Virginia football was known for its defense under Bronco Mendenhall, but Tony Elliot has seen his defenses play well after taking over the program four years ago. Elliot brought in John Rudzinski from Air Force, and he seems to have things trending back to where he had them in 2022. The Hoos hit the portal hard on the defensive side of the field to add depth and playmaking to a defense that has struggled to contain high-powered offenses. Virginia had a rough outing against Florida State, but they
were able to pull out the win with some opportunistic plays by the defense.
The Cavs have some new faces up front for the first time in a while. Mitchell Melton, Fisher Carmac, and Daniel Rickert are all guys who play on the edge and have made some plays this season. The staff rotates all of these guys in which keeps them fresh. They are also all very quick off the ball which has posed some issues for the UofL offensive line so far.
The interior of the defensive line returns a group of players who have played in the system, while also adding Jacob Holmes from Fresno State and Alabama transfer Hunter Osborne. While this group is not meant to be very disruptive, they have not performed overly well so far this year in their role of eating up blocks. UVA was gashed in the run game by NC State and FSU, and the film tells a clear story that running lanes were easy to find. This is an opportunity for the Cards to get their running game going.
The second level is where the Virginia defense is at its best. Kam Robinson and James Jackson are veteran linebackers who can make plays all over the field. Robinson has missed time this year but he is back healthy and he put up 10 tackles and a sack against FSU last week. Jackson is a four-year starter who does a bit of everything but his speed to chase down plays outside of the hashes is what stands out the most. Cards fans may remember Robinson from his pick-six in 2023 as a true freshman. UVA isn’t a pressure defense, but they could look to bring these two on blitzes this weekend after Pitt and JMU found success doing so.
The Virginia secondary also has some new faces, with the staff hitting the portal hard to bring in some veteran players to add depth to the group. Donovan Platt, Jordan Robinson, and Emmanuel Karnley sit at the top of the depth chart at cornerback after transferring in from their respective programs. This group was victimized last week by Duce Robinson and the FSU receivers, so there are questions about their effectiveness. However, Ja’Son Prevard at nickleback had two redzone interceptions, including a game-sealing pick in the endzone.
Antonio Clary first suited up for UVA in 2019, and he is back in the fold after missing the first three games of the year with an injury. Cleary was ejected for targeting against FSU, but he knows this defense better than anyone, and his experience is needed with the rest of the safeties being newcomers or inexperienced players. Former Card Devin Neal starts at strong safety and leads the team in tackles. Neal and Ethan Minter will be responsible for covering Caullin Lacy in the slot as well as keeping the top on a Louisville offense that will assuredly push the ball down the field, looking for big plays.
