On the top of my note pad Saturday night I wrote ‘all three phase for four quarters.’ The Hoos weren’t perfect but certainly, considering the opponent, Saturday’s win over Georgia Tech qualifies as a complete game. Facing one of the top five offenses in the land and the first team in the NCAA to become bowl eligible for the 2011 season, winning required solid play across all three operations. That’s exactly what the Cavaliers got.

Virginia’s running game was dominant, physical and frankly abused the Georgia Tech front seven. The offensive line didn’t leave out the Jacket secondary either as cornerbacks and safeties are likely still having nightmares of the 63, 72, 70, 78, 68 freight train that rolled them on sweeps, stretch runs and tosses for 272 yards – the most against a GT defense since Clemson rang up 323 in December of 2009 – a span of 21 games. The Tech defenders could not get off blocks and when they desperately needed a stop on UVa’s final possession, the physical toll of the 30-minute pounding left the defense incapable of responding.

The Cavalier defense was outstanding as well (there’s a closer look in our “Gold Star” segment). Virginia used a variety of different approaches to shut down the Tech triple-option, taking away the dive by using a safety for all intents and purposes as a fourth linebacker (while Chase Minnifield and Demetrious Nicholson all but removed the Tech passing game as an option) while mixing the players assigned to contain the dive play based on play and formation. The Hoos took away the toss for the first half and forced QB Tevin Washington to keep the ball then crashed the ends and OLB’s following Tech’s first drive of the second half and forced the plays to perimeter. GT netted just 49 yards on 15 plays (3.2 YPP) on those final three drives and recorded only two first downs.

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