Better know a ’12 opponent: Virginia
Moving ahead on the schedule, we’ll hit the first part of the Virginia preview today, then circle back if I can get in touch with some Boston College beat writers.
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Coach: Mike London (second season at UVa, 12-13; four seasons overall, 36-18 at Richmond, UVa)
2011 record: 8-5 (5-3 ACC, t-2nd Coastal), lost to Auburn 43-24 in Chick-fil-A Bowl
Looking back: The Cavaliers were one of the surprises of the ACC, going from 4-8 to 8-5 in London’s second year with the program. Behind a ball control offense and a solid defense, Virginia got rolling after starting the year 2-2. A 24-21 win against then-unbeaten, No. 12 Georgia Tech was the first glimpse at what the Cavaliers were capable of. After a loss to N.C. State, UVa reeled off four straight wins, including the capper, a 14-13 upset of No. 25 Florida State in Tallahassee that put them in the conversation for the ACC Coastal title. That lasted a week, when Virginia Tech dashed those hopes in convincing fashion with a 38-0 win in Charlottesville. The season ended on a down note, with special teams meltdowns leading to a 43-24 loss to Auburn in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Still, it was the first time UVa had won eight games and gone to a bowl game since 2007.
2011 stats/rankings:
- Rushing offense: 162.08 ypg (52nd nationally, 4th ACC)
- Passing offense: 237.69 ypg (56th nationally, 7th ACC)
- Total offense: 399.77 ypg (46th nationally, 4th ACC)
- Scoring offense: 23.23 ppg (86th nationally, 9th ACC)
- Rushing defense: 139.46 ypg (48th nationally, 5th ACC)
- Passing defense: 212.23 ypg (45th nationally, 5th ACC)
- Total defense: 351.69 ypg (40th nationally, 3rd ACC)
- Scoring defense: 23.85 ppg (46th nationally, 5th ACC)
- Turnover margin: -.54 (97th nationally, 11th ACC)
Offensive starters returning/lost: 7/4
Defensive starters returning/lost: 4/7
Losses: FB Max Milien (22 catches, 264 yards, 2 TD), WR Kris Burd (66 catches, 913 yards, 3 TD), G Austin Pasztor (1st ACC, 45 starts), C Anthony Mihota (24 starts), DT Matt Conrath (1st ACC, 66 tackles, 12 TFL, 4 sacks), DT Nick Jenkins (36 tackles, 5 TFL, 1.5 sacks), DE Cam Johnson (30 tackles, 11 TFL, 4 sacks), OLB Aaron Taliferro (50 tackles, 6 TFL), CB Chase Minnifield (1st ACC, 50 tackles, 7 TFL, 3 INT), FS Corey Mosley (49 tackles, INT), SS Rodney McLeod (57 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 4 INT), P Jimmy Howell (39.4 avg.), PK Robert Randolph (16-23 FG)
Returnees: QB Michael Rocco (2,671 yards, 13 TD, 12 INT), RB Perry Jones (915 rushing, 5 TD, 48 catches, 506 receiving yards, 3 TD), RB Kevin Parks (709 rushing, 9 TD), RB Clifton Richardson (366 yards, 2 TD), WR Tim Smith (33 carries, 565 yards, 3 TD), TE Colter Phillips (3 catches, 15 yards), LT Oday Aboushi (2nd ACC, 25 starts), RG Luke Bowanko (13 starts), RT Morgan Moses (20 starts), DE Jake Snyder (36 tackles, 2 TFL, sack), DE Ausar Walcott (32 tackles, 2.5 TFL, sack), DE Bill Schautz (28 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 2 sacks), OLB LaRoy Reynolds (88 tackles, 8 TFL), MLB Steve Greer (2nd ACC, 103 tackles, 6 TFL, 2 sacks), CB Demetrious Nicholson (60 tackles, 2 INT)
2012 schedule:
- Sept. 1: vs. Richmond
- Sept. 8: vs. Penn State
- Sept. 15: at Georgia Tech
- Sept. 22: at TCU
- Sept. 29: vs. Louisiana Tech
- Oct. 6: at Duke
- Oct. 13: vs. Maryland
- Oct. 20: vs. Wake Forest
- Nov. 3: at N.C. State
- Nov. 10: vs. Miami
- Nov. 15: vs. North Carolina
- Nov. 24: at Virginia Tech
Strengths: A good portion of the offense is back. Three starters return on the line, led by All-ACC selection Aboushi. They’ll pave the way for a running back trio of Jones, Parks and Richardson that ran for 1,990 yards and 16 touchdowns last year. Rocco is back at quarterback, although UVa is waiting to hear about Alabama transfer Phillip Sims‘ petition to the NCAA for immediate eligibility. If Sims can play, he’d add a whole new dimension to the offense. Defensively, Greer is back in the middle after a knee injury cut short his 2011 season. Nicholson, at corner, is a rising star.
Weaknesses: Burd was UVa’s go-to receiver but is gone now, so the Cavaliers will need some new receiving targets to step up. While three starters return on the offensive line, two mainstays — Pasztor and Mihota — are gone. Rocco, while solid, had few games where he truly carried the team. On defense, UVa lost a lot up front. Linemen Conrath, Jenkins and Johnson were the strength of that defensive group. The Cavaliers also lost three starters in the secondary, including All-ACC performer Minnifield. A weakened pass rush and a vulnerable secondary is not a good combination.
Fun fact: (Via the Virginia athletics website) “Virginia’s first mascot was a black-and-white mongrel dog named Beta, who was cherished by the University community in the 1920s and ’30s. … Beta’s most famous exploit came after he was left behind in Athens, Ga., following a UVa football game with Georgia. Two weeks later, a scratch was heard at the back door of the Beta House. There stood a cold, ragged and hungry Beta. It is not known how he found his way home.” (Note: the dog pictured is a later mascot by the name of Seal.)
Series with VT: Virginia Tech leads 51-37-5
In the last 10 years:
- 2011: No. 6 Virginia Tech 38, No. 24 Virginia 0, in Charlottesville
- 2010: No. 13 Virginia Tech 37, Virginia 7, in Blacksburg
- 2009: No. 14 Virginia Tech 42, Virginia 13, in Charlottesville
- 2008: Virginia Tech 17, Virginia 14, in Blacksburg
- 2007: No. 8 Virginia Tech 33, No. 16 Virginia 21, in Charlottesville
- 2006: No. 17 Virginia Tech 17, Virginia 0, in Blacksburg
- 2005: No. 7 Virginia Tech 52, Virginia 14, in Charlottesville
- 2004: No. 11 Virginia Tech 24, No. 16 Virginia 10, in Blacksburg
- 2003: Virginia 35, No. 21 Virginia Tech 21, in Charlottesville
- 2002: No. 22 Virginia Tech 21, Virginia 9, in Blacksburg
Previous entries:
- Georgia Tech — Team overview | Ask a beat writer
- Austin Peay — Team overview | Ask a beat writer
- Pittsburgh — Team overview | Ask a beat writer
- Bowling Green — Team overview | Ask a beat writer
- Cincinnati — Team overview | Ask a beat writer
- North Carolina — Team overview | Ask a beat writer
- Duke — Team overview | Ask a beat writer
- Clemson — Team overview | Ask a beat writer
- Miami — Team overview | Ask a beat writer
- Florida State — Team overview | Ask a beat writer
- Boston College — Team overview
June 26, 2012 - 12:06 AM
Beating UVa is always enjoyable for Virginia Tech fans and it never gets old or boring. Hopefully this year will be 9 in a row for the Hokies.
Let’s go Hokies !!!
Strengths- A good portion of the offense is back.
Weaknesses- A good portion of the offense is back.
8 straight wins. That means there are at least 4 entire recruiting classes that have not experienced a win over Virginia Tech.
Go Hokies!
I disagree, Frank, it does gets old a bit, especially when thee Wahoos trumpet their team’s supposed superiority, and Tech annihilates them. For once, I’d like to see a knuckle-whitening and edge of your seat game between the two teams.
38-0 is the perfect example of what I’m saying. The Wahoos were strutting that the superior offensive line would poke holes in the defense, but it was the defense that clamped down on the Wahoos. I expected a good game then and instead got a blow out.
Trevor,
I thought the 38-0 game was a great game. I applaud UVA for keeping it so close. I watched the game in its entirety,
Seriously, the most recent close game in the series was the 17-14 game and that was hardly exciting. The 14 UVA got was from long runs by Vic Hall who had been inserted as QB and Foster had not prepared for that. Other than those 2 long runs, it was a dominating effort by VT. Beamer concentrated on running out the clock when he had the lead and making sure no one got injured.
The 48-0 game in Charlottesville (1983?) was perhaps the best. The fans even tore down the goalposts on that one. The day of the game the RT had predicted it would be the “squeaker of the century”.
VT doesn’t miss Bill Brill at all….
#2 Bob H, funny!
Wow, the last three years the cumulative score is 117-20. I guess UVa fans might be right about one thing, things are going to get better for them because it sure can’t get any worse…
I do believe that the inroads that UVa has made in recruiting in Va. will eventually manifest itself in improved records in the acc and against VT. Last year’s 5-3 conference record is indication of that. Let’s face it, the best thing we had going against UVa was Al Groh…
The Sims situation is interesting. Anyone know when the NCAA will quit dragging its feet on that?
Likewise, I think London have done a masterful job of turning the program around. It’s not quite there yet, but I’m not going to be sleeping on UVa. They could sneak up on quite a few folks and yell, “Boo!,” and startle the crap out of folks.
If Sims is allowed to play this season, it’s going make the quarterback situation interesting. My memory’s sketchy, but wasn’t Sims rated a top dual-threat coming out of high school?
Bill Brill was the WORST thing for Virginia Tech for many, many years, as we long time Hokies know.
When he left the Roanoke Times it was a GREAT day for Tech.
He was never missed in our area and never will be missed.
Let’s go Hokies !!!
I’m just glad we’re playing Austin Peay and Bowling Green this year. I hate when we start this season with a loss. Who cares if our schedule looks ridiculous. We can’t win in January either way…and we can always claim another meaningless ten win season.
Jim, next year VT starts out with Alabama. The following two years we play Ohio St. and we follow that up with Wisconsin.
after looking at their schedule, the cavs could go 9-3 with luck. but when they cometo bburg you can count on a hokie win. i dont care if Phillip Sims comes marching in going for the heisman- tech will cream them. nothing like a home game!
Scott, those are the teams currently scheduled. That does not mean we’ll actually play them. Just ask Austin Peay about last minute rescheduling. Personally I feel certain that OhState will never travel to Blacksburg. Ever. The same for Wisconsin.