Durham NC: Virginia Tech Hokies visit Duke trying to make it 11. Yes that would be the 11th straight victory. The weather broke just hours before the 12:30 kick off. Over cast and damp with a chill in the air made for a sloppy field and sloppy game. Neither team was able to get much traction with their offensive game.  Surprisingly the 12th ranked VA Tech had their hands full with Duke. Very similar ending to the game as last weeks Wake game. Duke was very much in this game and had many opportunities to put it away. A couple of missed field goals could have made the difference. Logan Thomas finished with 190  and 17 of 28 receptions vs Sean Renfree's 17 for 35 and 204 yards. Desmond Scott added 72 yards on the ground vs David Wilson for VA Tech who finished with 148 yards. Not a good day for either kicker as Weiss missed his only field goal attempt and Snyderwine missed 3 of 4. Duke had the ball late in the game and could not grab several long passes from Renfree. Another solid effort from the Blue Devils to make a competitive game, the Hokies made their road trip back considering themselves fortunate for taking a close one. For Duke yet another one slips away from them. Coach Cutcliff will rewind them and as always they will return next week with hunger to get their 4th overall victory.

Saturday October 14 was the picture perfect fall day, temperature in the 70's not a cloud in the sky and no humidity. A hint of change seen on the hardwood trees surrounding historic Wallace Wade Stadium. That was not the only change in the air as Jimbo Fisher and the 'Noles roll into Durham. Desperately needing a win in the ACC, Duke had to expect Florida State's "A Game". Duke's first possession resulted in a turn over off a tipped pass. Sean Renfree had difficulty all day trying to get the ball over the athletic FSU defense.  Seniors Matt Daniels, Johnny Williams along with the red shirt sophomores Ross Cockrell and August Campbell were suffering with injuries for Duke. Matt Daniels did play and finished with a career high 14 tackles. E J Manuel found holes in the Blue Devils secondary and exploited them for some big gainers, of 50 and 59 yards. After the half Duke was looking to make up a 27 to 3 deficit. Trying to get some offense generated Duke attempted 3 consecutive onside kicks in the second half. Adding 13 points to the board Duke showed signs of life. E J Manuel capped off the scoring with a short 6 yard run down the sidelines followed by Dustin Hopkins extra point to make it 41 to 16.

I, along many other Maryland fans, have been fed up with Randy Edsall thus far. The lack of D.J. Adams, the burning of redshirts for special teams play, the removal of Davin Meggett on Saturday's last drive, and going for it on 4th and goal from the 8 (down 21-3, where kicking a field goal makes it a 2 possession game) have all contributed to Terp Nation's frustrations. During these tough times, and in the wake of another disappointing loss (to a good team in Georgia Tech, albeit), many are calling for change.  However, I believe Danny O'Brien should keep his position as starting quarterback. Here are a couple of reasons why...

1) Edsall Should Not Have Pulled O'Brien so Soon

In his 4 series against Georgia Tech, O'Brien was dismal. He was 1-6 passing with an interception, and missed a few wide open receivers. However, as the leader of this Maryland offense, I believe O'Brien should have remained in the game (at least for a few more drives). Davin Meggett was running the ball just fine, so the Terps were in no need to throw the ball. Obviously one cannot blame offensive coordinator Gary Crowton for O'Brien's struggles, but Crowton could have helped out his quarterback tremendously by calling more runs in the early stages of the game. A greater focus on the running game would have given O'Brien more time to settle in.

2) C.J. Brown also Struggled

Many will have a skewed view of C.J. Brown's performance Saturday because of his 77 yard touchdown run. Undoubtedly a great play, but other than that, Brown was just as bad (if not worse) than O'Brien! Brown ended the game 4-17 with 36 yards passing (only 2 more than Tony Logan by the way!). Brown did rush 124 yards, but he won't be able to run all over the likes of Clemson and Florida State. Excluding Brown's long touchdown run, he was not an upgrade over O'Brien, not to mention Brown's lack of experience. C.J. Brown is a great player, but I just think Randy Edsall has to go with the more sure-handed quarterback.

3) O'Brien is a Proven ACC Quarterback

Forget the Georgia Tech game. Danny O'Brien, 2010 ACC Rookie of the Year, has shown the ability to win games. He is clearly suffering a sophomore slump, but I still want the guy who has shown he has what it takes to be successful at this level. Any preseason hope Maryland had of challenging Florida State (and now Clemson) for the Atlantic Division title was resting on shoulders of O'Brien, not Brown. O'Brien's success last season should earn him a chance to win back his starting job.

Despite starting the season 2-3, Randy Edsall and company still have a chance to do some things this season. Regardless of what happens with this quarterback drama, Maryland should feel fortunate to have two quarterbacks who can play at a high level. Hopefully Saturday's starting quarterback will lead the Terps to a huge upset over #8 Clemson!

Sunday, the ACC announced it would add Pittsburgh and Syracuse to the ACC, effective 2014. The ACC now appears to be safe after this proactive move, a relief considering the aggressive conference expansion talk of the past few years. I'm going to break down this move into three parts: Football, Basketball, and Location.

Football:

Syracuse and Pittsburgh do not add much luster to ACC football, and football is where the money comes from. However, Pitt has shown the ability to have a successful football program, attaining bowl eligibility 4 out of the past 5 years. As for Syracuse, well it's been a while! Despite their recent history of weak football, Syracuse finished 8-5 last season including a bowl win over Kansas State. Both programs are mediocre, but at worst, the addition of Pittsburgh and Syracuse is a neutral football move.

Basketball:

From a basketball standpoint, this addition is huge. Once the Panthers and Orange join, the ACC will once again become the toughest conference in the country. While not elite programs, Pitt and Syracuse are solid second tier programs. Jamie Dixon is only 45, but Pittsburgh should remain a good but not great program once he is gone. However, I'm worried about Syracuse after Jim Boeheim is gone. The Orange are in an awful location and a small market. A bad successor to Boeheim will lead the Orange to irrelevance, so they better get that one right. The distant future may be cloudy, but I can't wait for the ACC to return to the glory days of the early 2000's, when games had national implications.

Location:

The ACC now has a presence in both the Pennsylvania and New York, two excellent markets to have control over. Unlike other conferences, the ACC has stayed true to bring the "Atlantic Coast Conference." It's good to see this move not only makes sense athletically, but also makes sense geographically.

This addition was about as good a move as the ACC could have hoped for; although there's always room for Notre Dame and Texas! With Pittsburgh and Syracuse come two great schools and the security of having a stable conference. Welcome to the ACC!

The Terps lost their 6th game in a row to the West Virginia Mountaineers Saturday, in what nearly a comeback win. Down 34-10 in the 3rd quarter, it looked like the Terps were dead in the water. However, Danny O'Brien lead his team back despite 2 interceptions in the first half. With 2 rushing touchdowns from DJ Adams and another one from Davin Meggett, Maryland had scored 21 unanswered points and found themselves down only 34-31 with 10:29 left in the game. After a West Virginia field goal, Danny O'Brien had to lead the Terps down the field for a touchdown to win. O'Brien led the Terps to the West Virginia 35, where he threw his 3rd interception of the game on a 3rd and 8. For the Terps, it was just too little too late.

Some notes...

1. Speed Kills

The West Virginia spread offense burned the Terps by throwing short passes to their fast skill position players. An advantage of the spread offense is that the defense is often forced to play one-on-one on the outside. The West Virginia receivers, most notably Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey, were too fast for the Maryland defense.

2. Danny O'Brien's Struggles

After earning ACC Rookie of the Year honors in 2010, Danny O'Brien came into the 2011 season with great expectations. He played his worst game in a Terrapin uniform Saturday, throwing 3 interceptions. Even when the running attack is as strong as it was Saturday, it will be very difficult for Maryland to win when O'Brien plays badly.

3. Maryland Running Game

I was very impressed with the Maryland running game. Davin Meggett and DJ Adams rushed for a combined 177 yards and 3 touchdowns. The running attack took pressure off of Danny O'Brien in the 2nd half and allowed him to play better. Meggett and Adams will be important in making the Terps a more balanced offensive team.

4. Maryland Defensive Struggles

When defending the spread offense, the most important key to success is good tackling. As previously stated, the Mountaineers would dink and dive their way up the field, and the Terps would miss tackles right and left. Therefore, what should have been 4 yard gains turned into 15 yard gains. I don't want to pick on Cam Chism, because the Terps defense as a whole wasn't good, but Chism missed a key tackle on a 3rd down in the 4th quarter that would have given Maryland the ball back with 8 minutes to go. Instead, the Mountaineers marched down the field and went up 37-31 with a field goal.

5. Penalties

It wasn't necessarily the volume of penalties that hurt the Terps as much as the timing. A couple of pass interference calls set up touchdowns for the Mountaineers, and an illegal block in the redzone left the Terps turning it over on  downs. The penalties hurt Saturday, but I have no doubt the disciplinarian Randy Edsall won't let this non-sense continue.

6. The Emergence of Matt Furstenburg

Junior tight end Matt Furstenburg has really become a reliable target for Danny O'Brien this season. Furstenburg was 2nd on the team in receiving yards Saturday with 70, and he already over half as many receiving yards this year than he had in all of 2010. I expect Furstenburg to continue to be an important part of this Maryland offense, especially in the redzone, where the Terps have struggled this season.

7. Edsall's Decision-Making

As a fan, of course I'm going to question some decisions Edsall made. There were really two main decisions I'm critcizing:

A. Going for it on 4th and Goal from the 7

At this point, the Terps were down 34-10, 24 points, with 11:36 left. In my opinion, this decision is made based off of math. Down 24 points, you need 3 touchdowns and a field goal to tie, so why not take the field goal then and there? Instead, Edsall decided he needed the touchdown and turned it over. Especially the way the offense was playing at that point, I don't see how you don't take the points.

B. 2 Point Conversion at 34-16

The Terps scored with 4:44 left in the 3rd quarter, which put them down 18. Edsall decided to go for 2, because with three 2 point conversions, the game would be tied. However, I think it's unreasonable to rely on converting three 2 point conversions. They say only to go for 2 when you have to, and the Terps didn't have to in that situation. Luckily, the Terps got the point back on a later 2 point conversion.

The Terps dominated the 2nd half, but it was just too little too late. This game really showed the importance of playing well for 4 quarters. The Terps will look to bounce back next Saturday against Temple.

West Virginia Leaders

Passing:

Geno Smith- 36-49, 388 yards (career high), 1 touchdown, 1 interception

Rushing:

Andrew Buie- 7 carries, 51 yards, 1 touchdown

Receiving:

Tavon Austin- 11 receptions, 122 yards,

Maryland Leaders

Passing:

Danny O'Brien- 34-52, 289 yards, 1 touchdown, 3 interceptions

Rushing:

Davin Meggett- 19 carries, 113 yards, 1 touchdown

Receiving:

Kevin Dorsey- 9 receptions, 79 yards, 1 touchdown

After crushing Appalachian State last week the Hokie's offense struggled to produce against a much improved East Carolina defense. I never thought this game would end up being a defensive battle. I was expecting a shoot-out all week, but instead we got the exact opposite. This was a very sloppy game played by the Hokies. I saw a lot of things that really concerned me after the Appalachian State game that needed to improve and that didn't happen. There were other issues that came up in this game that have to get worked out in order for this team to make a run at another ACC title let alone an undefeated regular season. With that being said I also saw probably the best defensive performance by our Hokies in a long time if not ever given the offensive ability of East Carolina.

Some things I want to see improve in our next game against Arkansas State are punting, catching the football, penalties and Logan going through his reads. Our punting game cost us a score in this game. Scott Demler got off a 30 yard punt from our own eight yardline giving the Pirates a short field to work with. Bottom line is Demler has got to get better! For the second game in a row the Tech wideouts had a number of drops. Marcus Davis dropped another touchdown pass this game. Danny Coale dropped a touchdown pass although it would have been a tough catch with a defender all over him. There were also a few other catches that should have been made. Our veteran wide receivers are not making life easy for LT. We also need to work on discipline and avoid all the costly penalties. Three interceptions were overturned due to penalties. Two offsides and another due to a very questionable pass interference call on Jayron Hosley. And lastly, I want to see LT go through his reads. Very rarely have I seen him check down or throw to anyone other than his first read.  He has forced to many throws and doesn't go to the open man.

The only bright spots on the day were our rushing attack and the defense. David Wilson gained 132 yards on 26 carries, and Josh Oglesby added 40 yards on nine carries and two scores. LT even got involved with 66 yards on 11 carries on some designed runs. Our defense gave up only 112 yards and sacked ECU quarterback Dominique Davis five times. The ECU offense could only manage 10 points after putting up 37 the week before against South Carolina. The only scoring drives the Hokies gave up were of 38 yards and 17 yards. I couldn't have been more pleased with the way this unit played in this game. The defensive line had pressure on the QB all game, and recording five sacks against a team that surrendered just 15 all of last year is impressive. This unit is much improved from a year ago.

The offense needs to produce this Saturday against a below average opponent in Arkansas State. The number one thing I want to see is LT going through his reads, and not settling on his first option if he isn't open. I am confident in our receivers, so I really don't see the drops as a big deal unless it continues. Scott Demler needs to start getting off some good punts, or we may see Danny Coale back there punting. With two more games ahead of us before we begin the ACC season the Hokies have a lot of work to do.

GO HOKIES!!

The Hokies travel to Greenville, NC to take on the Pirates of East Carolina this weekend. Many fellow Hokie fans and spectators around the country might overlook this game, but to be honest this one scares me a bit. Virginia Tech has won 14 straight road games in North Carolina. The last time the Hokies lost a road game in NC was 1992 to none other than ECU. Tech has also lost a neutral game in Charlotte to ECU in 2008. Basically, in the last 20 years or so the Hokies have only lost two games in the state of North Carolina both coming to the hands of East Carolina.

Other than the fact that ECU is the only team to beat us in North Carolina in about 20 years the other thing that scares me about this game is the potency of their offense. The Hokies defense will see a lot of three and four wide receiver sets similar to App State. The big difference between the ECU and the App State offense is the Pirates are far more talented. East Carolina will throw the ball a lot and try to dink and dunk us to death. They don't run the ball much but when they do it will be hand-offs or read option from the shotgun formation.

The Pirate's offense is lead by 6'3 210lb QB Dominique Davis. This will be his third time facing the Hokies, and he hasn't had much luck against us throwing two touchdowns and four interceptions. 6'3 209lb WR Lance Lewis is the man to keep an eye on. He is their go to wide receiver. He had 13 catches for 113 yards and two scores against USCe in week one. 6'1 181lb WR Justin Hardy appears to be Davis' number two wideout. He caught 11 balls for 91 yards and a TD last week. Their offensive line is good in pass protection, but won't open too many holes for the running backs. They average 6'4 302lbs across the line. They threw the ball 56 times against a good South Carolina defense and didn't give up a sack the entire game.

The East Carolina defense looks to be much improved. Giving up 56 points in week one is a little deceiving though. South Carolina scored a defensive and special teams touchdown. And the ECU offense also turned the ball over several times giving the Gamecocks great field position. They surrendered 351 yards and held Lattimore to just over 100 yards. Now the USCe starting QB sat out the first quarter and a half due to a suspension.  The Gamecocks probably rack up 400+ yards of offense if he plays the entire game. The strength of the Pirate defense is their secondary with three senior starters and a lot of experience at the cornerback position. 5'11 182lb Emmanuel Davis is their big play guy at corner, and 5'10 210lb Bradley Jacobs is a hard hitting safety. Jacobs forced two fumbles against Virginia Tech last season.

Keys to the game:

• Tackling. Tech needs to tackle well in space if not this will leave the potential for some big plays for ECU in the passing game.

• David Wilson. This is the game where he needs to be the man. ECU could put up some points on us, and I'm not sure if Logan Thomas is ready to go out and win a game for us.  I think the coaches are going to lean on Mr. Wilson a lot in this game.  200 yards and a couple scores is what we need out of him.

• Defensive line. The defensive line needs to get pressure on the quarterback. Foster is not going to blitz any linebackers until they are in a third and long situation, so its important for the front four to get some pressure.

• Special Teams. Tech needs to bring their A-game. Hosley will have a chance to take one back this week, so look for Tech to set up the return and not go after the block. We also need to see some improvement out of our punter this week.

I see this being a tight game for three quarters, and the Hokies making a play or two to separate themselves. This will be Logan Thomas' first road game as a starter in a hostile environment. He needs to just manage the game and make no mistakes. Halftime adjustments by Bud Foster, David Wilson and special teams will be the difference in this game. Watch for Dyrell Roberts on kickoff returns.  Although I don't see it happening, but if ECU can shut down David Wilson and force Logan Thomas to beat them this could be an interesting game.

 VT 48 ECU 27

 GO HOKIES!!

The Hokies kicked off the season with a blow out win over Appalachian State this past Saturday. Virginia Tech was clearly the superior team, and although execution was questionable at times they got the job done. A look at the scoreboard would suggest that the Hokies were nearly flawless, but I'd beg to differ. Tech still has a lot of work to do.

Our punt team was nothing short of atrocious! They nearly gave up a block and only averaged 32 yards per punt. That is a huge area of concern for me especially since Beamer take such pride in our special teams. Now on the other hand our punt return team was exceptional. Jayron Hosley had some really nice returns nearly taking two the distance. They even had a block returned for a touchdown, and were inches away from having two other blocks.

There were also way too many drops by the receivers in this game; five that I counted. Marcus Davis had a big dropped that would have been a touchdown, but he did redeem himself going on to have three catches for 160 yards and two touchdowns. Roberts, Boykin and back-ups Corey Fuller and George George each had a drop as well. In this game the drops didn't hurt the Hokies, but in close contest it could be the deciding factor, so we need to get better catching the football.

Now for the good news. David Wilson is an absolute monster. This kid is going to have a huge year if we can keep him healthy. He ran for 162 yards on just 16 carries and three scores. I thought our offensive line played well opening some big holes for the backs and protecting our quarterbacks very well. They did give up a sack on the day, but that sack was probably more Logan Thomas' fault than the line's. I thought Thomas played well for the most part. He still needs to work on his accuracy, but he managed the game great and protected the football. Backup quarterback Mark Leal played really well. I have been hearing comparisons to Bryan Randall all spring and after seeing him play I have to agree.

On the defensive side of the ball I saw a lot of great things. The defensive line played great. They got pressure on the quarterback and clogged up the run game. I really feel this is the best line we have had in a long time, and the numbers at the end of the year will validate that. The linebackers are much improved this year. They are extremely athletic and I really like our depth here. Tariq Edwards and Bruce Taylor are the real deal, and Jeron Gouveia-Winslow is much improved. Our secondary was good, but not great. I really like our corners. I think Kyle Fuller is going to have a really good year. A couple of big plays were given up in the secondary, but only one on our first stringers. Four turnovers on the day was a big plus.

The biggest improvement a football team makes is usually seen in week two. Hopefully some improvement happens for the punt team. East Carolina has a very capable offense, so I am excited to see how this Hokie stop unit performs. And, although ECU's defense appears to have improved from last year the Hokie offense should be able to put up some big numbers. A preview will be available later this week.

GO HOKIES!!

Game-day is approaching fast. Brush the dust off the grills and get your tailgate menu finalized! This is by far my favorite time of year. The anxiety has been building for quite some time and with only 72 hours until kickoff Saturday can't come soon enough. I live for this!

Appalachian State comes to Blacksburg, Va with hopes and dreams of mounting an upset reminiscent of their win in the Big House in 2007. Nobody gave them a chance then, and with Tech dropping a game to JMU last year the stage has been set. Can the Mountaineers from Boone, NC leave Lane Stadium with a victory?

Over the off-season App State has moved from a 4-3 base defense to a 3-4. This is a tough transition if you don't have the personnel, but from looking at their depth chart that shouldn't be a problem. Their defensive line averages 6'3 and 293 lbs. All their linebackers are over 230 lbs and their secondary has good size as well. Size does matter and the Mountaineer defense has just that. With this defensive transition comes new assignments for each position and this is were the problem will arise. Being the first game in a new defense there are going to be blown assignments and missed coverages that’s a given, but will the Hokies be able to exploit these holes under a rookie QB?

On offense the Mountaineers are lead by a veteran QB in DeAndre Presley that can both run and pass. He ran for over 1,000 yards last year and passed for more than 2,600. They are going to spread the field on us and try to pick the Tech defense apart. They will most likely open the game with a four wide receiver set. Their running back is 6'1 210 lb Travaris Cadet. He is a big back and was very productive last year averaging over 5.5 ypc. Cadet also doubles as their kickoff and punt returner. They use a number of wide-outs but the one to watch is #8 Brian Quick. He is a big guy at 6'5 220, and lead them in receiving a year ago.  Quick will be catching passes next year on Sundays. They also have a good size offensive line for an FCS team averaging 6'3 280. The left side of the line is being manned by two freshman. Expect Bud Foster to dial up a few blitzes attacking the that side.

 Keys to the game:

• Survive the initial wave. App State is going to come out fired up. Tech needs to hit them where it hurts and take the wind out of them. A big play for Tech on offense or defense will go a long way. App State can be dangerous if we give them mometum to work with.

• Run the rock. The Hokies need to give the ball to Mr. Wilson early and often. The Tech defense had a hard enough time tackling him during their scrimmages I want to see a less talented Mountaineer defense control him. The Hokies also need to give some much needed reps to their back-ups.

• Logan Thomas. Mike O'Cain needs to break Logan in and settle him down with some easy throws to start the game. For his first career start he is going to have the jitters it wouldn't matter who the opponent is. All we need is for him to manage the game and make good decisions. He has a group of talented receivers and just needs to get them the ball and let them do the rest.

• Backups. We need to get our backups some reps in this game. The defense needs reps from their backup safeties and along the defensive line. The more reps the better. You never know when we will need them down the road and getting them game experience now is valuable.

I think this will be a close game for a quarter or two. They are only going to be able to handle David Wilson for so long. He will break a couple big gains for scores and hopefully not play too much in the second half. Our defense will be suffocating but I do see App State getting a late score or two against some of the back-ups. Logan Thomas should have a good first start. I don't see him putting up too big of numbers maybe two touchdown passes and around 175 yds passing. I just want Logan to play a mistake free game and everyone get through this game healthy.

Hokies 41, App State 17

GO HOKIES!!

Well, Hokie fans it's almost time. I feel like a young boy again on Christmas Eve waiting anxiously to open presents, after months of anticipation it's finally game-week! After months of hard work, conditioning, meetings and practices the players are probably just as relieved as I am that the season is a mere five days away. The beginning is near Hokie Nation!

With all the drama and distractions within the ACC and a manageable schedule for the Hokies I keep asking myself is an undefeated season for the Hokies unrealistic?

I might be getting ahead of myself but this is a question that has constantly been in the back of my mind. Think about it though UNC lost their head coach, Miami has recently been under the NCAA microscope, Georgia Tech is probably a few years away from competing for another ACC title, Clemson is a perennial underachiever, BC always plays us tough but I just don't see them beating us at home, our OOC games are all very winnable, and well UVA , Duke and Wake are just not very good football teams right now.

Before I get too caught up I want to take a look at our projected depth chart and some of my projections/expectations.

 OFFENSE

• QB- #3 Logan Thomas 6'6 254 R-So

• TB- #4 David Wilson 5'10 205 Jr

• FB- #45 Joey Phillips 5'11 221 R-Jr

• TE- #33 Chris Drager 6'4 264 R-Sr

• Fl- #19 Danny Coale 6'0 200 R-Sr

• SE- #81 Jarret Boykin 6'2 218 Sr

• LT- #72 Andrew Lanier 6'4 306 R-Sr

• LG- #75 Greg Nosal 6'6 297 R-Sr

• C- #74 Andrew Miller 6'4 290 R-So

• RG- #72 Jaymes Brooks 6'2 307 R-Sr

• LG- #62 Blake DeChristoper 6'4 311 R-Sr

I am expecting LT to have a good first year as our starting QB with about 2300 yds passing 18 Tds and six ints. He will rush for about 400 yds and five more scores. I think DW will have a big year with about 1500 yds rushing and 17 scores and add around 400 yds receiving and four tds. If he returns kick offs he will take two the distance. Projecting the receivers is a little more difficult. I think Boykin will lead the way with nearly 800 yds and seven scores. Danny Coale and Marcus Davis will be close in production around 500 yds a piece and a couple tds. Drager will be a threat in the red zone I'm not expecting too many yds from him this year. Our O-line will be much improved the run blocking should be great, but I'm still a little worried about pass protection.  If LT and DW can remain healthy for the season the offense will be in good shape.

 DEFENSE

• STUD- #99 James Gayle 6'4 257 R-So

• END- #42 J.R. Collins 6'2 240 R-So

• DT- #98 Derrick Hopkins 6'0 301 So

  #56 Antoine Hopkins 6'1 306 R-Jr

• MIKE- #51 Bruce Taylor 6'2 243 R-Jr

• BACKER-#24 Tariq Edwards 6'2 231 R-So

• WHIP- #43 Jeron G Winslow 6'2 205 R-Jr

• FC- #17 Kyle Fuller 6'0 187 So

• BC- #20 Jayron Hosley 5'10 171 Jr

• FS- #1 Antone Exum 6'0 220 R-So

• ROV- #15 Eddie Whitley 6'1 200 Sr

 I am expecting big things from our defensive line. This will be the best starting four we have had in years and the numbers will back that up. Gayle and Collins could both have double digit sacks, and the Hopkins brothers will get a nice push up the middle. Our linebacker play should be much better than last year. Edwards is a big upgrade at the BACKER position. If we can get more consistent play from the WHIP this group will be very productive as a whole. Bruce Taylor will be all-conference. The secondary will be solid as usual. Exum will be a force with his size and athleticism opposing wide outs will think twice when he's in the vicinity (this kid can hit!). Whitley is the quarterback of the defense and he is going to have a great senior year. I think Fuller will lead the team in picks. Opposing offenses will most likely stay away from Hosley and if they don't you can be sure he will make them pay.

The key to the season for the defense is staying healthy along the defensive line and at ROV and FS. Depth could be an issue if we get dinged up at these positions.

On September 3rd the Hokies will take the field to take on Appalachian State.  Appy State is a very good FCS team and they will come in to Lane Stadium will hopes of getting similar results as JMU did last year.