After a breakout 2011 season, Coles was expected to be the top returning receiver for the Hokies in 2012. However, offseason surgery on his PCL slowed him down as he missed spring practice and most of August camp. Re-injuring his knee Monday night against Georgia Tech forced him to shelf the season.

The emergence of Corey Fuller and Demitri Knowles softens the blow a bit, but the loss of a talented player at an already thin position can't be downplayed. Look for true freshman Joshua Stanford to get a lot of work against Austin Peay.

Here's the official release from HokieSports.com.

Virginia Tech senior wide receiver D.J. Coles will undergo an MRI on his knee and will miss the remainder of the 2012 season, as announced Thursday by head athletic trainer Mike Goforth. The Maidens, Va., native had off-season PCL surgery on his right knee, but returned for Monday’s opener against Georgia Tech. He injured the right knee again in the first quarter.

Because Coles has not played in more than 30 percent of this year's season, he will be eligible to apply for a medical hardship waiver at the conclusion of the season. Coles has not redshirted, so provided the medical hardship waiver is granted, he will be eligible to return next year for a fifth season. Goforth says it's almost certain that Coles will be granted the waiver and will return next year.

Editor's Note: We're going to try to bring you the very best reviews of the games this season found anywhere online. The embedded YouTube video is the complete game, condensed with all commercials removed courtesy of Dozer. It has been coded to start and stop at the times being referenced. If that doesn't work, the time referenced in the play is listed below. --Joe

Welcome to our first film review of the 2012 season. The Hokies came into their opener against Georgia Tech preaching a new attitude on offense after prominently featuring the no huddle, spread, and pistol in preseason scrimmages. Georgia Tech, with Al Groh's 3-4 defense missing several key cogs and lacking depth, seemed like the perfect opponent for a breakout offensive performance after years of struggling in nationally televised openers. By the third quarter, it seemed as if those lofty aspirations had gone up in smoke as the Hokie offense repeatedly stalled against the Yellow Jacket defense.

Holy short week, you guys. **Rubs eyes, I gotta write what by Wednesday night!?** Even though I feel like a zombie after the Hokies Monday night win, I hope to get a pass for the abbreviated, subpar Six Pick effort. One thing I can't excuse are the poor results of 90% of us last week. This week may not be much better as the lines for these games have given me pause. I only wish these games were a bit more interesting. The good news is this may be the worst week of games on the schedule, so we can get this out of the way early while it's still hot outside. I promise, you'll get a big game, good effort from me next week when business picks up.

So ESPN's College Gameday is headed to College Station, Tx for the Aggies first game as a member of the SEC. This is the equivalent of pity sex and was clearly engineered by SEC boss, Mike Slive. The oddity of this broadcast will be seeing everyone sweat their cojones off while a bunch of guy cheerleaders in white do the hand jive behind Fowler, Corso and Herbstreit. Also, who will ESPN find as their celebrity game picker this week? aTm has limited options, with it either being George H.W. Bush or Ryan Tannehill's wife. Hot sells.

Saturday, 9/8/2012

Miami at Kansas State -6.5 12:00 PM FX

Even though this is a short, somewhat obvious post, I felt it was necessary to write. The defense was outstanding against the run, Georgia Tech's bread and butter, Monday night. Their effort was fueled by the Hokies deep defensive line (7 players played more than 30 snaps) that penetrated, created havoc, and held their gaps at the line of scrimmage. It was preserved by a back seven that for the most part cleaned up the wash—any loose ballcarrier. The longest run from scrimmage was just 22 yards.

The Hokies held the Yellow Jackets to 192 yards on the ground. Let's put that into context. Over the Paul Johnson era (2008-11, not including 2012), Georgia Tech accounts for 17 of the top 20 rushing games, including four of the top five, among ACC schools. Over the same timespan nationally, they're tied for second best with Neveda with 9 of the top 100 single game rushing totals (Air Force and Navy each have 10). They have ranked in the top 4 nationally in rushing yards per game each of the last four seasons.

Stealing the 'T' from the Tech Tower is a Georgia Tech tradition that dates back to the 1960s. Students plot to steal the 'T', and if they're successful it's returned during homecoming.

Seemingly harmless, and kind of cool if you ask me. Recently however, filching the 'T' from the Tech Tower has spread to boosting all off the T's around, and off campus.

H/T @sportsbroad

One of our T's went missing this weekend, and rivalries are fun.

After Georgia Tech took a three point lead with less than a minute to go, I stood hunched over on the bleachers in the East Stands. My mouth remained open, but I was no longer screaming. A day of drinking PBR-limes, RAILs, and bourbon be damned, I was left sober by watching approximately 56 minutes of missed opportunities over the course of the night. With a clear mind I thought the worst —Alabama '09, Boise '10— history was going to repeat itself.

Dozer does it again. Bravo!

Now that I have your attention... This will be a new Friday (or Wednesday) post. I want it to be a quick reading, in-depth set of notes that'll get anyone up to speed for what to watch on game day. For the bigger games, there might be video too.

Brent Benedict and Michael Via will rotate snaps at right guard. Benedict is as strong as a bull, lean, and looked terrific in Virginia Tech's first public scrimmage. However, he struggled in the final scrimmage, then the tried and true Michael Via reappeared into the picture. All along It was obvious Via would rotate in somewhere, and play many meaningful snaps this season, he's too good not to.

It almost seems surreal that, given Virginia Tech's long standing rivalries with Miami and UVA, that over the last 5 years the ACC game which has caused many Hokies the greatest worry has been the Ramblin Wreck of Georgia Tech. Paul Johnson has successfully been able to implement a true flexbone offense in a BCS Conference, and despite a clear drop in his offensive recruiting talent, Johnson has been able to adapt his lesser athletes into a system that works.

A moment of full disclosure, I am a football purist. I believe in the fundamentals, and the premise that repetition and technique can make up for a lack of athleticism. This matchup features a Virginia Tech defense that uses a slanting, gap control model which compensates for lesser athletic ability against a Georgia Tech offense which harkens back to the days of Darryl Royal, where the offensive line veer blocks, coming off low and fast the way many of us were taught in high school.