Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2015 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 123 BY JORDAN WELLS Virginia head coach Mike London is one of only six college football head coaches who began their first season with a program in 2010 still in the same position at that school. The other five — Notre Dame's Brian Kelly, Florida State's Jimbo Fisher, Mar- shall's Doc Holliday, East Carolina's Ruffin McNeill and Louisiana-Monroe's Todd Berry — are a combined 207-117 (.639) overall, and 108-51 (.679) in conference play (not counting Notre Dame and Kelly). Those numbers show why London is sit- ting on the hot seat heading into the 2015 season opener, holding a 23-38 (.377) overall record and 11-29 (.275) ACC mark. "This is absolutely a make-or-break year for London and his staff," said Brad Franklin, publisher of CavsCorner.com on the Rivals network. "To say apathy has set in among the fan base is definitely the case, and attendance has dwindled. In order for London to earn another year, the Cavaliers are going to have to surprise a lot of people." Lack of talent is not perceived to be the issue in Charlottesville. In four recruiting cycles from 2011-14, London secured three classes ranked in the top five of the ACC, including the No. 25 overall class nationally in 2011, No. 27 in 2012 and No. 28 in 2013. And defensively, the Cavaliers have per- formed more than well enough to get over the hump. They held opponents to only 5.1 yards per play (No. 31 nationally) last year, and defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta's unit constantly disrupted any rhythm an offense could gain by forcing a tackle for loss, pass defended or forced fumble at least once every five plays (21 percent) — the fourth-highest rate nationally according to Football Outsid- ers. That unit loses much of its production from the front seven, but does retain sopho- more free safety Quin Blanding (second- team All-ACC as a true freshman) and depth at defensive tackle. The offense (5.1 yards per play, No. 103 nationally) is where Virginia must step it up quickly, and a change at quarterback could be just the fix they need. After starting nine games in 2014, Grayson Lambert transferred when former backup Matt Johns, a redshirt junior, won the job in the spring. Johns will have several weapons to throw to in returning receivers Canaan Severin, a senior, Andre Levrone, a sophomore, and North Carolina graduate transfer T.J Thorpe. Coaches can tout their recruiting success for only so long. At some point, those results must translate to victories. For London and his Virginia staff, it appears that time is now. Reaching their first bowl game since 2011 would be a start. ✦ 2015 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2014 Result Sept. 5 at UCLA L, 28-20 Sept. 12 Notre Dame — Sept. 19 William & Mary — Sept. 25 Boise State — Oct. 10 at Pittsburgh W, 24-19 Oct. 17 Syracuse — Oct. 24 North Carolina L, 28-27 Oct. 31 Georgia Tech L, 35-10 Nov. 7 at Miami W, 30-13 Nov. 14 at Louisville W, 23-21 Nov. 21 Duke L, 20-13 Nov. 28 Virginia Tech L, 24-20 QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Notre Dame leads 1-0 Last Meeting: Notre Dame 36, Virginia 13 (Aug. 31, 1989; East Rutherford, N.J.) Head Coach: Mike London, 23-38 (6th year) and 47-43 overall (8th year) 2014 Results: 5-7 overall, 3-5 ACC (T-9th) Returning Starters: 11 (6 offense, 5 defense) 2015 Preseason Rankings: No. 55 by ESPN's FPI, No. 61 by Athlon, No. 68 by Lindy's and No. 74 by Brian Fremeau's FEI Did You Know?: Quin Blanding was listed by Rivals as the No. 1 safety and No. 5 overall recruit in the country in 2014 … Notre Dame's 1989 team that beat the Cavaliers 36-13 finished 12-1 overall and No. 2 in the polls … Irish wide receiver/running back C.J. Prosise and linebacker Doug Randolph are both from Virginia. Prediction: Notre Dame 28, Virginia 21 STRENGTH: Wide Receiver In addition to the return of senior Canaan Severin — the Cavaliers' top receiver in 2014 — Virginia ex- pects improvement from sophomore Andre Levrone and junior Keeon Johnson, plus UVa added North Carolina transfer T.J. Thorpe. Severin was targeted a team-high 64 times last season according to SB Na- tion's Bill Connelly, snagging 42 catches for 578 yards and five touchdowns, also all team highs. Levrone was the team's second-most targeted receiver (43), and Virginia hopes Johnson can use his 6-3, 210 pounds to improve the squad's red zone efficiency. The Cavs scored touchdowns on only 46.9 percent of their trips to the red zone in 2014, one of the worst rates (No. 116 nationally) in college football. Thorpe is a former four-star recruit. He suffered multiple injuries in his time with the Tar Heels, but amassed 42 career catches for 574 yards and five touchdowns. WEAKNESS: Defensive End Losing Eli Harold early to the NFL is a heavy hit to Virginia's defensive line, which was one of the team's strongest position groups last season. Harold finished with 14.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks in 2014, making him a third-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers. The Cavaliers ranked 23rd in the country last year with 2.8 sacks per game, and 39th nationally with 6.5 tackles for loss a contest. Harold and the unit also helped "stuff" the opposing team's running back — hitting them at or behind the line of scrimmage for zero or negative yardage — on 23 percent of carries (No. 19 nationally) according to Football Outsiders. Senior Mike Moore returns at one end spot on the line, and former four-star recruit and senior Kwon- tie Moore (unrelated) looks likely to be Harold's re- placement — but there is little proven depth beyond the two. The Cavs may even tweak their defensive scheme to use their much better depth at tackle to help at the end spots. VIRGINIA CAVALIERS SEPT. 12 • SCOTT STADIUM • CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: TB Taquan Mizzell (280 yards, 2 TD) Passing: QB Matt Johns (1,109 yards, 8 TD) Receiving: WR Canaan Severin (578 yards, 5 TD) Tackles: FS Quin Blanding (123) Sacks: DT David Dean and DE Mike Moore (8) Interceptions: CB Maurice Canady and FS Quin Bland- ing (3) X-FACTOR: Sophomore free safety Quin Blanding is expected to lead Virginia's defense after totaling 123 tackles and earning Freshman All-America honors last season. PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/COURTESY UVA