Ryan Williams To Cardinals, Kyle Rudolph Snagged By Vikings

Two standouts from Brian and I's respective alma maters were selected during the first two days of the 2011 NFL Draft.

Virginia Tech standout running back Ryan Williams went off the board first with the 38th overall pick to the Arizona Cardinals. He joins former Ohio State rusher Beanie Wells who had some injuries last season in the backfield.

The pick surprised many "experts" but as Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt explained, "To be quite honest with you, we're looking at pick 38 and we've got the 15th-ranked player starting us back in the face so that's something you really have to consider."

Williams was the second running back taken after Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram went at No. 28 to The New Orleans Saints.

Notre Dame's versatile tight end Kyle Rudolph was selected just five picks after Williams with the 43rd pick by the Minnesota Vikings.

Rudolph joins Brian and his wife Michelle in Minneapolis after catching 90 passes for 1,032 yards and eights touchdowns during his time in South Bend.

He also joins surprising first round selection Christian Ponder. The quarterback out of Florida State went to Minnesota with the 12th overall pick.

We wish both players the best of luck and look forward to more players from both schools going in the draft today.

ESPN's Three For The Show: Tyrod Taylor

Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor is one of the most gifted athletes in the entire 2011 NFL Draft, but he continues to hear knocks on his ability to play his position. He's the fastetst quarterback in the draft (4.51 40-yard dash) and he really has an underrated arm.

He might be a small project, but the upside for him is tremendous.

Here's a look behind the scenes from ESPN as Tyrod prepares for the NFL Draft and all that goes into it.

Of special note in the highlight reel at the begining, at 2:42 there's a Tyrod run from a game in Blacksburg that I believe had Mr. Sienkiewicz and perhaps Mr. Jones in attendance. Correct if I'm wrong gentlemen, the memory is clouded by Evan Williams.

Darren Evans Declares For NFL Draft

Virginia Tech Redshirt junior tailback Darren Evans announced he was skipping his senior season to enter the NFL Draft.

Evans rushed for 854 yards and 11 touchdowns this season after missing all of 2009-10 with a torn ACL. The season prior, Evans ran for a then freshman record 1,265 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Evans may soon be joined by fellow Tech back Ryan Williams who many feel is leaning towards declaring early as well.

Virginia Tech Unveils Orange Helmets

A season that started with black uniforms will end with orange helmets in the Orange Bowl.

For the first time in program history the Hokies will wear burnt orange helmets with chicago maroon facemasks January 3 against Stanford.



I have been without Internet access and I'll be in transit northward soon. Expect more bowl coverage in the coming weeks as the season edges toward capacity.

Hokies Own Commonwealth Cup

It may come as no surprise to most, but Virginia Tech once again defeated Virginia 37-7 Saturday in Blacksburg.

Rivalry games are a funny thing and past dominance is in no way an accurate predictor of future outcomes—just ask USC.

When it comes to UVA of course, they're still really, REALLY bad. In fact Saturday marked day 2,191 of Tech's continuous possession of the Commonwealth Cup. The gap, or shall I say chasm between the two programs grew wider by the minute under former head coach Al Groh and new head man Mike London has his work cut out for him in the coming years.

The biggest thing London has in his favor is that he isn't Groh. That by default leads me to believe the Wahoos will improve during his tenure and that bodes well for the rivalry. One-sided affairs aren't fun after several in a row—just ask Notre Dame.

Ultimately, the only poor decision made by Tech yesterday was the choice to drink from that dirty ol' cup. And don't worry, it's just Gatorade, see?

Virginia Tech vs. Virginia

Saturday at noon the Hokies host their upstate rivals from the University of Virginia in the 92nd gridiron meeting between the schools.

As a general service to the public, each year at this time I like to remind everyone why UVA sucks.

Whether it's the level of pretentiousness, or simply the student body's penchant for popped collars and fine cheeses there are plenty of reasons not to like Mr. Jefferson's university.

I won't wax poetic on the downsides of the "school up north" but below is my favorite UVA related video from recent years.

Virginia Tech Picks Off Tar Heels 26-10

Virginia Tech is rolling on offense and defense to the tune of an 8-2 overall record and a perfect 6-0 mark in ACC play following the win in Chapel Hill Saturday afternoon.

Tyrod Taylor threw two touchdown passes to Marcus Davis and the Hokie defense intercepted Carolina QB T.J. Yates four times, including the acrobatic play by free safety Eddie Whitley above.

Cornerback Jayron Hosley had two picks of his own and leads the team with seven on the season.

The Hokies head to Miami next week to take on the Hurricanes then finish up the regular season in Blacksburg against Virginia.

Tech stands an excellent chance to keep its streak of consecutive 10-win seasons alive and is on track to play for the ACC title for the third time in four seasons.

Hokies Defeat Georgia Tech 28-21

It was an excellent Thursday night in Blacksburg as my house christened our new (used) kegerator and the Hokies pulled off an exciting victory against the Yellow Jackets.

The nation was properly introduced to Virginia Tech's David Wilson who returned a kickoff for what would turn out being the winning touchdown.

With the win the Hokies are now 7-2 (5-0) and are in the driver's seat for the ACC Coastal Division crown.

Here's the kick return for those who missed it.

Hokie Lineman Greg Nosal Goes All Out

During the Hokies' 45-21 win over Central Michigan Saturday, offensive lineman Greg Nosal lost the tip of his pinkie finger after it was sandwiched between two Chippewa helmets.

The medical staff searched and found his finger tip in his glove. They gave him the option of immediate reattachment or putting it on ice and waiting, he chose the latter.

The Hokies now sit at 4-2 on the season and more importantly 2-0 in the ACC. Tech is back in action again next weekend at home against Wake Forest.

Amanda Bateman returns to Blacksburg for that tilt. Prepare accordingly.

Virginia Tech Football: Welcome To 1998?

Six days, two Hokie losses.

If your brain can’t fully wrap itself around that, fear not, you aren’t alone.

In less than a week, the Hokies went from being a team many saw as a legitimate national championship contender to not receiving any votes in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll after heartbreaking 33-30 loss to Boise State last Monday, and a head-scratching upset loss at home to James Madison 21-16 Saturday.

An elaborate ploy to ruin Boise State’s strength of schedule? Perhaps.

More likely, this Hokie team is young on defense and left searching for answers.

Tech now sits at 0-2 for the first time since 1995, a season that ended in a Sugar Bowl victory over Texas.

While few saw that turnaround coming, it’s hard to find any optimism in Blacksburg these days.

The Hokies have played roughly three quarters of good offense through two games and a whole bunch of mediocre defense.

Tech fans knew this defense had to replace seven of the starters. They would be a young unit, but Bud Foster always gets the most out of his group right?

The Hokies were thin up the middle to start, with depth issues at linebacker and all along the defensive line. Add a season-ending injury to defensive tackle Kwamaine Battle and things get even thinner.

An inexperienced defense is one thing, but Tech can’t even tackle consistently right now as evidenced on a 77-yard touchdown pass Saturday.

“What adjective you want me to use? Pathetic? Unacceptable?” Foster said Monday.

To me, it’s inexcusable. And we’re going to get that correct. If not, we’re going to find guys that want to get out here and play, and play the way we’ve done it.”

Tying this back to the title, the loss to JMU marks almost certainly the worst loss in Tech history. The only comparable game was No. 10 Virginia Tech’s 1998 loss to the lowly Temple Owls 28-24 in Lane Stadium.

Up until this weekend, any mention of that game brought blank stares and pure denial about the existence of such a game.

That Tech team vaulted high in the rankings after starting 5-0 but they struggled to finish games down the stretch, losing heartbreakers to Syracuse and Virginia following the Temple debacle.
1998 was a largely forgettable season, especially in light of the following year’s run to the national championship game.

So will 2010 be like ’95 or ’98?

The ACC doesn’t appear to be particularly strong this season so a BCS bowl berth is still amazingly a possibility.

At this point however, it’s fair to say Tech could win or lose every game remaining on the schedule starting with East Carolina Saturday.

The Pirates are 2-0 under new coach Ruffin McNeill who brought Mike Leach’s “Air Raid” offense with him from Texas Tech. ECU has averaged 50 points per game in their two outings and rank 18th in the nation in total offense.

Needless to say, 2010 is going to be an interesting year.