Virginia (3-7, 2-4 ACC) fought the Cardinals (6-4, 5-3) down to the final whistle, but second half miscues cost the Cavaliers a chance at bowl eligibility.
If the Cavaliers want to be bowl-eligible for the first time since 2011, they must initially go through a tough Louisville squad on the road this Saturday. Virginia (3-6, 2-3 ACC) has to win its final three games for any hope of playing postseason football this winter.
Virginia football’s road losing streak extended to 14 games following a 27-21 defeat at the hands of Miami Saturday afternoon at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
“They’re a team that has got a new sense of energy,” coach Mike London said.
Mike London, now in his sixth season, isn’t in all that different of a position than Beamer found himself in back in 1992.
The ACC named sophomore free safety Quin Blanding its Defensive Back of the Week for games played through Oct. 31st.
Make no mistake, apathy is at an all-time high in the Mike London era. The 32,308 in attendance on Halloween drew jokes of fans dressing up as bleachers in the 61,500-seat stadium. Ironically enough, against a triple-option offense that averaged 284 rushing yards per contest, Virginia beat the Yellow Jackets at their own game.
Saturday’s game against Georgia Tech was fittingly bizarre for a Halloween game. As if in costume, Virginia did their best impression of the Yellow Jackets (3-6, 1-5 ACC) winning the game behind a prolific rushing attack, possession totals that can only be described as selfish, and a late defensive stand.
The Cavaliers have a week to regroup as they face a Georgia Tech (3-5, 1-4 ACC) team that is flying high.
Lost in the frustration about five second-half turnovers in a 26-13 loss to North Carolina Saturday, the Virginia football team quietly put together it’s most convincing performance of the year.
Fresh off a victory against Syracuse that featured a second half surge, the Cavaliers fell flat in the latter 30 minutes Saturday against North Carolina.
I am sorry to report that the Virginia Cavaliers disappeared on Saturday. The team mysteriously vanished shortly after the start of the fourth quarter of their contest against North Carolina.
I don’t regret expressing my disagreement with London’s game-management decisions, but booing doesn’t help anything.
After arguably its most important victory of the season, the Virginia football team will head down to Chapel Hill to try to upset North Carolina in the South’s Oldest Rivalry.
I do expect the team to try, and leaving clock and timeouts on the field is the definition of not trying. That is why I boo — not at the players, but at our coach’s apparent lack of effort and drive.
“Close game” and “heartbreaker” have so often been synonymous terms where Virginia football is concerned.
Losing can wear on a team, especially one that has lost as frequently as Virginia over the past few seasons. Unlike Virginia squads of old, the Cavaliers bounced back.
“Syracuse is a very fast defense,” coach Mike London said. “They run to the ball well...So [it’s] going to be important for us to protect our quarterback.”
A week after defeating Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh completed the commonwealth sweep, taking down the Cavaliers 26-19 Saturday afternoon at Heinz Field.
The bye week gave London’s team an opportunity to regroup for its first conference matchup of the season, which comes this weekend on the road against the Pittsburgh Panthers.
