Morgan, Exum to Add New Roles

With game week preparations for Boise State beginning on Wednesday, the
Virginia Tech coaching staff sat down on Sunday to come up with their traveling
roster, and also decided on some potential position changes.

One of the stories of August has been how the Tech whip linebackers have
struggled with injuries. Only starter Jeron Gouveia-Winslow has been healthy.
Zach Luckett is coming off knee surgery, Lorenzo Williams is out for the season
with foot surgery, and Alonzo Tweedy has been nursing an injured groin.

So what happens if Jeron Gouveia-Winslow goes down? Beginning this week,
starting rover Davon Morgan will get some work at whip. If something happens to
Gouveia-Winslow, Morgan will slide down to the whip position.

Antone Exum, a r-freshman free safety, will now be getting work at the rover
spot. At rover, he won’t have to worry about setting up the defense and making
calls. He can just play. He will be Virginia Tech’s #1 rover, if Davon Morgan is
playing the whip spot.

Traveling Squad Set

The coaching staff came up with their 70-man travel squad for the Boise State
game, and it includes several true freshmen.

True
Freshmen Traveling
Num. Player Pos.
14
Trey Gresh
QB
17
Kyle Fuller
CB
36
Chase Williams
LB
65
Joe St. Germain
LS
92
Ethan Keyserling
P
98
Derrick Hopkins
DT

 

  • Trey Gresh is a walk-on quarterback from Blacksburg High School. He is
    dressing because he serves as a backup holder.
  • Kyle Fuller is a cornerback who will play special teams.
  • Chase Williams is a linebacker who will play a major role on special
    teams.
  • Joe St. Germain is a walk-on and a backup long snapper.
  • Ethan Keyserling is Tech’s backup punter.
  • Derrick Hopkins is in the two deep at defensive tackle.

Of all those players, Derrick Hopkins figures to get the most playing time.
Charley Wiles likes to rotate his defensive linemen, so Derrick should see
quality snaps next to his brother, Antoine.

Not included on the dress list are offensive tackle Laurence Gibson and
defensive ends Duan Perez-Means and Zack McCray. Those players were all
competing for playing time as true freshmen throughout the month of August.

Michael Via scrimmaged at offensive tackle on Saturday, and Nick Becton was
back for a few plays as well. Their return means that the Hokies will have four
offensive tackles worthy of playing time, which means Tech will have the luxury
of redshirting the talented Gibson.

Zack McCray needs to add strength in the weight room, and a redshirt year
will be good for Perez-Means as well.

Tickets Sold: What’s the True Story?

Two weeks ago on Tech Talk Live, Jim Weaver reported that the Redskins told
him that a total of 65,000 tickets had been sold to the Boise State game. Last
week, that number grew to 68,000 out of a capacity of 88,000.

However, according to a
Mark Berman article on Saturday in the Roanoke Times
, fewer than
7,500 remain for the Monday night game.

According to Berman, here’s how the ticket sales break down:

  • 26,000 sold by Virginia Tech
  • 7,300 sold by Boise State
  • Over 30,000 sold by the Redskins and Ticketmaster

Those numbers add up to Jim Weaver’s total of 68,000, assuming that
“over 30,000” sold by the Redskins actually means 34,700 tickets.
34,700 + 26,000 + 7,300 equals Jim Weaver’s total of 68,000.

Yet Berman said only 7,500 tickets remain. It looks like more like 20,000
tickets are available when you run the numbers. What’s the true story?

What Weaver did not mention on Tech Talk Live, but is stated in Berman’s
article, is that the Redskins have given away 10,000 seats to corporate
sponsors. Weaver didn’t mention it, probably because he didn’t know about it. He
asked the Redskins how many tickets were sold, and they told him exactly that.
When you add that 10,000 to Weaver’s figure of 68,000, then it’s a lot easier to
believe Berman’s article that states fewer than 7,500 tickets are available.

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