Virginia has been sacking the competition so far

The Virginia Cavaliers are 4-0 in football for the first time in 15 years in large part to their outstanding defensive play. The Hoos defense currently ranks 39th the country in 3rd down conversions, 28th in points allowed, 14th in yards allowed, and 5th in tackles for a loss. Lastly, UVA’s 20 sacks are tied with Florida for the most in the entire country!

Those 20 sacks are already more sacks than the Cavaliers had for the entire season in 2012, 2011, or 2010. The last time a college football team had 20 sacks through four games was 12 years ago.

These sacks and tackles for a loss are not just coming from one dominant player either. 14 different Hoos have recorded a tackle for a loss and nine different players have recorded a sack. Virginia is the only team to have at least three players with at least five tackles for a loss. The Cavaliers are also the only team to have at least three players with at least three sacks.

That does not mean UVA is lacking star power though. Senior Jordan Mack has 29 tackles, 6 tackles for a loss, and 5 sacks while junior Charles Snowden has 28 tackles, 6 tackles for a loss, and 3 sacks. Only four players in college football have at least 28 tackles and three sacks on the season so far. Snowden and Mack are two of those four. Mack is the only player in the country with at least 29 tackles and five sacks on the season.

Look for the sack party to continue as the season goes along since five of Virginia’s remaining eight regular season opponents are ranked 104th or worse in sacks allowed per game. Out of 130 teams, Liberty (124th), North Carolina (125th), and Miami (129th) are three of the seven worst.

Time to feast!