SB Nation - Marc Verica

2009 Virginia Tech Football: What to Watch vs. UVa

furrer4heisman — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:00:14 -0000

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The Team

UVa has nothing to lose and it's the last game in Hooville for its seniors and its coach. I expect a motivated Wahoo team playing at its highest level.
If the Hokies can't match that intensity level, it's very possible for them to lose. UVa is better than its record indicates and has a defense that will keep it hanging around. That's a dangerous proposition for the Hokies.

Virginia Tech Offense vs. Virginia Defense

The Wahoos have a surprisingly good defense this season, especially against the pass.
It will be up to Ryan Williams to lead the charge against UVa in this game. If he goes off, Tech will win easily. If he is stymied by the Wahoo defense, this game will be a dogfight.
The Hokies have had success against teams that run a 3-4 defense (at least ones that aren't Alabama). Last year Tech ran for 216 yards against UVa, including 137 yards from Tyrod Taylor.
Hopefully Taylor can again have success breaking containment and getting yards with his feet against the Hoos. While he didn't run for many yards against UVa the last time the teams met in Charlottesville, he did have two rushing touchdowns.
The Hoos last out-rushed the Hokies in 2004, when Andrew Pearman ran for 147 yards in a 24-10 VT win. If the Hokies can continue their success on the ground against UVa, it should be a sixth consecutive Commonwealth Cup win.
If the Hokies have success through the air, I think it will be on shorter routes to the tight ends or flankers like Danny Coale. Coale grew up a UVa fan and this will be his first chance to play in Charlottes while wearing orange and maroon. I think he'll have a big day getting the ball in the middle of the field.

Virginia Tech Defense vs. Virginia Offense

Last year it seemed like every one in the Commonwealth knew Vic Hall was going start at quarterback for Virginia except the Hokies and their coaching staff. Hall came out and ran the single wing offense to perfection and led the Hoos to a 14-7 halftime lead.
The Hoos introduced another single wing wrinkle last week with running back Mikell Simpson taking direct snaps. However, Simpson's status for Saturday is up in the air. If he plays, I think you'll see him under center at times. Hopefully the coaching staff has been dissecting film to come up with a way to defend what the Hoos have done out of the single wing this year.
Two guys that will have a lot of say in stopping the single wing attack are Barquell Rivers and Kam Chancellor. If those two guys can take care of the inside run game, guys like Cody Grimm and Jason Worilds can focus on stringing plays to the outside where the Hokies' cornerbacks can make tackles.
Tech's cornerbacks have been solid against the run this year and if Tech is going to stop Virginia's single wing plays, they'll need to be on their game.
The Wahoo passing attack has been pretty bad this year, whether it's Jameel Sewell, Marc Verica or whoever at quarterback. If the Hokies are going to give up points to the Wahoos, it's going to be on the ground, just like last year.

Outcome

Someone is going to make a play on defense or special team that completely changes to momentum and possibly outcome of this game. Hopefully it's one of the good guys.

Watch the Box Score for:

Turnovers
Ryan Williams rushing yards
UVa third down conversions
Non-offensive points

Virginia Tech Players to Watch:

34 - Ryan Williams, Fr., RB
19 - Danny Coale, So., WR
52 - Barquell Rivers, So., LB
17 - Kam Chancellor, Sr., FS

Virginia Players to Watch:

4 - Vic Hall, Sr., QB/DB/KR
31 - Rashawn Jackson, Sr., RB
98 - Nate Collins, Sr., DE
19 - Ras-I Dowling, Jr., CB

Final Score

Virginia Tech 24, Virginia 19

Guest Blogger: Zima, Sportscoat, and Wahoo Edition

Winfield Featherston — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:15:20 -0000

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This week's Guest Blogger is Brendan from the UVA blog "From Old Virginia". Though the Cavaliers are perceived as mediocre, Brendan continues to put up quality work on his blog. He was also one of the first blogs to recognize us when we were still starting out so many months ago. Here are our responses to his questions. And finally, we encourage to you to post your comments and insult the UVA Cavaliers in the comments section below.

1. We haven't won in Charlottesville since 1990. Does this fact come up much within conversation?

Not a lot, actually. There are probably quite a few UVA fans who don't even know such a streak exists with Georgia Tech, and most of those that do would be as sorry to lose as any other game, but wouldn't lament the loss of the streak. The main reason is that we have a better one with North Carolina, who hasn't won in Charlottesville since 1981.

2. Zima isn't produced in the US anymore which is too bad because of how much you guys drink that stuff. What is your poison now?

Zima was our drink in much the same way Yankee Doodle was the song of the patriots in the Revolution: adopted by our rivals to mock us and re-adopted by us because fuck our rivals. In Virginia you can hardly go wrong with bourbon, but myself I've always been more of a rum drinker.

3. Name us a player that we haven't heard of but should be aware of for Saturday?

Safety Rodney McLeod is going to be the guy stopping your running game. The coaches were content to let our excellent cornerbacks single-cover Torrey Smith last week, even in the slop, and it worked out very well. You'll probably see much of the same against Demaryius Thomas, leaving McLeod to step up and rove sideline to sideline in run support. McLeod has a terrific football IQ and will probably be tasked with finding the ball in the triple option and getting to it, quickly.

4. What is the deal with lazer-eyes Thomas Jefferson? Is that still the intro video??? What grass/mushrooms/alcohol was consumed when this idea was thought up?

Thomas Jefferson actually had laser eyes. You think the Declaration of Independence was written in pen? Scorched parchment is much more permanent.

No, the laser-eyed statue isn't really the focus of the intro videos, it's supposed to be Cavman riding down from Monticello saving the day from whatever intruding mascot is rampaging through Charlottesville. It's just, sometimes Cavman gets a little lazy, and if the mascot happens to be near the Jefferson statue, Cavman has TJ do his dirty work. Laser-eyed Jefferson didn't really show up until a couple years into them doing the Cavman videos. Cavman is the star.

5. What is the general mood around Hooville? Is there gonna be a good turnout for the noon kickoff? What if it rains?

If it rains all bets are off. But as far as the turnout, it should be alright. IU was some kind of record low (since the 2000 expansion) at about 45,000, and that actually didn't look too bad and most of the empty seats were in the visitors' sections anyway. Now that we're 3-3 instead of 1-3, I still don't think we'll sell out but I don't expect zombie-town.

There's really only one topic of conversation half the time anymore, and it's Al Groh. After a loss, the Groh-bashers are out in force. After a win, they still sometimes poke their head up but usually get shouted down, because most of us like to enjoy wins and take a break from listening to people rail on the head coach. You'll probably hear a fair amount of Groh-discontent in the stands, though, if things start looking sour.

6. Who will start at QB? Who do you want to start at QB?

The pecking order is 1) Jameel Sewell, 2) Marc Verica, and 3) Vic Hall. And that's just the way I like it. We desperately need Hall at receiver, not quarterback. I think Sewell will be listed as no worse than questionable on the injury report after last week's scare, and I think he'll play.

7. I'm staying in Charlottesville this weekend. Are there any landmarks I need to see? Which restaurants do I need to check out?

UVA is a landmark. Obviously, if you go and don't walk up and down the Lawn at least once, you're doing it wrong, but you shouldn't need me to tell you that. The Downtown Mall is pleasant enough, but maybe a little out of the way depending on your mobility. As far as restaurants, I generally tell people just to mosey up and down the Corner til they see something they like. It's really, really hard to do that and not see something you like. For the "UVA experience" go to the White Spot and get a Gusburger (burger + egg.)

8. Concerning mascots, is your cavalier still riding out after his epic fail the other day? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN2URhe-A9Q

There's no quit in Cavman, man. You fall off the horse, you get right back on. Besides, the aforementioned hype video in which a yellowjacket will be mercilessly destroyed always ends with Cavman riding through the tunnel, and then the real-life one comes out of the tunnel onto the field, so it's all part of the experience.

9. Who would you root for if UVA were to manage a bowl game against Michigan this season? Secondly, who needs a winning season and/or bowl win more Al Groh or Rich Rod?

My plan, should UVA and Michigan ever again meet on the field, is to root for whichever team needs the win more. I'm not sure this plan would survive first contact with the game, though. I'm the sort of person who goes into a game thinking I don't care who wins and usually ends up pulling for one side or the other by the end. So we'll have to see. I will say this: since it's a bowl game you're talking about, chances are decent I'd be watching with my dad, and he's a Michigan grad so he'd probably be giving me crap about his school beating my school and therefore I'd gravitate instantaneously toward UVA so I can talk back with more authority.

Second question: Al Groh by a million miles. The Michigan fanbase would only start grumbling if Michigan ended the season poorly, which gives UVA fans at least a three-year head start. 8-4 would cause Michigan fans to say "well, that's about what we expected" for Rich Rod's second year of rebuilding; I don't even know if 8-4 would save Groh's job.

TCU Horned Frogs @ Virginia Cavaliers Preview

Jeremy Mauss — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 12:00:33 -0000

Next Game

TCU Horned Frogs
@ Virginia Cavaliers

Saturday, Sep 12, 2009, 12:30 PM PDT

David A. Harrison III Field at Scott Stadium

TV: ESPNU

Radio:103.3 ESPN Radio

Complete Coverage >

The TCU Horned Frogs finally open their season after having the luxury of having their bye in week one which means they now have 12 straight weeks of football. On the other hand the Virginia Cavaliers wish they could have had a bye as they lost to FCS squad William & Mary 26-14. This means that Al Groh may actually be fired and at worst is being poked by hot pokers by the proverbial hot seat.

Virginia has two types of seasons either they start of terrible and end hot, or they start of great or tank at the end of the year. Even though TCU is being favored anywhere from 10-13 points and is ranked in the top 20, this game is a must win for the MWC to gain respect and to prove that the league is as good if not better then the ACC.

I guess, it's time for actual game analysis for this rockin' matchup. First off Virginia will come out fired up and will actually be able to keep this game close, because they will be fired up after being embarrassed by some guys named Bill and Mary the week before. TCU's defense returns all-American candidate defensive end Jerry Hughes who will be chasing down one of three quarterbacks. That is right after week one Al Groh has three quarterbacks listed on the depth chart as potential starters.

The three QB's are converted CB Vic Hall who is an athlete, Jamell Sweell, or Marc Verica. Last week all three played and they only managed 137 yards passing with Jamell Sweell tossing three picks. Vic Hall is the athletic QB who will run first and pass second and lead the team with 54 yards rushing. Virginia is questionable on offense, and even though TCU is replacing most of the starting defense they will still be able to stop this pathetic offense.

TCU on offense has RB Joseph Turner, QB Andy Dalton, WR Jimmy Young, and WR Jeremy Kerley. For once the Horned Frog offense will be on the same level as the defense if not more. Offensively the Horned Frogs also have a pair of wide receivers for the first time and will not need to run the ball to score points.

They also will run some plays with WR Kerley in the shotgun for difference looks to mess with the defense, oh wait TCU could just run the ball or simple pass plays to move the ball against Virgina. Expect TCU to come out swinging and easily take care of Virginia. The Cavaliers may make it close for a quarter or so to try to redeem themselves from last weeks loss, but will fall short and get beat soundly.

An early look at the Virginia Cavaliers.

John M (The Crimson Quarry) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:00:12 -0000

More photos » by Chuck Burton - AP

Al Groh is older than I thought.

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University of Virginia
Location: Charlottesville, Virginia
Founded: 1819
Enrollment: 20,000
Conference: Atlantic Coast
Series: first meeting
Coach: Al Groh (9th season, 56-44)

Indiana and Virginia face on the football field for the first time on October 10 in Charlottesville. I'm not at a point in my life where I can just get away for the weekend at my leisure, but if I were, I would be heading to this game. Charlottesville is considered one of the nicest college towns in America and UVa one of the most picturesque campuses. If my quick research is correct, IU will be only the second Big Ten team to make the trip to Charlottesville (Penn State played there as an independent in 1988 and as a Big Ten school in 2001).

It's hard to believe that former New York Jets coach Al Groh is entering his ninth season as head coach at his alma mater. Groh has a respectable record and has led the Cavaliers to five bowl games in his first eight seasons, but has never had a breaktrhough season. Groh's best season was 2007, when the Cavaliers went 9-3 in the regular season and played in the Gator Bowl, but Virginia slipped to 5-7 in 2008.

Most of the coaching "hot seat" lists that feature Bill Lynch also list Al Groh. After last season, Groh shook up his staff, and even his son, former offensive coordinator Mike Groh, did not survive. Despite the family tie, that's not terribly surprising. The Virginia offense was horrible last season. The Cavaliers #105 in yards per game (299), #108 with only 23 offensive touchdowns, and #95 with 3.4 yards per rushing attempt. Virginia's passing numbers were superficially respectable (61 percent of passes completed, but despite 36 passes per game, the Cavaliers scored only 9 touchdowns in the air. Fortunately, the UVa defense was above average overall, but not good enough to cancel out the offense.

The most suspenseful storyline involving the Cavaliers this preseason is the three-way quarterback competition between Marc Verica, Vic Hall, and Jameel Sewell. Verica was the starter last year, Sewell led the 2007 Gator Bowl team but injuries and academics caused him to miss the 2008 season, and Hall has spent most of his career as a defensive back but topped the depth chart during spring practice. According to this ESPN blog entry by IU alum Heather Dinich, new UVa offensive coordinator Gregg Brandon is installing an exciting, fast-paced no huddle offense. Sound familiar? Maybe Virginia will install the pistol in 2010. In any event, it's not at all clear which quarterback will play in week one, let alone against IU, although the new offense apparently favors a quarterback who can run, and Hall and Sewell apparently fit that mold better. Verica's statistics for 2008 were odd. He completed over 63 percent of his passes and averaged over 200 yards per game, but he threw only 8 touchdowns to 16 interceptions. UVa will be starting over with a new system, possibly a new quarterbakc, and with most of the leading receivers and rushers from 2008 gone. Running back Mikell Simpson and receiver Cary Koch return the most production at their respective positions. On defense, UVa returns most of its offensive line, but loses most linebackers and has decent experience in the defensive backfield.

Virginia will be an interesting team to watch. For all of the optimism surrounding the new system, UVa loses lots of top players on both sides of the ball. If IU can return to 2007 form, this could be an interesting game, but that's the constant caveat.

Previewing TCU Opponents: Virginia Cavaliers

Jeremy Mauss — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 10:00:14 -0000

Virgina was not one of the ten teams to go bowling from the ACC and finished last year with a 5-7 record. This year looks to be worse, however there is one publication that is predicting them to get to the mediocre level of 6-6 and celebrate a bowl berth, but that is on the most optimistic end.

The Cavaliers return five starts on offense and six on defense with little to be excited on offense. Defense there is promise starting with cornerback Ras-I Dowling to go along with a six starters back, and the rest of the projected starting lineup is full of seniors.

Scoring point was a huge problem last year for Virigina as they managed a measly 16 points per game and only outscored four teams in 2008. To make things even worse for the offense they do not return their starting running back or wide receiver, and their quarterback position is wobbly at best. Al Groh did bring in a new offensive coordinator in Gregg Brandon to help improve off an offense that was ranked 100 or below in nearly every offensive category.

The ever so important quarterback position will come down to former cornerback Vic Hall who convereted to quarterback for the last two games and looked good enough to the coaches to stay at that position. This looks bad because the Cavaliers return Marc Verica who was not great but is a quarterback and passed for over 2,000 yards.

Whoever is at quarterback will be protected well behind the wall that is the offensive line that is in the top third in career starts for offensive lineman in all of college football. That stat of career starts typically does translate into success for teams, so there is hope for Virgina.

Now all they need to do is find a running back and a wide receiver, so good luck with that Cavs when you go up against TCU.

Defense returns six starters which was solid and in the top third of scoring defense, and second in the ACC, but they gave up a ton of yards. They do lose cornerback Vic Hall to quarterback so the Cavs now need to replace another very good defender, plus Hall has the most tackles from a returning player. Those other replacements are all upperclassmen with the exception for redshirt freshman Steve Greer.

The linebacking corp could be vulnerable because that position was hit the most and they need to repalce three of their four linebackers. That is not a good sign since they were tenth in the conference in rushing defense, and also eighth in passing defense.

The expectations are not too high for Virginia, but they are expecting the offense to improve greatly under new offensive coordinator Gregg Brandon who was previously under Urban Meyer at Bowling Green as the offensive coordinator and then the head coach for six years. A bowl bid is the expectations for Virginia this year which would be a win one improvement from last year's 5-7 final record.

Mizzou 2009, Part One: Blaine Gabbert and the Four-Year Precedent - Why establishing expectations is so difficult

RPT — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:00:10 -0000

More photos » by L.G. Patterson - AP

Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert scrambles for yardage during the spring Black and Gold college football scrimmage on Saturday, April 18, 2009, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

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By this point, Missouri fans know all the questions around the conference. Is Kansas the most talented team in the North and, if so, will the schedule still prevent them from winning the division? Is Nebraska officially "back" enough to take the division despite trips to Columbia and Lawrence? Is this the year Colorado finally justifies a slew of "sleeper picks" from assorted media?

Within the confines of the Missouri program, there are multiple questions, to be sure. How will the offense and defense perform under new coordinators? What kind of depth can Missouri develop on the defensive line? Does the pass defense have anywhere to go but up?

But there's simply no avoiding THE question, and that question comes in the form of the 6-5, 240-pound righty wearing No. 11 behind center: How exactly will Blaine Gabbert perform for the Missouri Tigers in 2009? That question spawns another question, however. What is a fair expectation for Gabbert in 2009?

And, thus, the impossibility of determining the parameters of statistical success begins.

Now, I don't aim to (nor could I) infringe upon the statistical sovereignty of The Boy Bill C., but for months, I'd been wanting to look at the first year numbers of quarterbacks in similar situations. What follows the jump is a year-by-year breakdown of the last four seasons, looking at underclassmen in their first years of starting for teams coming off of a season in which they were ranked OR at least received votes in the final AP poll, as well as what their performances may mean for Gabbert in 2009.

2008
(click to enlarge)

2008 fails to provide a compelling comparative paradigm for Gabbert. It's somewhat hard to believe, but Marc Verica ends up as the gunslinger of the group in terms of attempts, finishing with the highest completion percentage but also an unsightly 1:2 TD:INT ratio. The two crown jewels of this group, Terrelle Pryor and Jeremiah Masoli, can attribute a decent portion of their successes to unique skill sets, skill sets not likely to be seen from Gabbert unless Yost begins calling the zone read 35 times a game. It's here where we begin to see why style of play is the lurking variable in this equation. This exception also applies to Steven Threet and Nick Sheridan, whom I lumped into a collective vortex of mediocrity in the first year of the Rich Rod regime. The interesting cases here are Jarrett Lee and Mike Hartline. They had the collective misfortune of stepping under center following two extremely successful predecessors in Matt Flynn and Andre Woodson. Lee, in addition to throwing six pick-sixes amongst his 16 INTs, accounted for 22 percent less yardage than Flynn. Hartline's struggles to replace Woodson's 3700+ yards and 40 TDs resulted in more playing time for Randall Cobb.

2007
(click to enlarge)

Talk about a small sample size. Raise your hand if you were expecting comparisons between Gabbert and Chris Turner and Sean Canfield. As a sophomore, Turner (and his awesome blond afro) supplanted Jordan Steffy as the starter for the Terps for the last eight games of the season. Yes, Gabbert is expected to lean heavily upon Derrick Washington and DeVion Moore, but in 2007, Turner's job was to defer to seniors Keon Lattimore and Lance Ball to the tune of 32 carries a game. Canfield's numbers are slightly skewed by a late-season injury, as well as Oregon State's 55-45 run-pass numbers in 2007. Yost has indicated throughout the offseason that he'd love to get Missouri closer to a 50-50 split, but it's hard to imagine MU keeping the ball on the ground 55 percent of the time. And then there's Sam Bradford, the football equivalent of the guy who always ruined the curve in all your classes. Don't get me wrong, I'd love nothing more than to have Gabbert put up Bradford-esque numbers, but placing an expectation of a 4:1 TD:INT ratio and a Big 12 title is almost the QB equivalent of Coulter-level hype.

2006
(click to enlarge)

OK, remember what I said about Bradford ruining the curve? I take it back. Look at the yearly comparison. Graham Harrell alone might have been enough skew the numbers (after all, the attempts -- usually in the 280 range -- spiked to 373), but throw in great debuts for Chase Daniel and Colt McCoy and an under-appreciated season from Nate Longshore and the numbers jump. Instead of settling near the 3:2 TD:INT ratio for the four-year average, this rather prodigious group edged closer to 2:1. Here is where we start to get a better window for comparison. Gabbert is indelibly linked to Daniel, but is the average Missouri fan expecting him to approach the numbers reached by Daniel in 2006? It's certainly not out of the realm of possibility, but he also inherits a cupboard that (although not bare) isn't nearly as stacked as Daniel's was. With the Big 12 skewing the averages, the completion percentage, yards/attempt, and TD:INT ratio start to seem fair given Gabbert's situation in 2009.

2005
(click to enlarge)

If you bow at the throne of Rivals rankings, allow me to cite chapter 2005. In the previous three years covered, only one five-star underclassman (Matthew Stafford in 2006) had seen significant starting time for a team coming off of a season in which the program received Top 25 votes. The 2005 sample includes two five-stars in Kyle Wright and Rhett Bomar. For all the grief Wright got during his tenure at Miami, it all started relatively well in 2005. The 18 TDs would be a career high for Wright. Meanwhile, Bomar used his time off from Big Red Sports/Imports to put together a slightly less impressive debut. Granted, Oklahoma ran the ball on 59 percent of plays in 2005 thanks to the tandem of Adrian Peterson and Kejuan Jones, keeping his numbers (and his importance to that offense) relatively low.

What does it all mean?
(click to enlarge per game averages)

So, what does it all mean? Very little. The numbers show that the majority of underclassman starters even at recently successful programs A) are going to be relatively protected, B) will be hard pressed to have the astronomical TD:INT ratios we're used to, and C) can't really provide us with a perfect mold to place around Gabbert. According to the numbers, the average line of the first-year underclassman starter ends up being 15-for-25 for 182 yards with a touchdown and a pick. More Derrick Washington or less Derrick Washington, it's difficult to envision Gabbert only putting the ball up 25 times a game. In the 2006 analysis, I said those numbers start to look fair for Gabbert: 60 percent completion, 7.3 yards per attempt, and a 2:1 TD:INT ratio. Presuming Gabbert hovers around the 35 attempt average, that puts his nightly projections around 21-for-35 for 255 yards, and hopefully not worse than 2 TDs/1 INT.

Of course, in the end, gaudy stats don't necessarily mean success (see: Juice Williams' 451 yards and 4 TD against Missouri last season). But as much as I can dance around applying finite expectations to Gabbert (and trust me, NO ONE loves ignoring stats for gut feelings more than me), if it's time to start applying digits to Gabbert's debut season as starter, this seems like as good a launching point for discussion as any.

Poll

Ignoring wins as the obvious indicator of success, on a per game average, is the proposed stat line (21/35, 255 yards, 2-4 TD, 1-2 INT) a fair expectation of success for Blaine Gabbert?

No, that expects too much of him

28 votes

Yes, seems about right

150 votes

No, expectations should be higher

28 votes

206 votes | Poll has closed

Russell Wilson Breaks the Turnover Curve for ACC Quarterbacks

furrer4heisman — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 04:00:13 -0000

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NC State's Russell Wilson is the reigning ACC rookie of the year, first-team All-ACC quarterback and king of turnover efficiency. Wilson fumbled eight times in ACC play in 2008, but lost only one of them. That, combined with only interception made him responsible for two interceptions in league games.

Wilson was head and shoulders ahead of any other returning ACC quarterback in turnover efficiency categories last year. He turned the ball over twice, tied with North Carolina's TJ Yates for fewest in league play, and was involved in the second-most plays (throwing and passing) with 308 behind Virginia's Marc Verica at 318.

But Verica was at the opposite end of the spectrum in ball security. He was responsible for 16 turnovers (13 INTs and three fumbles) in his 318 plays. After the jump, you'll see how the returning ACC quarterbacks fared taking care of the ball.

Remember, all of these tables are for league games only. First, we'll look at plays per turnover.

(Plays - number of pass attempts and rushing attempts; TO - number of interceptions and fumbles lost; PPTO - plays per turnover)

**QBs Plays Per Turnover (ACC Games Only)**
Player		Plays	TO	PPTO
Russell Wilson	NCS	308	2	154.0
Chris Turner	UMD	301	6	50.2
Thaddeus Lewis	DU	251	6	41.8
Riley Skinner	WFU	281	7	40.1
TJ Yates	UNC	75	2	37.5
Tyrod Taylor	VT	209	8	26.1
Josh Nesbitt	GT	206	8	25.8
Christian Ponder	FSU	303	12	25.3
Jacory Harris	MIA	142	6	23.7
Marc Verica	UVA	318	16	19.9
Average		2394	73	32.8

Wilson blows everyone else out of the water in this stat. It's not fair, really. He destroys the curve and the league average. The Hokies' Tyrod Taylor was just below the league average in plays per turnover but didn't fair nearly as well in yards per turnover. Once again, Russell makes everyone look bad in this category.

(Yds - Total yards, passing plus rushing; TO - interceptions and fumbles lost; YPTO - yards per turnover)

**QBs Yds Per Turnover (ACC Games Only)**
Player		Yds	TO	YPTO
Russell Wilson	NCS	1856	2	928.0
Chris Turner	UMD	1638	6	273.0
TJ Yates	UNC	462	2	231.0
Thaddeus Lewis	DU	1267	6	211.2
Riley Skinner	WFU	1354	7	193.4
Jacory Harris	MIA	857	6	142.8
Josh Nesbitt	GT	1054	8	131.8
Tyrod Taylor	VT	1036	8	129.5
Christian Ponder	FSU	1551	12	129.3
Marc Verica	UVA	1616	16	101.0
Average		12691	73	173.8

Tyrod dips all the way to eighth among the returning quarterbacks in yards per turnover. It gets even worse when we look at touchdown to turnover ratio. Again, Wilson. Again, he was kind of good in this category.

(TD - number or passing and rushing touchdowns; TO - interceptions and fumbles lost; Rat - number of touchdowns for each turnover)

**QBs TD:TO Ratio (ACC Games Only)**
Player		TD	TO	Rat
Russell Wilson	NCS	17	2	8.500
TJ Yates	UNC	4	2	2.000
Thaddeus Lewis	DU	10	6	1.667
Jacory Harris	MIA	10	6	1.667
Chris Turner	UMD	7	6	1.167
Riley Skinner	WFU	7	7	1.000
Josh Nesbitt	GT	7	8	0.875
Christian Ponder	FSU	10	12	0.833
Tyrod Taylor	VT	6	8	0.750
Marc Verica	UVA	8	16	0.500
Average		86	73	1.178

Tyrod was only better than Verica, who just wasn't very good at keep the ball away from the other team in 2008. We can only hope these number are indicative of a sophomore slump for Tyrod. As you'll see in our final table, his numbers were actually pretty good in 2007.

Tyrod's 2008 turnover efficiency numbers shouldn't be indicative of how good or bad a quarterback he is. He had a bad year when it came to ball security last year, but it isn't a trend.

**Tyrod Taylor Turnover Efficiency (ACC Games Only)**
Year	Plays	Yards	TD	TO	PPTO	YPTO	TD:TO
2007	142	495	8	3	47.3	165.0	2.667
2008	209	1036	6	8	26.1	129.5	0.750
Career	351	1531	14	11	31.9	139.2	1.273

If you plug Tyrod's 2007 efficiency numbers into the 2008 tables, he would be third in plays per turnover, sixth in yards per turnover and second in touchdown to turnover ratio. The Hokies will obviously need his 2009 numbers to mirror those of his freshman year. I don't think Tech's defense will be as good as it was the last two seasons and it will be up to Tyrod and the offense to win more than its share of games this year.

Looking at the other ACC quarterbacks, the turnover efficiency numbers are more evidence that Wilson is the best quarterback in the league. However, they could also mean Turner is a better quarterback than I give him credit for. They also show Jacory Harris to be a high-risk, high-reward quarterback. His touchdown to turnover ratio and yards to turnover ratio are fairly explosive. But he turned the ball over on at a high rate on a per play basis.

If Wilson had lost a few more of those eight fumbles, his numbers wouldn't look nearly as gaudy. But as it is he's like the one kid who made a 98 on the (What's a class people with a real major would have taken? Chemistry? We'll go with chemistry.) chemistry exam and destroyed the curve. Everyone else looks bad in comparison.