Virginia Tech Hokies
Overall Rank: #9
#1 ACC
Virginia Tech Team Page
Oh those Clemson Tigers. If it weren’t for those cats from South Carolina, Virginia Tech would have been undefeated heading into a bowl game last season. Instead, Clemson took down the Hokies once in the regular season and again in the conference championship game. VT still managed to secure an at-large bid into a BCS bowl, the Sugar Bowl, which many folks considered a better draw than what the ACC Champion Tigers were given, but it still soured the Hokies’ season somewhat. Pushing the season completely to what-could-have-been territory was the debilitating loss in that Sugar Bowl where they badly outplayed Michigan but couldn’t come away with a win.
2011 Record: (11-3, 7-1)
2011 Bowl: BCS Sugar Bowl vs. Michigan (L 20-23 OT)
Coach: Frank Beamer (209-98-2 at Virginia Tech, 251-121-4 overall)
Offensive Coordinator: Bryan Stinespring
Defensive Coordinator: Bud Foster
Returning Leaders:
Rushing: Logan Thomas, QB, 469 yards
Passing: Logan Thomas, QB, 3013 yards
Receiving: Marcus Davis, WR, 510 yards
Tackles: Antone Exum, DB, 89
Sacks: James Gayle, DE, 7.0
Interceptions: Three Players Tied with 2
Other Key Returnees: WR Dyrell Roberts, DB Eddie Whitley, DB Kyle Fuller, LB Bruce Taylor, LB Tariq Edwards, DT Derrick Hopkins, DT Luther Maddy
Key Losses: RB David Wilson, RB Josh Oglesby, WR Danny Coale, WR Jarrett Boykin, OL Blake DeChristopher, DB Jayron Hosley, LB Barquell Rivers
Strengths:
Virginia Tech has very specific strengths on their roster this season because of who is gone and who has come back. The number one strength will be behind center where quarterback Logan Thomas is one of the most gifted and talented passers in the nation. Besides first round NFL draft projections being bandied about, Thomas has a chance to improve greatly in college and carry the Hokies’ offense with him. If he improves his accuracy and consistency throwing downfield and making decisions in the pocket, the sky is the limit for this beast of a man. The rest of what VT can count on resides on the other side of the ball where a very experienced defense returns. Led by a number of very good defensive backs in Antone Exum, Eddie Whitley and Kyle Fuller, Tech’s defense should remain at elite levels. They also see the return from injury of a number of key contributors along the defensive front seven. Throw in the comeback of kick returner Dyrell Roberts and Virginia Tech should excel in all three facets this season.
Weaknesses:
Other than Thomas at QB, all of Tech’s main skill players on offense are gone. Stud running back David Wilson is in the NFL. Steady backup Josh Oglesby was a senior, as were both top wide outs, Danny Coale and Jarrett Boykin. It went under the radar how good Coale and Boykin were, each eclipsing 2500 receiving yards in their Hokies career. Because of these departures, the entire offense rests on Logan Thomas. He will have little help or experience around him, and it remains to be seen how that amount of pressure will affect the young man. After all, he had never started a game before last season. Although Dyrell Roberts is back as a return man, the kicking game will also be an area of concern. Last year’s punting situation was envied by no team as wide receiver Danny Coale handled many attempts the second half of the season.
The Bottom Line:
With what should be one of the best defenses in the conference, Virginia Tech will certainly be battling for yet another ACC crown and automatic berth in the Orange Bowl. Although a lot is needed out of QB Thomas, a lot is also expected. Look for him to make leaps and bounds forward in development to carry an otherwise lackluster offensive unit to the conference championship game.
Projected Bowl: Orange Bowl
2011 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 186.86 (28th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Passing Offense: 226.14 (66, 9)
Total Offense: 413.00 (35, 3)
Scoring Offense: 27.93 (57, 6)
Rushing Defense: 104.07 (14, 2)
Pass Defense: 200.57 (31, 4)
Total Defense: 304.64 (10, 2)
Scoring Defense: 17.64 (7, 2)
Turnover Margin: 0.36 (35, 3)
Sacks: 2.93 (12, 3)
Sacks Allowed: 1.21 (22, 2)
Madness 2013 NFL Draft Rankings:
#25 Logan Thomas
Madness 2012 Football Recruit Rankings:
#122 Joel Caleb
#181 J.C. Coleman
#182 Deon Clarke
#194 Donaldven Manning
#206 Ken Ekanem
#240 Trey Edmunds
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