Virginia’s receivers must adjust to man coverage

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Virginia’s passing game could flourish this weekend at Coastal Carolina if the Cavaliers’ receivers can beat man coverage, and if quarterback Anthony Colandrea is more accurate.

In UVA’s first two games, both Richmond and Wake Forest were primarily lined up in zone pass coverage, or soft coverage, and 6-foot-4 wide receiver Malachi Fields had a “field day.”

That wasn’t the case last weekend, when Maryland featured mostly man-to-man pass defense and Virginia’s receivers didn’t have the night they were accustomed to enjoying.

Fields, for example, was targeted 13 times but caught only four passes for 36 yards, well below his numbers in the first two games. Colandrea was a bit off in terms of accuracy, often because he was chased from the pocket, and completed 21 of 37 passes for 247 yards and was intercepted twice.

Notre Dame transfer Chris Tyree had the most receptions, catching all five of the passes thrown his way, but for only 33 yards and only 17 yards after contact. Of course, Tyree had a 65-yard TD reception, in which he showed his world-class speed, but it was called back because of a holding penalty.

Expect Coastal Carolina, unbeaten after three games (see today’s podcast for a complete breakdown of the game) to feature mixed coverage, but the Chanticleers certainly will use man-to-man with a press alignment as often as they can in order to slow down Colandrea and the passing game.

“I think we have the personnel to be able to beat man coverage,” Tony Elliott said this week. “We’ve got to challenge our guys. You’ve seen Trell (Harris) be able to run by people. You’ve seen Malachi able to get open versus some man, but it takes all 11.”

Elliott knows that for Virginia to go where he wants this season, then his receiving corps must get accustomed to winning one-on-one battles. Opponents have watched the video of how Fields ate up secondaries playing zone, so Elliott doesn’t expect to see much soft coverage going forward.

“Pretty sure people aren’t just going to give us easy-access throws, so [Fields & Co.] are going to have to work,” Elliott said. “I believe that Harris, Tyree and (freshman) Kam Courtney (two catches, 36 yards vs. Maryland) and the rest of the guys can win versus man coverage, but we’ve got to put it all together.”

That includes the offensive line keeping the pressure off of Colandrea and coaches wisely moving the pocket to help the sophomore quarterback avoid the pass rush.

“That’s the difference when you’re throwing versus zone and throwing versus man coverage,” Elliott said. “Versus man coverage, it’s a much tighter window so the ball has got to be extremely accurate, whereas you’ve got a little more room for error when you’re zone.

“If it’s not a perfect pass, you still have the ability to make a non-contested catch and make your quarterback right. When it’s man coverage, if you’re off with the ball, it could result in a turnover.”

Coastal is giving up 198.7 yards per game through the air, but hasn’t faced anyone of Colandrea’s caliber thus far this season. Chanticleers coach Tim Beck called Colandrea a dynamic player earlier this week and that his defense will be concerned with the UVA QB and the Cavaliers’ fleet of receivers, including tight end Tyler Neville, who can also split out if need be.

Virginia is a 3.5-point favorite, according to Vegas Insider.