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Sean Glennon hasn't proven he can deliver for Virginia Tech in big games. |
ATLANTA--It's quickly
A year ago, Marcus Vick's dubious footwork in the Gator Bowl (including an ill-advised stomp on the leg of Louisville's Elvis Dumervil) was the last straw for Blacksburg's most famous younger brother. Saturday night, it was Sean Glennon's erratic arm that gave Hokie fans a pre-holiday headache.
Give Glennon credit for one thing: Unlike Vick, he didn't shirk the blame for his actions. But on a team that otherwise looks solid if not powerful for next season, quarterback is no less a worry on the first day of 2007 than it was as '06 dawned.
"I can't describe it, but I take responsibility for what happened out there," Glennon said in a voice barely above a whisper after Virginia Tech's 31-24 collapse against Georgia in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. "I don't think it was that I didn't know what they were doing, but I made some bad throws and wrong decisions."
With four fourth-quarter turnovers, Glennon had just suffered through the worst bowl performance ever for a Hokie quarterback, surpassing Al Clark's forgettable effort in a 42-3 loss to North Carolina in the 1998 Gator Bowl.
We always hear that football is a team game, and that nothing happens in a vacuum. It wasn't entirely Glennon's fault that the Hokies squandered a seemingly safe 21-3 halfime lead.
Afterward, Tech players and coaches tried to walk the fine line between supporting Glennon and brutal honesty.
"It was just a combination of things that contributed to it," offensive coordinator Brian Stinespring said, listing poor production on first down and Georgia's unexpected coverages as factors that worked against Glennon.
And if the Hokies hadn't fallen asleep in the third quarter and allowed the Bulldogs to execute a successful onside kick, Tech might not have had to throw as often in the fourth.
But, Stinespring admitted: "The disappointing aspect of it is that we needed to take care of the ball, and we didn't do it."
There's little doubt as to the target of that remark. Head coach Frank Beamer was even more blunt: "We just threw it right to them."
That was definitely the case on two of Glennon's interceptions, both made by linebacker Tony Taylor. The first was an ill-advised toss when Glennon found no one open--"entirely my fault," he admitted. The other was a badly underthrown desperate deep ball after Georgia had taken a 31-21 lead.
Glennon's other interception was tipped by Taylor into the hands of teammate Paul Oliver. And he definitely couldn't be blamed for fumbling after Georgia's Charles Johnson breezed past Tech tight end Sam Wheeler and blasted an unsuspecting Glennon in the back, causing a fumble.
But the fact remains that Glennon gave the Bulldogs the ball four times in a span of nine Hokie snaps, leading to 18 points. And when his role changed from offensive caretaker to do-or-die playmaker, he wasn't up to the challenge.
"I wouldn't say I lost confidence, but I was definitely frustrated," Glennon said.
But offensive tackle Duane Brown saw some understandable shell shock.
"He looked at times like he was a little hesitant to throw," Brown said. "He had guys open, and he didn't get it to them."
Or, as Beamer put it when asked about Georgia's pressure: "By the 13th game, you should be able to handle that."
Now, as the Hokies hit the weight room and their coaches hit the recruiting trail, their biggest question is: Did Glennon lose more than a game Saturday night? Did he lose the faith of his teammates--and, ultimately, his job?
As Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen put it after the Champs Sports Bowl: "You have to have a good quarterback if you're going to have a winning team."
Glennon put up decent numbers this season, but he struggled mightily in a 22-3 loss to Boston College, Tech's last previous defeat before Saturday night.
With backup Ike Whitaker currently in alcohol rehab and hotshot recruit Tyrod Taylor unlikely to be ready by the fall, Glennon remains Beamer's most viable option. You have to figure, though, that Beamer will give Whitaker every shot to win the job in spring practice, and that Glennon's leash will be short if he does retain the job. Beamer can't afford to entrust a potentially stellar season to a QB he doesn't trust.
"Sean's a resilient guy and a very competitive young man," Stinespring said. "After the BC game, Sean came back and helped lead us to six straight wins. He's a strong-willed, determined young man."
But is he a championship quarterback? Is he a college version of Trent Dilfer or Elvis Grbac? The Hokies have until August to decide.
Before trudging off to the team bus early yesterday morning, Glennon said: "I'm not going to forget the feeling I have right now."
Neither will thousands of Hokie fans.
To reach STEVE DeSHAZO:
Email: sdeshazo@freelancestar.com
