With Virginia’s offense struggling to score points in the wake of last week’s shortcomings at Miami, could it be that the Cavaliers’ defense is going to have to win Saturday’s home ACC Coastal battle with Duke?

It was a much better week for our panel of prognosticators in Week 7 following a nightmarish, upset-filled Week 6.

Under Construction. If there were a label that Bronco Mendenhall could place on Virginia’s offensive line, that is what it would read.

Now that All-American candidate Bryce Hall is out for the remainder of the season, who will replace him in the Virginia secondary? Junior cornerback De’Vante Cross filled in at the spot for Hall at Miami, and apparently will stick at the position for this weekend’s home game against Duke in a big ACC Coastal Division battle.

Friday night’s bus ride following a frustrating loss at Miami was one that Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall will never forget.

No. 20 Virginia dropped its second straight contest, falling 17-9 at Miami Friday night. The Cavaliers (4-2, 2-1 ACC) controlled the possession and outgained the Hurricanes on the night, but only came away with three field goals despite six trips inside the Miami 30-yard line.

The 20th-ranked Cavaliers return to action this evening at Miami, as the ACC Coastal Division race continues to heat up.

Our prognosticators took a blood bath this past week in the unpredictable world of college football, and as we approach the midway point of the season, only seven games separate first and last places in our contest sponsored by Riverside Lunch, the “best burgers in town.”

South Bend might just have been the cold slap of reality that Virginia’s football team needed if it is to move forward and win the ACC Coastal Division as predicted.

Virginia has lost backup inside linebacker Rob Snyder and backup center Tyler Fannin for the remainder of the season.

Chris Graham fills in as the guest host of “The Jerry Ratcliffe Show.” Don’t worry: he gets Jerry on the long line from OBX to talk UVA sports.

Have you ever sat on your couch on Sunday afternoon and watched the Fox NFL Sunday show with Howie Long, Terry Bradshaw and the crew, and thought, ‘Man, I’d love to be there … it looks like so much fun.’ Well, now you can.

With all the film study, scouting and analysis that football coaches pour over each week as they prepare for the next opponent, they usually have a pretty good handle on what to expect on the weekend.

We’re already nearly halfway through college football season, and it’s still anybody’s ballgame when it comes to our weekly pick’em contest.

This week Hootie talks at length with Wahoo two-time All-American Anthony Poindexter and Dr Steve Brockmeier of UVA Ortho on rotator cuff injuries.

Virginia learned a valuable lesson when it stepped up into the big leagues of college football on Saturday. It’s almost impossible to win at this level without a decent running game.

The five-game winning streak for No. 18 Virginia came to an end at Notre Dame Stadium Saturday as the Cavaliers fell, 35-20, to the 10th-ranked Fighting Irish (3-1).

Regardless of the outcome of Saturday afternoon’s game in the shadow of the Golden Dome, beneath the blessings of Touchdown Jesus, Bronco Mendenhall’s Virginia football team gets a taste of the big time. Heck, it’s a mouthful.

No. 18 Virginia faces its toughest challenge of the season Saturday afternoon when the undefeated Cavaliers will play in front of a national-TV audience and a raucous, packed house at Notre Dame Stadium against the 10th-ranked Fighting Irish.

For all the fans outside of Charlottesville that can’t listen to the “Jerry Ratcliffe Show,” good news is here. We’re growing.