It’s no secret that Virginia Tech’s offense has struggled this season. The Hokies have had just one truly outstanding offensive game, a 35-30 win at Nebraska, in which they gained 377 yards. Not surprisingly, they also had their most big plays (20 yards or longer) in that game. They had five such plays at Nebraska, compared to 11 in their other five games combined.

Though Tech’s offense ranks 108th nationally, with 292.8 yards per game, the Hokies are 5-1 thanks to their ability to take care of the ball and avoid penalties. They have lost just six turnovers (ninth in the country), while gaining 14 (11th nationally). They have just 27 penalties, an average of 4.5 per game, which is 20th nationally, in terms of fewest penalties per game. They rank third for fewest penalty yards per game (27.8).

The Hokies, whose offense has scored 15 touchdowns this season, have scored just 13 touchdowns in 28 red-zone chances. Can they continue to live so dangerously in the season’s second half? The schedule only gets tougher, especially in the next three games, against Boston College, Florida State and Maryland, whose combined record right now is 12-4.

Before I dive into the big-play numbers for the offense, let’s look at where the Hokies rank in the ACC in terms of touchdowns in the red zone (as you can see, these numbers don’t necessarily mean a team will have a good record)  ...

Florida State (15 in 22 chances)—68.2 percent (1-1 ACC, 4-1)
Boston College (14 in 22)—63.6 (1-1, 4-1)
N.C. State (10 in 17)—58.8 (0-2, 2-4)
Miami (12 in 21)—57.1 (0-2, 2-3)
Clemson (11 in 20)—55.0 (1-1, 3-2)
Maryland (11 in 20)—55.0 (1-1, 4-2)
North Carolina (11 in 20)—55.0 (1-1, 4-1)
Duke (10 in 19)—52.6 (1-1, 3-2)
Georgia Tech (9 in 19) 47.4 (2-1, 4-1)
Virginia Tech (13 in 28)—46.4 (2-0, 5-1)
Wake Forest (8 in 18)—44.4 (1-0, 3-1)
Virginia (6 in 15)—40.0 (1-1, 2-3)

And now on to the big-play stats ...

EAST CAROLINA
24 rush – Kenny Lewis Jr.
62 pass – Dyrell Roberts from Sean Glennon
Total: 86 yards
Total yards gained for game: 243

FURMAN
50 rush – Tyrod Taylor
24 rush – Tyrod Taylor
23 rush – Kenny Lewis Jr. (touchdown)
Total: 97 yards
Total yards gained for game: 329

GEORGIA TECH
24 rush – Darren Evans
23 rush – Tyrod Taylor
Total: 47 yards
Total yards gained for game: 247

NORTH CAROLINA
28 pass – Danny Coale from Tyrod Taylor
20 pass – Jarrett Boykin from Tyrod Taylor
Total: 48 yards
Total yards gained for game: 268

NEBRASKA
30 rush – Tyrod Taylor
20 rush – Tyrod Taylor
40 pass – Andre Smith from Tyrod Taylor
34 pass – Jarrett Boykin from Tyrod Taylor
24 pass – Jarrett Boykin from Tyrod Taylor
Total: 148 yards
Total yards gained for game: 377

WESTERN KENTUCKY
28 pass – Danny Coale from Tyrod Taylor
27 pass – Greg Boone from Tyrod Taylor (touchdown)
Total: 55 yards
Total yards gained for game: 293

Posted by Darryl Slater in • College Sports • Virginia Tech
(0) Comments | Permalink