Virginia Tech senior quarterback Logan Thomas has completed 65.5 percent of his passes, with five touchdowns and no interceptions, in the past three games.
Those are modest stats for the likes of Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel and Florida State's Jameis Winston, but it's one of the best stretches of Thomas' career. In addition, he has gone 109 passes without an interception, 10 shy of his personal best set in 2011.
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Thomas is one of the most polarizing draft prospects in the nation. His supporters say he is a physical marvel, a sort of poor man's Cam Newton. Thomas is 6-foot-6 and 257 pounds, has been timed in 4.67 seconds in the 40-yard dash and has a huge arm. He led the Hokies in rushing with 524 yards last season and can both run past linebackers and run them over. But his detractors can point to his passing ability -- a career completion percentage of just 55.1, with 46 TDs and 32 interceptions -- and say that just because Thomas is a freakish athlete doesn't mean he can play quarterback at the highest level.
Thomas threw for 3,013 yards, 19 TDs and 10 picks as a first-time starter in 2011, and pro scouts were drooling. But he regressed last season, throwing for 2,976 yards, 18 TDs and 16 interceptions; in addition, his completion percentage fell from 59.8 percent in 2011 to 51.3 percent last season.
Before the season, he said the coaching staff had set what he called attainable goals: fewer than five interceptions and a 62-percent completion rate. Well, he already has thrown six picks and his completion percentage is just 55.2.
Again, though, he has been extremely sharp in his past three games, and one reason for the low completion percentage was his out-of-this-world-bad 5-of-26 performance in a season-opening loss to Alabama.
He is 57 of 87 for 753 yards in the past three games, all ACC wins. That is his best three-game stretch since he went 60 of 85 (66.7 percent) for 858 yards, six TDs and no interceptions from Oct. 11-22, 2011.
In 2011, the Hokies ranked 28th nationally in rushing offense (186.9 yards per game) and had a receiving corps dominated by upperclassmen. This season, the Hokies are running for just 117.8 yards per game and have just one senior receiver who has even caught a pass. In short, Thomas is doing more with less this season.
Thomas told the Roanoke (Va.) Times that his recent solid play is the result of "everybody just starting to come together, starting to understand how the offense works."
Thomas also told the newspaper that first-year offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler has not let him watch film of himself from last season. "He says, 'We don't need to go back into those habits. You don't need to see it,' " Thomas said.
Thomas has a chance to put up more good numbers in the next two weeks, starting Saturday against Duke. The Blue Devils' secondary has struggled this season; so has Boston College's, and the Hokies get BC next weekend.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
