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UVA Football Stat Check: Cavaliers Among ACC/FBS Leaders in Stat Categories

Matt Newton

Virginia safety Antonio Clary leads the ACC in total and assisted tackles through week 4.
Virginia safety Antonio Clary leads the ACC in total and assisted tackles through week 4. / Virginia Athletics
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Virginia is idle in week 5 of the college football season, so we figured now would be a good time to check the season statistics through the first four weeks to see which Cavaliers are leading their team in various categories and which Hoos find themselves at or near the top of the ACC and FBS statistical leaderboards.

Starting with the quarterback, Anthony Colandrea has so far increased his completion percentage by more than six percentage points through the first four games of the season. His 68.3% completion percentage ranks fifth among ACC quarterbacks and 27th in the FBS. Colandrea has 84 total completions this season, which ranks sixth in the ACC and 26th in the country. His 1,032 passing yards are fifth in the conference and 22nd in the FBS.

Colandrea's top receiving target is Malachi Fields, who has 349 receiving yards so far this season, third in the ACC and 19th in the country. His 24 receptions are also third in the ACC and 29th in the FBS.

Xavier Brown's breakout performance in the win over Coastal Carolina last week skyrocketed the junior running back up the rushing leaderboards. Brown is averaging 8.9 yards per rushing attempt, which ranks third in the ACC and ninth in all of college football. If you only consider running backs with at least 30 carries, Brown leads the ACC in yards per carry and ranks fifth in the country in that category.

Switching over to the defensive side of the ball, Antonio Clary is having himself a season in his comeback from missing all of 2023 with an injury. He leads the Cavaliers with 41 total tackles, which ranks eighth in all of college football, third among Power Conference schools, and first in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Clary is also the ACC's leader in assisted tackles with 28 and is tied for fourth in the nation in that stat.

Fellow UVA safety Jonas Sanker has 32 total tackles, second on the team and tied for eighth in the ACC. Sanker's 18 solo tackles are tied for fourth in the ACC.

Senior linebacker James Jackson has 30 total tackles, good for 12th in the ACC. He also has 18 assisted tackles, which is tied for seventh in the conference.

Virginia punter Daniel Sparks is averaging 47.4 yards per punt. That ranks 11th in the FBS and third in the ACC.

UVA kicker Will Bettridge has made eight field goals this season, tied for the most among ACC kickers and tied for seventh-most in the country.

See below for UVA's team stat leaders through the first four weeks of the season.

Virginia Football Stat Leaders - Through Week 4

Rushing
1. Xavier Brown: 33 carries, 293 yards, 8.9 yards per carry, 73.3 yards per game, 0 TDs
2. Kobe Pace: 42 carries, 214 yards, 5.0 yards per carry, 52.5 yards per game, 2 TDs
3. Anthony Colandrea: 41 carries, 135 yards, 3.3 yards per carry, 33.8 yards per game, 2 TDs

Receiving
1. Malachi Fields: 24 receptions, 349 yards, 14.5 yards per catch, 2 TDs
2. Trell Harris: 13 receptions, 201 yards, 15.5 yards per catch, 2 TDs
3. Tyler Neville: 10 catches, 161 yards, 16.1 yards per catch, 2 TDs
4. Chris Tyree: 12 catches, 48 yards, 4.0 yards per catch, 0 TDs
5. Kobe Pace: 10 catches, 85 yards, 8.5 yards per catch, 0 TDs

Tackles
1. Antonio Clary: 41
2. Jonas Sanker: 32
3. James Jackson: 30
4. Trey McDonald: 22
5. Jam Jackson: 20

Tackles for Loss
1. Jonas Sanker: 3.5 (for 10 yards)
2. Chico Bennett: 3.5 (for 7 yards)
3. James Jackson: 2.5 (for 11 yards)
4. Jahmeer Cater: 2 (for 12 yards)
5. Antonio Clary: 1.5 (for 2 yards)

Pass Breakups
1. Antonio Clary: 3
2. Jonas Sanker, Kempton Shine: 2
3. Trey McDonald, Kam Butler, Jahmeer Carter, Corey Thomas: 1

Quarterback Hurries
1. Kam Butler: 4
2. James Jackson, Chico Bennett, Ben Smiley: 2
3. Seven players with 1

Sacks: seven players with one sack each

For More Virginia Football News

UVA Football: Five Takeaways from Virginia's Strong Start to the Season

UVA Football: Starting Defensive Tackle to Miss Rest of Season With Injury

Xavier Brown Sparks Virginia's Ground Game With Breakout Rushing Performance

ESPN Has Virginia Making a Bowl Game in Latest Projections, Too Soon?

UVA Football Report Card: Handing Out Grades for Virginia's Win at Coastal

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Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.