The Virginia Cavalier football team appears to be on a roll. Recruiting is solid, the return of a true home field advantage with a rowdy Scott Stadium crowd, an impressive opening game win over in-state foe William & Mary. Now things begin to get interesting.
A two-game road trip that starts Saturday night in Bloomington with a matchup against Big 10 member Indiana University, followed by a trip down Tobacco Road against archrival North Carolina the following weekend.
Both matchups provide the Cavaliers an opportunity to dosomething yet unaccomplished in the Mike London era – a win on enemy turf. London commented Monday that last season’s dismal road performance was a result of many aspects, but no single cause other than his team simply being outplayed by the opponent.
“Now on Saturday we play a team (Indiana) know for its physical play that plays in a conference (Big 10) known for that type of play as well,” added London.
“We had a great effort against William & Mary, now we have to ask for an even better effort against Indiana,” London said.
The Hoosiers lost their season opener against Ball State Saturday 27-20 in a neutral site contest played at Lucas Oil Stadium. This is the second all-time meeting between theschools, with Virginia claiming a 47-7 win in Charlottesville on Oct. 10, 2009.
The Hoosiers are guided by first-year coach Mark Wilson, who spent thelast eight years at Oklahoma. Like Virginia, Indiana plays plenty of newcomers – playing 10 true freshmen against Ball State.
Indiana started sophomore Edward Wright-Baker at quarterback, and in his first-ever start he tossed for 272 yards and a touchdown. Likewise Virginia started true sophomore Michael Rocco, who had a solid effort in the Cavaliers win over W&M.
Indiana enters the non-conferencetilt with a 5-11 record against Atlantic Coast Conference teams.
London said that this week’s practice agenda will be simple – putting together a better game plan and executing better than the Hoosiers Saturday evening in Bloomington.
“We put together a game plan designed to attack the weaknesses of Indiana, our players will have to execute the game plan,” said London.
Preparing for a road trip can be challenging for any team, but especially so for Virginia, who will be traveling with a cargo full of young, inexperienced players. London said that gain success would depend upon how the players executed their assignments.
“Playing onthe road can be difficult, but it is often more difficult if you play poorly. Playing well can build confidence, which goes a long way toward winning,” added London.
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