Two of Virginia Tech's main offensive weapons, quarterback Tyrod Taylor and starting tailback Ryan Williams, are battling injuries heading into this Saturday's game against the Blue Devils.
Taylor, the senior quarterback that Duke head coach David Cutcliffe called the best dual-threat signal caller in the country, is "sore but healthy" according to Hokies head coach Frank Beamer. Taylor has taken quite a few hits in Virginia Tech's recent games, getting up slowly after some of the more severe blows.
“He’s a strong guy and a very well-conditioned guy, but anytime your quarterback is taking hits, you’re concerned," Beamer said Monday. "He took a couple the other day that you look at on video, and you’re concerned. We’ve talked to him about not taking any hits you don’t need to take, but sometimes being competitive, he’s going to get every yard that he can."
Taylor told reporters after last week's game against Wake Forest that he has fallen hard on his wrist in each of the past three games. He practiced with a splint as a precautionary measure on Monday, according to USA Today. Beamer said he will start against the Blue Devils.
Starting tailback Ryan Williams, the 2009 ACC Rookie of the Year, has not played since Sept. 18 due to a hamstring injury. He hopes to come back this weekend, Beamer said. Virginia Tech will not rush him back, and if he does not play this week, he would get an extra week to rest since the Hokies have their bye week following the Duke game.
“It’s totally up to Ryan," Beamer said about whether he will play. "The thing we told him was that we want him 100 percent. Anything less than that, he needs to wait. With the kind of back he is, and just being a running back, when your hamstring is a little tender, he can’t use his abilities, like his quickness, his stop-and-go, acceleration and so forth."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.