The countdown to kickoff flipped to less than 40 days so it’s almost time for football season again. The Sabre’s annual Hoo Preview is helping you get ready for the 2015 season as always. Here’s a “By The Numbers” look at some fun facts and significant stats.
3
The jersey number worn by safety Quin Blanding. The sophomore has piled up preseason recognition during the summer. In addition to being named preseason All-ACC, Blanding landed on the Bednarik Award, Nagurski Trophy, and Jim Thorpe Award Watch Lists as well. Blanding was the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2014 after he recorded 123 tackles last season as true freshman, which led the nation’s freshmen.
3.36
The number of yards allowed per carry by Virginia’s defense last season against FBS competition. That ranked 19th in the nation.
8
The number of touchdowns thrown by quarterback Matt Johns last year in a shared role with Greyson Lambert, who has since transferred to Georgia. Johns finished with 8 touchdowns and 5 interceptions, which helped the Hoos have a positive TD-to-INT ratio for the season (18-16). It’s only the fourth time that happened from 2006-2014. Ray of hope?
11
The number of rushing touchdowns allowed by Virginia’s defense last season against FBS competition. That tied for seventh in the nation.
16
The number of sacks allowed by the Virginia offensive line last season. That tied for 18th nationally.
22
The number of field goals made last season by Ian Frye, who went 22 of 27 on the season. All five misses came from 46 yards or more. Frye also made 34 of 35 PATs. He has been named to the Lou Groza Award Preseason Watch List.
33
The number of sacks for the Virginia defense last season against FBS competition. That tied for 31st nationally.
46.94
The touchdown percentage for UVa in the red zone last season. The Hoos scored a touchdown inside the 20 only 23 times in 49 attempts. That red zone touchdown percentage ranked an abysmal 116th among the 128 FBS teams.
55
The number worn by senior defensive tackle David Dean. A consistent presence in the middle of the defense, Dean has been rock solid since cracking the starting lineup in 2013. Dean owns 16.5 career tackles for loss. Last season, Dean made 40 tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown at Virginia Tech. He was voted a team captain this spring.
64
The number of carries last season for running back Taquan Mizzell, who figures to be the featured back in 2015 after the departures of seniors Kevin Parks and Khalek Shepherd. Mizzell gained 280 yards on those 64 carries, a solid 4.4 yards per carry. He also hauled in 39 catches for 271 yards.
78
The total tackles for loss by the Virginia defense last season. That ranked 56th nationally.
115
The number of punt return yards for Virginia last season, all of them from senior Khalek Shepherd. No one else logged a punt return during the season. That makes this a critical spot to find a reliable option during training camp in august. Those 115 punt return yards ranked 87th nationally, while the 4.42 yards per return checked in 117th.
139
The number of points scored by UVa in the second half against FBS competition last season. That averages out to only 9.8 points in the second half, which ranked 108th nationally in games between FBS teams.
162
The number of pass attempts for quarterback Matt Johns last season. Those are the only 162 pass attempts of his career. Johns completed 54.9% of those passes (89-162), a percentage less than the 57.1% (244-427) completed by David Watford as a 12-game starter in 2013.
208
The number of kick return yards last season for Taquan Mizzell, which ranked second on the team. Darius Jennings led the Cavaliers with 677 kick return yards so this is another special teams area to watch during training camp.
379
The combined number of tackles for Anthony Harris (108), Daquan Romero (86), Henry Coley (76), Max Valles (55), and Eli Harold (54) last season. That ranked second-sixth on the team and accounted for 46.1% of the team’s total tackles. None of those players are back on the field this season and everyone but Romero (back as a graduate assistant coach) is in NFL training camp this summer (Harris-Viking, Coley-Saints, Valles-Raiders, Harold-49ers) so that’s a lot of production and a lot of talent to replace on defense.
578
The number of receiving yards for wideout Canaan Severin last season, which led the team and ranked 16th in the ACC. Severin finished with 42 catches, 578 yards, and 5 touchdowns to lead the team in all three categories. He’s the first receiver since Kris Burd in 2011 to lead (or tie for the lead) in all three categories at UVa.
693
The number of penalty yards lost by Virginia last season on 78 penalties. Nationally, 71 teams had fewer penalty yards.
4,060
The number of kickoff yards for the Hoos in 2014, which tied for 51st nationally. The Cavaliers, however, allowed just 18.81 yards per return and that tied for 23rd nationally.
4,490
The number of total yards for Virginia on offense last season. The Hoos gained those yards with 883 plays for an average of 5.1 yards per play. That average ranked 103rd nationally.
39,320
The average number of fans at seven games at Scott Stadium last season. That’s the lowest in 21 years for the program, well before stadium expansion.
