COMMUNITY
 Letters to Editor
Send a letter
BACKSTAGE
 The Magazine
ESPN Radio


 ALSO SEE
Breakdown: Florida State vs. Virginia Tech

Hokies' Moore keeping mouth shut before Sugar Bowl

Nokia Sugar Bowl

Nothing simple for Simon

The Ultimate Weapon

The Slickest Seminole



 ESPN.com
NFL

NBA

BASEBALL

NHL

M COLLEGE BB

W COLLEGE BB

GOLF ONLINE

COLLEGE FB

SOCCER

EXTREME SPORTS


National Notebook
Tuesday, November 14
Tech stays hungry thanks to lunch-pail defense



NEW ORLEANS -- Ike Charlton hails from the prosperous football state of Florida, where he grew up in Orlando as a Florida State fan.

When he left high school, however, the Seminoles never called, and the cornerback ended up at Virginia Tech, where he will start for the Hokies on Tuesday night in the Sugar Bowl.

John Engelberger
John Engelberger came to Virginia Tech without a scholarship, but now starts.

Corey Moore has won just about every defensive award in the country, but the Tech defensive end was only recruited by Penn and Duke out of high school in Tennessee. He ended up at Tech after a stint in junior college.

And then there is John Engelberger, not even good enough to earn a scholarship when he first came to Tech. A walk-on, Engelberger is now a star senior defensive end.

Three different stories, but all three players are common in one respect: they had to do it the hard way to be part of a defense that is ranked No. 1 in college football.

And that epitomizes the Tech defense, which is symbolized by a rather ordinary household item. To look at it, few would be impressed. But Tech defensive players speak of the metal box with reverence.

It is a simple old lunch pail, but it means everything to the Hokies.

"It represents hard work. It represents relentlessness. It represents wide-eyed getting to the football," said Tech linebacker Jamel Smith. "That's our defense. It represents blue-collar workers. That's what our defense is known for.

"We're a no-name defense. We're a blue-collar defense, flying around, having fun. It's a perfect match with our defense."

Perhaps it sounds a bit, well, hokey. But Virginia Tech defensive players buy into the concept, which has worked remarkably well in this 11-0 season. The second-ranked Hokies take on No. 1 Florida State at the Superdome on Tuesday -- and a strong defense is one of the factors that got them here.

This lunch pail tradition began back before the 1995 season, when the Hokies were in the early stages of their move toward the college football elite. They had been to two straight bowl games and were having success attracting hungry, hard-working players, especially on defense.

Defensive coordinator Bud Foster has been on head coach Frank Beamer's staff since the beginning in 1987, but it wasn't until the early to mid-90s that they implemented an attacking style of defense.

"We wanted to have an identity, I guess," Foster said. "Maybe we don't have the Parade All-American players, but that doesn't mean they are not good football players.

"What the lunch pail signifies is when you come over here, you're going to put in a full day's work, a good day's work. We have the kids sign off on a mission statement as to what we want our defense to be."

Virginia Tech has the nation's No. 1 scoring defense, yielding an average of 10.5 points per game. The Hokies are third in total defense, allowing just 247.3 yards per game. They are also third in rushing defense, giving up only 75.9 yards per game.

Each week, the team comes up with a series of goals that it lists and puts in the pail. The defensive player of the game is responsible for the lunch pail the following week. For the players carrying the pail, it is an honor. It is his responsibility to bring it to practice each day and to all of the defensive meetings.

"It is kind of a special deal," Foster said. "It signifies us. Everything you do, you have to do it full speed and give it your best effort."

And the players don't make light of it.

"If you forget the lunch pail, you see how big of a deal it is," said defensive back Cory Bird. "The lunch pail is a symbol of what we stand for. Hard work. We put our goals and expectations in the pail. It's of great importance to our defense.

"If you have it and forget to bring it out to practice, it's a serious thing. And don't forget it at a game. You'll have the whole defense in disarray."

Typically, that's what Tech's defense does to opposing offenses. In fact, in three of the past four years, they have ranked in the top 10 in the country in scoring defense.

Much of the success can be attributed to experience. The Hokies start seven seniors and three juniors on defense.

  The lunch pail is a symbol of what we stand for. Hard work. We put our goals and expectations in the pail. It's of great importance to our defense.  ”
—  Virginia Tech defensive back Cory Bird

"Those guys have taken a lot of snaps, they've seen a lot of formations, plays. They're just a veteran group," Foster said. "That's been a big reason for our success. They don't panic. They show a lot of poise and maturity. They know it's a long football game, that each play counts. That's a big thing about maturity. They focus on the individual play, not the end result, not the play before, just that play. That's what we sell to them."

And nobody has bought it more than Moore, a 6-foot, 225-pound defensive end who was barely recruited out of high school and is now considered one of the top defensive players in the country.

The past month has been full of banquets and praise for Moore, who has won all kinds of awards, including the Nagurski (best defensive player) and Outland Trophy (for best lineman). He was also named Big East defensive player of the year for the second year in a row and captured the Dudley Award as the top player in Virginia. And he's been named to every All-America team published.

"I've never been big on the individual awards or honors, but it's good for this football program because I think I represent and exemplify what Tech football is all about." Moore said. "Blue collar. Hard work. I just firmly believe that good things come to those who work hard and I think we've got a team full of hard workers and that's why we are 11-0."

It should come as no surprise: Moore is carrying the lunch pail to the Superdome this week.

Bob Harig, who covers college football for the St. Petersburg Times, writes a weekly college football column for ESPN.com.

  ESPN INSIDER
Copyright 1995-2000 ESPN/Starwave Partners d/b/a ESPN Internet Ventures. All rights reserved. Do not duplicate or redistribute in any form. ESPN.com Privacy Policy. Use of this site signifies your agreement to the Terms of Service.