Correction: This story has been modified from its original version. — Boston College did not join the ACC in the 2004 season. The Collegiate Times regrets this error.
This is their year. It has to be. The annual winter trek from Blacksburg to Jacksonville (or Tampa), then to Miami is getting old. The 2009 Virginia Tech football team needs a new challenge.
The recent commitment of Zach McCray fired me up for this year for some reason. It really gives the feel that Saturdays at Lane Stadium are not that far away.
No more Orange Bowl, this team could very well be playing for the BCS national championship come January, and here's why.
This is now Tyrod Taylor's team. After two seasons of "will-he-or-won't-he redshirt?" talk to begin the year, everyone in the country knows Taylor will line up under center from the very beginning and won't have to look back.
Taylor spent most of last season throwing to an extremely inexperienced group of wide receivers, which led to just two touchdowns and seven interceptions for the season. This year that group of wide receivers will have much higher expectations, and Taylor should have much more confidence throwing to them.
The team returns a wealth of depth at runing back, led by Darren Evans and redshirt freshman Ryan Williams.
Looking back on the program's most successful seasons under Frank Beamer, the offense featured a versatile 1-2 punch at running back.
In 1999 it was Shyrone Stith and Andre Kendrick, paving the way to an 11-0 season and national title appearance.
In 2002, Lee Suggs and Kevin Jones each topped 1,000 yards on the ground as the Hokies blasted opponents including LSU, Marshall and Texas A & M.
In 2004, the Hokies won the ACC Championship with Cedric Humes and Mike Imoh carrying the ground game.
This year's edition, Evans and Williams, could prove to be the best of the bunch. Evans ran for 1,265 yards a year ago, and that was only starting after Kenny Lewis was lost to injury midway through the season. Evans was out of his element last season, having to run both between the tackles and outside on the corner.
Evans is much more suited for the inside power running game. This year his carries should come predominantly in that area, while the redshirt freshman Williams will use his lightning speed to take care of the outside rushing for the Hokies.
Williams has the potential to be the most explosive player the program has seen since a man named Michael Vick donned the orange and maroon. This spring, Williams was the highlight of every scrimmage in the spring, including an 80-yard run and 66-yard catch in separate scrimmages that went for scores.
With an offensive line that has a player with starting experience at every position, the running game at Tech could be one of the best in the country.
Go ahead and pencil in the Tech defense to lead the ACC in most categories also, if not the nation. All-Americans in the secondary and defensive line should dominate most opponents.
Kam Chancellor will line up at safety, where his rare combination of speed and strength will make him a multimillionaire come the 2010 NFL Draft. He will pair up with cornerback Stephan Virgil, the next in line of great cornerbacks in the program.
The long history of top NFL picks from that position, including DeAngelo Hall, Jimmy Williams, Brandon Flowers, and Victor "Macho" Harris, should continue with Virgil.
Sophomore Jake Johnson will start in the middle of the linebacking corps, where he could be the surprise player of the year. With a fierce mentality that perfectly suits his mentor Bud Foster's style, Johnson has the potential to be a memorable player by the time his career in Blacksburg is over.
It is less than 90 days away from kickoff in Atlanta, when perhaps the most important game of the Tech season will take place against the Crimson Tide of Alabama.
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The parity in college football is no joke. However, your spelling, as a representative of Virginia Tech in its student-run paper, is. The word is P A R I T Y not PARODY. Where are the good editors when you need them.
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Has anyone heard of this kid Jeremy Cannon Northwest Cabarrus High QB? Just saw some footage of the kid and he is amazing. Check out Youtube. Boy we need a QB in the worst way. He may be the answer. http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=jeremy+cannon+northwest+cabarrus&aq=f
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"Bud Foster's onslaught of complicated blitz schemes can make even future pro stars look average (see: Matt Ryan)" -You mean the same Matt Ryan that seemed to beat us single-handed, in the last minute of a Thursday Night home game?! Last time I checked, not many QBs do that. Scott, we picked up two great QB commits in Mark Leal (6'1", 185 lbs, Atlantic Community HS, Delray Beach, FL) and Ricardo Young (6'1", 170 lbs, H.D. Woodson HS, Washington, DC).
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I find it interesting, Bamman, that you're critical of this student writer for a typo, and then end the post with a grammatical gaffe of your own. Questions, such as "Where are the good editors when you need them," are followed with question marks, smart guy.
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Yeah, we are feed this same line of crap every year, nothing new here folks, let's move along.
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This is a really bad article. I mean in 99 we also had this guy named Vick who was kind of helpful. Note to mention the nations number scoring defense.
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I realize the CT doesn't really strike gold on the press credentials, and it would be marginally difficult for you to actually do research, but you have not said a single thing that hasn't been printed 100 times in the last month, and your article is riddled with mistakes, both factual and grammatical. BC, Miami, and Virginia Tech did not all join the ACC in the same year. We aren't 'returning a wealth of depth' with a sophomore and two freshmen leading the way. We didn't shut down GT's offense, we snuck past them (thanks to penalties and turnovers). Matt Ryan was not average against us; he manufactured a miracle to beat us at home on a Thursday night in an extremely meaningful game. Don't ever 'get tired' of winning the ACC. Most teams dream of winning conference championships. You are clearly young and new to the Hokie nation. I will gladly take an Orange Bowl every year. A national championship is something few teams ever sniff, and if we make it this season, it will be with a lot of talent and a lot of luck. For your next football article, make a serious effort to talk to players and coaches so that you can give your readers a unique perspective. I could have written something more interesting than this myself after 10 minutes of looking up stats in the media guide.
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Wow - is this what the CT has sunk to? PLEASE get some better sports coverage before the season starts!
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Zug, You're absolutely right, touche.
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"The long history of top NFL picks" Good to know the 2nd to 5th round is a top pick
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Does anyone know if VT is looking at the kid from North Carolina? Saw him at the UGA Elite 11 QB Camp and boy is the kid a stud. He looks like Mike Vick but taller, bigger, and the ARM on the kid is a Cannon which matches his last name. We need a QB in the worst way. Seems like NC State, UNC, Florida, and Tenn are in the running. Please look at the kid Jeremy Cannon Northwest Cabarrus. His Youtube video is amazing. Can anyone say Mike Vick but with a Bret Favre ARM.
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I don't recall all this talk before the 99 season about a NC I saw we just look at each game at a time liek the team does and not talk all this NC crap. Yeah, I would love to see them get there adn think there could be the possibility but why start up the talk and then get dissapointed. Maybe we shold talk about how they should change the BCS games around so if we do win multiple times in a row we don't go to the same location as the year before. then fans might not be as disappointed when we just make it to the Miami again. didn't they use to move around who played in what bowl game?
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