Blacksburg, VA (U-WIRE) -- High expectations come with plenty of questions. The Virginia Tech football team has very high expectations.Being ranked No. 8 nationally, starting a quarterback with a household last name and repeating as Atlantic Coast Conference champions are all questions as the season starts.

"Question marks are good," said Darryl Tapp, Tech's senior defensive end. "Last year there were questions about the offensive line, defensive line and receivers. Yet, we accomplished big things. We have some of the same question marks this year, and it will play out on game day."

Sunday marks the long awaited season opener when the Hokies battle the North Carolina State University Wolfpack on national television. N.C. State was the only ACC team to beat the Hokies last season, something Tech head coach Frank Beamer says could happen again.

"If there's ever been a scary football team, this is the one," Beamer said. "We know exactly what we've got up front from what we experienced last year. They wore us out and kept us in bad down and distance situations a lot."

N.C. State brings back a top-ranked defense that pummeled the Hokies for 10 sacks last season in Blacksburg. The two anchors of that line, Mario Williams and Manny Lawson, accounted for 3.5 of the sacks.

Last season, N. C. State yielded a nation-best 221.4 yards per game. They allowed 102.4 yards per game on the ground, also lowest in the country. The pass defense was tops in the nation in terms of passing efficiency. The Wolfpack lost only four starters from last season, including three from their defensive secondary.

"With the front four they've got along with their experienced linebackers, these boys are gonna be good," Beamer said. "It's time to play. I'm eager to get going. It seems like we've been in preseason practice a long time."

One player eager to play is Tech's newest right tackle, Duane Brown. Brown made the switch from tight end two weeks ago to help the depth of the offensive line. He earned the starting job in only one week, and knows the task at hand in stopping Wolfpack defensive end, Mario Williams.

"I went against him twice last season," Brown said. "He's big and fast, but I've seen people stop him. I'm not scared of him."

Another Hokie who is as focused as Brown is Tech's starting quarterback, Marcus Vick. Vick returns to the field after his season-long suspension from the team. Vick last played in the 2003 Insight Bowl, but Beamer has full confidence in the redshirt junior.

"Marcus doesn't get rattled about much. He's almost too calm sometimes for me," Beamer said. "He takes things in stride. He's confident going into the football game and is looking forward to it. I think he's going to do great. But he hasn't seen this front seven coming after him. We'll see how he reacts to that."

Vick's reaction Sunday is the biggest question mark for Wolfpack head coach Chuck Amato.

"The rust has worn off," Amato said. "He's a tremendous athlete. I would love to know what they're doing with him; that's the main thing."

Tech's defense has the same question against the Wolfpack offense. This past offseason, N.C. State hired a new offensive coordinator, Marc Trestman.

"It is tough to know what they are going to be running on offense," Tapp said. "We don't have any film. The only thing we can pinpoint is the tendency of their offensive line. Not having a scheme or film to go on makes preparation that much harder."

Each Tech player who played in the loss to N.C. State last season is ready for their second shot at the Wolfpack.

"We didn't really give N.C. State the usual Virginia Tech shot last season," said Tech center Will Montgomery. "We want to let them know that we're ready to go this time around."

Game time is slated for 7:15 p.m. Sunday night on ESPN2 from Carter-Finley Stadium. The season begins for both teams on national television, where all of the offseason questions surrounding each program will finally be answered.

(C) 2004 The Collegiate Times via U-WIRE