep an eye on Anthony Davis this Saturday. He's really pushing
Anthony Lambo at left tackle - more so than people think. The 6-foot-4,
318-pounder has been dominating people this spring. It's been a treat to
watch him and heralded freshman defensive end Nathaniel Adibi go at it in
drills.
Speaking of Adibi, he has been consistent, if not dominant, this
spring. And that's in spite of a fractured right wrist suffered last week
in practice.
Adibi, who returned a fumble for a touchdown in Monday's scrimmage, said
he's in a lot of pain. But how tough is he? He's been wearing a cast and
hasn't missed a snap of practice.
Another player who has shown some toughness is Andraé Harrison. The
6-3 receiver has been bothered with a groin injury, but he played in
Monday's and Wednesday's scrimmages. On Monday, he made an unbelievable
catch on a quick slant. The ball was thrown behind him and Harrison reached
back across his body and plucked it. Once he gets the offense down and
gains some confidence, he's really going to be good.
As for other injuries, don't expect defensive tackle Chad Beasley,
receiver Ernest Wilford or whip Tee Butler to play Saturday. Beasley has
been bothered by a quad injury, while Butler injured his shoulder in a
scrimmage last week. Wilford badly sprained his ankle a few weeks ago, but
is putting weight on it and getting better every day. Still, he won't play
in the spring game.
Also keep an eye on defensive tackle Kevin Lewis. The freshman has
been working a lot with the first team because of Beasley's injury, leaping
Thenus Franklin on the depth chart, and he's improved a lot since the
beginning of spring practice. He held his own against Tech's first-team
offensive line and grows more confident with each rep. He almost assuredly
will be on the field in the fall.
Hopefully the weather will be nice for the spring game, particularly
since there is expected to be a record crowd. But really, the rainy weather
has hampered the offense a lot in the scrimmages, leaving a lot of fans out
there questioning things on that side of the ball. A nice day would give
the offense a chance to cut loose.
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