Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 11 No. 1 | August 2018

inside.hokiesports.com 31 and going against opposing teams and knowing their tendencies and getting the feel for the game at this level.” Those things only come with experience, which he will be getting on Sept. 3 along with Dylan Rivers and Jaylen Griffin, the top two candidates at the backer spot vacated by Edmunds. Rivers played a handful of snaps in the North Carolina game, while playing on several special teams throughout the season, and Griffin took a redshirt season. Those two feel the pressure, too, as they try to replace Edmunds, an All-American last fall who led the team in tackles (109), tackles for a loss (14) and tied for the team lead in sacks (5.5). One thing is for sure—no player on Tech’s defense expects this unit to drop off. They each want to do their part to continue the tradition. Ashby, Griffin, Rivers and the others want to be productive members of the next generation of great defenders. They begin that process Labor Day night against the talented Seminoles. “It’s definitely still high,” Ashby said of the defense’s expectations. “The bar doesn’t drop just because we’re young. Coach has been telling us that we’re not going to use us being young as an excuse. We should be hungry and ready to play. “It’s still high. We still think we’re going to be one of the top defenses in the nation. We’ve just got to come ready to work.” We know linen and uniform rental because we invented it. Services include: - NSF-Certified Napkins and Tablecloths - Employee Workwear - Healthcare Garments and Scrubs - Managed First Aid Services - Washroom and Floorcare Products Alsco.com Brandon Divers Alsco Alexandria 703-751-5785 Nick Dyson Alsco Roanoke 540-342-3158 things like that,” he said. “Also, the speed of the game, I felt like I got to learn the speed of the game and how everything is going to go. I learned a lot with how everything works, so it won’t be new to me this year coming up.” Coming out of spring practice, defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Bud Foster felt that Ashby had separated himself from the rest of the crew at mike linebacker—a group that includes Rico Kearney, Daniel Griffith, Zack Treser and freshman Dax Hollifield. He learned a lot from Motuapuaka and Edmunds, but he found things to be a touch different when facing the first-team offense. “It’s definitely a lot more different,” Ashby said. “It’s way faster, way more hectic. You see more difficult plays from the offense, and as a defense, you do more. You’ve got to be more spot on key and know what you’re doing. “I just took it in as you’ve got to learn and keep repping. The more reps you get, the more you’ll learn. Look at the film and see what you’re doing wrong. See what other people are doing wrong and see what you’re doing right. Just try to soak up everything as much as possible, all the information, the plays that the coaches give you and everything I learned from Drew and Tremaine.” Foster liked what Ashby accomplished this spring, both from a performance perspective and a leadership perspective. But the sophomore from the outskirts of Richmond wasn’t pleased, as he set lofty goals for himself. He termed his spring as “OK,” adding that he had a lot to work on to get better. “Just technique-wise, being faster,” he said. “You can work on a lot of things. Mentally, knowing the defense as well as possible, since I am the mike and having to know everything, so that aspect of it. And just learning different things like techniques and things like that LINEBACKERS August, 2018 (in numerical order) MIKE LINEBACKERS 4 Dax Hollifield (6-1, 243, Fr.) 23 Rayshard Ashby (5-10, 230, So.) 38 Rico Kearney (6-0, 228, r-Fr.) 48 Daniel Griffith (6-0, 233, r-So.) 57 Zack Treser (6-5, 225, r-Jr.) BACKERS 34 Alan Tisdale (6-3, 214, Fr.) 41 Jaylen Griffin (6-1, 247, r-Fr.) 44 Dylan Rivers (6-1, 232, So.) 49 Keshon Artis (6-0, 233, Fr.)