In this week’s Inside the Numbers article, we’ll switch our attention back to football.  We’ll focus on both sides of the ball, wich a special emphasis on the secondary, and also with an interesting comparison of the cornerbacks at Virginia Tech, UNC and NC State.

As per usual, all grades are from Pro Football Focus.

Game-by-Game Defensive Grades, And A UNC Comparison

Here are Virginia Tech’s game-by-game defensive grades this season.  I’ll break them down into overall grade, run defense grade, and coverage grade…

Opponent	Overall	Rushing	Coverage
NC State	72.9	57.3	74.0
Duke	60.9	50.3	63.0
UNC	28.5	23.7	44.9
BC	60.1	61.5	58.8
Wake	61.2	60.4	66.2
Louisville	61.3	62.6	57.6
Liberty	57.0	47.9	57.5
Miami	72.3	70.8	71.0
Pitt	54.6	57.3	56.8
Clemson	69.6	63.1	77.3

I wrote after the Clemson game that the Hokies’ defensive performance against the Tigers was arguably their best all season.  The only other arguments are the NC State and Miami games, but considering the talent level that Clemson puts on the field, I’m still going with that game as my pick.

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