Scrimmage Notes and Observations

This afternoon the Hokies held their second and final public preseason scrimmage. Lucky for us campus correspondent James (@hokie8807) was in attendance. First do me a favor and bookmark James' blog Inside the Cassell for everything going down on the hardwood and then checkout his scrimmage details after the jump.

• For the most part, the scrimmage played out as you would expect. The first team offense moved the ball well against the number two defense and the first team defense did a good job of holding the number two offense.
• My biggest concern at this point is the status of punter Brian Saunders. His lower right leg took a big shot into Cris Hill on a successful block attempt. Saunders did not return and was walking with a noticeable limp after the scrimmage. There is a significant drop-off between our first and second string legs. (Ed. Note: Saunders suffered a right ankle contusion.)
• The field goal unit is a different story, as Chris Hazley continues to impress. All 3 field goal attempts on the day were over 40 yards and had more than enough distance. The third try (from about 50) was wide left, however.
• The first team offense put on a show against the number two defense on the first drive. The speed of skill players Dyrell Roberts and Ryan Williams were no match for defenders in space.
• Backup tight ends Eric Martin and Prince Parker played well, however their strengths remain more in the receiving game than in pass blocking. Parker had a leaping catch in between two defenders for a touchdown from Ju-Ju Clayton, while Martin made an impressive one handed catch in the end zone with a defender draped on his back.
• No surprise here, but Ryan Williams was the most impressive running back on the day. David Wilson had the second best outing, as he was rewarded for hitting the holes up the middle hard on several runs. At one point he was able to push a pile of defenders almost 10 yards from initial contact. The guy is a beast of an athlete and appears to be finding the holes to run north/south well.
• Backup quarterback play was not very sharp today from either Logan Thomas or Ju-Ju Clayton. Until the last play in which Thomas hit Marcus Davis on a goal line fade, Logan's finest plays were a scramble and a designed QB run for 20 yards. The fade, however, was a thing of beauty. Thomas put just enough air on it to keep it out of reach of the defender and Marcus Davis did a superb job of getting his toes down in time.
• Cornerback play was generally solid. Jacob Sykes had two nice pass breakups.
• In my opinion, Tyrod's best play of the day was a run. He read the blitz up the middle, kept the ball on a QB read and darted around the left side. The play was blown dead, however in a live situation he could have gone for 15-20 yards easily.
• The outside linebacker position still remains a question mark. Early on, I saw them getting in trouble by over pursuing on runs. Later in the scrimmage, they swarmed the ball and held the 1st team O to -2 yards in a short yardage drill.
• Bruce Taylor showed off some pass coverage skills from the inside linebacker spot. He read Tyrod Taylor from the snap on a short 5 yard route and jumped in front for an interception.
• Last but not least, if I had to take a guess right now, my money would be on David Wilson NOT redshirting. He continues to get all the reps along with Dyrell Roberts on kickoff returns, and I can't see us allowing his talent to sit on the bench with so much on the line this season.