Everything You Need To Know: William & Mary

By: Kris Wright |
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Demetrious Nicholson and the Hoos play at home again this week. ~ Mike Ingalls

After facing two top 15 opponents with Football Bowl Subdivision National Championship hopes, the Virginia football team faces a different type of challenge this week. Football Championship Subdivision contender William & Mary visits Scott Stadium on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The challenge likely will be more mental than physical for the Hoos, who have to find a way to get up for a game with less dazzle from the name on the marquee.

UVa coach Mike London has done a very good job with this part of the schedule previously. He owns a 6-0 record against FCS competition in his tenure with an average margin of victory of 34 points. Only once, in his first game as Virginia’s head coach, has his team scored less than 40 points in those games. The track record includes a 40-3 win against W&M during the 2011 bowl season.

The Cavaliers aren’t worried about a hangover effect from a heartbreaking 34-27 loss to No. 9 Notre Dame on Saturday. They insist they are focused on the search for their first win after an 0-2 start.

“Nobody is walking around, wringing his hands, ‘woe is me,'” London said. “I believe this team is a team that embraces this challenge and is ready to move forward and move on and move up. … I had been on the other side, an FCS coach, playing a BCS school. I’ve been on the side of winning those games, as well. … What the captains talked about is, ‘We don’t care who we’re playing.’ This is more about us winning the football game, playing on all cylinders, offense, defense, special teams wise.”

And with that, here is “Everything You Need To Know” about Saturday’s game.

Essentials

Game Nuggets

  • UVa leads the all-time series with William & Mary, 27-6-1. The Cavaliers own a 57-9-3 record against current members of the CAA.
  • Virginia once again will wear throwback uniform modeled after the style UVa wore from the era that encompassed the 1967-74 seasons. The Hoos used the unis in 2012 against Louisiana Tech and in 2014 against Kent State. Saturday is also Youth Day at Scott Stadium.
  • William & Mary coach Jimmye Laycock has a career record of 230-170-2. Those 230 wins rank fourth nationally among all active FCS coaches.
  • The Tribe, who has not started 2-0 since 2009, won their opener and then had a bye week in week two. Jimmye Laycock’s record after a bye is 15-11, but the Tribe is 2-9 in its last 11 games after a bye.
  • William & Mary has led in the second half against four FBS opponents over the last six years.

Spotlight on William & Mary’s Luke Rhodes

Video

The Tribe’s Luke Rhodes easily can hold his own at middle linebacker. The lone FCS player on the 2015 Butkus Award Watch List, which honors the nation’s top collegiate linebackers, Rhodes has shined in previous games against FBS opponents. He has averaged 10 tackles per game in those three games against Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia Tech. He also forced a fumble and recorded a pass breakup with 1.5 tackles for loss in those contests.

“I’m able to use my size and speed to react to things that I’ve seen on film a hundred times and a take a leadership role in leading the defense so they can be successful as well,” Rhodes said in this American Sports Network article (attributed to TribeAthletics.com). “I like to have fun, joke around with my teammates. Just relax and have fun.”

Rhodes earned first-team All-CAA for the second time and first-team all-state (VaSID) honors last season. In 2015, he already has been recognized as a STATS FCS Preseason First-Team All-American, a preseason Fabulous Fifty All-American (College Sporting News), and a preseason First-team All American (College Sports Madness). Rhodes has piled up 191 tackles, 10.5 tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and 15 pass breakups over the last two seasons.

As important as the stats, however, is Rhodes’ leadership on the team. Just the 11th player in program history to be named a two-time team captain, he’ll be on the Scott Stadium sidelines this weekend rallying his teammates.

“He’s a great leader,” defensive tackle Tyler Claytor said in this Daily Press article. “On the sidelines, whether it’s good or bad, he’s always the same. He comes down and talks to everybody, daps us up, whatever he can say to get us going. It really helps the guys up front to know we’ve got that behind us to make up for any mistakes we might make.”

Matchups To Watch

Virginia receiver Canaan Severin vs. William & Mary corners Denzel Dykes and Raeshawn Smith. Severin enters this week’s game coming off a career performance against Notre Dame. He posted 11 catches for 153 yards against the Irish. This week, he’ll be matched up at least at times with Dykes or Smith, a pair of inexperienced corners for the Tribe. Dykes, a sophomore, is projected to make his first career start this weekend, while Smith, a redshirt freshman, made his collegiate debut in his team’s opener. Throw in the fact that Severin is 6’2″ and 205 pounds and he’s got at least three inches and 30 pounds on either defender. Expect Severin to get quite a few targets in this one.

William & Mary running back Mikal Abdul-Saboor vs. Virginia linebackers Micah Kiser and Zach Bradshaw. One week after Notre Dame’s C.J. Prosise picked up 155 rushing yards and one touchdown on 17 carries, the UVa defense faces a steady performer in Abdul-Saboor. He’s running behind an offensive line with more than 50 starts combined so the Cavalier D faces another experienced front this week. Expect the Tribe to test Kiser and Bradshaw in all three categories: tackling, coverage, and pressure. That could mean heavy doses of Abdul-Saboor at the second level; he has gone for 100 rushing yards in six straight games to equal a program record. He’s ninth all-time on the career rushing (2,435) list and seventh on the career touchdowns (20) list too.

Virginia cornerback Demetrious Nicholson vs. William & Mary receiver Christian Reeves. Nicholson posted a career-high three pass breakups against Notre Dame, which is one sign that he’s being thrown at fairly frequently through two games after spending most of a year and half on the injury shelf. Nicholson will see different assignments in this one, but keep an eye on Reeves, who had a 52-yard touchdown catch in the opener. He’s a Virginia Tech transfer and at 6’4″, he’ll have five inches on Nicholson at 5’11”.

Virginia running back Taquan Mizzell vs. William & Mary linebacker Ian Haislip. Discussions continue on the Sabre message boards about the best way to use Mizzell – running back or slot receiver? – but the coaching staff has settled on the junior as a “Where’s Waldo?” type of weapon. The Hoos have been moving Mizzell around in initial alignments and with motion so defenses have to find him. Mizzell already has a touchdown catch on a wheel route against a linebacker this season so UVa could try to target Haislip at WILL linebacker at some point in this contest.

William & Mary’s special teams vs. Virginia’s kicking units. Usually, this section is about individual matchups but this week it includes a big picture look. The Tribe has blocked 12 kicks in the last 15 games and they led the nation in FCS last fall with 10 blocks. W&M defensive tackle Tyler Claytor blocked a field goal in the season opener in 2015. It hasn’t been one specialty area either (six punts, three field goals, and a PAT among the 10 last season). Keep an eye on safety DeAndre Houston-Carson in particular; he had four of the 10 blocks last season despite missing the final three games. He had a three-game streak of punt blocks in 2014.

Kris’ Keys

1. Keep up the misdirection plan. Virginia’s offense unveiled a more diverse attack in week two against Notre Dame. In addition to the much-discussed trick play out of the Wildcat formation, there were more bootlegs for Matt Johns, more slant blocking from the line with things like a quick pitch going the opposite way, and the like in the game plan. It produced and should be the model going forward for the offense.

2. Push into the pocket. Virginia’s front seven on defense isn’t generating the kind of pressure that Jon Tenuta likes to get into the quarterback’s face. UVa has three sacks (tied for 75th nationally, 31st last season) and zero turnovers (29 last season tied for 17th nationally). Someone on the front line needs to figure out a way to beat blocks or time blitzes to get into the pocket more consistently.

3. Red zone repeat. UVa scored three touchdowns in four red zone trips last week, a 75% conversion rate that matched last season’s national leader (USC at 75.47%). That’s a huge improvement from the opener when the Hoos had one touchdown in three trips (33%) and from 2014 when they scored touchdowns 46.94% of the time in the red zone (116th nationally). The Cavaliers need to keep up that success against a William & Mary defense that allowed one score on four red zone trips against Lafayette in its season opener. The Tribe intercepted two passes in the end zone and blocked a field goal to stop three possessions.

The Pick

Virginia can win if … it avoids the turnover bug. The last time William & Mary pulled off the upset in Charlottesville in 2009, the Cavaliers had seven turnovers in a 26-14 loss. Dating back to the start of the 2013 season, the Tribe has become an opportunistic defense by creating 44 turnovers and that has led to 156 points. On the flipside, W&M takes care of the ball. The offense ranked second in the FCS last season for fewest turnovers with 11 (zero in four of the final five games of 2014) and the Tribe had just one at Lafayette.

Virginia can lose if … it gives up more explosive plays and long touchdowns. The defense is on pace for a horrible statistical year when it comes to big plays allowed. Right now, the Hoos are among the nation’s worst teams in terms of 20+ and 30+ yard plays allowed. Two long touchdowns by Notre Dame’s Will Fuller (59 and 39 yards) cost UVa dearly. William & Mary, meanwhile, posted three plays of at least 40 yards in its season opener. That included touchdown passes of 58 and 52 yards. Since 2013, the Tribe has 25 plays of at least 40 yards.

And the winner is … Virginia. Yes, William & Mary presents a tricky challenge with experience at key spots (coach, quarterback, middle linebacker, offensive line). Yes, the Tribe do a great job of executing with limited mistakes. With that said, UVa wants to get its first win of the season and Mike London has done a good job of keeping his team focused during FCS weeks in previous years. Beyond that, the Hoos have playmakers that can take advantage of matchups at this level of competition. I think London’s big wins in these games continue. Hoos 42, Tribe 20. 2015 record to date: 2-0.