Virginia Football Notables: North Carolina

By: Chris Horne |
While Kurt Benkert has played a major role in Virginia football’s 5-1 start, he can be more secure in terms of fumbles moving forward. ~ Photo Courtesy Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics Media Relations

Taking care of the football has been one of the keys to Virginia football’s outstanding start to the 2017 season. The Cavaliers (5-1 overall, 2-0 in the ACC, 2-0 on the road) are currently tied for fifth in the nation with four turnovers lost (3 interceptions, 1 fumble).

There is room for improvement, however.

Ball security can become an issue if the Cavaliers aren’t careful. Virginia has fumbled 13 times this year but has lost only one, when quarterback Kurt Benkert coughed it up as the Hoos were trying to put away UNC late in the 4th quarter. The senior signal caller is responsible for seven of UVA’s 13 fumbles. He has fumbled at least once in five of six games with William & Mary being the lone exception. Benkert fumbled twice against UNC and twice against U-Conn.

If Virginia continues averaging two fumbles per game, chances are the defense will start recovering its share. We’ll see if the Hoos can get stronger with the football to prevent this situation from coming to fruition.

More notables …

– True freshmen outside linebackers Elliott Brown and Charles Snowden combined for a 3-yard tackle for loss against North Carolina. The duo combined for a sack against Boise State earlier in the season. Hopefully for Hoo fans, this is a sign of things to come from the tall, athletic, rangy duo.

Brown made his college debut against UConn while Snowden appeared in his first college contest at Boise State. Each player has played in three games apiece. You might remember Snowden for his clutch sack of Duke’s Daniel Jones on the Blue Devils’ final drive against Virginia. Trailing by seven, the Blue Devils had 3rd-and-6 in Cavalier territory. The 6’7”, 205-pound Snowden threw Jones for a 10-yard loss. Cornerback Juan Thornhill broke up a Jones pass on 4th down to secure the win for the home team.

– This week may be an important one for junior linebacker Malcolm Cook, who has missed Virginia’s last three games with an injury. Coach Mendenhall said previously that Cook will be reevaluated after the Carolina game.

– Including his time at Southern Miss and now North Carolina, Larry Fedora had a perfect 7-0 record as a head coach against Virginia until yesterday’s game. The 20-14 victory also snapped Virginia’s 7-game losing streak to the Tar Heels.

– True freshmen Terrell Jana (WR) and Jamari Peacock (BB) made their first career starts on Saturday. Unfortunately for Jana, he needed to be helped off the field after Benkert’s lost fumble in the 4th quarter with what appeared to be a leg injury. The injury appeared to be of the non-contact variety. It may not be serious, but it is something to monitor next week.

Virginia sophomore receiver Hasise Dubois sat out the UNC game with an injury.

– Virginia hosts Boston College next Saturday in Scott Stadium. The Eagles may not scare Cavalier fans with their 3-4 record, but they are 2-1 on the road including last weekend’s surprising 45-42 win over Louisville. Its only road loss was against Clemson. In that game, the Eagles and Tigers were tied at 7 apiece heading into the fourth quarter before Clemson broke it open.

A BC player to watch? How about true freshman running back A.J. Dillon, who had 272 yards rushing and 4 touchdowns at Louisville. The run below drew national attention.

TAKING TO TWITTER

As you might expect, Cavalier nation is excited about the program’s best start since 2007. Here is a sampling of tweets, beginning first with former Hoos …

Now, some current players and coaches …

And some future Hoos …