The Virginia football team (0-1) suffered its first loss of the season Saturday in the Rose Bowl against No. 13 UCLA (1-0), 34-16. Coach Mike London stated, “The challenge is always getting better for us as a football team. … We have opportunities to correct things. … We have opportunities to talk about the things that can put you in positions to be positive on plays and those things that cost us during the course of this game.”
Although there were a variety of places where the Cavaliers struggled in their season opener, there were also several positive takeaways. Both must be considered as they attempt to evaluate their performance and prepare for the rest of the season.
1) Running the ball isn’t getting first downs: Virginia gained a total of 98 rushing yards against UCLA. The Cavaliers junior starting running back, Taquan “Smoke” Mizzell had 100 receiving yards by himself, including a 19-yard reception that accounted for the team’s lone touchdown. Of Virginia’s 19 first downs, only three came from rushing. The Bruins’ defense limited Mizzell and junior graduate transfer running back Albert Reid to a mere 2.9 yards per carry. Running the ball isn’t working. Enter the powerhouse tight ends.
2) Potential for game-changing plays at tight end: With the addition of senior graduate transfer Charlie Hopkins and the emergence of redshirt freshman Evan Butts in a position that lacked depth last season, the Cavaliers have the potential to return to an era where tight end was king — a mere two seasons ago when Jake McGee was one of the faces of the program. As stated above, running the ball is not getting the job done, and with the loss of senior T.J. Thorpe at wide receiver, it makes a lot of sense to turn to the new talent available at tight end. Both Hopkins and Butts had receptions in Pasadena and showed potential to be significant powers in the Virginia pass game this season.
3) The ever apparent importance of the Johns-Severin on-field chemistry: Speaking of McGee, when fans of the Cavalier football program think of his outstanding catches, they often think of the passes from quarterback Michael Rocco. Their friendship and resulting on-field chemistry was often cited for the wild catches. Saturday, Cavalier fans got to see another important on-field chemistry between junior quarterback Matt Johns and senior wide receiver and captain Canaan Severin. Roommates and self-described best friends, the two share an evident connection during the game, including five times in the Rose Bowl for a total of 58 yards. Cavalier fans everywhere will wait patiently all season to see if they will be able to witness a pass as spectacular as the game-winning throw from Rocco to McGee against Miami in the final six seconds in 2012. If any pair of friends on the Cavalier roster has a chance to top that, it is Johns and Severin.
4) The Cavaliers’ kicking game is strong: Senior kicker Ian Frye, who is on the preseason watch list for the Lou Groza Award for the best collegiate kicker, went 3-for-3 on field goals for Virginia and scored the majority of their points Saturday. In addition, walk-on junior punter Nicholas Conte made his collegiate debut and averaged 50.5 yards per punt.
5) The defense felt the loss of four starters to the NFL: Despite the integration of many seasoned, older players to the defensive starting line, the Cavaliers were feeling the loss of four key defensive starters to the NFL from last season. The Virginia defense allowed over 500 yards for the first time since the 2013 season. Despite highlighting the importance of the pass-rush game in preseason camp, the Cavaliers were only able to sack true freshman quarterback Josh Rosen once.
With several issues, and many positive takeaways, the Virginia football team has a lot to evaluate and work on before it faces No. 11 Notre Dame in its home-opener Sept. 12.
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