| Syracuse vs. Virginia Tech, Saturday, Oct. 16, at Blacksburg, Va. A
lot of people may not realize it, but Virginia Tech has been one of the top 20 football
programs in the country in recent years. Like Syracuse, Virginia Tech has gotten to the
point where it does more reloading than rebuilding. Both clubs have lost their starting
quarterbacks from a year ago. Syracuse lost a franchise quarterback in Donovan McNabb, but
Virginia Tech may have a future franchise player in redshirt freshman Michael Vick.
Virginia Tech has the best front four in the Big East — yes, I know Miami (Fla.)
plays in this conference — and the best special teams as well. Nobody has been better
at blocking kicks than the Hokies in recent years. This Virginia Tech team is so talented
that if Vick can cut down on his rookie mistakes, it could compete for the national
championship.
Syracuse counters with a pretty deep, talented and well-balanced team with a few
established standouts, such as LB Keith Bulluck, an experienced offensive line and a
potential gamebreaker in WR-RS Quinton Spotwood, who returned four punts for scores in
1997.
Quarterbacks — Virginia Tech loves the athleticism and potential
of Vick, and if the past two games are any indication, he already is a great player. The
Hokies just hope he does not get so reckless with his body that he can’t make it
through the season. Vick is more of a Michael Bishop type than a Jim Druckenmiller type
and is a very good improviser and playmaker. Syracuse has been rotating sophomore Madei
Williams with redshirt freshman Troy Nunes. Williams looks as though he has spent a lot of
time in the weight room and is a strong runner. Nunes is skinny as a rail and looks as
though he could be broken in two, but he has intangibles and quickness and is a nifty
scrambler. Both have enough arm strength but are more throwers than pitchers now and must
really develop as passers and learn to read coverages better. The Orangemen can also use
RB Dee Brown at quarterback, since he previously played the position for Syracuse and can
run the option. The bottom line right now is that Syracuse doesn’t have a pure passer
on its roster. Edge: Virginia Tech.
Running backs — Syracuse has two pretty good running backs in
Brown and James Mungro. Brown can also play quarterback, while Mungro is a former high
school All-American who averaged more than seven yards per carry as a freshman and has
moves and instincts that can’t be coached. But he fumbles too much and needs work on
playing without the ball. Syracuse does not have a fullback with the versatility and skill
of Dolphins draft pick Rob Konrad. The Hokies bring back memories of Hank Stram’s
Chiefs teams of the late ’60s (featuring Mike Garrett, Robert "Tank"
Holmes, Warren McVea, etc.) with all of their 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-9, bowling-ball-type
backs who can scoot and/or run with power. Their most productive and experienced back is
Shyrone Stith, who has power, great balance, explosive quickness, vision in traffic and
the heart of an Arabian stallion. Nobody talks about him with the best backs in the
college game, but he could be there by the end of the year and is about as hard to tackle
as a fire pump going at sprinter’s speed. Edge: Virginia Tech.
Receivers — Spotwood is supposed to be the Orangemen’s
big-play man, but he has not been the same player since he hurt his knee last season. He
is quicker than he is fast, and he tends to play in streaks. Pat Woodcock is developing at
split end, and TE Stephen Brominski is slow but pretty reliable. Virginia Tech’s
Ricky Hall is big and stopwatch-fast and can be a playmaker, but he needs to improve his
consistency and concentration. André Davis is a big sophomore flanker who, like Vick, is
starting to turn potential into big plays and production. Edge: Virginia Tech.
Offensive linemen — Syracuse has two veteran tackles with
limitations in Mark Baniewicz and Jeff Pilon. Baniewicz is a former tight end who still
has more of a TE-type build. He lacks playing strength at times, and his feet, while OK,
are not the greatest. Pilon is bigger but stiffer and less athletic. Virginia Tech starts
four juniors and senior center Keith Short, a self-made, undersized, pumped-up player who
is the unit’s stabilizer. Edge: Virginia Tech.
Defensive linemen — Virginia Tech could have the second-best
defensive front four in college football (behind Florida State). At 5-foot-11, 220 pounds,
Corey Moore is not a prototype defensive end, but he may be the best defensive player in
college football. He is so quick and explosive that nobody seems capable of blocking him,
and he turns almost every game into his individual highlight film. John Engelberger, who
plays both tackle and end, is about 270 pounds and has been clocked in the 40-yard dash in
under 4.7 seconds. He is more fast than quick, tough, very competitive and a very good
weight-room worker. He is a lot like ’99 Falcons first-round pick Patrick Kerney.
Inside, Carl Bradley and Nathaniel Williams are quick, aggressive players who play bigger
than their size and can be disruptive. When Williams is out, Engelberger moves inside and
Chris Cyrus starts at end. Syracuse has a top pass-rushing end of its own in junior Duke
Pettijohn. Donald Dinkins, the other end, is really a transplanted tackle who plays more
like a tackle. Edge: Virginia Tech.
Linebackers — Bulluck generally plays in the middle for the
Orangemen, but he will probably move outside in the NFL and may play outside this season
if the coaches want to start their best freshman, Clifton Smith, who plays more like a
veteran. Virginia Tech’s Jamel Smith and Michael Hawkes are overachieving,
hard-hitting seniors, and Ben Taylor is an active sophomore. Edge: Syracuse.
Defensive backs — Syracuse has a very good cornerback in Will
Allen and a player with great upside but less instinct in David Byrd. Inside, Ian McIntosh
is a transplanted corner who is undersized but has good cover skills for a safety. Quentin
Harris led the team in interceptions and return yardage last year. Virginia Tech has a
stud corner in Ike Charlton, who is very muscular and physical and has big-play ability
but may be almost too big and muscular in the lower body for a cornerback. Anthony Midget,
the other corner, is a target because teams are reluctant to go after Charlton, who is
very aggressive to the ball but at times can be burned deep. Edge: Syracuse.
Special teams — Virginia Tech has the best special teams in the
East and perhaps the entire country. Nobody is better at blocking kicks, and the Hokies
also have a solid kicking game with Jimmy Kibble punting and Shayne Graham handling the
placements. Syracuse needs Spotwood to get back to where he was in ’97, when he
returned four punts for scores and was a great, explosive player. Edge: Virginia
Tech.
Prediction: Virginia Tech 24, Syracuse 16
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