2020 Virginia
5–5 (4–5 Atlantic Coast Conference), coached by Bronco Mendenhall. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest upsetBeat No. 15 North Carolina 44–41Oct 31
North Carolina was ranked No. 15 and favored to win.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26 | vs Duke | W 38–20 | 73% |
| Oct 3 | at 1Clemson | L 23–41 | 20% |
| Oct 10 | vs NC State | L 21–38 | 74% |
| Oct 17 | at Wake Forest | L 23–40 | 45% |
| Oct 24 | at 11Miami | L 14–19 | 30% |
| Oct 31 | vs 15North Carolina | W 44–41 | 42% |
| Nov 14 | vs Louisville | W 31–17 | 62% |
| Nov 21 | vs Abilene Christian | W 55–15 | 89% |
| Dec 5 | vs Boston College | W 43–32 | 57% |
| Dec 12 | at Virginia Tech | L 15–33 | 48% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Virginia Tech 33–15; unranked in the final AP poll; 9th in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
In program history: The 46th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 135 on file).
- Record
- 5–5
- Conference
- 4–5 9th in Atlantic Coast Conference
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 307–296
- Coach
- Bronco Mendenhall
- Elo
- 1532 −42 this season
- SP+ rating
- 0.9 No. 63 of 130; offense No. 69, defense No. 63
- Returning
- 27% of last season’s EPA, No. 120 of 130
- Recruiting class
- No. 48 roster talent No. 63 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Robert Anae
- Defensive coordinators
- Nick Howell and Kelly Poppinga
- Offense
- Multiple
- Defense
- 3–4
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.09 | 43% | 1.20 | 72nd of 127 |
| Defense | 0.16 | 41% | 1.43 | 81st of 127 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.09 off 0.12 def | 44% off 40% def | — | 78th off 68th 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 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 4.0 | own 29 | 14% allowed |
| Defense | 3.0 | own 30 | 18% caused |
CORE rating -2.7, 79th of 127 (offense -1.8, defense 0.9).
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 yards | Brennan Armstrong QB | 2,116 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Brennan Armstrong QB | 18 TD |
| Rushing yards | Brennan Armstrong QB | 552 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Brennan Armstrong QB | 5 TD |
| Receiving yards | Billy Kemp WR | 644 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Tony Poljan TE | 6 TD |
| Tackles | Nick Jackson LB | 103 tkl |
| Sacks | Charles Snowden LB | 6 sacks |
| Interceptions | Brenton Nelson S | 2 INT |
Top recruits in the 2020 class
| Jonathan Horton WDE | ★★★★ | No. 292 |
| Brandon Williams OLB | ★★★ | No. 447 |
| Elijah Gaines S | ★★★ | No. 502 |
| Donovan Johnson S | ★★★ | No. 714 |
| Jahmeer Carter DT | ★★★ | No. 765 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2020 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Receivers | 3 | 3.0 | 0.841 |
| Offensive line | 1 | 3.0 | 0.852 |
| Defensive line | 5 | 3.2 | 0.865 |
| Linebackers | 2 | 3.0 | 0.868 |
| Defensive backs | 3 | 3.0 | 0.866 |
| Athletes and specialists | 1 | 3.0 | 0.840 |
| Whole class | 15 | 3.1 | 0.858 |
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.
Roster 120
The 2020 roster120 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2020 line; 59 have a stat line. See the roster
2020 Atlantic Coast Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
 Notre Dame | 9–0 | 10–2 | 5 |
| Clemson | 8–1 | 10–2 | 3 |
| Miami | 7–2 | 8–3 | 22 |
| North Carolina | 7–3 | 8–4 | 18 |
| NC State | 7–3 | 8–4 | |
 Pittsburgh | 5–5 | 6–5 | |
| Boston College | 5–5 | 6–5 | |
| Virginia Tech | 5–5 | 5–6 | |
 Virginia | 4–5 | 5–5 | |
| Wake Forest | 3–4 | 4–5 | |
 Georgia Tech | 3–6 | 3–7 | |
| Louisville | 3–7 | 4–7 | |
 Florida State | 2–6 | 3–6 | |
| Duke | 1–9 | 2–9 | |
 Syracuse | 1–9 | 1–10 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.