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Often times, the academic accomplishments of college football players is overlooked by the on-field accolades such as conference player of the year, rookie of the year, etc. So, it’s no surprise that nearly a month ago, four Virginia Tech Hokies were named to the ACC’s All Academic football team, but the news got very little press.

The following Hokies were named to the team:

Brent Bowden, Punter
Jarrett Boykin, Wide Receiver
Chris Drager, Defensive End
John Graves, Defensive Tackle
To be eligible for consideration, a player must have earned a 3.00 grade point average for the previous semester and maintained a 3.00 cumulative average during his academic career. All 12 ACC schools were represented by at least one selection on the team. The ACC has selected an ACC All-Academic Football team every year since 1954.

To see a complete list of this year’s team, visit theacc.com.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Blacksburg, VA — The Virginia Tech Hokies began the 2009 season as the No. 7 ranked team in the country. Despite a season-opening loss to eventual national champion Alabama, and mid-season two-game losing streak, the Hokies finished No. 10 in both polls.

After dropping back-to-back games against UNC and Georgia Tech, head coach Frank Beamer rallied his team for a five-game winning streak that included an impressive 37-14 win over the SEC’S Tennessee Volunteers in the 2009 Chick-fil-A Bowl.

The Hokies will have to replaced six starters on defense, but return the core of the offense including quarterback Tyrod Taylor; running backs Ryan Williams, Darren Evans, David Wilson and Josh Oglesby; wide receivers (split ends) Danny Coale, Jarrett Boykin, Xavier Boyce, Dyrell Roberts and Marcus Davis; and on the offensive line VT returns center Beau Warren, offensive guard Jaymes Brooks and offensive tackle Blake DeChristopher.

Here’s the final AP Top 10 poll:

1. Alabama (60)
2. Texas
3. Florida
4. Boise St.
5. Ohio St.
6. TCU
7. Iowa
8. Cincinnati
9. Penn St.
10. Virginia Tech

Popularity: 18% [?]

Blacksburg, VA — It came as no surprise that Virginia Tech standout defensive end Jason Worilds declared for the NFL draft this week. The redshirt junior has played in parts of four season with the Hokies. He played in two games during his freshman season before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery, for which he was granted a medical redshirt.

As a sophomore in 2007, Worilds played in 13 games and then became a full-time starter during the 2008 and 2009 seasons. His best season, statistically speaking, came in 2008. He 62 tackles, 18.5 for losses and eight sacks. He is a two-time All ACC performer and while his numbers were down in 2009, it was because teams game planned to defend him after learning their lesson from 2008.

While his tackles and sacks were down, and despite frequent double-teams, Worilds had a career-high 32 quarterback hurries.

NFLDraftScout.com ranks Worilds as the 12th best defensive end in the April NFL draft. While he hasn’t said where the NFL draft advisory board expects him to go, Worilds says he expects to go on the first day of the draft.

“This is a bittersweet day for me,” Worilds said in a news release. “The Hokie Nation has been great to me and my family, but it’s time to close this chapter in my life. This is a new and exciting part of my life and I’m excited to see what the future holds.”

Popularity: 10% [?]

Atlanta, GA — Virginia Tech wasn’t playing for much in the Chick-fil-A Bowl against Tennessee on New Year’s Eve, just pride and the continuation of the Hokies 10-win season streak, which now stands at six after the Hokies (10-3) ran roughshod over the Volunteers, 37-14. Apparently, pride was a big motivating factor for Frank Beamer’s team.

“The players and the coaches deserve a lot of credit for bringing the team back in that second half when we lost the momentum in the first half,” Beamer said. “The way we came back and won this thing says a lot about our players. We won four games after things didn’t look so good. We had two tough losses [Georgia Tech and North Carolina] and then we come down here and beat a really good Tennessee team.

Ryan Williams, the Hokies’ phenomenal first-year running back, rushed for 117 yards on 25 carries and scored two touchdowns before leaving the game with a tweaked ankle in the third quarter. He could have returned, but it wasn’t necessary as the Hokies had the game well in hand. Williams, not surprisingly, was named the offensive player of the game.

The redshirt freshman from Stonewall Jackson High School in Manassa, Va., broke Tech’s single season rushing record set by Kevin Jones (1,647) in 2003. Williams finished with 1,655 yards… as a freshman. He also set the ACC record for rushing touchdowns in a season (21) and total touchdowns in a season (22). Oh, and he also set the Tech record for the most 100-yard rushing games in a season with 10. Not a bad season.

The Hokies looked unstoppable in the first quarter and a half, bolting out to a 14-0 lead thanks to Williams’ two rushing touchdowns, one of which was set up by a Rashad Carmichael interception. But the Vols got back in the game immediately after Tech’s second score. The Hokies defense faltered, giving up three big plays of 40, 15 and 20 yards, that led to 4-yard rushing touchdown for Tennessee.

Both teams went three-and-out on their next possession, but on the Hokies next possession, Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor threw an interception that Janzen Jackson returned to the Tech 48 yard line. The Hokies’ defense again gave up a big play – a 47-yard pass to the 1 yard line. Vols’ running back Montario Hardesty scored his second TD of the game and we were tied at 14 with nine seconds to play.

It seemed obvious that Beamer would just take a knee and get out of the half tied at 14, but he surprised everyone, including the Tennessee defense. Taylor took the snap, dropped back and heaved a 63-yard pass (all of it in the air) to Jarrett Boykin, who had slipped behind the Vols’ highly touted secondary. Boykin finished with four catches for 120 yards.

The catch put the Hokies at Tennessee’s 4 yard line, but it appeared as though time had expired. Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin hurried his team off the field, but the officials reviewed the play and determined that the play was dead with two seconds left on the clock. The Vols had to come back onto the field. Tech kicked a 21-yard field goal to take a 17-14 lead into the break and more importantly, steal the momentum away from UT.

The second half was all Hokies as they shut out the Vols. It was the fifth straight game in which Tech’s defense held its opponents scoreless in the second half. The Hokies reached the end zone twice more in the second half including a Taylor 1-yard rushing TD and 3-yard run by reserve running back David Wilson. Redshirt senior kicker Matt Waldron added two more field goals, including a career-long 46-yarder, to give the Hokies their 37-14 win.

The Hokies defense, which struggled at times this season, sacked UT quarterback Jonathan Compton six times, which is impressive when you consider that he’d been sacked a total of 12 times all season.

“Today, it was just a great team effort,” said whip linebacker Cody Grimm, who was named the bowl’s defensive player of the game after having seven tackles – three for a loss – and one sack. “We didn’t accomplish everything we wanted to this year, but to go out with a win over an SEC school that was hot at the time … and not only winning, but how we did it. We dominated the game, I thought. You can’t say enough about the team.”

The win was a milestone for the Hokies. Unbelievably, it marks the first time in Hokies’ history that they’ve won back-to-back bowl games. Beamer’s bowl record at Tech now stands at 8-9. The win also ended a four-game ACC losing streak to SEC teams in the bowl game.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Blacksburg, VA — Virginia Tech senior linebacker Cody Grimm was named the 2009 Dudley Award winner at a banquet in Richmond Tuesday night. Media members across the state of Virginia vote on the award.

The Dudley Award is named for former Virginia standout “Bullet” Bill Dudley and is given to the state’s top Division I college football player. Separate awards for Division II and III programs were established in 2004.

Grimm becomes the ninth Hokie to win the award. In 20 years, Virginia Tech players have earned the award 10 times – Lee Suggs won the award twice (2000 and 2002).

Grimm beat out Richmond quarterback Eric Ward for the award. Ward received more first-place votes (4) than Grimm (3), but Grimm was named on every ballot while Ward was not. Grimm finished with 35 points followed by Ward with 29. James Madison defensive end Arthur Moats was third with 19.

The son of former Washington Redskins “Hog” Russ Grimm, Cody was a former walk-on at Virginia Tech but ended his career as the team’s unquestioned defensive leader, leading tackler, fan favorite and made the ACC’s first team.

Dudley Award Winners (1990-present)

• 1990 – Shawn Moore, QB, Virginia
• 1991 – Matt Blundin, QB, Virginia
• 1992 – Cary Perkins, QB, Emory and Henry
• 1993 – Jim Pyne, OL, Virginia Tech
• 1994 – Mike Frederick, DE, Virginia
• 1995 – Cornell Brown, DE, Virginia Tech
• 1996 – Tiki Barber, RB, Virginia
• 1997 – Anthony Poindexter, CB, Virginia
• 1998 – Marc Megna, DT, Richmond
• 1999 – Corey Moore, DE, Virginia Tech
• 2000 – Lee Suggs, RB, Virginia Tech
• 2001 – Billy McMullen, WR, Virginia
• 2002 – Lee Suggs, RB, Virginia Tech
• 2003 – Kevin Jones, RB, Virginia Tech
• 2004 – Bryan Randall, QB, Virginia Tech
• 2005 – Darryl Tapp, DE, Virginia Tech
• 2006 – Vince Hall, LB, Virginia Tech
• 2007 – Chris Long, DE, Virginia
• 2008 – Rodney Landers, QB, James Madison
• 2009 – Cody Grimm, LB, Virginia Tech

Popularity: 9% [?]

ATLANTA (Dec. 6, 2009) – Today 233 miles separate Blacksburg, Va. from Knoxville, Tenn., but on New Year’s Eve, No. 11 Virginia Tech and Tennessee will be 12 inches apart – about the length of a football – when the two historic rivals clash in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

The Chick-fil-A Bowl today officially extended invitations to the Hokies and Volunteers to represent the ACC and SEC in the 42nd annual edition of Atlanta’s bowl game Dec. 31 in the Georgia Dome. The invitations were accepted by Virginia Tech and Tennessee officials during conference calls this evening.

Virginia Tech and Tennessee have met seven times dating back to 1896 with the Volunteers holding a 5-2 advantage. The two regional rivals have not met since 1994.

“This really is a dream match-up,” said Gary Stokan, Chick-fil-A Bowl president and CEO. “To have the opportunity to host two nationally significant and traditional teams in Virginia Tech and Tennessee says a lot about the quality of this game. We feel like we’ve got one of the most compelling match-ups outside the BCS.”

Virginia Tech (9-3, 6-2 ACC) won four straight games to finish the season second in the ACC’s Coastal Division just a game behind conference champion and BCS representative Georgia Tech. The Hokies will bring the ACC’s top-rated scoring defense (15.8 ppg), passing defense (161.4 ypg) and the conference’s Rookie of the Year, RB Ryan Williams (1,538 rushing yards, 20 TDs). This will mark the Hokies third trip to Atlanta this season after beginning the year against Alabama in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game and facing Georgia Tech on Oct. 17.

“We feel fortunate to be going back to the Chick-fil-A Bowl,” said Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech head coach. “It is an extremely well-run bowl in which we’ll be facing a tradition-rich University of Tennessee football team. I know our fans will be excited and we look forward to traveling to Atlanta for the game.”

“Virginia Tech is very pleased and proud to have been selected to play in the 2009 Chick-fil-A Bowl,” said Jim Weaver, Virginia Tech Director of Athletics. “We had a wonderful experience there after the 2006 season and had another great experience when we played Alabama in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game this fall. Our fans love Atlanta and are looking forward to the game between the Hokies and the Volunteers of Tennessee.”

Virginia Tech has appeared in the Chick-fil-A Bowl three times (2006, 1986, 1980) and is 1-2.

Tennessee (7-5, 4-4 SEC) finished tied for second in the SEC East playing the 25th hardest schedule in the country.  UT will be making its 48th all-time bowl appearance (third-most among FBS teams) and comes into the game winners in four of its last five games. The Volunteers sport standout QB Jonathan Crompton (2nd in SEC with 26 TD passes), reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year CB Eric Berry and fiery first-year coach Lane Kiffin.

Most significantly, the Vols won the head-to-head match-ups with three other teams the Chick-fil-A Bowl was considering including Georgia, Kentucky and South Carolina.

“We’re really excited to be going to Atlanta for a great bowl game, the Chick-fil-A Bowl,” said Lane Kiffin, Tennessee head coach. “Not only is this a great bowl game, but we have many players from the Atlanta area and the state of Georgia. It’s a great location for us to be this postseason. We look forward to playing in a first-class bowl game and first-class facility.”

“We’re excited about the opportunity to return to the Chick-fil-A Bowl and play a tremendous opponent in Virginia Tech,” said Mike Hamilton, Tennessee director of athletics. “Gary Stokan and his staff have always done a tremendous job of hosting teams, coaches, administrators and fans. We are looking forward to spending a wonderful week in Atlanta.”

This will mark the Volunteers’ fifth appearance in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Tennessee has appeared in the Chick-fil-A Bowl in 1982, 1986, 2002 and 2003 and is 1-3.

The Chick-fil-A Bowl will be played at 7:30 p.m., Dec. 31 in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome and will be nationally televised by ESPN, running unopposed in its prime time slot.

About the Chick-fil-A Bowl:

The Chick-fil-A Bowl is the ninth-oldest bowl game in the country and hosts the longest-running rivalry series between the ACC and SEC. Now in its 42nd year, the Chick-fil-A Bowl has established itself as one of the nation’s elite bowl games with a string of 12 consecutive sellouts and has earned a reputation as one of the most competitive bowls in the nation. Ten of the last 17 games have been decided by a touchdown or less. The Chick-fil-A Bowl has disbursed more than $90 million in team payouts over its 41-year history and has increased team payout every year since 1996. The Bowl also leads all other bowl games in charitable and scholarship contributions, giving more than $1.2 million to organizations in need in 2008 alone. Other events under the Chick-fil-A Bowl brand include the Chick-fil-A Bowl Challenge head coach and celebrity golf event each April and the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game season-opening game over Labor Day weekend which hosted two top-10 teams, Alabama and Virginia Tech, to open the 2009 season.

Popularity: 19% [?]

Blacksburg, VA — He won the Rookie of the Week award seven times this season, so it came as no surprise that Virginia Tech redshirt freshman running back Ryan Williams was named the ACC’s Rookie of the Year today.

Williams broke the ACC and Tech freshman rushing records with 1,358 yards in his first season. He also set new ACC and Tech single-season records for touchdowns with 20 (19 rushing, 1 receiving). It is also the 4th-best single-season rushing total in ACC history.

The former Stonewall Jackson High School standout received 34 votes from 40 voting members. Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly finished second with 29 votes.

Williams was also was named ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year while Kuechly took home the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

Popularity: 16% [?]

Blacksburg, VA — The Virginia Tech Hokies are ranked 11th in both the AP and USA Today polls and 12th in the all-important BCS standings. The only ACC team ranked ahead of them is No. 10 Georgia Tech, which lost this weekend to in-state and unranked rival Georgia.

The Yellow Jackets now have two losses (Miami and Georgia) and should they lose Saturday to Clemson in the ACC championship game, the Hokies (6-2, 9-3) could end up as the ACC’s highest ranked team in the BCS standings. That doesn’t mean that the Hokies will get a BCS bid ahead of Georgia Tech, but it does present an undesirable situation for the BCS.

Should Clemson win, the BCS will have to take a four-loss ACC champion that is not ranked in the BCS standings, over a pair of ranked teams. This scenario will likely fuel outcry by any top 10 team that gets left out and the annual cries for a playoff system will grow a bit louder. It would also mean that the Hokies could move ahead of No. 10 Georgia Tech in the BCS standings, leaving the Hokies as the highest ranked ACC team.

Either Florida or Alabama will play for the national championship against Texas, assuming the Longhorns can avoid an upset to Nebraska in the Big XII title game on Saturday. The loser of the SEC title game will most certainly get an at large BCS bid, as will Texas if they are upset.

There are five BCS games: BCS national championship game (No. 1 vs. No. 2), FedEx Orange Bowl, Allstate Sugar Bowl, Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and the Rose Bowl presented by Citi (Pac-10 vs. Big Ten). That means 10 teams get invites. Here is the current BCS top 10 standings and likely bowl scenario.

1. Florida – Win or lose, will get a BCS invite; plays Alabama in SEC title game, Dec. 5.
2. Alabama – Win or lose, will get a BCS invite; plays Florida in SEC title game, Dec. 5.
3. Texas – Win or lose, will get a BCS invite; plays Nebraska in Big XII title game, Dec. 5.
4. TCU – FInished season 12-0 and will likely get an invite.
5. Cincinnati – Locked up Big East championship, automatic BCS bid, plays Pittsburgh Dec. 5.
6. Boise State – Finished undefeated, no conference championship, probable BCS bid based on past BCS performances and it would be tough to justify keeping them out.
7. Oregon – Plays Oregon St. on Thursday, 6 p.m., on ESPN; for Pac-10 title and BCS bid to the Rose Bowl to play Ohio State. If the Ducks lose, they may not receive a BCS invite.
8. Ohio State – Locked up Big Ten title and BCS Rose Bowl bid to play winner of the Oregon vs. Oregon State game.
9. Iowa – The Hawkeyes could be the odd team out. The Big 10 already has its automatic bid in the Buckeyes, so Iowa could be the team snubbed if Texas loses to Nebraska, because Texas will likely get a BCS invite should they lose to Nebraska, which would get the automatic bid.
10. Georgia Tech – Expected to win the ACC title game Dec. 5, but the ACC gets an automatic bid regardless.

On the outside looking in are Penn State (10-2), Virginia Tech (9-3) and LSU (10-3). All are eligible for a BCS bowl invite, but are considered long shots.

Regardless of where the Hokies end up in the pre-bowl game BCS standings, it looks more likely that they will play in the Chic Fil A against an SEC team. The Hokies have played two games in Atlanta this season and lost both; the first to Alabama, 24-28, in the season opener; and to Georgia Tech, 23-28, on Oct. 17.

Popularity: 46% [?]

Blacksburg, VA — The No. 11 ranked Virginia Tech Hokies (6-2, 9-3) finished their 2009 regular season with a 42-13 mauling of in-state rival, the Virginia Cavaliers (2-6, 3-9) in which redshirt freshman running back Ryan Williams rushed for a career-high 183 yards and four touchdowns.

Today, the ACC recognized Williams’ dominating performance by named him Rookie of the Week for the seventh time this season. In addition to running roughshod over the Cavaliers, Williams broke the ACC’s freshman single-season rushing and touchdown records.

Williams has 1,358 yards this season, which sets a new Virginia Tech and ACC freshman record and ranks second on Tech’s list of best single-season rushing performances. The phenom from Stonewall Jackson High School in Manassas, Va., needs only 110 yards to break the program’s record, set in 2003 by Kevin Jones, who rushed for 1,647 yards.

The rushing record isn’t the only record that fell to the humble, no-frills freshman. He now owns the ACC’s freshman TD scoring record with 20, breaking N.C. State’s T.A. McLendon’s 2002 record of 18.

See a complete list of the ACC’s weekly awards.

Popularity: 14% [?]

Charlottesville, VA — For the second straight game, Virginia Tech Hokies freshman running back Ryan Williams scored four touchdowns as the Hokies mauled their in-state rivals, the Virginia Cavaliers, 42-13 in the regular season finale for both ACC teams.

The game was likely the last for embattled Virginia head coach Al Groh, whose team finished a disappointing 3-9. The Cavaliers started the season 0-3, but rebounded with a three-game winning streak that gave the program and its fans hope. But then came a miserable six-game slide to end the season and likely the nine-year Al Groh era.

Tech Williams rushed for a career-high 183 yards and his four TDs mark the second straight week that the ACC’s leading rusher scored four TDs in a game. The record-setting freshman from Stonewall Jackson High School in Manassas, Va., now has 1,538 yards rushing this season, the second most in a season by a Hokie and needs 110 yards in the bowl game to break Kevin Jones’ single-season record of 1,647 set during the 2003 season.

Williams also tied the Tech record for most 100-yard games in a season, nine, also set by Jones. A 100-yard performance in a bowl game will break that record as well.

Two weeks ago, Williams had 12 TDs, but scored four against N.C. State and then four more today against the Cavaliers to give him 20. If he can have a 3-TD game in the bowl game, add another school record to his resume. With today’s performance, Williams broke the ACC’s freshman scoring record of 18 set by T.A. McLendon of N.C. State in 2002.

“Yards, awards, … none of that matters to me,” Williams said after the game. “You can be the best person on the field, but if your team isn’t winning, then it doesn’t mean anything. I’m a team player. The offensive line blocked great all year and the wide receivers blocked down the field. It feels good to have guys like that willing to block and do their part so we can execute the plays.”

Wide receiver Danny Coale also had a career game, catching six passes for a career-high 135 yards. It marked the first 100-yard receiving game of the sophomore’s career. The Hokies were struggling with the running game in the first half, but Coale caught three passes for 41, 36 and 16 yards to keep Tech’s only two scoring drives of the first half alive.

The 41-yard catch was the first offensive play for the Hokies and quieted the UVA fans who had just celebrated the Hoos opening drive for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead over the 14th-ranked Hokies.

The Hokies led the Hoos 14-13 at the half, but Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster and his defense shut the Hoos down in the second half while the Tech offensive went to work, scoring four unanswered touchdowns, including three in the fourth quarter.

Virginia Tech (6-2, 9-3) must now wait to find out what bowl game they will play in. Clemson and Georgia Tech will play for the ACC championship, but the No. 15 Tigers lost today to unranked South Carolina and No. 7 Georgia Tech lost to unranked in-state rival Georgia.

Clemson, should it lose to Georgia Tech in next Saturday’s ACC championship, would have five losses to Virginia Tech’s three, so it would stand to reason that the Hokies would get the No. 2 bowl bid after Georgia Tech. If that’s the case, Tech can probably expect and invitation to the Chic Fil A Bowl in Atlanta against the No. 3 SEC team.

If the Yellow Jackets lose to Clemson, then the Hokies would likely get the No. 3 ACC bowl bid and probably a Gator Bowl invite. Bowl selection Sunday is Dec. 6, so once the BCS bids go out, the other bowls will begin issuing invites.

Popularity: 8% [?]