Sugar Bowl Preview: Virginia Tech Backfield

Submitted by MGoShoe on

In this MGoBoard post, MGoUser Gunners Ape asked if I'd provide my take on the Hokies. I'm now a contributor for Maize Pages, so I took the suggestion and asked my son Ryan who is the sports news director for VT's student radio station, WUVT-FM and who covered the team this season from the Lane Stadium press box if he'd pen some entries.

The first entry reviews VT's backfield duo of QB Logan Thomas and RB David Wilson. Future posts will feature the Hokies' receiving corps, offensive line, defensive line and linebackers, and defensive backfield.

I hope you find it useful.


While there, check out my Wolverines on Twitter page. It contains the account information for Michigan's football and basketball teams and committed recruits, former Wolverines and other U-M related accounts. Click and follow to your heart's content.

BrownJuggernaut

December 17th, 2011 at 9:30 PM ^

One of the first things I noticed watching highlights is that David Wilson has a penchant for fumbling:

More important as Virginia Tech gets ready for its pivotal matchup with Virginia is Wilson’s penchant for putting the ball on the ground this season. After fumbling in the Hokies’ past two games, the speedy tailback now has seven this year, four of which have been recovered by the opponent. But Wilson isn’t sweating about that just yet.
“I’m not going to think about it. Fumbles happen. If you think about it, it’s just going to get worse,” he said this week. “There’s no trend. It’s not like I’m holding the ball loose or anything. It’s just they punch it right out. There’s nothing I can do about it. It’s just hold the ball and run.”
Wilson’s demeanor about it is a reflection of what he has been hearing from his coaches. Both Coach Frank Beamer and running backs coach Shane Beamer agree that their talented tailback is not a fumbler. After reviewing film, they believe most of Wilson’s fumbles this year, including the past two, have happened when a defender outside his field of vision jarred the ball loose.

I'd like to see our defense attack the ball.We've shown we can force a fumble or two. I hope we see a couple more in the Sugar Bowl.

BlueBadger

December 17th, 2011 at 10:45 PM ^

He scaled Cassel? That is crazy. As for catching a rabbit, there are a ton in bburg, my friend caught one while we were on a run through campus this summer. Sort of like catching a squirrel in Ann Arbor.

UMgradMSUdad

December 17th, 2011 at 11:45 PM ^

I'm not sure Michigan's defense has faced a back as explosive and fast as Wilson this year, and I certainly hope they're able to pressure Thomas regularly enough to put him off his game.