The Hokies held their first full scrimmage of the Spring on a cool, foggy day in Lane Stadium on Saturday. It was a critical scrimmage for some of Tech’s younger players, as the coaching staff is looking to set the two-deep and get those players more work for the remainder of the Spring. Saturday also gave us our first look at the 2011 defense, which it appears that Bud Foster has tweaked a bit.

We’ll start with Logan Thomas, who looked cool in the pocket and made good decisions. Thomas was 8-of-14 for 75 yards, and Danny Coale dropped a deep ball that probably would have added another 30 yards to Thomas’ totals. Coale hauled in the pass, but true freshman Adeboye Aromire was there to make contact with Coale and break it up at the last moment. Still, it was a pass that the normally reliable Coale generally catches.

Moreso than his play on the field, perhaps the most telling sign that Thomas is taking this quarterback job by the horns is the fact that he was the first position player (non-special teams player) on the field. He was on the Worsham Field turf a full 2-3 minutes before anyone else, and he came out with a steady jog.

The rest of the team came out after Thomas, mostly walking. That’s common, and it’s not a knock at those players. However, it’s a good sign that Thomas is taking things very seriously, and he’s setting the pace. That’s what you want from your starting quarterback. Take care of the little things, and the big things will come.

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