The Virginia football team continues to struggle on the scoreboard, posting just 20 points in a 27-20 loss to Maryland on Saturday. There are plenty of areas to analyze – offensive line inconsistency, dropped passes, penalties – that contribute to the scoring woes, but the bottom line is that UVa doesn’t put up enough points on a regular basis.

It’s not just a 2012 problem. The UVa coaching staff is 32 games into its tenure with a record of 14-18 in that time. The scoring difference in wins and losses is drastic. In 14 wins, the Hoos average 31.2 points per game. In 18 losses, they average just 18.4 points per game. Overall in the 32 games, the Cavaliers average 24.0 points per game. In 2010, 2011, and 2012, the averages stand at 25.33 (75th nationally), 23.23 (86th), 23.14 (tied 88th) points respectively. As you can see, those numbers fall in the bottom third of the nation’s Football Bowl Subdivision teams.

Obviously, the downward trend there is evident as well. That’s leading to some fan frustration and growing concerns despite the obvious challenges (previous recruiting issues impacted offensive line depth, the center secession plan, and the quarterback situation) presented to offensive coordinator Bill Lazor. Are opponents catching on to his tendencies, negating some advantages created by the shifts and motions designed to disguise certain bread-and-butter plays? Do the complicated shifts and motions overlook the simple approach and, perhaps, is Lazor out-thinking himself in certain situations? Is the play-calling too predictable? All of these questions pop on the message boards at TheSabre.com from time to time and some similar things are probably uttered in the stands or at tailgates as well.

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