Media Attention Follows the Hokies

Senior Carlton Powell talks to reporters at the annual ACC media day Sunday in Pinehurst, N.C. (Karl Deblaker - Associated Press)

PINEHURST, N.C., July 22 -- Members of Virginia Tech's football team were confronted Sunday with a scene they will face for most of the season: a horde of reporters asking about the campus shooting massacre of April 16. As players continue coping with the tragedy, they're also preparing for a great deal of media coverage leading up to their season opener Sept. 1 against East Carolina.

"A lot of people, you say you're from Virginia Tech, that's the first thing they talk about," tackle Duane Brown said. " 'Where were you at? What was going on?' At first, I didn't really want to respond to it. But now, I'm dealing with it.

"It's kind of a bad thing, that's the only thing that reminds people of Virginia Tech. But at the same time, everyone sympathizes with you. It will be on people's minds whenever Virginia Tech comes up. But we're ready for it."

Every ACC team, in every sport, will wear a patch this season remembering the victims, an oval displaying Tech's "VT" logo over a ribbon. The inside front cover of the Hokies' media guide is a picture of the candlelight vigil that took place April 17 along printed names of the 32 victims.

Said Virginia defensive end Chris Long: "It's tough. I really feel for those guys. Obviously we have a rivalry and everything. We're going to try to take each other's heads off on the field. But off the field, we fight for each other. We're all Virginians, and we're all college students. It certainly hits close to home."

All on the Line for Terps

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Maryland right guard Andrew Crummey said he's ready to embrace a leadership role on the offensive line, which has lost three starters since the end of last season.

"Last year, I really found myself understanding [the game] at a whole other level," said Crummey, a 6-foot-5, 301-pound senior who earned second-team all-ACC honors. "Hopefully that translates into this season."

The Terps will need Crummey to continue his emergence, especially after losing guard Donnie Woods and starting tackles Stephon Heyer and Jared Gaither.

"It's going to be a difficult challenge," said Crummey, who with senior safety Christian Varner represented the Terps at the annual media day.

Crummey said he understood Gaither's decision to enter the NFL's supplemental draft, in which he was taken by the Baltimore Ravens.

"He had a rocky road at Maryland," Crummey said of Gaither, who battled academic problems. "But in the end he's where he wants to be, and that's good. He took his own road. He's successful in the fact that he got to the NFL. Very few people get to that point. From that aspect, I'm happy for him." . . .

Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan is a conference player of the year candidate, but before he arrived at BC, he played basketball and football with Virginia basketball player Sean Singletary at William Penn Charter in Philadelphia. Ryan threw passes to Singletary, who played wideout and cornerback.

"I was much a worse basketball player than he was a football player," Ryan said. "He was a [heck] of football player. He made me look better than I was, no question."