"Do you see him walking right now?" redshirt freshman Ryan Williams said about starting tailback Darren Evans.
Evans, the 6-foot, 213-pound hoss from Indianapolis, Ind., was trotting off of the practice field in his pads holding his helmet in his left hand, a stoic expression on his face. Evans was all business, even on a warm Saturday afternoon in the off-season.
"He looks like he wants to run somebody over," Williams said with a wide smile on his face.
Williams, who is this year's highly touted redshirt freshman tailback, will look to follow in the footsteps of Evans, who ran for 1,265 yards and 11 touchdowns in his own first-year campaign.
"Redshirting helped me out with the change of pace from high school to college," Williams said. "Even though I still feel like I could've played last year, I probably would've been more acclimated to the game speed around midseason or late in the season, instead of the beginning of the season, like how I feel right now."
The 5-foot-9 halfback from Stonewall Jackson High School will complement Evans and provide a solid one-two punch this season for the Tech ground game.
"Obviously, he was good enough to play with a ball in his arm carrying the football," said associate head coach and running backs coach Billy Hite. "I think Evans is a perfect example of soaking for a year, learning everything and being able to turn yourself loose. ... He's gotten so much better since he's been here. You could see it through the preseason camp and on through. This is a very talented group out there. It really is. We haven't been this way in a while."
"It was game speed, getting in the weight room and getting bigger, faster and stronger," Williams said. "Last year, when I came in I was 196 (pounds). Now I weigh 213. I feel like I put on some good weight and gained a lot of muscle. I feel a lot better. I think that's the biggest difference."
Hite, who has helped take 24 Hokie halfbacks to the National Football League, is entering his 31st season on Tech's coaching staff. And what hasn't gone unnoticed by that staff is that, since Williams has emerged as a serious threat in the backfield, Evans has pushed himself even harder to retain his starting spot.
"He's going to get even better this year than he was last year," Hite said. "I think that any time you're satisfied with what you've accomplished so far, you're in trouble. I know Darren, and he's not satisfied. He wants to keep doing the things that got him where he is. He's got a baby. He's got a lot on his plate, but he finds time to get everything done."
Confident, yet laid back, Williams appeared to be at ease and take everything in during the start of his promising career. Williams also appears to be bluntly honest and up for any challenge.
"I think, in the open field, I'm the most dangerous person," Evans said. "I'm excited to get the ball, period, however I get it. I want to be the most dangerous person on the field. ... We have a lot of weapons, but I want to be that guy. When people come into our stadium, or when we go to their stadium, they know No. 34 is the most dangerous person on the field."
The Hokies will also look to utilize Williams' velocity and agility on special teams. The coaching staff will strongly consider him as a potential punt and kickoff return man.
"Every time he touches the ball he has the chance to make a big play," Hite said. "That's just another phase of football where you want to get him with the ball in his hands."
"Punt returning is one of my specialties just because it's a lot of open field, and that's what I feel like I'm most dangerous at," Williams said. "I'm very excited about it. I'm going to keep practicing so that catching punts becomes second nature."
The two tailbacks started off with two very different running styles. Williams has always been about speed, while Evans was always known for his toughness. However, they knew that they would have to improve their deficits to become the best all-around back for the Hokies.
"Williams has the shake and bake and has good moves, but he also has very good power," Hite said. "Evans breaks tackles, and he's a load when he's running downhill. They might make a tackle two or three times on Darren, but once you get later on in that game, people don't want to tackle him."
The Hokies will look to create havoc for opponent defensive coordinators by devising offensive sets that will allow Evans and Williams to be on the field together along with mercurial junior quarterback Tyrod Taylor.
"I've been trying to put a word in to (wide receivers coach Kevin Sherman), because I can play receiver, too," Williams said. "If we can have all of the weapons on the field at the same time, however we can do it, if it can be done, let's do it. ... If we go split-gun, pro-back, with all of us on the field on the same time, I feel like that will be something a lot of defenses won't want to mess with."
The coaching staff seems to oblige.
"We have a pony package, so you could see both of them on the field at the same time," Hite said. "It really is (a nightmare) for opposing defenses. You will see some of that. We've talked a bunch about that."
Arguably the most important intangible about the new Tech tandem is selflessness. Each runner knows that the other will be an integral part of what figures to be a successful season.
"The best thing about Evans is his durability," Williams said. "You could give him the ball 20 or 30 times, and he'll run it like it was his first carry. That's the best thing about him. He's like a working horse. He doesn't stop. ... It seems like he doesn't get tired throughout the game. This is probably the first time I've been on a team where I probably won't be the only person getting keyed on. We have a group of guys that are very talented."
Evans knows that Williams provides a special asset to an already stacked backfield that includes well-renowned 2009 recruit David Wilson, freshman Zac Evans, along with Lewis and redshirt sophomore Josh Oglesby - who received significant playing time in 2008.
"Williams is probably faster than me," Evans said. "I don't know about him and Tyrod, though. Talent will take you a long way, and Williams has it."
Although Williams is inexperienced and Evans only has one full season under his belt, they both possess the maturity and poise to take their game to the next level. Evans averaged 4.4 yards per carry last season, but the Hokies will have even higher expectations for their 2009 season.
"I feel like I really didn't get the whole experience of walking down that tunnel, because every time I walked down that tunnel I knew I wasn't going to play," Williams said. "I don't really know what it's like to get amped and go in there and play. I get so emotional when it comes to football. I don't know what type of emotion is going to come, but I know that once I step out on that field, it's going to be a good game."
Hite knows that while Williams is getting accustomed to the basics of Division I football, Evans will be there for assistance.
"Darren will help him," Hite said. "I guarantee it. Kenny Lewis has been the leader with doing that with all of our young players. Even though Kenny and Darren were competing for the same position last year, Kenny was like having another coach out there...
"I know that Darren will carry on and do the same thing with Ryan. He'll take him under his wing and help him out. It's amazing how when one of the tailbacks is in the ball game, the other tailbacks are their biggest cheerleaders."