2017 At First Glance: Week Two at Virginia Cavaliers
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Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
Next up in our Early Preview Series is Indiana’s week two trip to Charlottesville to take on the Virginia Cavaliers. The Hoosiers will come into this game with extra rest after playing Ohio State on a Thursday night.
Week Two: Virginia Cavaliers
Date & Time: Saturday, September 9th, 3:30 pm
Venue: Scott Stadium (61,000) Charlottesville, VA
TV: ACC Network Extra
Cavaliers at a Glance
Head Coach: Bronco Mendenhall
Entering his 13th year as a head coach, 2nd at UVA
Overall Record: 101-53
At Virginia: 2-10 (1-7)
Last Season: 2-10 (1-7)
Cavaliers Returning Leaders
Passing: Kurt Benkert (56.2 pct. 2,552 yards 21 TDs 11 INTs)
Rushing: Jordan Ellis ( 14 att. 61 yards 4.36 YPC 1 TD)
Receiving: Olamide Zaccheaus (51 rec. 584 yards 11.45 YPR 7 TDs)
Tackles: LB Micah Kiser (134 tackles 10 TFL 6.5 Sacks 1 INT 5 FF)
Pre-season Predictions
Athlon’s: 7th in the ACC Coastal
Lindy’s: 6th in the ACC Coastal
Street & Smith's: 7th in ACC Coastal
Phil Steele: TBA
Impact Newcomers For The Cavaliers:
1. Lamont Atkins, RB- Virginia had the worst rushing attack in the ACC and ranked 121st nationally in 2016. Taquan Mizzell, UVA’s leading rusher and offensive MVP, is gone and someone needs to break into the lineup to boost this poor rushing attack. The three-star recruit enrolled early and has shown enough to be projected in the two-deep at running back. Atkins, at 5’11” and 200 lbs., has good size for a running back and with the gained experience of participating in spring ball he will probably see significant time against the Hoosiers. As a senior at Lake Braddock, Atkins gashed opposing defenses for 1,905 yards and 31 touchdowns on 156 carries. He has the big play ability that Virginia’s ground game needs.
2. Jamari Peacock, RB- Peacock was another running back who enrolled early to participate in spring practice, which should tell you how desperate the Cavaliers are at that position. Peacock is bigger than Atkins (6’2” 220 lbs.), but is just as talented. Virgina lists two running back positions on their depth chart, a tailback and a fullback. Peacock should start the season as number two on the depth chart at fullback.
3. John Montelus, LG- One of the reasons the Virginia rushing attack was so awful, was the performance of the offensive line. Head coach Bronco Mendenhall will try and patch the holes on this unit with graduate transfers, the best of which is John Montelus who is slated to start at left guard. Montelus comes to UVA from Notre Dame, where he did not live up to his high ranking as a recruit playing in only six games. At 6’4” and 300 lbs. he adds immediate size and presumably more talent than the Cavaliers have had in Mendenhall’s tenure.
4. Marvin Zanders, QB- On a team whose offense was so bad last season, the starting quarterback spot is no guarantee. Zanders is not listed as the starter, that honor goes to Kurt Benkert who threw 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last year. However, Zanders was brought in from Missouri as a transfer for a reason. That reason could manifest itself as a wildcat look in the week two matchup against the Hoosiers.
Why The Cavaliers Will Win:
Going on the road to face a Power-5 team is never easy, even if that team is coming off a brutal first season under a new coach. Virginia has two All-ACC defenders who can cause problems for the IU offense in linebacker Micah Kiser and safety Quin Blanding. On the offensive side of the ball, has an All-ACC candidate in wide out Olamide Zaccheaus and a quarterback who has shown flashes of being very good. If the Cavaliers can get the pass game going and can shut down the IU offense with some help from their defensive line, it could be another long day in Charlottesville for the Hoosiers.
The schedule may play a big part in this one as well. Indiana will have nine days to get ready, but will be coming off a game against Ohio State while Virginia opens up with FCS foe William & Mary. Does a potential win in the opener give Virginia enough confidence to win this toss up game?
Why The Hoosiers Will Take Home the W
Indiana, on paper, is the more talented team and they have had few problems picking up road wins against matchup opponents over the last two seasons. IU will have to shake off whatever happens against Ohio State in the opener, because this is one of the many swing games in 2017 (it’s my must win game for IU).
Yes, Virginia will have two of the better defenders in the ACC, but their defensive line is a massive question mark and should let IU quarterback Richard Lagow sling the ball around the yard to his big wide receivers. It should also be a boost to the IU rushing game, which will probably be looking for a breakout game.
On defense, the Hoosiers have a definitive advantage in talent, even if the defensive line is still getting their sea legs. UVA’s offensive line will be welcoming in some graduate transfers and could take some time to gel. Their line was awful last season and could be a confidence booster for a young IU d-line.
Final Analysis
Indiana will be playing six, yes six, power five road games in 2017 thanks to the unbalanced Big Ten schedule and poor planning from the AD. Luckily, Virginia is not very good and is still in rebuilding mode with Mendenhall.
The Hoosiers will have nine days to flush the Ohio State game from their memory and start on the rest of their season. As we stated above, IU is the better and deeper team on paper, but winning on the road is tough. This is a must win for the Hoosiers, it’ll be difficult to explain a loss to UVA if you beat Ohio State and on the flip side, the Hoosiers cannot start the season 0-2. Tom Allen should have his team focused and fired up for this one and the Hoosiers, with their talent advantage, should win this coin flip game.