Virginia Tech vs. Marshall Game Recap

Sep 21, 2013; Blacksburg, VA, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies quarterback Logan Thomas (3) runs the ball against the Marshall Thundering Herd during the second half at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

Virginia Tech escaped Marshall by a score of 29-21 Saturday. It was ugly, but VT still managed to get the victory. The team is now 3-1, and is winners of 3 straight. It was an emotional day for fans and players since it was Military Appreciation Day. It was a long day for the Hokies and fans, but thankfully they were able to get the win before conference play starts up.

The first story line of the game to discuss is Logan Thomas. Thomas was his inconsistent self Saturday, but still managed to put points on the board. As for the numbers, Thomas tossed two interceptions and threw a touchdown pass. He was 18 for 34 passing for just 181 yards. However, Logan Thomas let his feet make up for his poor passing. He was effective on the ground by rushing for 58 yards and two touchdowns. When it came to passing, Thomas was all over the place. He struggled to give his receivers good balls all day, but made up for it by helping the ground game.

Trey Edmunds did his part in the game by rushing for 110 yards on 22 carries. The receiving core struggled once again, and no receiver had more than 47 yards. Part of this goes on Logan Thomas, but the wide-outs need to step up and become factors. The team is desperate for guys to be play makers, and to make impacts on the Hokies offense.

Kicker Cody Journell was suspended for Saturday’s game. Head Coach Frank Beamer would not go into detail as to why he was suspended. The team turned to Ethan Keyserling to take over kicking duties and he simply did not perform. He was 0/3 on his attempts, but was able to knock through all of his extra points. Hopefully Journell will be able to return next week and get back on track because the Hokies can not afford missed kicks every game.

The defense did its part in the victory by picking off Marshall’s Rakeem Cato twice, and forcing a fumble. They gave up 361 total yards, which is unlike them, but they were able to come up with some key plays. After J.R. Collins stripped the ball from Cato, defensive end Derrick Hopkins nearly returned the fumble for a touchdown. The defense played well, but will have to limit opposing teams yards in the future.

Virginia Tech barely beat Marshall this afternoon, and is now heading for conference play. Logan Thomas was very inconsistent but did have the game winning points. The defense was solid, but could have played better. Kicking is becoming a major concern for the Hokies and they need to find a solution as soon as possible.  Virginia Tech will begin to prepare for their next contest which comes against Gergia Tech this Thursday evening. GT is 3-0 and is coming off of an 8 point victory against North Carolina. Thurday’s game will be huge for the Hokies, but if they want to walk away with a win they will need to play much better football.