A touchdown pass from Jerod Evans to Jaylen Bradshaw and a touchdown run by Coleman Fox highlighted Virginia Tech’s 2016 Spring Game. The offense came from behind to defeat the defense 20-15 despite trailing for most of the game.
(Note: Virginia Tech did not keep official stats for the Spring Game. Thanks go out to all the media members such as Andy Bitter, Norm Wood, Mike Barber and David Teel who kept the stats during the game. The stats included in this article should be regarded as unofficial.)
The offense finally cracked the endzone early in the fourth quarter when r-junior quarterback Jerod Evans hit r-sophomore wideout Jaylen Bradshaw for a touchdown. The pass was slightly underthrown, possibly intentionally, and Bradshaw made a play on the ball over Adonis Alexander and then took it in for six points.
“I guess he didn’t want to throw me out of bounds,” Bradshaw said. “I guess he wanted to give me the best ball he could. He gave me a chance and I just tried to make the best of it.”
With starting receivers Isaiah Ford and Cam Phillips out, it was a great opportunity for some of the young receivers to show that they are ready to step up and play. Bradshaw did just that, catching five passes for 81 yards, including his touchdown catch.
Walkon r-sophomore C.J Carroll added four catches for 37 yards, while true freshman Divine Deablo finished the game with four receptions for 45 yards.
Though he (and the offense as a whole) started slowly, Jerod Evans seemed to get the better of the quarterback battle during the Spring Game. He finished the game 8-of-15 for 104 yards and a touchdown. He also carried the ball three times for 18 yards. The numbers of the other quarterbacks looked like this…
r-Sr. Brenden Motley: 4-of-10, 19 yards
So. Dwayne Lawson: 2-of-5, 6 yards
r-Fr. Jack Click: 2-of-4, 39 yards
Fr. Josh Jackson: 5-of-9, 35 yards
At this point, it seems as if Evans and Motley will continue to battle it out for the starting quarterback position when practice resumes in August.
“They’re both big, strong kids who have some skills running the ball and have some skills throwing the ball,” Justin Fuente told the media following the game. “There are varying degrees of skills with both of those kids, but I don’t see a drastic different in terms of what you would do with one as opposed to the other.”
Coleman Fox, a r-freshman tailback, provided Tech’s second touchdown of the day. He followed great blocking off the left side for a 16 yard touchdown run. He finished the game with five carries and 40 yards. DJ Reid, a r-sophomore, led the team with 53 yards on nine carries. Shai McKenzie added six carries for 28 yards. Tech’s older backs such as Travon McMillian and Sam Rogers got limited work, as the coaches wanted to get the backups more reps.
The offense did not commit a turnover during the game, which featured four 12-minute quarters and a running clock. They gained a total of 432 yards of total offense in shortened quarters and with a running clock, which is probably better than most people would have expected.
Defensively, r-freshman Houshun Gaines had two sacks, while sophomore backer Tremaine Edmunds led the team with 7.5 tackles.
Virginia Tech announced the attendance at 44,700, though that was just an estimate. Overall it was a very good crowd, no matter what the actual number. The good weather was certainly a welcome experience for the fans. Tech’s 2012 Spring Game was cancelled because of a thunderstorm, and last year’s game was played in heavy rain.
TechSideline.com will have a complete Spring Practice review this coming week. The Hokies open the season in Lane Stadium on September 3 against Liberty.