Notable Numbers: Virginia Tech vs. Louisville

Virginia Tech football played on the road against Louisville Saturday and finished the game with some noteworthy stats.

For a deeper look at the numbers, view below.

Stats withSalas

Time After Time
Saturday's game against Louisville saw the Cardinals' offense rush the ball 75% of the time and quarterback Jack Plummer throw just one incomplete pass. With the new clock rules that keep the clock running on first down except in the final two minutes of each half, that made for a very quick game. Clocking in at two hours and 45 minutes, it was the third fastest game since 2000 behind the 2010 James Madison game (2:37) and the 2006 Virginia game (2:43). Since 1987, it was the sixth fastest televised game over a linear broadcast. The JMU game in 2010 was only available to watch live on ESPN3.com - ESPN's on-line streaming service at that time.

One Streak Continues…
John Love's field goal in the second quarter against the Cardinals marked the 366th consecutive game during which Virginia Tech has scored. This moved the Hokies into 4th place in both the all-time and active streak lists. Here's a look at the top 5 all-time list:

…One Streak Ends
Last week against Syracuse, Kyron Drones surpassed Sean Glennon for most passes thrown without an interception since 1987. With his ninth pass against Louisville on Saturday, that streak came to an end in one of the most bizarre ways. Drones steps back and throws down the middle of the field towards Da'Quan Felton. As the ball arrives, Duck Storm reaches in for the pass break up and knocking it right into the hands of T.J. Quinn for the interception.

Getting His Kicks
Redshirt-freshman John Love hit a 44-yard field goal as the game went into halftime. In the first six games of the season, he had seven makes on eight attempts. In the last three he's 9-for-10 with the nine makes being consecutive. The 44-yard make was also his career high, surpassing his previous high of 43 yards that he made in the previous game against Syracuse.

Tech Playmakers

Touches for Tuten
Tech's offense struggled to get much in terms of production against Louisville's stout defense, but running back Bhyashul Tuten continued to showcase his ability as a ball carrier. The junior tailback averaged 5.2 yards per carry, finishing the day with 57 yards on 11 totes. Tuten also recorded the Hokies' longest play of the contest with a 16-yard burst in the first quarter. As the season has progressed, the North Carolina A&T transfer has proven to be a dynamic player with the ball in his hands and versatile catching passes out of the backfield. Tuten also hauled in three receptions on the afternoon.

Moore Distance
Special teams is an area that Tech has excelled in for much of the program's history. A position that generally doesn't receive a ton of attention is the punter. Peter Moore is only called upon when it's time to flip field position and give the defense a longer field to defend. The Redshirt junior was very active on Saturday, with seven boots during the matchup for nearly 300 yards. Moore averaged 42.3 yards per punt and had a long of 58 yards. Selected as a captain heading into the season, Moore has been a consistent performer, averaging over 43 yards and ranking 39th-best in college football.

Defensive Golden Arch
A member of three sets of brothers on Tech's roster, linebacker Jayden McDonald had a very efficient afternoon against the Cardinals. The Salem, Virginia native finished the outing with four tackles, three of which were solo finishes. His numbers may not be eye-opening, but production at the second level is just one factor for the defense. Some things don't show up on the stat sheet and still impact the game. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), McDonald had the team's third-highest defensive grade (78.3) and the second-highest rush defense grade, finishing with 81.7. The redshirt sophomore registered his best PFF grades across the board this season on his second-most snap output in 2023.