Five Things We Learned After Virginia’s 20-16 Loss To Indiana

Week two for Virginia football is in the books. Here are the five things we learned from Saturday night’s waterlogged 20-16 loss to Indiana:

1. Special teams this year really are special. The only reason UVA was in a position to try to score the winning touchdown in the final seconds was because of two stellar special teams plays earlier in the game. After Indiana scored its second touchdown and was assuming the Hoosiers would lead 14-7, Juan Thornhill blocked the extra-point attempt and returned it 98 yards to turn a 14-7 deficit into only a 4-pointer at 13-9. Starting the second half, Indiana looked as if it was about to grow its 20-9 lead into a 23-9 lead when it attempted a field goal on a 4^th and 9 at the UVA 24. Charles Snowden made the block, and the offense responded with a touchdown on the ensuing possession. Take those special teams plays away and UVA trails by 23-7…or more. Instead, a 3^rd quarter touchdown pass by Bryce Perkins closed the deficit to only 4 points and kept UVA’s hopes alive.
2. The defense may be better than you think. Yes, much is being made about the fact that a player buried deep on the running back depth chart at Indiana gained 204 yards on the Wahoo defense. But the defense did shut out the Hoosiers in the second half and when it needed a stop in the final two quarters, they got it. On the first series of the second half, the defense held and special teams blocked a field goal attempt. After Virginia responded with Bryce Perkins’ 20 yard touchdown pass to Chris Sharp, the defense did it again as Thornhill intercepted Peyton Ramsey’s pass at the Indiana 38. The defense did bend at times in the second half. But it did not break.
3. This team needs to throw: In the first half, Bryce Perkins only had 22 yards passing as play calling ended up being very conservative due to the weather. When Perkins did throw more in the second half, that seemed to open up more opportunities for Perkins to scramble and kept the Indiana defense from crowding the line. The Wahoos need to maintain a reasonable run-pass balance to keep a defense from doing that, plus it will also create opportunities for Jordan Ellis while defenses worry more about Perkins.
4. Lets get physical: Indiana was clearly the more physical team and controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball for most of the game. Virginia is going to need Ellis to be worth 100 yards a game rushing the football and when he’s held to 63, that puts more burden on other facets of the offense. Defensively, Virginia’s front three were blocked out of the gaps they were supposed to fill, leaving lots of running room for Indiana’s big running back Steve Scott to romp for yardage. By not filling the proper gaps, that put more pressure on Virginia’s linebackers and safeties to cover more ground.
5. The offense knows how to take care of the ball: In all the wet and sloppy weather in Indiana, you’d normally expect a high number of turnovers, but the Wahoo offense didn’t commit any. Perkins did not throw any interceptions and the only fumble lost came on a kickoff return early in the game. If you add in that Perkins had never played in rain before, the lack of turnovers is even more impressive.