Temple, North Carolina and Akron proved to be pushovers for No. 12 Virginia who won its first three contests of the season by an average margin of 37.6 points per game. The Cavaliers (3-0) will now test their mettle at home against Syracuse (2-1) tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 p.m.
Syracuse is a team still searching for its identity. Virginia does not know which Syracuse team will show up on Saturday -- the one that lost 51-0 to Purdue in its opener or the one that rebounded with double-digit wins over Buffalo and Cincinnati.
"I've dismissed that Purdue game as just one of those things that happens," Virginia coach Al Groh said. Syracuse "had a lot of new starters on defense that seemed to be a little jazzed up in terms of alignments and organizations. They had a freshman quarterback playing. That's a pretty tough assignment."
Either way, Groh is preparing his players to defend against the first run-oriented team they have seen this season.
"It's definitely the most physical offense that we've played against," Groh said. "The heart and soul of their running is real power running. So that is certainly a change from what the majority of the last three games have been conducted as."
That marks a departure from Virginia's recent opponents who all featured a pass-happy spread offense. Thus far, the Cavalier defense has held strong against both the pass and run, ranking third in the ACC in the former (169.7 yards allowed per game) and fourth in the latter (89.7 ypg for an average of 2.7 yards per carry).
With such gaudy early season numbers, it's no wonder the Cavalier defenders are beaming with confidence.
"I don't think anybody can out hit us," junior linebacker Darryl Blackstock said. "As far as [it being] the most physical game, they're going to try to get on us early, we just got to hit them in the mouth, fast and then we can knock the fight out of them real quick."
Indeed, Virginia's defense has shut down on opposing offenses early, allowing just 10 first half points this season.
Through the Orange's first three contests, their offensive play selection has resembled Virginia's but without quite as much success. Syracuse has run the ball on 64.6 percent of its plays but is averaging only 141.0 yards per game. Virginia, on the other hand, is running 66.8 percent of the time but for an ACC-best 303.7 yards.
Senior Walter Reyes and junior Damien Rhodes have shared the load this far, running for a combined 381 yards in the first three games. The Orange's defense is led by junior free safety Anthony Smith, who was named co-Big East Defensive Player of the Week for his 11-tackle, one-interception performance against Cincinnati. The previous week he was honored as the conference Special Teams Player of the Week after blocking two punts and returning one of them for a touchdown.
"It's the most balanced team we've played in terms of proficiency on both sides of the ball," Groh said.
The game is Virginia's third consecutive at home and its last non-conference matchup of the season. The Cavaliers have lost both prior contests, but the two teams have not met since 1977, which ended in a 6-3 win for Syracuse.
Read More
Katie Grimes posts historic debut as women’s swimming and diving annihilates Virginia Tech
By Xander Tilock | 16 hours agoGrimes broke out as a new superstar for Coach Todd DeSorbo's squad.
Women’s basketball displays stingy defense, but falls short versus No. 14 Duke
By Xander Tilock | 21 hours agoThe Cavaliers nearly conquered a ranked rival but could not generate consistent offense.
You cannot say money is the problem for Virginia football
By Peter Kriebel | YesterdayMoney, after all, is just one aspect of a winning program.
