#5 Alabama Crimson Tide will battle the #7 Virginia Tech Hokies in their respective season openers on Saturday in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome.
The matchup will be the first battle between two top 10 teams this season.
Last season, the Tide rolled into the Georgia Dome and defeated an ACC opponent (Clemson) to kick off their undefeated regular season. They will look to repeat the same good fortunes this season.
The Tide is led by sophomore wide receiver Julio Jones, who caught 58 passes for 924 yards last season. However, they will have to rebuild their offense with the losses of longtime quarterback John Parker Wilson and running back Glen Coffee.
The Alabama defense returns as strong as ever, ranking third in the nation overall (263.5 yards per game) and seventh in scoring (14.3 points per game) last season.
Eight returning starters will be on the field Saturday, including tackle Terrence Cody and linebacker Rolando McClain, both of whom are All-Americans. Cornerback Javier Arenas anchors the secondary, where safety Rashad Johnson was the lone significant loss.
The Hokies, who are known for their defense, will also have to rebuild their offense after the loss of starting running Darren Evans to an ACL injury. Evans, who ran for 1,265 yards and 11 touchdowns last season, tore his ACL in preseason practice and will sit out this season. Redshirt freshman Ryan Williams will likely start on Saturday.
Quarterback Tyrod Taylor will take the reins this year after being embroiled in a quarterback controversy with Sean Glennon last season. Taylor threw for 1,036 yards and ran for another 738 yards last season.
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