By Jimmy Robertson

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BLACKSBURG – Tech tailback Trey Edmunds rushed for 82 yards and scored two touchdowns to headline a spring football scrimmage at Lane Stadium on Wednesday evening.

Edmunds, one of many tailbacks vying for the starting job, rushed nine times and gained most of his yards on a 50-yard touchdown run against the Hokies’ second-team defense. The redshirt freshman also scored on an 8-yard run against the defense’s second unit.

“I think this scrimmage is going to help me a lot in the evaluation process,” Edmunds said. “I think I did some good things, but I had a couple of missed assignments, so I can’t get too happy about this scrimmage.

“Every running back out there is top-notch. We compete each other and have fun. We help each other learn. I expect the competition to keep growing and growing.”

Tech scored three other touchdowns in the scrimmage, which featured an array of situations, including red-zone and two-minute situations. Quarterback Logan Thomas completed 7 of 20 for 85 yards and a touchdown, and he also rushed for a touchdown scoring on a 2-yard run in a red-zone situation against the first-team defense. His 16-yard touchdown pass to Demitri Knowles also came against the first unit in another red-zone situation.

Third-team quarterback Brian Rody accounted for the other touchdown, throwing a 14-yard scoring passing to receiver Mark Irick, who made a nice catch over defensive back Carl Jackson.

The Hokies also got three field goals from kicker Brooks Abbott, who connected from 27, 41 and 45 yards. Cody Journell made a 55-yarder, and punter A.J. Hughes averaged 47.8 yards per punt on four punts.

Joshua Stanford led all receivers with four catches for 51 yards, while E.L. Smiling, Duan Perez-Means and Joel Caleb each caught two passes.

Defensively, backup backer Dahman McKinnon led all tacklers with five tackles, including 1.5 for a loss. J.R. Collins finished with four tackles, including one for a loss, and a sack, while Ken Ekanem had three tackles and a sack.

“We played so many people today,” defensive coordinator Bud Foster said. “We played our first group early in those goal-line situations, and I thought those kids played pretty well. But we’re trying to develop some depth.

“The only way those kids are going to get better is to get action on the field and then look at themselves on video. Where they’ve got to take that next step is to take what they’ve been coached on and improve. Some guys are doing it quicker than others, and some aren’t doing it quick enough for us.

The scrimmage marked the last practice for the Hokies, who now gear up for the Maroon-White game on Saturday. The rosters will be set on Thursday, and the kickoff is slated for 3 p.m.

“I want to finish things off this Saturday,” Tech coach Frank Beamer said. “I want to get it in a game-like situation. We’re going to sit down and figure out how we’re going to do it. I think people react differently. There’s practice and there’s a game. When the lights come on and there are people in the stands and the band is playing, they play at a different level. That’s what I’m looking for Saturday.”

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