Through its first two games, Virginia has looked the part of an ACC contender. The Cavaliers have outscored opponents 93-11 and executed in all three phases of play. Here is how they have accomplished those feats:
One of the best defenses in all of college football
Virginia has the nation’s fifth-best scoring defense. The Cavaliers are also ensuring opponents seldom cross midfield, ranking ninth in yards allowed per game. This is clearly one of the best defenses in the country.
A key development has been the pass rush — Virginia has been able to generate pressure with only four or five pass rushers. As a result, more players are dropping into coverage and complicating the vision for opposing quarterbacks. It is extremely difficult to find any open receivers when most of them are in double coverage.
When quarterbacks do throw the ball, they are testing the stingy duo of Omillio Agard and Jacobie Henderson. The latter did give up a few big catches against the Spartans, but broadly, that duo has been stellar. They are able to play tight coverage because behind them, Brandyn Hillman and Ethan Minter are there to deliver big hits or steal interceptions.
Oh, and this No. 5 scoring defense will be getting a healthier Kam Robinson back this week.
Beau Pribula is extremely efficient
Virginia’s new quarterback sits in the highest tier of all quarterbacks in terms of completion percentage and passer rating. He has only thrown a handful of incompletions, all while rushing for over 100 yards against NC State and throwing several touchdowns against Norfolk State.
Pribula did throw an interception (which came off a deflected pass), but in terms of executing the gameplan and being efficient, he has been as close to perfect of a quarterback as the Cavaliers have had this century. Pribula has looked near-unstoppable to start the season.
Offensive line is elite — and the skill position players are blocking too
Heading into the season, Virginia’s offensive line was regarded as a major strength. Phil Steele ranked it No. 10 nationally. After two games, that might be a slight underestimate.
The Cavalier line has picked up where it left off, and has been hypercharged through the long-awaited debuts of Makilan Thomas and Monroe Mills. Depth pieces like Ben York and Jon Adair have also made notable contributions. But that’s not all.
While Virginia’s offensive line continues to absolutely maul opponents in the trenches, the receivers, running backs and tight ends are also getting in on the action. Returning players like Dakota Twitty have improved as blockers — which makes this run game even more dangerous.
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