Welcome. What is up?

It’s finally game week here in Blacksburg. Enough of the preseason stories and half-witted prognostications. Time to get plumb down in the gravels, as some might say.

I capped my summer over the weekend by attending a Kenny Chesney concert in Northern Virginia on Saturday and watching WWE’s “SummerSlam” with some fine folks at the Hooters in Roanoke last night. ‘Twas an outstanding twinbill of entertainment.

Predictably, Virginia Tech’s coaches found more productive ways to spend their weekend. They hashed out the final plans for the offensive line, which involve backup right tackle Richard Graham (St. Christopher’s School) moving to starting left guard. Matt Welsh and Brandon Holland couldn’t pin down the starting left guard spot, and Welsh is now the backup there, with Holland backing up Sergio Render at right guard.

Among the kiddie corps, true freshman right guard Jaymes Brooks probably will redshirt, though he seemed on track to play earlier in the preseason. True freshman right tackle Blake DeChristopher (Clover Hill High) has practiced impressively and will almost certainly play. He is the top backup behind Nick Marshman.

Graham has played practically everywhere on the line. He was a left guard in the spring and began the preseason as the starter there when Marshman showed up out of shape. Right tackle Ed Wang’s broken ankle caused Tech’s coaches to swap spots on the line, with Graham and Marshman moving to right tackle.

Line coach Curt Newsome feels comfortable with his starting five: LT Duane Brown, LG Graham, C Ryan Shuman, RG Render and RT Marshman. But some of the backups—LT Aaron Brown, LG Welsh, C Beau Warren, RG Holland and RT DeChristopher—remain untested.

DeChristopher, of course, is a true freshman, while Warren and Aaron Brown are redshirt freshmen. Welsh, a redshirt junior who was a highly regarded recruit, has played 17 offensive snaps in his career—all last season. Holland, a sophomore, played in three games last season—nine snaps against Southern Miss, an offensive series at Wake Forest, four plays against Virginia.

These guys definitely have potential for down the road, but simply put for now: The Hokies can probably hope to have seven or eight reliable linemen this season. Will that be enough to hold off LSU’s voracious defensive line? Can the 6-6, 278-pound Graham, a redshirt sophomore, hold off LSU’s All-American defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey (6-2, 299)? We shall see.

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Because of this, East Carolina’s quarterback situation is uncertain heading into Saturday’s game. Not exactly the way you want to start a week of preparation for one of the nation’s best defense, the college football equivalent, some might intellects say, of Chuck Norris.

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More to come after tomorrow’s media boondoggle.