Defense gives UVa a shot at victory

If defense really wins championships, then Virginia still has a chance to make some noise in the ACC’s Coastal Division this season.

When the Cavaliers attempt to extend their winning streak to three in a row this evening at College Park against Ralph Friedgen’s Maryland Terrapins, the key for Virginia will be good defense. Fortunately for the Cavs, defense is their strength.

With Maryland struggling to run the football (105th nationally out of 120 teams in FBS) behind a patchwork offensive line that includes two former walk-ons and two redshirt freshmen as starters, more than likely Friedgen will depend on the passing game. The Terps have an experienced quarterback in Chris Turner, who intends to sling leather darts at UVa’s defense all game long.

The chess match

It will be interesting to see how Cavaliers head coach Al Groh, who doubles as the team’s defensive coordinator, handles Maryland’s passing game.

The Terps feature one of the nation’s better aerial attacks (35th in the country) with Turner, who averages 248 yards per game. Without an experienced offensive line, Turner doesn’t hold onto the ball that long, which means if UVa’s pass rush can’t get to him, then the Cavaliers’ secondary had better bring its ‘A’ game.

Usually, that’s the case. Virginia’s pass defense is as expected, one of the better ones in the nation. Led by senior cornerback Chris Cook and junior corner Ras-I Dowling (the ACC’s reigning defensive back of the week), the Cavaliers are ranked No. 15 nationally against the pass.

‘D’ worth the hype

Then again, Wahoo fans should feel free to heap praise upon their defense, which is ranked No. 25 in the nation in total defense. That’s 10 spots higher than Virginia Tech’s, (granted, the Hokies have played a tougher schedule to this point).

If Virginia can prevent the Terps from throwing the ball today, then book it as a win for the Wahoos.

Defense has set the tone early in UVa’s two-game winning streak, consisting of a victory over North Carolina in Chapel Hill and last Saturday’s homecoming win over Indiana. The Cavaliers’ secondary has shut down the passing attacks of both those opponents, although Maryland’s passing game is probably better than either.

Dowling and Cook are coming on strong, and if they can force Turner into some errors today, then it could be a long game for the Terps.

“[Dowling’s and Cook’s] size is very beneficial, but the key thing is their athletic skills,” Groh said of his two big, veteran corners, both of whom are 6-foot-3 and have good frames.

“We would probably do a number of the same things with Ras-I and Chris if they didn’t have the same size, but if they had the same athletic ability,” Groh explained. “Certainly we try to take advantage of what they do have and whether we’re playing zone or man, some of which we play both, we want to accommodate what those guys do best.”

Groh’s teams usually do a good job against talented kick return specialists (yeah, we know that Southern Miss was the exception). And Maryland has a good one in Torrey Smith, who ranks No. 1 nationally in all-purpose yardage and took one back 85 yards for a touchdown against Wake last week.

Offensively, now that UVa’s line seemingly has gotten its act together, it will be interesting to see if the Cavaliers can take advantage of the Terps’ run defense (ranked 99th nationally), which is giving up 174 yards on the ground per game.

Our guess is that if Virginia can grind out 150 yards rushing today, the Cavs will win because that should help open up the passing game for quarterback Jameel Sewell, whose confidence is rising each week.

The pressure will be on fifth-year senior tailback Rashawn Jackson to deliver the mail in what could be the shining moment of his Virginia career.

Sewell hit 20 of 30 passes last week and has engineered an offense that hasn’t committed a turnover in the past two games. It is interesting to note that for an offense that struggled through a rocky start in the first two games, Virginia is the only ACC team that has a perfect record in the red zone, scoring on all 14 trips inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.

One thing is for sure — Maryland won’t go down without a fight. This is a huge home game for the Terps, who believe if they can win today that they can still compete for the Atlantic Division title.

So, look for Friedgen to pull out every stop in trying to beat Virginia, which is Maryland’s biggest — if not only — rival.

Consider that Maryland’s best linebacker, Demetrius Hartsfield (listed as questionable on the Terps’ injury report) is seriously considering playing with two broken bones in his hand. Hartsfield will have to undergo surgery at some point this season, but is expected to play against Virginia and then have the operation, which will keep him out for three weeks.

Consider that Friedgen is also considering playing backup quarterback Jamarr Robinson some today in order to mix things up.

Consider that the Fridge is also considering taking the redshirt off offensive lineman Pete White for this game.

To me, that spells pulling out every stop.

If Virginia’s defense can control the game, though, Virginia should exit College Park with a three-game winning streak.

“Give credit to Coach Groh for our defense,” said fifth-year senior linebacker Aaron Clark. “He’s an incredible defensive mind. He always has us prepared. It’s amazing how he picks up on things. I’m sitting there watching the same film and it amazes me at the things he sees that I don’t see.”

If defense wins championships, Virginia’s got a chance, especially today.