Virginia 16, Miami 13
With about five minutes left in the second quarter Saturday, Cavaliers cornerback Bryce Hall raced across the field, his speed getting up to 22 mph, and chased down Miami running back Travis Homer, who broke off a 70-yard run before Hall pushed him out of bounds at the 15-yard line. It was that kind of defensive effort that typified the Wahoos' victory over the Hurricanes.
Analysts on Twitter took note of Hall's speed and competitiveness. It no doubt impressed NFL scouts. But Hall is a junior and should stay past this season. The immediate impact of the play was that it perhaps preserved the win for Virginia. On Tuesday at Birdwood Grill in Charlottesville on the Coaches Corner show, coach Bronco Mendenhall said that was the play of the game. Indeed, instead of giving up a tying touchdown, Virginia's defense buckled down, as it did for much of the game, and Miami came away with just a field goal to make it 10-6.
Here are some more observations from the game:
In a game where the offense wasn't clicking that well, not only were the Cavaliers' interceptions major turning points, but the returns off of those picks were even more important. First, safety Joey Blount returned his first-quarter pick 31 yards. The resulting drive, which started at Virginia's
48, ended up being the Cavaliers' first scoring drive, ending in a 26-yard field goal by Brian Delaney. In the second quarter, safety Juan Thornhill brought his first pick back 62 yards, all the way to the Miami 7, trucking the head official in the process. That return led to UVa's only touchdown in the game, a run by Jordan Ellis. And Thornhill added another interception in the fourth quarter. In just three plays, Miami had gone from its 26 to UVa's 29. After a nice stop on a run play, Thornhill picked off Malik Rosier's pass and returned it 24 yards. Thornhill was named the ACC defensive back of the week for his efforts. That last one didn't result in a score for Virginia, but it was still huge because it flipped field position and made Miami have to put together another long drive to score later. The Hurricanes had just three minutes left in the game once they scored their first and only TD.
Virginia's stout defense counteracted the effects of the Turnover Chain. Miami's defense brought its gaudy gold chain to Scott Stadium and got to flaunt it after intercepting Bryce Perkins three times. The Hurricanes usually swing games on these turnovers, but Saturday, they only got one field goal off of them. After Perkins' first pick, Virginia stopped Miami on fourth-and-2. After the second, Blount returned the favor and picked off N'Kosi Perry. Obviously, it was crucially important for Virginia to not let those mistakes turn into TDs in what ended up being a low-scoring game.
One thing that has stood out to me this season has been the collective effort and hustle of Virginia's defense. That was evident on one of its two sacks against Miami. Rosier was dropped for a loss of nine yards, and I counted four Wahoos who had a hand -- literally -- in the sack: Mandy Alonso, Chris Peace, Charles Snowden, and Zane Zandier.
UVa's clock management left something to be desired at the end of the first half. Instead of acting surprised when Ellis got them the first down at midfield, the 'Hoos should have been trying to get in scoring position from the beginning of that final drive in the first half, which started with 3:11 on the clock, which is a lot of time for a team that is supposed to have sped up its offensive pace. Instead, UVa looked lackadaisical and directionless. Luckily, Ellis bailed the offense out with a couple nice plays, and Delaney came through with a 46-yard field goal to make it 13-6 at the break. How about Delaney by the way? Three for three in his debut, and his fourth went through in the final minute, too, but it didn't count. Hopefully he keeps it up, and Virginia can put its kicking issues in the past.
Virginia's defense again stepped up with a big-time stop on fourth down in the third. Miami used up six minutes of the clock to start the second half and got down to the Virginia 24-yard line. But a fullback dive was stymied right at the line of scrimmage. The score remained 13-6. Stopping Miami from scoring any points was big, and just as significant was the time that melted off the clock.
Virginia's offense didn't score many points, but it did have some good moments. The Cavaliers' last scoring drive began with 4:24 left in the third quarter. It advanced all the way from its own 12 to Miami's 15 and finished with a field goal to make it 16-6. A touchdown would have been better, sure, but the drive took 16 plays and ate up 8:35, season highs for the offense. If you are only going to get a field goal, that's the way to do it when you already have a lead.
He's been better this season, but I still do not understand offensive coordinator Robert Anae's playcalling at times. UVa got the ball back up 16-6 with 8:53 left in the game. And the first two calls were ... passes? They weren't completed, and even though the third-down play was a run and started the clock, those incomplete passes saved probably more than a minute for Miami. The 'Canes got the ball back with 7:42 left. Perkins ended up 12 of 21 for 92 yards with the three picks, though he was more careful with the ball in the second half. Ellis, meanwhile, finished with 18 carries for 86 yards (4.8 ypc). You have a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, a QB that is struggling, and a running back that is playing pretty well. Run the ball. Not that hard. Maybe pass on second down if a first-down run doesn't gain much yardage. But to me, it is inexcusable to pass on first and second downs and not at least set the clock ticking.
Miami coach Mark Richt said the team decided to try the onside kick because of the roughing-the-kicker penalty called on Virginia on the Hurricanes' extra point after their touchdown. He figured that if UVa recovered, it still wouldn't have great field position because of the penalty. But what he didn't count on was a heads up play by Virginia's Evan Butts, where he grabbed the ball off a nice hop and returned it 30 yards to Miami's 27. I think Richt should've decided to just boot the kickoff through the end zone, setting Virginia up at its 25. Miami has a good defense, and Virginia's offense had struggled for much of the game. There were still three minutes left, and the 'Canes had all of their timeouts. I don't think it was necessary or even a smart risk to try the onside kick there.
That was the most Miami way to end the game. The Hurricanes got their reputation as brash trash-talkers in the 1980s and backed it up with spectacular play. Lately, they've brought back the swagger with the chain, but the on-field play is still falling short of the glory days. Saturday, Miami stopped Virginia short of a first down on third down with more than two minutes left, but a bone-headed decision by not one, but two players, basically ended the game. Gerald Willis III pushed offensive lineman Jake Fieler at the end of the play. I watched the entire play in slow motion, and Fieler did nothing wrong to earn such treatment. Willis' push knocked Fieler back into Tito Odenigbo, who then pushed Fieler to the ground. A referee caught that last push and flagged Miami, giving UVa the first down. Odenigbo's back was turned to Fieler, so he had not seen that it was his own teammate who started the whole sequence. Hilarious. And of course, a roughing-the-kicker penalty was called for good measure with 30 seconds left, meaning UVa didn't have to give Miami the ball back up 19-13 and withstand one more Miami drive.
Virginia wasn't perfect. The offense was downright ugly at times. But it is very exciting that the offense was so pedestrian while the team grabbed a top-25 victory. How awesome is that? The 'Hoos didn't play close to their ability on one side of the ball, and won a tough game. That's improvement and grit. The defense was amazing, and there was a dash of luck. The offense did just enough, and the result was a huge win for Mendenhall's program. There's also no doubt the team can play better.
With about five minutes left in the second quarter Saturday, Cavaliers cornerback Bryce Hall raced across the field, his speed getting up to 22 mph, and chased down Miami running back Travis Homer, who broke off a 70-yard run before Hall pushed him out of bounds at the 15-yard line. It was that kind of defensive effort that typified the Wahoos' victory over the Hurricanes.
Analysts on Twitter took note of Hall's speed and competitiveness. It no doubt impressed NFL scouts. But Hall is a junior and should stay past this season. The immediate impact of the play was that it perhaps preserved the win for Virginia. On Tuesday at Birdwood Grill in Charlottesville on the Coaches Corner show, coach Bronco Mendenhall said that was the play of the game. Indeed, instead of giving up a tying touchdown, Virginia's defense buckled down, as it did for much of the game, and Miami came away with just a field goal to make it 10-6.
Here are some more observations from the game:
In a game where the offense wasn't clicking that well, not only were the Cavaliers' interceptions major turning points, but the returns off of those picks were even more important. First, safety Joey Blount returned his first-quarter pick 31 yards. The resulting drive, which started at Virginia's
 |
| Bryce Hall chasing down Travis Homer from across the field and helping the defense hold Miami to a field goal in the second quarter was probably the play of the game. |
Virginia's stout defense counteracted the effects of the Turnover Chain. Miami's defense brought its gaudy gold chain to Scott Stadium and got to flaunt it after intercepting Bryce Perkins three times. The Hurricanes usually swing games on these turnovers, but Saturday, they only got one field goal off of them. After Perkins' first pick, Virginia stopped Miami on fourth-and-2. After the second, Blount returned the favor and picked off N'Kosi Perry. Obviously, it was crucially important for Virginia to not let those mistakes turn into TDs in what ended up being a low-scoring game.
One thing that has stood out to me this season has been the collective effort and hustle of Virginia's defense. That was evident on one of its two sacks against Miami. Rosier was dropped for a loss of nine yards, and I counted four Wahoos who had a hand -- literally -- in the sack: Mandy Alonso, Chris Peace, Charles Snowden, and Zane Zandier.
UVa's clock management left something to be desired at the end of the first half. Instead of acting surprised when Ellis got them the first down at midfield, the 'Hoos should have been trying to get in scoring position from the beginning of that final drive in the first half, which started with 3:11 on the clock, which is a lot of time for a team that is supposed to have sped up its offensive pace. Instead, UVa looked lackadaisical and directionless. Luckily, Ellis bailed the offense out with a couple nice plays, and Delaney came through with a 46-yard field goal to make it 13-6 at the break. How about Delaney by the way? Three for three in his debut, and his fourth went through in the final minute, too, but it didn't count. Hopefully he keeps it up, and Virginia can put its kicking issues in the past.
Virginia's defense again stepped up with a big-time stop on fourth down in the third. Miami used up six minutes of the clock to start the second half and got down to the Virginia 24-yard line. But a fullback dive was stymied right at the line of scrimmage. The score remained 13-6. Stopping Miami from scoring any points was big, and just as significant was the time that melted off the clock.
Virginia's offense didn't score many points, but it did have some good moments. The Cavaliers' last scoring drive began with 4:24 left in the third quarter. It advanced all the way from its own 12 to Miami's 15 and finished with a field goal to make it 16-6. A touchdown would have been better, sure, but the drive took 16 plays and ate up 8:35, season highs for the offense. If you are only going to get a field goal, that's the way to do it when you already have a lead.
He's been better this season, but I still do not understand offensive coordinator Robert Anae's playcalling at times. UVa got the ball back up 16-6 with 8:53 left in the game. And the first two calls were ... passes? They weren't completed, and even though the third-down play was a run and started the clock, those incomplete passes saved probably more than a minute for Miami. The 'Canes got the ball back with 7:42 left. Perkins ended up 12 of 21 for 92 yards with the three picks, though he was more careful with the ball in the second half. Ellis, meanwhile, finished with 18 carries for 86 yards (4.8 ypc). You have a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, a QB that is struggling, and a running back that is playing pretty well. Run the ball. Not that hard. Maybe pass on second down if a first-down run doesn't gain much yardage. But to me, it is inexcusable to pass on first and second downs and not at least set the clock ticking.
Miami coach Mark Richt said the team decided to try the onside kick because of the roughing-the-kicker penalty called on Virginia on the Hurricanes' extra point after their touchdown. He figured that if UVa recovered, it still wouldn't have great field position because of the penalty. But what he didn't count on was a heads up play by Virginia's Evan Butts, where he grabbed the ball off a nice hop and returned it 30 yards to Miami's 27. I think Richt should've decided to just boot the kickoff through the end zone, setting Virginia up at its 25. Miami has a good defense, and Virginia's offense had struggled for much of the game. There were still three minutes left, and the 'Canes had all of their timeouts. I don't think it was necessary or even a smart risk to try the onside kick there.
That was the most Miami way to end the game. The Hurricanes got their reputation as brash trash-talkers in the 1980s and backed it up with spectacular play. Lately, they've brought back the swagger with the chain, but the on-field play is still falling short of the glory days. Saturday, Miami stopped Virginia short of a first down on third down with more than two minutes left, but a bone-headed decision by not one, but two players, basically ended the game. Gerald Willis III pushed offensive lineman Jake Fieler at the end of the play. I watched the entire play in slow motion, and Fieler did nothing wrong to earn such treatment. Willis' push knocked Fieler back into Tito Odenigbo, who then pushed Fieler to the ground. A referee caught that last push and flagged Miami, giving UVa the first down. Odenigbo's back was turned to Fieler, so he had not seen that it was his own teammate who started the whole sequence. Hilarious. And of course, a roughing-the-kicker penalty was called for good measure with 30 seconds left, meaning UVa didn't have to give Miami the ball back up 19-13 and withstand one more Miami drive.
Virginia wasn't perfect. The offense was downright ugly at times. But it is very exciting that the offense was so pedestrian while the team grabbed a top-25 victory. How awesome is that? The 'Hoos didn't play close to their ability on one side of the ball, and won a tough game. That's improvement and grit. The defense was amazing, and there was a dash of luck. The offense did just enough, and the result was a huge win for Mendenhall's program. There's also no doubt the team can play better.
Comments
Post a Comment