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In what seems to be a habitual issue, the Cavaliers can't seem to put all three elements of special teams, offense and defense together in one game. UVa has had one game this season where all three units received an above average grade, but Maryland was not it. At some point in time, the coaches need to be held accountable for the performance. That time is now. Let's take a closer look at the Maryland grades and prepare for Wake Forest with a look at some trends.
Rinse and repeat. For the fifth straight week, the Virginia football team must try to bounce back from a loss. Mired in a five-game losing streak, the next opportunity to snap out of the slump comes against a Wake Forest team with its own issues. The Game Preview takes a closer look with Editor Kris Wright's Keys to the Game and his pick for the week.
That. Was. No. Fun. Am I referring to the end of the season for my beloved Cincinnati Reds or Virginia's game against Maryland? Is there any way you possibly can tell? Since I have neither the inclination nor the ability to break down why the Reds couldn't win one stinkin' game at home against the Giants, I suppose I will break down Virginia's effort against Maryland instead.
The Virginia football team continues to struggle on the scoreboard, posting just 20 points in a 27-20 loss to Maryland on Saturday. There are plenty of areas to analyze - offensive line inconsistency, dropped passes, penalties - that contribute to the scoring woes, but the bottom line is that UVa doesn't put up enough points on a regular basis. The Sunday Sampler takes a close look at the offense's issues.
The rest of the October schedule features home games for the Virginia football team. The Cavaliers hope some hometown magic can help stop a four-game losing streak after another road loss at Duke last week. In order to get a win, the Hoos must deal with a stout Maryland defense and an offense with a lot of variations. The "Watch List" breaks down some wrinkles to keep an eye on during this week's game.
Akil Mitchell has some pretty big shoes to fill this season. With the departure of senior post leaders Assane Sene and Mike Scott, and the transfer of James Johnson, Mitchell now becomes the only true veteran in the post. While Coach Tony Bennett suggests offense will now come from a "committee" of players, there's no doubt Mitchell will be called upon to do a lot of the dirty work in the paint (i.e. rebounding and defense).
Justin Anderson, Taylor Barnette, Evan Nolte and Mike Tobey are the newest additions to the University of Virginia men's basketball program, which held its media day on Wednesday. All four freshmen, as well as red-shirt freshman point guard Teven Jones, who enrolled at UVa last January, discussed their impressions of UVa and look ahead to the 2012/2013 season.
The Hoos netted their worst combined grade average of the season as the defense, offense and special teams averaged a dismal 68.5 average. There were some bright spots with the offensive line play and Phillip Sims did some nice things in his debut, but for the most part the issues that have kept the Hoos in the loss column for four consecutive weeks simply have not gone away as we will see in this week's report.
Stop the slide. For Virginia, this week's mission is really simple. Stop a four-game losing streak. While the last three opponents during the Cavaliers' skid own a combined 14-2 record, any hopes of salvaging the 2012 season rest on finishing October with two wins in two home games. The next comes against Maryland on Saturday.
The Virginia men's basketball team likely will look much different in March than it does in November. Two factors lead to that hypothesis: injuries and inexperience. Cavalier coach Tony Bennett addressed the challenges presented by those two big I's as the Hoos gathered for their media day on Wednedsay. The UVa coach is looking for another I - improvement - to be the path for this year's team.
A rough few weeks, eh? No argument there. Breaking down another loss might not be the most fun task, but it is the task before us nonetheless. So let's look a few things that I learned from the Duke game this past weekend.
Fans are frustrated. Losing to Duke, improved and 5-1 or not, does that to people. Ultimately, however, the single loss isn't what has ruffled feathers so far in 2012. No, the perceived lack of improvement and margin of defeat along with some disturbing patterns six games into this season are what's truly bugging fans thirsty for sustained football success.
Virginia has lost to Duke in its previous two trips to Durham, but this week's game is a big one for both teams' hopes of chasing down bowl eligibility. What can the Cavaliers do to snap a three-game losing streak and get back to .500 on the season? The Watch List takes a look at some of the match-up areas in Saturday's game between UVa and Duke.
We may look back Virginia's 44-38 loss to Louisiana Tech as the defining game of the 2012 season. Not so much from a won-loss perspective, but from a wake-up call perspective. Even after posting 625 yards and a 7.81 yards per play average against the 122nd ranked defense in the nation, Virginia still could not win a game on its home turf. Why not? Missed tackles, no power running game, poor pass coverage, and coaching blunders. If Saturday's game showed us anything, it shows that there is a drastic need for Virginia's rah-rah head coach to get in the faces of coaches and personnel and make some changes in who and how his team plays the game.
The Cavaliers have lost three straight games and sit below .500 on the season at 2-3 so the theme of the week appears to be "get back on track" for the Virginia football program as it searches for back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2004-2005. The recent losing skid combined with offensive struggles and turnovers has led to a week of change for the Hoos as well. Michael Rocco, who has started 18 straight games at quarterback for UVa, has been replaced by Phillip Sims, assuming a leg injury doesn't keep him out of action in Durham.
Ouch. Losses are never fun, and it is not like UVa was a big favorite to beat Louisiana Tech this past Saturday, but still ... I mean ... you know ... ouch. There is plenty for Virginia to learn coming out of this game, a game that could have been won. Let's discuss a few of those Things here.
For Saturday's game with Louisiana Tech, a disappointing 44-38 loss for the Hoos, I spent the day on the sidelines snapping photos for the site. So instead of a single focus to lead off The Sunday Sampler this week, I thought I'd take on some of the hot topics among Virginia fans and message board posters out there. Yes, that means there are some thoughts on the quarterbacks.
The Virginia football team led early, but gave up 34 unanswered points as Louisiana Tech stormed ahead. A late Cavalier rally came up short Saturday and the Bulldogs prevailed 44-38. Check out 40 free photos from the game, including a look at the retro uniforms worn in recognition of halftime honoree Frank Quayle.
The Virginia football team enters this week's contest with Louisiana Tech with a 2-2 record. The Cavaliers would like to end their two-game skid with a win, but that won't be an easy task. The Bulldogs have one of the nation's highest-scoring offenses. Of course with Tech's shaky defense on the other side of the ball, the media has been forecasting a potential shootout this week at Scott Stadium. Take a look at the "Watch List" to prepare for some wrinkles to monitor during the game.
Deja vu? For the second straight season, the Virginia football team enters the fifth game at Scott Stadium with a 2-2 record and a WAC opponent on the docket. Last season, the Cavaliers pulled out a 21-20 overtime win against Idaho and that jumpstarted a 6-2 finish to the regular season. Can the Hoos get some momentum going again with 2011 WAC Champion Louisiana Tech in town?
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