BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) -The Virginia Tech team that Marshall coach Mark Snyder talks about getting ready to play and the Hokies Frank Beamer is preparing to take the field sound like two different squads.
Beamer found fault with all three units of his team in their 34-24 loss to No. 4 Alabama last week, and cautioned those worried about the offense that the whole team has work to do.
“What’s important for us right now is that we get Virginia Tech right in all areas,” a beleagured-looking Beamer said this week. “I think our football teams needs to improve.”
No. 14 Virginia Tech gained only 155 yards against Alabama, turned the ball over twice on kick returns and allowed nearly 500 yards of offense as the defense clearly got tired late.
Snyder expects a different Hokies team on Saturday, especially with No. 22 Nebraska and then No. 20 Miami following the Thundering Herd (0-1) into Lane Stadium.
g to be jacked up,” Snyder said. “We are excited to go play, and our kids will come ready to play. I know coach Beamer won’t let them look past us to Nebraska or Miami,” he said.
Hokies tailback Ryan Williams, their star of the opener with 113 of those yards (71 rushing, 42 receiving and two touchdowns) said there’s no chance they won’t be ready.
“Right now we’re not really dwelling on the loss any more. We’re more focused on this saturday,” he said. “We still have a lot of high expectations. They’re not going to drop.”
Those expectations include challenging for the national championship, and wide receiver Dyrell Roberts said a key might be leaving those lofty goals in the locker room.
“If we just go out there and just play, who knows what can happen?” he said. “So this week, we’re just really thinking about not thinking as much. Just relax and go play.”
Traditionally, the Hokies have done pretty well with that, especially at home.
They will bring a 30-game winning streak in home games against non-conference opponents into the game, and the belief that they came real close to clicking against Alabama.
“It was real frustrating coming to the sideline and knowing that this could have worked, that could have worked and we were just one or two blocks away or one or two assignments missed or things like that,” Roberts said. “There were some drives where we were just moving right up and down the field. We were just wondering, `Why can’t we do this all the time?”’
Marshall could complicate things with the return of tailback Darius Marshall and cornerback DeQuan Bembry, who missed their opening win against Southern Illinois while serving one-game suspensions for drug arrests. Marshall ran for 1,095 yards last season.
But with a defense that returns eight starters, the line especially struggled against the Salukis, allowing touchdown drives in the two-minute drill at the end of each half.
This week, Snyder showed them film of Alabama’s line technique against the Hokies.
“We have the same type of bodies,” he said. “It is always great to have an example of a team like Virginia Tech or Alabama to show your guys what it’s supposed to look like.”
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