The Virginia football team opened with a win, but followed that up with a loss to Indiana on Saturday. The goal now is to get out of this three-game homestand with a winning record as Connecticut comes to town this weekend.

To do that, UVA will need to figure out some of the hiccups coming out of the first two weeks. For example, the Cavaliers have completed 66 of 106 passes this season behind quarterback Kurt Benkert, but those plays have produced only 7.9 yards per catch and 4.9 yards per attempt. The latter ranks 121st nationally. The Hoos also must continue to figure out how to shape the defense without Tim Harris, who is out for the season. Last week, the plan entailed moving Juan Thornhill back to cornerback.

With those thoughts in mind, let’s rewind to some moments from the Indiana game that could be useful clips for the weeks ahead.

More Middle Mesh Plays?

In watching a few of the highlights from the Indiana-Ohio State game, it looked like the Buckeyes found success with crossing routes during their 49-21 lead. One concept in particular looked like it gave IU trouble: combo crossing routes known as mesh plays. Two of OSU’s late touchdowns (watch them back-to-back in these highlights) featured variations of mesh crossing routes.

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