Andrew Weber-US PRESSWIRE
Virginia Tech linebacker Bruce Taylor will be on the field Saturday for the Hokies game against the Pittsburgh Panthers. That is according to Bruce Taylor himself. Head coach Frank Beamer might not be so sure, but in an interview with Andy Bitter the linebacker said “Yes, I will be playing.”
This is great news for the Hokies defense as Taylor is one of the leaders of Bud Foster’s dynamic group. Taylor missed Virginia Tech’s matchup with Austin Peay on Saturday due to a sprained ankle he suffered during the Hokies game against Georgia Tech (5 days prior).
There was a slim possibility that Taylor would have played against Austin Peay Saturday. He was fully dressed except for his helmet. He never had to retrieve his helmet to get in the game, but if the Hokies needed him he would have been out there.
2012 will be Taylor’s final season in Blacksburg, but fans hope the star linebacker’s season won’t end the same way last season did. Bruce Taylor suffered a Lisfranc fracture in his foot last season, effectively ending his season. This sprained ankle isn’t nearly as severe and he will back in the immediate future.
Taylor was almost impossible to stop in 2010 (his last full season). He recorded a total of 91 tackles as well as six sacks. He is considered one of Virginia Tech’s best and most skilled defensive players this season. If he is playing at 100% then the Hokies have a valuable asset at inside linebacker.
Virginia Tech’s defensive unit may be one of the best in college football this year and Taylor is a big part of that. As of now it appears that the line backing corps will be at full strength come Saturday in Pittsburgh.
