So much of the focus for fans in the aftermath of UVa’s 35-20 loss at Notre Dame last weekend was on the running game and offensive line. So lost in some of the post-loss discussion has been that not only did the Hoos get a big day from Bryce Perkins but also career afternoons from senior wide receivers Hasise Dubois and Joe Reed.
Dubois had nine catches for 143 yards, both career-highs, along with one touchdown. Reed, meanwhile, not only added a TD of his own but racked up 107 yards—12 short of his career-high—on nine catches, the most he’s had in a game at UVa, too.
Prior to the start of the season, many wondered aloud how Virginia would replace all-time leading receiver Olamide Zaccheaus, who had 93 catches for 1,058 yards and nine TDs in 2018. But it would seem the Hoos have their answer.
Reed and Dubois had quality junior seasons, catching a combined 77 passes for 1,043 yards and 12 scores. But early on they have raised their level of play through the first five games of the season. To date, Reed has caught a team-high 31 passes for 322 yards while Dubois has added 25 catches for a team-high 358. They’ve combined for six TDs.
“I will say that when we are throwing it, our receivers were catching it well,” Bronco Mendenhall said in South Bend. “They’re doing a nice job. I think we all saw that. And they were capable and they were effective when the ball got to them. So, we’re encouraged by that and disproportionately right now, if you want to get the ball to someone, it’s to our receivers.”
That the Cavaliers were able to come into the largest venue they’ll play in all season and have such an impressive first half says plenty about their ability to handle big situations.
“No,” Dubois said when asked if it bothers the team to play away from home. “We just pick up Charlottesville and bring it to wherever we play at. I don’t think, me personally, the atmosphere didn’t effect me at all. I mean, it can be loud here but I feel as though we just overcame it and played our ball.”
“Just another ballgame for us,” Reed added. “That’s what we train for, that what’s we practice for. It’s a football game and that’s what this was, another football game.”
“We like our receivers,” Mendenhall explained. “They played, as a position group, at a level that we had expected and hoped that they would. So they were consistent. The stage was not too big for them. They made critical catches. They made contested catches. They were productive. And they really did a nice job. So I was impressed and pleased with how they played.”
The moment certainly wasn’t too much for UVa’s two big-play receivers, something they feel like they will continue to show this season.
“It’s basically what we put in everyday,” Dubois said. “It’s just not a fluke experience. I guess our preparation just came and it showed out there on the field.”
The Wahoos were stout early and often in the passing game and both Reed and Dubois made tough catches in traffic.
“They press a lot and when they press, they weren’t very physical,” Dubois said. “So we just had to be physical with them, get open, and just attack the ball.”
But there’s no doubt that after running for just four yards against the Irish, something has to change for an offense that put up 334 yards through the air.
“Oh yeah,” Reed said when asked about the running game needing to improve. “That’s going to be on the agenda. Couple drills, just try to get better at that.”
“It’s going to be very important,” Dubois added. “Now after this performance from me and Joe, teams are going to try to double team us and everything and the running has to get open and help us succeed even more.”
Despite the lack of production on the ground, the rest of the offense still has confidence in the potential for producing in the run game.
“We can definitely bounce back,” Dubois said. “I feel as though this was a learning experience. I feel as though our O-line is very good, they’re very successful. I just feel as though we had, not a bad game but an off game today. I feel as though Olu (Oluwatimi) and the guys are going to tighten up and then they’ll be back to the best they can be when we play Miami.”
The way the team executed in the second half after such a great first 30 minutes was the difference in what appeared for a while to be an upset in the making.
“I feel as though they didn’t do anything different,” Dubois said of Notre Dame. “They just had a better will than us. I feel as though they came out with a chip on their shoulder just because they were down, so they felt as though they had to regain the lead and play their game. I don’t think anything changed. I think we were prepared for it. I just think they outworked our O-line today.”
It was hard to leave South Bend without the W but the players tried to keep that in perspective, too.
“Any loss is disappointing,” Reed said. “So, it’s as disappointing as any other loss.”
“I just feel as though the turnovers caused us not to play the same half as that,” Dubois noted, “but I feel we played to the very end. So I wouldn’t say this was a missed opportunity. I would say we came up short.”
For now, though, the first thing on the agenda is getting rest during the bye week and gearing up for the bulk of the ACC slate.
“After this experience, it comes at a great time,” Dubois said. “We can put this to bed, get right to Miami, and I feel as though with an extra week for them, I feel like we’ll be very prepared and we’ll go down there and execute on a Friday night.”
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