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.
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