CAVS EARN NEW ROLE
U.Va. is favored for once vs. Louisville, with good reason
Louisville’s offense was the ACC’s best in 2016 and 2017. Virginia’s was among the worst.
Through three games this season, that narrative has changed dramatically, and the shift positions the Cavaliers well for their ACC opener Saturday against the visiting Cardinals.
Not to suggest that Virginia this year rivals Louisville of the previous two. Those Cardinals had Lamar Jackson at quarterback, and while Bryce Perkins brings athleticism to the position the Cavaliers have long lacked, he’s not, as far as anyone knows, in Jackson’s league.
Indeed, Virginia (2-1) ranks only in middle of the pack in the ACC in scoring and total offense. Also, let’s not forget that the Cavaliers’ victories were over Richmond from the Football Championship Subdivision and defensively inept Ohio.
Those concessions aside, Virginia’s rash of big plays this season is a striking contrast to recent years, regardless of opponents.
For example, Perkins’ touchdown runs of 36 and 22 yards in the 42-13 win over Richmond were the first rushing scores by any Cavaliers quarterback since 2015. Moreover, Virginia’s three plays from scrimmage of at least 75 yards Saturday against Ohio
were unprecedented in Cavaliers history.
The only other complete season on record in which Virginia had three such plays was 1995, when Mike Groh threw scoring passes of 82 yards to Pete Allen against Duke and 76 yards to Patrick Jeffers at Clemson, and Tiki Barber burst 81 yards for a touchdown versus Michigan.
More context: Among the Bowl Subdivision’s 130 teams last season, 82 had fewer than three scrimmage plays of at least 70 yards — for the entire year.
“Oh, man, we have a lot more to show,” Perkins said Monday at Virginia’s weekly media availability. “Each week we keep adding; we’re changing plays. The playbook that we have run in these past few games is not even close to complete.”
Indeed, there was nothing complex about the Cavs’ defining plays in Saturday’s 45-31 victory.
First, Olamide Zaccheaus caught a routine, 4-yard pass from Perkins, shed Kylan Nelson’s lunging tackle and sprinted down the right sideline for an 86-yard touchdown.
On U.Va.’s next series, Jordan Ellis took an inside, zone-read handoff from Perkins and raced 75 yards to the end zone.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Zaccheaus caught an 8-yard curl and spun easily around Jalen Fox, turning the reception into a clinching, 77-yard touchdown.
“Ridiculous,” Ohio coach Frank Solich said of his team’s breakdowns.
Affirmative, but also further confirmation of Zaccheaus’ raw speed and the stress Perkins puts on defenses. Opponents need to account for his running chops, and when they do, other avenues open.
Jackson did that, and more, for Louisville the past two seasons, winning the Heisman Trophy in 2016 and ACC Player of the Year in ’16 and ’17. Yet with Jackson off to the NFL, Cardinals coach Bobby Petrino said during preseason that he expected his offense to be even better this season.
Uh, did Petrino forget that Louisville led the conference in scoring and total offense both years, averaging 42.5 points in 2016 and 38.1 in ’17? Or was he just looking to trend on Twitter?
“I expect a lot of things,” Petrino said Monday of his July proclamation, “and I get some, and some I don’t get.”
File this one under “ain’t happening.”
Scoring 14 points in an opening beatdown from No. 1 Alabama was credible, and dusting FCS Indiana State 31-7 was predictable. Saturday’s 20-17 escape of Western Kentucky was troubling.
The Hilltoppers were a week removed from a 31-28 home loss to FCS Maine, but the Cardinals (2-1) didn’t manage a touchdown against them until the fourth quarter. Malik Cunningham rushed for 129 yards Saturday to displace Jawon Pass as the starting quarterback, and he’s tasked with reviving an offense that ranks 11th in the ACC in scoring at 21.7 points per game.
Cavaliers faithful have been baited by several promising starts, most recently last season, when Virginia opened 5-1 and faded to 6-7. So expect minimal revelry if the Cavaliers prevail Saturday.
But for a program that hasn’t averaged at least 28 points a game since 2004, this offense is encouraging, the 20-16 loss at Indiana in the slop two weeks ago notwithstanding.
Saturday marks the fifth annual clash between Virginia and Louisville since the Cardinals joined the ACC. For the first time in those meetings, the Cavaliers are favored, at last glance by five points.
As they should be.