Monday night’s Hokie Hotline featured athletic director Jim Weaver, defensive coordinator Bud Foster and head coach Frank Beamer. Weaver gave more details about West side expansion delays, Foster talked about the defensive performance against Duke, and Beamer discussed a variety of subjects.

Jim Weaver was the first guest on the Hokie Hotline. He said he was happy to be the athletic director of the fourth ranked team in the country. He said he thinks Coach Beamer has done a great job of preparing the team to be the hunted rather than the hunter. Roth noted that VT has been ranked in the top five for six of the past seven year. Weaver said it was great that there were more Tech fans in Durham than Duke fans.

Weaver said there will be no availability for any suite holders or indoor club seat holders for the first two games. They will be reseated in other areas in the stadium. The use of elevators to get to outdoor club seats will not be possible because VT has only received a partial certificate of occupancy. Weaver went on the say that the fan response to the construction delays has been “absolutely wonderful”. They will look at the situation at the end of the season to determine refunds.

Weaver said that certain things have to happen to get certain occupancy permits from the state. He said there is a distinct possibility that there will be no availability for the West Side luxury suites and indoor club seats for the 2005 season. He is less optimistic than assistant athletic director Tom Gabbard, who deals with the situation on a day-to-day basis. Weaver said it is possible that seating problems could arise later in the season, but he thinks that Tech will be able to accommodate all fans.

Weaver said that not much progress will be made between Ohio and Georgia Tech. There is not enough time in between to clean up and start construction all over again. He said more progress will be made following the Georgia Tech game.

Weaver said that nothing has happened before the first game with regards to Beamer’s new contract. They do not want the situation to be a distraction to the season, so it’s possible that the negotiations will be suspended until the end of the season.

A caller asked about Lot 5, which is being used by Turner Construction. Weaver said the equipment is being moved this week, and there has been no rain in the area lately, so the lot should be fine to park in for the Ohio game.

Weaver said there will be student athletes at the Ohio game on Saturday that will be collecting contributions for the relief fund for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The NCAA is now allowing donations to be made to players and their families that were affected, and that includes VT basketball player Deron Washington. There will be an announcement of the specific details of this program next week.

Roth noted that the Virginia Tech defense set a school record by holding Duke to 35 yards of total offense on Saturday. Foster said he was proud of the effort of the defense. Roth noted that Duke gained a total of 16 yards on 18 first down plays, which is amazing.

Foster said they expected Duke to play Curt Dukes at quarterback more, but they didn’t, and that played into Virginia Tech’s hands. Foster said that Tech missed 15 tackles against NC State, but only three against Duke. There were 17 mental errors against NC State, but only seven against Duke. Vince Hall, Xavier Adibi and Chris Ellis stepped up their game, as did Kory Robertson. Justin Hamilton is really improving at safety as well, as is Orion Martin at defensive end.

Foster said Ohio coach Frank Solich has gotten his players believing that they can win. Foster says he expects more option from Ohio this weekend in an effort to spread the Hokies’ defense out. Ohio just beat Pitt, who has beaten VT three times in a row and went to the Fiesta Bowl last season.

Foster said he saw a lot of Nebraska from Ohio against Pittsburgh, and expects to see even more this Saturday. The Ohio players aren’t playing with pressure and are having a lot of fun. Foster is challenging his players to prepare mentally for a game that could be another letdown game.

Foster says he hopes they have enough mature players to handle the pressure of rankings. The rankings are for fans and he doesn’t pay any attention to rankings. They are working hard to focus on the next play and the next game.

Foster said he was very proud of Jimmy Williams. He showed a lot of restraint during the game because the Duke players were doing some pushing and shoving after the play. Roth mentioned that Jimmy said he was bored on Saturday and just spent the time working on his back pedal. Foster said Williams and DeAngelo Hall are similar in many ways, but different in many ways. Williams has such superior size, and he can turn his hips well. He can continue to play corner at the NFL level rather than moving back to safety. Foster said that Williams has been a great leader for the team and he is very proud of how he has matured throughout his career.

Foster says he believes Macho Harris is getting better all the time. Each day he is feeling more and more confident in his own abilities. He has great explosion and natural ability.

Foster went on to say that he is expecting more option during the Ohio game. He is also expecting a variety of options, including the speed option and fullback option. Ike Whitaker is the perfect player to simulate this type of offense, as he runs about a 4.5 40.

Foster said Darryl Tapp looks good and played at full speed on Monday. They are also hoping to get Carlton Powell back against Ohio. Chris Ellis was held out of practice with a strained shoulder, but he should be good to go on Saturday.

Foster said the defense has a good mix of experience and youth. The youthful players are very hungry and the experienced players do a great job of providing guidance and leadership. He is really having a good time coaching this group of players.

Beamer opened the show by thanking Hokie fans for turning out for the Duke game on Saturday. He then went on to say that ESPN’s “The Season” is back in Blacksburg for the second consecutive season. Instead of spending just one week at Tech, they will be spending two weeks, which is a great compliment to the program.

Beamer said the team did things very well for the most part on Saturday. At times they needed to show better effort, but he was pleased that they were able to play so many young players. Beamer said he thinks Vick is doing very well, but he wishes he would have taken off and run a little more. He really threw some great passes in the Duke game, and had a great day of practice on Monday.

Beamer said the defense played exceptionally well. He thought they got the Duke players flustered. The tackling was much better and there weren’t as many mental errors. Coach Foster and his coaches did a great job of preparing his players for the game. Despite the lofty national rankings, the players need to continue to focus on Ohio.

Beamer said Sean Glennon asked Kevin Rogers to put Cory Holt in the game if it came down to mop up duty. Glennon is still the backup and will play if needed. Beamer said Glennon is probably thinking about the possibility of a redshirt.

Beamer said the offensive line is developing well. The Duane Brown experiment is really working out well. He is athletic and relentless. They had a lot of players play very well against Duke. They need to continue to get Brandon Frye some reps, and he needs to keep coming along. It’s not where it needs to be, but they have very good potential.

Beamer was asked about the technique of his kickers. He said he thought Pace was kicking very well and that this technique was good. The field goal he missed on Saturday was against the wind, which was tough. Beamer then brought up Nic Schmitt, who is doing an excellent job in the kicking game. He can boom punts and he can pin opponents deep. Jared Develli is also kicking off very well, and Jud Dunlevy is very capable as well.

Beamer was asked about the different replay systems for each conference. Beamer said he thinks there will be a national standard policy next season, and that‘s the way it should be. He said that all the conferences should be under the original Big Ten plan, which worked well last season. They are using this season as an experiment to test for future seasons.

Beamer was asked about recruiting, and he said they are in on some really good players. There is a recruiting meeting among the coaches on Thursday and they will evaluate where they stand with many prospects.

Beamer said last Wednesday that they didn’t think Josh Morgan would be playing against Duke, but instead he played and had a big game. He said he thinks they might alternate Josh Morgan and Eddie Royal on punt returns. Royal shows great burst and speed, while Morgan has burst and the ability to break tackles.

Beamer said the offense did a pretty good job on Saturday, but they need to improve. He was pleased that Vick and the receivers were able to hit some big plays in the passing game. Vick has a nice touch and can hit receivers on a dead run. He can make the ball fit between defenders.

Beamer commented on Dion Byrum, a cornerback for Ohio who has scored three touchdowns on interceptions in just two games. Beamer said he is very fast, running a 4.3 40. They are a well-coached, legit football team. He said the crowd needs to come out and make Lane Stadium loud.

Beamer said the Ohio quarterback can run the ball, but he can also throw it. He fits in perfectly with what Frank Solich likes to do with his offense. Beamer said he is on the ethics committee with Solich, and that he’s a good coach. He is 59-20 as a head coach. He did a great job at Nebraska, despite the fact that he got fired. He will bring a well-coached football team to Blacksburg on Saturday.

A caller asked about the third down conversions for the Duke game, and Beamer said he is a little concerned about the statistic (4-11). He said they have to be better at it and become more efficient. They were good on third downs last season and hope to get back to that point this season.

Beamer said Bryan Stinespring talked to Rickey Bustle this past week, and the Bustle family came out of Hurricane Katrina well. Beamer said he couldn’t imagine what it was like for coaches in the area. Every coach for Tulane has lost his house, and it’s amazing that they can carry on.

In a rare prediction session with Bill Roth, Beamer said he thought Maryland would beat West Virginia and Virginia would beat Syracuse. He wasn’t sure Miami would win at Clemson. He said he thought Boston College had a legit shot to beat Florida State.

Beamer said he talked to former Hokies in the NFL occasionally, and the assistant coaches talk to them often. He said they love to get former Hokies to come back and see Virginia Tech play. He’s proud of them, and it helps the current recruiting situation and it’s a good overall thing when they come back around.

Beamer said George Bell has worked hard to play and is as good a person as you will find. He had his first collegiate touchdown against Duke and he had a couple of nice runs. Branden Ore is very talented as well and has a chance to be a great player. It’s great to have so many good running backs because there is such a big risk for injuries.

Beamer said Jeff King made some great catches. He’s really a guy you can count on. Beamer said you know what to expect from Jeff King every week. Beamer said John Kinzer is also doing well. There is a lot of carry over from what he did at fullback.

Roth pointed out that Tech will play their 25th game as at Top Five team this Saturday. He commented that the team seems really mature as far as the rankings go. Beamer said he is very proud that people consider Tech a Top Five team, but the team must continue to focus on the little things.

• Monday was day 290 of Virginia Tech’s continuous possession of the Commonwealth Cup, day 346 of Virginia Tech’s continuous possession of the Black Diamond Trophy, and day 283 of Virginia Tech's continuous possession of the ACC football championship.