Nov. 2, 2006

By Bill Hass
TheACC.com

GREENSBORO, N.C. - How does a first-rate running back say thanks to his offensive linemen?

By taking them out to dinner, of course.

Virginia Tech's Branden Ore, who has recorded back-to-back 200-yard games, made such an offer to the Hokie linemen - but they turned him down.

"We don't want to clean out his wallet," explained center Danny McGrath. "We told him, `just keep doing what you're doing and staying in the spotlight.'"

A running back in the spotlight is one of the few ways offensive linemen receive recognition. Inevitably, as TV replays show holes opening, credit will be given to the road-graders who created them.

Most of the time, it's an anonymous job spent blocking and protecting the quarterback. One reward comes from seeing a back reach the end zone or a quarterback getting enough time to hit a receiver for a touchdown. Another is looking at the scoreboard and seeing your team ahead at the end of the game.

McGrath has had that satisfaction the last two weeks. The Hokies look to extend their winning streak to three games when they play at Miami Saturday night in an ACC Coastal Division match-up. After a two-game losing streak, Virginia Tech appears to have righted itself.

"A couple of weeks ago, it looked like we were falling apart," McGrath said. "We knew we weren't playing Virginia Tech football. Now we have an opportunity to finish out great."

Night games in the Orange Bowl are never easy on visiting teams, and the Hurricanes rank fourth in the country against the run. But Virginia Tech looks to build on its 24-7 win over Clemson last Thursday when Ore gained 203 yards against a rushing defense that was also highly ranked.

"I thought they did a good job handling our front and (Ore) did a good job of running and making us miss," Clemson coach Tommy Bowden said. "I think our defensive coordinator said we had 24 missed tackles (12 or 13 is the norm). I was real impressed with their line, their scheme and obviously their back."

McGrath is one of Ore's biggest boosters.

"He's very decisive when he sees the hole and makes his cutbacks," McGrath said. "He's made us look better than we really are on some plays. The key is we don't want to fall behind so we can keep going to him."

Miami coach Larry Coker said the Hokies seem to have returned to "vintage Virginia Tech football," which starts with being very physical in the offensive line. Hokie coach Frank Beamer likes the way the line improved its blocking as the season progressed.

The chemistry that the line had developed took a blow when guard Ryan Shuman suffered a knee injury against Clemson. He'll be replaced by fifth-year senior Brandon Gore (think about that - Brandon Gore blocking for Branden Ore).

It takes time for an offensive line to be able to "fire on all cylinders," as McGrath put it.

"You have to make sure you don't step on each other and you know where your help is," he said. "You have to trust each other. It's intense, and everyone has to do the right thing to be successful."

Much of that responsibility falls to McGrath, who calls out the blocking assignments on each play.

"The center sets the scheme for the rest of the line," he said. "He's a warrior who has to make sure everyone is on the same page and going to block the right guy."

Beamer appreciates that part of McGrath's game.

"Danny has been through a lot of battles and I think he possesses something you really want," Beamer said. "You want toughness, of course, but I think you've got to have smarts. He makes a lot of calls for us. The play always starts with him - if he's off, we're off."

A football adage says centers are made and not born, which is true in McGrath's case. He played guard and defensive line in high school in Herndon, Va. He came to Virginia Tech as a guard but was switched early in his career.

After a red-shirt season and two more years of relative inactivity, McGrath earned a starting spot early last season. He missed all of spring practice after shoulder surgery but reclaimed his spot in the fall and has started all eight games.

"There's a lot to learn," he said. "It took me a couple of years and then it clicked for me. It becomes second nature if you work on it.

"You snap the ball and then (set up to) block in one fluid motion. The more you do it, the more it becomes natural, but it takes constant work."

The Hokies have a tradition of excellent centers. Jake Grove was an All-American in 2003 and Jim Pyne, who played in the 1990s, is a member of the Virginia Tech Hall of Fame.

"Ever since we've played them it seems like that has been a strong position for them," Miami's Coker said. "Usually that guy is a smart guy, he makes the call and gets everybody going in the right direction."

McGrath may or may not achieve the recognition that Grove and Pyne did. What matters to him is seeing the Hokies continue to win and Ore keep piling up yards.

If those two things happen, McGrath just might change his mind about letting Ore take the line to dinner.

Bill Hass is a long-time observer of ACC sports. His career at the Greensboro News & Record spanned 36 years, from 1969 until his retirement in March, 2006. He is now writing "Plugged in... by Bill Hass" for TheACC.com. His weekly columns will keep fans plugged in to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

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