The quarterback decisions have been made, the depth chart is set and the travel squad has been finalized. Now, it's time to play football.

(Note: This is good because your Tech network radio crew of Roth and Burnop, having now appeared on roughly one zillion radio talk shows over the past month from Enid to Wilmington previewing the season, is ready to get to work andwatch some football, not just talk about it.)

And while many questions have been answered, a new set of unknowns arises now as Virginia Tech begins this 2008 football season against East Carolina in Charlotte. In practice and in scrimmages, the Hokies have the look of a pretty good team. They have good speed all over the field, and tremendous talent. But they've got enough inexperience at key positions to keep their coaches up at night. So what do you watch for on Saturday? Focus your binoculars on these five things:

1. How will Tech's offensive line perform against ECU's defensive front? The Pirates were a physical group and were a handful last year at Lane Stadium. ECU's Harley-Davidson riding defensive coordinator Greg Hudson has a unit that mirrors his rugged persona, and his front seven from last year return. The interior of Tech's offensive line, guards Nick Marshman and Sergio Render and center Ryan Shuman, look like different players this preseason because of their weight loss. And having Ed Wang back (he did not play vs. ECU last year) makes a big difference. The wildcard here is right tackle Blake DeChristopher, who will be playing in his first game. His initial match-up will be against Zach Slate, a senior who's been around. On paper, Tech should be able to run the ball in this game, but odds are that Hudson stacks the box early to see if Tech can throw it.

2. Tech's receivers have a combined 15 snaps of experience. That's 'team green.' As quarterback Sean Glennon explained earlier this week, many of the routes Tech receivers run are determined by the coverage shown by the defense. That means recognizing the coverage is critical for Dyrell Roberts, Danny Coale, Xavier Boyce, Jarrett Boykin, Ike Whitaker and Prince Parker. Coale can really fly. I mean, he's really a fast guy out there, and combined with Roberts, gives Tech two pretty speedy guys who should be able to keep defenses honest.

3. I'm glad Kenny Lewis Jr. earned the start in this game after his commitment to return from his torn labrum. If you'll recall, the doctors' forecast called for Lewis to miss the first six games in rehab. But Lewis pushed himself this summer, worked hard to be ready for preseason drills and didn't miss a beat. He looks terrific. That being said, there are a half dozen tailbacks who are vying for playing time and clearly, someone will emerge. For a while, it looked like Josh Oglesby would be the guy. Then Darren Evans. Clearly, Ryan Williams is a young guy with a high ceiling. So, who carries the load? Well, last year, Branden Ore, Lewis, and Jahre Cheeseman netted 52 yards on 27 carries against ECU. That's 1.9 yards per run. The Hokies should - and must - do better than that on Saturday. This is clearly an opportunity for someone to emerge.

4. You probably don't realize how fast Davon Morgan is until you see him really turn it on. Morgan won the starting rover spot - although he'll split time with Dorian Porch - and the Varina High School product has a chance to be a real impact player. When Tech's coaches opted to play Morgan last year as a true freshman, there were some quizzical looks from many observers. But in the end, he contributed and is better off now because of his 2007 action. Yes, Tech lost Brandon Flowers to the Kansas City Chiefs, but when you look at the secondary this season, it looks terrific. Macho Harris and Stephan Virgil are solid at corners and I know you Highland Spring folks are jacked to see Cris Hill get on the field, too. Also: remember the names Lorenzo Williams and Eddie Whitley. Those two kids have a chance to contribute right away to this team in the secondary as well.

5. Tech is fortunate to have a leader like Orion Martin on its defensive line, but even this senior admits he's a bit nervous about the defense. "We're young, so yeah, I'm a little nervous. We've got a lot of guys who've not played before who are going to get a lot of snaps," Martin said. The starting unit should be fine up front: John Graves and Cordarrow Thompson will start along with Jason Worilds and Martin. But that second group: Demetrius Taylor, Justin Young, Nekos Brown and Steven Friday will be called upon to play a lot, and so much of the success of Tech's defense hinges on their development. If it's hot in Charlotte-and the forecast calls for temperatures in high 80's - the depth on the defensive line becomes even more important. Those guys have to do a great job defending ECU's read-option with the athletic Patrick Pinkney running the QB spot for ECU.

It should be a fun ball game with a tremendous atmosphere at an NFL stadium. We'll know a lot more about this football team by late Saturday afternoon. Some notes:

Radio: If you're going to the game, bring your radio and follow along at 89.7 FM. That's our frequency at Bank of America Stadium. Airtime is 10:30 a.m. You can hear us on XM Satellite 140 as well as on our regular Virginia Tech ISP Sports Network affiliates.

Replay: Comcast SportsNet will replay the game on Sunday at 1:30 following Virginia Tech Sports Today.

Hokie Hotline: On next week's Advance Auto Parts Hokie Hotline, defensive coordinator Bud Foster, director of athletics Jim Weaver and head coach Frank Beamer will be on the stage at Awful Arthur's in Blacksburg. Also joining us will be Kyle Tucker, who covers the Hokies for The Virginian Pilot.

Virginia Tech Sports Today: We'll have the highlights of Saturday's game, plus much more, including a feature on linebacker Jonas Houseright, who comes from one the great Tech families. His brothers, Jake and Billy, played for Tech, as did his cousin, Chad Beasley, and uncle, Tom Beasley. That's one great family!

Also, we'll show you how Tech's players helped other students on move-in day on campus this past week and give you a sneak peak at the special white uniforms and helmets the Hokies will wear for their home opener against Furman. See Virginia Tech Sports Today every Sunday in Roanoke (WDBJ-7, 11 a.m.), Richmond (WRIC-8, 12:30 p.m.), Norfolk (WAVY-10, Noon), Harrisonburg (WHSV-3, Noon), Bristol (WCYB-4, 9:30 a.m.), Bluefield (WVVA-6, Noon), Raleigh (Fox-50, 11:30 a.m.), Charlotte (WJZY-46, 10 a.m.), Greensboro (WGPX-16, 1 p.m.), and on Comcast SportsNet (1 p.m.). You can also see the show online anytime through Hokies All-Access.

And finally, the fact of the week: Heading into this week's game between Virginia Tech and East Carolina, the Hokies are 4-0 all-time against the Holtz family. Tech was 3-0 against Lou Holtz when he was the head coach at William & Mary and defeated son Skip last year in Blacksburg. The Hokies posted wins of 48-7, 35-14 and 41-30 during the 1969, 1970 and 1971 seasons over William & Mary. The Hokies defeated ECU 17-7 last year.