FL Cane
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- Aug 26, 2018
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I'm a lifelong Miami fan but am also a UVA grad, so I do have some insight on that team. I also got to know a few of the guys on their team, and their thought process going into this season. Ultimately, the first reason UVA loses the coastal is that we beat them at the Rock on October 11. So long as we can actually complete passes, we win that game. The second reason is that they're replacing a lot of offensive production from 2018 to 2019. Here's what they're trying to replace in 2019.
Three Key Players Graduated
UVA returns a solid defense in 2019 but has a number of questions on offense. I wonder if Bryce could regress this year, because of the tapes teams have on him. Teams have had an entire season to figure out how to stop him, and his throwing abilities are still questionable. UVA will be a good team. The question is whether they'll be 10-2 good or 8-4 average. All-in-all, I think this is a team that at best goes 9-3 and at worse goes 7-5. While they do have good coaching, the staff isn't composed of world-beaters. They can be outschemed, overwhelmed, and beat.
Other Notes and Player Interactions
Three Key Players Graduated
- Olamide Zaccheaus was, bar none, UVA's top WR in 2018. Overall he had: 93 receptions, 11.4 yards per catch, 1,058 receiving yards, and 9 TDs. In total, Zaccheaus accounted for 38% of UVA's passing yardage, and 41% of the team's receptions. Zaccheaus' departure leaves a big hole in this offense. While UVA does have some other reliable WR options, none are as electric or game-changing as Zaccheaus. Zaccheaus was Perkins main target and was a one-man show for most of the season. This is one area where UVA fans are not thrilled going into next year.
- Jordan Ellis was another big piece of UVA's 2018 offense. As their starting running back, Ellis had: 215 rushes, 1,026 rushing yards, 4.6 yards per carry, and 10 touchdowns. Ellis accounted for 45% of UVA's total rushing yards and did not split significant time with any other RB on the team. Unlike at WR, there is no proven RB that will immediately contribute. UVA's running game will rely heavily on Bryce Perkins.
- UVA's 2018 offense ranked as the 81st best offense in the country. The team ran 857 plays and had 5003 total yards on the season. Combined, Ellis and Zaccheus accounted for 42% of UVA's total offense, and 36% of plays were centered around them. The 2019 team has a big hole to fill, with Bryce Perkins taking on more running duties (which increases his chances of injury).
- Juan Thornhill was a four-year starter at SS for UVA, racking up 98 tackles and 6 interceptions in 2018. Brenton Nelson and Joey Blount aim to make up for Thornhill's lost production, but neither has the skill or impact of Thornhill. To UVA's credit, DB Bryce Hall is returning for his senior season and was one of the best DB's in the country last year. Nevertheless, Thornhill was a leader and major impact player, his loss will be felt.
- UVA loses two starting senior OL's in RT Marcus Applefield and OG Jake Fieler. Both were solid players and anchors on their 2018 OL. The teams 2018 starting OC, Dillon Reinkensmeyer, does return. The rest of the depth chart has limited experience. This wasn't a great OL last year ranking 10th in the ACC in rushing yards and #9 in the conference in sacks allowed. Losing two critical players will likely make things worse.
UVA returns a solid defense in 2019 but has a number of questions on offense. I wonder if Bryce could regress this year, because of the tapes teams have on him. Teams have had an entire season to figure out how to stop him, and his throwing abilities are still questionable. UVA will be a good team. The question is whether they'll be 10-2 good or 8-4 average. All-in-all, I think this is a team that at best goes 9-3 and at worse goes 7-5. While they do have good coaching, the staff isn't composed of world-beaters. They can be outschemed, overwhelmed, and beat.
Other Notes and Player Interactions
- Every current/recently former UVA player I've met echoes the same message, Bronco Mendenhall is a hardass. This guy is all business and set that tone from day one. A friend of mine who was on the team recounted a story to me. A week after Bronco was hired, this friend of mine was returning home from a night at the bars on the corner (where the closest shops and bars) near grounds (UVA students call their campus "grounds") are located. He'd had one drink, was not drunk, but was detained by a cop on his way back to dorms after being spotted leaving a bar. He was underage, and long story short was taken to the station. Ultimately it was determined that the cop had made some errors in procedure. No charges were filed, my friend was released, and there was no record of anything. Still, when he told Bronco the next day (someone who'd only been at UVA for a week and didn't even know this guy's name) he was immediately suspended for two weeks.
- The football guys are very low key about the team and really don't make any commotion. Neither of them ever sounded fired up or excited to be on the team, it always sounded more like a job/business than anything else. A few did voice their distaste for how strict Bronco was.
- The UVA fanbase is among the nicest and most welcoming in the country. Granted, I was a student there, so I never had any issues. But even opposing fans would talk about how much they loved visiting and how kindly they were welcomed. Seriously, they're one of the cooler fanbases to get to know.
- Not gonna lie, some of the die-hard fans I got to know were quite jealous of the fact that Miami owns Virginia Tech. They haven't beat tech, their arch-rival since 2003 so you can imagine.
