BLACKSBURG, Va. — It was a gut-check moment two years ago for Virginia Tech, which had just lost as a big favorite at Syracuse and welcomed Miami to Lane Stadium for a Thursday night game.
Two of Virginia Tech’s veteran defensive linemen, Ken Ekanem and Nigel Williams, were out with injuries, forcing relative pups Trevon Hill and Ricky Walker into action alongside the lone vet of the group, Woody Baron. That patchwork line helped sack Hurricanes quarterback Brad Kaaya eight times in a rousing 37-16 Hokies win, one that put them in the driver’s seat in the Coastal Division.
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That last part is out of reach this season for Virginia Tech (4-5 overall, 3-3 in the ACC), though the Hokies are hoping their injury-riddled, inexperienced defensive line can have a similar response against the Hurricanes this Saturday. As last week’s debacle at Pitt showed, there has been a learning curve for a group that’s had to go young out of necessity.
“In some cases, you see guys getting better, but there’s nothing like playing with a 22-year-old opposed to a 19-year-old,” defensive line coach Charley Wiles said. “This is grown people out there playing a very physical game. Some of that is showing up, but these kids are learning and we’re teaching. And we’re taking full advantage of every opportunity to improve, and they’re getting better. We’ve got to break through.”
If there’s optimistic news on the defensive line right now, it’s this: It appears end Emmanuel Belmar and tackle Jarrod Hewitt, both sophomores, are on track to play again this week. Belmar did not travel to Pitt last week with an undisclosed injury; Hewitt suffered a knee injury against Georgia Tech and has missed the past two games.
That’s a silver lining for a group that’s been hit hard by injuries and attrition in the past year. It started when All-ACC tackle Tim Settle declared for the NFL in January after his redshirt sophomore season. Hill, a junior, was booted from the team following the Old Dominion loss in September. And in the past few weeks, the Hokies lost backup tackle Xavier Burke for the season to an Achilles injury and, even more damaging, starting end Houshun Gaines to an ACL tear last week.
“This is probably the most injuries that I’ve seen in my 23 years it seems like,” Wiles said. “When you’re young and you lack depth in areas, it seems like that’s sometimes where you’re attacked. You end up losing guys in those positions, but, again, it’s part of the game. We’ve got to find ways to overcome that as a football team, as a defense, and step up.”
The injuries have forced still-developing players into crucial spots, and the result has been predictable. With Belmar and Burke sidelined, Vinny Mihota still seemingly not at 100 percent after a severe knee injury late last season and Gaines down with a knee injury last week at Pitt, the Hokies at one point trotted out a line that featured Walker and three redshirt freshmen — Robert Porcher IV, TyJuan Garbutt and Nathan Proctor.
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Pitt repeatedly blew the Hokies off the line. Add that to Tech’s other defensive shortcomings and the Panthers racked up an unfathomable 492 rushing yards, the most ever against a Bud Foster-coached defense.
“It’s a combination of lack of experience, getting into our depth, which we knew we had some lack thereof in some spots, and then teams doing a good job of showing us something new that we have not seen on video,” Wiles said. “Then, our young guys having to make an adjustment, and sometimes that’s been a little bit of a struggle. So, it’s a combination of things. It is. But there’s no excuses. We’ve got to execute and we’ve got to play better, and that’s the bottom line.”
It’s been an educational experience for the youngsters, to say the least. Garbutt, a four-star signee in 2017 who redshirted last season, has been the most productive of the young linemen, with 5.5 of his 13 tackles going for a loss, including three at Pitt last week despite the carnage.
Wiles said Garbutt played fast and physical but, as you’d expect, he did have his freshman moments. He was slightly out of position on one play, and Pitt took advantage, breaking one of its many long runs.
“I think that’s really the biggest adjustment to the game, being here,” Garbutt said. “The speed of the game, to where one false step, where you step underneath yourself or you don’t step where you need to be, can take you a second longer to get everything spilled.”
Playing time is the best teacher, though.
“The more he’s out there, the better he’s getting, so that’s kind of what you like,” Wiles said. “Guys that can go play and improve because there’s no teacher like actually getting out there and playing 50 plays or whatever.”
How did Tech get in this situation on the D-line, where it’s relying on so many young guys in critical roles? It’s a years-long process that has included recruiting misses, attrition and injuries.
Here are the Hokies’ past five recruiting classes on the D-line, starting with Frank Beamer’s final few groups and transitioning to Justin Fuente.
2014
Signees: Walker, Mihota, Raymon Minor, Melvin Keihn, Steve Sobczak and Kevin Bronson
The buzz: Only Walker, the team’s bell cow, and Mihota remain of this group. Minor never made much of an impact before leaving the team earlier this year. Keihn transferred to Maryland after his freshman year. Sobczak was dismissed from the team right when he was starting to make an impact. And Bronson was released from his scholarship before arriving and ended up at USF.
On the roster: Two of six
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2015
Signees: Settle, Hill, Gaines, Burke, Darius Fullwood, Harry Lewis and Eric Whitehead
The buzz: The first three were successes for a stretch, though it’s notable that none currently is available for various reasons. There’s not much you can do about a talent like Settle leaving early. Hill’s dismissal was a blow, even if he might have left early for the NFL, anyway. Then came Gaines’ injury last week. Burke, a converted tight end, was a passable backup before his injury. Fullwood hasn’t made much of an impact, Lewis transferred early in his career, and Whitehead never qualified.
On the roster: Three of seven, though two are hurt and the other hasn’t done much in his Tech career.
2016
Signees: Jimmie Taylor, Belmar, Hewitt and Clay Dean
The buzz: Belmar and Hewitt are starters from this transition class between Beamer and Fuente, though they’ve probably been elevated to that status ahead of schedule because of attrition. Taylor is a ’tweener who’s had a hard time getting on the field. Dean is on the team as a walk-on after his scholarship offer was rescinded once Fuente arrived.
On the roster: All four, though only two are major contributors.
2017
Signees: Proctor, Garbutt, Porcher, Zion Debose and J’Bril Glaze
The buzz: The first four still are developing, with Proctor and Garbutt the highest-ranked recruits of the group. Glaze announced his intention to transfer last year.
On the roster: Four of five, though they’re still plenty green.
2018
Signees: Cam Goode, Jaevon Becton, Eli Adams and Joe Kane
The buzz: Goode lasted a month before he and the program parted ways, a major missed evaluation by the staff because he was the only massive tackle in the class. Kane moved to the offensive line almost immediately after arriving at Tech, suggesting that was in the plans all along. Adams has barely played, and Becton is redshirting.
On the roster: Three of four, though one is an offensive lineman.
Of the 26 players signed in the past five classes who have ended up on the defensive line (25 if you don’t count Dean, who is not on scholarship), only 16 are on the roster, with 15 still playing D-line. And of those 15, only five have accomplished much to date (Walker, Mihota, Gaines, Belmar and Hewitt). Of those five, Walker is the only one remaining who has produced regularly. Gaines is out for the year, Belmar and Hewitt recently were sidelined by injuries and Mihota isn’t quite the player he was pre-injury.
With Walker and Mihota exhausting their eligibility this season, it’s no wonder the Hokies are chasing a sizeable defensive line class in 2019, particularly at tackle. Tech has commitments from Norell Pollard, Mario Kendricks and Brandon Dorlus — all three-star recruits from Florida — and there are a number of junior college targets on the Hokies’ board.
That’s with next season in mind. The immediate reality is that if the Hokies are going to scrap and claw their way to bowl eligibility this season, it’s going to be with a defensive line that might not quite be ready for prime time but has no other choice.
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“It’s not fun not getting off the field,” Wiles said. “It’s not fun not stopping people. But it’s a challenge. It’s part of this process right now. … One thing about it, there ain’t nobody quitting. Trust me. Ain’t nobody quitting. Nobody’s laying down. We’re improving. Trust me.”
(Top photo of Ricky Walker: Dave Knachel / Virginia Tech athletics)