App State Roll Call

We saw a lot of players, young and old, take the field during Saturday's drubbing. Because Tech isn't an elite team, I considered talking to Foster about getting some work in at Whip -- but it was too hot outside.

Even though I didn't get any good reps in on Saturday, I decided to talk about those who did -- all of them.

Obviously, it wasn't easy to come up with something for everyone who played against App State, but I at least typed a word in for each player.

1. Antone Exum - Exum didn't play a mistake-free game, but he made a lot of good plays, including setting the tempo early by hopping on that fumble. The beautiful thing about him is that he's good and I think he's going to get better and better.

2. Josh Oglesby - It was nice to see Josh get 10 carries. He had some tough yards and a touchdown. You have to love the effort on the 3rd-and-3 carry, when he looked up, saw nothing but defenders, reversed field and powered his way to a first down.

3. Logan Thomas - Almost everything has been said about LT3. His touch was off, but nothing to worry about. A little more air on some of his deep balls and I'll want Tech to go vertical every play. The thing I noticed most was his patience -- oh, and him trucking their safety for a first down.

4. David Wilson - Again, what more can be said? Watching him take his first carry to the house was something we'll all talk about for a long, long time.

6. Mark Leal - An impressive showing for Mr. Leal. I'm not going to lie, I was pronouncing it "Leel" -- a mistake I'll never make again. I'm not sure he gets away with some of those throws against a better defense (See: Davis' second touchdown), but it was his first collegiate appearance and he can certainly zip it.

7. Marcus Davis - He broke my heart on that dropped post. Then came back and made an excellent play. This guy is capable of big, big things.

8. Detrick Bonner - I saw someone with a ton of ability and tons of potential, but needs days like Saturday to get him ready for big time reps.

9. Cris Hill - Trusty veteran. When I see him on a receiver, I feel OK.

11. Dyrell Roberts - Dyrell had a beautiful catch, very worthy of his SportsCenter Top 10 play. It's comforting to see 11 on the field. Another veteran in a very experienced group.

13. Randall Dunn - I was sitting about 20 feet from Randall's touchdown catch, and it was not an easy snag by no means. This kid is a weapon.

15. Eddie Whitley - Eddie showed great concentration on that pick. The switch paid off on Saturday and I hope it continues to pay big dividends. Eddie seems to be very active before the snap and showed some great instincts on Saturday.

17. Kyle Fuller - Didn't it feel like Kyle was everywhere? He played fast, physical and instinctive.

18. D.J. Coles - Coles looks like someone I wouldn't want a part of if I'm facing him. He runs like a truck. Really wish he would have gotten the redshirt. But, I'm glad he got the ball and I hope he continues to get it.

19. Danny Coale - He just does everything right. Watch his blocking on two of David's touchdown runs and you'll see why he's such a beast.

20. Jayron Hosley - He wasn't tested much on defense, which is smart of App State. Where they did test him often was on special teams and he passed with flying colors. Incredible vision and quickness. Enjoy it, folks.

22. Tony Gregory - Had I known he was hosting a block party, I would have shown up with some chips and dip. Beautiful job getting to the punter.

23. Boye Aromire - He had some good reps. I obviously couldn't hear him, but it looked like he was being vocal, which is good for Day 1.

24. Tariq Edwards - He definitely looked like a first-teamer out there. He and BT51 could be a great tandem this year.

25. Martin Scales - A nice option behind Joey Phillips. Tough and athletic.

26. James Hopper - I hope he finds a final home on defense.

27. Nick Dew - Nick looks like he can use 10-15 pounds of muscle. That just means I remember seeing him, but I don't remember him making a play.

28. Alonzo Tweedy - Tweedy-man had a nice, nice tackle on kick coverage.

29. Scott Demler - Not a banner day, not a terrible day. But as the games get tougher, we're going to need to him to step up. Keep a close eye on his performance against ECU.

32. Riley Beiro - He looks like a bowling ball. He'll have had plenty of reps before he's playing in big games by the time he's a senior.

33. Chris Drager - I hope Dragerbomb catches some passes soon. But he looked solid protecting Logan on Saturday.

34. Kyshoen Jarrett - If I'm not mistaken, he was challenged on a go route, made a nice play on the ball but couldn't snag the pick, allowing the App State receiver to make a nicer play. If T-Gray trusts him, I think we might have a good one on our hands. I also liked him getting physical on kick coverage. Good experience for him on Saturday.

36. Chase Williams - I first noticed him because he just looks like an athlete out there. I saw him stick his nose in a few plays, but nothing really memorable.

39. Daniel Dyer - I really thought he was going to score at the end of the game. I want to see that happen. Maybe Arkansas State.

40. Wiley Brown - This guy is an absolute missile on special teams.

41. Derek DiNardo - Nice interception. I feel like he was as surprised as I was that he made the catch.

42. J.R. Collins - Disruptive. I can't wait to see him take over games when teams start throwing seven blockers at Gayle.

43. Jeron Gouveia-Winslow - A nice first start for JGW, who just looks more comfortable out there. He had a beautiful read on the interception and I was hoping he would take it for 6 again. Hoping for big things from him this year.

45. Joey Phillips - Joey had a drop, but he was about to get popped, so not the worst drop in the world. Otherwise he was really active in the run game and fearless in between the tackles.

47. Jonathan Halfhide - I hope he doesn't read this because I don't recall him being in the game. Sorry, kid.

48. Justin Myer - I was pretty impressed with his leg. He had great height on most of his kickoffs. Hopefully this is a theme.

50. Collin Carroll - He acknowleged my hello during "The Walk." He also snapped well.

51. Bruce Taylor - You don't have to see 51 on the jersey to know Bruce is hitting someone. He looked very explosive.

52. Barquell Rivers - Nice to see him back on the field. Looking forward to more of it.

53. Dwight Tucker - Every time I see 53, the kid is hustling his tail off. I like the way he plays.

54. Nick Becton - I know Nick graded over 80, which is fine, but if you go back and look at the film of Logan rolling left and throwing to Boykin (the reviewed drop), you'll notice Becton just hanging out, not engaging the defender. Had he done that, I think Logan could have gone for big yards.

56. Antoine Hopkins - He has whatever makes defensive tackles good at football.

57. Telvion Clark - Telvion played a solid game and was very active on kickoff coverage. But what I take away most is his highly intimidating neck pad. Check it out on Saturday.

58. Jack Tyler - If I grabbed a 2x4 off the shelf in Lowe's and hit Jack with it, I'm pretty sure it would explode and I would get wood shards in my eye. What a steak.

59. Courtney Prince - It looks like he's found his home at OG. Also seems like a good teammate. Noticed him a few times on the sidelines.

62. Blake DeChristopher - Blake looked solid. I feel good with him in the game at right tackle.

63. Bo Gentry - Considering he's son of Gentry, I expect him to be squatting a Prius on the sideline by Week 4.

64. Matt Arkema - Get this kid more reps. I think he'll be starting at guard in a few seasons.

65. Joe St. Germain - Why does his name make me think he has a future as a brewmaster?

66. Tyrel Wilson - I couldn't believe he was listed at 219 pounds. He looks like he's playing at 235. He has a nice burst off the line and is very aggressive on kick coverage.

67. Michael Via - If all of the offensive linemen were rated as chop meat is in a grocery store, Via is definitely the 93/7 extra lean meat. He's so tall.

68. Jaymes Brooks - He looked steady. I will be keeping a very close eye on him in the red zone against ECU.

71. Vinston Painter - I'm glad Mount VP got some decent reps on Saturday. I want to see him dominate before he leaves Blacksburg.

72. Andrew Lanier - He looked light on his feet and seemed to have a very nice day.

74. Andrew Miller - Did he come out in the first half and not come back in? Anyone else notice that or did I have a heat stroke? Note: Apparently I had heat stroke, because everything I've read said he played an awesome game.

75. Greg Nosal - His fingertip had three knockdown blocks.

76. David Wang - I want more reps for this guy. He plays a tough brand of football.

79. Caleb Farris - I'm going to go back and look, but I want him playing tougher inside the 20. But he's got PLENTY more chances.

80. George George - His name is George George. I want him doing more more.

81. Jarrett Boykin - I hope he can have another 50 catches this year. He's such a good receiver.

83. Corey Fuller - Not a banner first day. But he will get better learning under five studs.

86. Eric Martin - I mean this in the most positive way possible, but it seems like he's just a teacher's pet. Strives to do things right.

88. Ryan Malleck - Ryan, pay attention to the guy right above you on this list.

89. Cody Journell - We didn't ask him to do anything crazy, which is good. I want this kid's confidence up before the big games come around.

90. Duan Perez-Means - It honestly looks like Steven Friday changed numbers. Tall kid. I hope he fills out some more and becomes big time before he leaves Blacksburg.

92. Luther Maddy - I'll jump on the "we got a steal" bandwagon. Looks the part already.

93. Isaiah Hamlette - We'll have to see him against some tougher competition, but he looked good on Saturday.

95. Zack McCray - Huge kid. I really want him to assert himself and force Wiles to give him more snaps.

96. Corey Marshall - I was concerned about him playing in the middle, but I tracked him on a few reps and he did OK. He will be a good one.

98. Derrick Hopkins - He does whatever makes defensive tackles good at football. What a load.

99. James Gayle - It was fitting that Gayle was in on the first two plays of the game. First a nice tackle, then rifling off the line to create disruption that led to a fumble. This guy is a beast.

Note: In the midst of my 1,100 miles of driving this weekend I came up with this format to recap games this season. It'll be a work in progress, so I appreciate any feedback or suggestions you may have. Also, instead of boring analysis for an offensive lineman who plays four plays, I'll try and pepper in some more humor in the coming weeks.