3 Takeaways From UVA Football Week 3 (Loss at North Carolina)

Virginia had a chance to make some real noise on Saturday by beating a ranked rival on national television. All week fans and players were chomping at the bit, just waiting for a chance to show the college football world how legit we’d become. Zingers were thrown, fringe fans were roped in to watch — “they’re different this year, promise!” — and, unfortunately, there was probably a little overconfidence at play.

The UVA football team got blasted 59-39 by North Carolina, falling behind 24-7 right off the bat and getting outscored 35-11 in the second half. There were some bright spots, and all isn’t lost or anything, but it really did feel like it was UVA’s time to make a national statement. Here are some takeaways from Saturday’s bummer…

Swiss Cheese

Yeah, this is obvious, but I can’t not talk about it. Virginia’s defense got no pressure and Sam Howell felt comfortable all night. Even the best secondary has a tough time holding down coverage for an extended period of time. So when a guy of Howell’s caliber can sit back and spin it, it’s incredibly difficult. Our secondary was a huge question mark coming into the season and then it didn’t help when the unit’s leader Joey Blount left the game with an injury. Veteran Nick Grant also wasn’t available for Saturday’s game.

So yeah, we were awful against the pass; Howell averaged 14.6 yards per attempt. By comparison, the Power-5 leader (Dorian Thompson-Robinson) this season is averaging 11.1 yards per attempt. Also, Howell led the Heels to 77.8 percent success on third-down (7-of-9). On our podcast this week, I played devil’s advocate and noted that UVA had faced two backup QBs in their first two wins. As it turns out, Sam Howell is a very good QB1, and it was our worst nightmare.

“Defensively, we really didn’t have any answers that were effective,” Bronco Mendenhall said after the game. “I didn’t see really anything [defensively] that was positive today, from run fits to execution to tackling to mindset. So really just poor execution from beginning to end.”

Running Away

So, sadly, the Hoos defense against the run wasn’t any better. They allowed 8.3 yards per carry, and get this, the Tar Heels didn’t punt all game. On the other side, it was literally the opposite. Virginia had no rush offense to speak of; RB1 Wayne Taulapapa didn’t get a touch until the third drive for the second straight week, then left with what appeared to be a concussion. In total, they only gained 24 yards on 22 attempts; running backs proper (Mike Hollins, Devin Darrington, and Taulapapa) went for just 15 yards on eight tries. Additionally, when the game was just 7-0, Keytaon Thompson muffed a handoff from Brennan Armstrong deep in Tar Heel territory. One minute later, the Heels were in the endzone and up 14-0.

League Em

On a brighter note, you could make a solid argument for Armstrong being the best QB in the conference. He’s making great decisions, putting balls on the money, and making plays with his legs when coverage is a little tight. The O-Line has done a fine job as well keeping him upright. Armstrong completed 39 passes for a school record 554 yards.

Mendenhall gave him plenty of praise:

“He’s an amazing, amazing leader, player, person,” Mendenhall said of Armstrong, “and we’re just so lucky he’s at UVA. We needed to give him more support defensively. He certainly did his part. I was really impressed with him.” (via Jeff White/Virginia Sports)

What Armstrong was doing against the Tar Heels is what works in the NFL these days. The same can be said for his favorite target, Dontayvion Wicks, who caught seven balls for 183 yards and a touchdown. I don’t know if they were on the radar before but they look like next-level players to me and gotta be on the radar now. The league needs a new leftie slinging it around anyway, don’t you think?

Bonus

Hometown hero Malachi Fields, who played at Monticello High School, recorded his first reception as a Cavalier. In the fourth quarter, Fields (wearing #86) caught an eight-yard pass from Armstrong for a first down. Fields was also targeted by Armstrong in the third quarter.

–Full Game Book via Virginia Sports

-Next up will be Wake Forest, who’s coming off a win over Florida State, at home on Friday night. The 7:00 p.m. game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.