New Punter?

"After redshirt junior Scott Demler mustered just one punt of more than 40 yards for the second game in a row this past weekend, Virginia Tech Coach Frank Beamer said Monday he is considering a change at punter ahead of Saturday’s game against Arkansas State.

Demler averaged 37.8 yards on five punts in the Hokies’ 17-10 win over East Carolina, but his 30-yarder in the first quarter set up the Pirates in prime field position for their lone touchdown drive of the afternoon. In the season opener against Appalachian State, Demler averaged just 32.4 yards on six punts, including one that went just 20 yards.

Beamer said true freshman Michael Branthover, a DeMatha product who was named The Post’s All-Met kicker the past two years, will dress for the Arkansas State game and get the first shot at unseating Demler.

Branthover is “a little bit inconsistent,” Beamer said. ”But he’s been bombing them in practice.”

In the Hokies’ final scrimmage of training camp, which was closed to the media, Branthover averaged 49.5 yards on two punts, including a long of 53 yards. During his senior season at DeMatha, 59 of Branthover’s 69 kickoffs resulted in touchbacks.

There was much written this offseason about wide receiver Danny Coale’s desire to be the team’s starting punter, but Beamer has voiced increasing concerns of late about the logistics of having a position player punt.

Coale said last week he still works on punting a bit during practice, but Beamer expressed confidence that Demler would improve upon his shaky performance in the season opener.

The coach said Monday Demler’s best punt against East Carolina was his last one, a 37-yarder that was muffed by Pirates wide receiver Lance Lewis and recovered by teammate Rahkeem Morgan for a minus-10 yard return.

That, though, doesn’t seem to have been enough to ease Beamer’s concerns."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/hokies-journal/post/virginia-tech-co...

Please, oh please, oh please. Every time Demler punts I die a little more inside...