Take Two: Breaking down UVa's blowout loss to the rival Hokies

The Result: UVa got rolled by in-state rival Virginia Tech on Saturday, losing 55-17 at Scott Stadium. The loss marked the end of the season for the Cavaliers who finished with a 3-9 record overall (2-6 ACC). The loss also continued UVa’s misery against the Hokies, now losers of three straight and 22 of the last 25 meetings.

The Turning Point: It was when the teams came out of the locker room, really. But UVa had a chance to turn the game in the first quarter and wasn’t able to do so. Tech kicked a field goal on its opening drive and then UVa went three-and-out. UVa forced a punt on the ensuing and had a chance to even the game or take the lead again, but instead went three-and-out. From there, VT answered with a pair of touchdowns on its next two drives and the game was a wrap.

The Stat That Tells the Story: The first half stats tell the story: UVa was outscored 24-0, outgained 294-60, had -16 rushing yards, was just 2-of-9 on 3rd down, and averaged 1.8 yards per play to Tech’s 7.7.

Wahoo of the Week: It’s Malachi Fields, who hauled in both of Virginia’s touchdowns in the loss. He finished the game with six catches for 89 yards to go with the two scores, capping a solid season for the junior.

Offense: UVa no-showed on Saturday, plain and simple. Right out of the gate, it was clear that the Hoos were in for a long day; their first half drives went: punt, punt, punt, interception, punt, punt, turnover on downs. They didn’t get a single 1st down on the first four drives and didn’t earn one on their own (without the aid of a Tech penalty) until a 3rd and 2 conversion with 1:58 left in the half.

UVa finished the game with 286 yards of offense, almost all of which came in garbage time after Tech had the game in hand. UVa threw for 243 and rushed for 43 in the loss, averaging 3.8 yards per play and an abysmal 1.5 yards per rush. Virginia Tech did a good job neutralizing Malik Washington while the game was in the balance, and while he ended the contest with another solid game (14 catches for 115 yards), most of the production came late in the evening.

Anthony Colandre called his shot last week after the win over Duke but spent most of his time on Saturday under duress. He was sacked six times in the loss, and while he put up some solid passing stats overall (29 of 46 for 243 and two TDs), he wasn’t able to make an impact in the first half. Colandrea’s interception in the second quarter helped seal the game for the Hokies, and while the freshman had a lot of great moments this year and certainly has a bright future, this was certainly a learning experience for him.

It was tough to see Mike Hollins get banged up on his only carry in this one and presumably end his Cavalier career on a down note. He battled hard all season and played with pride, which was great to see given what he went through last year.

There isn’t much else to say about the offense’s effort really. The staff got outcoached and the players got outplayed. This was basically a no-show effort for the offense despite some second-half scores. All told, a goose egg in the first half tells the story.

Grade: F

Defense: As abysmal as UVa’s offense was on Saturday, the defense was probably worse. Virginia allowed 500 yards of offense to a Hokies group that has had some good moments and bad ones throughout the season. Tech had a balanced attack, throwing for 248 and rushing for 252 on the way to a big day. The passing numbers are even more damning for the defense when you realize that Kyron Drones completed just 10 throws but they went for 244 yards and three touchdowns, and VT averaged an incredible 22.5 yards per completion.

UVa couldn’t stop the run, either. Tech rushed for 6.8 yards per carry and starter Bhayshul Tuten rushed for 117 yards and a score on just 16 totes. Drones ran all over UVa too, carrying it seven times for 50 yards. To make matters worse, the defense allowed a reverse to go 33 yards for a touchdown early in the second quarter.

UVa held Tech to six conversions on 15 attempts on 3rd down but the Hokies were undeterred on 4th down. Tech had two big 4th-down conversions in the win that broke UVa’s back. On the first, Tech had 4th and 2 at the UVa 44 in the first quarter up 3-0. Drones got out of the pocket and found a wide open Stephen Gosnell for a 44-yard touchdown to make it 10-0. Then, in the second quarter, VT was up 17-0 and Brent Pry sent out the punt team on 4th and 2 at the UVa 47. Then he reconsidered after calling timeout, where he then sent the offense back out. Drones connected with Da’Quan Felton for a 15-yard completion to move the chains. On the next play, Tuten ran 32 yards for a score, and the Hokies had all the points they’d need to win the game. (We’ll come back to those plays in the coaching section.)

For the fourth time this season, UVa’s pass rush failed to get to the opposing quarterback. Virginia had just 11 sacks on the season, and never had more than two in a single game. Their sack leader, Kam Butler, hasn’t played since mid September. If you can’t get after the opposing quarterback, especially a good athlete like Drones that can extend plays, it spells doom for the defense eventually.

And that’s all we have to say about that. DC John Rudzinski’s defense took a big step back in 2023, and gave up 31+ points in six games, three times on their home field. UVa never allowed 40 points in 2022 but gave up 40+ four times this year, to a group of teams that combined to finish a forgettable 27-21 this season. It’s going to be a long offseason for this group.

Grade: F

Special Teams: The group’s play stunk again on Saturday, and UVa continues to have some of the worst special teams units in the country. On Saturday, UVa gave up its fourth special teams touchdown of the season, the most of any team in the country. Tuten’s 94-yard TD return punctuated a rough day for the entire program and once again underscored Virginia’s special teams deficiencies. I have no idea whether Matt Ganyard intentionally left that kick short, or if it was just miss hit, but Elliott said after the game it was not supposed to be short.

To make matters worse, UVa also had a special teams turnover, with freshman Suderian Harrison muffing a punt in the third quarter. The Hokies recovered in good field position at the UVa 33, and three plays later, they were in the end zone to make it 48-10.

Will Bettridge hit his short field-goal attempt and made both PATs. He had a solid season overall, and if nothing else, wasn’t a blocker to any success UVa was going to have. Daniel Sparks had a decent season but did have two of his punts blocked for touchdowns and his shank early in this one didn’t help matters.

We’re not big on calling for people to lose their jobs here, but enough is enough. UVa’s special teams, led by Keith Gaither but coached by committee, isn’t working. Virginia ranked 90th in special teams SP+ last year, bolstered by a few fumble recoveries on kick and punt coverage. This year, they should virtually be dead last, if not literally dead last, nationally. A case can be made that the two punt block touchdowns allowed cost UVa two games, a one-point loss to JMU and a one-score loss at Louisville. Both of those touchdowns put UVa down two scores early and they had to dig out of a big hole to eventually retake the lead in those games.

Virginia has to make a change with special teams coaching. Gaither can continue on as running backs coach or what have you. But if a change is not made to how the special teams operation is being run, it feels like malpractice.

Grade: F

Coaching Staff: In his postgame presser, Tony Elliott said he didn’t feel the team had the right mindset from the beginning of the game on Saturday, and it’s hard to disagree with that assessment. Virginia Tech came to Charlottesville to win the game and the Hokies handled their business. UVa came out flat and did not handle anything well. I think Elliott basically said this himself postgame, but that falls on the staff. It’s their job to educate the team on what the rivalry means and what winning this game can mean for the program’s development.

Clearly whatever they did didn’t work this time.

Tech’s coaching staff kicked UVa’s butt in this game, not just from an energy and motivational standpoint but also with X’s and O’s. They did whatever they wanted on offense and pushed the right buttons throughout the game, and UVa’s staff didn’t counter. The Wahoo offense was bogged down early and couldn’t find a way to convert first downs and move the chains. Tech kept Washington from getting going and didn’t allow Colandrea time to find guys open. The defense couldn’t get stops. Special teams only made matters worse, and those issues start with the coaching staff.

In the offseason, Elliott and his staff need to find a way to make this program play with more of an edge and take that fight to every game. Bronco Mendenhall didn’t have a perfect program at UVa by any stretch but one thing the fans could hang their hat on is that they’d play hard and have energy each week. It didn’t always result in wins but it did give the team a little more juice each week. This UVa team has had to deal with a lot off the field, and that certainly has to be accounted for. And while they have certainly showed plenty of fight at times, they also struggled mightily to maintain consistent performance and focus during games and from week to week.

Elliott and Co. have yet to win games in back-to-back weeks since arriving at Virginia (they won two games in a row this year but with a bye in between). The Cavaliers had their strongest performances in the middle of the season but didn’t sustain it. After back-to-back solid road performances at UNC and Miami, UVa came out flat and got run off the field by a 6-6 Georgia Tech team. Then after beating Duke, they came out flat again in their most important game of the year and again got dominated on their home field.

UVa has to find a way to play with more aggression and focus, and that starts with the staff. On Saturday, UVa trailed 3-0 in the first quarter, and punted on 4th and 1 from their own 41. Tech went up 10-0 on their next drive. That’s a conservative choice that probably didn’t help with the team’s mindset in this one. If the players take their cues on aggressiveness from the staff’s decisions, then the staff needs to roll the dice more and get the team going. It served Pry well to go for it on two 4th and shorts in the first half, converting both and leading directly to 14 VT points. They were confident in getting those yards, and made the aggressive, confident call. UVa needs more of that from its own staff.

The coaches showed some signs of progress at times this season, but those moments came and went, and just weren’t frequent enough. They, like the players, weren’t up for Saturday’s rivalry game, and it should be a big wake-up call and learning opportunity for everyone on the Virginia sideline and perhaps the in executive suites as well.

Grade: F