Ore Out, So What

2 comments so far March 24, 2008 by Steve Hanway

When it was announced that Virginia Tech running back Branden Ore would not be returning in the fall, it would be easy to take that as a positive in terms of what it means for the Huskers when the teams face off in Lincoln. But if the DeAngelo Evans saga taught us anything back in 1999, it’s that sometimes you can improve your team by removing a talented but troublesome player.

Branden Ore had been a productive but not spectacular player for Virginia Tech over the past three seasons. His anemic 3.7 yards per carry this past season may have been more related to the problems the team had at offensive line and quarterback. But his reported lack of commitment can’t have helped matters any as Virginia Tech finished 110th nationally in total yards per game offensively.

The team has five candidates competing for time in his place including a highly regarded recruit arriving in the fall. Even though Ore was an All-ACC performer two years ago, it seems unlikely his absence will noticeably impact the team. Rather, his poor habits and questionable associations off the field are distractions the team can do without.

In fact, you can cynically look at things and say that if he’d averaged 6.7 yards per carry and had only one or two backs behind him, the coaches would have done everything they could to keep him. Instead, it appears they let him go without losing any sleep.

There may be reasons to be optimistic about Nebraska’s chances against Virginia Tech this year, but Ore’s departure doesn’t seem to be one of them.

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