Virginia Tech Hokies Defense Ranked in ESPN’s All-Time Greats

ESPN’s Bill Connelly recently wrote an article collecting his opinion of the top 50 best college football defenses. Within his rankings he placed the 2007 Virginia Tech Hokies’ defense as the 22^nd all-time best defense! Let’s take a trip down memory lane and reminisce about a time when Bud Foster’s units were at their absolute peak!

Remembering the 2007 season will be a bit painful, as it includes some of the more frustrating and inexplicable offensive performances in Hokie history. Virginia Tech finished the 2007-2008 season ass the ACC Champions with a respectable 11-3 overall record and 7-1 ACC record. The year was punctuated by a 24-21 loss to the No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks during the FEDEX Orange Bowl. The lone conference loss came against the then No. 2 Boston College Eagles when Matty Ice marched BC 66-yards down the field, during the last two minutes of the game, scoring the game winning touchdown off a 24-yard pass to Andre Callender. VT would later exact their vengeance, defeating the Eagles, 30-16, during the ACC Championship game. The Fighting Gobblers’ only other loss was a 48-7 drubbing by eventual national champions, LSU.

While the Sean Glennon and Brian Stinespring led offense struggled and a young Tyrod Taylor waited in the wings to be VT’s feature QB, the 2007 defense was devastating to opposing offenses. A LB corps that featured Xavier Adibi and Vince Hall terrified opposing RBs and QBs. Human wrecking ball, Kam Chancellor, led a DB unit that also featured Cody Grimm, Brandon Flowers, and Victor Harris. Harris and Flowers each contributed five interceptions to a team total of 22 picks. The Virginia Tech scored five INT touchdowns that year! Defensive End Chris Ellis led the team with eight sacks and the Hokies had 47 total sacks! As a team Virginia Tech finished fifth in the nation for yards per game only allowing an average of 293.3 yards! Man, just reading those names gets me all nostalgic!

As we gaze towards the future and the opening of the Brent Pry era it’s nice to look back at a time of Hokie greats!

GO HOKIES!!!