MSNBC "Ask the Expert" says Hokie-D could D-feat USC in Rose Bowl. Bandwagon starts to roll.
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Hokies’ defense could challenge Trojans
Asking anyone to slow USC tall order, but talented Va. Tech could do it
ASK THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL EXPERT
By Joey Johnston
NBCSports.com contributor
Updated: 4:01 p.m. ET Sept. 27, 2005
Joey Johnston
Ask the College Football Expert is here with answers to your questions. Since the Heisman Trophy will be handed out and the national champion crowned before you know it, let’s quickly move to the first question and get started.
Q: Does Virginia Tech have the best defense in the country? If they were to meet in the Rose Bowl, what challenges would it present USC?
—Eric Templer, Pittsburgh
A: You could actually make a case that two other ACC teams (Florida State, Miami) have more promising elements on defense. But so far, Eric, no defense has performed more effectively than Virginia Tech’s unit.
Granted, two of the wins were against Duke and Ohio University. But North Carolina State was throttled in the late going, when it mattered most, in a 20-16 loss to the Hokies. Then Georgia Tech was shut down completely, 51-7, by Virginia Tech, which allowed just 227 yards. Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey said Virginia Tech was the best team he has seen during his four seasons in the ACC.
Virginia Tech made its biggest splash with Michael Vick at quarterback in the late ’90s. But then — and now — Virginia Tech was a program that cut its teeth on defense and special teams. Hokies defensive coordinator Bud Foster is one of the best in the business. The most impressive aspect of Virginia Tech’s defense is the way it plays together, always making the whole seem greater than the sum of its parts.
With elements such as cornerback Jimmy Williams, defensive lineman Daryl Tapp and linebacker Xavier Adibi, the Hokies have All-American level talent. It’s difficult to imagine any defense shutting down the USC offensive machine, but Va. Tech might be the best choice to take on that task.
The Hokies’ secondary would have enough savvy to allow extra pressure on Matt Leinart. That would be the key. Virginia Tech’s series of deceptive looks and blitzes may be enough to confuse and/or disrupt the Trojans.
We might have a good chance to find out. Virginia Tech will go to a difficult environment Saturday at West Virginia, but the tale will really be told with a four-game stretch (Oct. 20 at Maryland, Oct. 27 vs. Boston College, Nov. 5 vs. Miami, Nov. 19 at Virginia). Then there’s the inaugural ACC Championship Game in Jacksonville on Dec. 3, a hurdle Virginia Tech didn’t face last season in the ACC (or during its former life in the old Big East).
No matter what, it appears that Virginia Tech will ride its defense (not the passing of mercurial quarterback Marcus Vick) through the season. Based on what we’ve seen so far, that might be enough for a reasonable shot at Pasadena.
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