Virginia Tech Football: Logan Thomas Has Arrived

Wow, what a performance.

That was all I had left to say after Virginia Tech’s quarterback Logan Thomas put on one of the best individual football performances I’ve ever seen in person.

The redshirt sophomore quarterback completed 23-of-25 attempted passes for 310 yards and three touchdowns through the air. His day did not end there, though. The 6'7", 245-pound frame of Thomas helped him gain two more touchdowns on the ground, including the game winning score with 56 seconds remaining.

This performance was not only impressive because of the gaudy numbers put up by the young star, but because he was coming off a dreadful performance against Clemson in which his team was embarrassed 23-3 in front of a tumultuous Lane Stadium crowd. Thomas' numbers in that game were only 125 yards passing with no touchdowns and one interception.

The lack of excitement in Thomas' game and the inability to move the ball downfield was criticized throughout the following week by fans and media around the team leading up to the Miami game. Many folks began to call for Mark Leal, the backup quarterback, who performed well in some reserve duty in the 66-13 blowout over Appalachian State.

However, against the Miami Hurricanes, Thomas opened up the game with a completion to Jarrett Boykin and continued to roll the rest of the way. In fact, of his two incompletions, one was a drop by running back David Wilson and the other was thrown at Wilson’s feet after being hurried by the defensive pressure. The truth is, Thomas played a near flawless game.

Thomas came out and showed the pocket-passing brilliance that the coaching staff had been raving over throughout the entire preseason. On both a 40-yard touchdown pass to Danny Coale and another 60-yarder to Boykin, Thomas placed the ball perfectly over the outside shoulders as the receivers were able to gallop freely into the end zone.

The young signal caller also showed that he knows when to use his feet at the right time with his two rushing touchdowns. While he only had 28 yards on the ground, he used his big frame in order to get several first downs, including the 19-yard run on 4th-and-1 to win the game for the Hokies.

The brilliance didn’t end there. Even more impressive than the skills Thomas showcased against the Hurricanes, was his resiliency. Despite coming out fast and jumping to a 14-point lead, Miami stuck around and made it tough for Virginia Tech to ever feel comfortable.

Thomas, though, wasn’t fazed. When Miami scored with 12:05 remaining in the fourth quarter, Thomas bounced back on the first play of the next possession for the long strike to Boykin to extend the lead right back to 10 points. With just under three minutes remaining, Miami’s Lamar Miller ran in a 30-yard touchdown to put the Hurricanes up 35-31. Thomas used the combination of his arm and his legs to carry the team down the field and score the eventual game winning touchdown for the Hokies.

With former Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor on the sidelines watching, Logan Thomas showed everyone what he brings to the table. While the skill set of the two players are extremely different, one thing that they both have in common is the leadership and heart displayed in moments of war.

Welcome to battle Logan Thomas. We hope you’re here to stay.