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Stats and Stuff: Where the Hokies Ended Up
by Will Stewart, TechSideline.com

Sadly, the 2004 college football season is over. Now begins the long, arduous off-season, full of off-the-field news, most of which seems to be bad. Before we start that trek, though, let's take a look at the Hokie football statistics from 2004 and see where the team and the players ranked nationally and in the ACC.

Team Rankings

The defense was the highlight of this Hokie season, but in perusing the stats, we find that the offense did surprisingly well, at least in the ACC.

Notes:

Total Offense, Rush Offense, Pass Offense: VT's top-half ACC rankings, and the fact that those same rankings are poor nationally, reflects upon the ACC offenses, and how bad they were this year. The ACC rushing offenses were decent, but the passing offenses were horrible (example: VT was middle-of-the-pack in passing yardage in the ACC, but #80 out of 117 nationally). VT's pass efficiency rating, 1st in the ACC, was a surprise, and a testament to Bryan Randall's high TD/INT ratio (21 TDs, 9 INTs).

Scoring Offense (30.8 ppg): The Hokies were #1 in the ACC in scoring offense going into the bowls, but Miami scored 27 points against Florida to eke out the Hokies in this category, 31.7 ppg to 30.8 ppg.

Total Defense (268 ypg): NC State (221.4 ypg) had the best defense in the ACC and the nation, by far. Nationally, Alabama was a distant second to NCSU with 245.5 yards per game given up. The Hokies were #2 in the ACC to NCSU in pass defense and pass efficiency defense, as well.

Scoring Defense (12.8 ppg): VT led this category in the ACC by 1.3 points, besting #2 FSU (14.1 ppg). Nationally, the Hokies ended up #2, trailing only Auburn (11.3 ppg).

Turnover Margin (+1.00): This stat was a big key to the Hokies' success this year. In the ACC, Miami beat out VT with +1.17 (#5 nationally). NC State, despite the great defense, was last in the ACC with a TO margin of (-1.55) per game, which is why the Pack sat at home during bowl season this year. USC led the nation at +1.46.

Sacks (34): Although 6th in the ACC doesn't sound good, the leader (Clemson) only had 40 sacks on the season ... but remember, VT played one game more than every other bowl team in the ACC and two games more than every non-bowl team in the league. Interesting stat: Despite racking up 10 sacks against VT, the NC State Wolfpack finished 7th in the league with just 33 sacks in 11 games.

Sacks Against (36): In the ACC, only Duke (39) gave up more sacks. NC State (31) and Maryland (30) were the only other teams in the ACC to give up 30 or more, but remember, VT played two games more than both those non-bowl teams.

Net Punting (34.0 ypp): Boasting senior punter Vinnie Burns and a great reputation for special teams, the Hokies didn't deliver in this area. We'll take a look later at where Burns finished nationally in punting average.

Individual Stats

Notes:

Rushing: Wow, VT's leading rusher isn't even in the top 75 nationally.

Pass Efficiency: Bryan Randall is #4 in the ACC, but the team is #1, thanks to Sean Glennon's insane figure of 237.5 (8-of-11, 137 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs) versus his fellow backups around the league. The pass efficiency rankings in the ACC are very tight, both team-wise and individual-wise.

Scoring and Field Goals: Brandon Pace had a very good year (21-27 on field goals, for 77%), production-wise, but his rep as a clutch kicker is non-existent, thanks to the misses against NC State and Auburn.

Interceptions and Passes Defensed: More props for Jimmy Williams (19 PDs). Williams is listed 12th by the NCAA in this category, because they rank it in PDs per game, but if you sort on total PDs, he is #3 behind only Brandon Payne of New Mexico (23) and Gabe Franklin of Boise State (21).

Tackles: Mikal Baaqee's total of 71 tackles was the lowest team-leading total for the Hokies since Wooster Pack (70) in 1991 -- and Pack did it in just 11 games, while Baaqee took 13 games to get his total. Baaqee's total is the second-lowest to lead the team since VT started keeping the stat in 1974. That's interesting, since this is one of the better VT defenses we've seen.

Sacks and Tackles for Loss: Statistically, only Shawn Merriman of Maryland rivaled Tapp as the best defensive end in the ACC ... and Merriman has declared for the draft. NC State's Mario Williams (a sophomore) and Manny Lawson (a junior) are the only other DEs in the ACC that are in Tapp's league, so to speak.

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-- Will Stewart

A Gym Rat's Notebook: In Over His Head?
by Elijah Kyle, 1/7/04, 9:45 am
After watching sophomore forward Philip McCandies decide to leave the program last spring, transferring to The College of Charleston, followed shortly afterward by the dismissal of 6-8 junior college transfer Justin Holt, who was sitting out the season as a transfer, Head Coach Seth Greenberg knew he needed to find some replacements. And he needed them rapidly. His quest to add reinforcements to the 2004-05 team led him overseas at a time when many of the top caliber prospects had already decided on a direction for the upcoming season.
in TSL Pass

Sugar Bowl Game Analysis
by Will Stewart, TechSideline.com, 1/6/05, 3:40 pm
The Hokies lost this one by a mere three points, and in the aftermath, it has been convenient to point to Jesse Allen's dropped touchdown pass and Brandon Pace's missed field goal as the two major plays that separated the Hokies from a landmark victory. Truth be told though, the Hokies shot themselves in the foot repeatedly in this game, mostly on offense. In the end, I think it came down to a simple case of normally-reliable Hokie players not having a good game and not executing well enough to win.
in TSL Pass

Hokies Finish #10 in Both Polls
by Will Stewart, TechSideline.com, 1/5/05, 11:25 am
If any more validation was required that Virginia Tech just finished a special season, the Hokies got it Wednesday morning, when they awoke to find themselves ranked at #10 in both the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Polls. This marks the fourth time in the last ten seasons the Hokies have finished in the top ten in both polls.
in News and Notes

Auburn 16, Virginia Tech 13
Missed Opportunities Haunt Hokies
by Will Stewart, TechSideline.com, 1/4/05, 3:00 am
New Orleans, LA — Virginia Tech proved that they belonged on the field with #3 Auburn, and VT spoiled the Tigers' chance at a split national championship, but those are small consolations. The Hokies got behind 16-0, then mounted a rally in the fourth quarter but fell short, losing 16-13 in the 2005 Nokia Sugar Bowl. The story of the game was missed opportunities for the Hokies, as they dropped a touchdown pass on 4th and goal from the 1 and missed a 23-yard field goal.
in Football

I'll Take the Bowls
by Jim Alderson, 12/31/04, 12:30 am
Hardly a day or column goes by without somebody whining about the BCS, most specifically, bellyaching relating to Tech’s Sugar Bowl opponent, Auburn, and how they got jobbed out of the chance to compete for the championship to be decided by Southern Cal and Oklahoma. My response is to yawn, cluck sympathetically and click on the next news item. That’s the way it goes, Tigers.
in TSL Pass

Hokies Give #21 Mississippi State a Run for Their Money, But Lose 71-65
by Chris James, TechSideline.com, 12/31/04, 12:15 am
New Orleans, LA - #21 Mississippi State rallied behind a dominating performance from All-American power forward Lawrence Roberts to narrowly defeat Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl Basketball Classic in New Orleans on Thursday night, 71-65. Roberts, last year’s SEC Player of the Year and the favorite to win the award again this year, scored 25 points and grabbed 19 rebounds. He was one rebound shy of posting his second consecutive 20 point, 20 rebound game.
in Men's Basketball