Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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34 NOV. 16, 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED GAME PREVIEW: VIRGINIA Senior offensive tackle Jack Witmer, who played on both the left and right side that afternoon, allowed 7 pressures on his own. "In fairness to Colandrea, when you're taking a three-step drop and you're at the top of your drop and your third step is on the ground and guys are on your back or at your feet, it doesn't matter who you got at quarterback," El- liott said. However, while Colandrea is not the source of Virginia's pass-protec- tion problems, he has definitely com- pounded the issue. His pressure-to- sack ratio in October — a stat considered largely within the quarterback's control — was 24.6, which was the seventh- highest in college football. None of this bodes well for a matchup with Notre Dame, who has not faced an out-of-structure specialist quarterback yet this season but put on a masterclass of how to stop them last year under defensive coordinator Al Golden. The best improvising college quarterback in recent memory is USC's Caleb Wil- liams, and Golden and company shut him down to the tune of 5.4 yards per attempt and 3 interceptions in 2023. 1. Former Irish Standout Struggling To Make Impact Graduate student wide receiver Chris Tyree transferred from Notre Dame to Virginia, which is close to his hometown of Chester, Va., shortly after the 2023 season. The Cavaliers hoped Tyree would build on his strong first season as a wide- out, in which he caught 26 passes for a team-leading 484 yards. That aver- ages out to 18.6 yards per reception in Year 1 of playing the position, having moved from running back the previous spring. But with Virginia, Tyree has struggled to find his footing. Through eight contests, Tyree ranked third on the Cavaliers with 18 recep- tions, but he's only picked up 82 yards. That's 4.6 yards per reception. His average depth of target is 2.5 yards, compared to 11.4 last season. Tyree has been used almost exclusively on screens and in the quick game, which was not his role with the Irish. Instead, Virginia sophomore quarterback Anthony Colandrea has favored senior Malachi Fields on downfield passes. Fields was third in the ACC with 654 yards on 43 receptions through Week 10, and he's by far the Cavaliers' top offensive threat. 2. Star Safety Living Up To High Preseason Billing Virginia's best player is senior safety Jonas Sanker, who earned first-team All-ACC accolades last season by compiling 107 tackles and 3 forced fumbles. Sanker isn't quite on that lofty pace this season, but he still has 64 tackles, which is tied for third among all ACC defensive backs. Sanker also won ACC Defensive Back of the Week honors twice in a row, for his performances Oct. 5 against Boston College (6 tackles and a fumble recovery) and Oct. 12 against Louisville (11 tackles). He hasn't been quite as adept in coverage as Notre Dame's starting safeties, but he's been a strong security blanket on the back end for the Cavaliers. Sanker doesn't rush the passer much, but blitzing him was very much a part of the game plan in Virginia's Week 2 win over Wake Forest. He finished with 4 quarterback pressures and a sack in the victory. That's something to watch out for as the Irish prepare to face him. 3. Program Spent 2023 Reeling From Tragedy On Nov. 13, 2022, Virginia football players Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D'Sean Perry were tragically killed in a senseless act of gun violence while they rode a bus home from a class field trip. The Cavaliers canceled their final two games that season, which were scheduled against Coastal Carolina and Virginia Tech. The shooting deeply affected the program during the 2023 season, head coach Tony Elliott's second at the helm in Charlottesville, Va. "To say the incident didn't affect recruiting would be Pollyannaish," And- scape wrote in April 2023. "Expectations for this team aren't of any concern and what the summer and fall hold for Elliott, the second Black head football coach in school history, are to be determined." Virginia went 3-9 in 2023, losing its first five games. The Cavaliers hope their 4-1 start can finally be a step in the right direction after a heinous act ended the lives of three of their players. — Jack Soble Former Irish wide receiver Chris Tyree had 18 receptions for only 82 yards in his first eight games with the Cavaliers. PHOTO COURTESY VIRGINIA ATHLETICS Three Things To Know About Virginia 2024 VIRGINIA SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Aug. 31 Richmond W, 34-13 Sept. 7 at Wake Forest W, 31-30 Sept. 14 Maryland L, 27-13 Sept. 21 at Coastal Carolina W, 43-24 Oct. 5 Boston College W, 24-14 Oct. 12 Louisville L, 24-20 Oct. 19 at Clemson L, 48-31 Oct. 26 North Carolina L, 41-14 Nov. 9 at Pitt W, 24-19 Nov. 16 at Notre Dame (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Nov. 23 SMU TBA Nov. 30 at Virginia Tech TBA