Virginia was surprisingly uncompetitive in a 24-3 loss at Illinois on Saturday. The irritating defeat revealed quite a lot of probably disastrous issues for the Cavaliers, significantly on the offensive finish, whereas the UVA protection really held up its finish of the cut price for essentially the most half.

After struggling such a complete loss, it may be tempting to make drastic conclusions in regards to the outlook of your entire season. However with simply two video games within the books, these observations must be taken with a grain of salt. With that stated, we’ll go forward and run by means of our six overreactions to Virginia’s disappointing defeat at Illinois:

1. Virginia’s offensive line downside is borderline catastrophic

There was some hope coming into the season that Garett Tujague and the Cavaliers would be capable of construct a serviceable wall in entrance of Brennan Armstrong regardless of dropping their complete beginning offensive line from final season. Their outing in opposition to Richmond in week one was respectable, however in opposition to the Preventing Illini on Saturday, the UVA offensive line was little greater than a turnstile between Armstrong and the Illinois cross rush. Your entire Virginia offense was a shell of its former self from final season, however the offensive line was the crux of the difficulty. Armstrong had basically no time to survey his targets and it appeared to throw off his sport. He missed some open targets and was not in sync together with his favourite receiver Dontayvion Wicks – we’ll speak extra on the UVA receivers later. 

An Illinois cross rush that had only one sack by means of its first two video games of the season, together with zero sacks in a 38-6 blowout in opposition to Wyoming, managed to get to Brennan Armstrong constantly, sacking the Virginia quarterback 5 instances on Saturday and hurrying him one other six instances. Illinois did not even have to blitz as a way to get fast and efficient stress on Armstrong. The Illini had been bringing 4 and typically three cross rushers and had been nonetheless getting by means of the road in brief order. UVA additionally managed solely 42 speeding yards on 29 makes an attempt, one other consequence of the Cavaliers failing to compete on the road of scrimmage. 

There’s hope that when Jonathan Leech returns from harm – and with the remainder of the linemen getting extra expertise each sport – the efficiency of the O-Line will enhance. However, the extra possible final result is that the Cavaliers will proceed to wrestle except they make strategic changes to account for the stress opposing defenses will inevitably placed on Armstrong within the pocket.

2. UVA’s lack of teaching changes was regarding

Maybe much more disturbing than the efficiency of the UVA offensive line was the shortage of changes made by the teaching employees, particularly popping out of halftime. Regardless of a horrendous first half, Virginia remained inside putting distance for a lot of the sport because of a stable effort by the UVA protection to yield simply three factors after halftime. With the margin at 21 factors, the Cavaliers had been only a few performs away from making a sport out of it. The Virginia offense of 2021 might rating three touchdowns within the blink of an eye fixed. 

It was apparent by halftime that no matter sport plan UVA had applied for this sport wasn’t working and adjustments wanted to be made. Puzzlingly, nonetheless, Tony Elliott and Des Kitchings did not appear to make any of these adjustments. Virginia continued to run the ball on first and second down even when it had grow to be clear that the bottom sport was not going to be productive. Too many possessions had been wasted on three-and-outs that featured two ineffective speeding performs adopted by a failed passing try on third and lengthy. With the stress Illinois was getting within the backfield, Virginia merely did not have the time to execute lengthy passing performs. 

There have been glimpses of efficient performs, resembling when Brennan Armstrong rolled out to his left and located Lavel Davis Jr. for a 62-yard completion. The Cavaliers additionally had some success working an possibility play to let Armstrong use his legs. Any play that moved the road of scrimmage or acquired Armstrong out of the pocket was rather more profitable than the standard pocket passes or the between-the-tackles speeding makes an attempt that had been getting blown up by the Illinois protection. Virginia didn’t practically sufficient of the previous and means an excessive amount of of the latter. 

3. Virginia’s hopes to have a balanced offense is perhaps a pipe dream

Judging from Saturday’s sport, it’d simply be the case that it’s not attainable for Virginia to have the “balanced offense” preached by the UVA teaching employees this season. It isn’t essentially a working again downside – Virginia has some high quality backs in Perris Jones and Mike Hollins and true freshman Xavier Brown, who acquired 4 touches in the course of the sport. A working sport has extra to do with the offensive line than it does with the participant carrying the ball and Virginia (almost definitely) merely doesn’t have the horses up entrance to execute an efficient floor assault. 

Virginia’s new teaching employees wished a extra environment friendly offense than final season’s, an offense that might run or cross the ball relying on the sport scenario. That could be a good thought, however the 2021 UVA air raid offense racked up loopy numbers and received six video games – possible would have received extra if the Virginia protection hadn’t performed so poorly. That stage of manufacturing can be vastly most popular over what we noticed on Saturday. Virginia’s power is in its passing sport and the Cavaliers can be sensible to lean on it, particularly once they discover themselves trailing by a number of scores. UVA’s ill-advised dedication to the run sport stalled the offense. 

4. UVA’s vaunted receiving corps was locked up by the Illinois secondary

Brennan Armstrong and the UVA receivers are extraordinarily proficient – there isn’t a arguing that. However the offensive scheme and play-calling had simply as a lot to do with Virginia’s passing manufacturing in 2021. Certain, there have been loads of performs during which Armstrong expertly positioned balls in tight home windows and UVA’s receivers made robust contested catches. Nevertheless, there have been additionally a ton of performs that had been pitch-and-catch completions between Armstrong and a large open receiver as the results of a well-designed play. 

Examine that to Saturday’s sport, the place Virginia’s receivers could not get separation from their defenders and Armstrong was means off his sport. The Illini secondary performed properly, however this was the identical Illinois cross protection that gave up 330 passing yards to Indiana final week, together with a number of receivers with 100 yards. A part of the answer is best play design. Armstrong doesn’t have the time to let his receivers run long-developing routes down the sphere. The Cavaliers want performs that rapidly get the ball out of Armstrong’s palms and into the palms of the receivers in order that they will make performs: fast comeback routes to Dontayvion Wicks and Lavel Davis Jr. on the boundaries, slants and beneath crossing routes to Billy Kemp IV and Keytaon Thompson. Together with his pocket collapsing immediately on just about each play, Armstrong both must eliminate the ball instantly, or roll out of the pocket and make throws on the run. 

5. Inexcusable errors and sloppy performs dug the Cavaliers right into a deep gap

Illinois performed properly on Saturday and earned the win, however the Cavaliers shot themselves within the foot on a number of events. In an try to discipline a punt from his personal ten-yard line, Billy Kemp was hit and fumbled the ball into the top zone and the Illini recovered it for his or her first landing of the sport. Kemp stumbled a number of moments earlier than he caught the ball and he ought to have referred to as for a good catch as quickly as that occurred. As an alternative, Illinois was handed six factors early within the sport. 

At one other level, Virginia got here up with a key takeaway, as Jonas Sanker hit Pat Bryant as he was crossing the purpose line and jarred the ball unfastened . Fentrell Cypress II scooped up the ball ultimately zone and, reasonably than taking a knee for a touchback, unwisely tried to take it out of the top zone regardless of having little probability of getting it previous the 20-yard line. Late within the sport, Armstrong rapidly had a number of cross rushers in his face and lofted a cross excessive into the air, hoping that somebody in a white jersey would provide you with it. As an alternative, it was simply intercepted. These are veteran gamers making boneheaded choices that might have simply price the Cavaliers the sport had it been a more in-depth affair. Errors like this must be simply addressed in observe, however candidly, they need to have been addressed in fall camp earlier than they ever occurred in a sport.

6. The efficiency of the Virginia protection evokes cautious optimism

The one and solely brilliant spot of the sport for Virginia was the play of the protection. The Cavaliers had two dangerous drives late within the first quarter and early within the second quarter which resulted in Illinois’ solely two offensive touchdowns of the sport. Aside from that, the protection performed pretty properly. UVA’s protection gave up solely 17 factors, adjusting for the punt fumble TD, and 17 factors allowed would have received a number of video games for the Cavaliers final 12 months. Illinois had a number of drives that might have simply led to touchdowns, however Virginia stood tall and held the Illini to discipline targets, two of which had been missed. 

Most significantly, the Cavaliers got here up with 4 takeaways on three pressured fumbles and an interception. Usually, you’d count on an offense to take benefit and rating 10-14 factors off of these turnovers. As an alternative, the UVA offense managed solely three factors. There’s room for enchancment nonetheless with the run protection, as Chase Brown rushed for 146 yards and Illinois averaged 4.4 yards per carry, however UVA’s tackling was fairly stable. Virginia made sufficient performs on the defensive finish to present the offense an opportunity to comeback. 

So, if the offense can return to type and reestablish its lethal passing assault – which in fact will necessitate UVA mitigating its permeable offensive line – the protection might probably be efficient sufficient for Virginia to have a profitable season. However the enhancements have to return rapidly. 

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