Virginia Tech’s Ryan WIlliams for Heisman?  Why Not?

BLACKSBURG — Ryan Williams says he hasn’t been practicing his Heisman Trophy pose, but he might want to start.

Through four games, against some of the toughest defenses in the country, the Virginia Tech redshirt freshman tailback has put up numbers comparable to any running back in the country.

And with last season’s three Heisman finalists — quarterbacks Sam Bradford of Oklahoma, Tim Tebow of Florida and Colt McCoy of Texas — all looking mortal this year, there might be an opening for an outsider to sneak up and win the prestigious award.

Why not Williams?

“Yeah, there has been talk, but I don’t really pay any attention to it,” Williams said.

“There’s thousands and thousands of college football players, and I’m not going to try to chase the Heisman. If anything, I’ll let it chase me if the opportunity comes, but I’m not going to worry about it.”

At this point, the Manassas native is just happy to be contributing to the sixth-ranked Hokies’ success.

It’s been well documented how miserable he was last year practicing on the scout team and not playing on Saturdays.

Now, four games into his college career, he’s one of the best tailbacks in the country.

The 5-foot-9, 205-pound Williams is among the national leaders in the Football Bowl Subdivision in every major statistical category. He is fifth in rushing yards (492), sixth in per game rushing average (123), tied for third in touchdowns (eight) and fourth in combined rushing and receiving yards (612).

Still, he isn’t getting much Heisman love from national media. He is listed in the “Others to watch” category on the CBS Sports Web site, and is included in the “No current chance to win it, but has finalist potential” grouping on the College Football News site. That’s about all the attention he has received.

ESPN polled 15 of its experts, and Williams wasn’t among the top 14 candidates, but California’s Jahvid Best (467 rushing yards, nine touchdowns) and Fresno State’s Ryan Mathews (592 rushing yards, five touchdowns) were.

Best hasn’t faced a top 25 defense all season, and Mathews has played against one (Boise State). Williams has done his damage against three ranked teams, two of which boasted top 25 defenses.

His latest masterpiece — 150 rushing yards, two touchdowns on a career-high 34 carries Saturday against then-No. 9 Miami — was his third straight triple-digit rushing game and his second straight against a ranked opponent on national television.

Against the Hurricanes, he flashed all the physical talents that make him such a valuable player.

He juked a couple of linemen and then out-raced Miami’s cat-quick secondary for a 44-yard run in the third quarter, and he finished the game with 11 broken tackles.

“He can break open a long run at any time in a game,” Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor said. “You never know what’s going to happen. He can cut back across the field. He can outrun everybody. He’s just a great guy to have out there.”

Williams is quick and elusive, but he also punishes defenders when he runs.

“I just have a lot of heart when I go out there,” Williams said. “I’m not the biggest guy. I always feel like I’m the smallest guy every time I touch the field, so I just try to run as hard as I can.

“My idol is Walter Payton, and his quote was, ‘Never die easy. Die hard.’ He never wanted to go down on first contact, and that’s one thing I try to run by.”

Such a running style could make him more susceptible to injury, but that is not a concern for Tech coach Frank Beamer.

“I kind of like it. … He might run around you, he might run away from you, or he might run over you,” Beamer said.

Williams is on pace for 1,476 yards and 24 touchdowns over 12 regular-season games, which would break the school records for first-year running backs set by Darren Evans last season (1,265 yards and 11 touchdowns). If Tech makes the ACC championship game and a bowl, Williams’ averages project to 1,722 yards and 28 touchdowns.

He might not be a household name quite yet, but he will be if he keeps up his outstanding play. He has proven he can perform at a high level against the top defenses in the country.

“I think he’s for real, that’s for sure,” Beamer said. “He brings it every Saturday. … A guy who can make you miss the way he can and run with the power that he can, that’s a pretty good combination right there.”