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VOLUME 25, ISSUE 6 93 Positive ACC Experience V irginia Tech's defense will be relentless. Of that, there seems to be little doubt. With two of the better defensive ends in the country returning, an aggressive, blitz-heavy approach and a cover-solid back half, the Hokies should once again have a stifling de- fense. And that's after being third in the country in sacks per game (3.7), 14th in scoring defense (20.2) and 21st in total defense (343.8) in 2014. Those prospects alone should have Virginia Tech feeling pretty good about its chances to reach a 23rd con- secutive bowl game in 2015. It'll help, too, that an injury-rav- aged offense should be healthier and a settled QB could give the unit some life. "The defense is always going to be good. Bud Foster puts together a pretty good group every year," said Andy Bitter, who covers the Hokies for the Roanoke Times. "It's just, as usual with Virginia Tech, it comes down to whether the offense can do anything." Because of spread offenses, Vir- ginia Tech tends to use its nickel de- fense as its base, but it still is able to disrupt offenses with one fewer line- backer on the field. That's because its defensive line is legit: All four start- ers and its top backup have received all-ACC accolades at some point in their careers. The best of the bunch, though, are undersized explosive ends, 230-pound senior Dadi Nicolas and 243-pound junior Ken Ekanem. The pair combined for 18.5 sacks and 33 tackles for loss in 2014 while playing nearly every defensive snap. "They're really athletic," Bitter said. "Tech has really small, quick ends. They're really fast, and that's what they play for is the speed and disruption. You essentially have two outside linebackers coming off a side in that formation. Their tackles are good enough to command enough of a presence from the offensive line that it really frees up opportunities for them. They're pretty talented guys 8/30 WILLIAM AND MARY. . W, 34-9 9/6 at Ohio State . . . . . . . W, 35-21 9/13 EAST CAROLINA . . . . L, 21-28 9/20 GEORGIA TECH . . . . . L, 24-27 9/27 WESTERN MICHIGAN W, 35-17 10/4 at North Carolina . . . . W, 34-17 10/16 at Pittsburgh . . . . . . . L, 16-21 10/23 MIAMI . . . . . . . . . . . . . L, 6-30 11/1 BOSTON COLLEGE . . . L, 31-33 11/15 at Duke . . . . . . . . . . . . W, 17-16 11/22 at Wake Forest . . . . . . . . L, 3-6 11/28 VIRGINIA . . . . . . . . . . W, 24-20 12/27 vs. Cincinnati . . . . . . . W, 24-21 Who's in Charge? COACH FRANK BEAMER Record at Virginia Tech: 231-115-2 (28 seasons) Record vs. Purdue: 0-0 Virginia Tech Junior Ken Ekanem had a team-high 9.5 sacks in 2014 as one half of Virginia Tech's potent defensive end duo with Dadi Nicolas. Virginia Tech Hokies 2015 OPPONENT PRE VIE W S E P T. 19 • RO S S - A D E S TA D I U M, W E S T L A FAYE T T E • T I M E: 3:30 P.M. • T V: E S P N U 9/7 OHIO STATE 9/12 FURMAN 9/19 at Purdue 9/26 at East Carolina 10/3 PITTSBURGH 10/9 N.C. STATE 10/17 at Miami 10/24 DUKE 10/31 at Boston College 11/12 at Georgia Tech 11/21 NORTH CAROLINA 11/28 at Virginia 2014 Results (7-6) 2015 Schedule G O L D A N D B L AC K 'S E A R LY L I N E : V I R G I N I A T E C H - 6 Purdue holds a 14-13-2 record against current ACC football schools. It won its last game, a 51-0 triumph over Syracuse in 2004. OF NOTE: Virginia Tech's 22 consecutive bowl appearances is the second-longest active streak in the country behind Florida State's 33. Duke 1-2-1 Georgia Tech 1-0 Louisville 0-0-1 Miami 1-5 North Carolina State 1-1 Pittsburgh 4-3 Syracuse 1-0 Virginia 1-1 Wake Forest 4-1