With kickoff rapidly moving closer on the calendar, the Virginia football team is in full preseason mode. The Cavaliers are chasing their fifth straight season without a losing record, which is a significant turnaround for a program that had five straight losing seasons from 2012-2016. To add to the recent string of progress, the Hoos must find a way to beat the teams on their 12-game schedule.

That’s the jumping off point for the latest “50 Thoughts Before Virginia Football Kickoff” article. It’s time to look at the 2021 schedule through a Pro Football Focus (PFF) lens. The Cavaliers open with William & Mary on Saturday, Sept. 4, play their ACC opener on the road at North Carolina on Saturday, Sept. 18, and finish the season on Saturday, Sept. 27 at home against Virginia Tech. The first six games are linked here and the final six games appear below.

Duke

• Gameday: Saturday, Oct. 16, at Scott Stadium
• PFF Overall Grade Average: 63.8
• PFF Overall Offense Grade Average: 62.9
• PFF Overall Defense Grade Average: 61.7
• PFF Overall Special Teams Grade Average: 66.7
• PFF Top Overall Grade: 89.5 vs. Charlotte
• PFF Top Offensive Grade: 85.9 vs. Charlotte
• PFF Top Defensive Grade: 75.6 vs. Charlotte
• PFF Worst Overall Grade: 47.6 vs. Notre Dame
• PFF Worst Offensive Grade: 56.0 vs. Georgia Tech
• PFF Worst Defensive Grade: 41.2 vs. Notre Dame

While Virginia travels to Miami for the third straight year due to scheduling quirks, it’s the opposite with the Blue Devils as they’ll come to Charlottesville for the third straight time. The Hoos have been successful against Duke in the Bronco Mendenhall era with a 5-0 mark starting with a road win in 2016. Last season’s 38-20 victory was the second highest scoring output by the Cavaliers in those five games. That shows up in the PFF data where the Devils’ 52.5 overall defense grade was their second lowest of the season.

Duke is known for its offense under David Cutcliffe, but last season’s team did not produce good execution numbers. The PFF data tagged the offense with six of 11 games in the 50’s (below average), which included a 56.1 vs. UVA as the second lowest grade of the season. Other than the cupcake game with Charlotte, the Blue Devils failed to surpass a 67.4 (average) grade vs. Boston College in any game all season. The culprit in the struggles came in the passing game where 10 of 11 games graded out at 61.1 or lower with five games in the 50’s, three games in the 40’s, and the season-low of 36.2 vs. Virginia. The pass blocking execution was also considered below average in six of 11 games.

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