It’s not really a secret that for most of the season thus far, UVa has had a complementary football problem. But within that, a more concerning issue was that while there were expected growing pains elsewhere the defense wasn’t supposed to be the source of many of them. And that group had not really played up to its potential thus far.
That is, until Saturday night in Miami Gardens.
That’s when the Hoos made the 11th-ranked Hurricanes and multifaceted QB D’Eriq King look somewhat pedestrian.
Granted, Miami hadn’t had a good run of it the past two weeks but after seeing what NC State and Wake Forest did to the Cavaliers, and considering they were without Joey Blount and Brenton Nelson, most didn’t think the Hoos would hold the Canes to under 20 points.
Unfortunately, in a 19-14 loss that moved Virginia to 1-4 (1-4 ACC) on the year, it was the offense that didn’t do its part.
Working starter Brennan Armstrong back into the lineup following a concussion against State and DNP in Winston-Salem, UVa got a solid showing from the redshirt sophomore. He went 16 for 30 passing with a pair of TDs as well as a game-high 91 yards rushing (a career high) on 15 carries.
But the magic Robert Anae found against the Deacs didn’t translate to this matchup in Hard Rock Stadium. While Keytaon Thompson and Ira Armstead got some looks—they combined for nine carries, two receptions, and one pass attempt—there was very little of them in the second half as the Canes adjusted.
After scoring on its first drive, UVa got nothing out of its next eight before scoring its second TD of the night with 2:10 left to play.
In essence, the Cavaliers still played football that lacked complementary cohesion but it was the offense not doing its part this time.
“I think Miami’s a good defense,” Bronco Mendenhall said. “I think they played consistently. I think we had our moments, with certainly a touchdown taken off the board which then would have changed the outcome. And it was a really tough game. And so those were two teams battling really, really hard today, and a penalty took a touchdown off the board and then that changes the game. So, Miami’s good. They played well. I thought we played well and you could probably argue there’s one or two plays, or maybe one play. And that’s, that’s what I saw.”
The aforementioned TD that got wiped off the board, what would’ve been a 24-yard toss from Armstrong to Ra’Shaun Henry, was nullified by an illegible receiver penalty on Grant Misch. So instead of taking a 14-7 lead just before the half before getting the ball again after intermission, UVa got saddled with a 3rd and Goal from the 29-yard line. Two plays later, Brian Delaney would miss a 36-yard FG attempt. And 10 plays after that, Miami would take the lead for good off a 65-yard drive that ended with a 32-yard field goal.
“It’s just a way different feeling towards the game,” Armstrong said. “I mean, we still came out, we knew we were in it. But having that lead at half, a bigger play like that little scramble touchdown, that brings a lot of juice to the team. Defense would have stepped up. You just would have felt a different momentum going into there.”
While the Canes scored three TDs, they didn’t get any of those drives going thanks to a turnover. The lone takeaway in the game happened on the final play.
That in and of itself was progress.
Despite giving up a score 28 seconds in—which was not progress for a defense that has started slow of late—the Cavaliers did a nice job thereafter of buckling down.
Mendenhall tried to use his timeouts to give his group breaks, though the final one he used with 12:04 left he admitted was due to miscommunication and was a mistake on his part.
Nick Jackson and Zane Zandier led the way with 16 and 10 tackles, respectively, followed by Charles Snowden, who had easily his best game of the season. He finished with eight tackles (3.5 for loss) with one pass breakup and a sack.
Ultimately, what UVa put on the field defensively against the Canes was about what we all expected to see from the jump. It’s certainly possible more good play is ahead.
What was clear, too, was that despite several opportunities to do so that unit—much like the team as a whole—never gave up.
“Yeah, our team tried hard, and they’re tough and they’re physical and they’re resilient, and I thought they played well,” Mendenhall said. “I thought they played a really hard game and they played with a lot of heart and great mindset and supported each other and probably the most physical and the most intense they played the entire year. Yeah, so I celebrate that…I was really proud of them in terms of the effort they gave.”
So, what now? That’s the question many have no doubt been asking themselves since Saturday night.
“What’s it all mean?”
Well, Armstrong getting a full week of practice and playing reasonably well was certainly a good sign. So too was the defense’s return to form. On most nights, that probably would’ve been good enough to get a win in the ACC.
But at 1-4, UVa can’t rely on “most nights” turning its season. This four-game losing streak puts the Hoos in a daunting position with a Top-15 North Carolina team headed to Charlottesville on Halloween night.
Though it feels like we finally got a glimpse of what UVa “could” be in some ways, it’s already getting late.
The Hoos have yet to play a complete game. And that has to change. Fast.
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