Home Report Card: How bad was the UVA defense in the loss at BYU?
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Report Card: How bad was the UVA defense in the loss at BYU?

Chris Graham

uva footballPro Football Focus graded the Virginia defense at 43.3 in the 66-49 loss at BYU on Saturday, which, and this is pathetic, isn’t the lowest grade of the season.

(That would be the 38.3 grade for the 59-39 loss at North Carolina.)

The defense gave up 734 yards, 385 on the ground.

More bad numbers:

  • PFF itemized 19 missed tackles by the UVA D. Season average coming in: 9.4.
  • Zach Hall was pressured on just seven of his 38 dropbacks. On those snaps, he was 2-of-7 passing for 30 yards. On the other 31, he was 20-of-30 for 319 yards and three TDs.
  • More on the seven pressures. Season average coming in: 13.4.
  • The D line had three tackles. Three. Season average coming in: nine.
  • The secondary had 39 tackles. Season average coming in: 29.9.
  • BYU had 349 yards after contact. Season average coming in: 207.1.

Bad individual numbers:

  • Defensive linemen Ben Smiley and Jordan Redmond played a combined 57 snaps, and the other thing that either contributed in the score sheet was a penalty on Smiley. PFF graded Smiley at 29.0, and Redmond at 34.3.
  • Safety Joey Blount graded out at 46.9. Blount played 61 snaps, had eight tackles, and a team-high five missed tackles.
  • Cornerback Darrius Bratton somehow graded out at 61.5. He was targeted 10 times, gave up five completions, for 150 yards and a TD, and an NFL passer rating against at 129.2.

Assessment

No pressure on the QB, little in terms of contribution at all from the D line.

Too many tackles by the secondary.

Way too many yards after contact.

The season averages coming in weren’t good, but if the D had played even to that low bar, this was a W.

Story by Chris Graham

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Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to Substack or his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].