Virginia Tech notes

Hokies to wear new uniforms

Virginia Tech and Nike unveiled new all-white football uniforms during an on-campus pep rally yesterday, complete with former Tech players Antonio Freeman and Bruce Smith addressing a few hundred fans from a stage with a backdrop that read: "Good Guys Wear White."

The Hokies will wear the uniforms for one game, Saturday at Maryland, which will air on ESPN360.com. Though they might not use the design - white pants, jerseys and helmets - next season, their uniforms will be made of the same light-weight material as these threads. Tech is one of 10 teams that will wear Nike's new Pro Combat uniforms this month.

Nike's marketing campaign for Tech also includes selling a T-shirt, for $24, with "Good Guys Wear White" on the front. Placards distributed yesterday advertising the shirt read: "This T-shirt says more than 'Good Guys Wear White.' It says Good vs. Evil. It says let's play Beamer Ball. Speed is our calling card. Offense, defense and special teams - everyone gets in on the act. It says Ut Prosim [Tech's Latin motto: That I May Serve]. It says stay in your shells, Tortoises, it's time for combat. It says the good guys will always win."

Loren Hoppes, the Nike representative in Blacksburg yesterday, said during the rally that he understood Maryland, which is sponsored by Under Armour, would wear black Saturday, "so we wanted the good guys to wear white."

Except that Maryland isn't wearing its standard black outfits. Instead, as announced three weeks ago, the Terrapins, a.k.a. the Tortoises, will wear black and tan camouflage uniforms to honor military veterans and promote the Wounded Warrior Project, a non-profit organization, founded in Roanoke, that provides services to injured soldiers. The uniforms will include the Wounded Warrior logo.

This will be the Hokies' eighth different uniform combination in 10 games this season and their sixth different jersey. After the game, the jerseys will be auctioned on the Tech sports Web site to benefit Herma's Readers, a non-profit organization that Hokies coach Frank Beamer and his siblings created to promote childhood literacy in Virginia.

Season-best effort

Sunday morning, the sign in front of Tech's Major Williams Hall was altered, with a white piece of paper taped over the word "MAJOR." Written on the paper: "RYAN."

Three days earlier, Tech's redshirt freshman tailback, Ryan Williams, ran for a season-best 179 yards in the Hokies' 16-3 win at East Carolina. Six of his carries gained at least 10 yards, and four of those gained at least 15.

More impressive, he broke 16 tackles. "The most I've ever had," said 30th-year running backs coach Billy Hite. "Sixteen broken tackles is unbelievable." Williams' previous best was 11, which he had twice this season.

Williams graded 93 percent - one of the highest grades Hite has ever awarded. When offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring saw the grade, he said, according to Hite, "I'm not sure what Hite's thinking about, where the other seven percent came, that he's missing. Because I didn't see it."

At Maryland, Williams will go for another record and try to make himself an even bigger name on campus. He has 1,109 rushing yards - 157 shy of breaking the Tech and ACC freshman record, 1,265, set last season by redshirt freshman Darren Evans, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in August.

Morgan plays more

Junior rover Davon Morgan, a Varina High graduate, played the most he has all season against East Carolina - 48 snaps, compared to 19 for senior starter Dorian Porch.

Before Thursday, Morgan had played 160 snaps on defense, Porch 372. But in the previous game, against North Carolina, Morgan played 35, Porch 36.

Morgan was the starter last year before suffering a season-ending knee injury in the fifth game, at Nebraska, on a kickoff return. Porch took over for him. - Darryl Slater