By Jimmy Robertson
BLACKSBURG – Shortly following the end of Virginia Tech's Tuesday morning football practice, defensive coordinator Bud Foster walked into a small news conference full bundled after spending two-plus hours on the practice field on a brutally cold, snowy, windy day.
When asked if he was going to miss that part of the job once he retires at the end of the season, he immediately responded, "No."
"If I want to observe practice, it will be from a window," he said, laughing. "Or pull up a car with a heater."
One thing quite warm these days has been his defense, which is coming off a second consecutive strong performance. That group arguably played its best ball of the season over the past two games.
Tech held Notre Dame to 14 points for much of the game until a last-minute touchdown lifted the Irish to a 21-20 victory in South Bend. Then on Saturday, the Hokies held Wake Forest to season lows in yards (301) and points (17) in a 36-17 upset of the then-No. 22 Demon Deacons.
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"One thing that has helped us is our run defense and getting people behind the chains a little bit and making third-and-longer situations," Foster said. "That allows you an opportunity to create some things, whether that's with a four-man rush or bringing some pressure."
The statistics back up Foster's point. The Hokies held Notre Dame to 106 yards on the ground and held Wake Forest to just 63. Those performances mark a continued trend of Tech being stingy on the ground since the Duke game on Sept. 27.
In four of the five games since the loss to the Blue Devils, the Hokies have held their opponents to 106 yards rushing or less, and no one has rushed for more than 143 yards in that span. Thus, teams are throwing the ball more to gain yards. Those five opponents combined to average 48 passing attempts per game – and that, in turn, allowed the Hokies to cranked up their pressure to get more sacks and more interceptions.
In the past five games, the Hokies have eight interceptions and 19 sacks.
"We've been able to stop the run a little bit better and get people behind the sticks," Foster said. "You're getting a guy like TyJuan Garbutt back healthy, and he's been able to create a lot of pressure … He's playing like the guy I talked about in spring and fall camp. He did take a step back from his injury, but now you're starting to see him play better. Those young defensive tackles continue to improve, and they're athletics, and they can create pressure … I think it's just getting guys in position and more for our team to get them in position, so that we can pin our ears back and not get into third-and-short."
Here are a few more notes from Tuesday's news conference:
NO TRIPLE OPTION BRINGS SMILES
Georgia Tech has beaten the Hokies three consecutive times, as the Hokies struggled with former head Paul Johnson's option-oriented attack, particularly last season when the Yellow Jackets rushed for 465 yards. But Johnson retired after last season, and new head coach Geoff Collins runs more of a spread-type offense – much to the Hokies' delight.
"It's kind of cool to be honest with you," Foster said when asked what it was like not to have to prepare for the triple option. "I'm happy. I might have been the first one to call when Paul announced his retirement. But I still have a lot of respect for Georgia Tech. Right now, they're playing really hard. They're getting better. They're getting accustomed to what they want to do offensively … We're going to have to go down there and play well on the road. They've beaten us the last three times. The two previous were pretty close, but last year, they got after our tail. We should remember that."
TAYVION PROVIDING A SPARK
Virginia Tech made the decision to go with Tayvion Robinson as the punt returner after Hezekiah Grimsley struggled early in the game against Wake Forest. The freshman returned two punts for 44 yards, including a 33-yarder that put the Hokies in great field position.
"We were wanting to do it earlier [in the season]," special teams coordinator James Shibest said. "We were hoping to get into some situations early in the season where we were a little more up by score to give him some looks and see how he handled it. As a coach, you're still concerned because he's never done it, and he's a true freshman, just with decision making. Obviously, with his two returns, he looked very natural back there, so hoping that continues."
TIGHT ENDS KEEP MAKING PLAYS
Tech's staff continues to find ways to involve the tight ends, and it seems the Hokies play better on offense when that group is involved. This past Saturday, James Mitchell caught three passes and he also scored on a 1-yard run. So far this season, Tech's tight ends have caught 30 passes and run the ball 13 times. They've accounted for eight touchdowns.
"Not really, though Dalton was a tailback in high school, and I've got to hear about that all the time," Shibest said when asked if he expected the tight ends to be so involved in the running game this season. "And James was a quarterback. It's kind of nice to get them involved. They're big and strong. They're not going to go out there and make guys miss or anything, but they're going to get some valuable yards. I think sometimes, in the short yardage stuff, it's really good, especially when you get down there near the goal line, but they do stuff naturally. Especially James on that speed sweep deal, setting up blocks and what have you. I've been happy with those guys overall."
FARLEY, CORNERS PLAYING WELL
Tech's cornerbacks have gotten better each game, and probably none more so than Caleb Farley, who leads the ACC in passes defensed – a category defined as pass breakups and interceptions – with 14. He has broken up an ACC-leading 11 passes and ranks tied for second in the league with three interceptions. As a team, the Hokies are second in the league with 10 interceptions.
Farley, though, feels as if he has missed opportunities this season.
"I've left a lot of plays on the field," he said. "I look forward to getting better. I do. I feel like I've grown in the position, and I'm kind of getting more comfortable in the position. Watching film and looking back, I can see them in my head right now. I've left a lot of plays on the field."
