Taylor Won't Redshirt, Will Split QB Role With Glennon

BLACKSBURG, Va., Sept. 2 -- One week after announcing his intention to redshirt sophomore quarterback Tyrod Taylor, Virginia Tech Coach Frank Beamer reversed course Tuesday and said Taylor and senior Sean Glennon will share quarterbacking duties.

The decision was made in the wake of Virginia Tech's 27-22 loss to East Carolina on Saturday, when Glennon threw for 139 yards and two interceptions. The loss dropped Virginia Tech out of the Associated Press top 25.

"I thought some things became even clearer in our game with East Carolina," Beamer said. "We need to be able to run the football. Putting another guy in the game that can help you run the football is in our best interest."

Beamer would not comment on which quarterback will start in Saturday's game against Furman, nor how playing time will be distributed. Beamer did not allow Glennon or Taylor to speak to reporters.

Virginia Tech experienced a similar situation last season, when it used Taylor during his freshman season following Glennon's poor performance against Louisiana State. The tandem split quarterbacking duties as the Hokies won the ACC title and reached the Orange Bowl.

Throughout the spring and during preseason, Glennon and Taylor competed for the starting job as Beamer sought to identify a single player for the role. Last week, Beamer announced Glennon was the quarterback and had every hope to redshirt Taylor for the future.

After the Hokies lost their season opener for just the second time in the past 13 seasons, preserving a year of eligibility for Taylor became less of a priority than preserving the team's immediate viability.

"There were different elements involved, but us becoming a good running football team is essential," Beamer said. "With young receivers, you don't want to rely on throwing the ball 40 times a game."

One of the major story lines early in the season has been Virginia Tech's inexperience at the skill positions. They start two freshman wide receivers and entered the season with only one who had even caught a pass in college. Taylor adds a playmaking presence to the experienced Glennon.

Beamer revealed the news to his quarterbacks Monday. He described Glennon as "disappointed." The other players on the team did not know about the new arrangement before Beamer told a room full of reporters the decision. Left tackle Ed Wang sat in a room adjacent to the news conference and overheard Beamer snap the suspense.

Wang turned his head away from his lunch and anticipated the questions he knew were coming his way.

"It's just like how it happened last year," Wang said.

Wang said he expected the team to stick to the two-quarterback system before the season. On two straight Tuesdays, Wang has been surprised. He joked about waiting to see what happens next week.

Starting running back Kenny Lewis said the team will view this situation no differently than last season, when the Hokies finished the regular season 9-1 after the move was made following Week 2.

"I guess they're both so talented that you can't keep one off the field," Lewis said. "We've seen Tyrod, 'Fantastic Five.' We've seen him play before."

In 2007, Taylor was second on the team in rushing with 429 yards and six touchdowns. Beamer emphasized that Taylor's passing has improved since 2007, although the decision to play Taylor has much to do with his running ability.

Virginia Tech plans to use four running backs this season. On Saturday, Lewis and Darren Evans combined for 100 yards, yet Beamer pointed out a need for an improved rushing attack. Beamer said the Hokies' defense is not playing as well as it can, making it incumbent on the offense to sustain drives and limit opponents' plays. The Hokies scored on just 18.2 percent of their drives Saturday.

"We had some good points; we had some bad points," Lewis said. "We could have broke some more tackles, made some better reads."

Beamer continued to insist he was not frustrated with Glennon and stated both Monday and Tuesday that he felt Glennon played well overall except for a few poor passes. However, Tuesday's move was a clear indication that Beamer thinks he needed to make a move to invigorate the Hokies' offense. "We need another playmaker in our backfield," Beamer said. "I think this football team needs Tyrod Taylor."

Hokies Note: An MRI exam on starting right tackle Blake DeChristopher revealed a severely bruised right knee and right quadriceps, as well as a bruised kidney. He is expected to miss two to four weeks.