Sometimes after a game, a certain stat will tell you just about all you need to know. And coming out of UVa's somewhat improbable 27-21 win over Georgia Tech on Saturday afternoon, perhaps there is one that fits that bill.
In the victory Virginia's
Taquan Mizzell and
Olamide Zaccheaus combined for one fewer rushing yard together than Georgia Tech's entire running game did as a group.
Needless to say, if the Wahoos are going to run the ball to the tune of 233 yards while its defense holds an offense known for its triple-option attack to just 144, then they better be winning that game.
Which is so say too that the fact that the Cavaliers (3-5, 2-2 ACC) made it much more interesting late than it should have been is by no means excused. But a win of any variety over a team picked in the preseason to win the Coastal Division isn't something to sneeze at for this program right now.
For example, while UVa did a much better job on the ground the Hoos didn't exactly make the most of every opportunity. They're opening drive ended in a punt, thanks in large part to three pre-snap penalties. It boggles the mind how a team can have three pre-snap penalties on the opening series of a game at home.
The defense forced a turnover on a Tech's third play from scrimmage, a 3rd and 3 where the Jackets had already reached the line to gain.
Wilfred Wahee, for the second time this year, was the right guy in the right spot. He scooped up the fumble that
Micah Kiser caused and returned it 14 yards to the 19-yard line.
Zaccheaus ran for a gain of 12 on the first play, giving Virginia a 1st and Goal from the 7-yard line.
Daniel Hamm then ran for six, moving it to the 1. And yet, the Hoos had to settle for a 19-yard FG from
Ian Frye to take a 3-0 lead with 7:42 left in the first quarter because a pair of
Albert Reid runs went for no gain and then a loss of one.
Stop right there: That's two opportunities, admittedly of different size, that Virginia failed to cash in on, a drive nullified by penalties and then a takeaway that set up shop in the red zone. And somehow, the Hoos won the game.
Why? Because they managed to be efficient enough at times and, as opposed to the last time Georgia Tech played in Charlottesville, they let the Jackets make the mistakes continually and turned enough of them into points.
Facing a team that generally controls the ball, UVa won the time of possession by more than 13 minutes (36:43 to 23:17) and its defense, which hasn't exactly been dependable against the run all year, limited GT to its second lowest output of the season on the ground while also getting off the field on (Tech was 5-for-13 on 3rd down and 0-for-3 on 4th).
Sure, there were negatives for the Cavaliers, like going super conservative on offense and then allowing Justin Thomas to go 13 for 31 passing for 251 yards with a pair of touchdowns, including a 10-play, 95-yard drive late that made it a one score game. On that drive alone, Thomas had completions of 17, 11, 12, 21, 21, and 22 yards.
After UVa completely bungled the ensuing on-side kick, the Wahoo defense made enough plays to seal the victory including three straight incompletions, the last of which was a pass broken up by
Quin Blanding.
Looking at the game as a whole, there was good (scoring off a turnover midway through the third quarter then forcing a three-and-out and putting together a 13-play, 91-yard touchdown drive following the punt) and bad (only getting on TD out of three red zone chances and throwing another INT on a screen pass). But it's a win, something this team and program badly needed.
The biggest question now is turning it in more. The Cavaliers will go on the road this weekend and again be playing a team coming off a highly emotional last-second win, as Miami continues to try to figure things out under interim head coach Larry Scott. From there, UVa goes back on the road the following week to play at Louisville before returning home to wrap up the season with games against Duke and Virginia Tech.
It won't be easy (nothing with this team ever is) but there are wins to be had among that group. We'll have to wait and see if the Wahoos can actually do something with momentum.
Dean and the defense get it done
Senior defensive tackle
David Dean did blow up the stat sheet but his play in the heart of the line helped UVa do such a fantastic job of bottling up the triple-option. He talks about the game, the tweaks on defense (moving
Micah Kiser outside,
Zach Bradshaw inside, and playing
Kelvin Rainey at OLB), and the overall mindset of the team coming off of the win.
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Severin comes through again
Though Virginia's offense essentially took the fourth quarter off in an effort to play not to lose, that group had some nice moments in the preceding three quarters. One of its best moments was the 30-yard touchdown that
Canaan Severin scored with 8:44 to play in the third that gave UVa the lead for good. Here the senior captain talks about not only that TD reception but also the offense as a whole and where they go from here.
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