Alonzo Tweedy (28) tries to strip the ball from Andre Williams (44)
If you’re a Virginia Tech fan, the wins are rarely pretty.
Take Saturday’s come-from-behind win against Boston College, a game in which the Hokies trailed at halftime after scoring just six points.
Should we expect quarterback Logan Thomas to deliver the perfect pass or linebacker Tariq Edwards to make every tackle? Both players are redshirt sophomores, and mistakes will come with the territory.
The fact that both are filling up the stat sheet — Thomas has three-straight games of 260 plus passing yards and Edwards is third on the team in tackles — is a great sign for the Tech faithful.
So after three straight come-from-behind wins in which the Hokies scored at least 30 points, why are some fans casting a cloud of negativity over the program that currently ranks No. 12 in the latest BCS rankings? Because fans expect more, which is a great sign for the direction of the program.
Look on any Hokies-centric online message board following a game. The number of topics criticizing Thomas and his missed assignments outweigh the topics praising the Hokies for showing resolve. The fact that people are not complacent with snooze-fest wins against Boston College reflects on the expectations of a top-flight program.
Most programs would love to say they have the nation’s leading rusher, a 6-foot-6 quarterback, four senior linemen up front and a slew of upperclassmen receivers on the offensive side of the ball. However, even with a 7-1 record and control over their own ACC destiny, that’s still not enough for many.
Tailback David Wilson is everything fans could have hoped for and more, rushing for 1,037 yards through eight games, truly the workhorse for an offense that’s still cutting its teeth. In the process of chasing down his predecessor Ryan Williams for the Hokies single-season rushing record, Wilson is taking the pressure off of Thomas when need be.
Don’t forget about the defense, which is having a terrific year despite injuries to the starting defensive tackle, defensive end, two linebacker spots and corner. Bud Foster’s group is allowing less than 300 yards per game, good for No. 13 in the country.
Coming off a year in which the Hokies were gashed in the running game, it has been remarkable how well Tech’s front seven has stopped the run. The Hokies are allowing just 85 yards per game on the ground, a true bounce back year from 2010 when they allowed 156 per game.
Don’t get me wrong, the slow starts the past two weeks are definitely concerning. If the trend continues, the Hokies are likely not going to rebound so easily, and it could come down to the final minutes to pull out a win.
This week’s match-up at Duke is the final game before a key two-game stretch on Thursday nights. The Hokies travel to Atlanta to play Georgia Tech on Nov. 10, and then come back home to face North Carolina a week later. Wins in those two games will all but secure a trip to Charlotte, N.C. for a chance to make it back to the Orange Bowl.
Here are three things I’d like to see the Hokies do Saturday:
1. Start fast. There’s no reason Tech shouldn’t come right out and take it to the Blue Devils.
It’ll be a 12:30 p.m. start time, which gives the Hokies no excuse to start slow. The trip should be treated as businesslike, and the score should reflect that mindset. If Thomas and the offense struggle to get it together in the first half, it’ll mark three straight games that the Hokies came out sluggish. For now, the coaches are downplaying the significance of the slow starts, but I’d venture to guess that behind closed doors they’re not too happy about them either.
2. Establish the running game sooner rather than later.
Wilson is averaging just more than five rushing attempts per game in the first quarter, which gives the defense a chance to settle in and see what the offense is doing schematically. Wilson is a home run threat in the truest sense, and a demoralizing run early would zap the confidence from an aggressive home team and its fans.
A version of this article appeared in the Oct 25 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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VT will NOT play in the OB this year. Too much going against them(injuries, inconsistent O and bad pass D) and VT has never been known to play well when it mattered.. Just look up past schedules and you will see...
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