TEAM GRADES
Overall: 69.5 (2024 Average: 74.9)
Offense: 70.9 (2024: 71.4)
Pass: 86.1
Run: 53.7
Receiving: 71.5
Pass Block: 85.0
Run Block: 51.1
Notes: Virginia’s offensive grade was very similar to what the Cavaliers had against Richmond, which bodes well for an improved group this year. The big standout this week is the success rate of the passing game (more on that later), and the pass blocking. Anthony Colandrea had clean pockets to throw from and was rarely under duress, which helped the passing game produce 300+ yards for the second straight week. The drop-off of the run game was obvious to anyone watching on Saturday night and the grades dropping significantly shouldn’t be a surprise.
We’ll see if the offensive staff can find ways to get the run game going in the weeks to come, or if this will simply be a pass-heavy offense this fall.
DEFENSE: 63.3 (2024: 69.3)
Run Defense: 62.4
Coverage: 66.2
Pass Rush: 60.2
Tackling: 72.1
Notes: Virginia’s defense got its first real test on Saturday night after coasting against the Spiders in the opener. The grades were down across the board, which shouldn’t be a surprise as this was a much more challenging game and Wake’s offense racked up over 500 yards of offense. The pass rush grade was a bit low, but UVa did get a lot of its pass rush success from blitzing linebackers and defensive backs, not necessarily from the front four. The tackling grade was down from the opener but remained very solid at 72.1, and it seems like the defense is doing a better job there than they did a year ago.
PLAYER GRADES
Offense Grades (10+ Snaps):
1. Anthony Colandrea, QB: 81.3
2. Malachi Fields, WR: 77.2
3. Tyler Neville, TE: 71.1
4. Trell Harris, WR: 67.1
5. Blake Steen, RT: 66.9
6. Brian Stevens, C: 65.7
7. Jack Witmer, LT: 64.4
8. Ugonna Nnanna, RG: 63.2
9. Xavier Brown, RB: 59.6
10. Sage Ennis, TE: 58.7
11. Noah Josey, LG: 56.0
12. Ty Furnish, RG: 55.1
13. Kobe Pace, RB: 54.2
14. Suderian Harrison, WR: 53.6
15. Chris Tyree, WR: 51.6
Notes: UVa narrowed down its offensive rotation after playing nearly everyone in the opener. Players like Andre Greene, Sackett Wood and Jack Griese were relegated to few snaps as UVa focused on a smaller set of playmakers. Colandrea leads the team in overall grade for the second week in a row, despite having a pair of turnovers. His overall efficiency remains quite strong, and it’s no surprise that the next-highest grades are all pass catchers. Malachi Fields was fantastic in Winston-Salem on Saturday night, and the next-highest grades, Tyler Neville and Trell Harris, were responsible for all three receiving touchdowns on Saturday night.
DEFENSE GRADES (10+ Snaps):
1. Malcolm Greene, CB: 72.2
2. Michael Diatta, DT: 68.4
3. Antonio Clary, S: 67.4
4. Kempton Shine, CB: 67.1
5. Kendren Smith, CB: 66.5
6. Chico Bennett, DE: 65.7
7. Terrell Jones, DT: 64.5
8. Jonas Sanker, FS: 63.9
9. Jason Hammond, DT: 63.7
10. Corey Thomas Jr., CB: 63.7
11. Trey McDonald, LB: 61.1
12. Jahmeer Carter, DT: 59.4
13. Kam Robinson, LB: 58.9
14. Jam Jackson, CB: 58.7
15. Ben Smiley, DE: 58.0
16. James Jackson, LB: 57.4
17. Caleb Hardy, FS: 55.6
18. Anthony Britton, DT: 53.8
19. Kam Butler, DE: 53.3
20. Dre Walker, CB: 36.8
Notes: The defensive grades were lower than the top performers on offense, which makes sense given how the game played out. Malcolm Greene came off the bench and played 30+ snaps, and had the biggest defensive play of the game, forcing a fumble that was ultimately recovered by Antonio Clary. He finishing third on the defensive grades is no surprise either, given he recovered that fumble and led the defense in tackles with 11. It’s good to see grades of 60+ for UVa’s rotational defensive linemen who will be counted on to give breathers to the starters. And it seems like Jam Jackson has separated himself from Dre Walker as the starter opposite Kempton Shine, and the snap counts on Saturday back that up.
QUARTERBACK PLAY
Anthony Colandrea: 33-43, 357 yards; 3 TD, 2 INT
Drop Backs: 45
Completion Rate: 76.7%
Drops: 1; Drop Rate: 2.9%
Adjusted Completion Rate: 81%
Average Depth of Target: 8.8 yards
Sacks: 1
Pressure-to-Sack Ratio: 20%
Under Pressure: 11.1% of Drop Backs
Clean Pocket: 31-39, 351 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
Under Pressure: 2-4, 5 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
Against Blitz: 7-9, 114 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
“Big Time Throws”: 1
Throws under 10 yards: 24-25, 182 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
Throws 10-20 yards: 6-10, 112 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Throws 20+ yards: 3-7, 62 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Notes: Another efficient day for Colandrea, despite the two picks. His completion percentage for the season is now 76%, and take a look at how good he was on short throws. His only miss under 10 yards was tipped at the line of scrimmage and picked off.
The lack of pressure stands out too, so credit to the offensive line for putting Colandrea in positions to succeed. His average depth of target was higher against Wake than it was against Richmond, and he pushed the ball down the field more with seven throws of 20+ yards.
And what would’ve been his biggest throw of the game, a beautiful 56-yard throw to Harris in the fourth quarter, was perfectly placed and dropped. Obviously multi-turnover games are never ideal, but Colandrea was really good otherwise, and was the lynchpin in UVa’s rally.
SNAP COUNTS
Offense:
70+: Anthony Colandrea, Brian Stevens, Jack Witmer, Noah Josey
60-69: Malachi Fields
50-59: Tyler Neville, Trell Harris, Kobe Pace, Ty Furnish, Chris Tyree
40-49: None
30-39: None
20-29: Sage Ennis, Ugonna Nnanna
10-19: Xavier Brown, Suderian Harrison
0-9: Jaden Gibson, Andre Greene, Eli Wood, Dak Twitty, Sackett Wood, Grady Brosterhaus, Jack Griese
Defense:
80+: James Jackson, Jonas Sanker
70-79: Jam Jackson, Kam Butler
60-69: Antonio Clary, Chico Bennett, Trey McDonald, Jahmeer Carter, Kempton Shine
50-59: None
40-49: Corey Thomas Jr, Jason Hammond, Michael Diatta
30-39: Malcolm Greene
20-29: Anthony Britton, Kam Robinson
10-19: Dre Walker, Caleb Hardy, Ben Smiley, Kendren Smith, Terrell Jones
0-9: Ethan Minter
TRUE FRESHMAN PARTICIPATION REPORT
2 Games Played: Ethan Minter
1 Game Played: Billy Koudelka
