Virginia Tech's injury report is out and running back Ryan Williams has been upgraded for this weekend's game, according to Darryl Slater of the Richmond Times-Dispatch:
Virginia Tech sophomore tailback Ryan Williams is listed as questionable for Saturday's home game against Wake Forest. [...] As the coaches proceeded cautiously with his rehabilitation, he was ruled out on the injury report before each of those games.
My personal guess is Williams won't play until next week against Duke. If he does see the field against the Demon Deacons, it will likely only be for a handful of carries.
The ACC uses the same system the NFL uses for injury reports based on the probability a player will play. Out is 0%, Doubtful is 25%, Questionable is 50% and Probably is 75%. If Williams already jumped the "doubtful" stage, I like the odds of him being at 100 percent ready to go by the time Georgia Tech comes to town on Nov. 4.
I'm really pleased with the way the coaches have handled the situation. Williams wasn't rushed back into action against Boston College or NC State and games like Central Michigan, Wake Forest and Duke on the horizon, they have to have figured they can ease him back into action.
I can see a reasonable progression being 5-10 carries against Wake Forest, 10-15 against Duke and then back to full strength after extra time to prepare for Georgia Tech. I could also see him not playing this week and then getting around 10 carries against the Blue Devils if he's ready.
Either way, it's good to see that he's at least an option at this point. Hopefully the coaching staff continues to go about this the right way and the injury doesn't become a nagging one that costs Williams more time during the crucial November stretch.