CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2021 Virginia

6–⁠6 (4–⁠4 Atlantic Coast Conference), coached by Bronco Mendenhall.

Schedule and results

Virginia in 2021, game by game: won vs. William & Mary 43–0; won vs. Illinois 42–14; lost at No. 21 North Carolina 39–59; lost vs. Wake Forest 17–37; won at Miami 30–28; won at Louisville 34–33; won vs. Duke 48–0; won vs. Georgia Tech 48–40; lost at No. 25 BYU 49–66; lost vs. No. 7 Notre Dame 3–28; lost at No. 20 Pittsburgh 38–48; lost vs. Virginia Tech 24–29+48−25Won 43–0 vs. William & Mary+43William & MaryWon 42–14 vs. Illinois+28IllinoisLost 39–59 at No. 21 North Carolina-20No. 21 North CarolinaLost 17–37 vs. Wake Forest-20Wake ForestWon 30–28 at Miami+2MiamiWon 34–33 at Louisville+1LouisvilleWon 48–0 vs. Duke+48DukeWon 48–40 vs. Georgia Tech+8Georgia TechLost 49–66 at No. 25 BYU-17No. 25 BYULost 3–28 vs. No. 7 Notre Dame-25No. 7 Notre DameLost 38–48 at No. 20 Pittsburgh-10No. 20 PittsburghLost 24–29 vs. Virginia Tech-5Virginia Tech
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 4vsWilliam & MaryW 43–⁠084%
Sep 11vsIllinoisW 42–⁠1470%
Sep 18at21North CarolinaL 39–⁠5936%
Sep 24vsWake ForestL 17–⁠3756%
Sep 30atMiamiW 30–⁠2837%
Oct 9atLouisvilleW 34–⁠3340%
Oct 16vsDukeW 48–⁠069%
Oct 23vsGeorgia TechW 48–⁠4065%
Oct 30at25BYUL 49–⁠6630%
Nov 13vs7Notre DameL 3–⁠2832%
Nov 20at20PittsburghL 38–⁠4824%
Nov 27vsVirginia TechL 24–⁠2960%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Virginia Tech 29–⁠24; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 6th in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

In program history: The 61st-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 135 on file).

Record
6–⁠6
Conference
4–⁠4 tied for 6th in Atlantic Coast Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
415–⁠382
Coach
Bronco Mendenhall
Elo
1487 −34 this season
SP+ rating
7.2 No. 55 of 130; offense No. 8, defense No. 100
SRS
3.3 No. 55 of 130 in FBS
Returning
89% of last season’s EPA, No. 30 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 31 roster talent No. 53 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Robert Anae
Defensive coordinators
Nick Howell and Kelly Poppinga
Offense
Multiple
Defense
3–⁠4

How good, play by play

  • Offense14th of 130
  • Defense116th of 130
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted24th of 130
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted112th of 130
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.2550%1.2414th of 130
Defense0.2748%1.29116th of 130
Opponent-adjusted0.22 off
0.22 def		49% off
46% def		—24th off
112th 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
Offense4.3own 2618% allowed
Defense3.8own 2814% caused

CORE rating -4.8, 87th of 130 (offense 9.5, defense 14.3).

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 yardsBrennan Armstrong QB4,444 yds
Passing touchdownsBrennan Armstrong QB31 TD
Rushing yardsWayne Taulapapa RB324 yds
Rushing touchdownsBrennan Armstrong QB9 TD
Receiving yardsDontayvion Wicks WR1,203 yds
Receiving touchdownsDontayvion Wicks WR9 TD
TacklesNick Jackson LB117 tkl
SacksMandy Alonso DE3.5 sacks
InterceptionsAnthony Johnson DB3 INT

Top recruits in the 2021 class

Bryce Carter DL★★★★No. 121
Josh McCarron DE★★★★No. 312
Logan Taylor OT★★★★No. 360
Jacob Rodriguez ATH★★★No. 412
Noah Josey OL★★★No. 413

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

The 2021 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.863
Running backs13.00.854
Receivers33.00.859
Offensive line63.20.866
Defensive line43.50.888
Defensive backs53.00.850
Athletes and specialists53.00.859
Whole class253.10.863

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 2022

The 2022 draft
Rd 3Jelani Woods TEIndianapolis Colts

Roster 124

The 2021 roster

124 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2021 line; 61 have a stat line. See the roster

Transfers in 6

The 2021 portal
Jelani Woods TE★★★from Oklahoma State
Anthony Johnson CB★★★from Louisville
Artie Henry III WR★★★from Marshall
Chico Bennett Jr. DE★★★from Georgia Tech
Devin Darrington RB★★★from Harvard
Josh Hayes CB★★from North Dakota State

Transfers out 9

Jowon Briggs DT★★★to Cincinnati
Dorien Goddard WR★★★no new school on file
Gerrik Vollmer OT★★★returned to Virginia
Jamari Peacock RB★★★no new school on file
John Kirven DE★★★no new school on file
P.K. Kier RB★★★no new school on file
R.J. Harvey DUAL★★★to UCF
Shawn Smith CB★★★returned to Virginia
Darnell Pratt WR★★to Towson

2021 Atlantic Coast Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Pittsburgh7–⁠111–⁠313
Wake Forest7–⁠211–⁠315
Clemson6–⁠210–⁠314
NC State6–⁠29–⁠320
Miami5–⁠37–⁠5
Virginia4–⁠46–⁠6
Virginia Tech4–⁠46–⁠7
Louisville4–⁠46–⁠7
Florida State4–⁠45–⁠7
North Carolina4–⁠56–⁠7
Boston College2–⁠66–⁠6
Syracuse2–⁠65–⁠7
Georgia Tech2–⁠63–⁠9
Duke0–⁠83–⁠9

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