Wild Turkey missing at Tech

BLACKSBURG - Eight games into last season, Virginia Tech’s offense needed a jolt as the Hokies prepared for their first Thursday night game of the year, against Maryland.

So offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring, whose side was gaining 280 yards a game, decided to line up tight end Greg Boone at quarterback — a formation that became known as the Wild Turkey.

Tech used it on seven snaps, which resulted in 27 yards, in a 23-13 win over Maryland. In the final five games after that, Stinespring turned to the Wild Turkey on 13 plays that totaled 58 yards. The highlights: Boone’s rushes of 17 yards against Duke, 16 against Cincinnati in the Orange Bowl and a 4-yard touchdown in the regular-season finale against Virginia.

This season, the Wild Turkey seems to have vanished. The Hokies played 420 offensive snaps in seven games entering today’s 7:45 p.m. home matchup with North Carolina — their first of two Thursday night games. Stinespring has used the Wild Turkey just once: a 3-yard run by tailback Ryan Williams in the third game, against Nebraska.

Two factors contributed to the formation’s disappearance: Boone getting hurt and the Hokies’ offense getting healthy.

“We just really haven’t put a lot of time into it,“ Stinespring said. “It’s something you’ve got to put a lot of time into to have any type of success at it. We’ve repped it more the last couple of weeks and will continue to do so and hopefully get it back into the swing of things.“

Boone injured the joint connecting his breastbone and collarbone in the season opener against Alabama. He played just 19 snaps that night and missed the next game, against Marshall. “With him not being healthy early in the season, we just didn’t rep it a whole lot,“ Stinespring said.

By the time Boone recovered, the Hokies learned they didn’t need a quirky formation as much as they did last season. Their offense has succeeded in traditional ways. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor leads the nation with 9.8 yards per passing attempt, and Williams ranks seventh with 119.1 rushing yards per game. The Hokies are averaging 380 yards and have 40 plays of 20 yards or longer — as many as they had in 14 games last season.

“We really feel like we’re capable in what we’re doing and moving the ball for the most part and want to keep building on that,“ Stinespring said.

Boone, a senior who played quarterback in high school, would like to resurrect the formation, though he hasn’t told Stinespring, who also coaches tight ends. “I miss it, just having the ball in your hands, just hearing the crowd scream,“ Boone said.

The Wild Turkey wasn’t a completely original idea. Stinespring designed it after studying film of the Wild Hog formation that Arkansas ran in 2007, with running back Darren McFadden at quarterback. Many other college and NFL teams, most notably the Miami Dolphins, continue to use similar versions of the formation.

Still, the Wild Turkey helped make Boone a fan favorite at Lane Stadium. Whenever he lined up at quarterback, a low rumble rose from the crowd: “Booooooone!“ The formation kept Boone busy in the spotlight. He ran keepers, handed off for end-arounds, faked handoffs and even threw a pass, incomplete, against Virginia.

Because Tech’s top three wide receivers were freshmen, Boone was a primary target in the passing game, too. In addition to running 21 times last season for 76 yards and a touchdown, he caught 22 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns. He was third on the team in catches and yards and tied for first in touchdowns.

His numbers this season: five catches for 52 yards. While Tech’s wideouts have developed, Stinespring is using Boone more as a blocker on the edge of the line when Taylor rolls out — a change in his launching point that helped make him an effective passer.

“If there’s a disappointing aspect of our offense right now,“ Stinespring said, “it’s that we haven’t gotten Greg as involved as we’ve wanted to.“

Contact Darryl Slater at (804) 649-6026

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