Chick-fil-A Bowl preview: Virginia Tech's key players

by Joel Hollingsworth on Dec 27, 2009 8:00 AM EST in Tennessee Volunteer Football

See also:

Virginia Tech's schedule and animated drive charts

Virginia Tech's unit rankings

Statistical comparison of the two teams

Today, let's take a look at the key players for the Virginia Tech Hokies:

Category	Player	National Rank	Actual
Rushing	Ryan Williams	5	128.17
	Tyrod Taylor		28.67
	Josh Oglesby		25.08
	David Wilson		25.08
Passing Efficiency (Min. 15 Att./Game)	Tyrod Taylor	14	149.32
Total Offense	Tyrod Taylor	70	203.83
	Ryan Williams		128.17
Receptions Per Game	Jarrett Boykin		3.00
Receiving Yards Per Game	Jarrett Boykin	81	59.58
	Danny Coale		47.67
Interceptions	Rashad Carmichael	T-19	.42
	Kam Chancellor		.17
Punting (Min. 3.6 Punts/Game)	Brent Bowden	13	43.89
Punt Returns (Min. 1.2 Ret./Game)	Jayron Hosley	23	10.93
Kickoff Returns (Min. 1.2 Ret./Game)	Dyrell Roberts	3	34.47
	David Wilson		19.12
Field Goals	Matt Waldron	T-28	1.42
Scoring	Ryan Williams	T-6	10.00
	Matt Waldron	35	7.92
All-Purpose Runners	Ryan Williams	32	143.17
	Dyrell Roberts		74.75
Sacks	Nekos Brown		.38
	Jason Worilds		.38
	Steven Friday		.32
Tackles	Cody Grimm	T-62	8.25
	Barquell Rivers	T-85	7.83
Tackles For Loss	Cody Grimm		.79
	Jason Worilds		.79

Observations

Running backs. Ryan Williams ranks fifth in the nation with an average of 128.17 yards per game. Will clued us in to this guy way back on December 7. He's also tied for 6th nationally in scoring.

Quarterbacks. Tyrod Taylor ranks 14th in the nation in passing efficiency, in the company of Tony Pike, Tim Tebow, Case Keenum, Ryan Mallett, and Jimmy Clausen. Dude's also a threat to run, averaging 28.67 yards on the ground per game. The Hokies don't rely on him too much, though, choosing instead to lean on Williams.

Receivers/Tight Ends. Jarrett Boykin appears to be the main guy here, but even as the team leader, he's averaging only three receptions and 59.58 yards per game.

Defense. The strong defense appears to be a team effort, as leading tacklers Cody Grimm and Barquell Rivers average only around eight take-downs each. Jason Worilds also contributes behind the line of scrimmage a bit. The player ranking highest in any defensive category is Rashad Carmichael, who is tied for 19th nationally in interceptions with .42 per outing.

Special teams. Dyrell Roberts is third in the nation in kickoff returns, and he averages 34.47 per return. He's the guy who returned one for a score against Alabama. Jayron Hosley goes a great job returning punts, and he returned on 88 yards for a score against Marshall. Oh, and that other punt return for a TD against Miami? A one-yarder after a block by LB Matt Reidy.

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