Midseason Review: PFF data shows UVa's improvement on D
Overall: 79.2
Change from 2021: +23.1
Best Game:Richmond (80.5)
Worst Game:Duke (59.4)
While Virginia’s offense has held the team back, the defense has helped the team stay in some of its games thus far in 2022. The group has posted an overall grade of 79.2 through the first half of the season, up from a woeful 56.1 mark last season. There are still plenty of improvement areas but given the scheme overhaul as well as plenty of personnel changes, the first six games have demonstrated that the Hoos are capable of solid defensive efforts.
There’s still much work to do, however. We’ll go through the individual categories in a moment, but it’s clear that while coverage and tackling have improved significantly the defense can certainly get more pressure on the quarterback than what we’ve seen to this point.
And while the defense has looked better overall, two of their worst efforts of the season came in the last two weeks, when Duke scored 38 points and Louisville scored 34 on UVa’s home field, with a backup quarterback and down their starting running back.
Run Defense: 70.9
Change from 2021: +30.8
Best Game:Syracuse (84.9)
Worst Game:Duke (52.3)
The overall run defense is still behind their pass coverage but is the area of largest growth from the 2021 PFF College grades to what we have this season. Run defense is largely judged through tackling, which we’ll get to momentarily, and UVa has done a nice job not allowing runs to turn into long plays. Virginia has missed 37 tackles in run defense per PFF, with 199 total stops against the run. The defense has allowed 978 rushing yards and nine touchdowns this season, so just over 4 yards per carry, after giving up 5.8 yards per rush and 2,710 yards in 2021.
One area where UVa could improve is playing clean against the run. The defense has accounted for 20 penalties on opponent running plays, with two declined or offset. Anthony Johnson has five of those penalties, but at least he has made up for them with solid pass defense. Ben Smiley’s four penalties have been incredibly costly as well, and he has more of them than solo tackles against the run (two).
Tackling: 90.3
2021 Grade: +21.1
Best Game:Duke (84.2)
Worst Game:Illinois (55.7)
Virginia had some major tackling issues in certain games last season, which led to a bunch of back-breaking big plays. The defense hasn’t been shutting everyone down this year but they have cut back significantly on big plays allowed, in part because they have tackled better. With six games to go, UVa has allowed 20 plays of 20 yards or more, ranking 24th-best nationally. Last season UVa allowed 65 such plays, ranking 100th in FBS.
UVa is credited with 57 missed tackles on the season, many of them coming from the defensive line. Antonio Clary, James Jackson, Johnson, Kam Butler and Paul Akere each have two missed tackles or fewer, while a few other players, like Lex Long who has nine misses, will need to be a bit better in this area in the second half of the season.
Pass Rush: 65.5
2021 Grade: +1.2
Best Game:Richmond (78.8)
Worst Game:Louisville (52.2)
UVa’s pass rush is the least-improved area on the defense and the one that will need to be better in the second half of the year if the defense is going to keep the team in games. Against Louisville, UVa didn’t have a single tackle for loss or sack, which allowed the Cardinals to keep drives going and outscore the Hoos 34-7 after a slow start. Virginia has 13 total sacks on the season, and have created 85 total pressures on the season.
Chico Bennett leads the team in sacks with three, but Nick Jackson, Butler and Aaron Faumui are right behind with two each. Bennett also leads the team in hurries with 10 and has been the team’s best overall pass rusher on the season. Jackson has done a nice job getting after the quarterback from a non-traditional pass-rush position at middle linebacker. He leads the team in win rate versus pass protection according to the PFF data, getting by the blocker on 38.1 percent of rush attempts.
Virginia simply needs to find a way to be more consistent and effective in getting after the quarterback. It’s no coincidence that UVa’s worst two defensive efforts, coming in the last two games against Duke and Louisville, were the least-effective pass-rush performances too.
Coverage: 90.6
Change from 2021: +17.6
Best Game:Richmond (84.2)
Worst Game:Louisville (60.5)
Another reason UVa has been effective at eliminating big plays is simply having fewer coverage breakdowns. Granted, UVa will face the better group of quarterbacks in the back end of the schedule versus what the Wahoos have already played, but the improvement in coverage has been noticeable. Johnson and Fentrell Cypress deserve the most credit for the improvement in coverage, doing a nice job at the two cornerback spots. Johnson and Cypress have the best grades on the defense thus far, and have allowed just 30 receptions on 59 target this season, with a pair of interceptions, nine passes broken up, and no touchdowns.
The safeties have shown some ability but have work to do in coverage help. Long has been credited with allowing four passing touchdowns this season, more than half of the scores allowed in the throw game. Jonas Sanker has allowed 64 percent of attempts against him to be caught, but on the plus side, hasn’t allowed a touchdown this season and does have an interception.
Still, if UVa’s coverage can hold up against the teams the Cavaliers will play going forward, that is an impressive turnaround for the secondary, and John Rudzinski and fellow defensive backs coach Curome Cox deserve a lot of the credit.
Key Grades:
Anthony Johnson (84.9)
Fentrell Cypress (83.0)
Paul Akere (74.4)
Antonio Clary (73.3)
Jonas Sanker (70.9)
Nick Jackson (70.2)
Kam Butler (68.1)
Darrius Bratton (65.5)
Jahmeer Carter (64.6)
Chico Bennett (63.3)
Lex Long (62.7)
James Jackson (57.8)
Aaron Faumui (56.6)
Josh Ahern (55.6)
Ben Smiley (36.3)
