Know Your Opponent: Looking At Virginia's Offense

How does the Virginia offense look ahead of the matchup with Georgia Tech?

Jackson Caudell | Oct 20, 2022

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Last season, Virginia had one of the best passing offenses in the ACC and in the country and was a threat every night. Despite turnover on the offensive line, the Cavaliers had hopes that the offense would remain lethal with the return of quarterback Brennan Armstrong and wide receivers Keytaon Thompson and Dontayvion Wicks.

That has been far from the case this season. Virginia's offense ranks 13th in the ACC in scoring offense, averaging right at 18 points per game. The rushing offense is 12th in the ACC and the passing offense is 11th in the conference.

Virginia's Brennan Armstrong gets set to throw a pass against Pittsburgh — Brennan Armstrong has not had the same kind of season he had in 2021 / Brennan Armstrong. Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Armstrong has not been able to adapt quickly to Tony Elliott's offense and that has resulted in a stale offense that lacks explosivness. He has thrown for nearly 1,400 yards this season and rushed for nearly 200. He has thrown more interceptions than he has touchdowns and is only completing 55% of his passes.

Despite his struggles this season, that does not mean that Georgia Tech should take him lightly and Georgia Tech interim head coach Brent Key said as much this week at his weekly press availability with the media:

""It is all 11 pieces working together on either side of the ball and special teams. For that quarterback to have the confidence in the guys up front and in protections and how they adjust up front and those kind of things, that kind of trust is built over time. I turn on the tape and I don't see it. I see a dangerous guy, I see a guy that has elite receivers on the edge that have playmaking ability. They are long, they have extended reach where they, even if a ball is off, they have length at the receiver position that allows them to overcome that with the catch radius and he is able to get that ball to those guys and push the ball down the field."

""I guess you could say that he is having a down year, but I don't know and I don't see that. I see what he has basically done on film these first six games and I see a dangerous quarterback and one of the better quarterbacks in the league."

The passing defense has been a strength of Georgia Tech's this season and they will have to be on their best game against this quarterback and receiver group.

Virginia wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks is still a dangerous threat / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Coming into the season, Virginia was supposed to have one of the top wide receiver groups in the ACC and it has been just ok this year. Thompson is the leading receiver with 41 catches for 449 yards and averaging right at 11 yards per catch. Thompson has not caught a touchdowns this season. Wicks is right behind him with 25 catches for 317 yards and one touchdown. The third wide receiver is Lavel Davis Jr, who is the deep threat for Virginia and averages almost 21 yards per catch. He has 14 catches for 293 yards and is tied for first on the team with two touchdowns.

This group of wideouts is still talented and Georgia Tech can't give them any opportunities to make plays.

Virginia running back Perris Jones — Perris Jones has been the leading rusher for Virginia / Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

The running game has not been very good this year for Virginia. They are 96th in the country in rushing offense and that is only slightly better than where they ended up at the end of last season. Perris Jones is the leading rusher with 320 yards on 64 carries with two touchdowns. Xavier Brown and Mike Hollins are the other backs.

Virginia's offensive line has been dreadful this season and this will be the worst offensive line that Georgia Tech has faced this season. The Cavaliers are 13th in the ACC and 120th in the country in sacks allowed.

Overall, this has been a very disappointing unit relative to expectations and how they performed last year. Georgia Tech has to be able to stop the wide receivers for Virginia from making plays downfield and from Armstrong having a strong game. That is Virginia's best chance to move the ball and the secondary is going to have to play well. The Cavaliers offensive line has to be exploited by the Yellow Jackets front seven and if they can control the game, I like the chances of Tech being able to have a good night defensively.

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