Getting to know Virginia Tech with Tim Thomas

In order to get to know the Virginia Tech Hokies better, Tim Thomas of FightingGobbler.com joined us to give us some insight on Tech’s season so far. Go check out Fighting Gobbler, Virginia Tech’s home of the FanSided network, for more information about this weekend’s game and thanks to Tim for joining us!

Keeping It Heel: Virginia Tech is 3-2 so far this season. What has been the difference in the play of the Hokies in the wins and losses?
Tim Thomas: The difference hasn’t been as much as you would think. Against East Carolina, the Pirates took advantage of a Virginia Tech team that came out flat in the first quarter and exploited Brandon Facyson early who was clearly not 100%. In the game against Georgia Tech, the Hokies were clearly the better team but three interceptions by Michael Brewer cost the Hokies the game. The difference hasn’t been much in the two losses but a lot of it points towards the reliability of Brewer in avoiding mistakes.

KIH: How has quarterback Michael Brewer looked this season?
TT: Brewer’s best game so far came against William & Mary to open the season and you could make a serious argument that Brewer has played worse every single game. Brewer did not play well against Western Michigan but will be looking to bounce back this week. He knows his job is not completely safe and I expect him to step up in this game.

KIH: Who is one Tech player whose play has surprised you this season?

TT: I was not expecting Bucky Hodges to make a big impact but he is proving to be a very dangerous tight end in the passing game already. Hodges started moving from quarterback to tight end about a year ago and is already doing a lot of damage. On top of that, Hodges still is a fairly raw player that has a massive amount of potential. Hodges is a guy that you could see on an All-American team in a couple of seasons but has been a very pleasant surprise this season.

KIH: The Virginia Tech defense is allowing just 20.4 points per game this season, ranking 36th in the nation. What has been the key to the Tech defense so far this season?

TT: The defensive line and linebackers have been dominant slowing down opposing running games and putting tons of pressure on the quarterback. Virginia Tech’s defensive line is one of the best in college football led by Dadi Nicolas who is one of college football’s best defensive ends while linebackers Chase Williams and Deon Clarke have been impressive. This average could be a few points lower if it wasn’t for a few big plays over the top and I expect that average to start going down.