Preview 2019: Previewing and looking ahead to the Virginia Cavaliers season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Recruiting Class Analysis | Schedule Analysis
– Virginia Previews 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2018 Record: 8-5 overall, 4-4
Head Coach: Bronco Mendenhall, 4th year, 16-22
– CFN Preview 2019: All The Team Previews
5. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRGINIA OFFENSE
– That’s how it’s supposed to work. 2002 was the last time the Virginia offense scored more points, even though the team finished tenth in the ACC in total and scoring offense. But it was careful with the ball, it controlled the clock and tempo – it only seemed like it was always on the field, leading the conference in third down conversions. There’s enough talent returning to do it all again, starting with …
– Bryce Perkins might not be the best quarterback in the ACC – there’s that guy over at Clemson – but he’s the league’s leading returner in total offense. In his first year at the helm, he turned into the perfect fit with 923 rushing yards to go along with an efficient season through the air. Considering how many shots Perkins takes, the combination of Brennan Armstrong and Lindell Stone have to be ready.
– Perkins will be one of the team’s leading rushers, and it’ll take a rotation to make up for the loss of 1,026-yard back Jordan Ellis. The 230-pound PK Kier will be the main man when healthy – he was banged up in spring ball – but 5-9, 200-pound shifty sophomore Wayne Taulapapa was one of the stars of the offseason. There will be more of a rotation than last season, and the more Perkins doesn’t have to carry the ball, the better.
– 93-catch Olamide Zaccheaus is gone, but the next four wide receivers from last season are all back. The 6-3, 215-pound Hasise Dubios made 52 grabs, but it was 6-1, 215-pound senior Joe Reed who who took the top off defenses averaging 18.6 yards per pop. Perkins will spread the ball around a bit more.
– The offensive line will shuffle things around a wee bit. Three starters are back from a group that was a bit better than the stats – Perkins’ mobility had a lot to do with the tackles for loss.
The hope is for former Air Force transfer Victor Oluwatimi to be hold down the starting center job, and for Penn State grad transfer Alex Gellerstedt to be solid at one of the tackle gigs. That would make the guard situation a rock with Chris Glaser and Dillion Reinkensmeyer two steady veterans.
NEXT: What You Need To Know About the Defense, Top Players, Keys to the Season, What Will Happen
4. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRGINIA DEFENSE
– The defense that finished third in the ACC and allowed just 20 points per game loses two key parts in S Juan Thornhill and LB Chris Peace, but there’s a whole lot of talent coming back. Eight starters and eight of the top ten tacklers are back, and best of all, they’re young with a whole lot of promising depth in the rotation.
– The secondary takes the biggest hit with two lost starters, but it has an All-America talent at one corner spot in Bryce Hall, and a fantastic-tackling safety in junior Joey Blount. Junior Brenton Nelson isn’t Thornhill, but he’s coming off a 41-tackle season, and junior Darrius Bratton played enough in the rotation to be ready to go on the other side of Hall.
– Peace might be gone from the linebacking corps, but Jordan Mack is a big hitter from his spot on the inside, and 6-7, 225-pound junior Charles Snowden is a good hybrid edge rusher from a spot on the outside. It’ll take a rotation to replace Peace, but 235-pound Zane Zandier was fifth on the team with 63 tackles, and 215-pound Evan Clark is a quick option to step in.
– There’s going to be a fantastic rotation on the front three. 6-4, 300-pound senior Eli Hanback can play on the nose or as a big end, and 6-0, 320-pound Jordan Redmond will be a fixture on the inside and an occasional anchor.
There are more veterans in the mix to go along with the young parts – like sophomores Aaron Faumui and Tommy Christ – for the best line yet under Bronco Mendenhall.
NEXT: Top Players, Keys To the Season, What Will Happen
3. TOP VIRGINIA PLAYERS
Best Virginia Offensive Player
QB Bryce Perkins, Sr.
Exactly what the team needed, Perkins came in from Arizona State and was the exact right fit for the Bronco Mendenhall offense. The 6-3, 210-pounder ran for 923 yards and nine scores, hit 65% of his passes, and threw 25 touchdowns with a mere nine interceptions.
He was cool, he was dangerous, and he was careful with the ball with just one pick over the last five games. If everything goes right, he won’t have to carry the offense like he did throughout last season, but he can … and he probably will.
2. WR/KR Joe Reed, Sr.
3. WR Hasise Dubois, Sr.
4. RB PK Kier, Jr.
5. OG/C Dillon Reinkensmeyer, Jr.
Best Virginia Defensive Player
CB Bryce Hall, Sr.
It’s all there. The senior has 6-1, 200-pound size, good quickness, and the ball-hawking skills needed to be a next-level starter from the moment he gets into an NFL camp. He’s tough enough to work as a safety if needed – coming up with 62 tackles – and he can get behind the line, but he’s a corner. He only came up with two picks, but he broke up 22 passes on the way to an All-ACC season.
2. LB Jordan Mack, Sr.
3. LB Charles Snowden, Jr.
4. S Joey Blount, Jr.
5. DT Eli Hanback, Sr.
NEXT: Keys to the Season, Prediction & What Will Happen
2. KEYS TO THE SEASON
Biggest Key To The Virginia Offense
Start scoring more in the red zone. The Virginia offense will be good, the defense will be solid, and the team should be among the ACC’s steadiest, but the team won’t be good enough to giveaway points.
Last year’s team played four games decided by four points or fewer losing three of them. In back-to-back three point losses to Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech, the Cavaliers went 6-of-9 inside the 20.
The Cavaliers scored an ACC-worst 74% of the time in the red zone, coming away with points 40 times in 54 trips. Even worse, they couldn’t come up with touchdowns, getting into the end zone just 52% of the time on those trips – only 14 teams were worse.
Biggest Key To The Virginia Defense
Don’t get hammered on. The size, depth, and talent are all there on the front three, and the linebacking corps is good enough to be among the ACC’s most effective. Now the whole group has to be stronger against the run.
The run D wasn’t awful – it finished fourth in the ACC – but when it had a rough day, the team lost. Virginia allowed 200 rushing yards or more five times, and went 1-4. Over the last ten games, the Cavs are 2-8 when giving up two bills or more.
Key Player To A Successful Season
RB PK Kier, Jr.
And Wayne Taulapapa, and Lamont Atkins, and all of the running backs who need to step up with Jordan Ellis gone. QB Bryce Perkins might be the most dangerous running weapon, but the running backs have to take over more of the load and have to keep their guy from taking shots.
Perkins ran 212 times, and while he’s built for handling the load, the team needs him to stay in one piece. Kier is a 6-0, 230-pound quick runner with a nice burst, but he was out for a big part of spring ball. That allowed others to step up, but if and when he’s right, he’s the best option to be the nw Ellis.
Key Game To The Virginia Season
Virginia Tech, Nov. 29
There might be bigger games in the hunt for the ACC title – going to Miami in mid-October is the one – but the Cavaliers have to finally get by the Hokies for the first time in 16 tries. Virginia won in 2003, and there’s been a whole lot of pain and suffering since then, bottoming out in a brutally painful late loss last season.
This time around, considering the rest of the schedule isn’t all that bad, a win could be for the Coastal title … and to get a few bragging rights again.
– Virginia Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2018 Virginia Fun Stats
– 4th Down Conversions: Virginia 8-of-13 (62%) – Opponents 10-of-23 (43%)
– Fumbles: Virginia 19 (lost 10) – Opponents 12 (lost 4)
– Time of Possession: Virginia 32:34 – Opponents 27:26
NEXT: What Will Happen
1. VIRGINIA WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN
It’s not a perfect team, and there will be times when the machine breaks down, but this is what the program has been building towards under Bronco Mendenhall. This is the season when Virginia football can at least get a little of the spotlight away from the basketball side.
The starting 22 will be good enough to win the Coastal. There’s more than enough experience returning to be consistently strong, if not more explosive. But the rest of the ACC is going to be solid, too, with a few key improvements potentially being a problem. So while this should be a fantastic season …
Set The Regular Season Win Total At … 8
The Cavaliers lost to Indiana last season. Now replace a trip to Bloomington with a trip to South Bend to play Notre Dame.
Fortunately, though, everything else in the schedule isn’t all that bad – especially considering there’s no Clemson to face from the Atlantic, and no NC State – the Cavs lost to the Wolfpack last season.
Going to Louisville and North Carolina in back-to-back weeks will be sneaky-dangerous, but the trip to Chapel Hill on November 2nd is the last time the team leaves Virginia. The Virginia Tech game is at home, and so is the date with Georgia Tech.
Going to Miami might turn out to be the key to the season, but at least there’s a week off to prepare, while the Canes will be playing five days after dealing with Virginia Tech.
There are too many tough dates to assume a big season, but Virginia should overcome a few losses to bust out realistic expectations of going into the Virginia Tech showdown in the regular season finale with a shot at going to the ACC Championship.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Recruiting Class Analysis | Schedule Analysis
