Old Ore needed now
BLACKSBURG -- There he is against Clemson, slipping away from the charging linebacker and dragging an overmatched free safety into the end zone.
There he is against Georgia, barreling fearlessly into three large men at the goal line, pushing them backward with his momentum and desire.
There he is against North Carolina, juking the unblocked cornerback, leaving the would-be tackler face-first in the grass.
There he is again against UNC, running a play to the left but realizing that both of his blockers are getting beat. So there he is instead, cutting it back the other way, finding somebody who is blocking and using that interference to pick up a first down.
Yes, Virginia Tech junior Branden Ore is very, very impressive.
On YouTube.
All these video clips have three things in common:
1. They were filmed last season, when Branden Ore made first-team All-ACC while running for 1,137 yards
2. They show somebody on the opposing team not getting blocked well, and
3. The fact that somebody on the opposing team is not getting blocked well is not a hindrance to Branden Ore.
That last one is the most important, because let's face it, not many defenders have gotten blocked well in 2007.
And that's the point: What Virginia Tech's struggling offense needs most is not one lineman to step up his game. It's not a wide receiver rediscovering his sure hands. It's not even the freshman quarterback firing tight spirals left and right.
No, what Tech's struggling offense needs more than anything is one superhuman effort out of Branden Ore.
Just one.
It would do wonders.
Branden Ore understands this. He knows his 205 yards rushing through four games isn't good enough, and he wants to see this improve. But what's holding this back, he says, is a lack of chemistry.
"The offense as a unit, we have to just get everybody on the same page," Branden Ore said Tuesday, echoing comments he and the coaching staff have made many times this season. "All it takes is one person to mess up, and the play's not going to be successful."
Very often, that's true.
But so is this: All it takes is one person to make something out of nothing, and then everybody feels better.
That's where Branden Ore -- and his wonderful ability as a running back -- comes in.
At the moment, Tech's offense is defeated. The linemen aren't confident. The receivers aren't seeing a lot of opportunities come their way. And Branden Ore? He doesn't have a 100-yard rushing game yet. In his most recent game, he ran for 25 yards on 10 carries against Division I-AA William and Mary, including three attempts that went for negative yardage.
Nobody believes the lack of a consistent running game is Branden Ore's fault alone. Coach Frank Beamer says he doesn't see anything different between the Branden Ore of 2006 and the Branden Ore of 2007 other than the fact that there aren't any running lanes.
Tech running backs coach Billy Hite says he's flummoxed by the way the offense -- line included -- looks so good in practice but hasn't been able to transfer it to the field on Saturdays.
"We're just not playing well as a unit," Hite said. "It might be the guard [messing up] one play. It might be the fullback one play. It's the tailback one play, the tight end one play.
We just haven't been consistent at all."
So forget some consistency.
Let's see some flash.
Branden Ore's got it, and last year's video clips are proof. So when a defensive tackle busts through the middle of the line this weekend and threatens to drop him for a five-yard loss, Branden Ore needs to spin away and pick up five.
When a cornerback comes unblocked on a run blitz, Branden Ore needs to lower the shoulder and run over him, reminding the cornerback that he is a cornerback.
When a linebacker grabs his waist, Branden Ore needs to drag him for 8 yards, thrilling 66,000 fans and one beleaguered line.
He needs to be special. Dominant. Transcendent.
And if he is, the offense will follow.
See more
at www.roanoke.com
| 
