The third question UVa's Mike London was asked in his post-game presser following a brutal loss to No. 9 Notre Dame on Saturday was about holding the Irish to 0-for-10 on 3rd down.
His right hand, resting in a half fist on the back of the microphone stand, tapped several times as David Teel of the Daily Press asked the question.
The inner dialogue was clear: Man, what could have been.
"What a tough way to lose a football game," London had just told the assembled media members at Scott Stadium. "I'm proud of this team and the effort that was displayed. That's a gutsy group of guys in there that went toe to toe for a while and a had a chance to win one of the biggest games in a long time. It got away from us."
Instead of talking about the emotions of beating a Top 10 team, the sixth-year head coach was once again talking about a late-game mishap on defense that cost the Cavaliers dearly. But there was also a different tenor to things in the room, largely because of the notable improvements Virginia made from its season opener at UCLA last weekend to the matchup with Notre Dame. Such a mixed bag in a variety of ways.
For example: Virginia allowed the Fighting Irish to run for 253 yards, led by Petersburg native C.J. Prosise's 155 on 17 carries. And yet, it was the first time since London has been the head coach in Charlottesville that the Wahoo defense didn't allow a team to convert on 3rd down.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers posted 416 yards of total offense, including three TDs out of four tries in the red zone, against a very talented Notre Dame defense that features several players that will be in the NFL soon. And yet the Hoos got dinged for nine penalty flags.
Clearly there were areas where Virginia showed better than last week's loss in the Rose Bowl and yet, plenty of work remains if the Cavaliers want to have a shot at returning to the postseason.
"We wanted to improve in the red zone," London said. "Scoring touchdowns has been the big issue for us. That was something we were able to accomplish today. It's the type of improvement you want to have week to week, regardless of the opponent you face. It's more about us than about anybody else we play."
That Matt Johns and Canaan Severin played as well as they did gave UVa the chance to win. Johns went 26 for 38 (career highs in completion and completion percentage) for 289 yards passing with a pair of touchdowns and one more on the ground. Meanwhile Severin, his roommate, caught 11 passes for 153 yards, both career highs.
Let's be clear: There is a fine line between "improvement" and "moral victories," and UVa at this point can't live off the latter. But the former? That's what the Cavaliers needed. And in some facets, that's what they showed on the field.
"The goal was to get better going from the first game to the second game and I believe we did that," London said. "We've got a long way to go to continue to get better overall."
The mixed bag for fans coming out of this game extended to the coaches. While Steve Fairchild called one of his best game's as UVa's offensive coordinator (and leaned more on his playmakers, including true freshman running back-turned-receiver Olamide Zaccheaus), giving up 460 yards and 34 points isn't exactly what the Cavaliers have become accustomed to expect under DC Jon Tenuta. With its pass rush largely absent a week ago, the Hoos made adjustments, substituting often in the defensive front against ND in an effort to not only match personnel with the Irish but also generate some pressure with fresh legs. It worked in spots: Virginia finished with a pair of sacks, 1.5 of them by Micah Kiser, though he couldn't get to backup DeShone Kizer on the game-winning touchdown with 12 seconds left on the clock and UVa clinging to a one-point lead.
All in all, maybe it's safest to say that Virginia showed signs of life in a variety of ways, a markedly different reality than the opener. Yet the Cavaliers need more steady improvement, especially on defense and in the little things (penalties, closing out a game, etc.) in order to make the "potential" a reality.
One thing's for sure: The next four games appeared to get a lot more winnable after seeing the effort and overall play the Hoos showed on Saturday. Well, as long as that's the way Virginia wants to play football in 2015.
Quick hits
Senior Mike Moore has played both defensive tackle and defensive end in his career but Saturday he warmed up with the linebackers for the first time. And technically, he got the start at SLB. But Moore ended up doing a lot of different things in this game, finishing with eight tackles and 0.5 sack. Ultimately, he wasn't able to get enough pressure on the game's biggest play and said the outcome is something that the Wahoos just have to be able to move on from.
Junior running back Taquan Mizzell had another solid game for the Cavaliers, finishing with 73 yards on 18 carries. His biggest moment, though, was a near miss: With about three minutes left and UVa driving, Johns almost connected with Mizzell for what would have been a 30-yard TD to take the lead. He lofted the ball up and allowed the Virginia Beach native to get underneath it, lay out in a dive, and almost bring it in. It's a play that ultimately the Hoos didn't need but Mizzell knows there will be other times he's going to have to come through in that type of moment. Overall, the offensive improvement was big from his point of view.
And then there's Severin, who gave his all both on the field and in terms of leading his guys on the sidelines, especially early when things looked bleaked. With several receivers out, Severin had to do a yeoman's job on Saturday and physically he paid the price. He got to see his roommate and good friend Johns make some big plays but he also got to see his other roommate, walk-on receiver Ryan Santoro, come through in the clutch. As the Wahoos faced a 3rd and 15 from the 35-yard line with less than two and a half minutes left, Johns found Santoro streaking down the right sideline. He pulled in the pass and took it to the 1-yard line, setting up the then go-ahead score. Moments like that give Severin and his teammates a lot of hope for the rest of the season but the team, he says, has to finish games.
His right hand, resting in a half fist on the back of the microphone stand, tapped several times as David Teel of the Daily Press asked the question.
The inner dialogue was clear: Man, what could have been.
"What a tough way to lose a football game," London had just told the assembled media members at Scott Stadium. "I'm proud of this team and the effort that was displayed. That's a gutsy group of guys in there that went toe to toe for a while and a had a chance to win one of the biggest games in a long time. It got away from us."
Instead of talking about the emotions of beating a Top 10 team, the sixth-year head coach was once again talking about a late-game mishap on defense that cost the Cavaliers dearly. But there was also a different tenor to things in the room, largely because of the notable improvements Virginia made from its season opener at UCLA last weekend to the matchup with Notre Dame. Such a mixed bag in a variety of ways.
For example: Virginia allowed the Fighting Irish to run for 253 yards, led by Petersburg native C.J. Prosise's 155 on 17 carries. And yet, it was the first time since London has been the head coach in Charlottesville that the Wahoo defense didn't allow a team to convert on 3rd down.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers posted 416 yards of total offense, including three TDs out of four tries in the red zone, against a very talented Notre Dame defense that features several players that will be in the NFL soon. And yet the Hoos got dinged for nine penalty flags.
Clearly there were areas where Virginia showed better than last week's loss in the Rose Bowl and yet, plenty of work remains if the Cavaliers want to have a shot at returning to the postseason.
"We wanted to improve in the red zone," London said. "Scoring touchdowns has been the big issue for us. That was something we were able to accomplish today. It's the type of improvement you want to have week to week, regardless of the opponent you face. It's more about us than about anybody else we play."
That Matt Johns and Canaan Severin played as well as they did gave UVa the chance to win. Johns went 26 for 38 (career highs in completion and completion percentage) for 289 yards passing with a pair of touchdowns and one more on the ground. Meanwhile Severin, his roommate, caught 11 passes for 153 yards, both career highs.
Let's be clear: There is a fine line between "improvement" and "moral victories," and UVa at this point can't live off the latter. But the former? That's what the Cavaliers needed. And in some facets, that's what they showed on the field.
"The goal was to get better going from the first game to the second game and I believe we did that," London said. "We've got a long way to go to continue to get better overall."
The mixed bag for fans coming out of this game extended to the coaches. While Steve Fairchild called one of his best game's as UVa's offensive coordinator (and leaned more on his playmakers, including true freshman running back-turned-receiver Olamide Zaccheaus), giving up 460 yards and 34 points isn't exactly what the Cavaliers have become accustomed to expect under DC Jon Tenuta. With its pass rush largely absent a week ago, the Hoos made adjustments, substituting often in the defensive front against ND in an effort to not only match personnel with the Irish but also generate some pressure with fresh legs. It worked in spots: Virginia finished with a pair of sacks, 1.5 of them by Micah Kiser, though he couldn't get to backup DeShone Kizer on the game-winning touchdown with 12 seconds left on the clock and UVa clinging to a one-point lead.
All in all, maybe it's safest to say that Virginia showed signs of life in a variety of ways, a markedly different reality than the opener. Yet the Cavaliers need more steady improvement, especially on defense and in the little things (penalties, closing out a game, etc.) in order to make the "potential" a reality.
One thing's for sure: The next four games appeared to get a lot more winnable after seeing the effort and overall play the Hoos showed on Saturday. Well, as long as that's the way Virginia wants to play football in 2015.
Quick hits
Senior Mike Moore has played both defensive tackle and defensive end in his career but Saturday he warmed up with the linebackers for the first time. And technically, he got the start at SLB. But Moore ended up doing a lot of different things in this game, finishing with eight tackles and 0.5 sack. Ultimately, he wasn't able to get enough pressure on the game's biggest play and said the outcome is something that the Wahoos just have to be able to move on from.
Junior running back Taquan Mizzell had another solid game for the Cavaliers, finishing with 73 yards on 18 carries. His biggest moment, though, was a near miss: With about three minutes left and UVa driving, Johns almost connected with Mizzell for what would have been a 30-yard TD to take the lead. He lofted the ball up and allowed the Virginia Beach native to get underneath it, lay out in a dive, and almost bring it in. It's a play that ultimately the Hoos didn't need but Mizzell knows there will be other times he's going to have to come through in that type of moment. Overall, the offensive improvement was big from his point of view.
And then there's Severin, who gave his all both on the field and in terms of leading his guys on the sidelines, especially early when things looked bleaked. With several receivers out, Severin had to do a yeoman's job on Saturday and physically he paid the price. He got to see his roommate and good friend Johns make some big plays but he also got to see his other roommate, walk-on receiver Ryan Santoro, come through in the clutch. As the Wahoos faced a 3rd and 15 from the 35-yard line with less than two and a half minutes left, Johns found Santoro streaking down the right sideline. He pulled in the pass and took it to the 1-yard line, setting up the then go-ahead score. Moments like that give Severin and his teammates a lot of hope for the rest of the season but the team, he says, has to finish games.
