\

Blacksburg, VA — He won the Rookie of the Week award seven times this season, so it came as no surprise that Virginia Tech redshirt freshman running back Ryan Williams was named the ACC’s Rookie of the Year today.

Williams broke the ACC and Tech freshman rushing records with 1,358 yards in his first season. He also set new ACC and Tech single-season records for touchdowns with 20 (19 rushing, 1 receiving). It is also the 4th-best single-season rushing total in ACC history.

The former Stonewall Jackson High School standout received 34 votes from 40 voting members. Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly finished second with 29 votes.

Williams was also was named ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year while Kuechly took home the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

Popularity: 21% [?]

Blacksburg, VA — The No. 11 ranked Virginia Tech Hokies (6-2, 9-3) finished their 2009 regular season with a 42-13 mauling of in-state rival, the Virginia Cavaliers (2-6, 3-9) in which redshirt freshman running back Ryan Williams rushed for a career-high 183 yards and four touchdowns.

Today, the ACC recognized Williams’ dominating performance by named him Rookie of the Week for the seventh time this season. In addition to running roughshod over the Cavaliers, Williams broke the ACC’s freshman single-season rushing and touchdown records.

Williams has 1,358 yards this season, which sets a new Virginia Tech and ACC freshman record and ranks second on Tech’s list of best single-season rushing performances. The phenom from Stonewall Jackson High School in Manassas, Va., needs only 110 yards to break the program’s record, set in 2003 by Kevin Jones, who rushed for 1,647 yards.

The rushing record isn’t the only record that fell to the humble, no-frills freshman. He now owns the ACC’s freshman TD scoring record with 20, breaking N.C. State’s T.A. McLendon’s 2002 record of 18.

See a complete list of the ACC’s weekly awards.

Popularity: 19% [?]

Blacksburg, VA — Much has been made about the massive mitts of Virginia Tech wide receiver Jarrett Boykin. How big are his hands, you ask?

In a Roanoke Times article by Randy King(Oct. 7, 2009), King wrote that Boykin’s fingers “routinely rip through the seams of his size XXXL receiver’s gloves, the largest size manufactured by Nike.” The same Nike that makes gloves for the NFL, where the real big boys play.

Throw in that he’s 6-2, 215 pounds and it’s no surprise that he’s emerged as quarterbackTyrod Taylor‘s favorite favorite target. Boykin is not the fastest receiver on the team, clocking a reported 4.54 in the 40-yard dash, but can out-jump and out-muscle most defensive backs and if Taylor can get the ball anywhere close to Boykin, chances are pretty good that those big hands are going to reel in the catch.

Boykin is quietly having one of the best seasons by a Tech wide receiver in recent memory. He already has 715 yards on only 36 receptions with two games to play. The 715 yards is the most by a Hokie receiver since 2003 when Ernest Wilford set a Tech record for receptions in a season (55) for 886 yards.

The Hokies have been playing football for more than 100 years and not once have they had a receiver rack up more than 1,000 yards in a season. Granted, the forward pass used to be illegal, so that explains the early years. The closest anyone came was Andre Davis in 1999 when he had 962 yards.

Boykin is a long shot to break that record this season. He would need 248 yards in the next two games. It’s not impossible – that’s only 124 yards a game and he can easily get that in two plays..

What’s more intriguing is what Boykin will do next season as a junior and the unquestioned go-to guy from the start of the season. This year, it was a jumble at the wide receiver spot until Boykin broke out in the Duke game with a career-high 144 yards and a touchdown.

Boykin is well on his way to having one of the best careers by a wide receiver at Virginia Tech. He is averaging 19.9 yards per catch this season, which is the highest average by a Hokie in the last 10 years. He has five touchdown catches so far this season, which is tied for the most since Wilford caught seven in 2002.

And then there’s the career list. Wilford owns the career yardage record with 2,052. Boykin is already at 1,156 through not quite two full seasons (he led the team with 441 yards last year, even though the media guide says it was Danny Coale). He only need 897 yards to break Wilford’s career mark.

Assuming Boykin remains healthy and plays the remaining two games this season and all of next season (a minimum of 15 games) and gets his 65 yards per game average, he will break the record. It would stand to reason, though, that Boykin will increase that average and therefor demolish the career receiving record.

And let’s not forget that he’s the first receiver since Davis in 2001 to have three 100-yard games in a season.

Jarrett Boykin, and his massive mitts, are poised for greatness at Virginia Tech … just sit back and watch.

Popularity: 19% [?]

Blacksburg, VA — I fully expected Virginia Tech’s freshman running back Ryan Williams to earn his seventh ACC Rookie of the Week award today. I was so convinced that his 120 yards rushing and four touchdowns, along with breaking the ACC’s freshman rushing record and tying the ACC freshman TD record was more than enough to lock up the award. I even had an article written last night and ready to go as soon as the announcement was released. I was wrong. Sort of.

I also figured that Cody Grimm would get his third Defensive Player of the Week award after tying an NCAA record with three forced fumbles in a game, so I got that right. But I missed on Williams getting another ROTW award.

Boston College freshman outside linebacker Luke Kuechly received that honor this afternoon when the weekly press release went out. Kuechly registered an ACC season-high 19 tackles, including eight solo and 2.5 tackles for loss, in the Eagles 31-13 loss to North Carolina.

I am not here to disparage or take away from Mr. Kuechly’s accomplishment because 19 tackles in a game is incredible, especially for a freshman. Plus, he did it against a pretty good rushing offense that was limited to 96 yards. I was just surprised, that’s all. I am merely surprised.

Perhaps Ryan Williams has set his bar so high that a paultry 120 yards and four rushing touchdowns in a game — which tied a Virginia Tech freshman record — and breaking the ACC’s freshman rushing record just aren’t enough considering what he’s done week in and week out this season.

Williams has become so dominant that he’s literally running over defenders and dragging them effortlessly into the end zone. He’s en route to becoming the most prolific running backs in Virginia Tech’s history. He already:

• owns the ACC and Tech freshman rushing records (1,355 with two games to play);
• obliterated Tech’s freshman scoring record and tied the ACC’s;
• crushed Tech’s freshman record for most 100-yard games in a season and has a shot at breaking the overall school record;
• has been named ACC Rookie of the Week six times;
• ranks seventh in the nation in rushing;
• named a Doak Walker Award semifinalist; and
• has been mentioned as a dark-horse Heisman candidate.

So, when you look accomplishments like those, 120 yards and four touchdowns doesn’t seem like a big deal.

I am not upset or outraged that Williams didn’t get his seventh ACC Rookie of the Week honor — Kuechly is more than deserving — I am just surprised that such a stellar performance did not warrant either Offensive Player of the Week or at least Rookie of the Week. 

I guess the ACC coaches figured that Williams has already made his mark and that another equally deserving performance, like that of Kuechly, should be recognized.

Regardless, it is an individual award that means more to media types like me than it does to the players. I guarantee that Williams, and even Kuechly, would gladly give up all six of his weekly awards for a win or two on the field.

Popularity: 40% [?]

Blacksburg, VA – Cody Grimm, a redshirt senior linebacker for the 14th-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies, earned his third ACC Defensive Back of the Week award after leading the Hokies’ defense in shutting down N.C. State’s high-powered offense. Tech won its final home game of the 2009 season, 38-10.Grimm tied an NCAA record with three forced fumbles in the first four N.C. State offensive plays.

On the offensive side of the ball, Sergio Render was named the Offensive Lineman of the Week. The senior from from Newnan, Ga., graded out at 82 percent and recorded a season-high 10 knockdown blocks in the Hokies’ 38-10 win over the Wolfpack. Render helped the Hokie offensive line lead the way for a Virginia Tech offense that piled up 397 yards of total offense, including 200 yards on the ground and 120 yards and four rushing touchdowns from the ACC’s leading rusher Ryan Williams.

The Hokies (5-2, 8-3) play at Virginia (2-5, 3-8) on Saturday, Nov. 28, at 1 p.m.

Complete list of weekly ACC awards.

Popularity: 8% [?]

College Park, MD — Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor threw for a career-high three touchdowns while running back Ryan Williams broke Tech’s freshman touchdown record as the Hokies cruised to an easy 36-9 win over Maryland.

Tech scored touchdowns on four of its first five possessions and its defense held Maryland’s offense to 236 yards and a field goal. The Terps sole touchdown came on a Tyrod Taylor fumble in his own end zone that was recovered by Maryland’s Jared Harrell.

Taylor completed 13 of 23 pass attempts for 268 yards – an average of more than 20 yards per reception. Taylor, who had two touchdown passes in all of 2008, has 12 so far this season.

“He didn’t have any mental errors except for the one in the end zone,” Ryan Williams said. “He ran the ball well and threw the ball well. He made very good reads. He played a heckuva game. He’s had some good games, but this was one of his best.”

Williams rushed for 126 yards on 23 carries and scored the games first touchdown in the first quarter. The freshman phenom, who was named a Doak Walker Award semifinalist earlier in the week, broke Virginia Tech’s freshman record for touchdowns in a season with 12 (11 rushing, 1 receiving). He is still tied with teammate Darren Evans, who is out this season with a torn ACL, for rushing touchdowns in a season by a freshman with 11.

The game marked the seventh time this season that Williams has rushed for more than 100 yards in a game – also a school record.

For the second time this season, a Virginia Tech wide receiver went over the century mark. Jarrett Boykin had three catches for 118 yards including a 64-yard touchdown catch that put the Hokies up 27-3 in the second quarter. Boykin is the only Tech wide receiver to have more than 100 yards receiving in a game this season. He had 144 yards in a 34-26 win over Duke.

Virginia Tech’s tight ends also stepped up and apparently love playing against Maryland. Andre Smith’s 3-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter marked the first receiving touchdown by a Tech tight end since Greg Boone caught one against Maryland last season – a 14-game drought.

The Hokies came out and played one of the best halves of football as they’ve had all season. Their first three drives were sustained, methodical, time-killing drives.

1st scoring drive: 10 plays, 71 yards, 4:07, Ryan Williams 1-yard TD run | 7-0 VT

2nd scoring drive: 8 plays, 72 yards, 2:37, Andre Smith 3-yard TD catch | 14-0 VT

3rd scoring drive: 8 plays, 64 yards, 3:11, Dyrell Robers 11-yard TD catch | 20-0 VT (missed PAT)

4th scoring drive: 1 play, 64 yards, :11, Jarrett Boykin 64-yard TD catch | 27-0 VT

Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer appeared to take the foot off the gas in the second half as the Hokies appeared less aggressive and scored only three Matt Waldron field goals.

The No. 21 Hokies improved to 4-2 in the ACC and 7-3 overall while Maryland fell to 1-5 in the ACC and 2-7 overall.

Tech has two regular season games remaining beginning with a final home game next Saturday against N.C. State (1-5, 4-6) before wrapping up the 2009 campaign on the road against in-state rival, the Virginia Cavaliers (2-4, 3-7).

Popularity: 24% [?]

Blacksburg, VA — The Virginia Tech Hokies are coming off three straight disappointing offensive performances, which resulted in back-to-back losses to Georgia Tech and North Carolina and an underwhelming 16-3 win over East Carolina.

No longer in the national championship picture and all but eliminated from a shot at an ACC title, the Hokies have three regular season games remaining, beginning with Maryland on Saturday.

The Terps (2-3, 2-7) are in the midst of a disappointing season and are guaranteed a losing a record; their fourth in the last six seasons. But don’t think for a minute that the Terps can’t pull off an upset and beat the Hokies on Saturday.

Sure, Maryland has only one win against Division I-A (FBS) competition; a 24-21 win over Clemson, which is poised to win the ACC’s Atlantic Division. But consider two things: 1) The Hokies are a run-first team and 2) Maryland has proven they can stop the run.

It doesn’t take a college football guru to figure out that the Terps are going to put eight guys in the box and try to stop the Hokies primary weapon, Ryan Williams. Maryland knows as well as anyone else that Tech’s passing game is suspect at best, so rather than letting Williams run wild on them (which he may very well do despite eight Terps in the box), they’ll force the Hokies to beat them with the passing game.

Through nine games, Maryland has held the opposing team’s leading rusher to less than 100 yards six times. In fact, the Terps haven’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in its last five games. However, they did give up an average of 283 passing yards in those six games, so even if they can stop the run, a half-way decent passing game can beat them.

Virginia Tech’s passing game will likely be the wild card in this game, much like it was for the Hokies when the played Duke. The Blue Devils threw everything at the Hokies to stop Ryan Williams and the run, but Tyrod Taylor torched Duke’s secondary for 327 yards passing in a close-than-expected 34-26 win.

The Hokies were not as successful in the passing game during back-to-back losses to Georgia Tech and Duke and the offense only managed one touchdown in a 16-3 win on the road against East Carolina.

Even when teams have tried to stop Ryan Williams, he has found a way to run through them or over them. Though he didn’t reach the end zone against ECU, Williams rushed for a career-high 179 yards and broke 16 tackles, the most by any running back at Virginia Tech since running backs coach Billy Hite arrived 32 years ago.

Here’s how Maryland’s defense compares nationally and in the ACC:

Total Defense

• 11th in the ACC (434.9 ypg)
• 84th in the country

Pass Defense

• Last in the ACC (249.4 ypg)
• 100th in the country

Rush Defense

• 8th in the ACC (141.1 ypg)
• 63rd in the country

Here’s how Ryan Williams has fared against opposing defenses in 2009:

Alabama (L) – No. 2 rushing defense
71 yards, 2 TDs

Marshall (W)- No. 83 rushing defense
164 yards, 3 TDs

Nebraska – No. 10 rushing defense
107 yards, 1 TD

Miami – No. 45 rushing defense
150 yards, 2 TDs

Duke – No. 62 rushing defense
87 yards, 0 TDs

Boston College – No. 30 rushing defense
159 yards, 1 TD

Georgia Tech – No. 49 rushing defense
100 yards, 1 TD

North Carolina – No. 8 rushing defense
96 yards, 0 TDs

East Carolina – No. 45 rushing defense
179 yards, 0 TDs

The Terrapins rushing defense is the second worst Williams will face so far this season, behind Marshall. If Tech’s offensive line can control the line of scrimmage long enough for Williams to hit his gaps, it could be another record-setting day for a Hokie running back.

Maryland knows all to well the devastation a Hokie tailback can do. Last year, Darren Evans rushed for a single-game school record 253 yards in a 23-13 win.

Kickoff is schedule for 1 p.m. and the game will be televised on the Internet via ESPN360.com. The last Terps win against the Hokies came in the 1990 season, a 20-13 win at College Park.

Popularity: 17% [?]

Blacksburg, VA — While the Heisman Trophy may be a long shot for Virginia Tech freshman running back Ryan Williams, the Doak Walker Award, given to college football’s premiere running back, appears well within his reach.

Today, the Guaranty Bank SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors announced today the 10 semifinalists for the 2009 Doak Walker Award and Williams is on the list.

Williams and Pittsburgh’s Dion Lewis are the only freshmen on the list. And despite what many consider a down year for the conference, the ACC has three running backs on the list. In addition to Williams, the ACC’s leading rusher, Clemson’s C.J. Spiller and Georgia Tech’s Jonathan Dwyer are also named as semifinalists.

Williams has earned the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Rookie of the Week award six times this season. The talented freshman is the first ACC running back to rush for more than 1,100 yards in 2009 and needs only 157 yards to break Tech’s freshman rushing record (1,265) set by Darren Evans last season.

The complete list of the 2009 Doak Walker Award semifinalists and their national ranking for rushing:

Donald Buckram (Jr.) UTEP (4th)
Jonathan Dwyer (Jr.) Georgia Tech (16th)
Toby Gerhart (Sr.) Stanford (2nd)
Mark Ingram (So.) Alabama (6th)
Dion Lewis (Fr.) Pittsburgh (7th)
Ryan Mathews (Jr.) Fresno State (1st)
Jacquizz Rodgers (So.) Oregon State (15th)
C.J. Spiller (Sr.) Clemson (44th)
Ben Tate (Sr.) Auburn (12th)
Ryan Williams (Fr.) Virginia Tech (9th)

About the Doak Walker Award

The 130 members of the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee will cast their votes to determine the 2009 finalists. On Monday, November 23, three finalists will be named, and a second vote by the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee will determine the recipient. The 2009 Doak Walker Award recipient will be announced live on The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards on Thursday, December 10.

The Award is named after three-time SMU All-American running back and 1948 Heisman Trophy winner Doak Walker. Walker, who also punted, returned kicks and kicked extra points, led the Mustangs to two Southwest Conference Championships. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions and led the league in scoring his rookie year. During his six years with the Lions, he led the team to two NFL championships and was chosen All-Pro four times. Walker is a member of both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame.

For more information about the Doak Walker award, visit http://smu.edu/doakwalker/

Popularity: 16% [?]

Blacksburg, VA — There has been talk among Virginia Tech Hokie fans about Frank Beamer possibly hiring Ralph Friedgen as offensive coordinator should Maryland fire him after what has been a disappointing season.

This scenario assumes that Maryland could afford to buy out the remainder of Friedgen’s contract, but given Maryland’s financial woes, it appears very unlikely the university can afford such a move.

Keep in mind that following last season Maryland named James Franklin, offensive coordinator, the successor to Friedgen once the Fridge’s contract ends following the 2011 season.

If the Terps want to make an earlier-than-expected change at head coach, they will need to buy out the remaining two years of Friedgen’s contract, valued at $4.5 million. Given the tough economic situation facing the state of Maryland, it would be hard for the university to justify spending that kind of money on a football coach, so expect the Terps to ride out the final two years of Friedgen’s contract.

Attendance and season ticket sales have been on the decline for the last five seasons at College Park. Unless the Terps (1-4, 2-7) can turn things around in the next two seasons, expect the Fridge to be out in two years. If he’s not, Maryland owes Franklin a cool $1 million per the “successor” contract given to him earlier this year.

Even if the Terps can the Fridge, there is still the issue of Beamer’s loyalty to embattled offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring.

Many Hokie fans are calling for offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring’s ousting in the wake of another statistically abysmal year. The offense touts a great deal of talent and experience, yet the Hokies rank 70th in total offense, thanks in large part to phenom freshman running back Ryan Williams, who is on pace to break every major freshman rushing record at the school.

During the past four seasons, the Hokies’ offense has hovered around 100th out of 120 teams in Division I-A. During those season, while the offense struggled at times, Tech’s defense generally helped out enough to push the team to consistent 10-win seasons. This year, however, the defense is struggling and the lack of offense is much more noticeable as evidenced by three losses.

Beamer and his team still have a shot at a sixth straight 10-win season if they can win their remaining three regular season games and then a bowl game.

If the Hokies tank their last three game and finish 6-6, expect there to be a lot of pressure on Beamer to sack or demote Stinespring and bring in a new offensive coordinator. If the Hokies win out and finish 10-3, don’t expect any changes on the coaching staff. Not many programs in the country can boast five straight 10-win seasons.

Popularity: 17% [?]

Blacksburg, VA — For the sixth time in this season, the Atlantic Coast Conference named Virginia Tech redshirt freshman running back Ryan Williams its Rookie of the Week. The talented freshman is the first ACC running back to rush for more than 1,100 yards this season.

Cody Grimm, a redshirt senior linebacker for the Hokies, earned the ACC’s Defensive Player of the Week award following his dominating performance against the Pirates. Grimm led the team with 12 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a recovered fumble.

Grimm played like a man possessed en route to his second ACC Defensive Player of the Week award of the season.

On the offensive side of the ball, Williams rushed for 179 yards on 26 carries in the Hokies’ 16-3 win over East Carolina.

The freshman from Stonewall Jackson High School in Manassas, Va., has rushed for 100 or more yards in six games this season, breaking Darren Evans’ freshman record of four 100-yard rushing games in a season set just last season.

Williams averages 123 yards rushing per game, has 1,109 rushing yards through nine games this season, and is on pace to rush for more than 1,500 before the end of the regular season.

The Hokies are bowl eligible for the 17th straight year, so Williams will have at least four more games to add to his total. Evans set the ACC and Tech freshman record with 1,265 yards rushing last season.

Williams also tied Evans’ record of 11 touchdowns in a season and barring an injury, will likely shatter the old mark set in 2008. The Virginia Tech record for rushing touchdowns in a season is 27 set by Lee Suggs in 2000. Suggs also holds the school record for total TDs in a season with 28, also set in 2000.

Williams and the Hokies (3-2, 6-3) play at Maryland (1-4, 2-7) on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 1 p.m.

Complete list of weekly ACC awards.

Popularity: 18% [?]