Of the players who departed from the 2014 football roster, both defensive end Max Valles and outside linebacker Eli Harold were selected in the NFL Draft. Wide receiver Darius Jennings, linebacker Henry Coley and safety Anthony Harris also signed with professional teams following the draft.
Coach Mike London’s recruiting classes from 2012 and 2013 were ranked 25th and 29th nationally, respectively, while the class of 2014 included two five star recruits in defensive tackle Andrew Brown and ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year safety Quin Blanding. The talent is present — look at player statistics and NFL watch lists.
Why can these talented players not find success in their schedule? How can senior wide receiver Canaan Severin average 13 yards a reception and 74.5 receiving yards a game, yet the Cavaliers have gone 1-3, with the latest game against Boise State ending in a trouncing of 56-14?
There are two reasons that seem to counter the talent housed on the Virginia roster. The first is that the team is not coached to match the team’s skills. While our receiving team boasts the likes of wide receivers T.J. Thorpe and Severin and new talent in the position of tight end with redshirt freshman Evan Butts and graduate transfer Charlie Hopkins, offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild continues to focus on a “power run game” which averaged a total of 40 yards off of 33 carries against Boise State, an average of 1.2 yards per carry.
Defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta — although he has found a new pass rusher in sophomore linebacker Micah Kiser, who currently leads the ACC with 4.5 sacks — finds himself with a defense who has failed to intercept a single ball or recover a single fumble. However, his defense includes two five-star recruits. One of these players was Blanding, who was previously noted as the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year. The players present have shown their ability to make plays in seasons past, yet cannot make any big plays materialize.
I have heard the boos in the student section as Johns throws an interception or junior running back Taquan Mizzell drops a pass. I watch those donning orange and blue flood out of the stadium as all goes amiss. That is where the second reason I can see the lack of success of this football team stems from: they lack the correct support system, from both their fan base and their coaching staff. They are expected to fail by almost every person that watches them step out onto the field. They are predicted as 20-point underdogs to almost every opponent they have faced. A little support goes a long way.
That question is not just aimed at the fans of the Virginia Cavaliers — it is aimed at their head coach as well. As the Boise State game neared an end, London did something that he has done every one of his past three largely unsuccessful seasons: he pulled his quarterback out of the game and put the backup in.
Junior Connor Brewer should have never made an appearance in that game. When London put him in the game, he took away his support for Johns. Greyson Lambert struggled from this same lack of support, often being pulled from the game in favor of Johns.
Lambert is now the starting quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs, and this month broke the NCAA completion record. He already has seven touchdowns on the season, 733 yards and no interceptions (in comparison to 1632 yards, 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions for the entire 2014 season at Virginia). His completion percentage for 2014 was 59 percent, while he has currently completed 76.5 percent of his passes at Georgia.
All this team needs is a little faith. I suggest that if they hope to find success, the fans and the coaches find just a little confidence to put in the players who wear orange and blue.
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