Collegiate Times

Redshirt juniot defensive end Jason Worilds celebrates with his teammates against Maryland last year.

“They’re good, they’re good,” he said. “I mean, Alabama, you know. What more can you say? It’s Alabama. They’re not going to rebuild, they’re going to reload up front, you know? Physical, tough, physical team and I’m pretty sure they’ve got some Division I players on scholarship over there that’s ready to come and get after it.”

If the Hokies want to start the season off with a bang and knock off Alabama, they’ll have to “come and get after it,” too.

To do that, the Hokies will need to collectively bring the same mentality to the field in Atlanta.

Worilds says he’s not worried about his team playing together, though.

“We have a team full of leaders. I think that’s the special thing about us. We all stand up for each other, so if I see somebody slacking, I’ll say something and also, if somebody else sees someone slacking, they’ll say something. So, we just hold each other accountable and it seems to work,” he said.

Asked if the team chemistry was different this year than his past seasons at Tech, Worilds said, “I think that we’re a very close-knit team.”

“There’s a close knit family atmosphere around here and I think that anybody who comes and hangs around us for 10-15 minutes can tell that right off the bat,” he said.

“Everything. We do everything together,” he said. “We go out together, we hang out together, we go places together, we stay in together, you know — we do everything together. So, I think that’s what brings that mentality.”

Whether or not that mentality will translate onto the field is another question, but if anyone will be honest about Saturday’s matchup – it’s the modest Worilds.

“I think we’ll be fine,” he said. “The biggest thing is — we leave the assumptions up to you guys ... but, we know that when we come out here, we’ve got to work at it every day and I think that’s the biggest part, that’s part of our tradition,” he said.

“That’s the reason why we can reload. We come out here and we work at it, no matter who’s stepping up into the barrel. We’re going to come here and we’re going to work hard. And when the lights are on, we’re going to be ready to perform.”

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