Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech is 6-3 and No. 49 of 138 in the machine's ratings, 4.5 points better than an average FBS team. Last game: lost 51-28 at SMU in Week 10.
Week 11: vs Stanford, Saturday, Nov 14: the matchup, unit by unit
Why Virginia Tech is No. 49
- Virginia Tech's rating is 4.5: the machine's estimate that Virginia Tech is 4.5 points better than an average FBS team on a neutral field. That is No. 49 of 138. For scale, 0 is an average FBS team: right now the closest to it is No. 68 Arizona State (0.2).
- It started the season at 7.4, ESPN's preseason Football Power Index from July. Its results since have moved it down 2.9.
- The biggest weekly moves: −2.1 after Week 4 (W 21-14 at Boston College) and +1.5 after Week 3 (W 35-26 at Maryland).
- Its record is 6-3. The 3 losses were to No. 25 SMU, No. 45 Pittsburgh, No. 96 California, by 10.0 points on average. The 6 wins came by 20.5 points on average; the best was over No. 41 Clemson. The rating weighs how much a team won or lost by and against whom, not just the win-loss count.
- Its FBS opponents so far average No. 68 in the machine's ratings.
- Just above is No. 48 New Mexico (5.3); just below is No. 50 Iowa State (4.0).
The rating, week by week
Strengths and weak spots
Head coach
James Franklin is in his 1st season at Virginia Tech. This season: 6-3.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Team stats
Season totals and averages over 9 games, each with its national rank among 138 FBS teams (No. 1 = best). The game-by-game story is in the season, week by week.
Passing
| Completions-attempts | 227-315 |
|---|---|
| Passing yards | 2566 |
| Touchdowns-interceptions | 19-3 |
| Yards per attempt* | 8.1No. 38 of 138 |
| Explosive pass rate | 10.9%No. 59 of 138 |
| Sacks allowed (rate) | 7.1%No. 108 of 138 |
Rushing
| Carries-yards | 329-1244 |
|---|---|
| Yards per carry | 3.8No. 110 of 138 |
| 10-plus-yard runs (rate) | 14.3%No. 60 of 138 |
| Stuffed at or behind the line (rate) | 20.0%No. 108 of 138 |
Scoring
| Points per game | 34.2No. 28 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play | 5.97No. 51 of 138 |
| Third-down rate | 41.7%No. 52 of 138 |
| Red-zone TD rate | 52.8%No. 109 of 138 |
| Giveaways | 12No. 88 of 138 |
Defense
| Points allowed per game | 23.9No. 64 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play allowed | 5.64No. 78 of 138 |
| Yards per pass attempt allowed | 7.6No. 103 of 138 |
| Yards per carry allowed | 3.4No. 29 of 138 |
| Sack rate | 7.6%No. 19 of 138 |
| Takeaways | 7No. 129 of 138 |
| Third-down rate allowed | 34.7%No. 38 of 138 |
Totals are the official box score. * Yards per attempt and the rates come from the play-by-play, where passing yards count on completions only, so they can differ from the box score by a play or two.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Player leaders
The top 3 in each category over the same games. Passing yards count every completion (official box score).
Passing
- Ethan Grunkemeyer215-300, 2431 yds, 18 TD, 3 INT
- Bryce Baker11-14, 127 yds, 1 TD, 0 INT
Rushing
- Jeffrey Overton Jr.126 carries, 762 yds, 6 TD
- Marcellous Hawkins86 carries, 344 yds, 5 TD
- Messiah Mickens8 carries, 34 yds, 0 TD
Receiving
- Que'Sean Brown60 catches, 722 yds, 4 TD
- Luke Reynolds56 catches, 560 yds, 6 TD
- Ayden Greene19 catches, 343 yds, 2 TD
Tackles
- Kaleb Spencer50
- Keon Wylie48
- Noah Chambers48
Sacks
- Aycen Stevens7.5
- Cortez Harris5.5
- Mylachi Williams4.5
Interceptions
- Brennan Johnson1
- Quentin Reddish1
- Thomas Williams1
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Who's playing
Based on who has actually played this season, from the box scores, not the team's published depth chart. Each bar is that player's share of the team's attempts, carries (quarterbacks left out), catches or tackles. The box score lists no positions, so there is no offensive line here.
Throwing
- Ethan GrunkemeyerMost passes in the last game9 games300 attempts95%
- Bryce Baker2 games14 attempts4%
Carrying
- Jeffrey Overton Jr.9 games126 carries52%
- Marcellous Hawkins9 games86 carries35%
- Messiah Mickens2 games8 carries3%
- Darius Taylor1 game5 carries2%
Catching
- Que'Sean Brown9 games60 catches26%
- Luke Reynolds9 games56 catches25%
- Jeffrey Overton Jr.8 games27 catches12%
- Ayden Greene8 games19 catches8%
Tackling
- Kaleb Spencer9 games50 tackles9%
- Keon Wylie9 games48 tackles9%
- Noah Chambers9 games48 tackles9%
- Jaquez White9 games34 tackles6%
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
The season, week by week
- Week 1 W 73–3 vs VMI. VMI is an FCS team, so there is no FBS baseline to grade this one against.
- Week 2 W 44–21 vs Old Dominion. The pass defense gave ground: Old Dominion got 8.1 yards an attempt, 2.4 over what it usually gains.
- Week 3 W 35–26 at Maryland. The pass defense gave ground: Maryland got 8.2 yards an attempt, 1.7 over what it usually gains. The fewest yards a carry it has allowed all season.
- Week 4 W 21–14 at Boston College. The passing game struggled: 4.2 yards an attempt, 3.1 less than Boston College usually allows. Its fewest yards an attempt of the season.
- Week 5 L 33–35 vs Pittsburgh. The passing game was the strength: 10.6 yards an attempt, 3.3 more than Pittsburgh usually allows. Lost the turnover battle by 4.
- Week 6 L 20–25 at California. The run game struggled: 3.5 yards a carry, 1.7 less than California usually allows. The machine had Virginia Tech by 8.9 (71%), so this was a loss it did not see coming.
- Week 7 W 34–24 vs Georgia Tech. The passing game was the strength: 11.4 yards an attempt, 4.5 more than Georgia Tech usually allows. The offense gave up 5 sacks.
- Week 8 W 20–16 at Clemson. The run game struggled: 1.9 yards a carry, 2.3 less than Clemson usually allows. The machine had Clemson by 5.9 (65%), so this was a win it did not see coming.
- Week 10 L 28–51 at SMU. The run defense gave ground: SMU got 6.1 yards a carry, 1.9 over what it usually gains. The most yards an attempt it has allowed all season.