Heisman Hopefuls.

Well the much anticipated College football season kicks off on Thursday. So I am going to go ahead and list my Heisman Hopefuls. Um, GO HOKIES!!!!


1. Troy Smith QB (OSU)
2. Adrian Peterson RB (OU)
3. Brady Quinn QB (ND)
4. Marshawn Lynch RB (CAL)
5. Michael Bush RB (LOU)
6. Ted Ginn Jr. WR (OSU)
7. Brian Brohm QB (LOU)
8. Kenny Irons RB (AUB)
9. Calvin Johnson WR (GT)
10. Dwayne Jarrett WR (USC)

Well, like I said in an earlier post, my early pick is Troy Smith. I think he has all of the skills to win it, he is the double of Vince Young. But with a better arm. Adrian Peterson is alot of people's picks and he was mine too. But with the loss of Rhett Bomar and J.D. Quinn, I think his chances fall quite a bit. Brady Quinn at his best is probaly the best QB in the nation, look for him to put up huge numbers. My sleeper pick is Branden Ore...just kidding.(or am I) On this list my sleeper is Calvin Johnson. He is said to be the best wide receiver in nation and this year he needs to step up and prove it. I think he will do just that.

My Top 25

Tonight when I was talking on The Braves Journal, I saw a fellow commentator's mock top 25. Seeing 4-Seam's rankings got me thinking of mine. So here they are.

1. Ohio State
2. Auburn
3. Texas
4. Notre Dame
5. West Virginia
6. LSU
7. USC
8. Florida
9. Miami(FL)
10. Louisville
11. Florida State
12. California
13. Iowa
14. Michigan
15. Virginia Tech
16. Clemson
17. Oklahoma
18. Georgia
19. Nebraska
20. Penn State
21. Tennessee
22. TCU
23. Alabama
24. Oregon
25. Boise State

Go ahead Davey, inform me that I put Miami(FL) in front of my Hokies. Just remember, this is my opening kickoff top 25, when it all comes down to it Virginia Tech will be hoisting the ACC championship trophy. I don't know why ESPN and other major sports providers are still putting Oklahoma in their top 10. They lost their starting quarterback and one of their best Offensive lineman. Without a proven starter at qb, there will be no one to take some pressure off of Adrian Peterson, And there is going to be a huge gap in that front 5. I have West Virginia ranked #5....for now. I am very interested to see if Pat White and Steve Slaton can provide the same spark they did last year as Freshman. With Texas much like VT, there is a quarterback situation. The have named redshirt freshman Colt McCoy as there starter, and if he provides steady play at qb and with that running core, Texas could be looking at a very bright season. Ohio State is my #1 team. They have two legitimate Heisman canidates at Troy Smith and Ted Ginn Jr.(By the way i'm taking Troy Smith) If the defense holds up then I beleive you will see OSU playing for the National Championship. Auburn, what can you say. Kenny Irons, I love this guy, probaly one of the best runningbacks in the nation.(Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch make a pretty good case for that title as well.) Brandon Cox, solid QB and looks like he will have a huge year throwing it to the gifted WR Courtney Taylor. I'm going to go ahead and pick Ohio State and Auburn for the National Championship game. But don't get me wrong, Virginia Tech will make alot of noise this year, if Sean Glennon proves to be the right choice(which I think he will) at qb, Virginia Tech will be in the top 5. Mark it down!!!

Carson Palmer Ace's 1st test, Cincy wins big!!!

I was only expecting Carson Palmer to play a couple of series and at most the 1st quarter. But he proved me wrong by playing the entire 1st half. I'm sure the entire city of Cincinnati held their breath when Palmer took his first hit...but when he stood up and jogged back to the huddle a sigh of releif and an eruption of applause came from the entire stadium and from me sitting on my couch. He took hits(although he didn't have to endure many of them thanks to the amazing blocking of his front 5)and he even took a hit by Packers defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins, on his reconstructed left knee. But like the man he is, he jumped up and jogged back to the huddle. Overall on the night Carson went 9/14 140 yrds and 3 tds. BTW, Cincy won the game 48-17.

Carson Palmer set to make his Pre-Season Debut

Carson Palmer is scheduled to play in his first pre-season game Monday against the Green Bay Packers. This will be the first action Palmer will see since completely blowing his knee out against the Steelers in January. Although He has worked extremely hard in his rehabilitation of his knee, he still seems to be hesitant and tentative about getting in there and playing with live action. While Marvin Lewis and the rest of the Bengal's staff want to be careful with Palmer and make sure they don't rush him back to soon, they need to know if he will be ready for the season opener against Kansas City on September 10. Don't expect to see Carson Palmer that much, he will most likely only play a couple of series and that's it. Then the ball will be turned over to Anthony Wright, who has a career QB rating of 66.6. Do you see where I'm going with this?!?!

Latest Virginia Tech scrimmage

On Saturday's scrimmage the Hokies defense was down right brutal. Controlled by a devastating defensive line the only back that was able to break the 10 yard mark was Branden Ore. He rushed for 29 yards on five carries. Xavier Adibi, Dorian Porch and Barry Booker each recorded four takles during the scrimmage.

This bides well for Barry Booker. Since it seems like he was beaten out of a starting job by fellow Junior Kory Robertson. Booker will see playing time due the lack of consistent good play by Robertson. Booker is more consistent but no where near as talented as Kory.

The Untouchables

We always have a great 1-2 puch at runningback. This year is no exception. But will it be as good as the greatest of all-time.(in my un-biased opinion)

Virginia Tech getting no love from the Sportsnation!

In the latest sportsnation poll on ESPN.com the question was which one of these schools will win the ACC title in 2006?

A. Clemson
B. Florida State
C. Georgia Tech
D. Miami
E. Virginia Tech

Well I would obviously choose Virginia Tech, but lets just say 87% of the nation doesn't feel the same way as me. I am sure my boy Davey would agree with the rest of the nation, mostly because he is a Canes' fan. VT finished third in this poll with only 13%, but that is ok, I don't mind being an underdog.

Finished Poll

A. Clemson- 12%
B. Florida State- 39%
C. Georgia Tech- 7%
D. Miami- 30%
E. Virginia Tech- 13%

VT2K5

The best of the 2005 Virginia Tech Hokies.

Virginia Tech Football Preview

The Hokies are coming off a very good 11-2 season and a Gator Bowl victory against a strong Louisville team. Virginia Tech has double-digit wins in 5 of the last 7 seasons. But they come into this season with alot of question marks. Who will be the starting Quarterback? Is Brandon Ore completely recovered from off-season shoulder surgery? How good will the defense be without the senior leadership of Darryl Tapp, Jimmy Williams, James Anderson and Jonathan Lewis? Some of these questions have been answered but most won’t be answered untill the kickoff of the 2006 season.

Quarterbacks

With constant trouble-maker Marcus Vick no longer with the Hokies, the obvious question has been who will become the new starter? That question has been answered, Sophomore Sean Glennon was named the starter for the season opener against Northeastern on September 2. Glennon is a true pocket passer, which the Hokies haven’t had in a very long time. For most of the off-season it has been a three man race to see who would be the starting quarterback. One of the other QBs in the race is fellow Sophomore Cory Holt, who backed up Marcus Vick last year. Cory is 6-4 222 and a very gifted runner as is 6-4 206 Redshirt Freshman Ike Whitaker. If Glennon can’t get it done then I look for Frank Beamer to turn to Holt.

Runningbacks

After losing the Senior duo of Mike Imoh and Cedric Humes, the Hokies have another promising duo, Branden Ore and George Bell. Branden Ore had off-season shoulder surgery but is fully recovered and is the go to guy. He had 647 rushing yards on only 109 attempts. With those numbers as a third string freshman, the sky is the limit as a starter. I am predicting Ore to have over 1,000 yards, which would be the first Hokie to do that since Kevin Jones did it in 2003. George Bell is 5-10 220 with good speed and good power. I expect him to be a third down and goal line type guy this year. With this duo, the ACC can expect more pounding ground game out of Blacksburg.

Receivers/Tight Ends

This is already said to be the most talented receiving cores ever at Virginia Tech. With David Clowney, Josh Morgan, Eddie Royal, Josh Hyman and Justin Harper, look for the Hokies to pass more than ever. Royal and Clowney will be the deep threats. Morgan, Hyman and Harper are known more for their strength and size at split end. With only 28 receptions last year, look for Morgan to get more opportunities this year. With the loss of Jeff King at Tight End the Hokies will most likely look to their Freshmen. Sam Wheeler and Ed Wang are both unproven, so the Hokies might use more sets with three wideouts to get the best players on the field.

Offensive Line

This is one of the most inexperienced group of linemen at VT in a while. They only have two returning starters in Danny McGrath and Duane Brown. They will fill the other three holes with highley thought of Freshman Sergio Render, Brandon Frye and Nick Marshmann. This Offensive line must learn to pass block better if they hope to free up the talented receivers.

Defensive Line

After key losses of Darryl Tapp and Jonathan Lewis, you would think that they would be worried about their situation. But no, Chris Ellis, who had six sacks last season, is ready and more than capable of replacing Tapp and becoming the next great Virginia Tech defensive end. Ellis also has a nice compliment in Noland Burchette on the other side. The real question is the defensive tackles. Carlton Powell had a decent sophomore season after returning from ankle injury. The one thing VT needs to look for is a disruptive force in the middle like Jonathan Lewis. They need to look no futher than Kory Robertson. He is just huge at 6-2 331 pounds, he has the ability to plug the holes and create havoc for opposing offensive lines.

Linebackers

The only significant loss here is James Anderson. But it looks like Breneden Hill will hold off Corey Gordon for that spot. There is no 1-2 punch at the LB position like Xavier Adibi and Vince Hall. Remember those two names because they will both be All-Americans. Adibi has excellent speed and hits as hard truck.But he must develop in pass coverage. Vince Hall has extremely good vision and never shys away from contact. Virginia Tech is solid at the linebacker position.

Defensive Backs

The secondary should continue to be very good even with the loss of All-American Jimmy Williams and punishing hitter Justin Hamilton. Safety Aaron Rouse is one of the most underrated safeties in the ACC and maybe the whole country. He hits hard, he is a ballhawk and he has great closing speed. Cornerback Roland Minor, who started 12 games last year and had 3 interceptions with 1 TD will be the starter but he is being pushed by a very gifted athlete in Victor Harris. Another possible starter at corner is Brandon Flowers who is very promising and isn’t afraid of contact. D.J. Parker is more than ready to be the full-time starter at free safety.

Speacial Teams

Frank Beamer is the speacial teams guru. He has been paying even more attention this season after a bit of down season last year. Eddie Royal and Josh Morgan are going to be the returners once again this year and Royal is looking to have a huge year. Brandon Pace is one of the most realiable kickers in the ACC after making 19-22 in FGs. Nic Schmitt is a tank of a man at 6-2 273. That’s right I said 273 pounds. He averaged 43.2 yards per punt last year which is good enough for second all-time in school history. Beamer will be looking to enhance “Beamer Ball” in practice after only blocking 3 kicks last season.

Coaching Staff

Frank Beamer is the Head Coach and the special teams coach. He has been the Head Hokie for 19 years now and 25th at the school. The offensive coordinator is Bryan Stinespring. He has been the coordinator for 5 years now and he has been at the school for 17 years. He has the best receiving core and a great ground game this season. Bud Foster is the defensive coordinator. He has been with hokies for 20 years and he has been the defensive coordinator for 12 years. He is one of the best coordinators in the country and many teams have tried to pry him away but they have had no luck.

Outlook

The outlook for this season looks good. We have a good running game, a pocket passer that will be able to find each and eveyone our great receivers. On the defensive side of the ball, you can look for the Hokies to be a top team once again. Our schedule is very generous and we should get double digit wins.

Schedule
Sept. 2 Northeastern
Sept. 9 at North Carolina
Sept. 16 Duke
Sept. 23 Cincinnati
Sept. 30 Georgia Tech
Oct. 12 at Boston College*
Oct. 21 Southern Miss
Oct. 26 Clemson*
Nov. 4 at Miami
Nov. 11 Kent State
Nov. 18 at Wake Forest
Nov. 25 Virginia
*Thursday

Our tough games this season are at Miami, Clemson and Boston College. Once we get passed those it should be easy sailing. I’m not going to predict a record, mainly because I feel they have a shot at 11-1 or even 12-0.