Hitting the Keys: Looking Back at Our Five Keys to Virginia vs. Wake Forest

In retrospect, we look back at our five keys to a Virginia win over Wake Forest.

The Antonio Clary fumble recovery was instrumental to the Virginia victory. / Virginia Athletics

This article starts a new series where we will look back at our five keys to a Virginia victory and analyze how the Cavaliers performed each in the actual game. This time around, Virginia did pretty well. With that said, here's an analysis of our five keys to a Virginia victory with grades: 

If you want to read the original article: Five Keys to a Virginia Victory Against Wake Forest


For a recap of the Wake Forest game: Virginia Football Pulls Off Come From Behind Victory to Defeat Wake Forest 31-30

Disrupt Hank Bachmeier

The Cavaliers had 11 sacks in 2023, and after only one sack against Richmond, there was concern about Virginia applying pressure against a talented Wake Forest offensive line. In response, the Hoos registered six sacks with creative blitz packages, which included sacks from safeties Jonas Sanker and Antonio Clary that created dysfunction in the Wake Forest offense. Six sacks in a game will hopefully inject confidence into the Virginia pass rush led by Chico Bennett Jr, who had a crucial sack in the fourth quarter. 

Take Advantage of the Demon Deacons Secondary

357 yards, three touchdowns with a 76.7 completion percentage by Anthony Colandrea means the Cavaliers undoubtedly checked the box for this key to victory. The sophomore was instrumental in taking advantage of the Demon Deacons' secondary, with Tyler Neville and Trell Harris both catching touchdowns while being practically unguarded, exposing the youth and inexperience of the Wake Forest secondary. The lone glaring blemish? The Trell Harris dropped touchdown pass on a broken coverage early in the game.

For five takeaways against Wake Forest: Five Takeaways from Virginia's Thrilling Win Over Wake Forest

Win the Turnover Battle

The Cavaliers lost the turnover battle 2-1, but they won the turnover battle 1-0 in the fourth quarter. When Virginia needed it most, Malcolm Greene forced a fumble. Antonio Clary made perhaps one of the grittiest fumble recoveries in Virginia history, diving around the Wake Forest player's legs to miraculously recover the ball to give the Cavaliers the win. 

The first pick thrown by Colandrea was mainly attributed to bad luck. In contrast, the second one was an "oh crap" play that offensive coordinator Des Kitchings wants Colandrea to continue to cut down on— overall, decent performance in this category, but room for improvement. 

Establish the Run

Virginia got pass-happy and, on the contrary, only rushed for 73 yards. When the Hoos did run the ball, they only rushed for 2.6 yards per attempt, which is a problematic statistic that the Cavaliers need to improve on. As for positives, the Grady Brosterhous "tush push/Grady bunch" quarterback sneaks are a thing of beauty. 

Play Clean Special Teams

This category is more on a pass/fail basis, and the Cavaliers left a rusher unblocked, allowing him to block a punt from Daniel Sparks. Virginia was lucky this play did not amount to anything more, but the play was highly concerning and serves as evidence of UVA's lingering issues on special teams.

For More Virginia Football News

Virginia Shows Mental Toughness in Comeback Victory at Wake Forest

By the Numbers: Breaking Down Virginia's Big Win at Wake Forest

VIDEO: Highlights & Postgame From Virginia's Epic Win at Wake Forest

Five Takeaways from Virginia's Thrilling Win Over Wake Forest