How does the Virginia O line stack up against the Illini?
Virginia ran for 259 yards in its 34-17 win over Richmond in Week 1, but Illinois is not Richmond.
The Illini allowed just 32 net rushing yards in a 23-20 loss at Indiana last week.
Illinois uses a five-man defensive front, which “you don’t see a ton of anymore,” Virginia head coach Tony Elliott said, creating a series of one-on-one matchups up front.
“They basically say, hey, let the best man win,” Elliott said.
Elliott said he expects to have senior Jonathan Leech available on Saturday, which would be huge. Leech, a left tackle, missed the final couple of weeks of training camp with an arm injury, and true freshman McKale Boley started the opener in his place.
Boley wasn’t all that effective, with a 42.5 Pro Football Focus grade, allowing six of the eight QB pressures charged to the O line group.
Illinois, in the loss at Indiana, recorded 20 QB pressures.
That’s a stout defensive front there.
Can Virginia contain the Illini on the ground?
Illinois tailback Chase Brown ran for 199 yards in the Illini’s 23-20 loss at Indiana last week. There’s the challenge for a Virginia defense that surrendered 170 yards on the ground in a 34-17 win over Richmond in Week 1.
“They’re a big, physical team up front. They run the football. They’re going to be committed to run the football,” Elliott said.
The UVA defense was most vulnerable up the A gap. Richmond gained 92 yards on 14 carries in the A gap, right over the nose in UVA defensive coordinator John Rudzinski’s 3-4 stack.
Brown, last week at Indiana, gained 108 yards on 14 A gap runs.
So, there’s your first key to the game, taking away the runs between the guards and over center.
The second key will be keeping Tommy Devito, the Syracuse transfer who is the Illini’s QB1, in check.
Devito was 21-of-35 passing for 232 yards, two TDs and one INT last week, and connected with wideout Isaiah Williams on nine passes for 112 yards.
Devito also gained 32 yards on scrambles, meaning you have to account for him when he breaks the pocket.
The challenge posed by Devito: “The ability to extend plays with his legs, he can make all the throws, he’s got experience, so you can see that he’s poised and calm, doesn’t get flustered, and just gives them balance because they’re going to be able to run the ball, and then he has the ability to beat you with his arm off of all the play actions and the move the pocket stuff that they do,” Elliott said.
The Virginia D, in the Week 1 win, didn’t get challenged too much downfield. UR offensive coordinator Billy Cosh tried to piecemeal his way down the field with the run game and dinks and dunks in the pass game.
Illinois will take more shots downfield – Devito had seven attempts of 20+ yards, but he only completed one, for 22 yards – though largely, Illinois OC Barry Lunney will have Devito doing a lot of short stuff.
Devito, last week, was 8-of-9 for 83 yards on passes behind the line of scrimmage, and 9-of-13 for 77 yards on passes of 0-9 yards.
“Coach Rud is going to try and keep his guys in position not to give up the huge explosive play and put pressure on the offense,” Elliott said. “As an offensive guy, you like the guys that take a chance and give you the explosives, because offensively, you’re like, man, a 14-play drive, that’s an opportunity for mistakes. So, what you’re banking on is you keep everything in front.”
Can Elliott convince Armstrong that discretion is the better part of valor?
The new-look Virginia offense was supposed to cut down on the Brennan Armstrong’s need to gain yards with his feet, but there he was, going for 100+, scoring on a scintillating 64-yard TD run, and otherwise taking hits that Elliott doesn’t want him taking.
On one play, he came up grabbing his left shoulder. Elliott could see his chance at a decent first season flash before his eyes.
“It was a scary moment there for a second because he was grabbing his left shoulder, but as soon as I got to him in the huddle, and just in Brennan fashion, waved like, I’m all right, I’m going to be OK, so I was like, all right, he’s OK. There was also one, too, where I was like, dude, be smart, don’t drop your pads on three defenders and try to be a running back and split them. Let’s live to fight another day,” Elliott said.
The coach wants to see Armstrong find a “happy balance” between being aggressive and being smart.
“What you don’t want to do is you don’t want to take away what makes him great, and that’s the edge that he plays with,” Elliott said. “But you do want him to get him to understand, field general now, we need you in the battle. I don’t need you on the sideline for something foolish. There’s nothing wrong with you. Now, my running backs, you’re not running out of bounds, you’re sending a message. Quarterback, get your butt out of bounds and get on to the next play.”
Game reset
- Line: Illinois -3.5
- ESPN FPI: Illinois 66.4%
- Over/under: 57.5
- Projected score: Illinois 31, Virginia 27
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Chris Graham
