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Tyrod Taylor was 16/17 for 319 yards and three TDs in Saturday's scrimmage.

Tyrod Taylor looked every bit of the senior quarterback and leader during Saturday’s final scrimmage before the Hokies being game-week preparations for the Boise State season opener on Sept. 6.

Taylor completed his first 10 passes and finished the game 16 of 17 for 319 yards and three touchdowns. The one incompletion was a pass he threw out of bounds intentionally to avoid a loss. After the scrimmage, Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer had high praise for his QB.

“I feel the same way with him out there as I did when Michael Vick was out there,” said Beamer of Taylor. “The next play could be a big play. Any play has a chance of going a long ways. Tyrod gives you that same element right now.”

Taylor got the scrimmage off to an exciting start on just the third offensive play when he hit tight end Andre Smith for a 95-yard touchdown. Taylor also connected with running backDarren Evans for a 4-yard TD pass from wide receiver Dyrell Roberts for a 35-yard scoring strike.

The intrasquad scrimmage featured the first team offense and defense against the second team offense and defense. And the first team defense played very well even if it was against the second team offense. Bud Foster‘s unit, which has been the biggest question mark heading into the 2010 season, sacked second string QB Logan Thomas five times while allowing just 101 total yards.

Defensive end Chris Drager had two sacks, while Derrick Hopkins, Steven Friday andRashad Carmichael each added a sack of their own. Hopkins is a true freshman playing on the first team defense.

Quick Hitters

The special teams looked solid again … well, at least the punt block team did. Marcus Davisblocked a punt that was picked up by Zach Luckett and returned for a touchdown.

Danny Coale quietly caught four passes for 40 yards.

David Wilson played with the second team offense and continued to make a strong case for the coaching staff not to redshirt him. He had a 43-yard kick return and an impressive 25-yard run from scrimmage. He gave the first team defense fits.

Starting left tackle (you know, the guy that protects Tyrod Taylor’s backside) Nick Becton is still suffering from turf toe and will likely not start for the Hokies on Sept. 6. He is expected to be ready and will play, but backup Andrew Lanier will probably get the start.

The kicking game appears to be just fine. Chris Hazley nailed a pair of field goals (37 and 23 yards) and Justin Myer nailed a 54-yarder with plenty of room to spare.

More details and quotes from the players and coaches.

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Spring Game – Box Score | Recap

For the second straight spring, the big question going into the Virginia Tech Maroon vs. White game was, “who will backup Tyrod Taylor?” Though it’s not a done deal, it appears that redshirt freshman Logan Thomas has emerged as the frontrunner for the No. 2 QB spot.

Thomas is a towering 6-6 and a sturdy 238 pounds. His first two spring scrimmages were less than inspiring, but he earned the team’s most improved player award for the spring practice season and completed six passes for 34 yards in the spring game. Thomas was 6/12 for 34 yards, one touchdown pass and no interceptions.

The second year player out of Lynchburg’s Brookeville High guided the Maroon team a game-opening, 12-play, 57-yard drive capped by a 4-yard touchdown pass to Danny Coale in the corner of the end zone. It was the only touchdown pass of the spring game. Thomas was a perfect 5/5 passing on the scoring drive.

JuJu Clayton, a redshirt sophomore, played well, for the most part, in the first two scrimmages, but threw some bad interceptions. In the spring game, he was 5/13 for 46 yards, one interception and no touchdowns.

Incumbent starting QB Tyrod Taylor saw limited action and was the only player wearing a yellow “no contact” jersey. The senior completed 4/8 passes for 76 yards and looked every bit of the quarterback and leader you’d expect from a fourth-year senior.

While the difference in statistics between Clayton and Thomas may be negligible, it would make sense that the coaches would want Thomas to win the No. 2 spot. Physically he is more along the lines of what you want in quarterback. He is athletic and is clearly the QB of the future at Virginia Tech. Even if Clayton was putting up slightly better numbers, it would probably make sense to put Thomas ahead of him and let him get some playing time via mop-up duty this season. Barring an injury, he will likely be the quarterback next season, so he’ll need as much playing time as possible this season.

Other notes from the spring game:

Ryan Williams did not play because of a bruised knee. Nothing serious and nothing to worry about – just resting him and avoiding any unnecessary risks. Darren Evans also saw limited playing time, carrying the ball just five times for eight yards. Tony Gregory, a redshirt freshman, carried the ball 10 times for 37 yards and the teams’ lone rushing score. Sophomore David Wilson, who could be on his way to a redshirt year, rushed four times for 17 yards, though 16 of those came on the longest rushing play of the game.

Defensively, Bud Foster and his coaching staff have been working over time to replace six starters and judging from the spring game, the extra hours have paid off.

Defensive end Steven Friday recorded four tackles including three for losses and two sacks. Anton Exum, a redshirt freshman free safety, was all over the field and broke up three passes and registered four solo tackles. Linebacker Bruce Taylor, playing in place of injured starter Barquell Rivers, had five tackles, 1.5 for losses.

Junior free safety Eddie Whitley also had a great showing, registering five tackles, one pass breakup and one interception. Though it’s still too early to know how well the defensive is progressing, the secondary looked solid in the spring game and the linebackers and linemen didn’t give up any big runs, so at the very least, it was an encouraging sign of progress.

HokieSports.com posted the following list of 2010 spring practice award winners:

• Paul Torgersen Award (top newcomers during spring practice) – Offense: Logan Thomas; Defense: James Gayle
• President’s Award (players who demonstrate the most outstanding leadership during the offseason program and spring workouts) – Offense: Tyrod Taylor; Defense: John Graves
• Dr. Richard Bullock Award (players who show the most improvement during spring workouts) – Offense: Marcus Davis; Defense: Steven Friday
• Frank O. Moseley Award (players who exhibit the most hustle during the offseason and spring workouts) – Offense: Bo Gentry and Danny Coale; Defense: Eddie Whitley.
• Coaches Award (players who had an exceptional spring) – Offense: Andre Smith and Blake DeChristopher; Defense: Lyndell Gibson
• George Preas Award (MVP’s of spring practice) – Offense: Tyrod Taylor; Defense: John Graves
• Don Williams TEAM UNITED Award (the offensive and defensive player who put the team first) – Offense: Greg Nosal; Defense: Rashad Carmichael

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Blacksburg, VA – When Tyrod Taylor came to Blacksburg in 2007 as an 18-year-old highly touted recruit, Virginia Tech football fans had high hopes. While Taylor, who is preparing for his final season, has not put up the astronomical stats that some expected of him, Taylor has quietly cemented himself as one of the best QBs in Tech’s history, both on and off the field.

Taylor has been the consummate “professional” in a game of amateurs. His first two years we shared playing time with Sean Glennon and never complained. He is a truly a “team comes first” player. He doesn’t whine, complain or criticize his teammates or coaches. He has had, to my knowledge, zero off-the-field problems and from what we can tell, goes to class and makes the grades.

Earlier this week, he became one of only three players to earn a 100 percent effort recognition award from the coaching staff. Taylor, running back Ryan Williams and defensive tackle John Graves will wear the special T-shirts during today’s morning conditioning session. The trio is also eligible to go a perfect 6-for-6 over the course of the next two weeks and be honored with a comprehensive award.

Even in the off season, if there is such a thing in today’s game, Taylor continues to work hard and showing the kind of commitment and dedication that you want in your team’s leader.

Through three season, Taylor is 23-5 as a starter. One of those losses was in 2008 to Florida State when he got hurt on the first offensive play and left the game. Last season, he became the eighth Hokie QB to pass for more than 2,000 yards in a season with 2,311. With only one year as a starter on his resume, Taylor is already in fifth place in total offense (5,811) and eighth in passing (4,274). He is third all-time among Tech quarterbacks in career rushing yards (1,537) and his four career 100-yard rushing games ties Michael Vick for the second most in school history behind Bob Schweickert (6).

Taylor has one more season to go in his college career, and talent-wise, he’ll have the best supporting cast of offensive players he’s ever had. He gets all of his receivers back including Jarrett Boykin, Danny Coale and Dyrell Roberts. He also gets four top-notch running backs from last season including the ACC’s leading rusher and Rookie of the Year Ryan Williams. Darren Evans, Josh Ogelsby and David Wilson are also back in 2010.

In a bit of a role reversal from past seasons, the Hokies head into the 2010 campaign relying more on their offense than defense. That’s because Tech lost six starters on defense and are moving guys around to try and shore up an already questionable squad. That’s not to say that defensive coordinator Bud Foster won’t have his new players ready to step up and wreak havoc as his past defenses have, but until the newbies prove themselves on the field, the Hokies are clearly going to expect the offense to win more games this year than in past years. And Tyrod Taylor will be the one leading them.

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Blacksburg, VA — After watching a great weekend of college football that included thrilling wins by Texas and Alabama, I heard two post-game interview with Texas Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy and Alabama Crimson Tide running back Mark Ingram. Both began their comments by giving thanks to God.

There was a time not too long ago when those kind of statements drew the ire of some college football fans, who said there was no place for religion in football. That sentiment still exists, I imagine, but we seem to be experiencing a resurgence in the presence of God in the lives of prominent college football players.

While not the first, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow is probably the highest profile college athlete in the game today that openly and proudly speaks about his strong religious beliefs. And he has made no apologies for his faith and the important God plays in his life.

The Virginia Tech Hokies have had their share of trouble makers in the past – guys who just can’t seem to stay out of trouble. This is nothing unique to Virginia Tech (see the Tennessee Volunteers, Virginia Cavaliers, or any other college football program). We rarely hear about the positive things student athletes do when the cameras aren’t around. But there are still plenty of good guys out there. I discovered a few of them in a Vimeo video while working on my own project.

I discovered a video titled “Virginia Tech Football and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes” and it features Hokies starting quarterback, junior Tyrod Taylor. The production quality was much higher than I anticipated and it was pretty well done, especially considering it came from a small video production show in Southwest Virginia.

In the video, Taylor is cheered by adoring fans, including a female fan in the underbelly of the stands. She is dressed provocatively in a mini-skirt and it is clear she is tempting him. He rejects her and moves on. Just before going on the field to play a game, a teammate asks Taylor if he’s ready. He replies that he has one more thing he has to do and begin to read a verse from the bible.

What are your thoughts on college athletes referencing their religion during post-game interviews? Does it offend you? Could you care less? Are you happy to see it? Leave a comment and let us know.

In the mean time, check out the video below.

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Box Score | Recap

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Box Score | Highlights

Blacksburg, VA — The 15th-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies (5-2, 8-3) forced four turnovers to win their third straight game following a decisive 38-10 victory over N.C. State (1-6, 4-7). On senior day in Blacksburg, Va., the Hokies got career performances from senior linebacker Cody Grimm, redshirt freshman running back Ryan Williams and sophomore wide receiver Jarrett Boykin.

Grimm tied an NCAA record with three forced fumbles in his first four defensive plays while Williams scored a career-high four touchdowns and broke Tech’s and the ACC’s freshman single-season rushing record with 1,355 yards.

Williams still has one more regular season game and presumably a bowl game to add to his totals. The Virginia Tech single-season rushing record (1,647 by Kevin Jones in 2003) is still within reach for Williams.

Boykin also had a career game with six receptions for 164 yards and a touchdown catch. He becomes the first Tech wide receiver to have three games with more than 100 yards receiving in a season since Andre Davis did it in 2001.

The Hokies got off to an encouraging start before the opening kickoff. For the first time all season, Tech won a coin toss and it paid off. On the Wolfpack’s first play of the game, Grimm got to N.C. State quarterback Russell Wilson from the backside and stripped the ball out of his hands. Grimm recovered the loose ball and the Hokies settled for a field goal to take the early lead, 3-0.

Grimm went right back to work on the second play of State’s next possession. Wilson completed a pass to Darrell Davis along the sideline, but Grimm was there to strip the ball loose again. Tech senior cornerback Stephan Virgil recovered the fumble and returned it three yards to State’s 25.

“We work on it [forcing fumbles] in practice,” Grimm said. “If you’re the second person there, try to rip the ball out, but if you’re the first, then concentrate on getting him down.”

Grimm leads the nation in forced fumbles with seven.

Williams capped a six-play, 25-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown to give the Hokies a 10-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

After two fumbles in their first three offensive plays, it would make sense that N.C. State would have gone out of its way to protect the ball on their third series. However, Grimm forced another fumble on the Pack’s fourth offensive play. This time, however, State was able to recover it, and then marched 81 yards to score its first points of the game on a Wilson pass to Owen Spencer, cutting Tech’s lead to 10-7.

But the night belonged to the Hokies. On the ensuing kickoff, freshman running back and return manDavid Wilson ran the kick back 40 yards, giving Tech’s offense a short field at the State 49. Tech eventually scored on another short TD run by Williams, pushing the Hokies’ lead to 17-7.

State added a field goal in the second quarter, but the Hokies answered with a 74-yard drive capped by another Williams TD run, his third of the game, and the Hokies took 24-10 lead into the half.

Williams scored his fourth and final TD on the Hokies’ opening possession of the second half. The freshman, who has been named the ACC Rookie of the Week six times this season, literally dragged an N.C. State defender — clinging to Williams’ jersey — 10 yards into the end zone.

Williams, who had 120 yards in the game, now has eight 100-yard games this season, one shy of Kevin Jones’ record of nine, set in 2003.

Williams tied Tech’s freshman record for touchdowns scored in a game (4). “Touchdown” Tommy Edwards scored four against Pittsburgh in 1993. Williams also tied the ACC’s record for touchdowns in a season by a freshman with 16.

“He is strong, quick and powerful,” Tech head coach Frank Beamer said of Williams. “I think he’s a complete back.”

Boykin, who had racked up impressive receiving yards finally got in the end zone in the third quarter, scoring Tech’s final TD of the game and securing a 38-10 win for the Hokies.

While Taylor, Williams and Boykin stole the show on offense, Bud Foster‘s defense deserves a great deal of credit for shutting down the ACC’s second best offense. The Hokies held the Pack to just 14 rushing yards and 259 total yards of offense.

The defense set the tone early thanks to Grimm’s incredible performance.

“That was big,” Beamer said. “You need to get up on those guys [N.C. State] because they can score in a hurry.”

N.C. State came into the game averaging 32.6 points per game, second in the ACC.

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Game Recap | Box Score

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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).

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Blacksburg, VA — Virginia Tech and Nike unveiled the Hokies’ new high-tech football jersey today on campus today. Redshirt senior linebacker Cody Grimm and junior quarterback Tyrod Taylor modeled the jerseys to a crowd of nearly 500 at Virginia Tech’s new GLC Plaza Amphitheater.

The Nike Pro Combat uniform is a new system of dress and the lightest football uniform Nike has ever created. Virginia Tech is one of 10 elite football programs to debut the Nike Pro Combat uniform this month before they are officially introduced at the start of the 2010 season. Virginia Tech was the first team to have its jerseys unveiled.

Nike designed the Nike Pro Combat uniform to address the evolution of the game: today’s players are stronger and faster and the collisions are more violent and explosive than ever before. Nike also worked with coaches and administrators at Virginia Tech to bring inspiration to the Nike Pro Combat uniforms that the Hokies will wear on Nov. 14.

The jerseys are 37 percent lighter than Nike’s previous jerseys.

Learn more about Nike’s new Virginia Tech football jerseys.

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Greenville, SC — Despite Virginia Tech’s struggling offense, freshman running back Ryan Williams decimated East Carolina’s defense for a career-high 179 yards, leading the Hokies to a 16-3 win over the Pirates in Greenville, S.C.

The Hokies’ defense held the Pirates to 277 yards and a field goal, thanks in large part to only having to be on the field for 25 minutes. Tech’s offense, despite only scoring one touchdown, controlled the clock for nearly 35 minutes. The win broke a two-game losing streak for the Hokies that knocked them out of the national championship picture.

Williams, whose first rushing fumble of the season led to North Carolina’s last-second game-winning field goal the previous week, bounced back against ECU. He now has 1,109 rushing yards this season and needs only 156 yards to break Darren Evans‘ freshman record of 1,265, set last season.

“Even now, just thinking about it, it still makes me sick to my stomach because I hate turning the ball over,” Williams said after the game. “I hate turning it over in video games. But things happen. I can’t be perfect – but I’m going to try and be as close to it as I can.”

Evans’ record of 11 touchdowns as a freshman is also in jeopardy. Williams has 11 total TDs this season – 10 rushing and one receiving – and needs one more to break the freshman record of 11 total TDs and two more rushing TDs to break the freshman record for rushing TDs in a season.

Williams isn’t the only Hokie on the verge of breaking records. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor rushed for Tech’s only touchdown, a 13-yard run in second quarter, giving him 17 for his career – putting him in sole possession of second place in school history. He had been tied with Michael Vick and now trails Bob Schweikert, whose 22 rushing touchdowns is a record for a Tech quarterback.

While Williams ran roughshod over the ECU defense, redshirt senior linebacker Cody Grimm terrorized the ECU offense in one of the most impressive individual defensive performances the Hokies have seen in some time. Grimm had 12 tackles, a sack, a forced a fumble and recovered a fumble.

In the second quarter, ECU quarterback Patrick Pinckney completed a pass to Rob Kass at the Virginia Tech 25, but Grimm stripped Kass of the ball and then fell on it. The turnover disrupted an impressive drive by the Pirates and nearly led to a Tech touchdown, but Taylor fumbled the ball just short of the goal line and the Pirates got the ball as a result of a touchback.

Tech’s offensive rankings:

• Total offense – 70th
• Passing offense – 103rd
• Rushing offense – 21st
• Scoring offense – 47th
• Sacks allowed – 85th (23 sacks, 2.56 a game)
• Tackles for loss allowed – 99th (248 yards on 62 TFL)
• Third down conversions – 76th
• Fourth down conversions – 91st

Tech’s defensive rankings:

• Total defense – 23rd
• Passing defense – 8th
• Rushing defense – 69th
• Scoring defense – 47th
• Sacks – 72nd (16 sacks, 1.78 a game)
• Tackles for loss – 45th (209 yards on 56 TFL)
• Third down conversions – 22nd
• Fourth down conversions – 99th

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