Virginia Tech quarterback Logan Thomas said his confidence remains high despite an awful performance Saturday night in a loss to Alabama.
Thomas was 5-of-26 for 59 yards and an interception, which was returned for a touchdown by Tide strong safety Vinnie Sunseri.
"Yeah, my confidence is fine," Thomas told reporters. "Why would it falter now? I'm just excited to see where this season is going."
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Back in July, Thomas was not lacking in confidence, as he boldly guaranteed he would throw fewer interceptions in 2013 than last season.
According to Virginia Tech coaches, Thomas' bad stat line wasn't all his fault. Coaches told reporters that after they watched tape, nine incompletions were the receivers' faults, including seven drops.
"Obviously they know they messed up, so you don't really need to tell them," Thomas told reporters.
While Thomas hasn't played consistent football since his sophomore season in 2011, there are a lot of scouts who like him because of his physical tools. In addition, Thomas (6-feet-6, 254 pounds) plays in a run-heavy attack that doesn't necessarily mesh with his physical gifts. This week, the Hokies play host to Western Carolina, a bad FCS program, so Thomas' stats should see a marked improvement.
Meanwhile, star cornerback Antone Exum (6-1, 220), who suffered a torn ACL in January playing pickup basketball, told reporters he has another round of tests on his knee scheduled for Wednesday. He also said his goal is to return against Marshall on Sept. 21 for at least a few plays. Exum, who is extremely physical, is one of the top corners in the nation when healthy.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.