UVA Q&A

This week I was lucky enough to get in touch with Rob from The Good Ol' Blog, to do a Q&A question regarding the game this weekend. I hope you guys enjoy.

1. Virginia has had an down and up season? Can you explain what's going on in C'ville?

The early season saw way too much turmoil. After the starting quarterback was kicked out of school, Marc Verica took over the helm and struggled early. During that stretch, RB Cedric Peerman was also either out or hobbled, which put too much pressure on a green QB. But, once Peerman was at full strength and Verica started to settle down, the team started winning games again.

2. What should Wake do to defend against the UVA offense.

First off, take away Peerman. If Cedric goes off, it's obviously going to be a long day for the Wake D. Peerman is best at punishing off tackle runs where he gets into space, so simply being ready for these plays would be smart. String him to the outside, and converge. However, make sure you don't get torched by passes to the tight end if the linebackers are biting on play action.

So, you're hope is to make Virginia rely on Verica's passing. And that's not so easy either, as Marc has been very accurate this year and has a pair of playmakers in Kevin Ogletree and Maurice Covington. But the poison you want to pick is hoping Verica is not connecting downfield, which is higher in probability if Peerman has been effectively neutralized.

3. Do you think Virginia is thinking about last year's close game?

Probably -- they know that Wake is probably hungry for the win. Virginia needs its leaders to step up to create enough emotion to match (or come close) to Wake's home field plus revenge energy. The coaches need to make sure this happens. But if the Hoos are comparably flat compared to the Deacs, it will be a long day for the visiting team.

4. Who on defense will the Hoos rely on to stop the Wake offense?

First, Clint Sintim has been a beast this year, and they'll need him to have a big game policing the front seven. His fellow linebacker cohorts need to have one of their best games to harass Wake's quarterback. In the same vein, Ras-I Dowling needs to have a good game in coverage as do the other DBs. Starting CB Vic Hall is questionable, so Ras and the remaining defensive backs need to step up if Hall is hobbled.