Just one month ago the question on everyone's mind going into the season was: How would Marques Hagans fare as starting quarterback for the Cavaliers after taking over for the beloved Matt Schaub? The skeptics said he was only 5 feet 11 inches tall and had minimal quarterbacking experience -- not to mention that Schaub had been the key to Virginia's offensive production.
Well, Hagans is quickly silencing those critics and stepping out of Schaub's shadow to make a name for himself.
I'll admit before the Syracuse game that I was skeptical as well. I was well aware of Hagans' impressive statistics -- before the Syracuse contest he led the ACC in pass efficiency with a 167.1 rating and 72.9 completion percentage -- however, Virginia's first three games were against vastly inferior opponents. And more importantly, in all three contests the Cavaliers got off to amazing starts on the backs of their running games with Virginia averaged 303.7 rushing yards per contest.
Because of the early Cavalier leads and rushing prowess, opponents had to stack the box with eight or nine defenders to stop the run. This left the defenses vulnerable to the pass, so when Hagans did drop back to throw, it was in low-pressure situations, with a lead and usually against one-on-one coverage.
In the Syracuse game with Virginia down 3-0, Groh didn't hesitate to put the game in Hagans' hands and the junior responded.
Of the five plays on Virginia's first scoring drive, Groh called three pass plays and it was Hagans who made it happen on third-and-eight from the Virginia 41-yard line. Hagans dropped back to pass and saw he could get the first down on his feet. But near the first-down line he broke an arm-tackle from Syracuse linebacker Kellen Pruitt and made it 59 yards for the score. (That's more rushing yards than Schaub had in his whole career at Virginia -- 58 yards.)
The fact that Groh did not hesitate to put the game on Hagans' shoulders right away says volumes about the quarterback. Though Groh still called a majority of running plays overall (39 rushing to only 11 passing), Hagans was nearly perfect when his number was called. The junior was 11 of 12 for 202 yards with one passing and two rushing touchdowns. His only incomplete pass was a drop by Wali Lundy on a swing pass in the first quarter.
Hagans put nice touch on a 47-yard completion to Michael McGrew in the second quarter on third-and-four to keep the Virginia drive alive. Later in the quarter he hit Heath Miller on a 54-yard deep post to begin Virginia's sixth possession, and three plays later the Cavaliers scored on Hagans' 10-yard quarterback draw to make it 21-3.
In the fourth quarter the Cavaliers were only up by 14 points with 12 minutes to go and had the ball at their own four after the defense held on fourth down. It was Hagans who came through again to lead the Cavaliers 96 yards down the field. He avoided a sack on second-and-eight to gain 12 yards and on third-and-one later in the drive, he hooked up with McGrew on a perfect pass over the Syracuse defensive back's head for a 39-yard touchdown.
"I knew he always had it," McGrew said. "I kind of compared [Schaub and Hagans] to the great Peyton Manning leaving Tennessee and then nobody thought anybody was going to be able to step up and Tee Martin came and took them to the nationals -- kind of like Matt Schaub leaving. I know Marques Hagans -- he's got a good chance of being able to contend."
Hagans' ability to avoid the rush (he has only been sacked once all season) and gain positive yards on broken plays is something not even the worshipped Schaub could do. And the option to throw on the run gives another dimension to the Cavaliers' offense.
If the Cavaliers want to do great things this year like many college football experts think they can, Hagans will have to excel. Groh's willingness to go to the pass when the Cavaliers were down early and on crucial third downs proves that the coach has unwavering confidence in his quarterback. The fact that Hagans has responded so well is converting me from a skeptic to an enthusiast.
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