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sive guru Jon Tenuta, who was part of O'Brien's But even with Sims sidelined, Rocco struggled staff at NC State, and Jeff Banks, who quickly to regain the form that pushed the Cavaliers to the turned around and took a job at Texas A&M and 2011 Chik-fil-A Bowl, and the Cavaliers offense was replaced by Nevada special teams coordinator had trouble scoring while turnovers piled up during and running back coach Larry Lewis. the six-game losing streak. Lewis inherits the challenge of cleaning up a speWith both quarterbacks sharing time, Virginia cial teams unit that was the cause of much concern rebounded to win back-to-back games, but at seaamong Virginia faithful the past two seasons. son's end Rocco announced he was leaving the "Larry Lewis has probably been coaching speprogram and would transfer to Richmond. cial teams for as long as anyone in college football, Though at times it seemed like opposing deand we're really fortunate fenses may have been able to have him join our staff," to guess what play the 2013 UVa Football Schedule London said in a statement Cavaliers would run based Home (2012 Record/Bowl) released through the athon which quarterback was BYU (8-5/Poinsettia) letic department. "On the in the game, there were VMI (2-9) offensive side of the ball, other problems with the Ball State (9-4/Beef 'O' Brady's) he has worked for some offense. Despite having a Clemson (11-2/Chik-fil-A) very successful and innostrong, deep stable of runDuke (6-7/Belk) vative coaches out west ning backs led by Jones Georgia Tech (7-7/Hyundai Sun) and coached two of the and second-year Kevin Virginia Tech (7-6/Russell Athletic) nation's top running backs Parks, the Cavaliers had Away (2012 Record/Bowl) over the past two seasons. trouble establishing a Penn State (8-4) "Larry is high energy, ground game behind an Maryland (4-8) and our players are goinconsistent offensive line, Miami (7-5) ing to enjoy his style. It which lacked experience North Carolina (8-4) is ironic that Jeff Banks outside of Aboushi, an Pittsburgh (6-7/BBVA Compass) played for Larry at WashAll-ACC pick, and Moses. ington State. I guess you While the Cavaliers ofcould say we've gone from the pupil to the teacher." fense was turning it over more in 2012, the defense Of course, the assistant coaches weren't the only — with its extremely inexperienced backfield — major departures. One of the biggest questions had as much trouble forcing turnovers. Virginia heading into the season was how London and the gave it away 26 times in 2012 while forcing just 12 Cavaliers would handle the quarterback situation turnovers, a margin that was too much to overcome with former No. 1-rated recruit Phillip Sims joinin so many close games. ing Rocco, who was returning as the successful "[We had] the growing pains of a team coming incumbent. in looking for an identity and trying to find that Almost the second Sims was ruled eligible for through young players that are playing and some the 2012 season after transferring from Alabama key older players," London said. "Those things, there was a quarterback controversy at UVa. The those last-second wins, those opportunities to make two split time much of the early season with varyplays, those crucial downs, was something that was ing results before Rocco was again deemed the man very pertinent throughout the season as we played. under center. It's frustrating." ◆