The Virginia football team wrapped up spring practice with the annual Spring Game on Saturday. The Orange offense defeated the Blue defense, 20-7. There’s more to discuss beyond the result, though. Here’s the second article in a short list series.

1. T.J. Thorpe will be a playmaker for this team.

One thing Virginia’s offense and special teams have desperately needed is a speedy playmaker. UNC transfer T.J. Thorpe fits the bill there. He made an immediate impact in the Spring Game with a big run and two receptions on the first drive of the day, which he capped off with a touchdown catch. Thorpe is also the leading candidate to return punts this fall. Thorpe has great acceleration and good speed so if Steve Fairchild and the quarterbacks figure out how to get him the ball in stride in space, it could be the boost the offense needs. Thorpe caught one crossing pattern in the Spring Game that he turned into positive yards and his touchdown catch was a route paired with a Taquan Mizzell pattern out of the backfield. Those are good concepts. The question, as always with the program in the Mike London era, is can that become a consistent occurrence?

2. Canaan Severin still looks sharp.

The path for Canaan Severin from afterthought to respected senior captain is remarkable. Severin entered last offseason buried on the depth chart with 6 career catches for a total of 46 yards. He emerged during the spring and summer months a year ago to get into the rotation and then became UVa’s most consistent receiver. He led the team with 42 catches, 578 yards, and 5 touchdowns. The receptions accounted for 17% of the team’s total.

Severin didn’t see much action in the Spring Game and made only 1 catch for 10 yards. Still, on the opening drive, he looked sharp. Severin runs his routes well and is physical enough to hold off defenders. At what looked like the end of that first drive, Severin got matched up with Maurice Canady in a one-on-one situation in the red zone. He won the battle and caught the ball in the end zone, but the play was called back for a penalty (not enough men on the line of scrimmage because Keeon Johnson lined up wrong). If it were me, I’d keep Severin on the field for every snap unless he asked out for a breather. That’s how far he’s come.

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