Hokies coach Frank Beamer summed up his team's charge succinctly after a closer-than-expected win over East Carolina:

"We better be better next week."

Next week is this week, and the reason for such urgency is a Sept. 8 showdown with No. 2 LSU in the hyper-hostile Tiger Stadium.

Ninth-ranked Tech hardly looked the part of its ranking against the Pirates, rushing for just 33 yards, scoring only 17 points -- seven of them on defense -- and giving quarterback Sean Glennon very little time to throw.

Again, that was against ECU, hardly a juggernaut. This week, it's the Tigers, who Beamer said might be "the fastest team I've ever seen."

A thin offensive line, which was shuffled all preseason, struggled mightily with the Pirates. Now, the unit will be attacked by All-America defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey and All-SEC end Tyson Jackson.

"They're loaded, clearly. All four up front are great," Hokies center Ryan Shuman said. "Obviously, we weren't satisfied with our performance (Sept. 1). So we're going to come out this week, try to make a name for ourselves, redeem ourselves a little bit."

Tech's offense won't be the only one trying to make a statement. While the Tigers pride themselves on being one of the nation's top defenses, the Hokies have led the country in yards allowed for two years in a row.

Now, with a night game on national TV, the two units will have a shot to show who's really the best.

"You can't really say right now," Tech safety D.J. Parker said. "It's all just hype, just talk. But after Saturday night, one of us will be able to say we're the No. 1 defense in America."

And one of them will leave with legitimate national title hopes intact.

--LB Vince Hall got off to a great start in pursuit of a third straight 100-tackle season, racking up 13 against East Carolina. Not the biggest or fastest linebacker out there, he might have a better "nose for the ball" than anyone in the country.

--WR Justin Harper is a prototypical pro wideout, at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds and possessing 4.33 speed. But the senior has been inconsistent, struggling with drops during his career. That seems to have stopped, and he had a career-high five catches for 64 yards in the opener.

SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: QB Sean Glennon's interception on the first play of the first game was unsettling. His ensuing performance, in the face of heavy pressure, was a bit more reassuring. But for the Hokies, 33 total rushing yards won't cut it. Nor will 14 plays for loss, including four sacks, against a middle-of-the pack team. Tech must find a way to get a push and provide running room for All-ACC tailback Branden Ore.

SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: While the Hokies' lauded defense was gashed early against ECU's surprise spread-option attack -- for almost 100 rushing yards in the first half -- Tech settled in and returned to its typically dominant form. LBs Vince Hall and Xavier Adibi combined for 23 tackles and both of the Hokies corners were lock-down all day. If there's an area of concern after last week, it's at the tackle positions, where Tech failed to be overly disruptive against the Pirates.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "Their blurs are more blurry than most blurs. I believe they might be the fastest team I've ever seen. And we've seen a lot of them. We've seen Miami over the years. We've seen Florida State over the years. They've got that extra gear." -- Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer on LSU's team speed.

THIS WEEK'S GAME: No. 9 Virginia Tech at No. 2 LSU, Sept. 8 -- This game highlights a weekend full of great non-conference matchups. In fact, this is one of the best out-of-league games of the entire college football season. Both squads are favored to win their leagues. Both have national championship aspirations. Both defenses have dizzying speed and arrive angry. What's not to love about this one? Unless, of course, you enjoy offense.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: LG Richard Graham -- He graded less than 70 percent in his first career start against East Carolina. Undersized for the position at 280 pounds, he was knocked flat on his back during one play. He'll need a rapid improvement to handle the Tigers' fearsome front.

RB Branden Ore -- The Hokies' All-ACC back was bottled up last week, finding it frustrating that his line got little push and opened hardly a hole for him to slip through. That task is tougher this week, but if Tech's offense is to have any success against the Tigers, Ore will have to get going on the ground.

CB Victor Harris -- Everyone respects fellow corner Brandon Flowers, a third-team All-American last year, and that could benefit Harris, particularly in this game. He's improved drastically, scoring a key touchdown on an interception return last week. If more passes keep coming Harris' way, watch for him to have a breakout year.

ROSTER REPORT: SS Kam Chancellor sprained his knee in the opener and was limited in Sept. 3's practice, but the team trainer expects him to be ready to play against LSU.

CB Roland Minor, who started every game as a sophomore in 2005, has been away from the team all summer trying to get his grades in order. Coach Frank Beamer said that Minor won't be eligible this fall.

RT Nick Marshman, who came into camp out of shape and 357 pounds, admitted that he wore out in the fourth quarter of the opener. Beamer said he'll try to make more substitutions against the Tigers to keep his line fresh. Either true freshman Blake DeChristopher will fill in for Marshman, or the Hokies will slide Graham over for a few plays and junior Matt Welsh would move into the left guard spot.