The University of Virginia football team suffered a tough loss to Louisville Saturday, on an otherwise perfect fall afternoon at Scott Stadium. The Cavs, whose October 12 defeat was their first in the ACC this season, had a couple of memorable special teams miscues and questionable play calls in the red zone that sank what were otherwise solid performances from many Hoos on both sides of the ball.
The highs
Quarterback Anthony Colandrea was once again solid in the passing attack with 279 yards, one touchdown pass, and no interceptions on the day. But it was his legs that kept things moving for UVA. With a season high 15 carries for 89 yards he looked dynamic scrambling out of the pocket when necessary, and picked up multiple key first downs to extend drives.
On offense, fourth-year wide receiver (and Monticello High School standout) Malachi Fields (nine receptions for 129 yards) and Harvard tight-end transfer Tyler Neville (seven receptions for 64 yards), have clearly become two of Colandrea’s preferred targets as the season has progressed. Expect to see more of Neville, especially in the offensive game plan from here on out. He has great rapport on the field with Colandrea and has been an invaluable asset in mid-range third-down situations. Just about the only thing neither Fields nor Neville managed to do Saturday was find the end zone, as UVA stalled out on multiple drives in Louisville territory.
On the defensive side, safety Jonas Sanker, a Covenant School grad, continued to impress. With 11 tackles, eight of which were unassisted, Sanker seemed to somehow be everywhere all at once. He brings an explosive energy to a UVA secondary that, to be fair, was overall pretty solid given its tall task on Saturday. It limited a strong Louisville receiving core (which includes former four-star recruit and recent Alabama transfer Ja’Corey Brooks) to just one TD and 231 receiving yards.
The lows
UVA’s control of the Louisville run game was abysmal. Louisville running back Isaac Brown ran wild all game long, picking up two TDs on 20 carries for 146 yards from scrimmage. This is something the coaching staff must address before the team’s next matchup, on October 19 at noon against No. 10 Clemson, whose fourth-year running back Phil Mafah has consistently shown he’s more than capable of doing similar damage against a porous defensive line.
Some of Saturday’s play-calling, particularly on short-yardage downs and in the red zone, was a bit suspect. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one scratching my head about a fourth-down passing attempt instead of kicking an easy field goal before the half. Perhaps the result of an aggressive coaching philosophy, or potentially a lack of conviction in the run game (or some other aspect of the offense), but there’s certainly something to be said for having the lead going into the locker room at halftime. Even if it’s only by three points instead of seven.