Week 4 provided an exciting, but ultimately disappointing, Friday night for most Hoo fans. The defense played a very good game against a team that came in with a much-ballyhooed offense. The offense and special teams were not able to provide the complementary performances needed to help win a conference road game. Whether a pessimist or an optimist, this game provided fuel for your argument, but it is time to move on to the next one.
This week UVA returns to Durham to face Duke for the first time since 2018, having beaten Duke in Charlottesville each of the past 3 seasons. Duke has had a great start to the season for a team not expected to win many games all year. Coach Elko has Duke playing good football in all phases. This game started as a pickem in most books, but the public money went towards Duke making Duke a 2.5 point home favorite currently. UVA last lost at Duke in 2014. The game kicks at 7:30 PM and is likely to be played in very rainy conditions.
Cheers
I spoke last week how much I was looking forward to getting the Syracuse game and the Dr. Bob storyline behind us. It would have been much better to put it behind us with a win, but it is behind us, nonetheless. The defense played great only allowing one touchdown and 5 field goals to a team that had been averaging 5 plus touchdowns a game prior. The defensive line created havoc and did a great job against the run. The linebackers and secondary played assignment sound and tackled well helping prevent Syracuse from turning small gains into explosive plays. Shrader was neutralized as a runner, as was Tucker. The defense did all they could to help UVA win the game. I look forward to seeing them back that effort up against a surprisingly effective Duke offense.
Offensively, UVA has not had a complete game all season. The first half against Richmond was decent and part of the second half at Syracuse was good. If the defense can continue to perform as they have, the offense does not need to be unbelievable. The offensive line showed some signs of improvement Friday night, helping open holes in the running game and giving Brennan time to pass. The running game was good to very good for the game. The passing game was not. Brennan and the receivers continue to struggle to find a rhythm. Coach Elliott mentioned in his presser this week that they were starting to dial back fully installing the new offense and focus on getting the ball in the hands of the playmakers. At some point it feels like the passing game will start clicking – there is just too much talent there to continue to struggle. The weather Saturday might make that difficult this week, but I look forward to finding out if they can improve.
Special teams were an adventure at Syracuse, with two long missed field goals (one of which was a debatable decision to even attempt), a blocked XP and a long kick-off return allowed which set-up Syracuse’s only touchdown. Special teams did force a turnover on a kickoff return which UVA ultimately turned into points. The 7 points in missed kicks would have gone a long way in changing the result versus Syracuse. Regardless, special teams cannot continue to be a negative. Bettridge is scheduled to take over place kicking duties this week, so I am looking forward to seeing if he can provide more reliability and if the Hoos can get some net positive results from the third side.
Duke has a new coach. They seem to have more excitement around their program than we have seen in a long time. Call it recency bias, but this has long felt like a game UVA fans could circle as a win each season. This team seems better than the most recent additions of Duke football, but it is still Duke football. UVA could use a win in a bad way. Message board moderators, owners and writers could use a win too. I am excited to see if Duke can be circled as a win yet again.
Fears
This section has been too easy to write the last few weeks and not because I am a pessimist. We are four games into the season and UVA is 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the ACC. For the record, I had UVA 3-1 (1-0) at this point of the season in my preseason predictions. So, 2-2 is not that far off, but man does it feel so much different than I would have guessed.
Every week it feels like this will be the game where the passing game gets it going. Every week I have to say maybe next week. We are now 1/3 of the way through the regular season. The weather will likely impede serious improvement in the passing game this week, but what if this is just what the passing game is going to be this year? Yeah, I have some fears.
The defense has been the stabilizing force of this team. That feels odd to write. They will be without the leadership of Nick Jackson in the first half Saturday night in Durham. Perry, Ahern, Stewart and James Jackson will have to all step-up to fill the void and help keep the defense playing well. I believe they will, but it is hard not to be a little concerned when you cannot have Nick Jackson on the field.
I spoke not so glowingly about the special teams already, but they must have a place here in the fears section. Wet and windy conditions are not going to make it easy on anyone, especially those assigned with kicking, holding, snapping, returning and covering. And to be honest, UVA has struggled in most of those areas in good weather conditions. So, I have some fears.
The Hoos are on the road playing a game that you can argue is a must win. Sure, 2-3 with two road conference losses does not mean the season is over, but the perception of a loss to Duke to the non-diehard UVA fan will not be good. To help resurrect any fan support from those on the fence (and that is a whole other story which will surely be discussed at some time on the podcast – follow us), a win against Duke seems almost necessary. If my read on that is correct, how ugly will it get with a loss? Yeah, I have some concerns.
Beers
I was debating making the trip down for this game when the schedule came out, but I am sadly not going to be able to make the trip. For those that do, be loud!
The game kicks at 7:30PM on RSN. I have already mentioned the weather – it is likely going to be rainy and windy as the remnants of Hurricane Ian make their way up the coast. I am curious to see what kind of crowd Duke has given the conditions, but it is probably safe to say that crowd noise should not be a major factor Saturday night.
Someone mentioned I should do something more with this section as far as suggesting drinks for the game. I will be honest: I normally stick to light beer on game days except for when it is crazy cold or for the last drink on the way to the stadium. I am going to come up with a good mixed drink suggestion for each game based on opponent from this point forward. This week we have the “Blue Devil.”
BLUE DEVIL
1 oz. (30ml) Gin
1 Tbsp Maraschino
Splash Blue Curacao
1 oz. (30ml) Lime Juice
Garnish: Cherry
PREPARATION
1. Add ice, gin, lime juice, maraschino liqueur and blue curaçao to shaking glass and shake well.
2. Strain mix into glass and drop in a cherry.
Once you have that all nicely mixed up and strained into your glass, pour it down the damn sink. You are a Wahoo. Grab a nice bottle of Blanton’s or another bourbon of your choice. Pour it over a couple of ice cubes. Enjoy.
BEAT DUKE!
Go HOOS!
This week UVA returns to Durham to face Duke for the first time since 2018, having beaten Duke in Charlottesville each of the past 3 seasons. Duke has had a great start to the season for a team not expected to win many games all year. Coach Elko has Duke playing good football in all phases. This game started as a pickem in most books, but the public money went towards Duke making Duke a 2.5 point home favorite currently. UVA last lost at Duke in 2014. The game kicks at 7:30 PM and is likely to be played in very rainy conditions.
Cheers
I spoke last week how much I was looking forward to getting the Syracuse game and the Dr. Bob storyline behind us. It would have been much better to put it behind us with a win, but it is behind us, nonetheless. The defense played great only allowing one touchdown and 5 field goals to a team that had been averaging 5 plus touchdowns a game prior. The defensive line created havoc and did a great job against the run. The linebackers and secondary played assignment sound and tackled well helping prevent Syracuse from turning small gains into explosive plays. Shrader was neutralized as a runner, as was Tucker. The defense did all they could to help UVA win the game. I look forward to seeing them back that effort up against a surprisingly effective Duke offense.
Offensively, UVA has not had a complete game all season. The first half against Richmond was decent and part of the second half at Syracuse was good. If the defense can continue to perform as they have, the offense does not need to be unbelievable. The offensive line showed some signs of improvement Friday night, helping open holes in the running game and giving Brennan time to pass. The running game was good to very good for the game. The passing game was not. Brennan and the receivers continue to struggle to find a rhythm. Coach Elliott mentioned in his presser this week that they were starting to dial back fully installing the new offense and focus on getting the ball in the hands of the playmakers. At some point it feels like the passing game will start clicking – there is just too much talent there to continue to struggle. The weather Saturday might make that difficult this week, but I look forward to finding out if they can improve.
Special teams were an adventure at Syracuse, with two long missed field goals (one of which was a debatable decision to even attempt), a blocked XP and a long kick-off return allowed which set-up Syracuse’s only touchdown. Special teams did force a turnover on a kickoff return which UVA ultimately turned into points. The 7 points in missed kicks would have gone a long way in changing the result versus Syracuse. Regardless, special teams cannot continue to be a negative. Bettridge is scheduled to take over place kicking duties this week, so I am looking forward to seeing if he can provide more reliability and if the Hoos can get some net positive results from the third side.
Duke has a new coach. They seem to have more excitement around their program than we have seen in a long time. Call it recency bias, but this has long felt like a game UVA fans could circle as a win each season. This team seems better than the most recent additions of Duke football, but it is still Duke football. UVA could use a win in a bad way. Message board moderators, owners and writers could use a win too. I am excited to see if Duke can be circled as a win yet again.
Fears
This section has been too easy to write the last few weeks and not because I am a pessimist. We are four games into the season and UVA is 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the ACC. For the record, I had UVA 3-1 (1-0) at this point of the season in my preseason predictions. So, 2-2 is not that far off, but man does it feel so much different than I would have guessed.
Every week it feels like this will be the game where the passing game gets it going. Every week I have to say maybe next week. We are now 1/3 of the way through the regular season. The weather will likely impede serious improvement in the passing game this week, but what if this is just what the passing game is going to be this year? Yeah, I have some fears.
The defense has been the stabilizing force of this team. That feels odd to write. They will be without the leadership of Nick Jackson in the first half Saturday night in Durham. Perry, Ahern, Stewart and James Jackson will have to all step-up to fill the void and help keep the defense playing well. I believe they will, but it is hard not to be a little concerned when you cannot have Nick Jackson on the field.
I spoke not so glowingly about the special teams already, but they must have a place here in the fears section. Wet and windy conditions are not going to make it easy on anyone, especially those assigned with kicking, holding, snapping, returning and covering. And to be honest, UVA has struggled in most of those areas in good weather conditions. So, I have some fears.
The Hoos are on the road playing a game that you can argue is a must win. Sure, 2-3 with two road conference losses does not mean the season is over, but the perception of a loss to Duke to the non-diehard UVA fan will not be good. To help resurrect any fan support from those on the fence (and that is a whole other story which will surely be discussed at some time on the podcast – follow us), a win against Duke seems almost necessary. If my read on that is correct, how ugly will it get with a loss? Yeah, I have some concerns.
Beers
I was debating making the trip down for this game when the schedule came out, but I am sadly not going to be able to make the trip. For those that do, be loud!
The game kicks at 7:30PM on RSN. I have already mentioned the weather – it is likely going to be rainy and windy as the remnants of Hurricane Ian make their way up the coast. I am curious to see what kind of crowd Duke has given the conditions, but it is probably safe to say that crowd noise should not be a major factor Saturday night.
Someone mentioned I should do something more with this section as far as suggesting drinks for the game. I will be honest: I normally stick to light beer on game days except for when it is crazy cold or for the last drink on the way to the stadium. I am going to come up with a good mixed drink suggestion for each game based on opponent from this point forward. This week we have the “Blue Devil.”
BLUE DEVIL
1 oz. (30ml) Gin
1 Tbsp Maraschino
Splash Blue Curacao
1 oz. (30ml) Lime Juice
Garnish: Cherry
PREPARATION
1. Add ice, gin, lime juice, maraschino liqueur and blue curaçao to shaking glass and shake well.
2. Strain mix into glass and drop in a cherry.
Once you have that all nicely mixed up and strained into your glass, pour it down the damn sink. You are a Wahoo. Grab a nice bottle of Blanton’s or another bourbon of your choice. Pour it over a couple of ice cubes. Enjoy.
BEAT DUKE!
Go HOOS!
