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Watford weathers harsh scrutiny

Struggling starting quarterback is confident job remains safe

For Virginia football fans, the team’s bye week this past weekend may have served as a needed respite from a seven-game losing streak. For the players, it was an opportunity to regroup and fix their focus squarely on the last two games of the season.

No team wants to be 2-8, but the Virginia squad is facing the possibility of finishing 2-10 if it is not careful.

“What’s happened in the past, it’s all a learning experience, whether good or bad,” sophomore quarterback David Watford said. “We’ve had our ups and we’ve had our downs. All we can do is just continue to grow from each moment we have as a team and continue to build. When I look back on the season, I see it as a gut check — it’s going to bring out the best in some guys, and I feel like that’s what it’s done.”

Watford has found himself at the center of much of the criticism leveled at the team. After a breakout game against Georgia Tech on Oct. 26, Watford regressed in his past two games against Clemson and North Carolina, throwing for just 259 yards combined.

Virginia’s downfield passing has been particularly disconcerting this season. In Watford’s 376-yard, two-touchdown outburst against the Yellow Jackets, he threw 62 times for 43 completions, and most of the completions were short passes. In fact, Watford’s 5.2 yards per attempt for the season is tied for the fifth-lowest number among quarterbacks across the nation.

“It’s frustrating, but I would take most of the blame for it, because I’ve missed guys,” Watford said. “I’ve missed opportunities to make longer passes down the field. When I do put the ball up there, my guys go get it, and they’ve proven to do that for me.”

Coach Mike London echoed Watford’s concerns, but said the entire offensive line, not just Watford, shoulder the responsibility for the team’s mishaps.

“If you go back and you look at some of the games early, some of the drops — that was part of it,” London said. “Part of the development and the decision-making of the quarterback and making the correct reads based on coverages — that is part of it. The inability, once the catch is made, to break tackles and gain yards after catch — that’s part of it. There are a number of things you can look at that speak to the yardage or the lack of explosive plays, as we say, that we have not been able to do.”

Watford said while the team’s string of losses has been difficult, he has had people to rely on to stay positive. Outside of his teammates and coaches, he credits his family — including former Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans, his cousin — as well as former players, including legendary Cavalier defensive end Chris Long, currently in the NFL for the St. Louis Rams. Watford knows Long through Hagans, a former teammate, and regards him as an advisor.

“He’s been there for me and just helping me throughout this process… he’s always been supportive of me,” Watford said. “I text him from time to time, we just talk about football and everything going on and life.”

Watford said he is comfortable in his stead as starting quarterback, despite a shaky first season at the helm and some fans calling for redshirt freshman Greyson Lambert to receive more playing time after his sharp relief performance two weeks ago against North Carolina. According to Watford, London and offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild have given no indication he has reason to worry about his starting job security in the team’s remaining two games.

“[London] hasn’t tried to pull me or said ‘We’re going to go with Greyson this week,’” Watford said. “I don’t doubt Coach London and his decisions. I believe in him and he believes in me. I really haven’t been looking over my shoulder or any of that stuff — I’ve just been trying to work hard every day and focus on making myself better and what I can do to make my team better every practice and every game.”

London confirmed Watford’s place atop the depth chart, but said he may try to work Lambert into the last two games a little more to see what he can do and boost his development.

“Obviously, with the last two games left, if there are opportunities to interject Greyson into opportunities to play in the game, then we’ll do that,” London said. “But not more than what we’ve been doing as far as trying to develop these guys as we go forward here.”

Though London allowed for the possibility for a quarterback competition in the winter and spring, Watford said he is not concerned about a competition.

“I still expect to be the guy headed into the spring until I’m told otherwise,” Watford said. “I continue to work that way, whether I am, or it’s an open competition again. I continue to work hard.”

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