At his weekly press conference, Virginia Tech head football coach announced his intention to start Hendon Hooker at quarterback tonight against the Boston College Eagles.
Hooker came off the bench last Saturday in the loss to North Carolina and threw for a pair of touchdowns and ran for another, all in the last half.
Fuente reiterated how proud he is of the team, how they battled under adverse situations. He was especially complimentary with the way so many young players competed, while playing out of position without a lot of preparation at the new positions.
Revisiting the loss to the Tar Heels, Fuente said, “”I’m just really proud of the way the guys battled and came back on two separate occasions to close the thing there in the second half. I’m not into moral victories but I am proud of how our guys battled in tough spots.”
The Hokies once again took the field Saturday with a number of players missing, although for the first time this season, that number (15 players) was under 20. Much like the Duke game the week before, the majority of the missing players were from the defensive backfield.
Despite the less than full roster, the Hokies did manage to post a season-high-tying 45 points in the loss. Down 21-0 in the first quarter and 35-14 at the half, the Hokies on two occasions tightened the score to a five-point margin before eventually falling 56-45 to the Tar Heels.
Looking toward tonight’s game in Lane Stadium, the head Hokie said, “We have plenty of work ahead of us. We turn our attention to Boston College, who is 3-1 and playing really well. Coach (Jeff) Hafley has done a fantastic job in a very short time there. They’re throwing the ball all over the place with 10,000 shifts and motions. It’s going to be a tremendous challenge for us as we get ready to go this week.”
Fuente noted that the Eagles’ defense has held down some potent offenses this season to well below their averages. He was very complimentary about BC quarterback Phil Jurkovec. “He seems to me to be a big strong kid. I’ve seen several blitzers bounce off him. Kind of a Ben Roethlisberger-type,” Fuente said.
Fuente spoke at length about Hooker during the press conference. He credits the quarterback with having an easy-going demeanor and being a great communicator. He said that Hooker has led by how he works and how he prepares. He knows what the Hokies are trying to get done on offense.
“He has a little presence about him,” Fuente said. “He has an easily approachable and easy to talk to demeanor that the guys feel comfortable with.”
Fuente said he was pleased with the Hokies’ running game. Tech gained 266 yards rushing against UNC, led by 138 yards by Khalil Herbert. He credited the offensive line’s play in the first three games in leading Tech’s ground game.
“We’re going to have to be able to run the ball against everybody if we are going to be able to have success,” the head coach said.
Fuente also had much to say about the play of Christian Darrisaw. He thinks the junior offensive tackle has the great mix of brains and brawn. He particularly spoke about his footwork and work ethic.
“I would say he has improved every year,” Fuente said. “He has developed his body into being a strong, powerful body over the years. The thing that gives him the chance to be special is he’s so very intelligent.”
