By Derek DeBurger
In this week’s installment of Birds of a Feather, we have Peter Kriebel, the football beat writer for The Cavalier Daily, to discuss how his Cavaliers compare to the Cards ahead of Saturday’s game.
Virginia is one of the surprises in college football so far this season, virtually nobody saw them getting out to a 4-1 start. Where do you think the ceiling is for this Cavaliers squad in year three of Tony Elliot?
The Cavaliers have a long way to go to prove they’re a member of the ACC’s upper echelon. Their 10-point victory over Boston College was convincing, but I’d like to see more consistent finishing before I crown them the class of the conference. That said, they’ve established a nice floor as a middle of the ACC team.
Virginia’s two ACC wins have come via huge fourth quarters to secure comeback wins. Louisville’s defense has struggled in first halves this season, but has been incredible in second halves—only giving up a combined 22 points in the second half this season. Do you think the late-game heroics can continue Saturday or could the carriage turn back into a pumpkin?
Virginia has had a magical air around them this season. At some point you expect these close victories to regress to the mean, but so many years being on the flip side of one-score games has shown there’s more at play than chance alone.
Anthony Colandrea is easily one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the country, as Louisville fans are unfortunately well aware. He doesn’t have Malik Washington as his top target anymore, but he continues to cause nightmares for defensive coordinators. Louisville has struggled mightily with dual-threat quarterbacks, of which Colandrea is and then some. Do you expect him to have a big game and do you think he needs to for UVA to have a chance to win?
Colandrea’s year two growth has a lot to do with the team’s turnaround. He’s cut down on turnovers and displayed improved accuracy as a sophomore. The occasional boneheaded mistake resurfaces now and again, but Louisville’s lackluster pass defense will present opportunities. Malachi Fields and the rest of Virginia’s receivers have come up huge time and time again this year, the Cardinals’ cornerbacks will have their hands — er talons — full trying to corral this group.
Since joining the ACC, Louisville and Virginia have actually had a very back-and-forth series. Louisville has specifically had a tough go of things in Charlottesville, with a losing record in Scott Stadium since 2014. How big a factor do you expect home-field advantage to be, and how amped do you think the crowd will be with this unexpected hot start?
The 4-1 Cavaliers deserve a packed Scott Stadium, but student attendance has been a sore spot for the program this season. “The Hill” was sparsely covered with students a week ago against Boston College, and it will likely be worse this week as many have gone home for fall break.
Finally, who wins the game? What’s your score prediction?
Louisville’s slide continues and Virginia eeks out another game they have no business winning 27 – 24.
Photo by Vinny Porco