Virginia Tech wideouts aim for receiving redemption

BLACKSBURG - This time last year, Virginia Tech's wide receivers still were learning the basics of their position. And all season, receivers coach Kevin Sherman told anyone who would listen that he wanted his players to "play faster" -- not only with how they moved on the field but in how their minds processed what they saw.

"I don't think I was ever completely satisfied, because I think we were still growing," Sherman said.

He did like that his three receivers -- redshirt freshman Danny Coale and true freshmen Jarrett Boykin and Dyrell Roberts -- peaked in the season's final game, the Orange Bowl, in which they combined for seven catches and 92 yards, 15 yards better than their average before that night.

But all told, the Hokies' receiving numbers last season were unimpressive. Tech's wide receivers caught 87 passes for 1,097 yards and accounted for 25.8 percent of the Hokies' total offense and two of their 29 offensive touchdowns. In 2007, when Tech had four senior receivers, the wideouts caught 151 passes for 2,061 yards and accounted for 44.5 percent of the total offense and 15 of 39 offensive touchdowns.

Given the circumstances, such a drop seems reasonable, albeit discouraging to the receivers, who believe observers will see something different this season.

"They can expect a lot more from us, because we're going to be a big part of this offense this year," said Boykin, who caught those two touchdowns and was last season's leading receiver, with 31.5 yards per game. "And I believe every one of us can get it done."

Said Coale: "We don't really want to use young and inexperienced as an excuse. You can never forget an experience. But we've got to be better."

Depth is one reason they could improve. While Coale and Roberts are co-No. 1 flankers, redshirt freshman Xavier Boyce is tied with Boykin at split end. Behind them is redshirt freshman Marcus Davis, who is the team's fifth-best receiver, according to Sherman.

Sherman wants to take six receivers to Atlanta for Tech's Sept. 5 season opener against Alabama, though that number could increase if some receivers play on special teams. Three receivers are competing to make the trip: sophomore Patrick Terry; fifth-year senior Brandon Dillard, who might have started last season if he hadn't torn his Achilles' tendon in the summer; and true freshman D.J. Coles, a Goochland High graduate who spent last fall at Fork Union Military Academy.

Boyce played three games last season as a true freshman, catching one pass, before a left-knee injury sidelined him. He didn't practice again until the spring, and he used the time off to study more film and immerse himself in his playbook.

"After I got injured, I was mad," he said. "But at the same time, I was just looking at it like: Maybe this is the time for me to get my mind right for the college level. Last year, I was still young in the head, but my body wanted to play. I think the time off just let my mind catch up with my body."

Boyce was still learning the position, because he played quarterback during his junior season at Landstown High in Virginia Beach, then switched to receiver as a senior.

By that time, he already had found an ideal muse for playing receiver: Percy Harvin, who was two years ahead of Boyce at Landstown and was drafted 22nd this spring by the Minnesota Vikings. Boyce noticed the way Harvin glided across the field, his feet always moving quickly, even when he didn't have the ball. "I just look at that and picture myself doing it," Boyce said.

But teammates notice similarities to other NFL receivers in Boyce, who is 6-4 and 223 pounds. "They call him Calvin Crabtree," Boykin said. "A mix between Michael Crabtree and Calvin Johnson."

A nickname based mainly on practice performance is nice, and it makes Boyce smile. But like all of Tech's receivers, who anticipate the potential redemption of a new season, Boyce is eagerly awaiting the Alabama game.

"So I can show what I've got," he said, "and show what I should have done last season."

Contact Darryl Slater at (804) 649-6026 or dslater@timesdispatch.com