Hall goes out, Hokies’ season gets tougher

By Darrell Laurant  |   Tuesday, October 09, 2007  |  Comments( 0 )

Virginia Tech Hokies
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No one had a clue.

Virginia Tech linebacker Vince Hall, the team's leading tackler, was joking with reporters after the Hokies' victory over Clemson last Saturday. When it was mentioned that Clemson had run 90 offensive plays, Hall quipped, "Well, I was in there for 84."

Some of them, apparently, with a broken wrist. Hall later felt some discomfort in his left wrist, was X-rayed, and underwent corrective surgery on Sunday night. He'll be out four to six weeks.

There is never a good time to have your leading tackler sidelined, but after this Saturday (what should be an easy game with Duke), Frank Beamer's Hokies must face Boston College, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Miami and Virginia in successive weeks. Based on the latest prognosis, at least three of those key contests will be with Hall on the sidelines.

Of course, it's not as if the Hokies will now be forced to play with 10 men. Redshirt juniors Brett Warren and Purnell Sturdivant are listed as the probable replacements for Hall, and both come highly recommended.

Warren, a 6-foot-1, 238-pounder, missed most of last season with an injury, but saw considerable action as a redshirt freshman. Coming out of Centreville High in Northern Virginia, he was ranked by several scouting services among the state's 20 best players.

Sturdivant, meanwhile, fits a mold that seems peculiarly adapted to Beamer's style of play -- quick, undersized, and deceptively strong for his frame. The 5-11, 217-pounder from Norfolk was handed the Excalibur Award as the top performer in the Tech weight room during the offseason, and he compensates for his lack of height with the third-best vertical leap (39.5 inches) on the squad. Earlier this season, he had two sacks against William & Mary in a reserve role.

Because these players haven't been on the field nearly as much as Hall, Beamer may rotate them in and out to keep them fresh. And at least they have the Duke game to help them get acclimated (although, the way things are going this college football season, one can never tell).

Meanwhile, even more pressure will be brought to bear on Hall's fellow All-ACC linebacker, Xavier Adibi.

Facing an offensive drought, Tech has been skating by on its defense and special teams this season, scoring three times on runbacks at Clemson last week.
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