Hokies and Cavaliers players earn ACC weekly honors

Brock Hoffman made his first start with the Hokies in the season-opener with NC State.

Virginia Cavaliers freshman tight end, Lavel Davis Jr. makes his second TD reception in the teams season-opening win over Duke, 38-20. (NBC 29)

ROANOKE, Va. – Virginia Tech Center Brock Hoffman was named the ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week after making his initial start for the Hokies in a season-opening 45-24 win over NC State.

The 6-foot-3 Statesville, North Carolina native led an offensive line that helped the Hokies run for 314 yards. It’s only the third time since Tech joined the ACC in 2004 that the Hokies have racked up 300+ yards on the ground in an ACC game.

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Virginia Tech Center Brock Hoffman was named ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week after the Hokies win over NC State. (Virginia Tech Atletics)

Tech’s 314.0 ypg rushing avgerage ranks second in the nation behind only Army (320.0 ypg), while Miami (232.3 ypg) is the next-closest ACC squad in that stat.

Hoffman helped pave the way for RB Khalil Herbert, who racked up 104 rushing yards on Saturday night. Tech averaged 8.5 yards per offensive play against NC State and averaged 7.7 yards per rushing attempt.

The game was Hoffman’s first since competing at Coastal Carolina in 2018 before transferring to Virginia Tech.

Virginia wide receiver Lavel Davis Jr. and linebacker Zane Zandier also earned Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week honors for games played through Sept. 27.

Davis Jr. was named the receiver and rookie of the week, while Zandier was named the linebacker of the week.

Playing in his first game, Davis, a true freshman from Dorchester, South Carolina, finished with four receptions for 101 yards highlighted by his first two career touchdown receptions, both coming in the fourth quarter. His first was 18 yards, and his second, went for 26 yards. His yardage total (101 yards) was a school record for a Cavalier receiver making their collegiate debut.

Zandier, an inside linebacker, notched a career-high 15 tackles to lead the UVA defense. The Cavaliers picked off five Duke passes (tying a school record), recovered two fumbles and piled up five sacks. His tackle total was the most by an ACC player this season.

Zandier also had two tackles for loss and broke up a pass during the game. He led a UVA effort that limited Duke to just 56 rushing yards. Zandier’s previous tackling high was 10 against Ohio in 2018.