Virginia Tech James Gayle isn’t shy about going up against good competition, so if Virginia right tackle Morgan Moses can’t play this week because of a lower leg injury, the Hokies’ defensive end wouldn’t mind pairing up with the Cavaliers’ All-ACC right tackle Oday Aboushi.

“I’m hoping they move 72 to the other side, because that’s the guy I want to go against if Morgan doesn’t play,” Gayle said. “He’s just somebody I’d like to beat, to be honest.”

Gayle had three tackles for a loss last year against Virginia, including two sacks on Moses, a fact he enjoyed reminding the right tackle of a few months later on signing day with a Twitter barb.

“Morgan’s my boy,” Gayle said of the playful back and forth. “I played with him in the [high school] all-star game. But it’s fun.”

It comes with the territory in rivalry games, where so many players know each other from high school and the recruiting process.

“We obviously know them a little more. We’re closer to them,” linebacker Jack Tyler said. “We know them from high school like I said. Because of that there’s a little more communication, but I wouldn’t say there’s as much smack talk, per se. If anything it could be more friendly just because you know them a little more.”

Is it really that friendly?

“I wouldn’t say that,” Gayle deadpanned.

Linebacker Bruce Taylor thinks the banter is all in good fun. Both teams know what they’re playing for.

“They do a lot of trash talking and all that stuff, but at the end of the day, those guys, they mean well,” he said. “They play hard. And you have to respect who play the game the right way. They do a little extra jawing sometimes, but hey, that’s part of the game. We’ve just got to keep our heads level and do our talking with our pads.”

“When it gets down to it both teams want to win,” Tyler said. “Both teams are going to do whatever it takes to win. Sometimes things get a little physical. I’ve always said, even though you’re playing your friends on the field, it doesn’t matter, you’re on the opposite team and there’s going to be blood shed. It’s one of those games that we all come here to play and it’s going to be fun.”

Marcus Davis got most of the headlines for his demotion last week, but receivers coach Kevin Sherman said the moves the Hokies made last week with their receiving corps weren’t designed to light a fire under any one person.

“I think all of our guys need to understand that there was a standard that we need to play to and we need to go out and make plays,” Sherman said. “And I think [Marcus] did that in the second half.”

Davis silenced some of his critics and earned back some of the coaches’ trust in the second half at Boston College with a five-catch, 104-yard performance, a striking rebuke to the viral video that made it up on Deadspin of his lackluster blocking in the Florida State game.

“It kind of hit me kind of hard, emotionally, but I tried not to let it control how I play,” Davis said. “I tried to let it go throughout the week. … But once the game started on Saturday, it was just like, that’s another chance for you to wash that off, give them something else to talk about. So my thing was, just make it good.”

At Boston College, after starting the first 10 games of the season, Davis sat out the first half, then went in for the start of the second. Sherman said it was a staff decision. Quarterbacks coach and play-caller Mike O’Cain, who is in the booth, said he did not even know Davis would be back in the game until he saw the senior on the field.

“I wasn’t expecting to go in,” Davis said. “When I was going out, [coach] was like, ‘Marcus, get ready.’ So I went and told [quarterback] Logan [Thomas], I was like, ‘It’s time to go.’ And he was like, ‘Well, I’m coming to you.’ And it just went on from there.”

It’s unclear who will start at receiver this week. Both head coach Frank Beamer and Sherman were non-committal about it Monday, saying they’ll continue to evaluate the receivers in practice this week.

But Davis’ big game puts him back on track for some significant milestones at Tech. He needs 105 yards to pass Andre Davis‘ single-season receiving yards record of 952 set in 1999.

With 858 yards, he could also become the first Virginia Tech player to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark in a season. That would take the Hokies off a dubious list of Football Bowl Subdivision teams who have not accomplished that, a group that includes Army, Navy, Nebraska, South Florida and Temple.

“I’ve heard the talk,” Davis said of the milestones. “But at the same time, I really haven’t paid much attention to it. Just game-by-game, I just try to go out and play my hardest. If it happens, it happens. But if we win, that’s what I’m more concerned about.”

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Here are some more notes and quotes from interviews with offensive coaches/players Monday night …

• Running backs coach Shane Beamer said he’s been inundated with emails and Twitter mentions asking if senior Martin Scales is going to have a bigger role going forward. Scales had seven carries for 27 yards against BC, which doesn’t sound impressive, but they were hard-nosed runs. Four times he got the ball on third-and-short. Four times the Hokies converted, including a crucial one in overtime when he shook off contact from two BC defenders in the backfield and got a first down that set up Randall Dunn‘s game-winning score.
• Shane said Scales’ role is somewhat limited by the fact that he’s splitting his reps between tailback and backup fullback. He’s getting the fullback reps in place of an injured Riley Beiro. “You hate to put too much on the guy’s plate, if that makes sense,” Shane said. “So it’s hard. It’s two totally different positions, mentally what they’re doing.”
• Also, it hasn’t fit into the game plan the Hokies have employed this year. “With what we’re doing offensively, we haven’t been much of a downhill, pound-you team all year long,” Shane said. “So we kind of felt like right, wrong or indifferent, Tony [Gregory] and J.C. [Coleman] were the guys who brought speed to the table, quickness, make you miss, play out in space. And that’s kind of what we’ve done.” Shane said there’s still a place for Scales’ north-south running, though.
• Shane was a little surprised that Scales was able to break both of the tackles to get the first down late. “It was two big guys that hit him,” he said. “It wasn’t 190-pound defensive back. Those were two 300-pound defensive tackles that banged into him and bounced him around. He did a great job. When I watched the video, I was like god dog, how did he get out of that? It was just refusing to be denied and playing with a purpose. But that was a heck of an individual effort. Can’t say enough about it.”
• Scales, who if you couldn’t tell I’ll be writing about this week for the paper, isn’t bothered by the lack of carries he’s gotten (30 for 136 yards this year). “I’m just happy to run,” he said. “Anybody would say it’s frustrating, because you want to run. But at this point, the way I was raised, I’m just happy to be called on in that situation. That shows that they have some confidence in me.”
• A lifelong Virginia Tech fan, Scales said the memory that stands out for him in the rivalry isn’t a positive one. It’s the 2003 game in Charlottesville, the last time the Hokies lost to the Cavaliers. “I felt so bad,” he said. “I went to school mad. I remember seeing UVa people go, ‘Ahhhh.’ So that’s the one that stands out the most in my head. And I don’t want to have that feeling.”
• Making a bowl game, even a lower-tiered one this year with the number of losses the Hokies have, is still a big motivator. “Me growing up, I don’t remember when Tech was bad,” Scales said. “So I just remember Tech being good. And it’s hard. You don’t like this feeling. So just to keep going 20 straight years of bowl games would just be great. … To say we were the year that messed it up and didn’t make it [to a bowl], that’s horrible. Just to beat UVa. I’m happy to go to a bowl, but I’d just love to beat UVa. Because that’s our big rival. And you just always want to beat them.”

Freshman cornerback Donaldven Manning was not at practice Tuesday and will meet with head coach Frank Beamer on Wednesday to discuss his future with the program.

Rumors began Tuesday afternoon that the true freshman had left the program. Assistant coaches who were available for interviews Tuesday night would only say what the school confirmed earlier — that Manning will meet with Beamer.

A 5-foot-9, 155-pound true freshman from Miami, Fla, Manning was a four-star recruit who enrolled last January to get a jump on playing time this year. Although he showed promise in the spring, he’s been slow to catch on to Bud Foster‘s defense this fall and has played sparingly.

His most lasting image this year might have been the Cincinnati game, when he replaced an injured Kyle Fuller in the third quarter and was beaten on consecutive plays for 57 yards, the second going 29 yards and a touchdown by Kenbrell Thompkins.

Manning played in seven games and registered four tackles this year, with one interception.

Online court records show that he was arrested in May and charged with possession of marijuana, although the charge was later dropped. The case was finalized in July, when he was found guilty of misidentifying himself to a police officer, a misdemeanor. He was given a 60-day suspended sentence and received one year of probation.

With Manning not at practice, sophomore walk-on Carl Jackson got second-team reps. Starter Kyle Fuller has been banged up and hasn’t practiced the first two days this week, meaning a larger role for freshman Donovan Riley, who notched his first career interception against Florida State last week.

“I’m going to pray that we can stay healthy, but those guys have got to be able to go if you need it,” defensive backs coach Torrian Gray said.

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Here are some more notes and quotes from Tuesday’s post-practice availability …

• A late addition to the notes: Beamer’s website updated the depth chart late Tuesday, putting Corey Fuller and Demitri Knowles in the starting receiver spots over seniors Marcus Davis and Dyrell Roberts. “It’s a production driven business, so, you better produce,” wide receivers coach Kevin Sherman told the site. “You just turn the film on. It’s no secret. … Nobody gets blindsided around here.” Davis’ lack of blocking has been in the news this week.
• Foster said there’s been one common thread in the team’s two-minute problems on defense this year: “Busted coverage. That’s it.” The game-winning touchdown by the Seminoles came on a play when Virginia Tech was supposed to be in man coverage. From the looks of the replay, Fuller turned his receiver loose to the inside when he wasn’t supposed to (9:06 on the video). “We’ve got to execute and we’ve got to finish, man,” Gray said. “It’s frustrating from the standpoint that you play Florida State all game and you’ve got two great, end of the half drives that we can’t execute in those situations. So we’ve just got to look at us in the face and say, ‘Hey, we’ve got to man up and execute and just really perform in those situations.’”
• Foster continued to be aggressive, blitzing and playing man coverage near the end because he knew how good FSU kicker Dustin Hopkins was (he made 52- and 45-yard field goals earlier in the game). Freshman safety Desmond Frye, who was in the game for the injured Michael Cole, was the one free man on the play but couldn’t close quick enough to take down Rashad Greene, who caught the ball across the middle and out-raced the entire Hokies defense to the end zone. Frye, who got in for six plays, had repped that defense in practice during the week. “[FSU] made a good throw and catch,” Foster said. “He was in position. But I think the [Frye has] got great upside. I’m excited about his future, and his reps and him practicing with us this fall is only going to make him better for next fall.”
• Foster said he went with Alonzo Tweedy at whip linebacker last week because of what he brings to all the different blitz packages the Hokies were planning. “And I just felt better about his ability to do that more than Ronny [Vandyke's],” he said. “Ronny is a little more robotic right now, where Tweedy is a little more fluid from that standpoint.” Foster thinks Tweedy can continue to be a factor going forward. The senior was working with the first team near the end of practice Tuesday (although Vandyke was listed ahead of Tweedy on the depth chart on Beamer’s website). “I’m pulling for the guy,” Foster said. “I always have. And so I’m hoping he can be an impact for us the next couple ballgames.”
• Did Tech consider putting Tweedy in earlier this season? “Yeah, we have, but there are a lot of factors that go into it than just ability,” Foster said. “And those are some things that maybe some of the mental part of the game for our package sometimes has held him back. But at the same time, we found some things that he can do in his role and he has done them very well for us.”
• Cornerback Antone Exum has taken his fair share of criticism this year for his play, particularly for the pass interference calls, but teammates and coaches continue to say he’s had a strong year. “If you look at film, he’s in man coverage against the best receiver every game with no safety help,” defensive end James Gayle said. “So [his critics] obviously don’t know what they’re talking about. I guess they take the pass interferences to heart.”
• The prospect of going 6-6 isn’t very appealing to many fans, but the Hokies take the bowl streak to heart. Get to six wins and Virginia Tech will be in a bowl — albeit a third-tier one — for the 20th straight year. “Everyone wants to go to a bowl game,” Gayle said. “That’s the dessert of the season. It’s fun. We definitely have to beat Boston College. Just worry about them first.”
• If Virginia Tech makes a bowl, it’ll probably be one low on the totem pole. “As long as we don’t end up in Alaska, we’ll be fine,” Gayle said.

While Virginia Tech practiced Monday night, wide receiver Marcus Davis achieved some Internet infamy, when a video of his lackluster blocking effort against Florida State that had been making the rounds on Hokies message boards found its way onto the national sports blog, Deadspin.

Here’s the video in question:

Asked about it after practice, Davis brushed it off.

“I really don’t think too much of it,” he said. “I think somebody was a little bored and had a little extra time on their hands and figured they can go out and make a video. But like I said earlier, they don’t know the half of what actually went on.”

Davis said a number of the plays in the video were passing plays, adding, “You can’t block in the back. That’s obvious.”

He also admitted to getting the signal wrong on one play and didn’t realize the play was coming to his side, a mistake that got him chewed out by receivers coach Kevin Sherman.

“He said, ‘We can’t have those mistakes in this game.’ We was playing a great team,” Davis said. “At the same time, learn from it. It was one time in the game. It really wasn’t a big deal. We corrected it this morning on film. So we’re not going to let it happen again.”

The video brought swift and, at times, vicious commentary on blogs and Twitter about the mercurial fifth-year receiver. ESPN NFL analyst Trent Dilfer wrote on Twitter that it “was a disgrace to all the Hokies that invest so much.”

“From the first game to now, I’ve made great improvements in my blocking,” he said. “It’s not always perfect. It’s not always pretty. But at the same time, I can say that I’ve gotten better from it, which is a plus.

“I’ve still got things that I need to work on being a receiver in general. That’s just one thing that I want to continue to work on.”

He tried to put it out of his mind.

“It is what it is,” Davis said. “I hope everybody gets what they want from it. It really doesn’t faze me.”

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• In the scrum of interviews tonight, I didn’t get to receiver Demitri Knowles. But former News & Advance compadre Chris Lang did and tweeted that Knowles has been told he’ll start against Boston College. This echoes Frank Beamer‘s statement earlier in the day that Knowles will get more playing time the last two games. Tech has used multiple receiver packages to start games all season, so it’s unclear who, if anybody, he’d be displacing in the starting lineup. Knowles and Dyrell Roberts are listed as co-No. 1′s at the flanker spot.
• I have searched for video of the Hokies’ final scoring drive and, alas, have not found it anywhere online. I guess I’ll have to wait until FrenchWasp does his always-enlightening breakdown of the FSU game on The Key Play for exact video. But quarterbacks coach and play-caller Mike O’Cain seemed very confident with how he called plays down the stretch against the Seminoles, even though the Hokies didn’t get into the end zone on their second-to-last drive and had to settle for a field goal. (I’m taking his word for his recollection of the plays here without having seen the video.)
• First, O’Cain said the plan was not to run three straight times near the goal line right before the field goal. The Hokies had a wrinkle that they had run a couple times earlier that they were going to call if Florida State showed them man coverage. The Seminoles instead gave a zone look all three times near the goal line. “One out of three times I’m going to get man coverage down there,” O’Cain said. “Well, I never got it. … If I got man coverage I was going to throw it. That’s what we wanted to do. But zone coverage we were going to run the football.”
• O’Cain said the third-and-three from the FSU 6 that got stuffed a yard short of the first down marker was the same play the Hokies had run for a touchdown in the third quarter, when quarterback Logan Thomas barreled in behind a pulling Michael Via for a touchdown. (Check the video here at 7:27 for that play.) The Hokies went back to that same play late in the game. “And it would have been cleaner this time,” O’Cain said. Except that the pulling guard, Brent Benedict, missed a block. “[He] couldn’t locate the linebacker,” offensive line coach Curt Newsome said. Had that block been made, O’Cain said, Logan would be “going to be 1-on-1 with a safety at the 1-yard line. I’ll take that matchup every time.”
• Despite the result, O’Cain didn’t second-guess himself about the play-calls at the end. “If I had to do it over again, if I had to make the same call on third down and three, I’d make the same call on third down and three,” he said. “Because I think we had what we wanted. Now, had they out-numbered us and had more than we can block, that would not have been good. But we had just what we wanted. As good a situation as we could have. And that’s kind of how the season has gone. We’ve had situations like that. Just not cashing in, in all areas.”
• O’Cain said he was nevertheless encouraged by the offense’s performance. The Hokies put up 385 yards and 22 points against an FSU team allowing much less than that coming into the night. “People are going to be saying he doesn’t know what the heck he’s talking about, but we’ve played better than what has shown at the end,” O’Cain said. “We played better in Miami than to have 12 points. Better at Clemson than to have 17 points. … And really better the other night than to have 22 points. … Yes, we feel like we played better. The bad thing about it is it just doesn’t show up anywhere, except us when we come in Sunday to watch the film.”
• Despite Thomas’ struggles this year — his 14 interceptions are tied for the second most nationally — O’Cain’s confidence in his quarterback has not wavered. “I’ve called the games just like I would have called them if he completed every pass he was throwing,” he said. “Nothing has changed.”
• In fact, O’Cain said Thomas, who was 19-for-34 for 298 yards and accounted for two touchdowns last Thursday, played “tremendous” against Florida State, despite the two interceptions that proved critical. “Other than about two throws, he played as good as he’s played since he’s been here,” O’Cain said. “In everything you ask him to do. Running the football. There were probably eight times that he had to get us in the right play — did a great job of that. Effort. In every area. Played tremendous. The only thing people see are the two interceptions he throws. That’s the only thing they remember. And they don’t see all the other little things that have to take place for us to even have a chance to win it at the end. If he’s not out there, we probably don’t have a chance to win it at the end.”
• Does it bother him, the criticism Thomas has taken? “Of course. But that comes with the territory,” he said. “You understand that when you play that position, you coach that position. … You live with that if you play that position, because it goes the other way. A lot of times you get a lot more credit than you deserve when things are going well. That’s one of the only positions that everybody thinks they know what they should be doing. Because they see him every time. He’s out there and he’s on an island. So yeah, it bothers you, but at the same time, you move on and keep going.”

Quick programming note: The live chat this week has been moved to Wednesday to be closer to the game. It will still start at 12:30 p.m.

Virginia Tech’s offense hasn’t given the Hokies much of a chance of winning the last two games, scoring 17 points at Clemson and 12 at Miami.

But defensive coordinator Bud Foster said Tech’s offensive struggles don’t change his crew’s approach, even when points figure to be at a premium this Thursday against a Florida State defense that ranks among the nation’s best.

“We don’t even talk about that,” Foster said. “To be honest with you, we need to go out and do our job and that should be enough. We’ve won a lot of football games here playing great defense. And that’s all we’re focusing on. All we can do is control what we can do.”

Tech’s offensive struggles have been well-chronicled the last two weeks. Last week, the Hokies had 421 yards but scored only one touchdown against a Miami defense that ranks last in the ACC.

“They’re going to be fine,” Foster said. “We moved the ball up and down the field on those guys the other night and kind of shot ourselves in the foot. And that’s where we’ve got to be better. But we can’t worry about that. We need to keep them out of the end zone.”

Tech’s defense had its moments against Miami. The ‘Canes finished with only 347 yards and were only 1-for-12 on third downs. The Hokies forced five straight punts to start the second half.

But there were still areas for improvement. Tech didn’t have any sacks, despite applying some pressure. The Hokies had a number of busted assignments, aggravating mistakes that Foster called “Day 1 stuff.”

Foster also referenced Tech’s inability to prevent touchdowns in “sudden change” situations like the blocked punt and long kick return that gave the ‘Canes the ball inside the Hokies’ 20 twice in the first quarter. It took Miami only two plays to get in the end zone on each occasion, building an early 14-3 lead.

“We’ve got to step up to the plate, in my opinion,” Foster said. “If we hold them to three points, that’s great defense. That’s not good defense, that’s great defense. And that’s what we need to do a better job of.”

Clemson had similar success, scoring all four of its touchdowns after taking over near midfield or better. In the last two games, opponents are 10-for-10 on red zone opportunities, with six touchdowns.

Forcing turnovers would help. The Hokies had none last week and have only 14 this year, ranking 10th in the ACC.

Scoring points on defense used to be a hallmark of Virginia Tech football but the Hokies haven’t had a defensive touchdown since the last time they played the Seminoles in the 2010 ACC title game. Linebacker Jeron Gouveia-Winslow picked off EJ Manuel in the first quarter and took it back 24 yards for a score.

In the 24 games since, Tech hasn’t had any defensive scores, the longest drought in Frank Beamer‘s 26 years as coach.

The Hokies don’t feel extra pressure to put points on the board. Simply put, they think they just need to get off the field.

• Like offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring with FSU’s defense, Foster didn’t find any weaknesses in the Seminoles’ offense, which is No. 1 in the ACC in total yards and scoring, second in rushing and third in passing. “These guys have it all,” he said. “I think their offensive line is as good as we’ve seen in a long time. Big, athletic, can run, strong. Talented corps of receivers. Some long kids, tall kids, fast kids. Some dynamic backs. It’s just a complete football team right now.”
• Cornerback Antone Exum called the Seminoles “probably bigger, maybe a little more physical” than Clemson. “Clemson probably had maybe a tad more speed,” he said. “But both teams have really good speed.”
• Foster said even in the loss to N.C. State, the ‘Noles “did whatever they wanted to do” in the first half, when they built what looked like a commanding 16-0 lead. Foster said he thought FSU got away from what it was doing in the second half, noting that in his conversations with the N.C. State defensive staff, “they felt like they couldn’t stop them.”
• Manuel was a sophomore filling in for an injured Christian Ponder the last time the Hokies saw him in the 2010 title game. He threw for 288 yards and a touchdown but also was intercepted twice in a 44-33 Tech victory. Now? “You just see a more polished guy,” Foster said. “A guy with more poise. More comfortable in the offense. Just you see a more complete quarterback than when we played them.”
• A.J. Hughes said the punt he had blocked at Miami was pretty straightforward. He didn’t catch it cleanly and was slow to get it off. “There’s no excuse for it,” he said. “It was a bad play. Short-term memory. I already forgot about it. I’m worried about Florida State.”
• FSU has some pretty dynamic punt returners. Rashad Greene handled that duty early in the season, taking two back for touchdowns. But some catching issues led to the ‘Noles replacing him with Tyler Hunter. Hunter promptly took one back 75 yards for a touchdown against Duke last week. Hughes’ goal? “I’m just going to put it high and far,” he said.
• Hughes said if he gets three seconds of hang time, that should be enough for Alonzo Tweedy to make a play. Tweedy had a team-best seven tackles on punt coverage this year. “He’s the best gunner I’ve ever seen,” Hughes said. “I mean, I put it right, it’s getting stopped, there’s no question in my mind. … He’s a freak. He’s insane. I couldn’t ask for a better punt unit than I have.”
• Tech’s Coastal Division chances are pretty much shot. Beamer has said the Hokies are, above all else, playing for pride right now, something linebacker Bruce Taylor echoed to the team as well. “It’s something I told the guys today is one thing that never changes, the one thing you can always play for is your respect,” he said. “No matter what the situation is, it’s always an opportunity to go out there and get better, especially with the game being nationally televised, with a bunch of people watching, you definitely want to go out there with your best foot forward and have a hell of a game, no matter what the score is or the situation we’re in right now. None of that should even matter.”
• Exum has tried to stay off Twitter during the season but said he still sees messages fans will send him. “The brave fans will @ you and tell you what needs to be done,” he said. “So I see that. I know a lot of other guys get tweets that the fans are disappointed with what we’re doing and things like that. Those fans that are that angry and are not really going to ride with you when you’re not doing as well, they’re kind of outsiders, so we don’t really pay too much attention to it.”
• Exum called some of the messages, especially ones that get personal or have foul language, ignorant. “If they saw me walking down the street, they wouldn’t approach me and say it to my face, so I can’t really respect it,” he said. Others, though, hit on things that are really problems. “They’re just upset with things that are really going wrong,” Exum said. “So you do understand that. If we’re giving up something and they just make a comment on it, that’s the truth. You can’t tell them they can’t speak their mind on that. So you can’t really be mad on that. It’s more motivation.”
• Defensive end James Gayle got into it on Twitter with some Florida State fans in the preseason, a back-and-forth Exum got in on that he said “was all in a fun nature.” In hindsight, it probably wasn’t such a great idea. “That’s probably up on their bulletin board now,” Exum said with a laugh. “Exum and Gayle. …  I guess we’re kind of the laughingstock of it right now. We’ll try to change that Thursday.”
• Betting line update: the Hokies opened as 12-point underdogs, the first time they’ve been a double-digit underdog at Lane Stadium since No. 1 Miami was a 14-point favorite heading into the 2001 game. Tech lost that one 26-24, a contest most known for Ernest Wilford‘s dropped two-point conversion that could have tied it with six minutes left.