Al Groh often stated in the weeks leading up to the Gator Bowl that a victory would require exceptional play from all three operations – the offense, defense and special teams. Well, the Cavalier special teams, as it has all season, delivered a mixed-bag performance and while the offense was effective at times, second half breakdowns doomed the Hoos.

Some readers may find my defensive grades high considering the scoring, Texas Tech’s high passing yardage and YPC, plus the high rate of third and fourth down conversions. But when a defense holds an opponent below their seasonal averages in virtually every offensive category, that’s a championship caliber effort and that’s what the Cavalier defense delivered in the Gator Bowl. So let’s change things up and start with them.

DEFENSE

Overall Grade: 83.51 (B)

I thought this was a total team effort and so much of our analysis will apply to every unit. As we review our four primary keys to the game for the Virginia defense they included:

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