Chicken Bowl Blog, Volume 3 (Corners and Immortals edition) ...

You’re looking LIVE! at the artist formerly known as the Peach Bowl. Sadly, my first day in Atlanta did not come with all-I-could-stuff-in-my-face grub from the game’s current sponsor, Chick-fil-A.

As a church-going fellow myself, I respect the inventor of the squawking sandwich’s decision to be closed on Sunday. Except that I hate it.

Moving on to something you can sink your teeth into ... After today’s practice, I caught up with starting Hokies cornerback Rashad “Rock” Carmichael and the two youngsters who are battling this week for the right to replace academically ineligible Stephan Virgil, Tech’s other starter a corner.

Virgil was a senior with 24 career starts, 101 career tackles (9.5 for loss), seven career interceptions, two forced fumbles and two blocked kicks. The two contenders to replace him against Tennessee (whose QB has thrown 21 TD and only 5 INT over the last nine games) have one career start and nary an interception between them.

True freshman Jayron Hosley has eight tackles and two pass break-ups to his credit. Redshirt sophomore Cris Hill has 22 tackles and one pass break-up.

That’s the bad news. The good?

Both Hosley and Hill were heavily recruited players – both of them four-star prospects if you believe Rivals.com – with tremendous speed and athleticism.

Hill has developed slowly at Tech after relying primarily on his ability (and very little on technique) in high school. But he might be the fastest player on the Hokies’ roster, which does make up for many missteps.

Hosley was a Signing Day coup back in February, plucked from the Sunshine State partly because he expected to play right away at Tech. While that hasn’t happened much yet on defense, Hosley did become an immediate hit for the Hokies when he took over the punt-return job against No. 1 Alabama in the season opener (right here in the Georgia Dome).

He is a supremely confident kid, whose fearlessness helped him rack up 306 yards and a touchdown on 28 returns. His 10.93-yard average ranks 24th nationally – third among freshmen.

So there’s no shortage of talent stepping in for Virgil. It’s just a question of experience. Which isn’t a question at all, if you ask these guys. And I did.

One last thing before I turn over the microphone to Carmichael, Hosley and Hill: Everyone I’ve talked to here so far (both coaches and players) say the Hokies’ focus for this game is good and that practices have been intense. There seems to be a legitimate chip on Tech’s shoulder about trying to win back-to-back bowls for the first time and, more importantly, ending the program’s losing streak against the SEC.

Look no further than Carmichael’s analysis for proof ...

CB RASHAD CARMICHAEL

ON RETURNING TO THE GEORGIA DOME FOR THE SECOND TIME THIS SEASON: “The Alabama game, that whole experience, was electric. So I already know what we’re getting ourselves into. We just have to prepare for it and it’s going to be fun.”

ON HOW MUCH TECH WANTS TO FINISH THE JOB THIS TIME: “Oh, yeah, that’s what we’ve got to do. We’ve got to get it done. The SEC guys are like on the movie ‘300’ – my favorite movie – when they saw the immortals and the immortals had the all-black and the masks. Leonidas said, ‘Immortals? Well we’re going to put that name to the test.’ That’s how I feel when we play the SEC. Everybody says they’re the best, but we’re going to see. If they’re the best, we’re going to test that theory.”

ON PLAYING SPEEDY, SEC-CALIBER WIDE RECEIVERS WITHOUT STARTING CB STEPHAN VIRGIL, WHO IS ACADEMICALLY INELIGIBLE FOR THE BOWL: “I can’t say there’s a difference in the conferences, if it has that much to do with the (quality of) the players. But those guys have experience, playing a (Jayron) Hosley or a Cris Hill, who really don’t have that much experience, that’ll be where the advantage is at. But power and speed? Nah, I feel like we’ll be ready for that.”

ON WHO HE THINKS WILL START IN PLACE OF VIRGIL: “It’s still up for grabs right now. They rotate in practice. They’re both focused and ready for it, man. So we’ll have to see.”

ON WHETHER TENNESSEE WILL PICK ON WHOEVER IT IS: “That’s the game ... but those guys are ready for their opportunity. I try to help them out and preach to the guys that when you’re opportunity comes, you’ve just got to be ready to take advantage of it. I think they’re ready. Both guys.”

ON HIS REACTION TO HIS FRIEND, VIRGIL, NOT GETTING TO PLAY THE FINAL GAME OF HIS CAREER: “It was tough for all the defensive backs. The seniors are the leaders in that room for us. I talked to him the other day and he just told me that it’s my time now. He said he wishes he knew the UVA game was going to be his last game, because he misses it already. But now we’ve got to look forward. He told me, ‘Keep looking forward and get the young guys ready.’ ”

ON VOLS QB JONATHAN CROMPTON, WHO IS HOT RIGHT NOW, THROWING SEVEN INTERCEPTIONS IN THE FIRST THREE GAMES AND WHETHER THE HOKIES HAVE LOOKED AT THAT FILM TO FIND A WEAKNESS: “Yeah, we checked him out – from top to bottom, all season. At the beginning of the season, everybody has mistakes, a little rust on them from the offseason. But at the end of the season, he has been heating up, so we know it’s going to be challenge. We know it’s going to be fun. We’re ready, though.”

CB JAYRON HOSLEY

ON THE OPPORTUNITY PRESENTED WHEN VIRGIL WAS RULED INELIGIBLE: “I’m ready. This is what they brought me here for. We’ve got a player down; we’re there for him, but it’s my time to step up and fill the gap. They brought me here to be a playmaker and that’s what they want to see when they put me in.”

ON BEING THE HOKIES’ PUNT RETURN SPECIALIST AS A TRUE FRESHMAN THIS SEASON AND HOW GLAD HE IS NOW TO HAVE HAD THAT EXPERIENCE AT LEAST PLAYING ON BIG STAGES: “It gives you some experience and it helps you get comfortable out there. Once you get comfortable and you’ve got confidence, it pretty much game time.”

ON BEING WELL PAST ROOKIE JITTERS: “Oh, yeah. Coach tells me all the time, ‘You’re not a freshman anymore. You’re one of the older guys.’ That’s what they expect of me.”

ON WHO HE THINKS WILL START BETWEEN HIM AND CRIS HILL: “Basically, it’s how the week (of practice) goes. Whoever (secondary Coach Torrian Gray) feels most comfortable with, that’s who will start. But whoever starts, we’re going to alternate.”

ON THE BATTLE THIS WEEK IN PRACTICE: “Cris, he’s a speedy guy. He’s a talented corner, too. All of us are talented players. This week, we’re just competing. Week in and week out, that’s how we prepare.”

ON THE CHANCE FOR A STARTING JOB IN THE BOWL GAME, THOUGH, TURNING UP THE INTENSITY FOR TWO GUYS WHO’VE BEEN BACK-UP CORNERS ALL SEASON: “Definitely. The coaches are on you. They want you to be prepared like one of the older guys. You have to step in there and have your head on right and be prepared to do what you have to.”

ON WHETHER GRAY HAS BEEN HIS SHADOW THIS WEEK: “He’s been on me. He just wants me to know everything, make sure I know all the calls and checks.”

ON EXPECTING THE VOLS TO ATTACK HIM AND HILL EARLY: “They’re going to come at us, but we’re going to be ready. You look for any weakness on a defense and you go at it, but I don’t think there’s no weakness on our defense.”

ON WHETHER HE’S ACTUALLY EXCITED ABOUT TENNESSEE TRYING TO PICK ON HIM: “Oh, yeah. That’s what I’m looking for. I want them to come at me. Our defense is on the verge of being great and I think this game is going to give me and Cris a chance to see where we’re at. We’re not going to decrease. We’re not going to go down. We’re just going to keep going up. They’re going to come at us, picking on us like we’re the young guys, but we’re no young guys in our mind.”

ON HIM GRINNING LIKE HE JUST GOT A BIG CHRISTMAS PRESENT: “This is my Christmas present, and I’m going to make the best of it.”

CB CRIS HILL

ON HIS OPPORTUNITY TO WIN THE STARTING JOB: “It’s a tremendous opportunity. I just want to be the best I can so our team can get the job done.”

ON BEING A BIG-TIME RECRUIT WHOSE RISE ON THE DEPTH CHART HAS BEEN SLOWER THAN HE HOPED: “I think it’s a pretty big chance to play well and prove to everybody how good I am.”

ON THE WEEK OF PRACTICE WITH HOSLEY: “It’s been a pretty intense battle. We’re pushing each other, which is making both of us better.”

ON WHO HE SEES STARTING: “It’s hard to say right now, but I think it’s a pretty tight race, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see both of us play.”

ON TENNESSEE PICKING ON THE NEW STARTING CORNER: “I’m pretty excited about it, because this is a huge opportunity. The other team will thing there’s going to be a drop-off, but here at Virginia Tech, there is no drop-off at corner. I’m looking forward to the challenge, stepping up to the plate.”

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