The Hokies have missed a game-changing running back for nearly a decade. The last time Tech had a player rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season was 2015, when Travon McMillian tallied 1,043. McMillian is the only player to eclipse that mark since 2011, the days of David Wilson. Khalil Herbert looks poised to join that club and stamp his mark on Virginia Tech Football history - despite his short stay.
Herbert currently leads the nation in average yards per carry with 10.4. His five touchdowns have him eighth in the country, but there are two Hokies’ records he might be able to challenge this season.
Most Net Yards in a Season
Khalil’s 449 net total yards this season has him on pace to challenge the Hokies single-season record. The record currently is held by David Wilson with 1,709 yards from 2011. That averages out to just above 122 yards per game. After three games Herbert is averaging just under 150 yards per game, which would extrapolate out to 1,646.7 yards for the 2020 season.
The main issues facing him is not only that teams will begin to focus on him more as the season continues, but that right now the Hokies have just 11 games on the schedule, whereas Wilson had 13 back in 2011. Despite the fewer number of games, that pace would put Herbert right around 3rd all-time, with Kevin Jones’ 2003 campaign.
Highest Yards-Per-Carry Average
So far this season Herbert has had 43 carries from the Hokies opening three games for a net 449 yards. His average now sits at an incredible 10.4 yards per carry. That’s off the chart and unlikely to maintain, but he is on pace to smash the Virginia Tech record.
The most yards averaged per carry by a running back at Tech is Andre Kendrick for the 1999 season when he averaged 6.26 per rush. Khalil is one of the Hokies’ biggest offensive weapons and needs to feature heavily in the upcoming games. With Hendon Hooker starting on Saturday, let Herbert carry the load, defenses key in on him and let Hooker focus on the passing game.
The down side here is that this is Herbert’s only year playing for Virginia Tech and it’s a shortened season. Let’s hope the coaching staff can take full advantage of this special talent.