Saturday's spring game saw Maroon dominate White 27-0 thanks to seven sacks and six turnovers for the Maroon defense. Logan Thomas was also impressive at times with two touchdown passes to flanker Marcus Davis, a fitting end to an outstanding spring for Davis. Here's what the mainstream media and blogosphere is saying about our final chance to see the Hokies between now and August.
Thomas leads the way in Spring Game (Hokie Haven)
"Thomas played well, throwing some outstanding strikes, he occasionally threw off his back foot, but overall was very accurate and on target, no more so than a perfectly executed 21-yards touchdown strike in the second quarter to Marcus Davis where he got just a step on Hill."
Thomas Leads Maroon Team to 27-0 Win (Tech Sideline)
"Thomas went 10-of-21 for 131 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions, but those stats are deceiving. Both interceptions came on tipped balls that his receivers could have come down with, and he had one other 20 yard completion on a third and 21 that was dropped by Corey Fuller. Overall, he threw it well and made good decisions."
J.C. Coleman VERBALS? (The Key Play)
"Rumor in Blacksburg is that Oscar Smith H.S. running back J.C. Coleman verballed to the Hokies today before the spring game. Just five weeks ago he was a strong UVA lean. Though J.C. has scat back size at 5'7" 170 lbs he runs with balance, vision and more power than one would expect."
Hokie Football Annual 2011 set to debut at Spring Game (Hokie Annual)
"This year's book analyzes Frank Beamer's big offseason staff shakeup. It features a round-table discussion of the program with Chris Coleman of TechSideline.com and Darryl Slater of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. It has an in-depth discussion of recruiting with Brian Mohr of HokieHaven.com and Doug Doughty of the Roanoke Times."
Logan impresses on and off the field (Sporting News)
"Logan Thomas impressed Tech fans on the field (two touchdown passes and excellent mobility) and off it (signing autographs for at least an hour after the game, according to reports). But building defensive depth ranked as another top priority this spring. And with strong performances from youngsters such as linebacker Telvion Clark, Coach Frank Beamer left Saturday feeling better about his back-ups."
Thomas, Bonner, Coale among Hokies' spring-game standouts (David Teel)
"Since receivers are prone to get dinged, especially the fearless ones like Coale who don’t mind running routes in traffic, what happens if Coale is unable to punt? The Hokies have plenty of depth at receiver, but not many teams have depth at punter. Tech faithful should hope a pure punter emerges during summer camp."
Scout team to 2nd string? Mark Leal making case for Hokies (Aaron McFarling)
"But experience is so vital at that position, and Leal simply doesn't have it. He spent his redshirt year running the scout team offense. That meant he learned more about other teams' offenses than he did Tech's, which is why he began the spring at the bottom. Still, he had his eye on the backup spot all along."
Winners and question marks coming out of spring practices (Norm Wood)
"Gouveia-Winslow, a rising junior, seems to have gotten the job done. He said he has become a better tackler and he's playing more aggressively, which has aided his consistency."
Wrapping up the Hokies' spring game (Kyle Tucker)
"Tech’s three new starting defensive linemen continued an impressive spring. Defensive tackle Derrick Hopkins finished with 13 tackles, five for loss, and three sacks combined in scrimmages. Defensive end James Gayle, who won the spring defensive MVP award, had 13 tackles, seven for loss, and six sacks."
Thoughts and quotes from Virginia Tech’s spring game (Darryl Slater)
"Tech passed the ball just 38 percent of the time last season. Will the Hokies throw it more this year, since Wilson is their only tailback and they don’t want to wear him out with too many carries? Or will their ability to throw the ball be limited by Thomas’ inexperience, even though he has made great progress to this point?"
Hokies defense grabs spotlight in spring game (Randy King)
"While another spring standout, end James Gayle, was stuck on the White defense, the Maroon line owned the trenches against an offensive line that included starters Jaymes Brooks and Blake DeChristopher. Tech's linebackers, a oft-criticized group last season and the bowl game, played solidly."
Two locals pick Virginia Tech (Larry Rubama)
"The news of Coleman was big because Virginia Tech had lost some of its dominance as far as recruiting South Hampton Roads. To help improve that the Hokies had offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring return to recruiting South Hampton Roads. Stinespring, arguably one of the Hokies’ top recruiters, got many of the area’s top players when he was here before."