Virginia Football: UVA Defense Gets Back on Track in Atlanta

By final 12 months’s requirements, the Virginia protection performed exceptionally properly by way of the primary 4 weeks of the season. Even with out evaluating it to the workforce’s disastrous play in 2021, the Cavalier defensive unit had put 4 strong performances on the sphere to start its first season beneath new defensive coordinator John Rudzinski. 

With the best way the Hoos have been enjoying on that aspect of the ball, all 4 of these video games can and may have been wins had the UVA offense not regressed as a lot because it has this season. Virginia was 2-2 after 4 video games, however it was in no way the fault of the protection, which was doing all the things in its energy to maintain the Cavaliers within the video games.

Then got here the relapse. 

Virginia fielded a few considerably below-average performances in blowout losses to Duke and Louisville in weeks 5 and 6. After giving up solely seven touchdowns by way of the primary 4 video games, the Cavaliers surrendered 9 touchdowns over the past two video games, together with 4 to a Louisville offense led by a backup quarterback. 

The continued struggles of the Virginia offense have been hardly stunning, however UVA’s sudden and pervasive defensive points gave loads of trigger for panic because the Cavaliers wavered of their most dependable section of the sport. 

Clearly, the Virginia defensive unit felt it had one thing to show popping out of the bye week because the Hoos went all the way down to Atlanta on Thursday evening to face Georgia Tech. 

Stifling. Smothering. Swarming. Suffocating. 

These phrases do not even start to inform the story of how dominant the UVA protection was on Thursday evening. 

Georgia Tech managed simply 201 yards of complete offense and the Yellow Jacket offense put solely three factors on the board. Their solely landing was a defensive landing scored on a pick-six. Georgia Tech punted the ball ten instances, seven of which have been three-and-outs, and UVA additionally pressured two turnovers.

The UVA offense had one other forgettable evening, however the Virginia protection refused to let the Hoos lose this one. 

“You need to play complementary soccer, however at instances you bought to compensate and people guys over there did not flinch,” Virginia head coach Tony Elliott stated of the UVA protection. “Man, they’re enjoying impressed. They’re having quite a lot of enjoyable. They’re enjoying quick… Actually happy with of how impressed these guys performed all through the course of the sport.”

The Cavaliers had given up solely two dashing touchdowns by way of the primary 4 weeks of the season, however gave up seven mixed dashing scores between the Duke and Louisville video games. In opposition to Georgia Tech on Thursday, the UVA run protection was stellar, protecting Hassan Corridor and the remainder of the Georgia Tech operating backs caught within the mud for simply 55 complete dashing yards and a median of 1.5 yards per carry within the recreation. 

Admittedly, the Yellow Jackets have been pressured to resort to backup quarterback Zach Gibson after starter Jeff Sims exited the sport with an damage halfway by way of the second quarter. Nevertheless, Sims was not precisely having success in opposition to the Cavaliers earlier than he bought damage. Sims led Georgia Tech on 5 drives, 4 of which resulted in punts. The one drive that did not practically led to a landing, however Sims’ cross was damaged up ultimately zone by Fentrell Cypress II and the tipped ball was then caught by Coen King for an interception. Sims went 6/11 for 47 yards and a choose. His backup, Zack Gibson, had a nightmare of a night, going 11/26 for 99 yards and a 74.3 passer ranking. 

The worst a part of Gibson’s expertise was that he was continuously diving to the bottom to keep away from getting pummeled by the UVA cross rush. After week 4, Virginia led the ACC in sacks with 14, however then the Cavaliers recorded just one sack at Duke after which zero in opposition to Louisville. UVA’s defensive entrance bought again on monitor in opposition to Georgia Tech, sacking Sims as soon as and Zach Gibson seven instances for a exceptional eight-sack efficiency, the second-most sacks in a recreation in Virginia program historical past and essentially the most by any ACC workforce this season. 

Six of these eight sacks got here from simply three gamers: Nick Jackson, Chico Bennett Jr., and Paul Akere, who every recorded two sacks. 

This was an vital recreation for Nick Jackson, who refused to let a nagging knee damage restrict his play. There was some concern over whether or not he would have the ability to play within the recreation in any respect, however that was by no means a risk for Jackson, an Atlanta native who had by no means performed a university soccer recreation in his dwelling metropolis earlier than Thursday evening. The way in which that Jackson performed in opposition to Georgia Tech, you by no means would have guessed that he was injured in any respect. He led the workforce in tackles with eight, recorded two sacks for his first profession multi-sack recreation, and had his first-ever fumble restoration. 

“Nick, he is the guts and soul proper now of this soccer workforce,” Elliott stated of Jackson after the sport. “It means a lot to him. We might’ve needed to take his helmet to ensure that him to not play.”

The sport was additionally significant for Chico Bennett Jr., who spent his first two school seasons at Georgia Tech earlier than transferring to Virginia. Bennett confirmed off in opposition to his former workforce, notching seven tackles and two sacks for his second multi-sack recreation of the season. Bennett leads the Cavaliers with six sacks on the season. Columbia grad switch Paul Akere was additionally spectacular with two sacks and 4 tackles. 

Whereas the cross rush will get all of the credit score – Jackson, Bennett, Akere, in addition to Aaron Faumui, Kam Butler, and Michael Diatta – Tony Elliott made positive to acknowledge the half that the UVA secondary performed in these sacks. 

“However I would additionally say eight sacks, that is not simply the cross rush, that is the protection on the again finish,” Elliott stated. The Cavalier defensive entrance bought to Gibson repeatedly, however that was made attainable as a result of the Virginia secondary gave him nowhere to throw the ball. 

Sophomore security Jonas Sanker is trying increasingly more like a possible NFL defensive again with every recreation. The Charlottesville native had 5 tackles and two cross breakups in opposition to Georgia Tech and simply appears to be all around the subject at any time when a play must be made. Anthony Johnson and Fentrell Cypress II additionally had two cross breakups every, with one of many breakups by Cypress turning into Coen King’s first-career interception. 

It was an all-around improbable defensive efficiency for John Rudzinski’s Cavaliers. They will look to maintain that momentum going subsequent week when Tyler Van Dyke and the Miami Hurricanes come to city. 

See extra Virginia soccer information and content material: Virginia Soccer on Sports activities Illustrated

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