Virginia Tech Football: David Wilson Inching Closer to Virginia Tech History

During the first half of Virginia Tech’s 30-16 win over Boston College on Saturday, the team relied heavily on the pass, giving the ball to running back David Wilson only six times.

As a result, the team found itself trailing at the half to the Eagles, who had only one win entering the game. At that point in time, the Hokies went back to their identity and ground long possessions as Wilson had a dominant second half.

Wilson finished with 17 carries for 134 yards in the game and 113 of those came in the second half. The star running back also had the go ahead touchdown in which he caught an option pitch from Logan Thomas and sprinted down the sidelines 42 yards to the end zone.

With his performance against Boston College, Wilson surpassed 1,000 yards rushing for the season and now is on track to break Ryan Williams’ single season school rushing record.

Wilson went through his first two seasons as bit of a utility player. The speedster was known for his explosiveness on the field but was stuck behind two future NFL players on the depth chart in Williams and Darren Evans.

He continued to work hard though and prepared himself for the day he would become the starter in the Hokies backfield. He earned several off season awards in the Hokies weight room. He earned the “Iron Hokie” award during strength testing and runs the 40 yard dash in a blistering 4.29 seconds.

Wilson also works to improve in the offseason by being a member of the Virginia Tech Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field teams.  In 2010-2011, Wilson finished sixth in the country in the triple jump, which was good enough to earn him All-American honors.

He has earned a reputation through his first two seasons as a guy with a lot of speed who also has a ton of energy off the field. He was often talked about by teammates and coaches for his contagious personality and smiling wherever he goes.

In 2011, though, Wilson has developed a persona around the ACC for running over defenders while also having breakaway speed. The combination of those two elements in one running back is something that is rare to not just Virginia Tech but any team around the country.

Moving forward, the junior running back will only continue to put up huge numbers and break records at Virginia Tech. While many believe it is possible that Wilson leaves for the NFL after this season, if he chooses to stay, he will go down as one of the best running backs to ever come through the program.

With Wilson already past the 1,000 yard mark for the season and the closer he slowly inches to having the single season rushing record all to himself, the more fans hope to see No. 4 in the backfield next season.

As for now, there are four games remaining in the season for the Hokies. The team hopes to compete in two more after that—the ACC Championship and the Orange Bowl.

With no guarantee on the future and if we see Wilson again, fans should enjoy what they have and relish the opportunity to watch one of the greatest running backs Virginia Tech has ever seen.