Virginia football kicks off its 126th season against No. 13 UCLA Saturday. Converging on the Rose Bowl are two quarterbacks cut from different cloths, yet both carry the burden of expectations heading into the 2015 college football season.
Starting under center for Virginia is junior Matt Johns, a largely unheralded three-star recruit from Central Bucks South High School in Warrington, Pa.
Johns’ opposite is true freshman Josh Rosen, the No. 1 pro-style quarterback in the class of 2015.
Rosen racked up offers from traditional powerhouses Florida State, Notre Dame and Texas just to name a few, while Johns received only the one scholarship offer from the Cavaliers.
But being lightly recruited does not affect Johns, at least not in a negative manner. It drives Virginia’s signal caller.
“It’s one of the reasons I play with a chip on my shoulder … It helps me put everything aside and not listen to that noise,” Johns said.
Johns received his first real taste of quarterbacking in last year’s season opener at home against then-No. 7 UCLA — he also made a brief appearance against VMI in 2013 but did not throw the ball. Coach Mike London opted to swap out starter Greyson Lambert after a disastrous first-half performance, which included two pick sixes.
Coming on in relief, Johns orchestrated a 75-yard drive that ended with a touchdown pass to then-freshman wideout Andre Levrone in the last minute of the first half to trim the Bruins’ lead to 21-10.
Virginia would outscore UCLA 10-7 in the second half, but the 21 points scored by the Bruin defense in the second quarter provided them enough cushion as UCLA won 28-20.
“That was a game that Matt kind of showed that he had a little bit of stuff in him, and that he could be — eventually be a good player here,” London said.
Johns made eight more appearances at quarterback, including three starts, in 2014 and threw for 1,109 yards and eight touchdowns.
During the same time, Rosen was lighting up opposing defenses for St. John Bosco in Bellflower, Calif. As a senior, Rosen threw for 3,186 yards and 29 touchdowns with a 63.6 completion percentage.
Rosen beat out junior Jerry Neuheisel to become the only true freshman quarterback to start a season opener for the Bruins and the first to start a game since Drew Olson did so midway through the 2002 campaign.
Tabbing Rosen the starting quarterback presents a break in the continuity that coach Jim Mora so enjoyed. Brett Hundley, now with the Green Bay Packers, started under center in all 40 games between 2013 and 2015 before declaring for the NFL Draft.
“It’s going to be interesting to see how our offense reacts to a new quarterback under center for the first time in three years,” Mora said. “I’m sure there will be some plays where you hold your breath a little.”
Rosen should be expected to make rookie mistakes Saturday, and Cavaliers defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta will try to force as many errors as possible by ratcheting up the pressure. Tenuta’s love of the blitz is well-documented, and he will likely throw everything he has at the 18 year old.
But Mora has placed his quarterback in a position to succeed as Rosen is surrounded by skilled playmakers and a more solid offensive line.
The Bruins’ offensive line was less than firm during the 2014 opener. Then-junior Jake Brendel sat out due to injury, which forced then-sophomore guard Scott Quessenberry to slide into the center slot. Freshman Najee Toran filled Quessenberry’s spot at right guard.
Virginia’s front seven was able to take advantage of the reconfigured UCLA line. The Cavaliers sacked Hundley five times and held the Bruins to three yards per carry.
Part of the challenge facing Virginia is generating an effective rush. All three defenders that recorded sacks of Hundley — linebackers Henry Coley and Max Valles with two apiece and fellow linebacker Daquan Romero with one — are gone, as is defensive end Eli Harold.
The Cavalier defensive linemen and linebackers must now do it on the fly against a veteran front line.
“The offensive line sets the tone and the tempo of our offense,” Mora said.
Aiding Rosen’s transition to the college game is his backfield mate junior Paul Perkins, the Pac-12’s leading rusher a year ago. In 2014, Perkins lugged the ball 250 times and accrued 1,572 yards and nine touchdowns. Perkins rushed for 80 yards against the Cavaliers last season.
Having a reliable rushing threat allows Mora the chance to ease Rosen into his first collegiate start.
“Coach Mora feels they can take some of the load off of him and as long as he facilitates getting the ball to those players and run their system,” London said. “Obviously they believe that he can do that.”
Currently a 19.5-point underdog, few outside the program give the Cavaliers a chance against the Bruins, but that does not mean this team does not believe in its quarterback.
“We have this one guy that we can roll with and this whole team, this whole program trusts this guy and believes in this guy,” senior wide receiver Canaan Severin said.
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
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