2011 Virginia Football Predictions
Written by Steve Janus
It was a struggle for the Virginia Cavaliers in their first season under head coach Mike London. The Cavaliers went just 4-9 overall and were only 1-7 in ACC play. While there wasn’t a lot to be excited about in 2010, the Cavaliers come into the 2011 season with 18 starters back. All that experience should have the Cavaliers competing at a much higher level, but whether or not it leads to more wins is up in the air.
With 18 starters back there isn’t a whole lot of change that will take place on either side of the ball, but let’s take a closer look at what this team has to work with, plus I’ll give my prediction on where I think they will finish the year in the ACC.
Offense:
While the Cavaliers have 18 starters back, they must find a replacement at quarterback for the departed Marc Verica. Sophomore Michael Rocco or redshirt freshman Michael Strauss are the two leading candidates coming into the fall. Both Rocco and Strauss were brought in to play in the new offensive system, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they put up better numbers than Verica’s 2,799 yards with 14 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
Virginia also loses 2010 leading rusher Keith Payne. Not only did Payne lead the way with 749 yards, he scored 14 of the 17 rushing touchdowns the Cavaliers totaled last year. Junior Perry Jones was second on the team with 646 yards, but scored just 1 touchdown on 137 attempts. Jones will be pushed by true freshman Clifton Richardson and redshirt freshman Kevin Parks.
Even with the loss of 2010 leading receiver Dontrelle Inman (51 catches for 815 yards), the receiving corps should be even better than it was a year ago. They return senior Kris Burd, who led the team with 58 catches for 799 yards and a team best five touchdowns, and are expected to add a couple of very talented freshman to the mix in Darius Jennings and Dominique Terrell. Also back is junior tight end Colter Phillips, who caught 18 passes for 155 yards and three scores.
Up front the Cavaliers return four starters on the offensive line, which will not only make things easier on the new quarterback, but it should also help the run game put up better numbers. The only spot up for grabs is at right guard, where sophomore Luke Bowanko is the leading candidate to take over heading into the fall.
Defense:
Virginia really struggled on the defensive end last year, as they gave up just over 28 points a game on this side of the ball. The hope is that with 10 starters back this unit will reallly start to show some progress and turn things around in 2011.
The defensive line is led by senior defensive end Cam Johnson, who led the way with 6.5 sacks and 8 tackles for loss. No other player had more than three sacks last year. Sophomore Jake Snyder and junior Ausar Walcott will likely split time at the other end spot, and they really need these two to take some of the pressure of Johnson and get to the quarterback. In the middle seniors Matt Conrath and Nick Jenkins return at the two defensive tackle spots.
All three starters are back at linebacker, and it will be key that these three show some significant gains from last year. Junior outside linebacker LaRoy Reynolds led the team with just 66 tackles, but did have six tackles for loss. Junior middle linebacker Steve Greer is probably the best of this group, and needs to have a big season. Senior Aaron Taliaferro is the other starter back on the outside.
The strength of the defense will likely come in the secondary. Virgina held opponents to 192 yards a game through the air in 2010, and have all four starters back and add a very talented freshman corner in Demetrious Nicholson. It looks as though Nicholson will take the starting job away from junior Devin Wallace and team up with talented senior corner Chase Minnifield, who led the team with six interceptions in 2010. At safety the Cavaliers return seniors Rodney McLeod and Corey Mosley.
ACC Prediction: 4th ACC Coastal – I think the Cavaliers are going to really surprise some people with the strides they make in 2011. I think they could sneak their way into a 6-6 finish and I have them beating Georgia Tech at home to finish just ahead of the Yellow Jackets in the Coastal Division.
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