With the Hokie Hotline taking two weeks off and not broadcasting again until December 29th from Jacksonville, this week's "Hokie Hotline Notes" are instead "Tech Talk Tuesday" notes. TTT airs every Tuesday in Richmond on AM 910 from 7:00-8:30.

The show opened with a call from Hokie Mike: What are the chances of getting a "name" team for next year?

Answer: Tech is hoping that having Michael Vick back will help us get a game. It will help if Vick and Andre Davis have good games in the Gator. It would also be nice if Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese would step in and help get Notre Dame to the table with VT. That would make a great game up in the Kick off Classic. Playing ND in the Fiesta this year would have been a little easier than playing Clemson

Ken Tysiac, beat writer from the newspaper that covers Clemson, was the next guest. He noted that Tommy Bowden said, after last year’s game, that he wished Clemson could play VT again after his offense had been in place for another year. The writer joked that maybe Bowden may not have wished that if he’d known it would happen.

He spoke about Eason, the DE that tore his ACL. He was described as the best defensive lineman Clemson has. They have no one capable of replacing him. His back up, Marcus Lewis, tore his ACL the same day Eason did. The other DE is also hobbled by a sprained ankle. He was on crutches and an air cast today. He should be back on the field by game day but he may not be 100%.

Here is a brief synopsis of the Clemson season given by the Ken. They were 8-0 at one point. The first three games were mostly walkovers. The game that let them know that they might be pretty good was the beating of UVa. The turning point in the season was the UNC game on Oct. 21 when quarterback Woody Dantzler got hurt (Clemson won anyway). They lost their next two games against GT and FSU before winning the finale against USC. Tech’s season was somewhat similar. The Hokies lost Vick on Oct 28 just before playing Miami. It was noted that Nov 4th was not good for either Clemson or VT (FSU whipped Clemson 54-7 that day, and Tech lost to Miami 41-21).

Ken said Clemson was most vulnerable in the secondary. He doesn’t feel either D is as good this year as last year. The VT offense is very, very good however. Bustle has them going.

The TTT hosts noted that Ken is still pumping out the Clemson articles almost daily, while up here in Virginia the articles have almost stopped during the down time of exams. He said Clemson fans have a voracious appetite for info about the Tigers. Football is huge in SC. The State will have a double page spread on both USC and Clemson during bowl week.

About Keith Adams, the great LB for Clemson -- he’s deciding whether he wants to go pro or not. The writer believes he should come back and get his degree. Keith is relatively short for a pro player. The feeling is he probably wants to leave and follow his father to the NFL. His father was a Patriot for many years. He will seek input from the NFL committee that gives advice on where an underclassman might fall in the draft.

The Clemson tailback, Travis Zachery, is good. He can hit the hole, can get extra yards after getting hit, etc. However, he doesn’t have breakaway speed. He will not break off a thirty plus yard run.

In predicting the game, Ken believes Clemson will have a hard time stopping VT’s offense. They will try to stop the run first and try to keep Vick in the pocket. He believes VT will get its points, to the tune of about 35. He thinks Clemson will get its points also, probably in the 27 point range.

Irish George was the next caller. In answer to earlier speculation about playing Notre Dame in the Kickoff Classic, he said it’s not possible. Their schedule is tough enough already. He also said Notre Dame will probably never join a conference, certainly not while the NBC TV contract is in force.

Jack called and wondered if 910 AM could carry VT games in Richmond. Basically, no. 910 AM has a long-term relationship with the University of Richmond.

Bob Meade, the head coach at Clintwood High School and coach of Justin Hamilton, the big time running back recruit who verballed to VT recently, was on next. Here is some background for Justin: he was tabbed as a "can’t miss" athlete very early on. Football is the sport he really loves, but also plays basketball, baseball and runs track.

He was a starting tailback as a ninth grader, rushed for over 1,000 yards, and had 33 carries in one game. As a tenth grader he also rushed for over 1,000 yards, but was hurt a couple of games. He is able to catch the ball out of the backfield. His junior year was probably his best. He rushed for nearly 2,000 yards, plus more receiving yards. He threw some passes out of the backfield also.

Coach was asked to compare him to two other big time runners from the Lonesome Pine District, the Jones brothers (Thomas and Julius). The biggest difference is height. At 6’ 3", he is taller than the Jones boys. Right now he weights 205. He has great field vision and was very fast in high school. Of course, speed is relative. He will not be as fast, relative to the other D1A talent he’ll play against.

Concerning the recruiting process, he originally had 5 teams on his list. He slowly pared them down to two, UT and Tech. He struggled over it for a while and then made his decision.

That’s all for tonight.

-- Atlee Hokie

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