Keegan: All signs point to VT victory

? The phrase “freezing warnings in effect,” is only a click of the remote away, and it’s colder here than it’s been at any time in the past five years. Weird.

With any luck for the Kansas University football team, the unexpected will take place on the football field as well because there is no way to look at this Orange Bowl matchup objectively and not surmise that Virginia Tech will win the game.

This Virginia Tech defense calls to mind the Kansas unit of 2005 in that it features star power up front, in the linebacker corps, and in the secondary. Yet, the Hokies’ defense has more size and greater speed than that KU defense, which did not have any players drafted from it. Depending on the scouting service, as many as four players from the Va. Tech defense are projected to be taken in the first four rounds of the draft.

Defensive end Chris Ellis is to the Hokies’ defense what Charlton Keith was to KU’s Fort Worth Bowl defense. Ellis is ranked by nfldraftcountdown.com as the fifth best defensive end among seniors in the draft and is projected to go in the second or third round. Undrafted, Keith is playing in the Canadian Football League.

The ’05 Jayhawks had Charles Gordon at cornerback. Signed as a free agent, he’s playing for the Minnesota Vikings. The only way Va. Tech cornerback Brandon Flowers won’t get drafted will be if he decides to return for his senior season.

Nick Reid, Banks Floodman and Kevin Kane formed a memorable linebacker trio, yet not even Reid, the Big 12 defensive player of the year, was selected in the draft. For Virginia Tech, senior linebackers Vince Hall (ranked third by nfldraftcountdown.com) and Xavier Adibi (ranked eighth) expect to hear their names called on draft day. Flowers was named second-team All-ACC and fellow junior Victor Harris, the other cornerback, earned first-team honors.

“We do have two good corners,” Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said. “I don’t think it will get down to those matchups as much as it will to get some pressure on Kansas. That’s going to be the real issue, trying to get the ball out of there a little sooner than Kansas would like. So I think that’s what the real matchup is.”

The key matchup within the matchup will come when Ellis is matched against Kansas left tackle Anthony Collins, a finalist for the Outland Trophy.

While Ellis played the best football of his career in the closing weeks of the season – he had six quarterback hurries against Boston College in the ACC title game – Collins was walking around in a boot during the week and playing football on Saturdays. Against Missouri, Collins was so hobbled the team would have been better off with a backup playing in his place. Sophomore quarterback Reesing faced heavy heat all night. Collins’ limp is gone.

Even a quarterback who scrambles as well and passes as accurately as Todd Reesing will be forced into making mistakes if he’s constantly on the run.

“Tech does pose a challenge for us, but I feel like with our protection schemes and the way we do things, that our kids will hold up very well,” KU coach Mark Mangino said.

If he’s right about that, Kansas has a shot. If not, oh well, it’s been a great season.