Miami Not So Nice for Virginia - SCACCHoops.com

Miami Not So Nice for Virginia

by UniversityBall.org

Posted: 11/8/2015 7:04:32 PM


If yesterday’s game had been played back in Mike London’s first season on the job, I would have been borderline thrilled. The limits to our talent and CML’s experience at the time meant that there were no expectations of wins or even really of competency. Sticking with a more talented foe on the road and doing a lot of things right would have felt great. Moral victories were OK.

Unfortunately, it’s year six. Long scrimmage plays by our opponents, untimely penalties, and red zone struggles are as much a part of the program as the Vs on the helmets by this point, and those hallmarks of the London regine did us in again yesterday afternoon. The team whose defense ranks 106th in the country in plays allowed of more than 20 yards gave up six more. The team that has scored touchdowns on just 12 of 25 red zone chances this season produced one TD in three chances yesterday. The team that is 96th in the country in penalties per game committed eight for 80 yards, including some big ones: a dubious (but when there’s smoke, there’s fire) offensive pass interference penalty on Charlie Hopkins cost us a Canaan Severin touchdown, and a 15-yarder on Quin Blanding doubled the length of a Mark Walton gain that ultimately led to Miami’s go-ahead field goal.

Let’s talk red zone execution. Our first trip looked like it had the golden touch, as a four yard Olamide Zaccheaus rush became a 13 yard play with a face mask penalty tacked on. We got first and goal from the nine, but we used it for an incompletion directed at Albert Reid, a rush by Smoke, and a checkdown to Daniel Hamm. Those are all attempts to running backs, if you’re keeping track.

Our second attempt saw a seven yard run by Mizzell, a 13-yard pass to Hamm, and a three yard run by Zaccheaus for the touchdown. Good, right? Yes, but with some reservation: those were again all plays run to running backs.

The third trip came down nine in the fourth quarter. It started with a four yard rush by Mizzell and a seven yard pass to Mizzzell, then two runs, one for a yard by Jordan Ellis and one for no gain by Smoke. The next play was — whoa! break out the bold! Our first play in the red zone all game not directed to a running back! — but it was negated by the dubious penalty on Hopkins, unfortunately providing negative reinforcement to that kind of exploration for Fairchild going forward. The next play was a pass to a quadruple-covered Evan Butts that was luckily only broken up. I haven’t seen film yet, but I can do math: if four men are on one, there were probably receivers on the other side of the field standing there with their arms out in the “wha’ happened?” pose. 

The blame here can’t all go to Fairchild, though he does get plenty. We’ve also seen Matt Johns default to either locking in to a target and trying to make it work regardless of consequence or giving up far too soon on said target and instead trying to hit a running back. Neither are the best choice. Canaan Severin and Ryan Santoro are 6’2,” Keeon Johnson is 6’3,” Evan Butts is 6’4,” and Charlie Hopkins is 6’6.” I don’t know why we haven’t run the pass play to the corner or back of the end zone that every one else runs with tall receivers, and you know, I don’t think Fairchild has a good reason why we don’t.

There were things to like in this game, but a decent line of scrimmage effort by the defense (though this group is 81st in sacks with 16 — they had 25 through nine games last year) was negated by the big plays and 429 total yards allowed and a good looking statistical effort by the offense (Smoke had 91 yards, Johns threw for 280, Severin led a bunch of involved receivers with five catches for 70 yards) was dampened by the aforementioned red zone troubles and by only getting us three chances there in the first place.  It’s hard to be excited about moments of competency but ultimately coming up short; that’s what we’ve been doing for six years. On to the next one, with our fragile bowl dreams up against the wall.

Highlights

 

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