Virginia

Grading Maryland football’s position groups after its win over Virginia

Published

1 year ago

September 17, 2023

Grading Maryland football’s position groups after its win over Virginia

Maryland football fans looked up at the scoreboard midway through the first quarter with an eerie sense of déjà vu. Maryland was down against an inferior opponent, 14-0, before many fans even got to their seats.

But just as they did against Charlotte the week prior, the Terps locked in after a multitude of self-inflicted wounds, and shut down the Cavaliers the rest of the way out.

A 98-yard kick return touchdown, four forced turnovers and 42 points later, Maryland closed out its nonconference slate with a comfortable 42-14 victory against former ACC rival Virginia.

Here’s how each position group performed in the victory.

Quarterback

Taulia Tagovailoa was back to his old self Friday, following an up-and-down start against Charlotte. His decision-making improved, he evaded defenders when forced outside the pocket and had some NFL-caliber throws — highlighted by his 64-yard touchdown pass to Jeshaun Jones.

Tagovailoa finished with 342 yards and a touchdown, but even more importantly, he did not make any terribly ill-advised plays.

Grade: A

Running back

Coming off a career-best performance, it looked like Roman Hemby was primed for a huge game against a Virginia rush defense that ranks amongst the worst in the country. But he struggled to generate many big plays on the ground. What he did not do big-play wise, though, he made up for on the score sheet, walking in two touchdowns.

The real star was Colby McDonald, who rushed for 75 yards on just 10 carries. While he has ranked below Antwan Littleton II on the depth chart, it would not be surprising if McDonald slowly takes on a bigger role.

The running back unit did not have to do the heavy lifting, but it found the end zone four times.

Grade: A-

Wide receiver

As mentioned above, the running backs were credited with the touchdowns, but the receivers often got the Terps into scoring territory. Four receivers had at least 25 yards, with Jones’ touchdown changing the tide of the game.

Jones and Kaden Prather combined for over 150 yards in a clean game from the entire receiving corps.

Grade: A-

Tight end

The most athletic play of the game came from freshman Preston Howard, who electrified the bench early in the fourth quarter. Taking a ball in stride, he leaped over a Virginia defender in what ended up being a 33-yard gain. Despite that being his only catch, it’s encouraging to see his potential.

Corey Dyches once again led the way with 56 yards on four catches.

Grade: B+

Offensive line

The offensive line has gotten better every game this season. The return to near-full participation from Gottileb Ayedze on the right side has clearly helped, with Delmar Glaze continuing to solidify the left.

Tagovailoa was forced into fewer pressures than the previous two games, but did find himself scrambling on numerous occasions.

The most questioned unit’s strides are encouraging, especially in short-down situations, but next week’s game at Michigan State should tell a lot.

Grade: B

Defensive line

Jokingly speaking, Donnell Brown is making a case to be put on the hands team, with two interceptions in as many games. But genuinely, he’s made two big plays in big moments for Maryland this year.

Elsewhere on the defensive line, Jordan Phillips led the group with four tackles, and the unit collectively shut down Virginia’s rushing attack, allowing just 91 yards. Nineteen of those came via scrambles from freshman quarterback Anthony Colandrea.

Grade: A-

Linebacker

As was a common theme of the entire defense, Colandrea’s ability on the move allowed him to make plays all over the middle of the field early. But in the second half, the linebackers adjusted to clear out the seam.

Schematically, the unit improved throughout, and Ruben Hyppolite II led all Terps with six tackles.

Grade: A-

Secondary

Any time a secondary picks off the opposing quarterback three times in a six-minute span, especially without its top safety — Beau Brade was ruled out before the game — the unit should receive a high grade.

Provided the two interceptions in the fourth quarter from Tarheeb Still — one coming in the end zone to prevent the Cavaliers from tying the game — Colandrea tore up the Terps for close to 45 minutes. The freshman had almost 250 yards on 22 of 30 passing with a touchdown.

The Terps’ secondary needs to do a better job with quarterbacks who like to throw on the run, but that was covered up by the clutch takeaways.

Grade: A-

Special teams

There is a legitimate case to be made that if not for Braeden Wisloski’s 98-yard kick return for a touchdown, which came at the perfect time for Maryland, the result of this game could have been a lot different. It was an impressive first game as a return man for the true freshman, coming up with the play of the game.

Jack Howes’ lone field goal attempt, from 55 yards out, came up just short.

Grade: A

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Virginia

Big Tests On The Horizon For Virginia Tech Wrestling – FloWrestling

Published

44 mins ago

November 28, 2024

Press Room

Big Tests On The Horizon For Virginia Tech Wrestling – FloWrestling

At 3-0 with marquee victories over #6 Missouri (23-10) and #21 Rutgers (26-11), as well as a second-place finish in the Keystone Open with just a handful of starters competing, Virginia Tech has swept through a tough November and is prepared for a difficult December.

The Hokies, #12 in Flo’s team tournament ratings but top 10 in various dual-meet rankings, are next scheduled for an annual trip to Las Vegas for the Cliff Keen Invitational, featuring 27 teams, of which 14 are among Flo’s top 25. And then it’s another trip west to Stillwater on Dec. 19 to challenge #5 Oklahoma State in a rare Thursday match.

The early key thus far for the Hokies has been the ability to win the bouts they’re supposed to win and grabbing a fair share of so-called toss-up bouts.

To wit, Tech’s #18 Sam Latona downing Missouri’s #13 Josh Edmond (4-2) at 141, or #25 Rafael Hipolito majoring the Tigers’ #32 James Conway (11-3) at 157 and #15 Jimmy Mullen stopping #20 Seth Nitzel (4-2) at heavyweight.

That trend continued at Tech’s Moss Arts Center match against #21 Rutgers when Latona used a late takedown to defeat Joey Olivieri 7-5, #4 Lennox Wolak pinned veteran Jackson Turley at 174 and #9 Andy Smith slipped past #17 John Poznanski 4-3 at 197.

Hokies coach Tony Robie only took a few regulars to the Keystone Open in Philadelphia and, led by championship efforts by #1-ranked Caleb Henson at 149 and heavyweight Hunter Catka, Tech placed second behind Lock Haven. Latona placed third at 141 and Sam Fisher did the same at 184.

Robie opted to use the Hokies’ roster as freshmen Dillon Campbell (125), Matt Henrich (157), Luke Robie (157) and Jack Bastarrika (133) competed as did redshirt juniors Jackson Spires (165) and Ty Finn (174). Spires placed second.

Who’s Ready For Change?

With legislation on the NCAA’s table affecting scholarship and roster limits — unlimited scholarships and a roster cap — as well as revenue sharing, some college wrestling programs likely have a serious dose of trepidation while others are confident they can deal with whatever happens.

Virginia Tech sits in the latter category.

“I have no concerns whatsoever about that,” Robie said earlier this month. “I think a lot of it probably will happen. It’s hard to say whether it’s good or bad for the sport; that’s not really for me to say. What I will say is you have to adjust with what the rules are and what the landscape of college athletics looks like, and that’s what we intend on doing.

“Is it good for the overall health of the sport of wrestling? The kid that’s the 35th kid on your roster? Probably not. But I think definitely there were probably some things that needed to change; the pendulum was starting to swing significantly the other way. At some point, it’ll probably start to go back to the middle.”

Robie said all anyone can do is wait for the final decisions.

“We have some contingency plans based on what we think is going to happen and we’ll move forward with our plan and try to execute it,” he said.

A Pretty Good Gig

Robie, in his eighth year as head coach, has been at Tech since 2006 and as each season passes, the commitment and enthusiasm remain the same.

“Well, you get to do what you like to do. And it’s a pretty cool thing to be able to coach wrestling for a living and be a part of a pretty good program, and work with some great people and try to affect the lives of the kids in your program,” he said.

“I think anybody would want to do that. For me, I’m not young anymore. I turned 50 … who knows how long I’m going to do it, but I’m going to give it the best I can while I’m doing it and hopefully continue to improve as a program and try to try to help these guys as much as possible. But it’s good, Virginia Tech’s a great place to work, it’s a great place to live. I’ve got a great staff and it makes my life pretty easy.”

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Virginia

VIDEO: UVA Football Players Preview the Virginia Tech Game

Published

8 hours ago

November 27, 2024

Press Room

VIDEO: UVA Football Players Preview the Virginia Tech Game

With the game of year looming this weekend, members of the Virginia football team were made available to to the media after practice on Tuesday morning to talk about the regular season finale against Virginia Tech in the Commonwealth Clash on Saturday night in Blacksburg. Watch the video below to hear what UVA senior safety Jonas Sanker, graduate tight ends Tyler Neville and Sackett Wood Jr., and graduate defensive tackle Jahmeer Carter had to say ahead of the Virginia Tech game:

Sanker is the team’s leader in tackles with 89 total tackles and also leads the ACC in solo stops with 60 unassisted tackles. He has racked up 8.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, four pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, and an interception as part of a strong senior campaign that should earn Sanker some serious consideration for a First-Team All-ACC selection.

A transfer from Harvard, Tyler Neville is Virginia’s second-leading receiver with 35 catches for 387 yards and two touchdowns. Sackett Wood Jr., meanwhile, has recorded three receptions for 18 yards and a touchdown this season. Between the two of them, Neville and Wood have combined to appear in 83 college football games and make 48 starts.

Saturday will be the 55th game in the five-year career of Jahmeer Carter, who has started nearly every game for the last four seasons at Virginia. This season, Carter has 30 total tackles, including nine solo stops, two tackles for loss, one sack, and a pass defender. For his career, Carter is up to 131 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 7.5 tackles for loss.

Saturday night will be the first time Virginia plays at Lane Stadium in front of fans since the 2018 season, as the 2020 edition of the Commonwealth Clash was played in front of only 250 fans due to COVID-19 restrictions and then the 2022 Virginia vs. Virginia Tech game was canceled due to the shooting tragedy at UVA.

Virginia is seeking its first road victory at Virginia Tech since 1998, as the Hokies have won the last 11 Commonwealth Clash games played at Lane Stadium. Virginia Tech has won 17 of the last 18 overall games against Virginia and leads UVA 61-38-5 in the all-time series that dates back to 1895.

Both Virginia and Virginia Tech bring a 5-6 overall record into the regular season finale and both need to win the game in order to reach the six-win threshold required for bowl eligibility. There is only one other game this weekend between FBS teams who are battling for bowl eligibility (Eastern Michigan vs. Western Michigan). Virginia and Virginia Tech played each other for bowl eligibility at the end of the 2014 season.

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Virginia

Virginia Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 Night results for Nov. 26, 2024

Published

16 hours ago

November 27, 2024

Press Room

The Virginia Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Nov. 26, 2024, results for each game:

Mega Millions

Mega Millions drawings take place every week on Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m.

05-22-24-39-42, Mega Ball: 03, Megaplier: 3

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 3

DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.

Night: 7-3-0, FB: 2

Day: 7-2-1, FB: 5

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 4

DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.

Night: 1-6-6-8, FB: 5

Day: 7-4-5-8, FB: 4

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 5

DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.

Night: 0-5-4-9-9, FB: 2

Day: 6-9-5-3-2, FB: 0

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Cash4Life

Drawing everyday at 9 p.m.

04-11-13-30-39, Cash Ball: 02

Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Cash Pop

Drawing times: Coffee Break 9 a.m.; Lunch Break 12 p.m.; Rush Hour 5 p.m.; Prime Time 9 p.m.; After Hours 11:59 p.m.

Coffee Break: 04

After Hours: 05

Prime Time: 06

Rush Hour: 09

Lunch Break: 12

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Cash 5

Drawing every day at 11 p.m.

12-22-31-38-44

Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

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This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Center for Community Journalism (CCJ) editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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