vt offensive line paves way for success

Chris Hirons

October 21, 2020

BLACKSBURG — When Virginia Tech’s offensive line walks into Kabuki Japanese Steak House, the restaurant staff is alarmed with anxiety and prepares for numerous 300-pound football players to devour everything in sight.

Or, at least, that’s how offensive lineman Lecitus Smith described last week’s trip to the Christiansburg restaurant.

“We walked in last week and I’m sure the chefs and waiters started to sweat and panic,” Smith said with a laugh. “There were a lot of us, and everyone’s getting themselves an appetizer and a meal.”

The trips to steakhouses to order big meals filled with carbs and protein for the offensive lineman have certainly played to Virginia Tech’s advantage this season. The offense, which has been pass-happy since former running back David Wilson declared for the draft after the 2011 season, has flipped the script this season and is arguably the best rushing offense in the entire nation.

It currently ranks as the second-best offense in rushing yards-per-attempt (6.93) and rushing yards-per-game with 312. It only lags behind service academy Air Force — who's played just one game — and outpaces Army by two yards.

Much of the success the 3-1 Hokies have had is directly attributed to the offensive line. No, you’re not going to see offensive lineman on highlight shows or win extensive awards like the Heisman.

What you will see, however, is the success the offensive line generates for the nation’s leading rusher in yards-per-game, Khalil Herbert, and quarterback Hendon Hooker’s domination of opposing defenses with both his arm and legs through his first six quarters of play this season.

“As an offensive lineman, we know what we’re signing up for,” Smith said. “It’s a lot of unselfish play. We’ll block the first and second level player, and then Herbert will turn upfield to make a guy miss.”

The skill position players know that they wouldn’t be successful without an offensive line that mauls opposing defenses like Virginia Tech has, putting up no fewer than 38 points in a single game. In scoring, the offense is terrorizing opposing defenses and averaging 42 points-per-game — good for the eighth-highest scoring offense in the nation.

The unselfish play the offensive line possess has gone both ways on-and-off the field among the skill position players that normally receive all the attention and limelight from national media.

“When we went to Kabuki last week, I initially pulled out my wallet,” Smith said. “But Hendon said ‘no, I’ve got it’ and paid for my meal.”

Through four games, the Hokies ran for 300 yards three times and for no-fewer-than 260 in the loss to North Carolina a week-and-a-half ago. Though players are generally taught to avoid looking at the scoreboard during games, VT’s offensive line can’t help but gaze above the student section when the team is up big late in games and wonder how many rushing yards the offense has accounted for.

“The job isn’t finished, yet,” Smith said. “We see we’re at 288 [rushing yards], and we’re just like, ‘we want more.’”

It’s evident that at least for the first four games, the Hokies offense has brought the juice it needs every time out. And with Hooker and his four touchdown performance against Boston College being added into the offensive fold, it’ll take a steel wall to slow the Hokies offensive line down this season. But even then, it might be able to push through.

“The team with the most juice and the team that wants it the most will win,” VT center Brock Hoffman said following Saturday’s primetime win.