Virginia Tech Hokies running back Ryan Williams among nation's best

Virginia Tech redshirt freshman running back Ryan Williams scores a
touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes on a rain-soaked Saturday night.
The Hokies won 31-7. (Photo credit: Gary Cope)

He's not being mentioned as a Heisman candidate, but if he continues on his current pace, Virginia Tech redshirt freshman running back Ryan Williams might get some consideration.

Williams is the leading rusher the Atlantic Coast Conference with 123 yards per game. In fact, he is the only running back in the conference averaging more than 100 yards per game.

The freshman from Stonewall Jackson High School in Manassa, Va., is also the leading overall scorer with 48 points (12 ppg) and the leading TD scorer with eight.

While he is dominating the conference, it's no secret that the ACC isn't the same caliber as the SEC or the Big 12, so let's compare his numbers to those of the nation's best.

Williams is the sixth leading rusher in the country, but of the running backs in front of him, he has clearly played a tougher schedule that includes Alabama, Nebraska and Miami - all of which have tough defenses.

Ahead of Williams are: Darius Mitchell (Marshall, 166 ypg), Ryan Mathews (Fresno St., 148 ypg), Toby Gerhart (Standfor, 129 ypg), Robert Turbin (Utah St., 124 ypg) and Dion Lewis (Pitt, 123.5 ypg). (Complete list of rushing leaders)

It is obvious that Williams is easily one of the best running backs in the country four weeks into the 2009 season. And with the hardest part of the schedule already completed, Williams could easily shatter Tech's freshman rushing record and possibly even the school record for yards in a season. But will that translate into Heisman hype? Not likely, at least not from Virginia Tech.

The Hokies have not had a legitimate Heisman candidate since Michael Vick led the Hokies to a perfect 11-0 regular season in 1999 and a spot in the BCS National Championship game against Florida State. Vick finished third in the Heisman voting that year. Even during that historical season, Virginia Tech did not aggressively campaign for Vick. Perhaps it is not their style or perhaps they were trying to keep the focus of Vick and the entire team on the field.

That brings us to this season. The Hokies are led by quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who was considered the next Michael Vick coming out of high school. Instead, Taylor has underachieved in the eyes of the fans, despite a 16-3 record as a starter and a perfect 11-0 record at home.

Fans tend to point the finger at the lack of coaching from both Bryan Stinespring, the offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach Mike O'Cain. Add to that the fact that Taylor had to share time with Sean Glennon for his first two years and he has not developed the way most had hoped.

This year, he is the uncontested starter. And while he has shown signs of taking the team on his back and living up to the expectations heaped upon him, he still isn't quite there. But if the impressive win over Miami is any indication, Taylor could very well have the confidence he needs to lead this year's team to great things.

As for any Heisman talk, that is only coming from fans, writers (like myself) and other media outlets. Williams and Taylor could care less. They just want to win games and more importantly, a national championship. If a Heisman happens to drop in their lap come December, so be it.