Collegiate Times

The offensive line hits the sleds early in Wednesday night’s practice.

Virginia Tech’s first practice of the spring yesterday night left the coaching staff with few answers and plenty of questions.

“Rusty, as expected,” said starting quarterback Logan Thomas. “But, it was good to get back out there.”

Nearly three months after their heartbreaking 23-20 OT loss to Michigan in the Sugar Bowl, the Hokies retook the field with hopes of improvement from current players and development of a few first-time spring faces.

Here are some offensive storylines to keep an eye on this spring. (Look for defensive storylines in tomorrow’s paper.)

RETURN OF THE KING

While the offense does lose eight of its 11 starts from last year’s unit, it does bring back its most important piece: Thomas.

However, despite the losses, he doesn’t think they’ll skip a beat.

“I think we’re going to be just fine,” he said. “We’ve got some experience out wide in our receiving core, and they’ll use their knowledge and let the young guys know.”

While Thomas does lose David Wilson, Jarrett Boykin and Danny Coale from last season’s squad, he’s confident in the playmakers he has around him this year — and with good reason.

Senior wide receivers Marcus Davis, DJ Coles and Dyrell Roberts will all provide viable targets for Thomas and play key roles come fall.

“Also, the backfield, they’ve got me back there, so if they’ve got questions they can ask me,” he said. “The O-line will be fine like always, coach (Curt) Newsome will get them right. I think we’ll be a dominant offense just like we were last year.”

Thomas is coming off his first year as the starter when he threw for 3,013 yards and 19 touchdowns while completing 59.8 percent of his passes. He also ran for 469 yards and led the team with 11 rushing touchdowns.

However, the redshirt junior is only focused on improving at this point.

“You’re never done learning,” he said. “I’ve got to go out here every day and play in practice like it’s a game. The guys will see that, as well. Everybody’s got something to prove.

“I’ve got to be more accurate, make better reads and deliver the ball on time. I think if I do that, I can be a better player and make this offense a better group.”

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A version of this article appeared in the Mar 29 issue of the Collegiate Times.