Oh, brother: Tech’s Martins take their act to Clemson

By Darrell Laurant  |   Thursday, October 04, 2007  |  Comments( 0 )

Virginia Tech Hokies
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You might say that the North Carolina Tar Heels were "Martinized" in Lane Stadium last Saturday, courtesy of the brothers Martin.

Virginia Tech linebacker Cam Martin, a redshirt sophomore, had 10 tackles and three sacks, the last stopping a late UNC drive to cement a rather uninspiring 17-10 victory. Defensive end Orion Martin contributed five tackles and a forced fumble.

Perhaps more than any two players on the current roster, the Martins epitomize coach Frank Beamer's success with players who aren't exactly blue-chippers. While a lot of teams in the Top 25 shop at Macy's, Beamer finds bargains at Wal-Mart -- or even Goodwill.

Cam Martin was highly recruited as a safety for George Washington High School in Danville, Va., it's true. But he's only 6-foot-1 and 209 pounds, an unlikely physical package even for Tech's undersized "whip" linebacker. Once he overcame a couple of hernia surgeries and a series of minor injuries, however, he has thrived.

It was Beamer, remember, who came up with the concept of stocking his kick-blocking team with smaller, quicker starters instead of lumbering backups.

Orion Martin was even more of a reclamation project. Coming out of GW, he was a 210-pound defensive end -- small even for high school these days. No Division I school wanted him, so he spent a year at Hargrave Military Academy trying to beef up. Twenty pounds later, he found himself at Division I-AA Norfolk State.

It wasn't until Beamer came to the Martin home to recruit Cam that David Martin, the boys' father, talked him into giving Orion a look. The older Martin walked on at Tech, grew to 256 pounds in the weight room, and had 10 tackles and two sacks in the 2005 spring game. The next week, he was awarded a scholarship.

The Martins, in their first year of playing together, face a stern test this Saturday at Clemson. Both teams are 4-1 and considered ACC contenders. Both have new quarterbacks -- Cullen Harper for Clemson, Tyrod Taylor for Tech.

Until last week, when the Tigers were throttled, 13-3, at Georgia Tech, Clemson was mostly about offense -- Harper's surprising passing ability opening up lanes for the highly touted running back tandem of James Davis and C.J. Spiller. Virginia Tech, as always, has stayed afloat with defense.

And one statistic from the Clemson-Tech game had to have caught the eyes of the Martin brothers. Last week, Georgia Tech sacked Harper six times.
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