A quick bit of housekeeping:

* Liberty RB B.J. Hayes met with doctors following Thursday’s practice to determine his availability for Saturday’s game against the Keydets. No word on what came of said meeting, but it’s safe to say he’ll be a game-time decision Saturday.

* NG Greg Schuster indeed has a torn ACL and MCL and is done for the season, and most likely spring practice, if his rehab goes along a normal nine-month ACL timetable.

* S Larry Claiborne has looked good in practice this week and will play.

Now, the weekly Q&A returns. This week’s guest is the Roanoke Times’ Katrina Waugh:

CL: What kind of little tweaks has Sparky Woods made to the Keydets’ triple-option offense this season? (NOTE: This question came about because Sparky Woods noted that the Keydets weren’t “just running the triple option all the time” during Tuesday’s Big South teleconference.)

KW: What? So I’m a scout for the Flames now? ... One change is that the Keydets are trying to get more out of Kyle Hughes and the passing game, although Hughes showed some impressive running ability against Charleston Southern last week. They have been getting more up the middle from Howard Abegesah in the last two games.

CL: Though the Keydets still rank near the bottom of the nation in total defense, they have been improved this year in stopping the run. What’s been the key to that success?
KW: Woods rearranged some personnel in the offseason and that has helped, along with this being the second season of using the 3-4 so the players are more used to it. Josh Wine has been making a lot of stops at nose tackle. He’s tied with linebacker Emilio Calvin for third on the team with 47 tackles each. Pat McKinney moved up to end from linebacker with Damiso Alexander usually starting on the other end. Emilio Calvin moved back to linebacker and he and AJ Gross (LB) are among the top tacklers on the team.
Also, as run defense is measured by yards allowed, it’s hard to discount the vulnerability of the Keydets’ pass defense as a reason for the improvement in rush defense. Two of the Keydets’ top three tacklers—Byron Allen and Juan Thrasher—are in the defensive secondary, meaning the ball is getting past the linebackers before a tackle is made far too many times. Most offensive coordinators will pick the path of least resistance, and against VMI, that path has been through the air.
CL: VMI has been more competitive this season than it has in years past, but the Keydets just can’t seem to get over the hump in the win column? What’s been the biggest issue in that regard?

KW: Turnovers. Injuries. Those are the simplest answers.

The biggest issue? Probably the flip side of whatever it is that makes the Yankees believe they will win the World Series every year. The Keydets had the talent and the opportunity to beat Stony Brook, Gardner-Webb, Coastal Carolina, and Charleston Southern. Against all four, they gave up two scores in the fourth quarter. Against Stony Brook, Gardner-Webb and Charleston Southern those four quarter scores alone accounted for the losing margin. Against Coastal Carolina, the Keydets also fumbled the ball four times, losing it twice, and gave up two interceptions. Still the Keydets were only down 10-6 going into the fourth quarter before allowing 10 more points to put themselves out of the running.

CL: How has Ben Brandt (Jefferson Forest) handled the switch back to defense after spending a year on the offensive line?

KW: He told me “I’m back where I belong.“ Josh Wine said Brandt’s passion was a big addition to the defense. Brandt hasn’t started three of the last four games, but has been playing and getting in his licks including a 12-yard sack last week.

CL: Tim Maypray seems to be dealing with continual nagging injuries. How has that affected how Woods uses him?

KW: Maypray’s speed and improvisational talent are what Woods was trying to exploit by putting the ball in his hands at quarterback. But the quarterbacks in the triple-option get hit on just about every play, whether they have the ball or not. Both Maypray and Hughes have been banged up. The entire offensive line is banged up too.

I think Keydets would love for Hughes to be perfectly healthy and Maypray play the slot, where he could run and catch passes, and also serve as a return man. They are a better offense when both Hughes and Maypray are in the huddle, but what they both insist are “just bumps and bruises” have too often prevented that.

We thank Katrina for her time. We’ll be back Saturday with a pre-game blog post.