Malachi Fields scored two touchdowns for Virginia, which had some bounce back in the grades too. ~ Photo courtesy Virginia Athletics Media Relations

After the Wake Forest game, I wrote about Virginia learning how to win. In some cases, it’s about winning the games you are supposed to win – like Richmond. Sometimes it’s about stepping up to a stronger opponent like Wake Forest or Maryland, and sometimes it’s about recovering from a frustrating loss to a team like the Terps.

The Hoos passed the test of winning against a team they should defeat. They stepped up to win a road game against a more comparable team like the Deacs. Against Coastal Carolina, UVA showed the ability to recover from a frustrating Maryland loss and take out an undefeated opponent, again on the road.

This next phase will be learning how to win games against better opponents. The Cavaliers now goes into the off week for some healing, self-scouting, and refinement. All things they will need over the next three games against Boston College, Louisville, and Clemson, who are ranked No. 19, No. 23 and No. 17 respectively in The Athletic 134 rankings of all 134 FBS teams. I might add that UVA’s 10th opponent of the season is Notre Dame, who is ranked 22nd. For now, it’s the 3-1 Boston College Eagles. UVA hosts that game at noon on Saturday, Oct 5.

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