Per multiple media sources, Virginia Tech running backs coach Billy Hite said yesterday that the status of injured running back Ryan Williams will be updated on Thursday, when the Hokies release their injury report for this Saturday’s game at Boston College. Williams injured the hamstring in the second quarter of last Saturday’s game against East Carolina.
The hamstring had been bothering Williams during the week leading up to the ECU game, and about midway through the second quarter Saturday, Williams had to be helped off the field after what appeared to be a routine run and tackle. Williams was taken straight to the locker room and reappeared later on the sidelines with crutches.
Williams has not had a good year rushing the football so far, struggling to find running room behind an offensive line that often has not blocked well in the running game. Williams has 46 carries for 139 yards on the season. That’s a 3.0 yards per carry average, far below last season’s 5.6 yards per carry, when he set ACC freshman rushing records with 1,655 yards and 21 rushing touchdowns. Williams’ total was the highest single-season rushing total in Virginia Tech history, beating out Kevin Jones’ mark of 1,647 in 2003.
The Hokies will go into battle Saturday with Darren Evans (21 carries, 134 yards) and David Wilson (16 carries, 114 yards). Evans and Wilson together have averaged 6.7 yards per carry and have scored three touchdowns. Tyrod Taylor leads the team in rushing with 191 yards on 38 carries (5.0 ypc), including sacks, and as a team, the Hokies are fourth in the ACC at 205 rushing yards per game.
Speaking of sacks, the Hokies are tied for 50th in the nation in sacks allowed (5) through three games, a vast improvement so far over previous years, when the Hokies have been one of the worst teams in the nation in giving up sacks. The last five years (counting backwards from 2009), the Hokies have finished 87th, 111th, 115th, 77th, and 80th in sacks allowed.
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