UVa QB Michael Rocco threw two touchdown passes. |
ATLANTA – In a game that started so promising, the demons of the past haunted the Hoos again in a disappointing defeat. In Virginia’s four previous losses this season, two of the biggest culprits had been poor special teams play and huge plays by the opposing offense. In Saturday’s Chick-fil-A Bowl, the Hoos recorded more first downs, converted more third downs for the game and held the time of possession and overall yardage edge through three quarters, but they could not overcome numerous special teams blunders and allowed nine explosive plays on defense as Auburn claimed the 43-24 win.
For UVa, the offense played well enough to win and the defense, despite some lapses, was not without its own bright moments as well, but the continuation of Virginia’s season-long struggles with special teams proved too much for the Cavaliers to overcome. Auburn blocked two punts, recovered an onside kick and returned a free kick following a safety 62 yards. For the Wahoo faithful among the 72,919 in attendance and Virginia’s seniors who worked so hard for four or five years to get to this night, it was not how they envisioned ending 2011.
“This loss was tough on our seniors,” Virginia coach Mike London said. “Right now this one stings a little bit because you know when you get in the game want win the game.”
It was especially bittersweet for senior wide receiver Kris Burd , who ended his UVa career with one of his best games. He hauled in six catches for 103 yards and 2 touchdowns, but also suffered an injured collar bone according to initial reports. Burd concludes his career with 2,190 yards, No. 4 all-time at Virginia; he finished his career with 162 receptions, moving him to second all time in the program’s record book. Burd made at least one catch in 36 of the last 37 games, including 28 straight – that’s the second longest streak in Hoo history. He’s also the third Cavalier to score two receiving touchdowns in a bowl game, joining Terrence Wilkins (1998 Peach Bowl) and Wali Lundy (2002 Continental Tire Bowl) in that category.
Kris Burd made a catch in 36 of the last 37 games of his Hoo career. |
Burd grabbed 66 receptions this season, the fourth most in a single season in Cavalier history, but success was something offensive coordinator Bill Lazor expected all season despite a limited spring for the senior. Burd did not disappoint his coach.
“It’s no surprise how well he played. He missed a lot of spring practice and training camp so it was a slow start to the season,” Lazor said. “We knew what he could do when he’s feeling it. He’s just meant so much to us over the past two years.”
Led by Burd’s big night, the offense was fairly effective for most of the game in fact. Quarterback Michael Rocco set a new UVa completions record for a bowl game with 26 connections and his 312 yards passing marked only the second time in school history a Cavalier signal-caller threw for more than 300 yards in a bowl game. He had two touchdown passes and one interception, a pass bobbled into the air by the intended target Kevin Parks .
“The offense has confidence and came into this game confident and even though we were going against some tough schemes we took it on and we moved the ball, in the first half especially, but we didn’t put enough points on the board to win this game,” said Rocco, who recovered well from a disappointing regular season finale against Virginia Tech. “We got ourselves in a deficit and two turnovers and two blocked punts doesn’t help and it’s kind of hard to dig out of that.”
The Cavaliers pushed all the right buttons early Saturday. Virginia outgained Auburn 145 to 37 in the first quarter while producing some big plays with a 23-yard run by Kevin Parks and a 27-yard touchdown pass to Burd. A blocked punt led to Auburn’s first touchdown, a two-play, 15-yard drive but UVa responded to retake the lead six minutes later as Burd hauled in his second touchdown pass of the game.
The Tigers broke the game open in the second quarter, though. They drove 85 yards for a touchdown and then scored on a 59-yard drive following a successful onside kick. AU shut down the Hoos on the ensuing drive when Virginia failed to execute a fake field goal. Auburn pushed the lead to 28-14 on its next possession and took a 28-17 lead into the locker room at the break.
In case the Cavaliers came out in the second half with any hopes of making it a game, the Tigers quickly put that to rest with nine-play, 80-yard drive in which the Auburn offensive line dominated the Virginia run defense with gaping holes, including one on the final play of the drive. That 22-yard touchdown run by Tre Mason gave AU a comfortable 35-17 advantage.
Overall, Virginia also struggled to overcome Auburn’s big play offense that put the Hoos on their heels early in the second quarter with a 60-yard scamper by Chick-fil-A Bowl Offensive MVP Onterio McCalebb and a 50-yard strike to the game’s leading receiver Emory Blake. Departing Tiger offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn said the big early plays allowed his offense to get into a rhythm.
“We made some big plays,” Malzahn said. “We’re a rhythm offense and anytime we make big plays we get in a rhythm. We made the big pass play and Onterio’s run and that kind of loosened things up. Our kids executed and we got our speed guys out on the perimeter and they made some plays for us.”
Also making some plays for the Tigers was quarterback Barrett Trotter. Not known for his running agility, Trotter eluded Cavalier tacklers as Virginia’s pocket containment broke down time and time again. The Wahoo defense got close to both Trotter and quarterback Kiehl Frazier, the change of pace running quarterback, several times but for UVa defensive coordinator Jim Reid, it was not close enough.
“If you take a look at [pocket containment], it’s been a bit of problem all year. Today everybody could see it because it was dramatic, it was dramatic to see how many times it happened and it wasn’t just No. 10 [Frazier],” Reid said. “We had five or six great opportunities for sacks and came away not just empty but they turned them into first downs or bigger plays. Not only did they escape, they escaped for big yards.”
Trotter rushed for 32 yards, mostly when the Auburn protection broke down. Trotter acknowledged no specific flaw the Tigers noticed on tape they felt could be exploited, but said awareness and steady line play allowed the offensive to gel.
Auburn found its rhythm on plays like this big run from Offensive MVP Onterio McCalebb. |
“I can’t really pinpoint to any one thing in particular other than presence in the pocket is always something a QB needs to be aware of,” Trotter said. “I felt the offensive line did a good job, even if they got beat around the edge they stayed with their guy until the whistle and allowed me to step up or roll out and make a play.”
Auburn also had success with its misdirection and read option offense. While Virginia seemed to handle the plays to the perimeter, it was the cut-back plays and counters, coupled with the Tiger speed that gave the Cavaliers fits. Frazier scored two touchdowns on his 16 carries, most of those coming out of the Tigers’ read option series. Auburn’s 273 yards and 6.2 yards per carry were the Hoo defense’s second highest totals allowed of the season. With Steve Greer nursing a torn ACL and unavailable to play in Saturday night’s contest, Henry Coley stepped in after his own six-game absence with a hamstring injury. Coley, who recorded four stops and a Tackle For Loss said the cut back runs and counter action were difficult to defend.
“It was more misdirection than their speed. We’ve seen speed like that from the first game to the last. They do have a bunch of dynamic players,” Coley said.
With its fifth consecutive bowl victory, defending national champion Auburn concludes the season at 8-5. Virginia also finished the season at 8-5 but ends the year on a disappointing two-game losing skid while being outscored 81-24.