Previously: Offensive backfield; Receiving corps; Offensive Line.
Virginia Tech Front Seven
Led by one of the best defensive
minds in the nation in Bud Foster, Virginia Tech’s “Lunch Pail Squad” ranks second
in the ACC in scoring defense and total defense and are third in the conference
in rushing defense. They also rank third in opponent’s first downs and first in
opponent third down conversion percentage. The defense is even stingier in the
redzone, ranking first in the ACC in redzone percentage and third in opponents’ touchdowns
allowed. Considering that three of the five Hokies that were lost for the
season were defensive starters in the front seven, while many other key players
suffered some sort of injury over the course of the season, you start to really
appreciate and respect Foster, who is almost as legendary as Frank Beamer in
Blacksburg.
Foster runs what he calls an
“attack defense,” which is a variation of the 4-3 designed to stop the run and
pressure the quarterback. Foster’s defense is fast, athletic, relentless, and
extremely aggressive. Most of the attacking comes from the front seven with
linemen controlling the line of scrimmage and getting penetration, allowing for
blitzing linebackers to fill up the gaps and make plays in the backfield. The
defense leads the ACC in total sacks with 38 and will look to continually be in
the face of Denard Robinson throughout the game.
Defensive tackles - DT Derrick Hopkins #98; Luther Maddy #92; Corey
Marshall #96; Isaiah Hamlette #93
One of the big questions coming
into the season for the Hokies was defensive line depth and it has been tested
all season long. The Hokies lost redshirt senior Kwamaine Battle (a backup) in
the preseason and starter redshirt junior Antoine Hopkins in the first Clemson
game, both to torn knee ligaments. Discounting Hopkins’s stats, the line has
tallied 213 total tackles and 22.5 of the team's 38 sacks in 13 games.
The Hokies’ playmaker at
defensive tackle is Antoine Hopkins’s younger brother, sophomore Derrick Hopkins.
Listed at 6-0, 301 pounds, Hopkins has been a force up the middle all season,
recording 50 total tackles with five TFL and three sacks along with 12
quarterback hurries. Those stats would be much higher if Antoine was healthy
because he consumed many blockers, allowing for Derrick to get many one-on-one
match-ups which he almost always won. But even with opponents’ interior lines
focusing on Derrick, he still ends up in the backfield on many plays with good
technique and strength.
Also due to Antoine’s injury,
the Hokies have rotated a number of defensive tackles next to Derrick for the
past 8 games. 6-1, 283 lbs. true freshman Luther Maddy has gotten the start in
six of those contests and has seen his snaps increase each week (with the
exception of the Georgia Tech game. where he did not play in favor of a
different look along the line, which will be explained in a moment). 6-1, 253
lbs. fellow true freshman Corey Marshall and 6-5, 291 lbs. redshirt junior
Isaiah Hamlette also see action at the spot. Between them, the rotation has
totaled 36 tackles and four sacks.
Defensive end – DE James Gayle #99; J.R. Collins #42; Tyrel Wilson
#66
Coming into the season, All-ACC second
team defensive end James Gayle was expected to be the breakout star of the Hokies defensive
considering his vast improvement in his conditioning (he won the team’s
Excalibur award, the highest honor a player can earn from their strength and
conditioning staff) and his performance in spring camp (he was the team’s
defensive MVP). The 6-4, 257 lbs. redshirt sophomore leads the team with seven
sacks and has recorded 11.5 TFL, good for second on the team. With a high
motor, athleticism and strength, Gayle probably would have had stronger numbers
if he was not slowed by an ankle injury he suffered against Miami, which forced
him to miss the Wake Forest game and limited him versus Boston
College.
Starting opposite of Gayle is
fellow redshirt sophomore J.R. Collins. Though he is more undersized than Gayle
at 6-2, 240 lbs., Collins is in the backfield more than his counterpart leading
the team with 20 quarterback hurries and ranking second on the team with six
sacks. Collins often sees himself in one-on-one matchups against the opponent’s
left tackle because of the attention Derrick Hopkins commands and he uses his
quickness and extension to collapse the pocket and zero in on the quarterback.
Because of Denard Robinson’s running
ability, Foster could implement what he did against Georgia Tech by moving
Collins to defensive tackle and substituting Tyrel Wilson in his spot. Wilson
is perhaps the smallest defensive end one will see in FBS, standing at 6-1 and
weighing only 220lbs. With that said, Foster likes the redshirt sophomore’s
added speed and agility at the position and feels he is a weapon in containing
speedy quarterbacks. On the season, Wilson has 29 total tackles with 2.5 sacks
and three tackles for loss.
Linebackers – Tariq Edwards #24; Jack Tyler #58; Kyle Fuller #17
Like the Hokies’ defensive line,
their linebacker corps has been decimated by injuries. They lost both their
starting whip Jeron Gouveia-Winslow in the Miami game and starting mike Bruce
Taylor in the Boston College game for the season due to Lisfranc foot sprains.
Also like the defensive line, the group has adjusted, adapted and has avoided a
huge drop-off in production.
Starting at the backer (aka SAM
or strong-side linebacker) position is redshirt sophomore Tariq Edwards. The
6-2, 231 lbs. Edwards is third on the team in both total tackles with 63 and
tackles for loss with 9.5. He also has 2.5 sacks, two interceptions, six pass
breakups and deflections and five quarterback hurries. In essence, he does it
all from the position. He can play up on the line of scrimmage in the run game
or he can drop back in pass coverage and run with the running backs or tight
ends.
Replacing Bruce Taylor at the
mike (aka middle linebacker) position is former walk on Jack Tyler. At
6-0, 230 lbs., the redshirt sophomore got the nod over redshirt senior Barquell
Rivers because he possessed more lateral movement than Rivers who suffered a
devastating quadriceps tear during offseason conditioning before the 2010
season. Foster has raved about Tyler for his ability in the running game but is
still susceptible in the passing game. For the season, Tyler has compiled 35
total tackles, two for loss, with a sack.
Initially replacing Jeron
Gouveia-Winslow at the whip (aka weak-side linebacker) position was redshirt
junior Alonzo Tweedy. However, he suffered a high-ankle sprain against Boston
College. Tweedy was replaced by Kyle Fuller, who started the season as the
team’s starting cornerback opposite of Jayron Hosley. As a result, the Hokies
run an altered version of a nickel defense, something they used quite often
over the course of the 2010 season. Though the 6-0, 187 lbs. sophomore is
technically out of position, he sure has not played that way. Fuller is third
on the team with 64 total tackles and leads the team with 14.5 tackles for loss
including 4.5 sacks. He also has 13 pass break-ups and deflections along with
five quarterback hurries. Besides having cornerback speed at a linebacker
position, the main reason why Foster put Fuller in this position was due to his
comfort playing in space and his insane open-field tackling. Fuller often lines
up outside of J.R. Collins or in front of the slot receiver on the strong side,
so he plays like a linebacker in running situations and a cornerback in passing
and spread looks.
After Christmas, we will look at
the Hokies’ secondary and their specialists minus
place kicker Cody Journell.
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