The Sampler is back and this week it’s back with a win! The Hoos needed triple overtime, but they took down Syracuse 44-38 on Saturday at Scott Stadium. As always, The Sampler takes a look back at the game in appetizer style. First up, a little film study …

Misdirection With Mizzell

It’s clear that Taquan Mizzell is one of Virginia’s primary weapons on offense. That was definitely true against Cuse as Mizzell piled up 23 touches in the game. He rushed 13 times for 58 yards and two touchdowns and caught a career-high 10 passes for 69 yards too. It was his first career outing with multiple touchdowns. Along the way, he also extended his receiving streak to 27 games and became the 19th Cavalier to reach 100 career receptions. He got to 100 the third fastest in program history.

The two touchdowns proved critical in what became an overtime shootout with the Orange. The first touchdown came in the second quarter as Virginia leveled the score at 7-7. A Mizzell fumble had given Syracuse a 7-0 lead on the previous possession. A clearly determined Mizzell wanted to make up for it. On the scoring drive, he had 23 rushing yards and 10 receiving yards. That included the 11-yard touchdown drive that capped it off as Mizzell made a man miss, broke a tackle, and spun into the end zone.

The play featured misdirection with the blocking scheme and that helped Mizzell capture the edge en route to the touchdown. The Hoos set up in a single back set and split receiver Keeon Johnson and fullback Vincent Croce, two of its better blockers, out to the left side as receivers. A tight end and Olamide Zaccheaus are to the right. Before the snap, Croce motioned from outside of Johnson in toward the offensive line. Here’s the pre-snap look:

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