With a four-game winning streak and an opportunity to clinch a bowl berth at home entering last weekend, the Virginia football team struggled against Boston College and was dominated in a 41-10 loss. The Cavaliers will have another go-around at securing a bowl berth this weekend as they get ready to take on Pittsburgh on the road. Here are some players and keys to watch out for as Virginia gets ready for another big ACC game.
Players to watch
Senior quarterback Kurt Benkert
Benkert struggled against Boston College, completing just over 50 percent of his passes, throwing for only 126 yards with zero touchdowns and one ill-fated interception. Benkert was unable to establish a rhythm with his receivers. The deep ball, which had been a strength for Virginia this season, was absent — Virginia’s longest pass play of the afternoon was 19 yards. Benkert has been stellar for the most part this season and is one of the reasons Virginia had started off 5-1. With an away game against Pittsburgh coming up, Benkert and Virginia will have another shot at earning bowl eligibility for the first time since 2011. To do so, Benkert must have a bounce-back performance and help uplift a Virginia offense that struggled throughout last Saturday’s game.
Senior linebacker Micah Kiser
As a captain and anchor of Virginia’s front seven on defense, Kiser’s importance to this Saturday’s game will start with practice this week. Getting the defense’s mind back on track after its worst performance of the season will be paramount to getting the team in position to win against Pittsburgh. Virginia Coach Bronco Mendenhall alluded to a lack of focus among the team due to the unavoidable noise of a bowl game, and he will need Kiser to snap the team back into focus with a big week of practice.
Kiser will also have to lead during the game on Saturday to make sure the defense has their assignments correct — an area that Mendenhall admitted the team struggled in against Boston College, especially on third down. Like Boston College, Pittsburgh gives the appearance of a team that will run the ball a lot — but this assumption allowed Boston College to get some big plays in the passing game early on, along with several big rushes in the first quarter. Kiser will have to pull his unit together and make sure they can get off the field by making the right plays. The senior will be key to righting the ship against Pittsburgh after an uncharacteristically flawed performance.
Keys to the game
Starting fast on the road
The road game Saturday will be Virginia’s third trip away from Scott Stadium this season. While the team won its first two road matchups, both came after a big home victory — the blowout win against Connecticut and the close thriller against Duke. The Cavaliers travel to Pittsburgh devoid of momentum — and in a hostile environment, they must make sure they come out with a strong opening quarter.
Opponents have outscored Virginia 31-28 in the first quarter this season, and with Pittsburgh also fighting to gain some wins to get back into bowl game contention, the Cavaliers cannot allow them to set the tone in the opening minutes. Showing some aggression on both sides of the ball — be it big passing plays on offense or blitzes on defense — can help Virginia take the air out of Heinz Field if they work. From there, the Cavaliers can play loose with some momentum at their backs from the get-go.
Third and fourth down stops on defense
Virginia struggled defensively against Boston College, giving up 41 points and 512 total yards. The Cavaliers especially struggled on third and fourth downs, often stopping the Eagles on the first two downs, but failing to stop them from getting a first down the third and fourth time around. Boston College finished 10 of 19 on third downs and two of three on fourth downs. This resulted in Virginia’s defense spending more time on the field, wearing the Cavaliers down as the game progressed and allowing the Eagles to continue piling on points. The Cavalier defense has been stellar for the most part this season — it will be interesting to see if the team can bounce back and get back on track this Saturday against Pittsburgh.
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