Notable Numbers: Virginia Tech at Liberty

Hokies tie season high for sacks with five

Football
11/20/2022 8:00:00 AM

Picking up its first road win of the season, Virginia Tech football defeated Liberty 23-22 Saturday at Williams Stadium, and did so with plenty of noteworthy stats.

For a deeper look at the numbers, view below.

Stats with Salas

Finishing Strong

TyJuan Garbutt had himself a day, totaling six tackles, three TFLs, two sacks and one forced fumble, becoming the first Tech player to accomplish the feat since 2014 (Ken Ekanem vs. North Carolina). Garbutt, who missed two games earlier this year due to injury, is turning in a fine senior season for the Hokies, with leading the team in TFLs (12) and sacks (6.5) despite not playing in every game.

Hat Trick

Running back Jalen Holston, who has waited his turn to be the primary ball carrier in the backfield since he arrived to Blacksburg in 2017, got his chance Saturday (career-high 26 carries) and made it count, racking up a career-best three touchdowns and career-high 99 rushing yards. It marked his first multi-touchdown performance since Nov. 14, 2020 versus then-No. 9 Miami (Fla.) in Blacksburg.

 

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Hill City Return

Saturday’s game marked the first time the Hokies have played in Lynchburg since 1949. In that game, Tech and Washington & Lee battled to a 6-6 tie. The game also marked the first non-neutral site game played in Lynchburg for Tech (a true road game). Overall, the Hokies are now 14-11-2 all-time in the Hill City. 

Not So Fast

Coming into the game, the key storyline was how would Tech hold up and protect quarterback Grant Wells, with the Flames ranking No. 5 nationally in sacks per game. However, the Hokies held their own in that category, turning in a season-high five sacks. The five sacks were tied for the most this season (Boston College, Sept. 10) and the most in a road/neutral game since Oct. 3, 2020 at Duke, spanning 15 games.

Other Notables

Cole Beck, who has primarily played on special teams this season, recorded the longest kick return of the season, earning a career-high 40 yards … Tight end Nick Gallo hauled in the longest catch of his career (35 yards) … Linebacker Keli Lawson tallied his first career sack, an eight-yard loss … Tech tied its most…