Virginia Tech Open Scrimmage No. 2 Thoughts, Plus a Conversation with Scot Loeffler

Virginia Tech's second scrimmage on Saturday was open to the media and the public. It was most likely our last shot to view the Hokies in live-action until the Ohio State game.

While I was baking in the heat (I really should invest in some sunscreen), I was able to string together a few coherent observations.

The entire running back rotation (J.C. Coleman, Trey Edmunds and Travon McMillian) each had some impressive runs (10-15 yards) and big plays (30-plus yards) on the outside. RB Shai McKenzie also looked solid between the tackles in limited action. On the surface, it appears more and more likely that Marshawn Williams (who didn't play) is destined for a redshirt.

Dark horse candidate for the third wide receiver spot? How about C.J. Carroll, the diminutive walk-on. Carroll (r-Fr.) aligned in the slot, made a beautiful catch over the middle, extending it for an additional 10-plus yards. I was blown away by his agility, elusiveness and general jitterbug-like qualities. It's definitely cliche and hacky to say, but he reminds me of Wes Welker for obvious reasons.

In a few goal-line plays, FB Sam Rogers was aligned on the outside as a wide receiver. Interesting.

WR Kevin Asante was afflicted with a case of the dropsies.

Loudest coach on the field award goes to offensive line coach Stacy Searels. After one play, all in attendance could hear him audibly yell the following directed towards OL Jonathan McLaughlin: "You get your big butt going!"

I was extremely impressed with the performances of CB Terrell Edmunds (r-Fr.), rover Adonis Alexander (Fr.) and freshman nickel Mook Reynolds. The future looks bright for these three.

Edmunds had a devastating hit on his brother Trey and also laid the wood on RB J.C. Coleman. When going up against the number one offense, Edmunds showed explosion on a corner blitz that would have been a sack if not for a a yellow jersey protecting QB Michael Brewer. Edmunds frequently was the first man down the field on punt coverage, in good position to make a would-be hit on the return man.

Alexander showed his ball skills on an interception, in which he used his length to high point the ball and snare it down. He also fared well in run support near the line of scrimmage. Considering the dearth of I-A offers he had coming out of high school, he could be Tech's de facto, "diamond in the rough" for the 2015 recruiting class.

Reynolds fared well in man-to-man coverage when working against WR Kevin Asante. He also made a terrific open-field tackle on TE Bucky Hodges after Hodges completed a short pass on an out route. Yes, Reynolds did give up a 30-yard TD to Charley Meyer on a coverage breakdown, but that's all part of the learning process for the true frosh.

Select members of the media met with offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler at noon on Monday. I got the impression that Loeffler had just been poring over hours of film before speaking with us. Or maybe, he just needed a caffeine jolt.

Anyway, here are some of the more noteworthy tidbits from coach Loeffler:

He feels that freshman QB Dwayne Lawson fared better in the first scrimmage compared to the second. He also added that the next two weeks are "real important for him."

Loeffler also noted that Lawson carries the ball too low and needs to learn to hold the ball, "high and tight" when on the run.

When asked if OL Wyatt Teller was still the starting left guard, Loeffler said, "Yeah. Yeah, he's our number one."

There has been more of an added emphasis on perimeter blocking, with Loeffler noting the offense lost a lot of hidden yardage because of poor blocking on the outside last season.

Loeffler wouldn't reveal which guys he believes will be the third and fourth receivers, stating, "We're still working on that."

He was very emphatic in his praise of the development of WR Isaiah Ford, adding that he thinks Ford is destined to play on Sundays.

Quotes from Scot Loeffler

ON HOW THE SECOND SCRIMMAGE WENT OVERALL:

"We were playing, a bunch of twos and threes for the most part. And we were going to emphasize running the ball and it ended up at the end we got banged up and didn't get to finish the way that we planned on finishing, but those things happen in those big scrimmages so, um, to answer your question, we got a lot of really good work done with some guys that need work."

ON QB MICHAEL BREWER'S BALL PLACEMENT:

"Yeah, it's much better than where it was. Again, when you know what you're doing, you can generally become more accurate. You know, whenever you're not sure where a guy is going to be and just like I said at times last year with those young wide receivers, they threw for a month together in the summertime before going into training camp. That's it. These guys have been training all year long and getting more familiar, but ball placement is critical."

ON THE COMPETITION AT OFFENSIVE LINE AND IN GENERAL:

"Anytime that you have people pushing another guy that's talented, that's great. That's what we want. So, I want Dwayne Lawson, (Chris) Durkin, (Brenden) Motley to push Michael Brewer and we want those young lineman to push Wyatt Teller, so I think when that's occurring, it's good for all involved."

ON RB SHAI MCKENZIE'S PROGRESS:

"Coming off that knee injury, he's going to be fine. Will it happen overnight? No. There are some things that he's doing really well and there's some things that you could tell that, that knee is still bothering him a little bit. But, he's making headway. He's way ahead of schedule, which is great."

ON BUCKY HODGES AND THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF HIS POSITION:

"Bucky's a self-starter. He knows what he needs to work on and everyday, he's out there trying to become a great player, not a good player. I really like his attitude. He's working hard on releases, working hard on perimeter stalk blocking, cut blocking and you know, those tight end roles, that tight end/that hybrid position between (FB) Sam (Rogers) and those tight ends, in my opinion, besides quarterback, it's the most difficult spot in the offense. There's multiple job responsibility. And that's what causes problems for the defense is that those guys are lining up everywhere. But, you still have to have great technique and be able to be good in all your job responsibilities because it's a multiple, multiple-purpose, multiple job description."

ON WIDE RECEIVER C.J. CARROLL:

"Yeah, I like him a lot. He's got great quickness. We call him (New England Patriots WR Julian) Edelman. Yeah, he's a really good football player. We really like him a lot."