Greg’s Grades 2018: Virginia At Georgia Tech

Virginia is 7-4 this season.
Bryce Perkins and the Hoos fell in OT at Georgia Tech. ~ Mike Ingalls

There are no moral victories and there are no good losses. Those cliches out of the way, the Virginia Cavaliers acquitted themselves well against a good Georgia Tech football team on the road in their 30-27 overtime loss in Atlanta.

In a game that proved once again that the Hoos are better when all three operations contribute, a game where huge, game-changing, ‘will to win suffocating’ returns and turnovers would have defeated lesser teams, Virginia battled and almost pulled it off. It’s still a loss, but how you lose matters. No quit and all fight is who the 2018 Hoos are.

What about the grades though? Let’s look.

Greg’s Grades

Superlatives

  • Top performing unit (non-special teams): Secondary
  • Needs work unit (non-special teams): Running backs
  • Top special teams’ unit: Kickoff return
  • Needs work special teams’ unit: Punt return

Offense – Grades

  • Total Offense: 80.6 (B-)
  • Quarterback: 84.1 (B)
  • Running backs: 72.7 (C-)
  • Wide receivers and tight ends: 86.2 (B)
  • Offensive line: 79.5 (C+)

Offense – Quick Takes & Notes

  • The offense posted its fifth 400-yard+ game of the season against Tech. The last time a UVA offense posted 400+ yards in five games was 2015.
  • Great blocking by Hasise Dubious on Bryce Perkins’ second quarter TD, among several other plays.
  • Virginia’s offense posted it’s sixth QB rating over 145 in 2018.
  • Virginia’s offense recorded its sixth 80%+ grade game of the season.
  • Excellent work by Virginia’s receivers to break tackles and gain substantial yards after the catch.
  • Sensible play on 3rd-and-32 to get 19 yards and put punter Lester Coleman in place for a punt that pinned GT inside the 15-yard line.
  • Perkins becomes the first UVA quarterback with 2,000+ passing yards and 600+ rushing yards in the same season. He was also the first UVA quarter back with 1,500+ passing yards and 600+ rushing yards.
  • Virginia’s offense scored 27 or more points for the seventh time this season – the first time in a decade that has happened.

Defense – Grades

  • Total Defense: 85.4 (B)
  • Defensive line: 86.6 (B)
  • Linebackers: 82.9 (B-)
  • Secondary: 86.8 (B)

Defense – Quick Takes & Notes

  • I held the defense responsible for 16 points (12 on FGs and 4 for the TD following the punt return turnover). The D played very well.
  • The defense held the nation’s leading rushing offense 94 yards below its seasonal average.
  • For the sixth time this season, all three defensive units recorded a grade of 80 or higher.
  • I thought Virginia’s corners may have played their best game of the season.
  • The 305 yards of total offense allowed by the UVA defense was the third fewest posted by Georgia Tech this season.
  • The Jackets are the fifth team in UVA’s last six games where the opponent has gained fewer than 350 yards in total offense. Georgia Tech is the seventh team this year the Hoos have held below that total. The last time that occurred was 2008 when Virginia held eight opponents to less than 350 yards.

Special Teams – Grades

  • Total Special Teams: 67.1 (D+)
  • Placekicking: 74.1 (C)
  • Kickoff coverage: 52.6 (F)
  • Kickoff return: 82.4 (B-)
  • Punt coverage: 91.2 (A-)
  • Punt return: 35.4 (F)

Special Teams – Quick Takes & Notes

  • Just a “burn the film” night for UVA’s special teams.
  • Tavares Kelly has to catch the first quarter punt outside the 10-yard line.
  • Obviously the 77-yard TD return off the free kick was devastating.
  • To me, the turnover on the punt with 3:11 left in the third quarter with the score 21-16 Hoos turned the game around. When the defense stopped Georgia Tech, I felt Virginia was ready to make a drive, go up by 12 and put the game away.
  • The punt return operation recorded the lowest special teams’ grade of the season.
  • UVA’s punt coverage unit posted its third straight championship level grade.

Additional Quick Takes & Notes

  • Both Tech and Virginia converted 55.6% of their third down chances. That’s something you rarely see on the stat line.
  • Virginia lost the field position battle for the third time this season. The Hoos are 0-3 in those games.

One More Thing

I don’t grade coaching. I try to limit grading to player execution. Admittedly, not being on the sideline or in the huddle limits one’s ability to access how the coaching staff called a game. That said, there are times when the sequence of play-calling and the theory behind can be called into question.

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