Collegiate Times

Josh Oglesby (25) will compete for playing time as running back in the fall.

The maroon and orange die-hards watched with eagerness as the spring game introduced a new pair of tandems to fill the positions that have been crucial to every successful Virginia Tech football squad.

After injuries and dismissal depleted the running backs stable and graduation did much the same to interior linebacker, the Hokies will rely on a two-pair to reveal itself as the answer to the vacancy at Tech's perennial lynchpins.

Redshirt senior inside linebackers Purnell Sturdivant and Brett Warren and redshirt freshmen running backs Darren Evans and Josh Oglesby have some pretty sizable shoes to fill.

The two positions collided on the maroon team's first offensive possession of Saturday's scrimmage, as Sturdivant clocked Evans on a screenplay in the backfield.

Suffice it to say, these units took the field for Saturday's annual Maroon-White spring football game looking to prove something.

"Yeah, I had to show him a little taste of what I had," Sturdivant said. "Me and the running backs had a little challenge this spring: Do a little hitting and see who can do the hardest hit, who runs who over and just competing every day to try and make one another better."

Sturdivant also stuffed Evans at the goal line twice during the first half.

"I love the goal line; it gives me a chance to use my speed even more," Sturdivant said. "Just to get downhill and to get an angle on the running backs and just take advantage of it."

At a stocky 5'10" and 234 pounds, Sturdivant's shape suits plugging the goal line trenches well.

However, Evans - who tallied an absurd 61 touchdowns as a high school senior - isn't used to taking "no" for an answer and rushed for the intrasquad scrimmage's first touchdown.

"(It was) an open hole, you just get under there and get a little push in," Evans said. "Today was kind of easy because the defense didn't bring a lot of blitzes and stuff."

In the spring game, neither team is allowed to bring more than five pass rushers on a given play, so Sturdivant and Warren were held from fully attempting to emulate the reign of terror that their predecessors, Xavier Adibi and Vince Hall, had brought to opposing quarterbacks.

Tech fans have already gotten a flattering glimpse of Warren, with his exceptional performances in Hall's absence down the stretch last season.

His four-game stand-in helped inspire defensive coordinator Bud Foster to consider Warren's linebacker spot "more solidified" than the other linebacker positions coming into spring practice.

Sturdivant also aided his own case on Saturday and seems determined to continue.

"Me and Brett Warren, we've been backing up Adibi and Vince the past couple years ... It's been as much (of a learning experience) off the field as on," Sturdivant said.

Foster felt that the years they spent as understudys would pay off for his linebackers.

"Two redshirt seniors - without a doubt, that's going to be a plus," Foster said.

Foster said that the opportunities at playing time might not hurt, either.

"I saw Brett Warren get better and better each week when he played last year, and I expect (Sturdivant) to get better each game as it goes along."

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