BY NATHAN WARTERS

(434) 385-5540

Virginia Tech senior starting cornerback Stephan Virgil has been ruled academically ineligible for the Dec. 31 Chick-fil-A Bowl, according to a school spokesperson.

The 11th-ranked Hokies (9-3) won two games without Virgil earlier this season, and they’re hoping they can do it one more time when they face off against Tennessee (7-5) at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

Virgil, a 5-foot-11, 189-pound Rocky Mount, N.C., native, missed time early in the season after suffering a knee injury in the season opener against top-ranked Alabama.

Cris Hill and Eddie Whitley filled in for Virgil when he was out, and one of the two is expected to start in his place in the bowl game.

Hill, a sophomore, started in place of Virgil against Marshall on Sept. 12 and had one tackle and one pass breakup in the blowout win.

The next week against Nebraska, Whitley, also a sophomore, filled in for Virgil and recorded eight tackles and a tackle for loss in the 16-15 Hokies’ victory.

Virgil entered the season as the Hokies’ top returning corner, but he had a dropoff in production, presumably the result of the knee injury he suffered in the fourth quarter against the Crimson Tide on Sept. 5.

He had 36 tackles, one interception, one sack, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries in 10 starts this season. Those numbers don’t stack up to his 2008 season, in which he recorded 43 tackles and tied for the team lead with six interceptions.

This is the second straight year the Hokies have lost a starter for a bowl game because of academics.

Last season, starting offensive guard Nick Marshman was ruled academically ineligible, but first-time starter Jaymes Brooks stepped in and played well in Tech’s 20-7 win over Cincinnati in the Orange Bowl.

(subhead) Tech sells out bowl tickets
It was announced Wednesday that the Hokies sold all of their tickets for the Chick-fil-A Bowl, ensuring a 13th-straight sellout for the game.

Only the Rose and Fiesta bowls are currently in the midst of longer sellout streaks.