BLANK: Building from the bottom up
By Jake Blank | October 4, 2016Coming into Saturday’s game against Duke, you would be hard-pressed to feel optimistic about the state of Virginia’s secondary.
Coming into Saturday’s game against Duke, you would be hard-pressed to feel optimistic about the state of Virginia’s secondary.
Here's a breakdown of Virginia's week 5 matchup against the Duke Blue Devils.
For once, Virginia football didn’t play like Virginia football this past Saturday. The Cavaliers didn’t fall to an FCS team in an embarrassing fashion. The defense didn’t get its lid blown off and give up over 40 points. The coaches didn’t completely mismanage the clock and rush their placekicker up to miss a chip-in shot.
Fresh off their first win of the season, the Cavaliers travel to North Carolina this weekend to play ACC rival Duke.
Last spring, CBS Sports ran a “Position U” series, analyzing the claims of college programs across the country about which school reigns as the university, or the ‘U,’ for specific position groups.
Junior quarterback Kurt Benkert entered Saturday’s game against Central Michigan with so-so numbers.
Yells and cheers from the neighboring locker room punctuated Mendenhall’s post game press conference. With Saturday’s victory, the coach earned his 100th career win.
Most Virginia football fans are well aware of junior defensive end Andrew Brown’s backstory. In their minds, Brown hasn’t met his great expectations after two full seasons at Virginia.
As the Cavaliers return home for a matchup with Central Michigan, here is the Cavalier Daily Sports staff's breakdown of the week 4 game.
After losing to Connecticut in the final seconds of last week’s game, the Cavaliers return home to Charlottesville this Saturday looking for their first win of the season.
I cannot say in good conscience that I blame Virginia sophomore placekicker Alex Furbank for losing the game for his team against Connecticut.
For the fifth straight year, Virginia will come out of non-conference play without a winning record.
Instead of taking a shot in the end zone on third and goal from the five-yard line, junior quarterback Kurt Benkert surveyed the left side before tucking the football and running.
I began what has become my Tuesday morning ritual — filling out my picks for the Cavalier Daily Sports Editors’ weekly college football predictions. I made my way down the rows. Clemson, Miami, Alabama — all teams that I had no trouble choosing to win their games.
As the Cavaliers turn to their week three matchup with Connecticut, here is the Cavalier Daily Sports staff’s breakdown of the matchup that could get Virginia into the win column for the first time in 2016.
If anyone on Virginia understands the fact that the football season is a process, it is Benkert.
Whether watching top running back Royce Freeman dance around Virginia defenders, or Olympic hurdler Devon Allen mimic his track triumphs in an end-zone celebration, Cavalier fans could see Oregon’s notorious athleticism clear as day.
Mendenhall’s offense literally put the team on its back this weekend against the Pac-12 power that is the Oregon Ducks.
The five outliers who take it upon themselves to call the shots for the defenses of their respective teams are San Diego State’s Rocky Long, Arizona State’s Todd Graham, Vanderbilt’s Derek Mason, Texas Christian’s Gary Patterson and Virginia’s very own Bronco Mendenhall.
Saturday was a long, late night in Eugene, Ore., as the Virginia football team saw its second game of the season slip away with a 44-26 loss against No. 24 Oregon.