It was not Virginia Tech football's day at Kenan Memorial Stadium, with the team falling to North Carolina Saturday for its first ACC road contest of the season. But there were some players that stood out statistically, and those numbers and more are below.
Stats with Salas
King on the Ground
For the fifth time of his career and the third time this season, running back Keshawn King owned at least 50 rushing yards, tallying 52 rushing yards against the Tar Heels on nine carries (5.8 avg). King leads the team this season with 231 rushing yards and has the longest run this year (65 yards vs. Boston College, Sept. 10).
Smith a Deep Threat
Wide receiver Kaleb Smith, who finished with three catches for 49 yards versus UNC, had a 34-yard reception on Tech's opening drive that led to a William Ross field goal. Smith now has had eight games in his career of having at least one 25-yard catch, including two contests in a row (28-yarder vs. West Virginia, Sept. 22).
New Sport, No Problem
Ross, who played soccer growing up and transitioned to playing football when he was 17 years old, has made his first seven field goals, including a 34-yarder versus Carolina. He's the first Tech kicker to make his first seven field goals since 2007 (Jud Dunlevy).
Making an Entrance
Tight end Dae'Quan Wright made his debut for the Hokies Saturday and did not disappoint, recording a team-high four catches for 31 yards. Wright, who stands at 6-foot-4, 231 pounds, flexed out outside as a receiver multiple times, showcasing his ability as a pass-catching tight end.
Ringleader
Once again leading the team in tackles, linebacker Dax Hollifield, who wore the iconic No. 25 against the Tar Heels, racked up 10 tackles (7 solo). That marked the seventh time of his career leading the Hokies in tackles in a game and the second time this year. With his 10 tackles, Hollifield moved up to No. 9 all-time in career tackles at Tech with 313.
Cutting Down the Miscues
The two teams with the most penalties in the ACC faced each other in Chapel Hill and you wouldn't have known so Saturday, as both teams combined for just seven total setbacks. Tech had just three, marking its fewest of the season.
Scorigami
The 41-10 final score was the third scorigami of the season. Scorigami is the art of building final scores that have never happened before. More on scorigami.
Uniform Tracker
The Hokies wore maroon helmets, white jerseys and maroon pants for the second time this season.
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants | Date | Opponent | Location | Result | 2022 Record | Record since 1987 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maroon | White | Maroon | Sept. 2, 2022 | Old Dominion | Norfolk, Va. | L, 17-20 | 0-1 | 34-32 |
| White | Maroon | White | Sept. 10, 2022 | Boston College | Blacksburg, Va. | W, 27-10 | 1-0 | 9-1 |
| White | Maroon | White | Sept. 17, 2022 | Wofford | Blacksburg, Va. | W, 27-7 | 2-0 | 10-1 |
| Maroon | Maroon | White | Sept. 22, 2022 | West Virginia | Blacksburg, Va. | L, 10-33 | 0-1 | 121-44 |
| Maroon | White | Maroon | Oct. 1, 2022 | North Carolina | Chapel Hill, N.C. | L, 41-10 | 0-2 | 34-33 |
Up Next
Tech (2-3, 1-1 ACC) will hit the road to face Pitt (3-2, 0-1) on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 3:30 p.m. ET on ACC Network. The Panthers are coming off of a 26-21 loss to Georgia Tech (2-3, 1-1) at home.