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With one twist of the knee and a pop of a ligament, Virginia Tech's immediate and future football fortunes are up in the air.

First string quarterback Grant Noel tore his ACL in a non-contact situation Wednesday, when he made a cut on an option run to avoid a defender. He was tackled on the play, but the knee gave way before he was hit.

The diagnosis? A torn ACL. Tech trainer Mike Goforth and team physician Dr. Duane Lagan feel that Noel might be able to forego surgery, but they won't know for sure until they can evaluate him over the next couple of weeks.

Noel might be able to skip surgery, rehab, and try to play next fall. It's possible that Noel might be able to have some arthroscopic surgery to clear the knee up some, but if full reconstruction of the ACL is the recommendation, then Noel's Tech career is over. The determination (surgery or no surgery) will be made May 1st.

As it is, he's in limbo now. Only time will tell if he will be able to get himself back into playing shape for next fall. For the immediate future, with third-string QB Will Hunt's throwing shoulder injured, backup QB Bryan Randall will have to play for both teams in the Spring Game Saturday.

Randall will wear a yellow (non-contact) jersey Saturday. Wide receiver Chris Clifton will not be moved back to QB.

The injury to Noel denies Hokie fans -- and the coaches -- the opportunity to see both QB's play and compare the two. Not that Spring Game performance is necessarily an indicator of how a QB will fare on the depth chart. In last year's Spring Game, most observers agreed that backup Jason Davis outplayed Noel, but Davis remained buried on the depth chart and later transferred to ETSU.

As things stand, Hokie fans will have to watch just Randall and try to figure out how they think he compares to Noel -- and to the way Randall himself played in 2001.

The Spring Game starts at 2:00 p.m. Saturday. It will be broadcast locally on 105.3 FM in Blacksburg, 97.3 FM in Roanoke, and 106.9 FM in Lynchburg. It will also be available on the Internet -- see hokiesportsinfo.com for details.

The weather forecast is not promising, as weather.com is calling for rain. Click here to see their Blacksburg forecast.

TSL Spring Game Tailgate Info

TechSideline.com's annual Spring Game tailgate will be held once again this year. It is being organized by a group of message board posters who will put on a shindig that will outshine previous Spring Game tailgates:

The 2002 edition of the TSLMB Spring Game Tailgate Party
(hosted by F4EHokie, bourbonstreet, BayIslandHokie, BigSkyHokie, teaysvalleyhokie, and cliff!)

Here's what will be provided

• BBQ Pork (yes we're gonna do a little pig pickin')
• Plates, napkins, cups, utensils, condiments, trash bags
• Deli meats, buns, soft drinks, and ice
• Grills, but bring yours if you have one!

Here's what you need to bring

• Your favorite adult beverage
• Hamburger, sausages, hot dogs, anything you want to grill
• Chips, salsa, veggie trays, chicken, potato salad, cole slaw, macaroni salad, baked beans, ham biscuits, basically whatever else you want to eat. (But plan on sharing.)
• Anything else you think fellow Hokies might enjoy.

We have ordered a 150# pig and it will be first come, first serve.

Tailgating starts at 10 AM. Look for the "www.HokieCentral.com" banner in the west end of Lot 5 next to Southgate Dr. (Map below)

Will Stewart
General Manager and Managing Editor
TechSideline.com

Spring Football Wrap-up -- Thoughts on who impressed, who stepped up, and who fell behind.

Big East Bowl Update -- The status of the Big East bowl tie-ins, and what bowls the conference is trying to add.

Where is Division 1-A Headed? -- Wayne Crump takes a fascinating look at new Division 1-A requirements, what they will mean to teams from non-BCS conferences, and how he thinks conferences might realign.

Life in C-USA -- Speaking of conference alignment, Jim Alderson looks into his crystal ball and tries to figure out what Hokie athletics would be like if Tech had landed in Conference USA for all sports.

Where are They Now? Shawn Scales -- Born into a family torn apart by drug addiction and drug dealing, Shawn Scales forged his own path, making his way to college and leading Virginia Tech in receiving during the 1996 season. What happened after he left Tech, where is he now, and what's he doing?

Inside the Numbers: Tight End Production (Cover Story) -- At Virginia Tech, the tight ends are blockers first, receivers second. We examine the numbers and uncover some interesting facts about the tight end position at Tech.

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2002 Football Opponents added to Links Page - check out our revamped Links Page, which now includes links to web sites covering Tech's 2002 football opponents.

Other News and Articles:
Henrickson Interviews With Vanderbilt - by Will Stewart, 4/17/02
Virginia Tech women's basketball coach Bonnie Henrickson has once again surfaced as a candidate for an open head coaching job, but this time, it's more serious.