The naked eye told us that bad tackling was a big factor in North Carolina rolling up 275 yards in the first half on its way to a 24-6 lead, before taking the foot off the gas in the second half.
Your eyes were not deceiving you.
The Pro Football Focus numbers from yesterday’s 41-14 loss dinged the UVA Football defense for 22 (!) missed tackles.
For context, the previous season high was 15 in the 24-20 loss to Louisville two weeks ago.
More context: the D was averaging 9.7 missed tackles per game through its first seven games.
Back in 2023, the UVA D averaged 9.8 missed tackles per game, with a high of 17 in the 45-17 loss to Georgia Tech on Nov. 4.
The 2022 group averaged 11.5 missed tackles per game, with a high of 19 in the 31-28 loss to UNC on Nov. 5.
The 2021 group under Bronco Mendenhall and Nick Howell averaged 11.9 per game, with a high of 21 – yep, it was Carolina, in that 59-39 throwdown on Sept. 18, Week 3, of that season.
You might remember, it was after that season that the athletics director, Carla Williams, told Mendenhall that he would need to fire Howell, and Mendenhall balked and quit instead.
Well, it’s a small sample size, but in the three-game losing streak, the 2024 UVA D is averaging 15 missed tackles per game.
Just sayin’.
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Chris Graham
