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Tim and Denise Bowden watch football games a little differently than most parents.

"As parents, we might be the only ones in the stands that occasionally want the team to stall," Tim said.

It's not that the Bowdens want to see an unproductive offense on the field -- they just can't help but get excited for fourth down, when one of their sons makes an appearance.

"We don't want to see our kids out there too much, but on the other hand, we like to see them every once in a while," said Tim with a laugh.

The Bowdens are the most successful football family you haven't heard of, with three of their four sons being champion punters. Brent, a 2005 graduate of Westfield High School, kicked for the 2003 state champion Bulldogs before going on to earn First Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors this season as the starting punter for Virginia Tech. Brent's older half-brother, Chris Hall, a 2001 graduate of Centreville High School, was the starting punter on the Wildcats' 2000 state title team before punting for Florida State. And younger brother Grant, a 2009 graduate of Westfield, was the starting punter for the Bulldogs' 2007 state championship squad. Grant is currently a freshman with the Hokies.

"It wasn't going to be a spotlight job, but it's something that we like doing," said Brent, less than a week after placing two of his three punts inside the 20-yard line during the Hokies' 37-14 win over Tennessee in the 2009 Chick-fil-A Bowl. "That's what we expected when we took this job. Most people don't even talk about punters unless they're doing badly. It's good to sit under the radar like that. All of the sudden, a punter shanks the ball and the other team has the ball inside their own 50, then people take notice and you don't want that. I have no problem accepting that role and being under the radar."

On a team with future college and professional standouts Eddie Royal, Sean Glennon and Evan Royster, Brent didn't get a lot of attention. During his senior year, he averaged 44 yards on 29 punts. He had 16 punts inside the 20, nine inside the 10 and five inside the five. He was a first-team all-Concorde District, all-Northern Region and all-state selection. Instead of following his older brother to Florida State, Brent opted to accept a full scholarship to Virginia Tech -- rejoining Royal and Glennon.

During his three-year career with the Hokies, Brent averaged 42.2 yards per punt with 43 fair catches, 44 punts of more than 50 yards and 72 punts inside the 20.

Despite all the individual success, Brent understands what his family learned as soon as Chris picked up a football.

"If I'm not playing, that's a good thing," he said.

The Bowdens moved to Virginia in 1996 from Huntsville, Ala. Chris, who was 13 when the family moved and an avid baseball and soccer player, became interested in playing football thanks to former Centreville football coach Dan Foglio, who coached him in a summer baseball league. Chris played running back for the freshman Wildcats, but after being diagnosed with diabetes, he decided to focus on punting. By his senior year, Chris was an all-state punter -- and his younger brothers were hooked.

"Long story short, I wouldn't be playing football if it wasn't for him," said Brent. "Once he got recruited, I definitely wanted to do it. I always looked up to him since I was a little kid, so I wanted to do the same thing. It turned out pretty well."

Grant, who was in fifth grade when Chris packed his bags for Florida State, was also interested in following in his older brother's footsteps.

"I have been around it since I was little," he said. "Just being around it and knowing so much about it is what really got me interested."

Grant, the youngest of four brothers, had plenty to prove after living in the shadow of his older brothers. By the time he joined the Bulldogs, Brent was off to Virginia Tech -- and by the time Grant graduated last spring, he was an all-district and all-region selection as well as a state champion.

This season at Virginia Tech was the first time that Grant played on the same team as one of his brothers.

"To be under Brent's wing and have him teach me a lot, it was nice to have that time to develop and learn a little bit more," said Grant.

With Brent's final game as a Hokie behind him and his younger brother ready to fill his void, Brent is entering the next phase of his football career. He is currently ranked by NFLDraftScout.com as the No. 2 punter in this year's NFL Draft. He is expected to go in the fifth or sixth round.

"It can definitely be scary if you let it be scary, but I'm not going to let it get to me," he said. "I'm excited and ready to go. I'm just going to soak up every day of it."