Virginia Cavaliers

August 25, 2001

Virginia Season Preview-FANSonly

Here are the game grades:

QB: C+
In general, I thought Bollinger got somewhat of a bad rap for his first half performance. He had to throw 4 passes away to avoid sacks when receivers could not break open, had one pass dropped, and another where Charles ran a poor route. He showed solid pocket presence in terms of pulling the ball down and running in addition to a couple of nice option runs.

However, other than a pretty good throw on the Evans pass interference call, Bollinger did not get the ball down the field and seemed to have a hard time finding the passing lanes. He threw a pick as well, and while it should have been caught, it was a bit behind the receiver.

Sorgi threw the ball well when he was allowed to plant and throw, especially the last TD to Evans in which he had to take a big hit upon releasing the ball. He also did a nice job of feeling pressure and was able to move in the pocket to buy time.

The problem with Sorgi though was that when he was on the run, he threw the ball very poorly. Sorgi is not a statue, but must be still in order to deliver a good ball at this point of his career. He also had a hard time finding some open receivers over the middle portion of the field, again, often following a scramble.

Jim did a nice job with a couple scrambles, though lost his balance on two of them leaving them short of first downs.

RB: B
None of the Badger backs had much success running inside the tackles. Pettus in particular wanted to bounce everything outside and while this worked early, once Virginia adjusted Jerone was limited in what he could pick up. Some lanes were open, but the backs did not read the cutback.

In the second half however, Anthony Davis put together a nice streak of about 7 or 8 really strong runs. He ran with better vision and an exceptional burst around the corner. Anthony also ran very very hard, dragging defenders along on at least 3 runs.

Kuhns' work was limited due to a lot of one back sets.

WR/TE: A-
Lee Evans could not be covered by the Cav corners. He consistently ran past defenders leading to two long TD scores and a pass interference call (which he did a nice job of maintaining inside position).

Nick Davis had one leaping grab and was consistently open over the middle of the zone, but the QBs could not find him.

Mark Anelli had an early drop from Bollinger, but did a nice job in the second half of providing Sorgi with an outlet. His catch over the defender's back was a key play for Wisconsin (and a heck of a throw by Sorgi). Anelli and Paciotti also did a solid job of locking up the outside defenders on a number of Davis runs.

OL: B-
In general, the OL played a fairly steady game. They did a nice job of locking up on the Virginia defensive linemen against the run, allowing the backs to get to the outside. They did not however get much of an inside push.

In terms of pass blocking, again they were relatively solid, though both QBs had to do some maneuvering in the pocket at times.

Barrett and Buenning did a solid job assignment wise, though each had at least one phantom block that led to a loss...Barrett on a pass block and Buenning on a QB draw.

Ben Johnson was a terrific drive blocker, clearing the left side for Davis consistently in the second half.

DL: B
Virginia did nothing on the ground early in the game until going to some counter action late which drew some of the DL out of position.

The pass rush was decent as well. Guys like James and McGrew had trouble if the OL locked up on them, but both showed some really solid pursuit when allowed to run in space. James in particular showed a tremendous burst and was drawing double teams late in the game. McGrew also pursued well from the weak side against the run.

Wendell Bryant also drew a lot of attention and was generally disruptive, though not in a game dominating fashion. He got solid penetration and had good push up the middle while rushing the passer.

Ben Herbert had an interception, though was generally not a factor.

Jesse Mayfield had a nice power rush early in the game.

LB: C
A quiet game from the backers. Like the defensive linemen, it seemed as if they were drawn to the initial motion on the counter plays, leading to some Virginia cutbacks for some yards. Bryson Thompson, for one, was caught inside on a long Virginia run.

Jason Schick had some decent coverage at times, though was victimized when he couldn't make a play on the ball. He was burned on a couple of crossing routes as well as by the FB for the last Virginia TD.

I thought Jeff Mack actually had a pretty decent game. He did a better job of staying home on the perimeter and had a couple plays with some solid penetration.

DB: A-
The defensive backs were the strength of the defense on this day. Coverage was excellent all around, both in scheme and execution. Not only were Virginia receivers not open, but there were a lot of balls defensed as well. Tucker and Echols misplayed the jump ball for the first Virginia TD and BJ drew a pass interference call when he lost the ball, which prevented this grade from being an A.

To Tucker's credit he had terrific coverage late in the game when the Cavs tested him again.

Special Teams: D
The field position game was lost badly as Virginia had excellent kickoffs and punts, while Wisconsin struggled in this regard. Munden improved to a degree, but just couldn't get a good foot under most of his kicks.

Neuser was very short on the opening kick and the coverage was poor, allowing a big return. Allen took over the kickoffs after that but did a poor job with his squib kicks.

Nick Davis was not a factor due to excellent Virginia kicking.

There was one bad snap on a punt as well, though Wisconsin was fortunate that Virginia had a return set up.

Here are how Badgermaniac's Keys to the Game played out:

1.) Virginia's OL vs. Wisconsin's DL
I thought this was the key to the game. Despite being without Jones, Wisconsin held Virginia's rushing game in check. Since Virginia's QBs were abysmal, they were left without much of an offensive threat when Wisconsin's DL controlled the run. Virginia did do a nice job with some counters and traps in the second half, but not enough to establish dominance.

2.)Big plays
Tucker bit on the flea flicker, though he and Echols did get back into the play once the pass arrived. The big kickoff return would also qualify to some degree. However, not too bad overall.

3.) Bollinger consistency
Given the conditions, I will issue the disclaimer that the conditions were very very tough to pass in during the first half. Both QBs threw the deep ball well, Bollinger's drawing a pass interference call and two of Sorgi's going for TDs. Bollinger's interception was also not his fault. However, both QBs, especially Sorgi missed receivers running free in the secondary. Sorgi in particular went to the short throws very quickly despite receivers (Nick Davis especially) breaking wide open over the center of the field.

4.) Boring special teams
Mediocre punting, horrible kickoffs, a missed extra point, a holder not on the field, a bad punt snap, and a big kickoff return allowed......but despite the poor special teams play, there weren't any game turners. The offense/defense did enough to offset the field position disparity, while Virginia could not take advantage of the missed XP or the bad snap.

5.)Confidence, confidence, confidence
Given the youth of the team and given the bizarre nature of the start of the game (not to mention the lackluster crowd interest), I thought they hung in there well. I believe the early interceptions were a huge huge part of keeping the younsters in the game until they settled down a bit in the second half.

PREDICTION
Well, I didn't think Virginia's QB would be quite so bad, so I wouldn't say they really moved the ball much at all. Other than that, about what I expected. A big pass was the game opener rather than a run.

Badgermaniac's Keys to the Game:

1.) Virginia's OL vs. Wisconsin's DL
Before the last week and a half, this still would have been a key but one that was not quite so concerning. Virginia is big, talented, ] and experience up front and with a talented back in Womack, they are going to give a lot of teams trouble. Wisconsin has a premier run stuffer in Wendell Bryant of course, but with Jake Sprague hurt, Darius Jones potentially limited by a broken hand, and free safety (key against the run in Wisconsin's scheme) Carlease Clark ineligible, there may be a soft spot there that is unexpected. Wisconsin does not need to dominate Virginia at the line, but they do need to hold their own and force Virgina to beat them via the air. I believe 150 yards is a key figure in this game. If Wisconsin holds the Cavs under 150, they win. If not, the game is up for grabs.

2.)Big plays
This probably should be key #1A as it goes right along with Key #1. Controlling the run in general is of great importance, but not giving up the homerun is critical as well, especially considering the problems they had in this regard last year. With youth in the secondary, being assignment sure, especially against a team that doesn't look to be a big threat throwing the ball, is also key.

3.) Bollinger consistency
Ramming the ball down the throat of the defense isn't going to work this year as it has in years past. Wisconsin will need to generate some a consistent passing attack, especially when the opposition lacks experience in the secondary. We know Bollinger will make plays in the rushing game. Will he consistently make the right reads and connect on the deep ball when the opportunity presents?

4.) Boring special teams
In the past, Wisconsin could be counted on to win the special teams battle. While Nick Davis is still a threat to take one deep, I believe simply making the chip shot field goals/extra points, not getting a punt blocked, not snapping the ball over the punters head, etc. would be a nice goal given their performance in the spring. If special teams are a non-issue (ie. boring), I think it bodes well for the Badgers.

5.)Confidence, confidence, confidence
With 76% of the Badger roster being freshmen or sophomores, many of whom will be on the field for the first team, getting off to a good start and being able to play with confidence could be a deciding factor. A senior dominated team can bounce back from adversity. Can this young team bounce back if the breaks go against them early and they get down 10-14 points?

PREDICTION
I think both teams are going to be able to move the ball. I think Wisconsin is going to have some trouble at the point of attack against Virginia and Womack is going to have a nice string of 4-8 yard runs early while the Badgers adjust. I also look for Wisconsin to also move the ball, both via the pass and the run. However, I believe that the Badger coaching staff, by virtue of their experience with their personnel will make better adjustments and Wisconsin's leadership in Bryant, Griesen, Kuhns, and Bollinger will keep the team together. A big run early in the 4th quarter breaks open a tight game and Wisconsin wins going away, 31-24.

Here is how the Badgers and Cavs compare based on last year's numbers:

Total offense: WIS 70, VIR 68
Passing offense: WIS 96, VIR 74
Rushing offense: WIS 23, VIR 39
Scoring offense: WIS 62, VIR 89
Total defense: WIS 80, VIR 99
Rushing defense: WIS 61, VIR 83
Passing defense: WIS 29, VIR 76
Scoring defense: WIS 28, VIR 51
Turnover margin: WIS30, VIR 51

Sagarin has Wisconsin as an 11 point favorite. Howell has Wisconsin as a 13.5 point favorite with a 73% chance of winning. His projected score is Wisconsin 30-Virginia 17.

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