Logan Thomas Bounces Back in Virginia Tech Hokies Win

The Hokies had a hard time last week against ECU. No one struggled more in that game then quarterback Logan Thomas. The coaches and fans both wanted to see a good performance from the young QB this week.

Well, they got it.

Logan Thomas had a bounce back performance against the Arkansas State Red Wolves on Saturday. He completed 21 of 33 passes for 292 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He played well, but there is still room for improvement.

He needs to stop turning the ball over, especially once Virginia Tech gets to conference play. A lot of Thomas’s success Saturday can be attributed to receiver Danny Coale. He had over 100 receiving yards in the first quarter. He finished the game with seven receptions for 128 yards and a touchdown.

The win and Thomas’s performance were the positives from Saturday, but there were a couple of negatives. The worst news from Saturday was the loss of wide receiver and return specialist Dyrell Roberts. He broke his arm while returning the opening kickoff, but Roberts could red-shirt for the rest of the season. The other negative was the lackluster running game.

David Wilson was the leading rusher for the Hokies, but he only had 88 rushing yards on 21 attempts (4.2 yd avg.). The team totaled 135 yards on the ground for the game. The offensive line had trouble opening up running lanes without guard David Wang. Hopefully the offensive line will improve because Wang is out for eight to 10 weeks.

The Hokies play calling may also shoulder some of the blame for the poor rushing performance. They weren’t feeding Wilson the ball much early in the game which kept him from getting in any kind of groove. Logan Thomas (eight rushes) also ran the ball more then back up running back Josh Oglesby (five rushes).

The offense at times seemed pass happy, but they won’t be able to count on Thomas every week. The Hokies need a balanced attack to win against ACC opponents.

Bud Foster’s defense continues to roll. They only allowed the Red Wolves to score a touchdown on their opening drive. The defense was stout after that, causing a safety and two turnovers. Arkansas State was only able to manage 269 total yards against the defense and only 64 of those yards came on the ground.

The defensive line and linebackers were swarming to the ball all day, but the best player on the field was All-American cornerback Jayron Hosley. He had two interceptions and two passes defended on the day. He was flagged once for pass interference, but his play overshadowed the lone mistake.

Field corner Kyle Fuller and nickelback Chris Hill also played well. Fuller was fooled on Arkansas State’s first offensive play. He allowed a 51 yard reception to Red Wolves receiver Taylor Stockemer, which eventually led to their only points in the game. After that he played well.

The Hokies played well overall. They had a few penalties (five) but they weren’t as consistent as they were last week against ECU. The defense looks great and the offense is coming around. Virginia Tech plays Marshall next week and then they head into conference play.