BLACKSBURG — Who’s going to be the starting quarterback? Who’s going to fill three gaping holes on the offensive line? Who’s the

No. 1 tight end?

For 23 days now, those three questions have dominated the majority of discussion and media reports coming out of Virginia Tech’s preseason football practice.

In the meantime, the nation’s reigning No. 1 defense has quietly gone about its business amid little talk and fanfare. Heck, there have been leper colonies that have attracted more close-up attention than coordinator Bud Foster’s bunch has lately.

“Fine with me,” a grinning Foster said. “Hey, I found out a long time ago in this business that when a lot of media folks want to talk to you, it usually means something is wrong.”

OK, folks, one last chance. Anyone have questions before Saturday’s season opener against Northeastern at Lane Stadium?

“Shoot, there are no questions,” standout junior defensive end Chris Ellis scoffed. “Honestly, I feel we’ll be better than last year.”

Some rather stout words there. After all, the 2005 Hokies led the country’s 119 Division I-A teams in total defense (247.6 ypg) and ranked second in scoring defense (12.9 ppg).

Plus, the Hokies’ defense lost five players who were picked in last April’s NFL Draft, most notably unanimous All-American cornerback Jimmy Williams and first-team All-ACC end Darryl Tapp. So what, Ellis said.

“We’re not missing a step,” he said. “In fact, we’re planning to add to it. We feel like every playmaker who left, that we have somebody to replace them who’s that good if not better.”

Anyone blowing off such talk as nothing more than the brash Ellis spouting off again should think twice, perhaps. Junior linebacker Xavier Adibi, whom most would classify as the voice of reason among Foster’s pack of blood-thirsty piranhas, quickly seconded the motion.

“I do think this defense can be better than last year, actually,” said Adibi, without batting an eye. “The sky is the limit for this defense. We’ve got a lot of good players. I know we’ve got a lot of young players, but I trust those young players. We’ve got players like [cornerbacks] Victor Harris and Brandon Flowers, and I think the world of those two.

“With all the talk about the quarterbacks and the offense, things have been pretty quiet for us so far. That’s OK. We don’t mind being under the radar. We’re going to do our part come that Northeastern game.”

Foster’s crowd, as usual, has been downright nasty in preseason practices and scrimmages. It’s a quick, fast, gang-tackling group.

“These guys love to fly to the football, and when they get there, I think you can count on them being in a nasty mood,” said Foster, long renowned as the one of the nation’s top D-coordinators.

Tech’s defensive strength is at linebacker, where Adibi and his close sidekick, junior Vince Hall, form one of the nation’s top duos. Hall’s 112 tackles, including 81/2 for loss, led last season’s defense. Adibi rates as one of the country’s fastest and most athletic linebackers.

“I’ve been here 20 years,” Foster said, “and those two are as good as any two linebackers I’ve had.”

Aaron Rouse, rated the nation’s No. 3 strong safety by The Sporting News, and Ellis, a tall, rangy, havoc-wreaking end, are the other two established headliners. Each has NFL written all over them.

At the corners, Harris, a sophomore, and Flowers, a third-year sophomore, have supplied more proof during the preseason that they are capable of locking down opposing wideouts.

With the defense’s arsenal packed with such ammunition, Ellis suggested Tech fans should chill out and not fret so much about an offense that could have some early season growing pains.

“The defense don’t mind carrying the team at all — just to let the offense get comfortable,” Ellis said. “I mean, they face a better defense five days a week in practice, so I don’t expect that adjustment to take too long.”

Ellis then laughed and added: “The defense expects to score as much as the offense. If anything, we’re going to have a competition back and forth to see who can score the most.”

Rouse, who values his inherited role as a senior leader of the troops, said the defense knows it may have to guide the ship until first-year starting quarterback Sean Glennon and all his new blockers totally mesh.

“Sean is smart, he recognizes defenses, and I think he’s going to step up, be confident, and go out there and do what we know he’s capable of doing,” Rouse said. “As the

No. 1 defense in the nation, we’ve tried to give them the greatest look we can [in practices], so when it comes Saturday it will be easy.

“Still, as a defensive player, your mentality day in and day out should be: 'We’ve got to carry the offense.’ If the other team can’t score, they can’t win the game .”

Flanker Eddie Royal couldn’t help but snicker when being informed how much the defense hopes to carry the load.

“Right,” a grinning Royal replied. “But when you have such a great defense like we have, they can say that.

“Honestly, I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people with our offense. We’ve got some guys that a lot of people haven’t even heard about who should go out and make a lot of plays for us .”

The schedule figures to be Tech’s major ally, especially early. Four of the Hokies’ five September games will be contested at friendly Lane Stadium. The only exception is a Sept. 9 trip to North Carolina.

If the favorite’s form holds, Tech, which is ranked 17th in the AP’s preseason Top 25, figures to be 5-0 before facing a tough test at Boston College on Oct. 12. Thanks to a menu that includes a program-record eight home games, Tech likely will be an underdog only once in the 12-game regular season — at No. 12 Miami on Nov. 4.

“The schedule is not as tough as in past years,” Ellis said. “But I understand the situation, breaking in a new quarterback. It’s a plus for us because it helps us start off like we have been, … 6-0 or 7-0, … and then finish strong. That’s the key for us this season.”

Although Tech captured the Coastal Division title last season, Miami was a top-heavy choice to take the division this year in the league’s preseason poll .

“Yeah, we’ll use that as motivation,” Ellis said. “That’s kind of like South Beach and Blacksburg. That’s probably how [the voters] look at it.”