Logan Thomas threw for 131 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Maroon team to a 27-0 victory over the White team in the annual Spring Game on Saturday afternoon. Thomas also led his team with 37 yards rushing despite wearing a yellow jersey, and appears ready to take over the starting quarterback duties for Virginia Tech.
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.
Ju-Ju Clayton and r-freshman Mark Leal alternated every series for the White team, and their competition for the backup quarterback position continues. Leal got the better of it today, going 3-of-6 for 35 yards. Clayton was just 3-of-10 for 27 yards, with two interceptions to Derek DiNardo and Kyle Fuller.
Clayton and Leal didn’t have a lot of time to throw, as they were sacked a combined seven times. The starting offensive line was split up amongst both teams, which generally leads to sloppy Spring Games.
The running game was ragged as well, with just 79 yards combined from both teams, and that includes a 31 yard scamper from Logan Thomas. James Hopper had five carries for 29 yards to pace the White team.
Marcus Davis paced the wide receivers, as he has for much of the spring. Davis played on the Maroon team with Thomas, and he pulled in six receptions for 61 yards and two touchdowns. The first touchdown came on a deep crossing pattern from 26 yards out. On the second touchdown, he beat r-freshman cornerback Detrick Bonner on a hitch-and-go. Logan Thomas executed the pump fake perfectly on the hitch, and Davis ran right by Bonner for the easy touchdown.
Telvion Clark had a very good day at linebacker for the White defense, making a game-high nine tackles, including one tackle for loss. James Gayle also had a sack for the White defense, but it was the Maroon defense that had a field day.
The Maroon defense recorded seven sacks, including two by J.R. Collins on the White team’s first possession. Antoine Hopkins had 1.5 sacks, sharing one with Duan Perez-Means. Tariq Edwards, Brian Laiti and Jeron Gouveia-Winslow also had sacks.
The third touchdown for the Maroon team came on a 62 yard punt return by Jayron Hosley just before halftime. Of all the punters, it might be Danny Coale who holds the advantage in that competition. Coale averaged 44 yards on three punts with a long of 53, though he did have one line drive that Hosley returned for a touchdown. However, the punt was nearly blocked, so Coale had to get it off very quickly.
Cody Journell had a 26 yard field goal for the Maroon team, and Conner Goulding made one from 37 yards. Journell appears to hold a strong lead in the placekicking battle.
The game also served as a big recruiting weapon for Virginia Tech, as many major prospects were on hand to see one of the highest attended Spring Games in the country. An estimated 40,000 people turned out for the game, and the Hokies received verbal commitments from Oscar Smith running back J.C. Coleman, and Woodrow Wilson athlete Der’Woun Greene.
The the commitments from Coleman and Greene, the Hokies already have two Tidewater area recruits in the 2012 class. They signed just one Tidewater player in 2011.
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