CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2018 Virginia

8–⁠5 (4–⁠4 Atlantic Coast Conference), coached by Bronco Mendenhall.

Schedule and results

Virginia in 2018, game by game: won vs. Richmond 42–13; lost at Indiana 16–20; won vs. Ohio 45–31; won vs. Louisville 27–3; lost at NC State 21–35; won vs. No. 16 Miami 16–13; won at Duke 28–14; won vs. North Carolina 31–21; lost vs. Pittsburgh 13–23; won vs. Liberty 45–24; lost at Georgia Tech 27–30; lost at Virginia Tech 31–34; won vs. South Carolina 28–0+29−14Won 42–13 vs. Richmond+29RichmondLost 16–20 at Indiana-4IndianaWon 45–31 vs. Ohio+14OhioWon 27–3 vs. Louisville+24LouisvilleLost 21–35 at NC State-14NC StateWon 16–13 vs. No. 16 Miami+3No. 16 MiamiWon 28–14 at Duke+14DukeWon 31–21 vs. North Carolina+10North CarolinaLost 13–23 vs. Pittsburgh-10PittsburghWon 45–24 vs. Liberty+21LibertyLost 27–30 at Georgia Tech-3Georgia TechLost 31–34 at Virginia Tech-3Virginia TechWon 28–0 vs. South Carolina+28South Carolina
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below; orange marks an upset win.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 1vsRichmondW 42–⁠1366%
Sep 8atIndianaL 16–⁠2035%
Sep 15vsOhioW 45–⁠3144%
Sep 22vsLouisvilleW 27–⁠346%
Sep 29atNC StateL 21–⁠3526%
Oct 13vs16MiamiW 16–⁠1336%
Oct 20atDukeW 28–⁠1430%
Oct 27vsNorth CarolinaW 31–⁠2176%
Nov 2vsPittsburghL 13–⁠2364%
Nov 10vsLibertyW 45–⁠2477%
Nov 17atGeorgia TechL 27–⁠3036%
Nov 23atVirginia TechL 31–⁠3452%
Dec 29Bowls & playoffvsSouth CarolinaBelk BowlW 28–⁠043%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat South Carolina 28–⁠0 in the Belk Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 6th in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

In program history: The 29th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 135 on file).

AP poll, week by week

  1. Wk 10: 23
Record
8–⁠5
Conference
4–⁠4 tied for 6th in Atlantic Coast Conference
AP final
Unranked peak No. 23
Points
370–⁠261
Coach
Bronco Mendenhall
Elo
1576 +130 this season
SP+ rating
7.1 No. 42 of 130; offense No. 61, defense No. 31, special teams No. 92
SRS
6.5 No. 38 of 130 in FBS
Returning
44% of last season’s EPA, No. 98 of 130
Recruiting class
No. 59 roster talent No. 66 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Robert Anae
Defensive coordinators
Nick Howell and Kelly Poppinga
Offense
Multiple
Defense
3–⁠4

How good, play by play

  • Offense36th of 130
  • Defense31st of 130
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted51st of 130
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted34th of 130
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.1545%1.1336th of 130
Defense0.0439%1.2831st of 130
Opponent-adjusted0.12 off
0.04 def		44% off
38% def		—51st off
34th 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
Offense3.8own 3315% allowed
Defense3.0own 2719% caused

CORE rating 8.3, 26th of 130 (offense 2.6, defense -5.7).

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 yardsBryce Perkins QB2,679 yds
Passing touchdownsBryce Perkins QB25 TD
Rushing yardsJordan Ellis 1,026 yds
Rushing touchdownsJordan Ellis 10 TD
Receiving yardsOlamide Zaccheaus WR1,073 yds
Receiving touchdownsOlamide Zaccheaus WR9 TD
TacklesJuan Thornhill 98 tkl
SacksChris Peace OLB6.5 sacks
InterceptionsJuan Thornhill 6 INT

Top recruits in the 2018 class

Noah Taylor OLB★★★No. 599
Brennan Armstrong DUAL★★★No. 619
Javar Garrett OLB★★★No. 684
Jaylon Baker CB★★★No. 804
Ugo Obasi WR★★★No. 1010

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

The 2018 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.871
Receivers53.00.842
Offensive line43.00.826
Defensive line33.00.840
Linebackers43.00.856
Defensive backs23.00.854
Athletes and specialists13.00.832
Whole class203.00.843

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 2019

The 2019 draft
Rd 2Juan Thornhill SKansas City Chiefs
Rd 6Tim Harris CBSan Francisco 49ers

Roster 105

The 2018 roster

105 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2018 line; 51 have a stat line. See the roster

2018 Atlantic Coast Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Clemson8–⁠015–⁠01
Syracuse6–⁠210–⁠315
Pittsburgh6–⁠27–⁠7
NC State5–⁠39–⁠4
Georgia Tech5–⁠37–⁠6
Virginia4–⁠48–⁠5
Boston College4–⁠47–⁠5
Miami4–⁠47–⁠6
Virginia Tech4–⁠46–⁠7
Duke3–⁠58–⁠5
Wake Forest3–⁠57–⁠6
Florida State3–⁠55–⁠7
North Carolina1–⁠72–⁠9
Louisville0–⁠82–⁠10

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