Dropped passes vex Virginia Tech coaches

BLACKSBURG — As the dropped passes mounted in practice, a disheartened Virginia Tech receivers coach Aaron Moorehead couldn’t help but chuckle a little to himself.

He’s been through this, just on the opposite end. With a pang of regret, the first-year full-time assistant felt compelled to get in touch with his former coach at Illinois, Ron Turner.

“I sent him a text message and said, ‘I am so sorry for my freshman and sophomore years of college,’ ” Moorehead said. “Because it’s exactly what you said: third down and five, best play you can call, you win the route and you drop the ball.

“You just want to pull your hair out.”

The Hokies’ receivers might have the most questions of any position group on the team, a major statement considering the significant uncertainties along the offensive line and at tailback.

With Marcus Davis, Corey Fuller and Dyrell Roberts having graduated, taking along with them a combined 127 catches, 2,166 yards and 12 touchdowns from last year, whoever emerges might hold the key for whether or not quarterback Logan Thomas can truly elevate his game.

Playing time is wide open. D.J. Coles is the only veteran of the group, one who seemed on the verge of breaking out near the end of 2011. But he’s coming off a lost 2012 because of a knee injury and still is working through lingering problems.

His weight has been an issue. Unable to do as much conditioning as he’d like in the offseason because of the knee injury, Tech would like him to shed a few pounds from his 234-pound frame.

“I think the weight adds to the knee problem,” head coach Frank Beamer said. “I think if he could lose some weight, he’d be a little more nifty.”

Sophomore Demitri Knowles is listed as the other starter. A speedster, he still needs to round out his game as a route-runner. He’s been the culprit of a fair number of drops in training camp too.

“It’s D.J., and it’s Demitri,” Moorehead said of a possible go-to receiver. “And one of those guys has got to step up and be the guy and say, ‘Hey, when it hits the fan in the fourth quarter of a football game and we need a big play, who are we going to throw the ball to?’ ”

The remaining receivers on the roster have combined to catch two college passes.

Josh Stanford, who earned a medical redshirt last year because of a knee injury, made a move in spring drills, with three catches for 86 yards in the spring game. Whether that success carries over to a game remains to be seen.

Charley Meyer, a walk-on redshirt freshman who turned down a chance to play for the Naval Academy, earned all sorts of buzz in the offseason for his work ethic and hustle. But Meyer’s been slowed by a hamstring injury in the first week of camp and held out of many of the team drills.

Carlis Parker, who enrolled early in January, began the transition from quarterback to receiver in the spring. Now he’s a full-blown receiver, a 6-foot-3 prospect with good speed who is moving up the depth chart despite being extremely raw.

“In high school I played a little receiver, but it wasn’t any routes that I had to particularly work on, like dig routes and stuff that we do,” he said. “It was just go routes, give a defender a little quick move and go.”

Willie Byrn, a junior walk-on, has been the most consistent of the group. Moorehead said Saturday that he’s the only one who didn’t have a bad day in the first week of camp.

Beyond that, Moorehead is taking a long look at junior E.L. Smiling, converted running back Chris Mangus, as well as freshmen David Prince (from Patrick Henry), Deon Newsome and Austin Jones.

With that inexperience comes growing pains. Moorehead has instituted a group punishment for drops. After Saturday’s scrimmage, the receivers each had to do 90 pushups.

“Every time you drop the ball, there’s a punishment for it,” Moorehead said. “Anytime you drop a ball, it’s unacceptable. And you have to go out and you have to preach it and you have to preach it and you have to preach it.”

Ideally, Moorehead would like to have six receivers he can trust to be in a lineup rotation, but if that number is lower, he doesn’t mind.

“We’re going to find the guys who are going to go in there and catch the ball,” Moorehead said. “And the guys that won’t, honestly, they’re not going to be out there too often.”

Weather Journal

1 hour ago

1. 'Best defense in nation,' Tech player says about victory over ECU 

2. One person injured in Friday night shooting in Roanoke

3. Lowe's tapes may hold clues to Roanoke woman's death

4. Britney Spears spotted at Lynchburg restaurant

5. William Byrd stuns Salem in football win

6. East Carolina poses new challenge for Virginia Tech football 

7. Concert review: Timeless Willie Nelson plays to appreciative crowd

8. Blacksburg lawyer Painter’s bond revoked

9. History says this one will matter for Virginia Tech

10. Roanoke County electrical short quiets 5 Wheeler radio stations