Virginia's forgettable 2013 campaign is now over after another loss to the Hokies, 16-6 on Saturday, the 'Hoos' 10th in a row to their arch rival. The Cavaliers finished 2-10 and 0-8 in the ACC, their worst season since 1981 when they went just 1-10 in Dick Bestwick's final season as coach.
Virginia beat BYU, 19-16, on Aug. 31 in Charlottesville. It would be the team's first and last FBS win of the season. The next week, BYU blew out Texas (the Longhorns will finish the regular season 8-4 or 9-3). The Cougars finished the regular season with eight wins. It is hard to imagine now that UVa could even hang with them but they did and they won that game. If you had asked me after that game how I thought UVa would fare over the entire season, I would probably have told you five or six wins, my original prediction at the beginning of the year. I figured BYU would be a quality team but you could tell the offense would be a work in progress but I thought the defense was going to be strong enough to help the team pull out a few wins.
I would have been shocked once you told me the only other win all year would come on Sept. 14 against VMI. But that is exactly what happened. A ghastly combination of an ineffective offense, inconsistent defense hamstrung by injuries and the offense, turnovers, penalties, head-scratching coaching, bone-headed decision making, and a very tough schedule combined to make this truly a season for the ages -- in a bad way.
By all accounts, however, Mike London will be back next season for his fifth year leading UVa. He was 4-8 in 2010, 8-5 in 2011, and 4-8 last season before this campaign. His recruiting has been pretty good considering how mostly bad we've been during his tenure. Virginia has been ranked around the top 30 in recruiting in recent seasons. His player development, except for a couple of exceptions here and there, has been bad. He's shown continual game management issues and misuse of timeouts.
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| UVa RB Kevin Parks |
Why is he coming back? His contract and his staff's contracts are his saving graces. His contract runs through 2016 and it would cost $8 million right now to buy out his
contract. In addition, several of his assistants have two-year contracts that expire after next season so a buyout of the entire staff would be cheaper at the end of next year should UVa choose to take that course of action. London has also run a very clean program with very few discipline issues and his kids have succeeded in the classroom and have been visible in the community. On the field, however, he undoubtedly is failing at his mission.
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| UVa DE Eli Harold |
Next season is big. One would have to think that London absolutely must win six games and maybe a bowl to come back for 2015. Talent is coming back. Virginia is losing senior offensive linemen Luke Bowanko and Morgan Moses, who helped pave a path for Kevin Parks to be UVa's first 1,000-yard rusher since 2004. Parks is back, though. Jake McGee is back at tight end. Darius Jennings, when he can catch the ball, is actually not a bad option at receiver. Keon Johnson is also back as a wide out after a breakout freshman campaign in which he caught 20 passes in eight games. On defense, the big Canadian Brent Urban is gone, as is solid defensive end Jake Snyder. But defensive end Eli Harold (8.5 sacks, including three vs. Virginia Tech), safety Anthony Harris (who led the nation with eight picks), cornerback Demetrious Nicholson (missed seven games due to injury), and other promising players such as cornerback Maurice Canady and defensive tackle David Dean are all returning. Also, five-star recruits Quin Blanding (safety) and Andrew Brown (defensive tackle) figure to make an impact.
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| UVa QB David Watford |
The major questions next year are of course on offense at quarterback and also with coaching. Unless he receives some better teaching and guidance, David Watford doesn't seem like a very good quarterback at this level. He had his best game of the year against Georgia Tech but then regressed after that. Greyson Lambert showed a couple flashes of potential but was also disappointing overall. Incoming freshman Corwin Cutler will probably get a look under center. The offense was putrid this season and I think a lot of that lies at the feet of offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild. His playcalling was mostly bland and he didn't seem like he knew how to utilize the talent that was present on offense. The UVa offense has enough pieces to be decent. It will come down to coaching and developing what is available and making the most of it.
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| UVa QB Greyson Lambert |
Even if UVa does make some strides next season, the schedule is another killer. Home games (with 2013 record) are UCLA (9-3), Richmond (6-6), Kent State (4-8), Louisville (10-1), Miami (9-3), North Carolina (6-6), and Pittsburgh (6-6). Road games are Florida State (12-0), Duke (10-2), BYU (8-4), Georgia Tech (7-5), and Virginia Tech (8-4). Richmond is an upgrade over VMI from this season and will likely be playing with a former Virginia quarterback named Michael, either Michael Strauss or Michael Rocco. I can see either one of them really wanting to beat UVa, especially Rocco, who pretty much said that the QB situation at UVa was messed up when he transferred. For a MAC opponent, Kent State is a downgrade over Ball State, which finished 10-2 in the regular season this year. UCLA is a downgrade over Oregon, probably, but not much of one. And if Virginia isn't on its game in that one (the opener at Scott Stadium on Aug. 30), then UCLA can certainly blow out the 'Hoos. Other than Kent State and maybe UCLA, this schedule is tougher than this year's was. Florida State will likely pound Virginia in Tallahassee and players who were on the 2011 team will want payback for what the Cavaliers did there that year. BYU is probably shocked that it lost to these 'Hoos and the outcome will likely be different out West than it was at Scott Stadium. Louisville is an upgrade over Maryland, but there is a chance that its all-star quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater, will go pro instead of coming back for his senior season. Hopefully that happens and the Cavs can at least think about making that game competitive.
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