Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 10 No. 1 | August 2017

22 / 48

20 Inside Hokie Sports
20
17
PREVIEWRUNNING BACKS
4 Jalen Holston (5-11, 219, Fr.)
16 Coleman Fox (5-11, 200, r-So.)
32 Steven Peoples (5-9, 220, Jr.)
33 Deshawn McClease (5-9, 190, r-So.)
34 Travon McMillian (6-0, 210, r-Jr.)
40 Trey Skeens (5-11, 215, r-So.)
44 Terius Wheatley (6-0, 192, Fr.)
48 D.J. Reid (6-1, 239, r-Jr.)
AUGUST • 2017 (In numerical order)
VIRGINIA TECH
RUNNING BACKS
Returning starter: Travon McMillian
(14 career starts)
Starter lost : Sam Rogers (25 career starts)
Projected new starters: none
Top reserves: Steven Peoples, Deshawn
McClease, D.J. Reid
Newcomers: Terius Wheatley, Jalen Holston
Breakout candidate: McMillian
Notes: Tech ran the ball at least 33 times in
every game in 2016 and at least 40 times on
10 occasions … Tech rushed for at least 150
yards in 12 of 14 games … Tech lost both
of its games when it did not rush for at least
150 yards … The Hokies went 5-0 when they
rushed for 200-plus yards last season …
McMillian rushed for 131 yards against Miami
and 127 against Tennessee last fall —Tech’s
top two rushing games … McMillian’s
season high in carries was 18 against Miami
… McClease carried the ball eight times in
Tech’s 2015 opener, but a shoulder injury
shelved him for the rest of the season.
QUICK FACTS
ON TECH’S RB’s
Virginia Tech trailed Arkansas for the
first three quarters of the Belk Bowl, but
rallied to cut the deficit to 24-21 entering the
fourth quarter.
Tech drove to the Arkansas 27, and
quarterback Jerod Evans handed off to
Travon McMillian. The tailback took it up the
middle and broke two tackles on a 21-yard run
to the Arkansas 6. On the next play, he broke
another tackle, scoring on a powerful run to
give the Hokies a lead that they would not
relinquish en route to a 35-24 win.
“When I scored the touchdown, I feel like
that gave us the momentum to finish strong,”
McMillian said.
For McMillian, those two carries marked a
nice ending to a somewhat tumultuous season.
He rushed for 671 yards last fall, averaging 4.6
yards per carry, and he scored seven rushing
touchdowns. But his overall numbers were a
decrease from his 1,043-yard season in 2015.
A decrease in carries accounted for the
decline, asMcMillian ran the ball 55 fewer times.
Many questioned McMillian and head coach
Justin Fuente about that, and Fuente explained
that he didn’t care where the yards came from
as long as the Hokies got them. Seven players
carried the ball more than 20 times.
Evans led the way with 204 carries. Sam
Rogers had 67 carries, and even Cam Phillips,
a receiver, finished with 30. That cut into
McMillian’s attempts.
“At the end of the day, people don’t see
that,” McMillian said. “They see, ‘Oh, he’s in
a slump.’ That’s [the number of carries] not in
my control, but I’m glad we had a successful
season, and we finished the season strong.
That’s what really counts—not my personal
accolades, but us winning ball games.”
McMillian hopes to play a bigger role in
the Hokies’ rushing attack this season, and
he figures to get that considering Tech’s
personnel losses. Evans, Rogers, Marshawn
Williams and Shai McKenzie all are gone,
leaving behind McMillian, tailback/fullback
Steven Peoples and untested Deshawn
McClease and D.J. Reid.
In preparation for a bigger role, McMillian
got bigger in the offseason. He wanted to hold
up better in pass protection and also do a
better job on inside runs, yet he also wanted to
keep his speed—which he insists he has.
“I wanted to get in the 208-210 range, and
I’m there now,” he said. “This is the heaviest
I’ve ever been. Last year, I was around 203,
205, so I’ve gained some pounds so that I
could be bigger and hit it more inside and
carry more of the bulk of the load this year.
“I feel really good. I feel like I didn’t lose a
step. That’s what counts. I’ll be able to be this
size with the speed that I previously had the
year before, so I’m looking forward to this year.”
Tech’s staff wants to see the offense run
the ball better than last season. The Hokies
averaged 183 yards rushing per game, a
respectable number, but one that ranked
55th nationally.
Running the ball takes on more importance
this year, though, because of the unsettled
situation at quarterback. Tech’s staff wants to
alleviate pressure on whoever wins that job,
which means running the ball more, at least
early in the season.
McMillian says that he, Peoples and the
rest of the running backs are ready for that
responsibility.
“I feel like we’ll be able to take the pressure
off the quarterback this year given that they’re
not going to be experienced,” he said. “This
is going to be their first time playing this
year, so … if we run the ball really well, then
that will make it a lot easier for whoever the
quarterback is going to be.”
For sure, McMillian’s two runs at the end of
the Belk Bowl represented what Hokie Nation
saw with regularity in 2015. He plans on
showing even more of that this season.
Bigger M CMILLIAN
ready for larger workload this fall
by Jimmy Robertson