ESPN.com - No. 15: Virginia Tech

ESPN.com: ESPNMagazine

Tuesday, August 20, 2002
Updated: August 22, 2:02 PM ET
No. 15: Virginia Tech

By By Pete Thamel

They do run-run, that's for sure. But they need to show, quick-time, that running isn't all they can do. From the opening whistle, with the nation's best running back tandem and a quarterback playing with an ACL tear, Hokies coach Frank Beamer will see more men in the box than the brothers in Six Feet Under. Beamer worries about "things getting a little snug" at the line of scrimmage, as defenses drop anchor to stop shifty sophomore RB Kevin Jones and bruising senior Lee Suggs. After scoring 28 TDs in 2000, Suggs ripped his left ACL in the season opener last year and spent the fall rehabbing in a swimming pool. Suggs insists he's back at full speed, and he'll need to be to keep up with Jones. Though he didn't earn the starting job until nine games into last season, Jones wound up with 957 yards, shattering Tech's freshman record. Senior QB Grant Noel is wearing a left knee brace to protect his ACL, and backup Bryan Randall has just 12 career completions. But the biggest question is: Who'll catch the ball? With 16 grabs last year, Shawn Witten tops all returning receivers. "If we don't demand some respect in our throwing game," Beamer says, "we'll be blocking 10 guys all day long." And if someone doesn't loosen up those defenses? Listen for chants to fill Lane Stadium demanding the redshirt be ripped off true freshman QB Marcus Vick, Michael's little brother.


	If things get too hot for Beamer, there's always mini-Vick.

HOT WIRE

Hiring former Syracuse and Notre Dame offensive coordinator Kevin Rogers as quarterbacks coach softens the blow of losing longtime O-coordinator Rickey Bustle, now head coach at Louisiana-Lafayette. Marcus Vick, concerned that Bustle was "too conservative," cites Rogers' arrival as the reason he chose the Hokies. And Noel credits Rogers' footwork tips with adding 10 yards to his deep ball.

TRIP WIRE

The Arkansas State opener and league games vs. Temple and Rutgers aside, Beamer calls the 2002 schedule "the toughest a Tech team has ever played." Out: Central Florida, UConn. In: LSU, Marshall, Texas A&M. Trips to Miami, Syracuse and Boston College bolster Beamer's case.

WIRE TAP

"I have just two words: Go deep. Virginia Tech's safeties, especially FS Willie Pile, love to sneak up toward the line. You can beat them by going up top. If you have a good tight end who can really run, have him work the deep middle and you can stretch the Hokies out. Also, LB Ben Taylor has graduated, and he was their run defense."

BRISTOL WIRE

Mel Kiper Jr.: "Lee Suggs has to carry this offense. With so much uncertainty at quarterback, the Hokies need a dominating running game. There's a lot of talent on this team, but lots of questions, too."

The ESPN Power 16
1	Oklahoma	9	Colorado
2	Florida State	10	Washington State
3	Miami	11	Washington
4	Texas	12	Oregon
5	Tennessee	13	Nebraska
6	Florida	14	Michigan State
7	Georgia	15	Virginia Tech
8	Ohio State	16	LSU

This article appears in the September 2 issue of ESPN The Magazine.

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