Porch moves into Tech’s starting lineup on defense

By Nathan Warters

Published: September 30, 2008

BLACKSBURG — Virginia Tech was thin to begin with at rover. Now that starter Davon Morgan is out for the season with a knee injury ... well, the position has become an even bigger question mark for the Hokies’ proud defense.

Dorian Porch, a seldom-played junior from Calhoun, Ga., will now start in Morgan’s vacated position, and Matt Reidy, a special teams mainstay, moves up to the backup spot.

“I think Dorian has stepped up. He’s played well for us, and I think now that he’s going to be the starter, his attention to detail will intensify and he’s really capable,” Tech coach Frank Beamer said.

“He’s a solid guy who played quarterback in high school. I think he’s got a good football mind and good toughness. I think now that he’s a starter, I think his being prepared will increase, and I think he’ll do a good job.”

Porch, a career backup, replaced Morgan in the second quarter of Saturday’s game and recovered a Cornhuskers fumble with five seconds remaining. He has six tackles this season in four games.

The 5-foot-11, 210-pound Porch said he’s ready to start.

“It’s not really pressure as much as emotion,” he said. “It brings a lot more feelings of just knowing that everything I’ve been putting into this program, the whole time, that it’s finally going to be time to show it.”

Porch was a baseball star at Gordon Central High School, and he said he turned down a two-year $300,000 contract offer from the Arizona Diamondbacks to accept a full ride to play football for the Hokies.

In three seasons at Tech, he has 32 tackles (15 solo) and three fumble recoveries.

Despite his limited playing time, Porch’s teammates are confident in his abilities.

“It’s not going to be a dropoff,” Tech defensive end Orion Martin said. “He’s an athletic guy, and explosive guy. He’s been around here for a couple of years, so he knows what’s expected of him.”

The Hokies need Porch to perform well, because there’s not much experience behind him.

Reidy, who has more tackles this season (eight) than he did in his first two seasons combined (six), is an unproven commodity.

“He’s probably not as fast as you might want, but certainly he’s a heady guy and a good football player,” Beamer said of Reidy.

What Reidy lacks in speed, he makes up for in the way he hits. He’s one of the hardest tacklers on the team, Porch said.

“Everybody knows — if you ask anybody — he’s a guy that can hit you and knock you in the dirt,” Porch said.