The University of Virginia football teams bye week may have come at just the right time. The Cavaliers traveled to South Bend last weekend to take on the 10th ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and were handed their first loss of the 2019 season. The Cavaliers committed five turnovers, four in the second half (3 fumbles, 2 interceptions) in route to a 35-20 loss. The Hoos running game was stymied by an Irish defensive line that wreaked havoc on a younger UVA offensive line all day. The Cavalier offensive line also didn’t give quarterback Bryce Perkins any time in the pocket, which would also cause problems all afternoon.
The Hoos led the Irish 17-14 at the half, and came out in the second half and recovered an onside kick to give the Cavaliers all the momentum at the start of the third quarter. That momentum would not last long when a Bryce Perkins fumble was recovered by Tagovailoa-Amosa for the Irish who returned it all the way down to the Hoos 7 and Notre Dame punched it in shortly after to take the lead. Another Perkins fumble was picked up and returned for an Irish touchdown late in the third quarter. Notre Dame made the most out of the Cavalier turnovers and that seemed to be the key to the win for the Irish.
With an offensive line that has been moved all around throughout the season, no matter what they did on Saturday, the Notre Dame defense was there to make them look down right bad at times. The Virginia rushing attack finished the game with only four yards. That has to change if the Cavaliers want to make a serious run at the ACC Coastal. The offense has had its share of ups and downs to start the season, and a bye week after a loss that exposed some weaknesses sure feels like it came at the right time. The good news is that Virginia still sits atop the standings in the Coastal at 2-0 in the conference.
The offensive line was exposed in a bad way on Saturday. Bryce Perkins was sacked eight times, he was constantly under pressure and the running game was non-existent. Their line is young and are still finding themselves, but it is an integral part of the formula that is needed to compete at the highest level. When the running game isn’t working, it is pretty easy for defenses to game plan. The Cavalier offense is becoming one dimensional when the line struggles, and that is one of the things that will be worked on during the bye week.
Turnovers and offensive line play has been the Achilles heel for the Virginia football team so far this season, so the extra week to iron things out will hopefully get the Hoos back on track to finish out the season. When they get back off the bye, the Cavaliers will travel to Hard Rock Stadium to take on the Miami Hurricanes. Miami will host Virginia Tech this weekend where each team will be looking for their first ACC win. Next weekend is a big one for the Cavaliers, so they will be working hard to make sure they are focusing on limiting mistakes and making sure they are prepared to make a run at the ACC Coastal crown and a chance to play in the ACC Championship game in December.
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