Virginia Secondary Focused On Improving To Bounce Back In 2022

Virginia
Antonio Clary celebrates with his Virginia teammates at Louisville last season. ~ Photo courtesy of Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics Media Relations

The Virginia football team’s defense last season was less than stellar. The Hoos allowed 31.8 points per game to finish tied for 103rd nationally out of 130 FBS teams. The news was not much different for the defensive backs.

Despite practicing against one of the top quarterbacks and a high-powered receiving corps on a regular basis, the secondary struggled mightily against some of the strong arms and big-play receivers in the country. The Cavaliers ranked No. 87 in passing defense (240.2 YPG) and tied for No. 93 with eight interceptions. They received a below average or lower coverage grade from Pro Football Focus in 7 of 13 games.

The Hoos were picked apart by numerous quarterbacks as they allowed six different players to throw for 270 or more yards with four throwing for 300 or more. They were vulnerable to big plays, whether it was due to blown coverage or scheming, as the defense allowed 21 pass plays of 30 yards or more. That tied for 91st nationally. Evidence of those struggles included the 92-yard touchdown pass against Louisville or the 75-yard touchdown against North Carolina.

The early goal for new defensive backs coach Curome Cox was to get his group on the same page and forget about what happened last season. He said the group is locked in for the upcoming season and it put the past in the rearview. With him and new UVA defensive coordinator John Rudzinski leading the way, Cox believes a suspect unit has turned into a feisty one early in spring practices.

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