Q & A

Our next question comes from Big Hastie in Florida.

Q: I don't understand how you have Tyrod Taylor and Noel Devine higher than Ryan Williams in the Heisman rankings. Just would like to know your reasoning behind that.

A: Excellent Question. The reasoning that we have behind leaving Ryan Williams out of our Top 20 is the same reason that we don’t have Mark Ingram repeating as the Heisman Trophy winner: Lack of carries. There is no doubt that Sophomore Ryan Williams is one of the most talented running backs in America. He proved it last year with his 1,655 yards and 21 TDs. If he were to repeat that performance then he’d certainly be in contention. But fellow sophomore Darren Evans is returning to the backfield for the Hokies after running for a then freshman record 1,265 yards in 2008. After missing all of 2009 with an ACL injury, reports are that Evans is back at full strength and will share carries with Williams. Also, a 3rd back, David Wilson, who rushed for 334 yards as a backup in 2009 will garner carries throughout the season. All in all, I think that Virginia Tech will have one of the Top 3 backfields in the country and Ryan Williams will certainly be a star, but because of the wide ranging talent, I don’t think he will get enough carries to put up the numbers to win the award.

The reason we have RBs like Demarco Murray and Noel Devine higher than Williams is because they will be the lone feature backs on Conference Championship contending teams. They should both average 25+ carries per game giving them a better chance to put up huge numbers.

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