Bud Foster Works to Silence the Rumor Mill, Scheme for Cincinnati's Passing Attack

Internet rumors are rampant again that Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster is a target for the same position, at another school, under another prominent head coach. Texas A&M's Kevin Sumlin has been searching for a defensive coordinator since firing Mark Snyder following his team's season ending loss to LSU in which A&M gave up 384 yards rushing. Foster's turned down offers from a laundry list of head coaches in the past including Kevin Sumlin (yes, he's told him "no" once before), Jimbo Fisher, Mark Richt, Dabo Swinney and Steve Spurrier. Now, he insists his focus is squarely on Annapolis for the team's bowl game and not College Station.

"I haven't even talked to my (agent)," Foster insisted on a teleconference Wednesday.

Whether or not Texas A&M has indeed reached out to Tech's longtime defensive coordinator, Foster is staying tight lipped about the whole process.

Foster claims he hasn't even been contacted about any outside jobs so far, an assertion that seems hard to believe given his defensive track record and respectability among coaching circles, yet it's a position that seems understandable given his extensive history with the Hokies.

But if someone is indeed interested in stealing him away from his longtime home, Foster says they'll likely make their case directly.

"If anything happens, they'll come directly to me, then I'll go to (my agent) when it's all said and done," Foster said.

A future beyond Virginia Tech is a touchy subject for the head defensive Hokie these days, especially after years of speculation about change that never materialized, but Foster perks back up when it's time to talk about Cincinnati.

"They're a very talented group," Foster said. "You don't win nine games by luck."

The Hokies' Military Bowl opponents certainly do present an interesting challenge for Foster's bunch, particularly when it comes to the passing game.

"I think one of the strengths, if not the strength, of their team is the receiving corps," Foster said.

Much like the Hokies a season ago, the Bearcats don't have one single dominant receiver torching opposing defenders, but a trio of wideouts that have excelled.

Receivers Mekale McKay, Shaq Washington and Chris Moore have combined for more than half of the team's total receiving yards this season, compiling 1,921 yards among them. Fellow WRs Max Morrison and Johnny Holton aren't far behind, however, combining for another 876 yards.

But Foster notes that little of their excellence would be possible without the abilities of trigger man Gunner Kiel.

"Obviously their quarterback can get it to them," Foster said. "I've been impressed with how he hangs in the pocket, he hangs in there, he'll throw it to his third or fourth guy. He just knows where they are."

Yet Kiel isn't the only Bearcats quarterback Foster has to worry about containing. The impeccably named Munchie Legaux had his way with the Hokies' defense two years ago, throwing for 376 yards and three scores, and he's seen a fair amount of time in relief of Kiel this year.

"Munchie Legaux, he played against us a couple years ago and he's come in and played quite a bit for Gunner Kiel," Foster said. "They make some plays all the way around."

No matter which quarterback has been under center for Cincinnati this year, they've enjoyed solid protection from the offensive line. They've only allowed 16.0 sacks all year long, a mark that puts them tied for 22nd nationally, a feat that reminds Foster of Tech's earlier matchup with Duke.

"I think they're more talented at receiver than Duke is, but I say they're similar from the standpoint that they're second to Duke in the amount of minus yard plays they give up," Foster said. "That's a combination of the quarterback getting rid of the football and not taking sacks."

Luckily for the Hokies, they'll have the services of linebacker Chase Williams (and his 3.5 sacks and 16 quarterback hits) at their disposal for the second straight game after he missed a month's worth of contests with a knee injury.

"He worked extremely hard to get back," Foster said. "It just makes a statement that the kid wants to play."

Williams' return is all the more impressive for the fact that he's not auditioning for a future role with the team, or even an NFL job. As a redshirt senior with just a handful of games starting, the Military Bowl is likely Williams' last contest of his career, but Foster is certainly glad he worked his way back to make the start.

"It's good to have him back," Foster said. "That's not to take anything away from the Motuapuaka kid because I think he's a heck of a football player, but at the same time Chase has had a not a good senior year, but a great senior year, and it's shown in his performance."

It might not come as much of a surprise that the bowl could be Williams' last time on the field as a Hokie, but it could also end up being defensive end Dadi Nicolas' final time in the orange and maroon if he heads off to the NFL.

Nicolas submitted his paperwork for an evaluation by the NFL Advisory Board last week, and while he insists he won't leave unless he's graded a first or second prospect, the possibility still exists that his days in Blacksburg are numbered.

"If he's going to be a first or second round guy, and I don't know if that's the case, it's hard not to support him if that's what he wants to do," Foster said. "But if he's not...it's going to be in his best interest to stay."

But even if Foster wants him to spend another year in school, he certainly understands why he's a tempting pro prospect.

"He has tremendous upside at the next level...he's got some special qualities physically," Foster said. "But whatever he decides we're going to support him 100 percent, but at the same time, if he asks our advice we're going to have his best interests at heart."

No matter what he decides, Dadi will take the field in Annapolis, and with Williams and Nicolas at the ready to provide the pass rush, the Hokies' defensive backs will have to focus on locking down the Bearcats' deep stable of receivers.

Foster is aware of just how lucky the Hokies are to have Kendall Fuller to assist them in that task.

"He's a lockdown guy," Foster said. "Last year he played a lot of different spots for us, this year he was primarily our boundary corner. And our boundary corner is a guy, you know our history, that's one of our best football players, if not our best, on the perimeter."

Fuller's made another All-America list, this time earning third team honors from the AP, and Foster says it's no surprise he's been so good, so quickly.

"This kid, coming in the door, he may be the sharpest kid from a football IQ and understanding standpoint (we've had) from day one," Foster said. "He works at it every day, there's never a time when he feels like he's arrived and he's accomplished and you respect him for that...that's why he's an all-league guy coming in the door."

Armed with the necessary pieces to stop the Bearcats, all Foster has to do now is take advantage of the team's copious bowl prep period to scheme for Cincinnati.

He says the team started installing their game plan for the Bearcats on Monday, and the staff has been running the young group through plenty of practice sessions to get them comfortable with it.

"Going into this game, we'll have practiced more than probably any bowl game here recently," Foster said. "We've got a lot of kids back for next season...and we've got a great opportunity in this bowl game to grow as a defense."

But the number of practices hasn't been the only thing different about this year's bowl preparations. Frank Beamer hasn't been on the practice field while recovering from throat surgery, but Foster says his return is imminent.

"Frank has been doing very well," Foster said. "He's been game planning and progressing and he's going to be out to practice here real soon."

He doesn't have much time left to get back out there, with the bowl game just over a week away, but Foster says the Hokies have been coping just fine in his absence so far.

"I think we've had some of our best practices of the year defensively," Foster said. "And I know it's an important bowl game for how we feel in the offseason, going in with momentum."