In what is maybe the worst kept quarterback battle, Tyler Shough was named the first team quarterback yesterday, beating out Henry Colombi. That’s probably the correct decision and I hope it all works out.

These are the highlights from Saturday’s scrimmage.

RRS’ Ben Golan originally broke the news on Twitter, but via Tech Lunch Pail’s Tim Thomas, Virginia Tech’s Director of Recruiting Beau Davidson is to fill a recruiting position at Texas Tech. As this article notes, Sachse quarterback Alex Orji is committed to Virginia Tech and don’t know if that would be a fit, but it’s something to watch.

We have an actual transcript! I found a site that actually utilizes the closed caption feature of YouTube videos and downloads the closed caption words into a text file. The problem is that I think this took more time than doing my non-transcript, so I’m a bit undecided if I’ll continue to utilize that tool, but it’s nice to have it available. I did have to go in and lightly edit and capitalize things, so I may not have caught all of that.

So you made your quarterback decision today we saw and uh how was that received I guess received?

Good. Those guys are they’re good teammates we want to be unified in the QB room Sonny does a great job of leading that room and you know there’s going to only be one guy that plays and there needs to be a lot of eyes on the sidelines helping that guy and a lot of encouragement and support and i don’t have any reason to believe there won’t be so that room you know I think is uh you know they’re they’re competitors but they’re also Texas Tech Red Raiders.

Can you tell us what the competition for the backup spot?

Looks like yes Henry’s number two and then Donovan and Behren are going to keep keep competing for
reps and whether that’s three or two or whatever it ends up being but they’re going to continue to compete.

How do you uh facilitate that given that once you get into game week?

That’s tough obviously is it a two-third one-third thing I mean Donovan and Behren don’t get do they get any game prep reps that’ll be very very little so yes that that always is a challenge for for every coach and every offensive coordinator to continue to get your backup quarterback reps uh whether it’s the two three or the four guy and they get them whether it’s in one on one it’s um skelly it may be a developmental scrimmage there’s a lot of opportunities like that that may not be with the ones that those guys have to find ways to get better

Any update on SaRoderick Thompson?

Basically he’ll be a game time decision it’ll come all the way down to the wire next week we’ll see how he does next week.

Is there any update on Wooten’s waiver status?

No not yet.

When you look at the film from Saturday what did you see on film that you that jumped out at you that you did not realize in real time?

Well when you word it like that.

Or who’s you know who stood out to you who who got a good scrimmage that you uh maybe?

The guy that keeps kind of keeps flashing is Philip Blidi keeps showing up in the backfield whether it’s against the 1 o-linemen or the 2 o-linemen and he plays hard he knows one speed and plays with the high high amount of effort continues to improve. I thought Jaylon Hutchins had a really good day he was in the backfield a little bit. Erik Ezukanma caught the ball well had one drop you know Mason Tharp had a really good day those guys kind of come to mind first on offense.

On the other side of that from the two scrimmages especially from this last one what are some big things that you wanted to work on and focus on this week?

Well this week is you know we’re we’re trying to build it up tomorrow to where we get a volume like it’s kind of like a game in terms of the amount of practice tomorrow and the amount of running and then we’ll taper off a little bit in the next couple days and then start with Houston prep already started a little bit putting some Houston stuff in not a ton yet but I just think sharpening up on some special teams some game situations in the game situations some things like that special teams you got your weekly kicker update I don’t today.

What did you think of both of them this weekend?

I mean I guess missed that one. Yeah I thought I thought they kicked off well they both kicked off well um yeah I think we I’d like to see us be a little bit more consistent in field goals but you know any anything inside of 43 yards which is right on the edge of the red zone at 25 we want to be 100% and so you know we have a high standard and we don’t want to drop that right now.

Back on SaRoderick for a moment so has he had that uh x-ray and scan that he referred to last week?

Hasn’t had it yet okay he’ll be all the way to a game time situation game time decision.

I’m back on the scrimmage on Saturday I know he’s farther down the depths chart but Bryce Ramirez too yeah to my untrained eye made a couple of tackles and key situations made a couple of plays and third downs did he showed up.

He showed up when when he was out there he also showed up in special teams so he’s starting to get a little bit more um of a role in special teams so we’ll see over the next 10 days if he can solidify a role in special teams where he’s at a spot you know we’ve got a lot of linebackers kind of in that same boat Don that our second third string linebackers were pretty deep at linebacker that need to really you know say hey I’m a two-team starter and um kind of nail down those positions and we think you ought to be able to start on those special teams if you’re ever going to start at linebacker for us so it’s a it’s a pretty important thing for those linebackers backup linebackers and backup safeties.

Speaking of the safety says Reggie Pearson solidify the spot there?

He’s going to play a lot I mean whether he takes the first rep out there I couldn’t tell you today Jarrett I don’t know if Keith’s made that final decision over there on the secondary but you’re going to see him play an awful lot.

Going back to Tyler Shough and I know you’ve mentioned he’s going to kind of go down to the wire in terms of what you guys are looking for was there something from the second scrimmage or something that just kind of stood out to you about Tyler that really kind of separated from henry as you’ve mentioned before Henry’s having a great presentation he said he’s had a good camp.

Henry Columbi has a had a really good camp but just thank Tyler’s overall from his preparation to his performance and the consistency of it and um you know I just think that’s that’s where it was and um I’m proud of Henry I’m proud of the camp that he’s had. You know we believe in him the staff believes in him I think and we know and I’ve said it multiple times he’s he’s come off and and won games for us in this league so I feel very confident.

There any of those other guys that didn’t play in scrimmage TJ Storment back at practice?

Yeah just like I said after the scrimmage they were all just being held out very precautionary support moves.

JJ Sparkman more uh is he going to play more X or Z?

He could play either one.

What’s the competition like for the starting job there do you know if you had a game this Saturday instead of next Saturday he would start at x?

They play 50 50.

The same thing a cornerback too?

There’s been a healthy competition there it has uh Adrian Frye’s had a really good camp Rayshad Williams continues to get better you know Malik Dunlap missing all of spring he just needs reps and I mean more and more he gets better he got a lot on Saturday withholding Demarcus Fields a little bit and so uh you know we’re deeper at corner we are we we feel good about those four feel good about the two young guys Nate Floyd and Kobe Minor, and again Nate’s kind of a swing guy can go from cover safety to corner and um Kobe was down for a few days there in camp just kind of a camp injury but uh he’s back and those you know those are those are six guys that you know I don’t think I’ve ever said here and talked about six corners at one time before.