The first Virginia football game I watched was when the team took on the Oregon Ducks at Scott Stadium in the second week of the 2013 season. With my brother being a first-year at the time and the team coming off an impressive win over Bronco Mendenhall’s BYU team, I wanted to see what all the hype in Charlottesville was about.
The game served as an ominous indicator of Virginia’s play for the remainder of the 2013 season. Giving up a 71-yard rushing touchdown to then-Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota in the first quarter, the Cavaliers eventually lost 59-10 and finished the year with a 2-10 record, last in the ACC.
When the Cavaliers played the Ducks in 2013, it could not have come at a worse time for this perennially downtrodden fanbase. The team had some momentum by besting a formidable BYU squad only to have all of that momentum quashed with the its biggest loss of the decade. This isn’t to say anybody expected Virginia to win the game — after all, Oregon was ranked No. 2 at the time while Virginia, unsurprisingly, was unranked. Nonetheless, fans expected the Cavalier offense to score more than 10 points and certainly not give up 59.
While nothing good came out of playing Oregon in the second week of the 2013 season, the No. 24 Ducks are the perfect opponent for Virginia in week 2 this year.
That statement may initially sound outlandish. Oregon has one of the fastest teams in college football. Their home record over this past decade is impeccable. They beat UC Davis by a score of 53-28. Some of you may be thinking, how could they possibly be the ideal opponent for a team that just lost to an in-state FCS rival?
There are several ways in which this matchup is beneficial for Virginia. First, it is impossible for the team to fall short in the expectations game. Against Richmond, a team that the Cavaliers hadn’t lost to since 1946, Virginia was expected to win handily, going in as 12.5-point favorites. Yet, the reality is that they lost. If misery lies in the gap between expectations and reality, then it makes sense why the Cavalier faithful were miserable after losing to Richmond.
Against Oregon, the expectations for success could not be lower. Demoralized after the loss to Richmond, Virginia fans enter Saturday’s primetime matchup with an extremely pessimistic mindset. Thus, even if the Cavaliers lose by under 20 points, it will be a victory for the team. No matter how the game goes, the result will not leave the team nor fan base as deflated as it was last week — giving the Cavaliers a better chance to turn their season around.
Also, it is safe to say that, with the potential exceptions of Clemson and Miami, the Ducks have the most powerful offense the Cavaliers will face this season. From dual-threat graduate transfer quarterback Dakota Prukop to junior wide receiver Darren Carrington II — who racked up 117 yards and a touchdown in the first game — the aerial attack of the Ducks offense is a force. Considering the Cavaliers gave up 337 passing yards last week and did not force a single turnover, this week provides the secondary with a chance to learn and improve going forward.
The same goes for bolstering the run defense. For each of the past nine seasons, the Ducks have had a 1,000-yard rusher — the longest active streak in the country. This year, Oregon has two chances at continuing that streak. Junior running back Royce Freeman and sophomore running back Tony Brooks-James are reminiscent of the 2011 season when the team touted the one-two punch of LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner at the position. Undoubtedly, these two will pose a threat to the Virginia defense. Yet, again, the task will push the defensive line and linebackers harder than before, providing help for the rest of the season.
Luckily, in contrast to its high-octane offense, Oregon does not have the best defense. As evidenced by giving up around 40 points per game last season, Oregon does not win games by slowing opponents down but rather by scoring more points than they do.
Here is where Virginia has its best opportunity to gain momentum coming out of this game. While junior quarterback Kurt Benkert moved the ball relatively well against Richmond, going 26-34 with 264 yards and three touchdowns, the Cavaliers’ ground game was relatively non-existent. Luckily, last week, Oregon gave up 96 rushing yards and three touchdowns to UC Davis senior running back Manusamoa Luuga. Not only will Oregon’s fast-paced offense potentially lead to a high-scoring affair, pushing the Virginia aerial attack, but also its weak rush defense will allow senior running back Taquan Mizzell to take advantage and gain momentum on the ground.
Virginia is not going to beat Oregon this week, and nobody expects them to. But if the Cavaliers play their cards right and try to put their ducks in a row, they may be able to use this game to gain momentum heading into a must-win game at Connecticut next week.
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