Orange Bowl notes

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. — When midnight approaches, Virginia Tech’s players know they’re coming.
The Hokies coaches have card keys to give them access to every player’s room at the Westin Diplomat hotel in Hollywood, Fla., and when the clock strikes 12, they’re not waiting for permission to enter.
“They could come in at any time. It could be 12:15 before they get there,” Hokies starting rover Dorian Porch said. “They come right in and make sure you’re there. No knocking. No nothing. They just walk in.”
The players, who have been in south Florida since Dec. 26, don’t seem bothered by the earlier curfew this year. Tech’s coaches decided to move up room check this year in an attempt to keep the players better focused during meetings and practice.
It seems to be working. Porch said nobody has missed curfew yet.
“It keeps people focused rather than worrying about going out at night and how they’re getting back, stuff like that,” Tech backup linebacker Cody Grimm said. “Now, everybody’s kind of like, ‘Where are you eating dinner?,’ and just hanging out at the hotel really.”
The curfew will be moved up to 11 p.m. the night before the game, which also happens to be New Year’s Eve. The players will have a quiet night in, and from the sounds of it, they don’t really mind.
“It kind of shows how serious we all are about this,” Porch said.
Wait ’til next year
Hokies fans could be in for quite a treat next season with running backs Darren Evans and Ryan Williams sharing carries in the backfield.
With one game to go, Evans has already rushed for a Tech freshman-record 1,112 yards and 10 touchdowns this season.
And Williams, who practiced with the scout team while redshirting this year, made a big impression as well.
“Dude is legit,” senior defensive end Orion Martin said of Williams, who was a SuperPrep All-American last season as a high school senior. “Every running back we’ve faced this year, he’s probably the quickest one.”
Out of all of Tech’s redshirting players, Martin said Williams and defensive tackle Antoine Hopkins are the most impressive.
“He’s going to be a powerful defensive tackle for us,” Martin said of Hopkins. “He’s still got a lot to learn, but he’s going against (starting guard Sergio Render) sometimes, and he’s holding his own.”
Married life
Martin is now a happily married man after exchanging vows with his longtime girlfriend Jennifer Edwards on Dec. 20. The two are sharing a pseudo-honeymoon in Florida while Martin prepares for his final college game.
“It’s going good. Nothing’s really changed. ... The fact that I call her my wife, that’s the only thing,” Martin said.
Martin’s wife works at Georgia Tech, and he plans on joining her in Atlanta after the Orange Bowl.
“I’m flying straight from the bowl game to Atlanta, and I’ll be training ... up until the draft and then go from there,” he said.
Exum commits
The Hokies picked up an oral commitment from Glen Allen, native Antone Exum, who played quarterback and defensive back for Deep Run High School.
The 6-foot, 198-pound Exum, a three-star recruit according to Rivals, made his pledge official during a news conference Sunday. He picked the Hokies over Penn State.
Exum is the 20th commitment for 2008 and the 16th from Virginia.