Editor’s Note: This is the fifth installment in our summer series breaking down UVa’s schemes, concepts, and personnel as the Hoos head toward the fall and presumably the 2020 football season. You can check out our first piece here, which focuses on the tight end position, our second right here, which focuses on the QB battle to come, our third piece here that breaks down the way UVa uses quarterback runs, and our fourth piece here which looks at UVa's outstanding OLBs.

Alonso was one of the key contributors and de facto starters on the defensive line in 2019, his junior season. He played in all 14 games, drawing nine starts, on the way to being in on a total of 580 snaps. That was up from 392 the year prior, when Alonso was an important part of the defensive line but missed the final four games of the season due to injury.

Statistically, Alonso had a very solid junior year. He finished with 23 total tackles (6.5 for loss) and a pair of sacks. Alonso played a key role in the win over Virginia Tech, recovering one fumble and forcing another that eventually sealed the Black Friday win for the Wahoos.

Alonso graded out solidly too, according to the Pro Football Focus data. His overall defensive grade of 71.4 was the eighth-highest on the team and seventh-best among regular starters. His run defense grade (69.2) was eighth-best among regular contributors while his pass rush grade (69.8) was sixth-best. Alonso’s tackling grade was a little further down the board but defensive lineman in a 3-4 are often occupying blockers so that other players at the second level can come up and handle the run.

The Miami native was a disruptive force as a pass rusher during his junior season and created 17 quarterback hurry plays on 25 successful rushes, according to PFF. Alonso had sacks in games against Miami and Tech, and created four or more pressures in wins over Liberty, ODU, and VT. Because of his alignment, most of his rushes came up the middle, often forcing Alonso to fight through double teams or “help” blocks to get into the backfield.

On this first example, No. 91 is lined up over the left guard and uses a quick inside move to get by him and into the backfield. The guard notices the blitzing linebacker behind Alonso and knows that his running back is behind him to pick off any rushers that get through. Alonso puts on a quick move to get into the open space inside the guard, who lets him by to pick up the blitzing linebacker. FSU running back Cam Akers isn’t able to identify Alonso as the free rusher quickly enough, and by the time he goes to make the block, the quarterback is forced to take off under duress from the junior. The result was a sack, credited to Jordan Mack.

Another element of Alonso’s game that stood out on the season review was his quick get-off at the snap of the football.

On this next play, he is again lined up over the left guard, against an ODU offense that is trying to go quickly late in the game. Notice how much quicker Alonso gets out of his stance at the line of scrimmage than any of his teammates along the line or more importantly the player attempting to block him. His quick start helps him fight off a block attempt and force ODU QB Stone Smartt to roll out and eventually throw the ball away.

The next play is Alonso’s biggest of the year, his strip sack of Hendon Hooker that led to an Eli Hanback recovery in the end zone that basically secured the Commonwealth Cup. The play is a great example of Alonso’s strength and skill, but also scheme to confuse the VT offensive line.

The Hokies were facing a 3rd and forever after allowing sacks on each of the previous two plays. Their main goal on this play would be to give Hooker a clean pocket and allow him to at least get some of those yards back and create a manageable 4th down attempt. Alonso could normally see a double-team on this play but he doesn’t. Here he's lined up over the right tackle and UVa sends Charles Snowden on a stunt behind him and into the middle of the defense. This gives VT’s right guard two options: either help out on Alonso or seal off Snowden from a free rush into the backfield. He chooses the latter, and Alonso bullies Tech’s tackle into the backfield and gets a hand on the football to pry it away from Hooker and allow Hanback to fall on it for the win.

This time in his hometown, Alonso earned one of his two sacks on the season. On this play, the line runs a shift to its right with everyone attacking the space between their potential blockers. Miami’s interior blockers don’t close that gap quickly enough, and Alonso gets to the quarterback quickly for an easy sack.

In addition to his pass rush chops, Alonso is a solid run defender on the line of scrimmage as well. His tackle numbers are never going to be very high, but he does have the ability to help blow plays up at or behind the line of scrimmage routinely. Alonso had his best run defense games against ODU, at UNC, against Duke, and in the Orange Bowl, where he graded out above 72 in each contest.

This first run play against Louisville shows his strength and, again, quick get-off at the snap of the ball. Lined up off of the left guard, Alonso barrels through a double team and into the backfield, nearly forcing a safety before his teammates finished off the play.

This is another example of the same thing. Alonso, again lined up off the left guard, is the first player to react at the snap and worms through the block attempts and into the backfield for a TFL.

This final example is different but showcases Alonso’s athleticism despite his 6-foot-2, 280-pound frame. He is allowed to go free by his blocker and does a great job reading the play and chasing the ball carrier to the edge of the field. Though he doesn’t make the tackle, Alonso does a nice job closing off the cutback lane and forcing the runner to the sideline, where help arrives.

Faumui was a standout performer in his sophomore season and one of the most impressive players on the defense in my film review. His role increased dramatically from 2018 to 2019, going from 292 total snaps played to 527 last fall. Faumui saw playing time in all 14 of Virginia’s games, starting five including three of the final four of the season.

He had 33 total stops with eight tackles for loss on the year. Faumui posted four sacks, second among defensive linemen behind Hanback (4.5). He created 40 total pressures last year on 307 pass rushes, with 32 quarterback hurries on those successful attempts.

Faumui’s season grades back up what he showed on tape. His overall defensive grade of 73.3 was fifth-best on the team, fourth-best among regular contributors. Although his tackling grade (35.2) is relatively low, Faumui’s pass rush grade of 78.8 was the best on the team: Better than Snowden, better than Mack. Granted, they play different positions but it’s clear that Faumui can impact the passing game significantly from his position on the line.

His best pass rush performances came against overmatched offensive lines, particularly Liberty and ODU. He was simply too much for those blockers from his end position and put up impressive grades in those two games. Faumui was solid all season but his eight successful rushes and six quarterback hurries against Liberty was his best outing of the campaign.

On this first highlight, Faumui makes splitting a double team look easy. Lined up between Liberty’s right guard and tackle, he shows good burst getting through the block attempts, and burying the quarterback before he can go through his progressions.

This next example is similar to the Alonso clip against VT. This play comes on Tech’s subsequent drive and Faumui takes advantage of a miscommunication to bury Hooker in the backfield. Lined up on the left side, Faumui rushes while Matt Gahm slips behind him on the stunt, which leads to a mixup for the VT offensive line. Faumui slips through and plunges Hooker into the turf with authority.

On this final pass rush example, Faumui slants down into the open gap after lining up over the right guard and pushes his blocker aside on his way into the backfield. The pressure forces FSU’s James Blackman into a quick, errant throw, narrowly avoiding a sack.

This first example shows his strength and athleticism, as he blows past FSU’s right tackle and, without much room to make a play, wrangles the ball carrier and brings him down in the backfield for a loss.

Faumui is a great athlete for the 3-4 defensive end and on this next play swims through a block and into the backfield before the running back can even get started. Pitt’s guard tries to pull on the play but just can’t get to the spot quickly enough before Faumui is into the backfield running down the ball carrier.

This example against Tech demonstrates Faumui’s strength. Lined up and blocked by the right guard, he gets off quickly and gets good leverage against the blocker. As the lineman attempts to keep blocking him as he’s already in the backfield, Faumui basically drags his blocker towards the ball carrier before making the tackle.

This final clip is a good example of recovery play. Faumui, lined up over the right tackle, takes a few steps to his left and as he sees Notre Dame QB Ian Book take off, he stops on a dime, cuts back, and wrestles him down. If Faumui reacts a step slower, perhaps Book picks up a 1st down and keeps the drive going.

Burney bounced back from missing so much time in 2018 to play in all 14 games last year. Earning six starts along the way, he was more of a role player after Alonso and Faumui’s roles increased in his place the previous year but still made a significant impact on the defense. Burney played 399 total snaps on the year, or 28.5 per game.

He finished the season with 21 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss, playing as a rotation player. Burney also had one sack, one pass break-up, and six quarterback hurries. And while his role was smaller than some of his teammates on the line, Burney posted solid grades throughout the season and demonstrated consistency. His defensive grade of 75.9 was third-highest among regular players. Burney was also fourth-best among regulars against the run, and was sixth among regular contributors in tackling.

In his fifth season as a college football player and third as a defensive lineman, Burney finally registered his first career sack against Old Dominion. On this play, he lines up over the right guard, and uses a quick inside move to get past him and slide into the backfield through the opening. As the quarterback prepares to scramble away, Burney won’t let him, and gets him down to the ground.

Burney didn’t get the sack on this next clip but he did help force a turnover. This play came early in the Orange Bowl and another great inside move by Burney followed by a strong move through a block gives him a free rush at Kyle Trask, who was attempting to anticipate an out route. Instead, he has to throw the ball a little quicker without setting his feet, and the result is a Nick Grant interception on a slightly overthrown ball.

This final Burney play is against the run and shows good recognition and recovery. Georgia Tech showed some misdirection on this play and Burney gets off his block and follows the wrong potential ball carrier for a beat. Seeing that the quarterback still had the ball and not a running back, Burney quickly resets, finds the ball, slides over, and makes a strong tackle.

It often takes offensive and defensive linemen time, sometimes several years, to adjust to college football and earn playing time. UVa has played freshmen up front under this coaching staff Briggs, a former blue-chip recruit, is the most recent Wahoo rookie to see the field quite a bit in his first year in Charlottesville.

In his freshman campaign last fall, Briggs played in 13 games (did not appear against Virginia Tech) on a total of 247 snaps. He started the first six games of the season for the Cavaliers, and drew a seventh start in the win at North Carolina.

Briggs made 19 total tackles as a freshman, including three tackles for loss, with one sack. And unlike the three players we’ve profiled above, he did not grade out particularly well overall, which is to be expected for a rookie. Briggs is also a nose tackle where Alonso, Faumui, and Burney are best categorized as defensive ends, meaning their roles are a bit different. Briggs is more of a run stuffer than a pass rusher, and did a nice job tackling as a freshman. His PFF tackling grade of 79.3 was fifth-best among regular performers on the defense.

Despite not being used a lot as a pass rusher, Briggs certainly has the strength and ability to make plays in the backfield.

This first example was Briggs’ first career sack, coming in the win at Carolina. He shows on this play exactly why he was ranked so high coming out of high school and why he has so much promise going forward into this season. Lined up over the left guard, he simply overpowers him on a strong move up the middle and wrangles Sam Howell for the take down on the first play from scrimmage. This shows why Briggs should demand a lot of double teams in the future, as one single blocker will struggle to keep him down.

The next two examples are plays against the run where Briggs will probably make a bigger impact during his career.

On this first play against FSU, he again shoves off a one-on-one block and quickly gets over to the hole to pounce on the ball carrier.

And finally, on this play Briggs is matched up with the guard on a run up the middle. He shows quick, violent hands by shoving off the blocker and making a play at the line of scrimmage.

While we’ve covered the four players we expect to be the biggest contributors up front for UVa’s defense in 2020, we haven’t mentioned the one they lost. Hanback, after four seasons as a key contributor for Bronco Mendenhall and the defense, is gone. While not flashy, he was a steady presence and was a dependable player up front who know his role and executed it well. As a senior, Hanback had the highest PFF grade on the entire defense and was best on the team against the run while also being the second-best tackler. So replacing him is not simply replacing 4.5 and 8 tackles for loss.

Briggs is the player that will be asked to fill Hanback’s shoes at the nose. While he didn’t post jaw-dropping numbers as a freshman, he certainly played a lot and showed plenty of raw talent. Briggs was also the highest-ranked recruit that Mendenhall and his staff had signed since coming to Charlottesville, so there is plenty of hype around the rising sophomore heading into his second season with the Hoos.

As for the rest of the defensive front, UVa is lucky to have Alonso, Faumui, and Burney, who was granted a sixth year of eligibility, back this year. New D-line coach Clint Sintim is also fortunate to have such experience in his first year back at UVa as a coach. Three of those aforementioned players logged a significant amount of snaps in 2019 and if healthy should do so again this year. Virginia has a few other players waiting in the wings, like rising sophomore Ben Smiley and veteran Jordan Redmond, though they didn’t see a lot of action last year as the core group profiled above played so many snaps. Junior Tommy Christ is now listed at OL but could move back to DL if need be.

The defensive line struggled with health down the stretch in 2018 but stayed healthy throughout last season. That could be the difference between a great defensive line and one that drops off a bit this fall.

If Alonso, Faumui, Briggs, and Burney are able to suit up in most if not all of the 2020 contests then it’s hard to imagine the group not being solid at least. And if Briggs realizes his potential and makes up for the loss of Hanback, the defensive line could blossom into a truly special unit when the Cavaliers retake the field.

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