Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE
When Virginia Tech lost to Miami on Thursday night, the Hokies lost their chance to repeat as Champion of the ACC’s Coastal Division. The loss also assured that Virginia Tech would not win 10 games for the ninth consecutive season. The Hokies now must win at least two of their remaining three games if they are even going to make it to a bowl. If the Hokies win their final three games (which they won’t) they will finish the regular season with a 7-5 record, it would be Virginia Tech’s worst season since the 1997 Hokies finished with an identical 7-5 record.
There are many reasons that this season has gone off the rails, but one stands out in particular.
A lot of the blame for the Hokies woes lands on the shoulders of quarterback Logan Thomas. Thomas was picked as the preseason ACC player of the year and the voters couldn’t have been more wrong. It was expected that Thomas was going to improve in his second year as the starter but he has actually taken a step back. He is still a dangerous and powerful runner, but his ability as a passer has to be brought into question.
Last year, Thomas excelled in both the running and passing game. His ability as a passer was a big surprise considering that he was recruited to Tech as a tight end. Last season Thomas passed for 3,013 yards, 19 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and had a completion percentage of 59.8% (keep an eye on those last two statistics).
This season, through nine games, Thomas has passed for 2,109 yards, 13 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and has completed 53.3% of his pass attempts. The junior appears to have changed his mechanics during the off-season in order to improve his delivery, but it has actually done the opposite. His footwork seems off and his delivery inconsistent, which is why Thomas is constantly underthrowing and overthrowing receivers. In Thursday’s loss to Miami, Thomas missed wide open receiver after wide open receiver, and it cost his team dearly.
The fact that his completion percentage has dropped almost a full seven percentage points from last year, and that he has thrown two more interceptions then he did last year (in five less games) are real reasons to worry.
Virginia Tech had no business losing to Miami. The Hokies were better in every statistical category (special teams not included) except for the score, and they lost by 18 points. That isn’t supposed to happen, and the buck stops with Thomas. The Hokies quarterback had every opportunity to take over the game and, except for his 73-yard touchdown run; he blew every one of them.
For the most of the season the majority of the media (myself included) and the commentators calling every game have blamed Virginia Tech’s offensive troubles on the turnover around Thomas on that side of the ball. That excuse won’t work anymore; Thomas’s struggles have hurt the Hokies in almost every game this year.
Thomas needs to turn it around and quickly or else Virginia Tech’s 19-year bowl streak might end as quickly as the Hokies 10-win season streak did.
