Logan Thomas Answers

Logan Thomas made Frank Beamer and a lot of people in the Virginia Tech football brain trust look "pret-ty, pret-ty, pret-ty, pret-ty good" this past weekend (as Larry David might put it).  He had a big-game performance that most quarterbacks never achieve over the span of their entire college and pro careers.
  
You've heard the numbers, but they bear repeating: 23 for 25 for 310 yards, along with 3 passing touchdowns and 2 running touchdowns.  The last running touchdown, the one that won the game, covered 19 yards on a 4th down play with less than a minute left in the game.  He made his linemen look good, he made his receivers look good (and he spread the ball around), and he made the offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring and offensive signal-caller Michael O'Cain look like geniuses -- and of course he looked pretty darn amazing himself.  His only misses consisted of one drop by David Wilson (a little behind him, but one that Wilson makes 9 out of 10 times), and the other was a purposely-incomplete shuffle pass to avoid taking a sack.  


If my calculations are correct, his passer rating for the game was 235.8.  (The NCAA passer rating calculations are different than those for the NFL.)  For comparison, Colt Brennan holds the NCAA single-season record, a passer rating of 186.0 in 2006; and Michael Vick holds the single-season freshman record of 180.4 in 1999.  I am not trying to compare LT to those quarterbacks, I am just trying to describe how difficult that 235.8 is to attain.


Tyrod Taylor was on the sidelines during the game.  (Not his ghost -- he was there in the flesh, since his Baltimore Ravens had a bye week in the NFL.)  With less than 3 minutes left in the 4th quarter and Miami up by 4 points, Thomas discussed the situation with his coaches, who were joined by Tyrod.  Before Thomas went back on the field, Taylor told him "This is where legends are made.  This is where you start your legacy."  Taylor should know a thing or two about legends and legacies, because he epitomizes the meaning of both.


The significance of this game in terms of Logan Thomas' growth, and the capabilities of a Bryan-Stinespring-offense, remain to be determined.  It seems like the Miami secondary was over-compensating on run support to stop David Wilson from chewing them up (he still chalked up 128 yards); but still, as a first-year starter, this is something for LT to build on.  Hopefully, the offensive strategists have progressed as well; Miami dared the Hokies and Logan Thomas to pass, and the Hokies took what Miami gave them and made them pay for it.


As injuries on defense continue to pile up and deplete an already thin group (experience-wise), the offense is going to have to carry the load for the Hokies more than should be reasonably-expected.  Let's hope and pray that they are up to the task.  Miami took advantage of first-half defensive injuries (James Gayle and Jeron Gouveia-Winslow) in the second half; they closed the scoring gap and ultimately took the lead.  Upcoming VT opponents are taking notes on how to shred the Hokie defense; Miami put up 519 yards, including 337 yards in the second half; 166 yards of their total yardage was provided by their talented running back, Lamar Miller.  In the games ahead, more magic from Bud Foster will be required.


Go Hokies!!


P.S. On a side note, during my stay in Blacksburg, I had the opportunity to crash the ballroom party in which the VT Hall of Fame inductee ceremonies were being held.  In separate encounters, I met both Shayne Graham and Mike Burnop.  Both of those guys are genuinely nice and engaging folks -- just a couple more reasons why I am so obsessively-proud of my alma mater.

Tyrod's Ghost -- Did anyone else see it?

I guess that since we are already 5 games into the season, it's probably a little late to bring this up, but it's like an elephant in the room that demands to be noticed: I miss Tyrod Taylor.  I'm also sure that I am not alone in this. 

My twisted mind has struggled to find ways to deal with it, but I don't think that I am succeeding.  I say this because now the visage of his ghost has emerged as an unsettling, but satisfaction-providing, presence that I just can't get away from.  I look on the sidelines, and I see his ghost warming up, joking with his teammates, getting them ready for the game.  I see it talking with the receivers, talking about a unique formation that is loaded into the game plan for the day's opponent.  I see it talking to the defensemen.  It is their leader too; its will, commitment, and determination to win are attributes that command their respect.  I see Frank Beamer stroll over to ask it if it is "ready", and it always tells the coach that it is ready -- because it is.  Then I see Tyrod's apparition walk out for the coin toss, and I note that it respectfully acknowledges and shakes hands with the representatives from the opponent.  It does everything with class, because that's the kind of ghost it is.

During this past Saturday's game, it was literally all over the field!  I saw passes completed, interceptions and sacks avoided, plays extended, and drives concluded with touchdowns.  The defense throttled the Clemson offense, and even snagged an interception, and Taylor's ghost rewarded them for their efforts by converting their contributions into points.   Well, it least that's what my mind's eye saw.

The further that I am removed from Tyrod Taylor when he was at Virginia Tech, the more I appreciate him.  After four years, I became accustomed to seeing the consistently-high level of his play, and I almost took it for granted.  Shame on me.  This year's team is a new team.  It is not yet Logan Thomas's team, but it most certainly is no longer Tyrod's team.

Has the team's performance and offensive play-calling gotten worse, or can we dare to suggest that Tyrod Taylor's performances in previous years masked pass-protection breakdowns in the offensive line?  Did he make "capable" receivers look like future all-pro's with his well-placed and well-timed passes?  Did he make our coaches look better by turning badly-designed and inopportunely-called plays into series-extending drives leading to touchdowns?

Practically-speaking, we can never know the answers to these questions.  It is a new season, and everything has changed.  It's not fair to compare this team to last year's team.  The chemistry is not yet there between the green quarterback and his receivers; and injuries at the receiver position have no doubt added to the difficulties.  Two classy running backs have left and new guys have taken their place.

Logan Thomas may ultimately become the unquestioned leader on the team.  I hope for everyone's sake that it happens sooner versus later.  Is it fair to demand this of him?  Probably not, but few of us will ever forget Tyrod Taylor's introduction to VT fans and the rest of college football that night in Baton Rouge, against an LSU team that would ultimately win the national championship.  He came into the game as a true freshman and led the Hokies to its lone touchdown of the night.  We knew at that moment and without any doubt that we were witnessing the beginning of something, and someone, special.  In his career at Tech, he provided every member of Hokie Nation a cornucopia of indelible memories, too numerous to recount here.  Consequently, I am sure that this will not be the last post of mine that focuses on this unique individual.

This football season still hangs in the balance for the Virginia Tech Hokies, but as long as Tyrod's ghost graces me with its presence at opportune (or inopportune) moments, I am going to enjoy this season -- win, lose, or draw.

Go Hokies!