[caption id="attachment_523" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Virginia threw away a golden opportunity for a 'W' on Saturday. Photo / Virginia Media Relations / Matt Riley"]
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Such is life as a Wahoo. Just a week ago, the Virginia Cavalier football program appeared to be turning the corner following an impressive upset of the 12th-ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. There was light, in the form of post-season play, within clear sight at the end of the tunnel. This past Saturday, however, a more familiar UVA team took the field - putting forward an incredibly lackluster performance that resulted in a 28-14 loss at the hands of a struggling NC State team. In what now can now be described as an habitual problem, mistakes plagued the Cavaliers throughout on Saturday, costing Virginia a golden opportunity at getting to the seemingly fleeting 6 win bowl-eligible plateau. While Coach London had previously pointed to the GT victory as a potential monumental victory for the program, it will now be the way his team responds to a bitter home conference loss that will define the 2011 season for the Virginia Cavaliers.
Quarterback Disaster
[caption id="attachment_524" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Quarterback David Watford threw 3 interceptions against NC State. Photo / Virginia Media Relations / Matt Riley"]
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It started as somewhat of a mystery. It quickly became a controversy. Now, Virginia has a complete disaster with it's quarterback rotation. Here's your broken record: quarterback Mike Rocco starts the game, the Cavaliers put points on the board, quarterback David Watford comes in for the 4th series of the game regardless of what is happening on the field, and then Virginia coaches randomly plug and pull to the point of no return. It doesn't take a very keen football eye to see the complete disruption this system is causing on the play of the quarterbacks and thus the rhythm of the offense. It's also clear that each quarterback has his own strengths, so why aren't these strengths being played to? It is incredibly disheartening to see this situation continue to hurt the team 7 games into the season. If the coaches want to keep playing both guys, at least do so with some coherent strategy. More importantly, put these guys in a position to succeed. Don't pull Rocco after finding his groove on an 80-yard touchdown drive, don't call out-routes for Watford when he is very limited on touch throws, and use the running game to keep the rest of the offense in a consistent flow. What the coaches do with this position moving forward will ultimately determine whether or not Virginia is able to secure two more wins and see post-season play.
Run the Football!
[caption id="attachment_525" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Clifton Richardson needs more touches. Photo / Virginia Media Relations / Matt Riley"]
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As bizarre as the quarterback situation has been this year, Coach Lazor's propensity to abandon the running game at times is even more head-scratching. As evident against Georgia Tech, Virginia's offense functions best when opposing teams get a heavy dose of Perry Jones, Kevin Parks and Clifton Richardson. Even then, Virginia ran several ill-timed, forced passing plays against a defense that couldn't stop 10 year old. Again, the coaches need to put their guys in a position to succeed - which means limiting the opportunities for the quarterbacks, who have thrown for a combined 12 picks on the season, to do just that. The 27 carries for Virginia's backs against NC State was simply not enough, especially considering the fact that NC State was without 3 of their top defensive lineman for Saturday's game. Furthermore, the consistent calls for passes on 1st and then 2nd downs put Virginia's offense in too many 3rd and long positions - something that they have struggled with all year. On Saturday, Virginia was 5-of-17 on third down conversions and 0-of-3 on fourth down coversion attempts. I understand that Lazor is trying to run a balanced offense and that passing the football allows for smoother sailing on the ground, but Virginia's quarterbacks are just not good enough to consistently rely on this season - especially when the defense knows we are going to throw the football. Going back to basics worked against GT, it's time to revisit that strategy against Miami.
Solid Safeties
[caption id="attachment_526" align="alignright" width="279" caption="Corey Mosely is finally starting to come into his own as a safety. Photo / Virginia Media Relations / Matt Riley"]
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Okay, enough with the negative. Though they had some breakdowns on Saturday, Virginia's defense continued it's solid play. Against an extremely efficient quarterback in State's Mike Glennon, the Cavaliers were able to generate two interceptions despite limited pressure from Virginia's defensive line. In particular, safeties Rodney McLeod and Corey Mosely built off of their solid performance against Georgia Tech with each making spectacular plays on the ball resulting in the previously mentioned picks. The oft-criticized duo now have a combined 51 tackles and 2 take aways on the season. With freshman corner Demetrious Nicholson struggling at time this year, the play of Virginia's safeties has become even more critical for a Cavalier defense that ranks 21st in the country. More importantly, Virginia now has 8 interceptions through 7 games - after all, an opportunistic defense helps offset a struggling offense. Moving forward, McLeod and Mosely will need to continue their productive efforts if Virginia's defense is to remain one of the top 25 defensive teams in the country.
Quick Turn
[caption id="attachment_527" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Coach Mike London has an extremely tough task in quickly refocusing the Cavaliers on the Miami Hurricanes. Photo / Virginia Media Relations / Matt Riley"]
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After a major letdown against NC State, Virginia's coaching staff must now quickly refocus the Cavaliers and prepare for a very quick turn with the Wahoos traveling to Coral Cables for a Thursday night match-up under the lights with Miami. Another poor outing could send the Wahoos spiraling in the wrong direction - a very dangerous threat with only 5 games now remaining on the schedule. On the other hand, an inspired effort by the Cavaliers during prime-time could be just what the doctor ordered with regards to finishing the season strong. If we've learned one thing this season, it's that Virginia will play to the level of competition their presented with. Whether Jekyll or Hyde shows up is a different story.
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