December 27, 2002

SAN FRANCISCO - The Hokies took to the practice field Friday for the first time since arriving in San Francisco, and fortunately the rain held off at Laney College across the bay in Oakland until the Hokies finished practicing around noon local time.

Tech conducted its usual "Tuesday" practice, which is normally when the majority of the hitting takes place during the week before the game. Tech's offense worked against the Hokies' scout team, which impersonated Air Force's 3-3-5 defense. The Hokies' defense spent the majority of practice preparing for Air Force's triple-option attack.

"I thought we started out a little slow, but we really picked it up as we went along," Tech head coach Frank Beamer said. "We were able to work on some things and get some stuff done."

Tech goes into its New Year's Eve match-up with Air Force relatively healthy, with the only question mark being receiver Richard Johnson. The redshirt sophomore, who injured his left ankle after slipping on some ice in Blacksburg before Christmas, dressed in blue Friday and did limited work. His status for the game remains questionable.

Also, defensive tackle Jason Lallis practiced at full speed. The redshirt sophomore suffered a dislocated shoulder in the West Virginia game and missed the rest of the regular season. He should see action in the bowl game.

After practice, the players were scheduled to take a ferry to Alcatraz Island to visit the former military garrison and prison. The three-hour tour was to end at 5 (local time), and after that, the players had the rest of the evening free.