Orange Bowl: Who's Got The Edge?

By Neal Turnage
December 28, 2008

As the Orange Bowl nears, Planet Blacksburg will take an in-depth look at the matchups between the Hokies and Bearcats.  Check back often as we profile both teams' strengths and weaknesses at every position and assess which squad has the edge.

Today we take a look at the special teams units.  Virginia Tech has become synonymous with special teams play over the years and the Hokies propensity for blocking kicks and scoring non-offensive touchdowns has been dubbed "Beamerball" by fans and media.  Cincinnati, though not immediately associated with special teams success, does stack up favorably against its ACC opponent.

Kicking:

Virginia Tech's Dustin Keys has successfully converted on 21 field goals this season (80.7%), just shy of the school record of 22 shared by Chris Kinzer (1986) and current Cincinnati Bengal Shayne Graham (1996).  Keys has shown reliability in big spots, booting four field goals against Nebraska in a hostile Memorial Stadium and drilling a 50-yard attempt against Boston College in the ACC Championship.  But he has also missed some head-scratchers.  Against Virginia he missed wide right on a 22-yard chip shot and in the same game against Boston College where he nailed the 50-yarder he bounced a PAT attempt off the upright.  In terms of protection, no team has blocked a field goal or PAT against the Hokies this year.

Cincinnati's kicker Jake Rogers does not boast the same level of accuracy as Keys, but he definitely has the range to bail out his offense should it stall against the Hokie defense.  Statistically, Rogers gets better as the distance increases.  He hits 75 percent from 40 yards and beyond with a long of 54 yards.  After a horrendous three-game stretch where he missed five consecutive tries (one was blocked), Rogers has regained his form, hitting five of his last six.  Cincinnati as a team has given up two blocked kicks in its final three games. The Bearcats will have to shore up their protection if they want to take advantage of Rogers' range.

EDGE: VT

Punting:

If Cincinnati has trouble finding answers for Bud Foster's defense and the Tech offense regresses to midseason form, field position will decide the outcome.  Here the Bearcats' Kevin Hubert outdoes the Hokies' Brent Bowden across the board.  On average, Hubert's punts travel 4.4 yards farther, are downed inside the 20 and fair caught more often, and fewer of them find the end zone for touchbacks.  Hubert is a back-to-back consensus All-American and 2008 semifinalist for the Ray Guy award.  But numbers alone do not decide this matchup.  Working behind one of the least potent offenses in the country has given Bowden experience in the field position game.  Still, with so much of the field in front of him you would think his kicks would have more distance on them.

Both teams have blocked punts and had punts blocked this season and the Hokies have blocked a kick in each of their last six meetings with Cincinnati.  As elementary as it sounds, the best way to avoid getting blocked is to not punt.  Only twice this year has Virginia Tech punted three or fewer times.  Cincinnati has accomplished that feat five times so far, including an outing against Miami (OH) where Hubert didn't have a single attempt.

Edge: Cincinnati

Return Game:

The loss of Eddie Royal and Josh Morgan to the NFL has left a significant hole in the Hokies' return game.  True freshman Dyrell Roberts is starting to find his niche as the main kickoff guy after taking over for the injured Kenny Lewis.  He averages 24.8 yards per return with a long of 55 yards.  By coming back for his senior season, Victor "Macho" Harris became the main punt returner for the team.  Success at the position would certainly increase his draft stock, but teams have neutralized him for the most part by forcing him to fair catch high, lofty kicks or by not kicking to him altogether.  Both Roberts and Harris are legitimate threats to break one but the Hokies have yet to get a return touchdown this year from its kick return teams.

Cincinnati's return game showcases a bit of feast and famine.  Junior Mardy Gilyard ranks fifth in the nation with a 30.3-yard return average.  He ran two kickoffs back for touchdowns this year: 97 yards against Oklahoma and 100 yards against West Virginia.  Meanwhile, the punt team averages fewer than 10 yards per return and hasn't scored a touchdown since November of 1997. 

This game will probably see more punts than kickoffs, but one good return can turn the tide in a hurry.  Virginia Tech gave up punt return touchdowns against Nebraska and Boston College during the regular season.  Cincinnati's opponents have not scored on any kick returns this season.

Edge: Cincinnati