Slept On It: Furman

Admit it. You were a little nervous on Saturday morning.

The Hokies' game against Furman had all of the makings of a disaster: an FCS opponent in Lane Stadium, five days after a tough loss to a top-ranked opponent; rain in the forecast; and potentially three — three! — inexperienced quarterbacks at the helm of the offense.

Maybe it was the ghost of James Madison clouding our judgment, but be honest, you were somewhat nervous that Furman could create some problems for the Hokies and expose a few warts. Sure, all eyes were on the quarterbacks Saturday, but the rush defense wasn't exactly stout on Labor Day.

Offensively, the Hokies started out slowly. Brenden Motley looked every bit of a first-time starter and the running game failed to truly impose their will on a Paladin d-line that — on paper — was physically overmatched by the Hokie hog mollies. That feeling of, "Here we go again," popped into my mind as drives sputtered without points. But, as usual, the defense provided the spark we have all grown accustomed to.

Bud Foster's unit created consistent pressure on Paladins' quarterback Reese Hannon from the outset, harassing him into errant and/or unwise passes into tight coverage. A week after barely sniffing and whiffing on Cardale Jones, Tech's defense was in Hannon's face early despite mostly vanilla looks, forcing a pick-six and a fumble on back-to-back drives.

Eventually Motley settled in and engineered a scoring drive that took off with a 46-yard pass to Bucky Hodges and ended with Motley finding the end zone on a four-yard scamper. The Hokies went into halftime up 14-0, and when they re-emerged, Motley looked like a completely different quarterback. Gone was the hesitancy, replaced by a confidence that was best exemplified by a Tim Tebow-esque goal line power feint and quick post to Isaiah Ford, who snuck behind two defenders to pull in the touchdown reception. There is no way Motley executes that same play last Monday, let alone in the first quarter against Furman.

From thereon Motley was rolling. He zipped passes across the middle to a variety of wideouts, including two nifty passes to TE Kalvin Cline that were negated by penalties. Motley really looked in sync with Ford and Cam Phillips. He hooked up with them on various throws that allowed them to make plays in space.

This was what we wanted to see. It's what I was frustratingly screaming at my television for during the first quarter as Motley continued to be a tad late on throws downfield that might have been picked off by a more talented secondary. We've collectively spent the last few seasons bemoaning the lack of playmakers on this offense, and now that the Hokies finally have some, there has been a consistent failure to put the ball in their hands in a constructive manner.

It's the same question you ask the Star Wars fan that has a basement full of Stormtrooper figurines and scaled models of the Death Star and Millennium Falcon hanging from their ceiling: What good are all of these toys you have accumulated if you can't actually play with them?

It took 30 minutes, but once Motley got comfortable — and Loeffler was able to find a rhythm using a variety of ball fakes to play to Motley's strengths — his passes became more crisp and confident. He found guys in space and allowed them to make plays. He looked calmer in the pocket as he went through his progressions, a noticeable change from a week ago against a ferocious Ohio State front. His play helped open things up in the running game, an area that the Hokies have to be successful in as Motley gets his sea legs.

Motley is by no means a finished product, still very much rough around the edges. Meaningful, substantial practice reps between games will help him improve his timing and accuracy. It's the little things that will help launch him and this team, as those screens and out routes thrown to the wrong shoulder can be the difference between a big gain and six the other way.

His athleticism and arm strength will open things up for this offense, allowing Scot Loeffler to call plays that injured starter Michael Brewer couldn't execute while under center. Now it's up to Motley to continue to build off each and every rep and strengthen the mental part of his game.

Over the last few years, the knock on Motley has been his struggle to fully grasp the complexities of Loeffler's offense. Whether it's that, or just a lack of confidence, you could see it in his body language against Ohio State and again in the first half of Saturday's game. Something happened during halftime against Furman, because when Brenden Motley stepped onto the field for the second half, he looked to have a bit of the swagger all quarterbacks need to succeed.

Dwayne Lawson had it. You could see it the moment he stepped on the field to relieve a helmetless Motley. He just looks like a major college quarterback. Lawson might have been exclusively throwing fastballs on Saturday, and sure, his footwork might have been a mess, but boy does he appear to have the makings of a stud.

That's not meant to be a knock against Motley; after all, if football was singularly based on aesthetics, Jared Lorenzen never would have been allowed to suit up for Kentucky and the world would be worse off because of it.

Frankly, it probably has more to do with our perception, as fans, than anything else. In the end, all that matters is how you perform on the field. We have been spoiled in recent years by a succession of talented dual-threat quarterbacks that have been the focal point of our offense. So when we see a guy that has a strong arm and nifty footwork like Motley, we expect more from him, fair or unfair.

I can't help but watch Motley and think of a guy like Bryan Randall. Randall was thrust into the starting role because of an injury to the starter (Grant Noel); a more confident runner than a passer, asked to lead a talented team by managing the game and putting the ball in the hands of his playmakers. Sure, Motley is a bit older and probably a better passer right now. Sure, he doesn't have Lee Suggs and Kevin Jones in his backfield. But this offense is more dynamic and diverse, relieving Motley from the pressure of having to win games with his arm or legs.

He can lead this team similar to how Randall led the 2002 Hokies, effectively managing the game and putting his teammates in a position to succeed. It becomes less about making all of the plays and more about helping those around you make plays; facilitating rather than singularly realizing. Hopefully the Furman game can serve as a stepping stone for Motley, providing teachable moments that make him a more confident leader moving forward. If the second half of Saturday's game proved anything, it's that a confident Brenden Motley can help this offense do some special things.