It hardly mattered that Virginia Tech got off to a slow start against Bowling Green on Saturday.
Logan Thomas and his teammates found their groove in plenty of time to win 37-0, their first shutout of a nonconference opponent since 2006, and a nice bounce-back victory after their loss last week to Pitt.
The statistics might not be all that gaudy, but Thomas did have a pretty good day. The second quarter was his finest of the season, as he went 7-of-10 for 102 yards and threw two touchdown passes. He also ran for another late in the quarter, a play that resulted in a minor injury to the thumb on his throwing hand. Thomas had his nail bent back, and ended up playing with a wrap the rest of the game.
That hardly mattered after Virginia Tech took a 21-0 lead into halftime.
Thomas helped the running game get on track, as he finished with 65 yards rushing. He finished 11-of-26 for 144 yards passing, and also had an interception. Tony Gregory led the team with 68 yards on the ground. Four different players had 40 or more yards on the ground as the Hokies finished with 246 yards rushing, their best performance all season -- and the first time this season they went over 100 yards against an FBS opponent.
Michael Holmes ended up with a career-long 40-yard run, the longest run on the season for the Hokies. J.C. Coleman added 45 yards rushing and had one touchdown reception.
The defense played much better, particularly up front, forced three turnovers and held Bowling Green to 266 total yards, including 4-of-16 on third-down conversions.
