Thursday, October 19, 2006
'We like Ike' to play Saturday in Lane
Randy King
Randy King's Tech Insider is exclusive to roanoke.com and is posted by 5 p.m. Thursdays in season.
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Editor's note: Randy King will be covering Thursday night's game between the Hokies and the Clemson Tigers. As a result, the next installment of Tech Insider will post on Friday, Oct. 27.
Virginia Tech’s Wednesday football practice had just shut down. Ike Whitaker was drenched in perspiration. He was wearing a wide grin on his face.
"What are you so happy about?" I asked Whitaker as we shook hands.
"I’m doing good ... I’m doing real good," responded Whitaker, still grinning like a kid locked in a candy store.
For good reason, too. While I don’t like either side against the spread Saturday night in Lane Stadium, I do love Whitaker’s chances of getting on the field when Tech takes on Southern Miss.
I’m not talking mere late-game mop-up duty for the redshirt freshman backup quarterback, either. We’re talking game-on-the line time.
OK, I don’t have that confirmed by a Tech coach. They wouldn’t tell me anway. Why tip off Southern Mississippi, right?
That’s all right. I just have this strong, sneaking suspicion that Whitaker will be under center at some point Saturday. Could be early, too.
Hang around a crowd long enough and you can get a feel something’s cooking. Well, I feel this one. I smell it, too. That tells me it’s a lock. Bet on it.
Now, I’m not saying or suggesting that Whitaker is about to take the No. 1 job from sophomore Sean Glennon. Whitaker isn’t quite ready for that lead gig yet. However, he is ready to play. Certain situations only, though. Say, third and short. A Tech offense that has rushed for a total of 75 yards the past two games, a Tech offense that couldn’t pick up 1 yard on third down, then fourth down at Boston College, desperately needs help.
The fix is Whitaker. With his legs in the game, no longer can the defense bank that it’s a 99.9 percent chance the ball goes to tailback Branden Ore. BC knew that, and promptly stuffed Ore twice for no gain.
Tech is in dire need of options. The presence of Whitaker gives the Hokies an option game. Not ripping Glennon, but the few option plays the Hokies have run this season opposing defenders haven’t even bothered to play him. They know he’s not running, so they just take Ore on the pitch.
Different story with Whitaker, however. Even if Tech’s struggling line and tight ends fail to get defenders blocked -- oh, it’s happened once or twice so far this season -- Whitaker has the quicks to get to the edge, keep the ball, or pitch it to Ore. Keep it beat a guy off the corner, and turn it upfield. Who knows? Whitaker has the athleticism to take it to the house.
"We’ve got to start running the football," Whitaker said. "And I think me being in there that I could help take some of the pressure off B. Ore and the offensive line."
Think those words sound like a winner to Billy Hite? Tech’s longtime running backs coach has never gone through anything like this season’s first six games. A Tech running game that has ranked in the nation’s top 20 in seven of the past 13 years has been pitiful to this point, averaging a paltry 91.7 yards per game. Only 18 of the nation’s 119 Division I-A teams have covered less yards on the ground than the Hokies.
When I told Whitaker that I had this gut feeling that he was going to play Saturday -- not exclusively at trash time, either -- he grinned like a fat cat that had just downed a canary.
"We might ... we might ... we might," a smiling Whitaker said.
Then came a giggle. The wiggle will come Saturday night.
"I keep working hard to show these coaches I can play, so I hope they throw me out there," Whitaker said. "I’m ready, man. I’m ready to show off for these Hokie fans.
"I don’t know if I’m going to be nervous or not running out there, but I know the crowd is going to go wild."
Whitaker has appeared in three games so far. All three appearances have come when the Hokies alreday have had the hay neatly stacked in the barn.
Coming off back-to-back losses and facing a situation where it must win out to have any shot at making the ACC championship game, Tech must do something different. And it’s got to be done now, with difficult ACC tests against Clemson and Miami coming next.
Whitaker has heard all the "We like Ike" backers crying to the coaching staff to play him. There will never be a better time for that to happen than Saturday against a nonconference foe that comes to town as a 17-point underdog.
"I hear it from people all the time and that’s definitely not a bad idea," Whitaker said. "I really want to play. That’s why I came here. I didn’t come here just to call signals [from the sideline] the whole time. It’s been real tough standing over there watching our team struggle offensively lately. I just want to help this team the best I can.
"I’ve progressed a lot since the start of the season and I know my stuff. The way I look at it is I’m not redshirting anymore. So they can throw me out there in the fire and see what happens. It’s not like I’m wasting a redshirt [year] or anything like that. I know I can help the team.
"As long as the team is doing well, then I’m all right. But if the team starts to struggle and I’m still not playing, then I think it becomes a problem. Other than that, I wouldn’t say I’m disappointed. I like Sean. We’re friends. So I’m happy for him, and I’m sure he’s happy for me."
Mmmm ... what could that last part possibly mean?
It means No. 3 will play meaningful downs Saturday. Book it, folks.
