Stat Comparison: How Virginia Football Stacks Up Against SMU on Paper

Matt Newton | Nov 21, 2024

Virginia Athletic

Virginia (5-5, 3-3 ACC) will play its final home game of the season when No. 13 SMU (9-1, 6-0 ACC) visits Charlottesville on Saturday. As the Cavaliers and Mustangs prepare to clash for the first time ever on Saturday at Scott Stadium, we've got a full statistical breakdown to see how these two teams match up on paper as well as some statistical notes on SMU.

See the chart below for a full statistical comparison for Virginia vs. SMU.

Virginia	Stat Comparison	SMU
5-5 (3-3 ACC)	Record	9-1 (6-0 ACC)
24.8	Scoring Offense	39.9
388.4	Total Offense	445.3
142.2	Rushing Offense	190.9
3.9	Yards Per Rush	4.7
246.2	Passing Offense	254.4
61.8%	Completion %	63.3%
54/153 (35%)	3rd Down Conv.	59/128 (46%)
12/22 (55%)	4th Down Conv.	9/15 (60%)
31/38 (82%)	Red Zone Scores	36/43 (84%)
16/38 (42%)	Red Zone TDs	28/43 (65%)
17	Turnovers	17
13	Forced Turnovers	20
27.5	Scoring Defense	22.4
401.0	Total Defense	348.6
143.0	Rushing Defense	99.0
258.0	Passing Defense	249.6
50/139 (36%)	3rd Down Defense	49/146 (34%)
15/24 (63%)	4th Down Defense	14/32 (44%)
16-71	Sacks by-yards	23-165
29:51	Time of Possession	28:28

See below for individual stat summaries for each team's starting quarterback, top receiver, top running back, and top defender (statistically).

Quarterback
UVA Anthony Colandrea: 180/293 (61.4%), 2,017 passing yards, 12 passing touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 282 rushing yards, 2 rushing touchdowns
SMU Kevin Jennings: 151/231 (65.4%), 2,198 passing yards, 15 passing touchdowns, 6 interceptions, 315 rushing yards, 3 rushing touchdowns

Top Receiver
UVA Malachi Fields: 49 receptions, 746 receiving yards, 4 receiving touchdowns, 15.2 yards per catch
SMU Key'Shawn Smith: 25 receptions, 415 receiving yards, 4 receiving touchdowns, 16.6 yards per catch

Top Running Back
UVA Xavier Brown: 79 carries, 488 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown, 6.2 yards per carry
SMU Brashard Smith: 158 carries, 1,026 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns, 6.5 yards per carry

Top Defender
UVA Jonas Sanker: 82 total tackles, 55 solo stops, 9 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 1 interception, 3 pass breakups, 2 fumble recoveries
SMU Kobe Wilson: 79 total tackles, 37 solo stops, 3 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, 1 pass breakup, 1 forced fumble

Some more notable statistics on SMU:

• SMU has the second-ranked scoring offense in the ACC at 39.9 points per game, trailing only Miami, and the fifth-ranked total offense in the league, averaging 445.3 yards of total offense per game.
• SMU ranks third in the ACC in scoring defense, giving up just 22.4 points per game, and sixth in the conference in total defense, allowing 348.6 yards per game.
• The Mustangs have the second-best rushing offense in the ACC, averaging 190.9 yards per game, and they've scored the most rushing touchdowns in the conference this season with 24.
• Brashard Smith is the ACC's third-leading rusher with 1,026 rushing yards on the season. He averages more than a 100 rushing yards per game and more than six yards per carry and has scored 12 rushing touchdowns.
• SMU is even better at stopping the run, leading the ACC in rushing defense and allowing less than 100 (99.0) yards per game on the ground.
• On the other hand, SMU ranks 13th in the ACC in pass defense, allowing 249.6 passing yards per game. Only Pitt, Virginia, Stanford, and Wake Forest allow more pass yards than the Mustangs.
• SMU has given up only 11 sacks this season, tied for the second-fewest in the ACC.
• The Mustangs are second in the ACC in interceptions with 14 and fourth in fumbles recovered with six.
• SMU ranks third in the ACC in third down conversion rate (46.1%) and fifth in the league in stopping opponents on third down (33.9%).
• SMU is third in the ACC in both red zone offense and red zone defense this season.

Virginia is set to host SMU for Senior Day on Saturday at 12pm at Scott Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

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