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In football, there are always moments that come to define a player or a team.
Midway through the second quarter of Virginia Tech’s 49-27 win over East Carolina Saturday, the Hokies’ running backs had one of those moments.
Redshirt sophomore Ryan Williams lay prone on the Lane Stadium 36-yard line, having suffered a scary leg injury, which was later revealed to be a pulled hamstring.
As the Tech medical staff carried a limp Williams off the field and into the locker room, one of his back-ups, sophomore David Wilson, interrupted him.
“I told him I’ll be praying for him,” Wilson said.
For each burst of talent, there has been an equal helping of adversity — but it’s yet to stop the running backs from accomplishing their goals.
Wilson and Darren Evans combined to rush for 180 yards in Williams’ absence against the Pirates, including a 116-yard effort in the game-changing third quarter.
Wilson’s breakout game couldn’t have come at a better time from his own perspective.
Earlier in the week, the true sophomore publicly voiced his displeasure over his lack of carries in the first two games of the season — both losses.
“Yeah, I definitely thought I was going to be more involved,” Wilson said last Tuesday. “I said the only way I wouldn’t redshirt is if I didn’t do what I did last year.
“I said if they are planning on just giving me four carries a game, then I’d rather redshirt. And so far, I haven’t gotten four carries in a game, and that’s been frustrating. But I guess I’m in it now, and any time I touch the ball, I’m just going to try and make the best of it.”
Do 12 carries and two touchdowns cure all ills?
“Yeah, it was never about me not getting carries. It was just hard for me to watch. I was just frustrated, but anybody would be. I got my opportunity and I took advantage of it,” Wilson said following the game.
If he thought watching from the sideline as a healthy man was tough, that’s nothing compared to what backfield mate Evans had to endure.
After setting the school’s single-season record for rushing yards by a freshman in 2008, a torn ACL sidelined Evans for all of 2009.
His injury paved the way for a record-breaking season from Williams.
A version of this article appeared in the Sep 21 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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