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What We Expected, Saw Can Expect

Monday's season-opening 20-17 win by Virginia Tech saw a highly entertaining fourth quarter and overtime. The first three quarters, not quite so much. While both the Hokies and Yellow Jackets picked it up in the final stanza, the first three were a bit spotty.
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We've broken down the overall performance for Virginia Tech, in three parts.
There were plenty of question marks going into the season-opener for Virginia Tech, ranked No. 16 in the Associated Press poll.
The big one centered around Georgia Tech's vaunted triple option offense. An improved
A few injuries raised a few other questions. Linebacker
A huge downpour was also expected, from the remnants of Hurricane Isaac. In sloppy, wet conditions, could the GT option still have success? For the Hokies' offense, would running back
The Yellow Jackets' triple option picked up a few yards, but was far from stellar. Rushing the ball 55 times will bring some yards, but even with that many carries, Georgia Tech had 192 yards, just 3.5 per carry.
The Yellow Jackets had one rushing touchdown, a 12-yard scamper by
Defensively for the Hokies, linebacker
The Virginia Tech defense wasn't spectacular overall, but made plays when it counted, most notably cornerback
Offensively, the Hokies have found a dependable target in senior wide receiver
Virginia Tech has also found a potential, budding receiver in redshirt freshman
The running game wasn't spectacular, but Holmes got the job done, with 13 carries for 54 yards. True freshman
The leg and resiliency of kicker
And the rain never came.
Coleman will almost certainly keep climbing and will have a steady and bigger impact as the season progresses. Holmes will also continue to improve, but will be battling Coleman for touches.
Offensively, we'll have to see the severity of Davis' shoulder injury. It popped out a few times during the game. Fuller did well on crossing patterns and will be a steady target of Thomas'. Knowles has the potential, the speed and athleticism to be a home run deep threat. That would be much needed to keep the defense honest and not crowd the box as much.
If there were any worries about Gayle, he shed them early on with a key sack of Washington. He might not still be 100%, but he's not far away.
The jury's out if Tyler can consistently be a stopper or if this was just one big game. If he can, the defense will be much better off.
The fumble by true freshman punter
This weekend should be a chance for the key players like Thomas to get some action, but also rest against FCS Austin Peay. The Governors were soundly defeated 49-10 at Western Kentucky Saturday.
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