Andrew Ramspacher, who covers Virginia for the Daily Progress of Charlottesville, Va., offered his insights into the Cavaliers for the AJC. You can follow him on Twitter here and read coverage here.
Q: How much do you think the quarterback change from Kurt Benkert to Matt Johns can help Virginia?
A: If anything, it'll give the Cavaliers a serious energy boost. I'm not sure there's been a backup quarterback in the country more praised by his teammates and coaches this season than Johns. He was the starter last year, but lost his job after Bronco Mendenhall was hired and Benkert was brought in from East Carolina as a better fit for coordinator Robert Anae's "Air Raid" offense.
As recently as Week 7, Johns was the scout team QB, playing a third-string role behind Benkert and Connor Brewer. His rise to No. 1 is a nod to Benkert’s struggles, but also the command he has on this team. He’s the most respected player in UVa’s locker room, without a doubt. It’s absolutely something the Cavaliers can rally behind on the field.
But putting his tremendous leadership aside, Johns is thought to still be very raw in this offense. I would expect more of a simplified game-plan Saturday. Important to note that Johns led the FBS in interceptions last season with 17.
Q: Georgia Tech coaches have been preaching the message to players that they shouldn’t judge Virginia by its record. If we can set aside “it is what it is,” is 2-8 a fair assessment of the Cavaliers?
A: The record is certainly a fair assessment. Sure, you can say they should have beaten UConn (13-10 loss on Sept. 17), Louisville (32-25 loss on Oct. 29) and Wake Forest (27-20 loss on Nov. 5), but such defeats are a reflection of where this program is right now. Since the start of the 2014 season, Virginia's 6-13 in games decided by eight points or fewer. Mendenhall is working to break that losing culture, but it's not happening overnight.
The 2016 team has NFL talent — see running back Smoke Mizzell, linebacker Micah Kiser and safety Quin Blanding as examples — but collectively it’s razor-thin in key areas and lacks anything close to a dominant offensive line. These things have been exposed during this five-game losing streak.
Q: Virginia has outscored the opposition 74-68 in the first quarter but has been outscored in the remaining three quarters. Is that a reflection on depth?
A: It's a lack of depth and just plain inconsistency. It's common for Mendenhall or Anae to point out the latter after losses. Virginia shows flashes of being a bowl-worthy team in almost every game, but it almost always snaps back to reality.
Last week provided a perfect example. Virginia was only trailing Miami by six points in the third quarter when it lost three fumbles over the course of five possessions. A week earlier at Wake Forest, UVa came back from a halftime deficit only to lose the lead in the fourth quarter when the second of Benkert’s two interceptions was returned for a touchdown.
Virginia’s two wins even came with lulls. The Cavaliers blew a 28-0 lead to Central Michigan on Sept. 24 before saving themselves with 21 fourth quarter points.
Q: Do you think overall the team is in better position to be competitive than it was a year ago?
A: For the future, I do think so. Mendenhall didn't win 99 games over 11 seasons at BYU by accident. He has a proven system and will recruit to it. Right now, however, it's tough to see progress. The issues that haunted the Mike London era — failing to finish games, lacking consistency at QB, turning the ball over at crucial times, committing too many penalties, etc. — haven't gone away with a new coach. And for Virginia fans, that's been most disappointing.
Mendenhall thought he could get this team to a bowl in Year 1. I’m not sure when that’s going to happen. It’s a significant rebuilding project.
Q: What does Virginia do well?
A: Defensively, it has steadily improved as the season's gone on. There's not many linebacker-safety duos in the ACC as good as Kiser-Blanding. When those two receive help, UVa can really shine on defense. The unit somewhat held Lamar Jackson in check, a big reason why the Cavaliers nearly shocked the Cardinals last month.
Mizzell is the offense’s centerpiece. Last week he became the first running back in ACC history to have at least 1,500 rushing yards and 1,500 receiving yards in a career. The line struggles to consistently creates holes for him, but Mizzell’s still produced this season. He’s tweaked his style to be more north-south and that’s helped him break tackles at the line of scrimmage.
And I can’t leave this question without mentioning punter Nicholas Conte. He’s had 48 percent of his punts downed inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. He’s put 13 punts inside the 10, including five at the 1. He’s been just a ridiculous weapon for UVa this season.
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