CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2017 Virginia

6–⁠7 (3–⁠5 Atlantic Coast Conference), coached by Bronco Mendenhall.

Schedule and results

Virginia in 2017, game by game: won vs. William & Mary 28–10; lost vs. Indiana 17–34; won vs. UConn 38–18; won at Boise State 42–23; won vs. Duke 28–21; won at North Carolina 20–14; lost vs. Boston College 10–41; lost at Pittsburgh 14–31; won vs. Georgia Tech 40–36; lost at Louisville 21–38; lost at No. 2 Miami 28–44; lost vs. No. 24 Virginia Tech 0–10; lost at Navy 7–49+20−42Won 28–10 vs. William & Mary+18William & MaryLost 17–34 vs. Indiana-17IndianaWon 38–18 vs. UConn+20UConnWon 42–23 at Boise State+19Boise StateWon 28–21 vs. Duke+7DukeWon 20–14 at North Carolina+6North CarolinaLost 10–41 vs. Boston College-31Boston CollegeLost 14–31 at Pittsburgh-17PittsburghWon 40–36 vs. Georgia Tech+4Georgia TechLost 21–38 at Louisville-17LouisvilleLost 28–44 at No. 2 Miami-16No. 2 MiamiLost 0–10 vs. No. 24 Virginia Tech-10No. 24 Virginia TechLost 7–49 at Navy-42Navy
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 2vsWilliam & MaryW 28–⁠1068%
Sep 9vsIndianaL 17–⁠3452%
Sep 16vsUConnW 38–⁠1861%
Sep 22atBoise StateW 42–⁠2321%
Oct 7vsDukeW 28–⁠2149%
Oct 14atNorth CarolinaW 20–⁠1443%
Oct 21vsBoston CollegeL 10–⁠4165%
Oct 28atPittsburghL 14–⁠3138%
Nov 4vsGeorgia TechW 40–⁠3635%
Nov 11atLouisvilleL 21–⁠3830%
Nov 18at2MiamiL 28–⁠4411%
Nov 24vs24Virginia TechL 0–⁠1031%
Dec 28Bowls & playoffatNavyMilitary BowlL 7–⁠4930%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Navy 49–⁠7 in the Military Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 9th in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

In program history: The 95th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 135 on file).

William V. Campbell TrophyMicah Kiser, LB

Record
6–⁠7
Conference
3–⁠5 tied for 9th in Atlantic Coast Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
293–⁠369
Coach
Bronco Mendenhall
Elo
1419 +4 this season
SP+ rating
0.8 No. 69 of 128; offense No. 91, defense No. 37, special teams No. 94
SRS
−0.8 No. 69 of 130 in FBS
Returning
70% of last season’s EPA, No. 44 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 58 roster talent No. 47 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Robert Anae
Defensive coordinator
Nick Howell
Offense
Multiple
Defense
3–⁠4

How good, play by play

  • Offense114th of 130
  • Defense57th of 130
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted114th of 130
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted56th of 130
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense-0.0339%1.22114th of 130
Defense0.0741%1.2557th of 130
Opponent-adjusted0.01 off
0.07 def		41% off
39% def		—114th off
56th def
How these are measured

Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense3.0own 3118% allowed
Defense3.5own 3216% caused

CORE rating -1.7, 72nd of 130 (offense -5.2, defense -3.5).

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.

Leaders

Passing yardsKurt Benkert QB3,207 yds
Passing touchdownsKurt Benkert QB25 TD
Rushing yardsJordan Ellis 836 yds
Rushing touchdownsJordan Ellis 6 TD
Receiving yardsOlamide Zaccheaus WR895 yds
Receiving touchdownsAndre Levrone WR7 TD
TacklesMicah Kiser ILB143 tkl
SacksChris Peace OLB7.5 sacks
InterceptionsBrenton Nelson S4 INT

Top recruits in the 2017 class

Ryan Nelson OT★★★No. 527
Germane Crowell ATH★★★No. 551
Shawn Smith ATH★★★No. 590
Zane Zandier OLB★★★No. 590
Lindell Stone PRO★★★No. 696

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2017 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.859
Running backs33.00.839
Receivers32.70.820
Offensive line62.80.833
Defensive line33.00.829
Linebackers43.00.836
Defensive backs23.00.807
Athletes and specialists42.80.834
Whole class262.90.831

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Drafted in 2018

The 2018 draft
Rd 5Micah Kiser ILBLos Angeles Rams
Rd 5Andrew Brown DECincinnati Bengals

Roster 94

The 2017 roster

94 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2017 line; 51 have a stat line. See the roster

2017 Atlantic Coast Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Clemson7–⁠112–⁠24
Miami7–⁠110–⁠313
NC State6–⁠29–⁠423
Virginia Tech5–⁠39–⁠424
Wake Forest4–⁠48–⁠5
Louisville4–⁠48–⁠5
Boston College4–⁠47–⁠6
Georgia Tech4–⁠45–⁠6
Florida State3–⁠57–⁠6
Duke3–⁠57–⁠6
Virginia3–⁠56–⁠7
Pittsburgh3–⁠55–⁠7
Syracuse2–⁠64–⁠8
North Carolina1–⁠73–⁠9

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.