The Virginia Cavaliers dropped their first game since September, falling 16-9 to Wake Forest. Now at 8-2 overall and 5-1 in the ACC, the ‘Hoos will look to rebound this weekend at Duke. More on that game coming later, but for now, a look at who and what is trending up and down coming out of the loss to the Demon Deacons.
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J’Mari Taylor
The ‘Hoos struggled to move the ball, ultimately never scoring a touchdown, but it wasn’t for lack of production from UVA’s bell cow back. Taylor finished with
98 yards on 19 carries, in addition to a season-high seven catches for 30 yards.
After the injury to Chandler Morris, backup Daniel Kaelin leaned heavily on Taylor in the pass-game, checking down numerous passes throughout the second half. Simultaneously, UVA relied on Taylor in the run game down the stretch.
Taking nine carries in the back half of the game, Taylor heated up with 73 yards on those carries, putting the team on his back to get within striking distance of a game-tying touchdown on the final drive. And while the second-to-last drive saw Taylor surrender his first fumble as a Cavalier at a critical time, he answered the bell for the majority of this game as UVA’s go-to option like he’s done time and time again this season.
Donavan Platt
Platt did a little bit of everything all over the field Saturday night. He made just two tackles, but was key in setting the edge against the run, in addition to not allowing a reception on the two passes thrown his way. He came up huge down the stretch with a pass-breakup followed by a tackle for loss against Demond Claiborne, which halted Wake’s nine-minute drive late in the fourth quarter to give the offense a chance to tie.
Through his 10 games as a Cavalier, Platt has put together a strong season, owning 15 tackles, a scoop-and-score fumble recovery, a clutch interception, and five pass breakups.
Kam Robinson
Robinson continues to find new ways to affect games each week. From game-winning tackles for loss, momentum-turning interceptions, and, now, a blocked punt. There’s little to say that hasn’t already been said about just how impactful No. 5 has been. In addition to the early punt block, Robinson racked up 10 stops both between the tackles and on the edges throughout the defense’s shutdown night in which it never allowed an offensive touchdown.
Jason Hammond
Hammond continues to be solid on the interior defensive line. His stats don’t exactly jump off the page, finishing with two tackles, bringing his total up to 22 for the year, but it’s been his ability to disrupt and shrink the pocket that’s continued to aid the Cavalier defense. Per Pro Football Focus, Hammond registered two quarterback hurries, playing a key part in stifling what was a rough passing effort from Wake’s two quarterbacks.
Downfield coverage
Saturday night was the best collective effort we’ve seen from UVA’s secondary all season. Seemingly, every corner that took a snap was tested from the opening kick. Collectively, the ‘Hoos compiled seven pass breakups, many coming on downfield throws near the endzone. Christian Charles helped set the defensive tone on Wake’s opening drive with a key breakup, while Ja’Son Prevard and Jordan Robinson disrupted multiple passes on key drives later on.
Given the effectiveness of Wake’s ground game, it forced UVA’s athletes on the edges to play more on islands, and they responded, keeping the ‘Hoos in the game all night long. In a season where fingers have been pointed its way when things have gone poorly, the secondary deserves its flowers after a stout performance Saturday night.
Third down defense
Wake was 1-for-11 on 3rd down with 12:15 to go in the fourth, ultimately going 5-for-17 for the game. John Rudzinski’s defense was awesome throughout and toughened up on the money down. Wake’s consistent run game shortened many of those third downs to short yardage situations, but the ‘Hoos kept answering the bell. Amid a rocky start, it was the defenses third and fourth down stops backed up against its own endzone that summed up just how great of a collective defensive effort this game was for the ’Hoos.
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Special teams coverage
On a night where every yard was critical for Wake’s offense, UVA’s special teams continued to spot the Deacs with chunk yardage on punts. The ‘Hoos punted on four of their 12 legitimate possessions. On three of them, Wake took full advantage, tallying returns for 21 yards, 41 for a touchdown, and 18 for an average of 41 yards per return. UVA’s inability to score touchdowns kept Wake one play away from swinging the momentum, and it made the touchdown return moments before the half all the more deflating.
The offense’s opportunism
The most misleading, nauseating stat of this game was UVA’s redzone conversion rate. The Cavaliers officially finished three-for-four in the category, the kicker being that each of those conversions resulted in three points instead of six. UVA had first down chances from the Demon Deacon 25, 24, 8, and 12 yard lines, but never found the endzone.
The offense’s inability to score ultimately left the door open for Wake to hang around. Still, for as bad as the offense was, one score to force overtime at the end would’ve given the ‘Hoos life to go chase the game from the 25-yard line, not having to string together full-field drives. With a run game like UVA’s 25 yards from the endzone, who knows what could’ve happened had things gone to OT.
Des Kitchings’ play calling
This is my second, maybe third time mentioning the play calling (which I strongly dislike doing) when writing these stock articles. But again, there is reason for frustration with how the ‘Hoos went about their offense throughout the game.
UVA struggled to move the ball from the jump against a Wake defense that was and is very solid, and Morris’ injury certainly didn’t help the situation, but two things stuck out about the play calling. First, the third and goal call in the second quarter. From the two-yard line and coming out of a Wake timeout, UVA decided on a gimmicky call, throwing the ball to the left to Taylor in hopes that the three blockers would hold their ground against Wake’s three defensive backs.
It obviously didn’t work and felt eerily similar to Robert Anae’s decision to throw to an offensive lineman back in 2021. The direct snap play to Taylor has worked nearly every time the ‘Hoos have gone to it, despite continuing to show it on film every week. Not leaning on Taylor, and the offensive line in that situation was a case of UVA outsmarting itself.
Secondly, the inability to get the ball to Jahmal Edrine. Now, I can’t speak from a scheme perspective on how opposing coordinators have scouted and played UVA’s offense, but the ‘Hoos have been at their best when Edrine’s been actively making plays.
In the past two games, he’s had just three catches for 21 yards, with his lone grab against the Deacs coming on UVA’s final drive. With Kaelin noticeably struggling to thread the needle under pressure, why not throw the ball towards the sideline to give the offense’s biggest target a chance to make a play on the outside?
Ironically, the final play of the game was a corner throw to Edrine, but waiting until the final play of the game can’t suffice for his overall lack of touches. The offense force-fed Edrine in games against Washington State and North Carolina, combining for 11 catches on 15 targets. A big factor in how well this offense looks in the final two games of the regular season will be whether or not the staff can find ways to replicate those numbers.
UVA’s ACC title game chances
While it’s not impossible for UVA to still make the ACC championship with the team’s first conference loss, a golden opportunity to control its own destiny slipped through the cracks.
Heading into week 12, five teams now have just one ACC loss, with one of those five set to pick up a second after the upcoming weekend, given that UVA and Duke are set to collide in Durham. Georgia Tech sits in first, while the ‘Hoos are second, followed by Pittsburgh, SMU, and Duke all squarely in the mix. There’s certainly plenty of football to be played. But, depending on how things shake out around the league, a 2-0 finish to the regular season could still have the ‘Hoos on the outside looking in, thanks to some crazy tiebreaker scenarios that could emerge.
