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

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, and Team of Destiny: Inside Virginia Basketball’s Run to the 2019 National Championship, and The Worst Wrestling Pay-Per-View Ever, published in 2018. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].