BLACKSBURG -- Unlike many, Chris Ellis knew what kind of career he wanted long before he ever stepped foot on the Virginia Tech campus four years ago.

Many college students can't tell, but Ellis was thinking NFL.

"My dream has been to get to the league since Day 1," Ellis said. "Ever since I was growing up, ever since I was out with the helmet and the little football, and my dad [Eric] was throwing me the ball in the front yard.

"There was never any firefighter dream, no dream to be a doctor, and I didn't want to be a dentist. All I wanted to do was play football. To me, that was a job. And that was my job in the future.

"So, hopefully, I'll be able to live out my dream next year."

Barring some kind of extreme unforeseen circumstances, Christopher James Ellis' fantasy will come true next April, when his name will likely be called in the NFL Draft. Anyone questioning such an occurrence obviously missed the senior defensive end's performance Thursday against No. 2 Boston College.

Talk about putting on a show on the big stage. Ellis was here, there and everywhere for Tech's defense, registering 1.5 sacks, seven quarterback hurries and two pass breakups. It was a spectacle that conjured memories of some of the Hokies' great D-ends of the past, a lot that includes such names as Bruce Smith, Cornell Brown, Corey Moore and Darryl Tapp.

Ellis spent most of the night in the BC backfield by simply abusing the Eagles tackles -- Gosder Cherilus, a 6-foot-7, 319-pound senior who is being touted as sure-fire, first-round pick in April's draft, and 6-7, 260-pound redshirt freshman Anthony Castonzo.

"I think Chris made himself some money there," Hokies senior offensive tackle Duane Brown said Tuesday. "Going against that left tackle [Cherilus], he definitely upped his stock. Ellis is one of my good friends on the team and I've been waiting for that ... a breakout game on a big night like that."

Until BC quarterback Matt Ryan produced what may very well be "the defining moment" of this year's Heisman Trophy race with an incredible game-winning touchdown pass in the final seconds of the Eagles' 14-10 victory, Ellis, unquestionably, had been the biggest star of the nationally televised contest.

"Chris played one hell of a football game. He's a hell of a player," Tech defensive line coach Charley Wiles marveled.

BC's tackles simply couldn't keep up with the 6-4, 267-pound Ellis' cat-like quickness and speed off the edge.

"That was definitely the stage, the bar that was set for me," Ellis said. "[Cherilus] is a first-rounder, so definitely that's the job that I wanted. You're going to take that seriously.

"I was just trying to elevate my game to another level. When you're in the groove, you know it, and that's how I felt. I just wished the groove would have lasted about six more minutes. After the game, I told [Cherilus] we'll see each another game. No bad blood about that. He got me last year, so I owed him one this year."

Ellis has become one of the true leaders on the Tech defense in his last go-round. The unanimous opinion is that Ellis has matured at 22, and finally tapping all of his enormous talent.

A sign of Ellis' rising maturity level was on display in the Hokies' 43-14 win at Duke on Oct. 13. The Blue Devils' offensive linemen did their best to try and bait Ellis with some after-the-whistle, extra-curricular activity in hopes of drawing a personal foul. Two years ago or even last year, Ellis probably would have retaliated and cost his team.

"One of our old coaches [assistant Danny Pearman] works for Duke now, so I know he kind of sent them on me a little bit," a grinning Ellis said. "He knows the passion I have for the game and that I can kind of flare up from time to time.

"In that aspect, I have matured a lot. Just on the field, they've tightened down the rules and they don't let you be as aggressive as you they used to. It's definitely something I've had to tone down and watch for."

Off the field, Ellis said he hasn't changed a bit, though. He's always been a guy who can't sit still long.

"As a small kid, I got kicked out of two different preschools for the same incident," recalled Ellis, laughing. "I just couldn't be in a crib. I had to be in there by myself or I had to be out of there because I was stepping on other kids' hands and stuff. I couldn't be in a confined area and just couldn't be patient. I had to be busy. I was hyperactive and I had to learn to slow down a little bit.

"That gets me in trouble in life a little bit, but I wouldn't take that back on the field because I would rather be playing over hard than not hard at all."

It's that over-hard stuff that figures to earn Ellis his ticket to the NFL.

"I hope so," Ellis said. "That's been the plan since Day 1."