Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech football had a few players set some new benchmarks for themselves Saturday against No. 14 Notre Dame in its 32-29 setback at Lane Stadium. You can view those tidbits below.
STATS WITH SALAS
Dynamic Duo
Receivers Tré Turner and Tayvion Robinson have been steady for the Hokies so far on the perimeter, combining for 43 percent of Tech's total yards in the air. Against the Fighting Irish, they both had over 50 yards receiving, marking their second time going over the half century mark together in the same game this season.
| Name | Receptions | Yards | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tré Turner | 6 | 80 | Notre Dame |
| Tayvion Robinson | 5 | 53 | Notre Dame |
| Tré Turner | 6 | 102 | Richmond |
| Tayvion Robinson | 6 | 76 | Richmond |
Triple Crown
Kicker John Parker Romo went 3 for 3 on Saturday, marking his most made field goals in a single game. His previous high was one, which he did against then-No. 10 North Carolina on Sept. 3, a 48-yarder. The Georgia native set a career long field goal Saturday, banging in a 52-yarder as time expired heading into halftime. The last time a Hokie kicker made a 52-yard field goal or longer was when Brian Johnson hit a 54-yard field goal against Clemson on Dec. 5, 2020.
Pick Six
Down by five points and the offense stalling at midfield late in the third quarter, the Hokies punted to the Irish, who were looking to make it a two-score game on their possession beginning at their own 2-yard line. After a first down and then a five-yard rush, Notre Dame quarterback Tyler Buchner threw an interception to cornerback Jermaine Waller, who leads the Hokies with four picks on the year, and the junior took it to the house down the left sideline to give the Hokies the lead. The pick-six marked the first time a Hokie had done so since 2019 (Caleb Farley).
The interception return gives Tech back-to-back games with non-offensive scores (Tayvion Robinson 60-yard punt return vs. Richmond). This is the first time since 2019 that the Hokies have had back-to-back games with with non-offensive scores. Caleb Farley had a 17-yard interception return against Georgia Tech on Nov. 16 and Norell Pollard had a seven-yard fumble return against Pitt on Nov. 23.
Third Down Battles
Tech's defense, which is allowing just 18.6 points per game its first five contests of the season, was standing tall on third down versus Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish ended up going 3 for 12 (25%) on third down, marking Tech's fourth time this season of holding its opponent to 25 percent or less on third down. The Hokies rank 10th nationally in third-down conversion percentage on defense, allowing 28.1 percent. Here's a look back at each season in the Fuente-era and the number of games the defense has held the opponent to 25 percent or less.
| Season | No. of Games |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 8 |
| 2017 | 4 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 4 |
Scorigami
The 32-29 final score was a Virginia Tech scorigami. Scorigami is the art of building final scores that have never happened before. More information on scorigami.
Uniform Tracker
The Hokies donned maroon helmets, maroon jerseys and maroon pants against the Fighting Irish Saturday. This was the fifth different uniform combination in as many games. Tech is now 16-15 since 1987 in this combination.