By Jerry Ratcliffe
Duke boasts the best passing attack Virginia will face this season, an offense led by redshirt sophomore Darian Mensah, who will enter the game ranked second in the nation in passing yards per game (310.4).
While Tony Elliott recognizes the danger of Mensah’s arm and a fleet of proven wide receivers, he also realizes there’s even more to be concerned about.
“I think what probably doesn’t get as much attention would be the front,” Elliott said. “They don’t let many guys get to the quarterback, so he has time, he has clean pockets, he doesn’t feel a ton of pressure, and then he can make every throw.”
Duke actually ranks No. 79 among FBS teams in sacks allowed with 18 (Virginia is No. 42 with 15).
Regardless, Mensah can light up a defense if he gets the required protection. This kid can sling it all over the yard.
“He does a lot of really, really good things that are natural that you can’t necessarily coach, but you love to have a guy that can do it,” the UVA coach said. “He’s anticipating throws and then he’s managing the RPO game really well and getting them some of the gifts, so to speak, the little 5-yard throws when you overload the run.”
Duke runs a balanced offense with good backs, three receivers with at least 5 touchdown catches each, but it all revolves around Mensah, who is accurate when chased out of the pocket because of an uncanny touch.
The receivers are tough to cover because of their ability to create separation so that Mensah doesn’t always have to be perfect with his throws.
Virginia strong safety Devin Neal said that because the Blue Devils give so many different looks and can attack from different angles and different sets, it’s upon the Cavaliers’ defense to communicate and to put in some serious film-room study to prepare for the challenge.
“Mensah is a really good quarterback from everything we’ve seen on film,” Neal said. “He knows how to place the ball well, knows how to make pre-snap reads.”
Defensive coordinator John Rudzinski, who has developed his secondary into a solid unit over the course of the season, praised the work the players have put in, including showing up at 6:30 a.m. for film sessions, something that Neal said has paid huge dividends.
Just ask Wake Forest, which was held to season-low passing numbers in last week’s game: 9-for-23 passing for 64 yards. The Deacs took several shots at Virginia’s secondary without any success.
“Yeah, we were here early this morning,” Neal said of Wednesday’s early call to the film room. “We do that every day of the week and I say it’s really helpful, honestly, because you don’t just flick it on like a light switch.
“It may seem like that to people on the outside, but it’s a lot of preparation and things that go into it to really allow you to perform the way you need to. There’s so many routes, you’ve got to play the run and the pass. You can’t just show up on Saturdays. You have to put that time in as if you’re studying for a test.”
While the players are in so early, Neal described it as a bonding experience, and when they’re successful on the field because of their preparation, they’ll look at each other with a wink or a smile.
“When it translates from the film room to the game, it’s like, ‘OK, we’re familiar with this,’ and you trust your technique even more and allows performance to just skyrocket,” Neal said.
Rudzinski believes his defensive backs have to win the contested one-on-one battles and attack Duke’s receivers when the ball is in the air, and if the ball is caught, minimize the gain.
Virginia’s depth has been crucial in helping turn the program around with Coach Rud rotating a lot, particularly up front and in the secondary. Daniel Rickert, who plays the bandit position, says he feels fresher later in the season for the first time in his career and that has helped the defense stand strong in the fourth quarter.
“They’ve been playing great back there [in the secondary],” Rickert said of the defense, “and that gives our pass rush more time to develop. It gives our defense a lot of confidence.”
