We finally saw the Virginia Cavaliers take the field last Saturday and not only did they take care of business, but they looked comfortable and confident doing so. This is not to say everything went down perfectly, though.

What is a position group you’ve been particularly keeping an eye on and how did the Richmond game change your outlook on it, if at all?

Trey

I’m sure most will say the defensive line, but this Richmond game wasn’t a good one to look at if you really wanted to evaluate them. Rushed four guys all game long, calling vanilla plays, and spying a mobile QB is not a recipe for collecting sacks.

The room I wanted to see shine was the secondary, and that they did. Jonas Sanker and Antonio Clary (85.0 PFF tackling grade) both had 8 total tackles. Jam Jackson, Dre Walker, Kempton Shine (PFF coverage grade of 74.9), and Malcolm Greene were flying around and matched up well in coverage, and Corey Thomas forced a fumble. Solid showing from this core and I would expect more of the same in Week 2 against Wake Forest.

Garrett

Going into game one I was really interested to watch the improvement from the running backs, and while pushing around an FCS opponent for 200 yards on the ground can only hold so much weight, it was encouraging to begin the year. The law firm of Pace, Griese, and Brown set the tone for the Hoos all game long.

Kobe Pace turned in another balanced effort as a pass catcher and a physical runner with 144 total yards, Jack Griese showed off his speed while tip-toeing the sideline for a 57-yard receiving touchdown, and Xavier Brown chipped in a productive 44 rushing yards and brought the juice off the bench. The Wake Forest defense struggled in moments against the run in its first action, surrendering 185 yards their win over NC A&T. I have a feeling the ‘Hoos capitalize there and continue to lean on the run game heading into Week 2.

Dan

Let’s look at the quarterback room. Not to say our perception drastically changed, but a few things were reinforced.

Anthony Colandrea showcased his arm talent, reiterating why most think UVA’s ceiling is highest when he is under center. We also saw more AC designed runs, and I can’t imagine that trend will stop any time soon. At the same time, Colandrea clearly has not fully overcome his tendencies to try to do too much and having it backfire.

Tony Muskett, on the other hand, is a quality QB2, but nothing more as we stand today. I don’t think the same offensive explosion would’ve occurred under him. (I’m not going to make too much from the fourth-down interception, just thinking holistically.)

Corbin

With any young quarterback under center, the quality of the weapons you put around him becomes increasingly important. So, going into the Richmond game I was especially interested to see how the wide receiver room would shake out, and I continue to think that the Hoos have a solid group.

With all the offseason hype around Notre Dame transfer Chris Tyree, I think we almost forgot just how much of a stud Malachi Fields is, and he reminded us in a big way against Richmond. He’s going to be a security blanket for Anthony Colandrea all season and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him playing on Sundays in the future.

Beyond Fields, I’m not super worried about Tyree’s slow start. He dropped all three of his targets against Richmond, but as Tony Elliott mentioned in his Tuesday presser, it looked like he was just trying to do a little too much in his team debut. I was also really impressed with the flashes we saw from Trell Harris, Suderian Harrison, and Dakota Twitty. All three of those guys aren’t likely to be consistent producers in ACC play, but I think at least one will step up and really become a weapon for this offense.

Anna

After an arguably catastrophic defensive performance last year, my easy answer is the defensive line. But I’m personally more interested in our offensive performance. I’m looking into the pocket — how well will the O-line protect Colandrea? As a developing leader, I’m watching the decision-time pressure and how the offense supports him as he’s learning to see the field.

Consequently, my eyes shift to the receiving game. It’s hard to forget the contributions of someone like Malik Washington. Who’s that guy now? I’m anticipating Malachi Fields to play an important role. He and Colandrea have big potential for the year, and I’m eager to see the chemistry and how they hold up against a meaner defense than what they saw against Richmond.

John

I’ll be keeping a close eye on the offensive line all season. The line has been a major weakness for the ‘Hoos over the past few seasons. They allowed 43 sacks in 12 games last year, and 34 sacks in 10 games in 2022. Those are gross numbers.

Similarly, Virginia hasn’t eclipsed an average of 130 rushing yards per game since the shortened 2020 season. Obviously giving up sacks hurts rushing statistics, but it’s safe to say Virginia hasn’t done a good job of run or pass blocking over the last few years.

That being said, the line did a fantastic job generating push and opening holes for the running game against Richmond. Kobe Pace consistently had big holes to run through, and Colandrea even found space on designed quarterback runs up the middle. The line gave up two sacks, but one was absolutely Colandrea’s fault for blindly backpedaling. Richmond may be the softest defensive line that UVA plays all year, so I’ll be looking to see how they fare against another ACC school starting this Saturday at Wake.