Confessions of a Stats Freak, Part 1
By Jeff Holland, 1/18/00

You can put this article in the "I-have-too-much-time-on-my-hands" category. Keeping up with Virginia Tech Football statistics has been a "hobby" of mine ever since Virginia Tech started to win in 1993. There’s not much else to explain about the statistics, but before you read through the statistics, please take into consideration the following:

  • All statistics came from Virginia Tech media guides, Hokie Huddlers, or other official sources.
  • There is a small possibility that I have made some computational errors, but unlikely.
  • Most information starts from 1993 (when VT started to win and Big East round-robin play started) unless otherwise noted.
  • All statistics are up to date as of 1/5/00.
  • All games played at neutral sites (bowl games and Temple ‘95) are considered away games.
  • Technically, Miami did not win the Big East title in 1995 because no team on probation can win or share the title.
  • Before round-robin Big East play began (1991 & 1992) the highest ranked team was declared Big East champion.
  • I am very sure I did not cover every statistical aspect of Virginia Tech football, so if you have any suggestions, let me know.
  • Remember, take these statistics with a grain of salt.

Section 1: Top Home Crowds at Virginia Tech

Note: ties are listed in no particular order.

Rank Crowd Opponent Year W/L Score
1 54,157 UVA 1990 (W) 38-13
2 53,271 UVA 1992 (L) 38-41
3 53,207 UVA 1998 (L) 32-36
4 53,177 Miami 1997 (W) 27-25
5 53,157 UVA 1994 (L) 23-42
6 53,130 Syracuse 1999 (W) 62-0
7 53,130 Miami 1999 (W) 43-10
8 53,130 BC 1999 (W) 38-14
9 52,807 WVU 1998 (W) 27-13
10 52,300 WVU 1982 (L) 6-16
11 52,000 UVA 1980 (W) 30-0
12 51,907 JMU 1999 (W) 47-0
13 51,907 UAB 1999 (W) 31-10
14 51,907 Clemson 1999 (W) 31-11
15 51,423 Miami 1992 (L) 23-43
16 51,400 UVA 1986 (W) 42-10
17 51,239 Syracuse 1995 (W) 31-7
18 51,233 WVU 1990 (W) 26-21
19 51,211 WVU 1992 (L) 7-16
20 51,206 Miami 1995 (W) 13-7
21 50,600 UVA 1984 (L) 23-26
22 50,329 UVA 1988 (L) 10-16
23 50,231 WVU 1988 (L) 10-22
24 50,137 Syracuse 1997 (W) 31-3
25 50,128 UVA 1996 (W) 26-9
26 50,086 WVU 1996 (W) 31-14
27 50,057 Pittsburgh 1997 (W) 27-7
28 50,000 WVU 1986 (W) 13-7
29 49,679 WVU 1994 (W) 34-6
30 49,128 ECU 1996 (W) 35-14
31 48,462 Pittsburgh 1994 (W) 45-7
32 48,317 ECU 1991 (L) 17-24
33 48,134 ECU 1998 (W) 38-3
34 47,681 BC 1997 (W) 17-7
35 47,610 Temple 1998 (L) 24-28
36 47,204 Rutgers 1996 (W) 30-14

VT record 50,000+ (1980 – present) = (19-9)
VT record 50,000+ (under Beamer) = (16-7)
VT record 50,000+ (1993 – present) = (14-2)

VT record 47,000+ (1980 – present) = (25-11)
VT record 47,000+ (under Beamer) = (22-9)
VT record 47,000+ (1993 – present) = (20-3)

Section 2: Overall Record (1993-present)

Rank/Team W L T Pct National Championships
Nebraska 81 8 0 .910 3
Florida State 77 8 1 .901 2
Florida 74 13 1 .847 1
Kansas State 70 13 1 .839 0
Tennessee 72 14 0 .837 1
Penn State 70 16 0 .814 0
Ohio State 72 19 1 .788 0
Virginia Tech 64 20 0 .762 0
Michigan 65 21 0 .756 1
Texas A&M 63 22 1 .738 0

Section 3: Virginia Tech by the Decade

Year Games W L T Pct
1892-1899 40 26 13 1 .663
1900-1909 78 54 20 4 .778
1910-1919 86 59 22 5 .715
1920-1929 94 56 31 7 .633
1930-1939 96 46 39 11 .536
1940-1949 76 28 41 7 .414
1950-1959 100 48 48 4 .500
1960-1969 101 62 37 2 .624
1970-1979 110 47 61 2 .436
1980-1989 113 66 45 2 .593
1990-1999 117 77 39 1 .662
Totals 1011 569 396 46 .586

Section 4: Bruce vs. Cornell vs. Corey vs. JC vs. Engelberger

  • Bowl games not included.
  • I assumed Bruce played 44 games in his 4 year career.
  • Statistics for each player are from media guides and Hokie Huddlers.
  • UT=Unassisted Tackles; AT=Assisted Tackles; TOT=Total Tackles; TFL=Tackles for Loss.
Player Games UT AT Tot TFL Sacks
Bruce (81-84) 44 132 48 180 25-102 46-402
Cornell (93-96) 41 164 138 302 29-80 36-267
Corey (97-99) 33 107 59 166 23-61 35-292
J.C. (92-95) 41 125 131 256 30-85 17-118
Engelberger (96-99) 43 153 100 253 25-67 26.5-187

Section 5: Running Back Yardage vs. UVa (since 1993)

Player Games Attempts Yards Avg TD
Stith(98-99) 2 40 237 5.9 4
Oxendine(95-97) 3 44 154 3.5 1
D.Thomas(93-95) 3 44 148 3.4 3
Parker(95-97) 3 27 125 4.6 1
Pegues(97-98) 2 18 47 2.6 1
Edmonds(93-96) 4 15 46 3.1 0

In Parts 2 and 3, we'll take a look at some other obscure statistics that you can't find anywhere else.

-- Jeff Holland

Click here for Part 2
Click here for Part 3

Jeff Holland was a defensive tackle for the Hokie football team from 1991-1995.  He played a key role in the rise of the Virginia Tech defense and on the Hokie bowl teams from 1993-1995.

          

HC Columnists Archives

HC Home

HokieCentral.com is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Virginia Tech or the Virginia Tech Athletic Department. All material is Copyright ©1996-2000 by HokieCentral.com, all rights reserved.