Notable numbers versus Richmond

BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech football had a few players make history Saturday at against Richmond in its 21-10 victory at Lane Stadium. You can view those tidbits below.

STATS WITH SALAS

Sweet Feet
Receiver Tayvion Robinson showed off his footwork versus the Spiders, avoiding many tacklers on his way to a 60-yard punt return that went for a touchdown. With the 60-yard scamper, the 5-foot-10 speedster topped his previous high for a single punt return, which was a 59-yarder against Middle Tennessee Sept. 11.
 
The last time Tech scored a touchdown on a punt return that wasn't a blocked punt was Oct. 21, 2017 against North Carolina. Greg Stroman took it 91 yards for the score.

Staying Steady
For the third straight week, linebackers Dax Hollifield and Alan Tisdale racked up eight or more tackles. Against Richmond, Tisdale led the duo with nine total tackles, with four of them being solo, while Hollifield had eight total, two solo. The last pair of Hokies to have three straight games of at least eight tackles was Chamarri Conner and Tisdale last season. 

Big-Play Tré
North Carolina native Tré Turner had his A-game on creating big plays Saturday, making two catches over 25 yards. The first one was Tech's first offensive play of the game, a play-action rollout by quarterback Braxton Burmeister who shifted his eyes to the second level and found a crossing Turner who scooted for the 27-yard reception. The next one was a 42-yard catch that Turner had to go up and get while the defender was draped over him. That catch would set up quarterback Connor Blumrick to get a touchdown on a QB sneak to make it 21-10. Turner, who is known to make big plays time and time again, now has 27 catches over 25 yards in his storied career. That puts him tied for fifth with Cam Phillips since 1987. Jarrett Boykins and Danny Coale lead the list at 36 plays each, followed by André Davis (32), and Isaiah Ford (28).

Defense Stands Tall
Tech's defense, which is allowing just 15.3 points per game its first four contests of the season, was standing tall on third down versus the Spiders. Richmond ended up going 3 for 14 (21.4%) on third down, marking Tech's second-lowest percentage allowed through four games (UNC, 20%). The last time the Tech defense held two opponents to 20% or lower in the same season was in 2019. Georgia Tech was held to 2 for 15 (13.3%). The following weekend, PItt was held to 3 for 15 (20%).
 
Uniform Tracker
The Hokies donned maroon helmets, maroon jerseys, and white pants against the Spiders Saturday. This was the fourth different uniform combination in as many games. Tech is now 120-41 since 1987 in this combination – its most common look in that span.