Notable numbers versus Virginia

BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech football came away with some new highs in statistical categories after its 29-24 victory at Virginia on Saturday at Scott Stadium. You can view those tidbits below.

STATS WITH SALAS

Ground game runs over UVA defense
Coming into the game, the Virginia defense was allowing 5.7 yards per rush and 217.3 yards per game. The Tech offense finished the game with season-high 320 rushing yards on 47 carries for 6.8 yards per rush. This was fueled by the two longest rushing plays of the season for the Hokies. The first was Braxton Burmeister's 71-yard rush at the end of the first quarter that got the ball down to the 3-yard line. This was Burmeister's longest run of his career.

The second big rush was thanks to a Raheem Blackshear 50-yard scramble to the Virginia 10-yard line in the third quarter. This set up the Hokies for a touchdown to tie the game at 24. This was the longest rush for Blacksheer in his career, too.

Defense comes up big in the fourth quarter
The defense finished the game with seven pass breakups, the most in a game this season. The Hokies picked up five of those breakups in the fourth quarter on Virginia's final two drives of the game. Tae Daley led the way with two of the pass breakups, including the final breakup on fourth down to end the Cavalier's chances of upsetting the Hokies.
 

Could watch this on loop

📺 @ACCNetwork pic.twitter.com/1gOOLIRonT

— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) November 28, 2021

The last time Tech had seven or more PBUs in a game was against North Carolina in 2019 when they had eight. 

Daley double
Not only did Tae Daley lead the team in pass breakups, he also led the team in total tackles with nine and picked up his first interception in the Tech jersey and marked the fourth of his career. In 2019 while at Vanderbilt, he picked up three interceptions.

Safety dance
Thanks to Jordan WIlliams' first sack-fumble of his career, Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong lost the ball and it rolled back into the end zone. After the pile was cleared and the officials went to review, the call on the field was confirmed — SAFETY. This was Tech's first safety since East Carolina's quarterback was sacked in the end zone at Lane Stadium in 2016. Going back to 1986, Tech is 18-5-1 when getting a safety in the game.

Triple Threats
With the double reverse pass play in the third quarter, Braxton Burmeister and Tayvion Robinson became the first duo to score three different ways in the same season. Robinson has now scored by passing, receiving and punt return, while Burmeister has scored by rushing, passing and receiving. The last time a Hokie scored three different ways in a season was in 2016 when Sam Rogers put the Hokies on the scoreboard in the first quarter of the Virginia game, rushing the ball eight yards for the touchdown. Entering the game, Rogers had three receiving touchdowns and he also threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Steven Peoples against Miami (Fla.).

As mentioned above, Burmeister and Robinson recorded both a passing and receiving TD in the game. Only one other Tech player accomplished the feat in a single game since 1987, Richard Johnson in Tech's first game as an ACC member (Sept. 18, 2004; Duke). Johnson threw a 34-yard pass to Josh Hyman with five minutes left in the second quarter to put the Hokies up 17-7. Then late in the third quarter, he was on the receiving end of an 11-yard Bryan Randall pass for the score.

Scorigami
The 29-24 final score was the sixth scorigami of the season and 510th scorigami in Virginia Tech football history. Scorigami is the art of building final scores that have never happened before. More on scorigami.

Uniform Tracker
The Hokies wore white helmets, white jerseys and white pants for the third time this season. They're 3-0 in this combination in 2021.