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Written by Shamus Williams
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Monday, 20 August 2007 |
The Virginia Tech defense has finished the
year as the top-ranked unit the past two years, but this year they may
be even better. Even with the losses of Aaron Rouse, Noland
Burchette, and Brenden Hill, the Hokies return a few stars and boost
great depth at every position. Defensive coordinator Bud Foster
is also back (he was talked about as a possible head coach at various
schools) and he brings the “lunchpail” mentality he brought to the
defense back with him.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Chris Ellis will be the anchor of a very
talented defensive front for the Hokies. Last year, I thought
Ellis would finally reach his potential as a great pass-rushing end,
but he was very disappointing, but he appears that he is ready to take
the next step in his senior year. The Hokies must have a great
Ellis if the defense is to continue their top-notch tradition.
Orion Martin will be the starter on the other side, but the real
strength of the Hokies is their depth along the line. Jason
Worilds (formerly known as Jason Adjepong) is a great young talent who
will get many chances to prove himself this year. In the middle,
Tech boosts four very talented tackles and will be able to rotate at
will this year and keep the guys fresh. Tech must do a better job
at stopping the run (than they did last year) if they want to beat
teams like LSU, Clemson and Miami, and compete for a conference and
national championship.
LINEBACKERS
The Hokies have the best linebacking duo in the
country in the form of Vince Hall and Xavier Adibi. Hall is the
steady force who seems to be in on every tackle, while Adibi is the
flashy playmaking star. Both are surefire first-round picks in
the NFL, but they are out to prove they can lead the Hokies to a
national championship before they leave Blacksburg. Cam Martin
appears the frontrunner to grab the final starting position for the
linebackers. The key for him will be to be in the right places
and let Hall and Adibi do it all again this year. Tech has some
depth at linebacker, but they cannot afford to lose Hall or Adibi if
they want to in New Orleans for the BCS National Championship Game.
SECONDARY
You can look around the country and be hard-pressed
finding a better cornerback duo than the Hokies tandem of Brandon
Flowers and Victor “Macho” Harris. Flowers made a name for
himself with a terrific campaign and Harris is just starting to blossom
as a true shutdown corner. The key to the secondary for the
Hokies will be the play out of the two safeties. DJ Parker
returns as the free safety, but must play better than he did last year
in coverage and finishing tackles. Kam Chancellor is the favorite
to start at rover for the team, and he is a big athletic player who has
a wealth of talent. If Chancellor and Parker perform well, then
teams will not be able to pass very much against the Hokies.
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Virginia Tech 