Bill Roth, the play-by-play voice of the Hokies and his side-kick, Mike Burnop, greeted a large group of fans last week as Steve’s FM 106.1, Hart Kia and Buffalo Wild Wings on Starkey Road held its annual Hokie Kick-Off Party at BWW.
“We have a great relationship with Virginia Tech and ISP Sports and we are glad that we can get Bill [Roth] and Mike [Burnop] to come here every year and speak about the Hokies to the Roanoke area fans,” said Dave Carwile, General Manager of Steve’s FM 106.1. “This is the fifth year that we have done this and the crowd gets bigger each time.”
As the large crowd partook in a buffet of wings and other goodies, both Roth and Burnop, a Roanoke native, talked about the 2010 Hokies.
“We will have a strong defensive and offensive unit this season,” said Roth. “[Defensive coordinator] Bud Foster has really been working hard on the defensive unit, while our backfield of quarterback Tyrod Taylor and tailbacks Ryan Williams and Darren Evans, along with a couple of others could be unstoppable this year.”
During a Q&A session, most of the questions centered on the Labor Day Boise State game, as well as to who would back-up quarterback Tyrod Taylor if he gets hurt this season.
The Boise State contest in Washington has been the most talked about game since it was announced last year that these two high profile, preseason Top-10 teams would meet on the gridiron on Sept 6. The game was originally scheduled for October 2, however the date was moved at ESPN’s request.
According to Rivals.com this match up has been rated the No. 1 non-conference college football game of 2010.
Last season, Boise State (14-0) was the WAC champion and finished ranked No. 4 in the country. Meanwhile, Virginia Tech (10-3) concluded with a No. 10 ranking in both the Associated Press and the USA Today Coaches polls.
The latest USA Today Pre-Season Coaches Poll has the Broncos ranked No. 5, while the Hokies are ranked No. 6. ESPN’s poll has Boise State at No. 3 and Virginia Tech at No. 5.
Boise State will try to build on an interesting piece of recent history – three times in the past six seasons, the Hokies have lost an early-season game to the eventual national champion, including to Alabama in last year’s opener. Many observers feel that if Boise State wins, they will have an unbeaten season and a great shot at a spot in the BCS title game.
“Our opening game with Boise State is more important to them then it is to us [Hokies]. Don’t get me wrong, this game is also important to us and you always want to start the season off with a win,” added Roth.
This game, which will be broadcast on ESPN, will mark the second time the Hokies have hosted a game at FedEx Field. Virginia Tech opened its 2004 schedule against Southern California with the Trojans posting a 24-13 victory in front of a capacity crowd.
Win or lose, the game’s host, the Washington Redskins, will pay Virginia Tech $2.35 million and Boise State $1.25 million. Tickets for the Boise State game are still available.
As to who will backup Taylor in case he gets hurt this season, Roth told the crowd that at that point, it looked liked Logan Thomas had the edge over Ju-Ju Clayton – and he was right as Thomas was officially named the number 2 quarterback on Monday.
In the team’s first scrimmage, Clayton and Thomas split time at quarterback. Clayton, a redshirt sophomore, completed 6-of-11 passes for 71 yards with two interceptions, while Thomas, a redshirt freshman, completed 2-of-9 for 20 yards and an interception. Clearly, one scrimmage does not a decision make.
The hour-long event closed with door prizes being award and Carwile reminding fans that they can catch the Hokies games on Roanoke’s 106.1 Steve FM, as well as “Tech Talk”, which will air every Monday night.
By David Grimes [email protected]
