Can Perkins 2.0 Break Pitt’s Grip On Series?

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Bryce Perkins was heaven-sent as far as Bronco Mendenhall was concerned. A quarterback that nobody on the East Coast had heard of arrived in Charlottesville from an obscure junior-college program out west, and on raw talent and sheer ability, broke the total offense record of Shawn Moore, Matt Schaub and other celebrated Virginia quarterbacks.

What can Perkins do for an encore? Do it again, although this time, better.

In leading the Cavaliers to an 8-5 record last season, including a dominating win over South Carolina in the Belk Bowl, Perkins was more than dynamic. Only Perkins and Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray of Oklahoma finished the season with at least 2,600 passing yards and more than 900 yards on the ground.

If UVA is to take the next step and win the ACC’s Coastal Division as projected by media, then it’s largely up to Perkins to take the next step as well.

It’s a step that few quarterbacks manage to reach, but one that the Arizona-bred Perkins hungers for and isn’t shy about the goals. Everyone knows he can run the ball, that he has an extra gear that few possess, and that he is an effective passer. So, what is the next step for Perkins to attain greatness?

Perkins knows. He had a conversation with Mendenhall in the offseason about how to take things to the next level and the coach didn’t pull any punches.

“Coach Mendenhall told me that the best quarterbacks win championships, so can you win a championship?” Perkins shared. “That’s what separates the great quarterbacks from the others.

“They have the ability to feel like they’re never out of the game and are able to come back. I think Tom Brady is one of the greatest examples of that. Regardless of the talent around him, he finds a way to win. That’s what great quarterbacks do.”

Certainly that is Perkins’ goal this season, to lead Virginia to the Coastal Division title and play for the ACC Championship.

In Mendenhall’s mind, that will be his senior quarterback’s ultimate test. When I asked Mendenhall how Perkins had progressed from the end of last season to now, the coach didn’t hesitate.

“You know, it really remains to be seen,” Mendenhall said. “The command of the offense certainly appears to be at a higher level. Ultimately though, we all know it’s a results-oriented business, and great quarterbacks win championships.

“Getting to a bowl game and winning is not a championship, but it’s a significant step in the right direction for our program.”

Mendenhall said UVA’s outcome this season will determine where his QB has grown.

“Making the critical play at the critical time in a critical game, that’s what the best guys do at that position,” Mendenhall said. “Hopefully Bryce has advanced to that part and that point, and we won’t know until we play.”

Perkins knows exactly what his coach is talking about. He remembers the last few regular-season games when Pitt limited him in a game that handed over the Coastal to the Panthers on UVA’s own turf. He remembers losing in overtime at Georgia Tech, thwarting a valiant effort by himself after fighting off an injury. He remembers blowing the Virginia Tech game with a bobbled handoff exchange with running back Jordan Ellis deep in Hokies’ territory. Had Virginia scored there it would have broken the Hokies’ tight grip on the rivalry.

Had the Cavaliers come through in a couple or all three of those games, they would have squared off against Clemson in the ACC Championship and played in even a higher profile bowl game than the Belk.

The Virginia Tech loss stayed with Perkins for a long time. Stung deeply. He realizes all the what-ifs. They haunted him nightly until the bowl came around.

You liked Virginia basketball’s redemption story? Well, Perkins sees this season as sort of the same deal.

It all starts Saturday night in Pittsburgh when UVA opens the season against reigning division champ Pitt.

The Cavaliers are slight favorites in a city where they’ve never won, against an opponent in which they have lost four in a row.

In last year’s game at rain-soaked Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Pitt took it to the Cavaliers physically, punched them in the mouth and UVA didn’t punch back. The Panthers, led by defensive-minded coach Pat Narduzzi, had an answer for Perkins, too.

They held him to 205 yards passing on a 17-of-24 performance (no interceptions). They sacked him five times for minus-46 yards and really contained him on the ground, where he is most lethal in open spaces.

Whatever defensive game plan Narduzzi used last season, he’ll probably Xerox it for Saturday night at Heinz Field.

“We got [Perkins] down on the ground (last season), that was key,” Narduzzi said earlier this week. “One way or another we got him down on the ground. Tackling the quarterback is going to be critical this week for our D-line and linebackers. He has got designated runs. They’ll run quarterback outside the zone with him, they’ll spread out and he’ll take off running. They do quite a bit with Bryce.”

Perkins remembers how Pitt got to him last year.

“Just knowing the situation of deep sacks, close to the red zone, I have to throw the ball out of bounds, assess the situation and try not to do too much versus going to the next down,” the QB said. “Those deep sacks definitely hurt us. It’s part of growing up as a quarterback, growing up as a player.”

It was understandable considering that Perkins was playing his first season as a starter on the FBS level. He had been redshirted at Arizona State, broke his neck and told to never play football again, rehabbed and eventually entered Arizona Western Community College where Virginia ultimately discovered him.

ACC Network’s game analyst for Saturday night’s battle, former NFL quarterback Tim Hasselbeck, studied video of Perkins and has high opinions of the Cavaliers’ field general. They know what Narduzzi knows.

“I would start off by saying [Perkins] is a better runner than passer, so the emphasis in terms of containing him, I think still ultimately comes down to how you defend him as a runner,” Hasselbeck said. “I think that’s first and foremost.

“If you said, ‘Hey, if there’s a way he’s going to beat us, I think you would rather make it be from him throwing inside the pocket.’ Now with that being said, he has the ability to make the throws necessary in terms of the stuff that they do. There’s no doubt about that. I think the issue ends up being, does he do it consistently, and then does he do it when it’s not obvious in terms of what he’s getting in the secondary.”

What Hasselbeck meant by that was what does Perkins see in his pre-snap reads of the secondary — does he know where he’s going to throw it, or does he have to determine that post-snap?

“Virginia runs a lot of quarterback draws that he’s very patient with, which allows it to really look like a pass (RPOs),” Hasselbeck said. “I think ultimately defending him as the runner is first and foremost, and then forcing him to pass and causing a little bit of confusion should help Pittsburgh quite a bit.”

Sounds like Narduzzi’s defensive game plan. But is Perkins the same guy that Pitt controlled last November?

Perkins said he believes he is quicker with his reads than a year ago and more decisive in what receiver to go to and when to go to him.

“I’m seeing the field better,” he said. “Delivering the ball to receivers in a timely fashion will be better just because I don’t have to wait. I assume we’ll get a lot of man coverage, so those throws are going to be very important.”

Overall, the Virginia QB said he has been obsessed with trying to become a better version of himself.

On Saturday night, we’ll find out if Perkins 2.0 has taken a step toward the next level, whether Virginia can feed off the momentum created in the bowl game, whether his and the Cavaliers’ trajectory is toward a division title.

That’s what separates the great quarterbacks.