Hokies Lose RB Marshawn Williams for the Season Ahead of UVA Rivalry Game

The Hokies haven't gotten much production out of their running backs in recent weeks, likely making it all the more encouraging that Marshawn Williams showed a few flashes of his former self against Notre Dame.

Williams only managed 28 yards on his eight carries against the Irish, but with Travon McMillian earning just one carry in the entire game, the coaching staff clearly seemed ready to start entrusting him with a heavier load to round out the season.

Yet a knee injury seems to have derailed Williams' career once more. Justin Fuente announced Monday that the RB's reinjured his knee (though he wouldn't say which one, or how serious the injury is), and he'll be out for what's left of the team's season.

"He has handled it incredibly well," Fuente said Monday. "As I went over to try and comfort him yesterday, he made me feel better. Obviously we're thankful for Marshawn and mindful that he won't be with us for the rest of the season."

Williams only made it back from a series of knee injuries a few games into this season, and it would seem that the redshirt sophomore did all he could to put off yet another prolonged absence due to knee troubles against Notre Dame.

"He actually went back in and played (after the injury)," Fuente said. "I didn't know about it until yesterday. I talked to him yesterday and I said, 'Marshawn, you went back in the ballgame?' He said, 'Yes sir, I wanted to win.'"

Fuente noted that the team would talk at their normal Monday meetings to get a sense of how they will move forward sans Williams. One option could be upping the workload for fullback Steven People, who notched 11 carries for 32 yards and one touchdown against the Irish.

"Steven has been playing well at the fullback spot," Fuente said. "We felt like he deserved a few more opportunities to get on the field. Over the last couple of weeks, we've worked him in there carrying the ball a little bit. I don't know how Marshawn's deal really affects that whole rotation. We haven't had that meeting yet."

Fuente and company will likely need to find some answers in that department if they want to keep the team's lengthy win streak against UVA alive.

The Hoos are just 2-9, but with a chance to deny their hated rival a spot in the ACC Championship game, the Hokies are trying to avoid underestimating them this time around.

"When it comes to rivalry games, you can throw records and stats out the window," senior guard Augie Conte said. "When it comes to rivalry games, it doesn't matter how your season's gone. Anything's possible in rivalry games. I guarantee you when UVA walks out there on that field, they're not gonna look like a two-win team. That's the beauty of rivalry games in college football, it's anybody's day."

But while Tech's 12-year ownership of the Commonwealth Cup may carry plenty of weight for fans and seniors like Conte, this is an entirely new phenomenon for QB Jerod Evans.

Luckily, it would seem Brenden Motley is working hard to bring his fellow signal caller up to speed.

"For some reason, I don't get it — I'm new here, so I don't know any better — Motley does a great job of expressing that as well to me," Evans said. "The hate that he has for certain teams, he makes sure that I understand very clear. This week is no different."

The in-state rivalry is new to Fuente as well, but it would he's also gotten quite the education on the subject.

"The thing about this rivalry is it's consistency in terms of Virginia and Virginia Tech, there is no other — at least to my knowledge — there is no other peripheral rival that falls in line," Fuente said. "It's pretty clear. I think that makes it unique and fun to be a part of. It should be celebrated."

That being said, Fuente raised a few eyebrows when he told an ESPN reporter as part of a nationwide coaches survey that his favorite musical artist is a Charlottesville staple: Dave Matthews Band.

But while Fuente says he appreciates that the Hokie faithful are no fans of anyone with such a UVA connection, he won't switch up what he throws on the radio this week.

"You know, he's from South Africa," Fuente said while laughing. "You know that? He is. Yeah, I'm not changing. Sorry. But I get it. Guy can't help where he ends up living, can he?"

Augie Conte

ON HOW FAR THE OFFENSIVE LINE HAS COME THIS SEASON:

"Obviously the season is always a work in progress. I definitely think that we've done a good job of learning Coach (Vance) Vice's scheme, doing what he wants us to do, and obviously it's working out pretty well for us. There's some stuff we still need to work on, but I think that we're taking steps in the right direction to get where we want to go by the time the end of the season rolls around."

ON HOW SPECIAL IT IS FOR THIS SMALL GROUP OF SENIORS TO HAVE MADE IT TO SENIOR DAY:

"When I first came in my senior class was I think 35 people. We're down to nine now, and four of them, I think, are the ones I came in with. We've got a couple of true seniors that they didn't come in with me, but my class is down to four. It just goes to show that college football isn't for everybody. People leave, transfer, just quit football altogether for different reasons. It just goes to show that college football isn't easy and anybody who can go through it and do as well as some of the guys in my senior class, I applaud them just because college football isn't easy. It's definitely a tough thing to do. A lot of people just see us on game days, but there's a lot more that goes into college football that people don't realize. It's a job. So anybody who can go through four or five years of college football, regardless of whether or not they play, has my respect."

ON IF THIS SENIOR CLASS HAD TO BUY IN TO THE FUENTE SYSTEM TO SET AN EXAMPLE:

"Obviously you want to buy in and set a good example for the team. I don't think it was necessarily an issue of buying in, at least with me personally. I knew when I first met (Fuente) — if I like what somebody's saying, it will be easy for me to buy in — I knew I was gonna buy into it. I think it was more setting an example slash what the future's supposed to look like here at Virginia Tech under Coach Fuente. I think that was the bigger concern with the senior class, just making sure that the younger guys know what work ethic and how things are supposed to be done here at Virginia Tech under Coach Fuente."

ON IF HE HAS HAD A DRIVING FORCE TO STICK IT OUT FOR HIS FIVE YEARS:

"Obviously wanting to win a championship is one of them, but to be honest, I wouldn't say there's a single driving force that's motivated me to stick it out. It's an opportunity of a lifetime that most people would kill for. I was handed a gift from Coach (Frank) Beamer and I was gonna take every advantage of it that I could. Just most people would kill to be in the position I'm in and it doesn't last for long. So I'm gonna take as much advantage of it as possible."

ON IF THE STREAK OF 12 WINS WEIGHS ON THE SENIOR CLASS TO NOT BE THE ONES TO LOSE TO UVA:

"I don't think there's a whole lot of pressure on being that team to end the streak. We don't sit here and take this game as seriously as we do because we don't wanna end the streak; we take this game as seriously as we do because we wanna beat UVA. The past 12 years that we've beaten them, all those stats, all the touchdowns, all the interceptions aren't gonna help us win this year's game. I really don't have much of a pressure of being that team. Obviously you don't wanna be that team, but I feel like the pressure is more on beating UVA because they're UVA, not necessarily because of the streak. It's a rivalry game and it's gonna be a tough game. I wouldn't say there's a whole lot of pressure on being that team to end the streak. I would say the pressure is more on beating UVA just because it's a rivalry game."

ON IF HE HAS ANY GOOD SAM ROGERS STORIES:

"I wouldn't say there's one single story. Sam Rogers is definitely an acquired taste. He out-works just about everybody on the team. (He) makes everybody look bad, sometimes, me included, just with how hard he works. He's earned everything he's gotten here at Virginia Tech. There's nothing that's been handed to Sam. He's worked for everything he's got. I'm glad he's on our team. I'm glad he's a Hokie because his leadership and his work ethic are second to none."

ON IF THERE WAS A TIME HE WAS DOING EXTRA AND MAKING THE OTHERS LOOK BAD:

"I remember freshman year when he got here, I think it was the spring after his first year, he had class across the Drill Field and he would have an hour off. He would walk back across the Drill Field, go run routes with one of the quarterbacks for like 35 minutes, and then go walk back across the Drill Field to go back to class. I was just like, 'If you've got the energy to do it, more power to you.' There's never a time when Sam is not doing anything with football. It doesn't matter what time of the week it is, it doesn't matter if he's running routes, or working on ball handling, or sitting there looking at his playbook, he's always doing something with football."

ON WHEN SOMEONE ASKS HIM WHAT IT WAS LIKE PLAYING 20 YEARS FROM NOW, WHAT WILL HIS ANSWER BE:

"I think the biggest thing about my time at Virginia Tech is just the family atmosphere that I've experienced here and the support from the fans, it's unlike anywhere else in the country. Obviously when you're not winning games it's frustrating for the fans, but just the family atmosphere here, I feel like, is one thing that i'll take with me forever. And just the sense of community when it comes to Virginia Tech and the people that are in support of Virginia Tech is unlike anywhere else in the country. That's probably something I'll remember forever."

ON IF HE WILL COME BACK AFTER HE GRADUATES:

"I don't know if I'll be on the sideline for games, but I'll definitely come back. Obviously it'll be tough to come back and just be a fan. Obviously I'm gonna miss it. I don't wanna be on the sideline and getting in the way of what the team is trying to accomplish. I don't wanna be a distraction, just because it gets crowded on the sideline. I don't wanna be another body on the sideline. It'll definitely be tough to come back and not have any say in what happens on the football field."

Brenden Motley

ON IF THERE'S A SPECIAL BOND IN THIS SENIOR CLASS:

"These guys, they poured their hearts into this organization. I couldn't be more proud of them. They are my best friends. I see them every day, we come in and work together every single day. We've built a really good relationship with each other that will last for a long, long time. They're all hard workers. I'm proud of all of them. Like I said, we'll be friends for a really long time."

ON HOW HE LOOKS BACK AT HIS TIME AT VIRGINIA TECH:

"I wouldn't change a thing, honestly. I wouldn't change a thing. My time here has made me the person that I am. It sculpted me into the person that I am and I wouldn't change a thing about it. I'm here for my team, I'm here for these guys, I'm here for this senior class that I just talked about. If I would have left and went and did something else, it just wouldn't have felt right. So I stuck around and did it for the team."

ON HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO HIM TO HAVE HELPED GET THE TEAM BACK INTO THE ACC TITLE PICTURE:

"It's a huge deal. That's why a lot of people came here, to win an ACC Championship. Beyond that, it's a big deal for me. This is really the first time that I've been able to compete for an ACC Championship. Hopefully we can set that standard going forward that it's not okay to go 6-6, 7-and-whatever, but to get those 10-win seasons and get back to the ACC Championship every year. That's what it should be. We have the recruits to do it. We definitely have the coaches to do it. It's unacceptable now to not compete for the ACC Championship every year."

ON WHAT MADE HIM USE THE TERM SCARY IN REGARDS TO THE FUTURE:

"It feels like I was at Duke a couple of years ago running my first play, it feels like that was a couple of weeks ago. It's just scary to think that it's almost over. Been here for five years, put in a lot of work. Came in here every single day and it's coming to an end."

ON IF HE KNOWS WHAT'S NEXT:

"This coming spring, I'm actually getting my second degree. After that, God willing, the next level thing if it works out. If not, I'll go into wherever my degree puts me in."

ON WHAT HIS DEGREES ARE IN:

"My first was property management, the second is consumer studies."

ON IF HE HAS ANY SAM ROGERS STORIES:

"I got a lot of good stories, but I don't wanna share them with y'all. He's a very hard worker. He's a great guy. I'm sure people have been talking about him all day or all year. He's like nothing i've ever seen before. He's a guy that puts in the same amount of work. He's never satisfied, he's never happy with what he's done. Always working. Stay after practice 10-15-20 minutes later than everybody else just to work on what he needs to work on. He's something else. He's a different kind of guy."

ON HIS FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF ROGERS:

"When I first met him, I was like, 'How did this guy get here? Like, what are we doing?' But you'd go out there and I remember he would ask me, 'Hey, can you throw me routes? Can you do stuff with me?' 'Yeah, I'll work with you, of course.' And then next thing you know, in the springtime, he's getting first team reps and then playing from there on out. Like I said, when everybody first saw him, we were like, 'What is he gonna play? What is this guy gonna do? How is he gonna help us?' But obviously he's helped us in tremendous fashion."

ON HOW HE STAYS MENTALLY PREPARED TO COME IN IF EVANS GOES DOWN:

"That starts at the beginning of the week. That starts on Monday and Tuesday before practice, you've gotta mentally prepare like you're the guy that's gonna start, that you're the guy that's gonna play. I've had to do that for the past couple of years. You've just gotta act like you're the guy that's gonna play on Saturday. Then when you get to game day, it's easy. You see what their defense is doing and then when you have the opportunity to go in, you've gotta make it count. You can't have a drop off when you go in."

ON IF ALL OF THE WORK HE'S PUT IN IS WORTH IT:

"Absolutely. I'd rather be prepared than not be prepared. Like I said, if something were to happen and I had to come in and I wasn't prepared, that's me not doing what I'm supposed to do for this senior class that worked their butts off every week. If I come in and I'm not prepared, I'm really doing a dishonor to my teammates. That's something that I'm not willing to do. I always wanna stay prepared."

Justin Fuente

OPENING STATEMENT:

"Thank again to everybody that made the trip to South Bend. Really an inspirational show of support for our kids. Hokie Nation continues to do a fantastic job supporting our young guys as they work hard to try and represent Virginia Tech. Awfully appreciative of that. Appreciative of our seniors. This will be Senior Day for us. A fantastic group of young men that have worked incredibly hard for this football program. Worked hard and bought it to everything that we've tried to do since the day we got here. Just on a personal level, I can't tell you how much I appreciate the way they've handled the transition. It's been absolutely fantastic. I'm not sure a first-year coach can ask for anything more than what we've gotten from these seniors. They've done a great job. Tremendous challenge this week with Virginia coming to town. Rivalry game. Conference game. All those implications mean a hard-fought game. Regardless of record or home or away, I think our kids have a great understanding of what's in front of them and what we're gonna get; how hard-fought this ballgame will be. We need to draw our focus inward again and do a great job preparing and worrying about the things that we can control and hopefully play as well as we can."

ON ANY MEMORIES OF PAST RIVALRY GAMES HE'S PLAYED IN:

"It was kind of interesting growing up as a kid in Oklahoma. There are a lot of things that changed as I was growing up between Oklahoma and Nebraska. It was always a conference Thanksgiving day game. And then as the Big 12 came about, you had Oklahoma-Texas that because a conference game. And then you always had the Oklahoma-Oklahoma State deal. The thing about this rivalry is its consistency in terms of Virginia and Virginia Tech, there is no other — at least to my knowledge — there is no other peripheral rival that falls in line. It's pretty clear. I think that makes it unique and fun to be a part of. It should be celebrated. Pete (Moris) and I were talking earlier, and part of what sets college athletics apart from professional athletics are the rivalries. The fanfare and pride that goes into those things makes them special."

ON THE MURRAY STATE VS. WESTERN KENTUCKY RIVALRY:

"Western started moving around — when I was at Murray, I can't remember the exact timeline — but eventually they left the Ohio Valley Conference and we didn't play them. But my first year at Murray was Willie Taggart's senior year at Western Kentucky and we played at Murray for the Red Belt and we beat them in a shootout. I'm still holding that over Willie's head. It was a pretty good rivalry. The Red Belt started with the trainer, I believe, or something to that effect. They got us back the next year. Willie graduated and then they beat us up there. It's amazing wherever you're at and whatever level you're playing at, the feelings you have towards winning the game never change. I remember talking to some people about when I played at Oklahoma and we played Texas, my feelings were no different than when I played at Murray and we were playing Eastern Kentucky or Western Kentucky. Those feelings of still wanting to win and compete are the same regardless of what level you're at."

ON THE ROLE OF STEVEN PEOPLES AGAINST NOTRE DAME AND IF HE WILL GET MORE CARRIES WITH THE LOSS OF WILLIAMS:

"Steven has been playing well at the fullback spot. We felt like he deserved a few more opportunities to get on the field. Over the last couple of weeks, we've worked him in there carrying the ball a little bit. I don't know how Marshawn's deal really affects that whole rotation. We haven't had that meeting yet. We just found out about it yesterday. We'll look at that moving forward."

ON HOW INSTRUMENTAL THIS SENIOR CLASS WAS IN HELPING WITH THE TRANSITION OF COACHES:

"It's setting the tone. When you have a group of seniors that buys into whatever the message is immediately, it helps the younger guys fall in line. I also think, when you go through a season and an offseason, there are all sorts of peaks and valleys and ups and downs with individual players. We have a strong group of leaders that can help those young players navigate those things and help them get through those ups and downs. Whether it's playing time or school work or personal life, whatever it is, those older players have a great perspective on it and can help those kids ride through those highs and lows. Change is usually hardest on people that have been doing something a particular way the longest. For a group of seniors who had been doing things a particular way for three or four years, to have things change on them, and have them respond the way they have, I just couldn't ask for anything more."

ON IF HE'S EVER COACHED ANYBODY LIKE SAM ROGERS:

"We all have guys that we get to coach along the way that we know are special. But there's another category of guys that are elite in everything that they do. Those guys don't come along very often. Akeem Davis at Memphis was one of those guys that I only got to coach for a year as well. There's just not too many people like Sam. Guys that you you know whatever they end up doing, they're gonna be incredibly successful at it. Guys that truly are willing to do whatever it takes to help the team be successful. Focused and hardworking. True credit to his family. They did a great job raising him."

ON IF HE'S EVER EXPERIENCED A FANBASE LIKE THE ONE AT VIRGINIA TECH:

"No. I have not. I've tried my best to articulate my appreciation. I'm not sure i do it justice. I just think it's absolutely unique and fantastic. The way they turn out to support our kids, through cold or rain or snow or a hurricane, you think about the conditions on top of the miles traveled, it's really a unique thing. It's one of the many things that sets this place apart. It's just a pride. That pride in Virginia Tech is unique, in my opinion."

ON WHAT SENIOR DAY IS LIKE FOR A PLAYER AND COACH:

"It wasn't that long ago, but I do remember bits and pieces of it. For those that really love football, and love the school they're going to, it is a really emotional time. You obviously know that you need to take care of business and play the game, but there are kids that, across the country, that will play their Senior Day game — our guys won't be one of them, but some of them are — that will be the last time they ever get a chance to play football. The finality of that weighs heavy when you're a kid that's played sports ever since you were in elementary school. For me, personally, that was the heaviest part of the whole deal is that I may not ever get to play any sport again. Noon hoops is a lot different than getting to play college football. The finality of that weighs on some people. Fortunately for our guys, they're gonna have another shot to get to play."

ON HIS THOUGHTS OF MOTLEY THIS YEAR:

"None of it works with Motley. If Brenden isn't a team player, then none of this happens. The little bit of success we've had throughout the season, we wouldn't be able to have it because those things just don't work if people are divided. Turned to Brenden in the Pitt game and said, 'You're in.' He says, 'Yes, sir' and jumps right in there and we don't miss a beat. The way he goes about his work on a daily basis, the pride he has, again, like many Hokies in Virginia Tech, and genuinely wanting what's best for this program and this team, speaks volumes. Can't say enough good things about Brenden."

ON IF HE HAD A MOMENT EARLY IN THE SEASON THAT LED HIM TO BELIEVE WOODY BARON WOULD HAVE A BIG YEAR:

"All of my interactions with him have led me to believe that he was a special person. That's what I would say. In terms of his maturity level and intelligence and toughness in terms of showing up every single day and giving it all he's got. I didn't know what kind of statistical season that would produce, but I felt like we had a really good solid spot right there heading into the season. He's obviously had a fantastic statistical year. It couldn't happen to a better guy."

ON HIS EXPERIENCE COACHING AGAINST BRONCO MENDENHALL:

"Well, the thing you know is they're gonna be well coached and they're gonna play hard. That's absolutely indicative of every team I've ever seen Coach Mendenhall be a part of. He's very well versed in his defensive scheme. He knows it inside and out. They do a great job with that. Coach (Robert) Anae has been with him for some time on the offensive side of the ball and they certainly know what they're doing over there as well. You always know you're gonna be in for a tough test."

Jerod Evans

ON HOW LONG IT TOOK HIM TO UNDERSTAND THE UVA RIVALRY AND WHO HELPED HIM UNDERSTAND:

"I didn't know until the week of. Most of the rivalry games with the people that these guys hate, I don't know until the week of. I learn from the whole team. Just throughout the whole team, from Sam Rogers, and all the guys on defense, and all the guys that played them previous to last year, just expressed the hate they have for the team. For some reason, I don't get it — I'm new here, so I don't know any better — Motley does a great job of expressing that as well to me. The hate that he has for certain teams, he makes sure that I understand very clear. This week is no different. I know it's a rivalry game, I'm not naive. But at the same time, I don't know the magnitude of the rivalry. Again, I only can learn and know from what they tell me, from how they express it, and how they feel so emotional about it. I go by that."

ON HOW PLAYING IN THE SNOW WAS FOR A TEXAS KID:

"It felt just like Texas. Not really. It was different. I'm not used to it. The first time I saw a lot of snow was here in Virginia in the spring. Playing in the windy environment, super cold, definitely different. But when you have the hopes and dreams of the team in your hand 100 percent of the time, the ball in your hands all the time, your mindset quickly changes. Especially if you wanna win. I started to get adjusted to the wind and the coldness and all of that."

ON HOW HE KEPT WARM:

"I never sat down until the fourth quarter, I believe. I felt like if I sat down, then it wouldn't have been good."

ON HOW HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH MOTLEY HAVE EVOLVED AND WHAT HE MEANS TO THE TEAM:

"It definitely have evolved tremendously. I've always had tremendous respect for him just for the simple fact that he's a senior on the team and as we had the quarterback battle, it was always professional. There was never any animosity between each other. We both wanted the team to win at any cost, at any stake. Me winning the job, he never wavered in what he wanted as a teammate, and that's for the team to be successful. With that being said, it has grown because he's always in my corner. Again, he wants the team to win. It don't matter who's playing. Him being a senior and a quarterback at that, because the whole team looks at the quarterback situation, if we're all not on one accord, then the team can easily pick and choose they want, who they like as an emotional leader, as an even-keeled leader; whatever they see fit as their leader, they can easily pick and choose. But he doesn't go that route. He just keeps his head down, keeps doing his job as far as still competing, still learning, and he always has my back. So as a senior and as a quarterback to do that, that shows how mature his character as a young man (has become). I respect that tremendously."

ON IF THERE WAS ONE MOMENT OF SAM ROGERS THAT STUCK OUT WHEN HE MET HIM:

"Not one moment in particular, but it's a lot of moments that he does that shows his intensity of the game of football that he loves so dearly. I will say this, I've never met somebody that matches my work ethic. This guy, he prepares like a quarterback. He goes to film study. In the spring, I couldn't tell him to stop practicing, I couldn't tell him to stop working on this blocking, I couldn't tell him, like he's always asking me to come out there, which I was gonna do anyways. Just his willingness to just be great is unmatched. It's kind of weird to have somebody the same intensity as me. It's kind of weird. We butt heads sometimes because we're that way. At the same time, we understand where we're coming from and our ultimate goal and I love that guy to death."

ON WHAT BUTTING HEADS WITH ROGERS IS LIKE:

"Nothing major, it's just he sees certain things certain ways because he's a perfectionist. I see certain things certain ways because I'm a perfectionist. At the end of the day, we put our differences aside and get the job done because we want the same thing and again, the butting heads is not like a bad thing. It's just like, 'Okay, we get each other, let's move on.' That's what it is."

ON WHAT THE TEAM HAS TOLD HIM ABOUT HOW VIRGINIA MIGHT PLAY BETTER THAN THEIR RECORD MIGHT INDICATE:

"Guys don't have to tell me about any of that. I've been in rival games. I've been where we were definitely more talented, more athletic, whatever you wanna say from the outside looking in, but you can never count out anybody in a rivalry game. Especially with the emotion that's involved and being in-state, you get the bragging rights. You hear it all the time. The players didn't have to tell me about that. I know what I'm getting myself when it comes to a rivalry game. I just don't know specifically this rivalry game. With that being said, it's gonna be intense because it's a rivalry game. They have nothing to lose. They're trying to make us not go to the ACC title, so that's their aspiration and ours is to go. So 1-0 this week, and it's gonna be a great game."