The UVa defense held the Tribe to just 169 total yards and 3 points.

No group on the Virginia football team received more offseason scrutiny than the Cavalier defense. That’s what happens when you barely cracked the top 50 in any categories and sunk to the bottom third of the Football Bowl Subdivision in many slots such as run defense. When the D gives up more big plays than it creates – by a long shot – it leaves a lot of bad memories on the table for everyone to stew over for an entire offseason.

For one game at least, the UVa defense answered its critics.

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