VIRGINIA CAVALIERS O:6 D:6
Since Al Groh took over as Head Coach at his Alma Mater half a decade ago, the Virginia Cavaliers have put up winning seasons and gone to a bowl four straight seasons. That streak looks to be coming to a halt this season because many of his top players are now in the NFL, or were booted from the program due to school violations. He also lost some assistants so there's a major retooling job ahead of him and his new staff this year.
The team returns six on both sides of the ball, 12 overall, but has some gaping holes unfilled, the offense will now be led by Senior Christian Olsen. He's got a solid ground game in behind him and a deep wide receiver corps, but the offensive line is very young and we will see whether the run and pass game will be able to succeed. Look for the Cavaliers to utilize a short passing attack until the new line finds its groove.
Defensively, what was once the strength of the defense is now an obvious weakness. Both of their inside linebackers Parham and Brooks left the team ahead of schedule, and that is not too good for the Cavaliers 3-4 formation. There are some decent players in the front seven, but the secondary is the strongest unit and should overachieve to compensate. It will still be a good unit, but will go through some growing pains. They also fall short in the kicking position as both of their star kickers are gone, and their stats will suffer because of it. This is a rebuilding campaign for Groh and his staff, and will test his recruiting from past seasons. Look for them to be thrown around more than usual, but come back a more experienced and hungry team in the following year.
