Virginia’s defense has been the bright spot the last two weeks, holding Wyoming and Western Michigan to one regulation time touchdown combined (and one of those TDs came courtesy of good field position after an interception). How well will the defense perform against Georgia Tech? Will the Hoos sack Reggie Ball? Can they create any turnovers?
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Virginia’s defense will try to slow down Georgia Tech’s offense Thursday night. |
KRIS: The defense has been playing well all season long with the exception of two long pass plays at Pittsburgh. With that said, the Panthers had speed and big play-makers in the passing game – so does Georgia Tech. I expect the defense to play well, but anyone hoping for a 9-6 field goal fest will be disappointed. I think the Hoos will get a sack or a two and at least one turnover, but it won’t be enough to spark an upset.
MARC: Expect a solid defensive performance, but not as solid as the past two weeks. Reggie Ball and Calvin Johnson highlight an offense that has the capability to put up big numbers, including points. Last week, Ball rushed for 134 yards, setting a Georgia Tech record for rushing yards by a quarterback, and Johnson is arguably the best receiver in the country.
With the way that Jon Copper and the defense have been playing, it is a possibility that we could see Ball get sacked, but don’t bet on it. Ball has been sacked only eight times in the past 14 games, and leads Georgia Tech in rushing yards. Turnovers will be hard to come by – look for the secondary to pull down a pick if anything.
J.W.: There is no question that the Cavalier defense will play well. Now, keeping the game competitive might be out of their control if the offense can’t produce. The defense is clearly the strength of this young team. One problem exists Thursday night: Reggie Ball. He will be the most mobile quarterback the Cavs have seen this year, with Pitt’s Tyler Palko being the best passer. It will be quite a test for this defense to keep Ball in check (Ball rushed for 130-plus versus Troy State on Saturday) and he has many talent weapons at his disposal like All-American WR Calvin Johnson.
DAVE: The ONLY way Reggie Ball is going to be sacked is if the Cavs surprise him with a blind side blitz. If Reggie so much as feels footsteps and sees pressure, he’s got every single tool necessary to avoid it. He’s got the speed and agility to scramble, and even has the legs to keep on running. He also has a 6’5” phenom in Calvin Johnson, who can pretty much win any game of jump ball with any Cavalier CB. Virginia fans should be extremely proud of the Cavaliers’ defense over the past two weeks. They have done everything Al Groh has asked of them, and more. However, this Georgia Tech offense is by far the most versatile and dynamic the Hoos have seen all season, and Virginia could be overwhelmed by an unforgiving O-Line, do-it-all QB, and that freakishly great WR.
Chris Long finally broke out of his early season statistics slump (he was playing well, but not filling the stat sheet) against WMU. He led the team with 10 tackles in the game. Can Chris Long keep it going at GT? Will he have a multiple tackle game again? He still hasn’t been credited with a solo sack, but will that change against the Yellow Jackets?
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Chris Long assisted on a sack against Western Michigan. |
KRIS: Chris Long ‘s play really energizes the team because he’s such an emotional player on the field. I think he’ll be fired up for this one and I think he’ll have another game with at least five tackles. I don’t think a solo sack will be among those tackles because GT’s offensive line is solid and I don’t expect the D-Line to be living in the backfield – the sacks will come from the linebackers or defensive backs.
MARC: Chris Long is the backbone of the defensive line, and his responsibility is not only to reach the quarterback, but to create holes for the linebackers in the 3-4 scheme as well. I think it will be tough for Chris to have a big game against the Yellow Jackets, but it won’t be because of Chris Long . Reggie Ball is excellent in scrambling situations, putting the pressure on the linebackers and secondary to step up and make tackles. I think Long will have multiple tackles, but don’t expect double digits. If the defensive line can force the pocket to collapse on Ball, Long could see his first solo sack of the season.
J.W.: Chris had a monster game versus Western Michigan, but the Broncos do not quite have the sting that the Yellow Jackets have. Look for Chris to be right around 4 to 6 tackles against the Rambling Wreck. If a Cavalier has a shot at sacking Ball, Chris would be my first choice, with John Copper, and Clint Sintim next in line. Ball presents a serious speed factor that the Cavs have not seen this season at quarterback.
DAVE: Chris will have to wait another week for a breakout game, but he will still have an impact Thursday. The Jackets have two impressive tackles in Manfield Wrotto and Andrew Garner. Wrotto is a converted D-tackle, and his experience on the opposite side of the line of scrimmage could help him stop Long. Regardless, I think Long has started to figure out how to solve lines that are keying on him and he’s improving as a result. With Georgia Tech being a run-heavy team, Long should be able to make some tackles, but he won’t be the defensive key to the puzzle. The Cavalier linebackers must be as aggressive as they’ve ever been and the DB’s must frustrate Calvin Johnson (if that’s even possible).
UVa’s offensive line seems to be improving through three games, especially on the interior. Even the running game came around a little bit against Western Michigan. Will the O-Line be able to at least slow down Georgia Tech’s aggressive defense, though?
KRIS: Slow down? Maybe a little. Let’s face it, the offensive line just isn’t playing all that well yet. The interior is getting better so that could counter some of Tech’s success with its middle blitzes, but it will likely be another long night for this unit.
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Branden Albert and Eugene Monroe will try to lead the Hoos’ improving O-Line. |
MARC: No matter who starts under center (it looks like Jameel Sewell ), he will have his hands full with a blitz-hungry defense. The offensive line was better against Western Michigan, but they’ll need to improve a lot more in order to stop a team like Georgia Tech. Look for Branden Albert and Ian-Yates Cunningham to step up their protection, and having Sewell at quarterback will help as well with his scrambling ability.
J.W.: This will be the toughest test of the season thus far for the Cavalier offensive line. They are feeling the pressure, not only from opposing defenses, but from the coaching staff and the fans. They must protect UVa’s “three-headed” quarterback and give whoever it is time to find receivers. If the O-Line collapses, so do the hopes of the Cavs staying in this game past the first quarter.
DAVE: I agree that UVa’s line has shown visible progression over the past few weeks in making the right blocks, reading defenses, and just showing overall composure. But they must make a leap of giant proportions by Thursday because that Georgia Tech “D” is just nasty. UVa’s offensive line will APPEAR to slow down Georgia Tech’s defense, only because it will take the Wreck longer to catch the quicker Jameel Sewell . The Jackets must be salivating at their opportunity to attack a very green quarterback and an inexperienced O-Line.
The Cavaliers have three offensive touchdowns this season – two Jason Snelling runs and one Kevin Ogletree reception. Will Virginia add to the TD total in Atlanta? If so, will someone new join the list of end zone visitors?
KRIS: The Cavaliers will not only add to their touchdown total in Atlanta, but they’ll match the season output to date (2 offensive touchdowns so far). I think Jason Snelling will be one player to score again, but there will be a new visitor to the end zone: Jameel Sewell .
MARC: In order to hang with the Yellow Jackets, Virginia will have to do more than kick field goals. I expect the offense to rise to the occasion, and score several touchdowns. Snelling and Ogletree are prime threats against Georgia Tech’s defense, and the blitzing should allow Sewell to go to the air a little bit more. Al Groh says that Snelling is excellent at picking up blocks from blitzing situations, so expect that to be his role on many plays. I think the Cavaliers score at least two touchdowns through the air, one to Ogletree, and another to Fontel Mines , who has been relatively quiet thus far.
As for Snelling, he will get the chance to score once the Hoos enter the red zone. Expect at least three TDs on Thursday from Virginia. The big question … will it be enough to hang with Georgia Tech?
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Running back Jason Snelling has scored 2 of the Cavs’ 3 touchdowns this season. |
J.W.: I don’t want to sound like a pessimist here, but if Virginia has had trouble getting into the end zone against three unranked teams that on paper are inferior to Georgia Tech, what will we see this week? The question of who will score a touchdown is not as important as which of the three quarterbacks can move the ball past the 50-yard line on a consistent basis.
DAVE: If the Cavalier defense can cause some turnovers and provide strong field position for the offense, they WILL score a touchdown. But the Wahoo faithful might have to wait another week for another long-anticipated passing touchdown.
The Cavs will score again on the ground, but not from any RB. I think Jameel Sewell will find paydirt in his first college start. Sewell had hinted at the Tuesday press conference that the coaching staff was looking into giving him more “freedom” to run the ball. There will be a ton of situations where Sewell will be flushed out of the pocket, and sometimes running for his life. If he can establish a short-passing game early, and spread out that Georgia Tech defense, there will be an opportunity for Sewell to call his own number. This can either come on a designed play or on a broken play. He certainly has the legs to make it happen.
Virginia’s special teams has had an up-and-down start to the season. At Pitt, Chris Gould made his field goals but struggled punting. At home, he’s missed some field goals but punted well. On returns, UVa has been average on kickoffs while Emmanuel Byers and Andrew Pearman split duties on punts. What can we expect on Thursday night? How much would a big play from the special teams help the team? Who will make a big play?
KRIS: I think the special teams will have its best game of the season. Chris Gould is a competitor and Hoo fans first saw his feistiness when he debuted against GT in Atlanta. Andrew Pearman is getting closer and closer to breaking a punt return and Tech isn’t very good on kick coverage. If a “big play” equals a touchdown in this case (either directly or by getting the Cavs into red zone field position), it could provide a spark to an offense that’s sputtering. For some reason, I’m betting Pearman gets a chance on kickoffs too and I think he comes up with a big play somewhere on special teams.
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Andrew Pearman could make an impact on special teams. |
MARC: A special teams breakout would help this team tremendously. I think Chris Gould will have a solid game, both in punting and kicking field goals. What will really help the Cavs is if their return men can earn solid field position. Cedric Peerman and Michael Johnson, along with Byers and Pearman, will give their team a solid advantage if they can break into Yellow Jacket territory.
I think Andrew Pearman is on the verge of a breakout game returning punts. Look for him to get a majority of the punt return opportunities, and see if he can get some solid yardage before the offense takes the field.
J.W.: Special teams can make a huge difference on Thursday night if things go well. This is one aspect where a few nice returns could go a long way in helping both the quarterback and the offensive line. If Byers and Pearman can help with longer returns, then maybe the Cavs can start on their own 40 rather than 20. Then a lot of inherent pressure is taken away from the offense and they can focus on at least getting in Gould’s field goal range and maybe even better … into the red zone for a scoring opportunity.
DAVE: We can expect a whole lot of weight on their shoulders to deliver. As far as kicking, I still have faith in Gould. He proved he was able to hit field goals in a hostile environment at Pitt, and the kicks he missed at Scott Stadium certainly weren’t chip shots … they were 43, 49, and 41 yards. Recently, Gould’s punting has been good and so has the Cavs’ coverage (UVa is second in the ACC in net punting).
Byers and Pearman have to be productive on returns, and give the Cavaliers at least one big play to work with. The big play doesn’t need to be a home run, but it would be nice to see a return of 50-plus yards deep into Georgia Tech territory. Not only will it give the offense great field position, but it can go a long way in sucking some volume out of the crowd and putting some momentum and confidence in the Cavaliers. A strong special teams performance is the biggest ingredient in the recipe for the Cavs to keep this game close.
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