Week 3 ended with a stress-inducing, come from behind, win for the Hoos. Despite moving the ball very well all game, miscues and mistakes kept it closer than fans were hoping. But a win is a win. Move forward. Interestingly, forward is a game most Hoo fans have had circled for a while: Syracuse and a chance to face former offensive coordinator Robert Anae. The Hoos have a short week to prepare for a road game, further reducing prep time. The game kicks at 7pm Friday night, and the Hoos are currently a 10-point underdog. Syracuse is 3-0 on the year and coming off a rather fortunate victory over Purdue.
Cheers
So, what I am looking forward to this week? Honestly, just getting this game behind us is exciting to me. I have found the constant comparison of last year’s offense to this year’s both expected and mind-numbingly repetitive. I am sure that will continue, but I am hoping that UVA can find a way to go into the Dome and defeat the Orange and help end this comparison. Will that happen? Vegas and most metrics do not seem to think so, but I as a fan remain optimistic as usual.
To not rehash the past, I will simply say that Dr. Bob did UVA no favors following Bronco’s resignation. I really hope that the guys who remain on this roster and went through the transition are laser focused to carry out a little retribution on the football field.
Brennan Armstrong is a very good quarterback. Jason Beck did a wonderful job helping him develop. Robert Anae’s system provided him, with an experienced OL, an opportunity to put up some big passing numbers last year. But I am sure Brennan wants to prove he is more than a product of that system. We have seen glimpses of Brennan getting more comfortable in the new offense, especially at times against ODU. I am looking forward to Brennan putting more of that on display against his former OC.
Elsewhere on offense, we saw some glimpses of the wide receivers becoming more comfortable on Saturday. KT had a great game. Wicks, despite a costly drop, had a solid game. Davis made a huge catch on the final drive to help set-up the game winning field goal. Billy Kemp was out and will likely be out again this game, so it could be a chance for Starling to earn some offensive snaps. Also, we saw more out of Misch as a receiver – attacking the middle of the field. We know these guys have talent. I look forward to seeing if they can step it up another notch Friday night.
Despite an apparent missed blitz pick-up which led to Brennan getting sacked and fumbling, Xavier Brown had a great game and ran with vision and speed. With Cody Brown and Ronnie Walker still working their way back from injury, it was great to see another option emerge in the backfield. I am excited to see if Xavier can repeat his performance and help the Hoos move the ball on the ground against the Orange.
The defense had another solid performance on Saturday, holding ODU to 14 points. Unfortunately, the offense was not able to score despite multiple opportunities during the game due to turnovers and other miscues. Holding your opponent to 14 points, despite both of those TDs being allowed on the other teams last drive of each half, should be enough to win most college football games. UVA will obviously face a larger test Friday night than they did versus ODU. Tucker is a weapon as a runner and receiver. Dr. Bob is probably salivating seeing how teams have been able to get RBs and TEs one on one with UVA linebackers at times. Tucker is a tough man to cover for any player, let alone a LB in the open field. I look forward to seeing how Coach Rudzinski schemes to limit Tucker in the running game and when he runs routes. How this is handled is likely to determine whether UVA can win.
Fears
I cannot express how badly I want to beat Dr. Bob. This is not about you, Jason Beck – we have no beef. The man being treated as an offensive god by the frustrated UVA fan will always remain the guy who called the bone-headed play against VT despite having the very weapons most claim are being poorly used currently. Add the off-the-field once Bronco stepped down, and I want so badly to beat the Orange 50-0. The fear in me is losing to his current team. I have tried to come up with ways we could lose and still reduce the constant comparisons between offenses. None of them make me happy. Just win.
While the offense moved the ball with more success against ODU, they failed to convert most of the opportunities into points, while turning the ball over 3 times. Syracuse will offer a stiffer defensive test than ODU (probably a little below Illinois). The Hoos must take care of the ball. Every possession needs to end in a kick of some sort. While the “whatever it’s called now but still Carrier” Dome will not be at capacity, it will provide a home field advantage for the Orange. The Hoos must play clean despite that noise and any other external factors.
When I started my film review of Syracuse, I was expecting to see a lot of last year’s UVA offensive schemes. I did not. Honestly, their playbook is more like what UVA is running now, with the exception being more wide receiver motion. Tucker is the focal point of the offense. He has home run ability as running back. He has home run ability as a receiver. He does both out of similar formations. So, UVA will have to be disciplined defensively while tackling and covering at a very high level to keep him in check.
Shrader is the other weapon UVA must stop. While he does tend to lock in on his primary read in the passing game, he is a capable thrower and runner. If anything, he may look to run more than he should, but it has worked for them so far this year. Having a multi-threat QB with a weapon like Tucker at RB is a lot to contain. Purdue did it well for most of their game versus the Orange last week. But they made mistakes and Syracuse was able to mount a comeback, referee aided or not. Yeah, I have some fears.
Beers
This is another road game that most UVA fans are unlikely to attend. I hate Friday night games. They are clearly here to stay though, so if UVA has one, I prefer it being on the road from a fan who attends all the home games perspective. Charlottesville just does not handle weeknight games well with traffic and parking lot issues during the work week. The nice thing about a Friday night game is the chance to watch football all weekend with a win under your belt. I am hoping that is the case this weekend.
The game kicks at 7PM on ESPN. My sources have told me that weather should not be an issue during the game. This will be UVA’s first trip to the Dome since they installed air-conditioning last year and dumped the Carrier name. UVA last played at Syracuse in 2005 and pulled off a 27-24 win thanks in large part to a long Michael Johnson rushing TD. UVA leads the series 3-2 and has won every game played after 1977. Let’s keep that going.
Go HOOS!
Cheers
So, what I am looking forward to this week? Honestly, just getting this game behind us is exciting to me. I have found the constant comparison of last year’s offense to this year’s both expected and mind-numbingly repetitive. I am sure that will continue, but I am hoping that UVA can find a way to go into the Dome and defeat the Orange and help end this comparison. Will that happen? Vegas and most metrics do not seem to think so, but I as a fan remain optimistic as usual.
To not rehash the past, I will simply say that Dr. Bob did UVA no favors following Bronco’s resignation. I really hope that the guys who remain on this roster and went through the transition are laser focused to carry out a little retribution on the football field.
Brennan Armstrong is a very good quarterback. Jason Beck did a wonderful job helping him develop. Robert Anae’s system provided him, with an experienced OL, an opportunity to put up some big passing numbers last year. But I am sure Brennan wants to prove he is more than a product of that system. We have seen glimpses of Brennan getting more comfortable in the new offense, especially at times against ODU. I am looking forward to Brennan putting more of that on display against his former OC.
Elsewhere on offense, we saw some glimpses of the wide receivers becoming more comfortable on Saturday. KT had a great game. Wicks, despite a costly drop, had a solid game. Davis made a huge catch on the final drive to help set-up the game winning field goal. Billy Kemp was out and will likely be out again this game, so it could be a chance for Starling to earn some offensive snaps. Also, we saw more out of Misch as a receiver – attacking the middle of the field. We know these guys have talent. I look forward to seeing if they can step it up another notch Friday night.
Despite an apparent missed blitz pick-up which led to Brennan getting sacked and fumbling, Xavier Brown had a great game and ran with vision and speed. With Cody Brown and Ronnie Walker still working their way back from injury, it was great to see another option emerge in the backfield. I am excited to see if Xavier can repeat his performance and help the Hoos move the ball on the ground against the Orange.
The defense had another solid performance on Saturday, holding ODU to 14 points. Unfortunately, the offense was not able to score despite multiple opportunities during the game due to turnovers and other miscues. Holding your opponent to 14 points, despite both of those TDs being allowed on the other teams last drive of each half, should be enough to win most college football games. UVA will obviously face a larger test Friday night than they did versus ODU. Tucker is a weapon as a runner and receiver. Dr. Bob is probably salivating seeing how teams have been able to get RBs and TEs one on one with UVA linebackers at times. Tucker is a tough man to cover for any player, let alone a LB in the open field. I look forward to seeing how Coach Rudzinski schemes to limit Tucker in the running game and when he runs routes. How this is handled is likely to determine whether UVA can win.
Fears
I cannot express how badly I want to beat Dr. Bob. This is not about you, Jason Beck – we have no beef. The man being treated as an offensive god by the frustrated UVA fan will always remain the guy who called the bone-headed play against VT despite having the very weapons most claim are being poorly used currently. Add the off-the-field once Bronco stepped down, and I want so badly to beat the Orange 50-0. The fear in me is losing to his current team. I have tried to come up with ways we could lose and still reduce the constant comparisons between offenses. None of them make me happy. Just win.
While the offense moved the ball with more success against ODU, they failed to convert most of the opportunities into points, while turning the ball over 3 times. Syracuse will offer a stiffer defensive test than ODU (probably a little below Illinois). The Hoos must take care of the ball. Every possession needs to end in a kick of some sort. While the “whatever it’s called now but still Carrier” Dome will not be at capacity, it will provide a home field advantage for the Orange. The Hoos must play clean despite that noise and any other external factors.
When I started my film review of Syracuse, I was expecting to see a lot of last year’s UVA offensive schemes. I did not. Honestly, their playbook is more like what UVA is running now, with the exception being more wide receiver motion. Tucker is the focal point of the offense. He has home run ability as running back. He has home run ability as a receiver. He does both out of similar formations. So, UVA will have to be disciplined defensively while tackling and covering at a very high level to keep him in check.
Shrader is the other weapon UVA must stop. While he does tend to lock in on his primary read in the passing game, he is a capable thrower and runner. If anything, he may look to run more than he should, but it has worked for them so far this year. Having a multi-threat QB with a weapon like Tucker at RB is a lot to contain. Purdue did it well for most of their game versus the Orange last week. But they made mistakes and Syracuse was able to mount a comeback, referee aided or not. Yeah, I have some fears.
Beers
This is another road game that most UVA fans are unlikely to attend. I hate Friday night games. They are clearly here to stay though, so if UVA has one, I prefer it being on the road from a fan who attends all the home games perspective. Charlottesville just does not handle weeknight games well with traffic and parking lot issues during the work week. The nice thing about a Friday night game is the chance to watch football all weekend with a win under your belt. I am hoping that is the case this weekend.
The game kicks at 7PM on ESPN. My sources have told me that weather should not be an issue during the game. This will be UVA’s first trip to the Dome since they installed air-conditioning last year and dumped the Carrier name. UVA last played at Syracuse in 2005 and pulled off a 27-24 win thanks in large part to a long Michael Johnson rushing TD. UVA leads the series 3-2 and has won every game played after 1977. Let’s keep that going.
Go HOOS!
