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Sabre Edge Features
Road redemption? Revenge for 2009? Maybe just a chance to forget about last week's 56-20 debacle at Georgia Tech? It's hard to pin down what this week's "theme" may be for the Virginia football team, but rest assured no one in orange and blue wants to get embarrassed for the second week in a row after the poor showing in Atlanta last week. The problem, of course, is that this week's trip to Fort Worth, Texas, isn't going to be any easier. In fact, it may be tougher.
For an offense that is struggling in several areas, Fort Worth isn't ideally where you'd start a search for answers. Fort Worth, after all, is home to the Texas Christian University football team and the Horned Frogs don't make things easy on opposing offenses. In fact, it's outright hard to score on the TCU defense.
For me, it just would have been better if this week of football hadn't happened. I mean, I thought the Chicago Bears game on Thursday night was bad - it was - but Saturday wasn't much better for the Hoos. Remembering the game won't be much more fun than watching the game was over the weekend, but that's the task before us. Here are some things I learned from the Georgia Tech game.
The Virginia football team did not play well Saturday in a 56-20 loss at Georgia Tech. That's an obvious statement. As coach Mike London said in the aftermath, "There are always things when you lose a game like this, you're quick to point fingers, you've got to do this, you've got to teach that." Certainly, a long list of issues could be compiled from the defeat: poor tackling, big plays allowed, no running game, inconsistent pass blocking, turnovers ...
The Sunday Sampler dives into some of the topics.
The fears of an inexperienced defense facing Georgia Tech's spread option offense turned into nightmares for Virginia on Saturday in Atlanta as missed assignments and poor tackling led to a big-play bonanza for the Yellow Jackets. So when the UVa offense struggled for the second straight week and a shootout didn't materialize, the scoreboard turned ugly in a 56-20 loss for the Hoos.
Virginia and Georgia Tech lock horns this week in a pivotal ACC Coastal Division showdown. The two teams have played some close contests over the years and UVa barely leads the series 17-16-1. In other words, the Cavaliers' first road game of 2012 could be a thriller in Atlanta. What do Hoo fans need to know about the details of the match-up? The Georgia Tech Watch List breaks it down.
It's been said that most teams realize the most improvement from week one to week two. Let's hope for the Cavalier offense that is more like week 2 to week 3. Aside from the three scoring drives, the Penn State game was an ugly, unimpressive performance by the Virginia offense. Of the team's 11 chartable offensive possessions, only three received an above average grade. Let's look at the grades at the trend report to prep for Georgia Tech.
Al Groh vs. Virginia. OK, that's not really the storyline for this week, though that situation does still carry some intrigue behind it for some fans. The real theme for the week from UVa's perspective, however, is two beginnings. This game it marks the team's first game on the road in 2012 and it opens ACC play for the Hoos as well.
In search of its first back-to-back winning seasons since 2004-2005, the Virginia football team opened on the right foot with a 2-0 start for the second straight year. Things get tougher this week for the Hoos as they open ACC play and hit the road for the first time as well. The Cavaliers face a powerful option attack and Al Groh's defense at Georgia Tech. Read about that, Demetrious Nicholson, Drew Jarrett, and more in this notes article.
The Virginia football team squeaked out a 17-16 win against Penn State on Saturday thanks to a late touchdown drive from the offense and quarterback Michael Rocco. Relive some of the action with this photo gallery that features 101 images of the Hoos, including Rocco, Steve Greer, Tim Smith, and more!
One week after receiving some criticism for their pass coverage performance against Richmond, Virginia's linebackers responded in a major way Saturday against Penn State. Starters Steve Greer, Henry Coley, and LaRoy Reynolds finished among the team's top four tacklers in the 17-16 win. Read about that and much more in The Sunday Sampler.
Saturday's outing against Penn State won't land in the top spot of worst offensive performances under the current coaching staff. It didn't miss by much, though. The Cavaliers struggled from the first play of the game on a day filled with penalties, turnovers, dropped passes, poor blocking, and more. So while the offense pulled a late-game rabbit out of its hat in a 17-16 win, plenty of work lies ahead for that unit this season.
The Virginia defense had a good day. Virginia's offense had a bad day. Penn State kicker Sam Ficken had the worst day of all. Those three factors came together to tell the tale as the UVa football team escaped with a nerve-rattling finish with a 17-16 victory on Saturday. It marked the second straight season that the Cavaliers defeated a Big Ten team on the last play of the game.
When Penn State rolls in Scott Stadium on Saturday for its first road game of the year, Virginia fans will see quite a few things that look similar to their own Cavaliers. With multiple formations on offense and a base 4-3 set on defense, the Nittany Lions' sets and schemes should feel somewhat familiar to the players too. TheSabre.com's "Watch List" gives you some specific areas to keep tabs on during the contest.
For the first time in the Mike London era all three operations, offense, defense and special teams finished a game with championship level marks in my postgame grades. Overall, there was plenty to like Saturday but several opportunities for improvement. Let's look at the UR grades as well as prep for Penn State with the Trend Report.
Growing up in Harrisonburg, Virginia, a small, peaceful town in the cradle of the Shenandoah Valley, Ralph Lee Sampson Jr. heard it all the time from his parents: Do the best you can, where you are, with what you have. The words would become Ralph's drumbeat. His core. Advice he would cling to from serene asphalt playgrounds all the way to glitzy NBA arenas. Sampson always did his best, where he was, with what he had.
Everything that happened in the last year at Penn State could be labeled shocking. So regardless of one's opinion on the NCAA sanctions, it's clear that the current coaches and players for the Nittany Lions face a challenging 2012 season. When asked how he thinks he would deal with the situation if he were coaching at Penn State, UVa coach Mike London said the only thing he could think of is to focus on football. So with that in mind, the game preview's goal is to focus on the game.
When Virginia released its football schedule earlier in 2012, it knew that Penn State would be playing its first road game of the season in Charlottesville. When the NCAA handed down sanctions for the Nittany Lions' program in July, however, it became clear that the visitors would have a much different look than expected. Read about that, Billy Schautz, and more in this notes article.
It's incredible how running a mere 20 minutes can make you so sore. It's also incredible how short 20 minutes can seem; also how long 20 minutes can drag on; and, even more incredible, how you can experience both these revelations within seconds of each other throughout said 20 minutes. I don't even think I have the mental capacity to handle anything longer than 20 minutes of running at this point.
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