UVA Football: Five Keys to a Virginia Win Over Maryland

Five things the Cavaliers need to do to get to 3-0.

A win on Saturday against Maryland will have to start with another outstanding performance from Anthony Colandrea. / Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Virginia football rolls into week three of the year, with aspirations to go 3-0 for the first time since 2019. In order to do that, the Cavaliers will have to get past a Maryland team they haven't defeated since 2011. Here are five keys to a Virginia victory over the Maryland Terrapins: 

Win the Fourth Quarter 

With the win over Wake Forest, Virginia has potentially started a new trend of closing out games after struggling to finish games in 2023. If the Cavaliers want to stay undefeated on the year, making winning the fourth quarter a habit is critical to being a team that makes a bowl game at the end of the year. 

To do this, the Cavaliers need to play smart football in the fourth quarter, which means no turnovers from the offense and clean special teams. When Virginia drove down the field in the fourth quarter, Anthony Colandrea was efficient and patient, only taking what the defense gave him, a sign of his maturity in his sophomore year. 

Last season in College Park, three second-half interceptions from Colandrea on consecutive possessions turned a one-score game into a 28-point blowout. The Cavaliers are hoping to avenge that loss and it'll require clean and clutch plays from Colandrea and the UVA offense in the fourth quarter.

Don't Allow Big Plays - All Eyes on Tai Felton

The Cavaliers can lean on their home advantage to prevent Maryland from gaining any belief or comfort at Scott Stadium. An excellent way to keep the crowd involved is by not allowing any explosive plays from the Terrapins, which means containing wide receiver Tai Felton, who currently leads the nation in receiving yards. Felton has had 75-yard and 35-yard touchdown catches this season and it'll be necessary for the Hoos to keep Felton and the other Maryland playmakers in front of them and lean on veteran safeties Jonas Sanker and Antonio Clary to keep the big plays to a minimum.

Anthony Colandrea

In year two, Anthony Colandrea has upped his game. Can he continue to deliver?

Maryland's secondary will be the most challenging unit this season so far, forcing Colandrea to make faster decisions and throw extremely accurate passes. Against Wake Forest, two of the passing touchdowns were on blown coverages. On the positive side, Colandrea led two touchdown drives against Maryland last year to put the Hoos up 14-0 early; if he could do that again, this Virginia team's maturity should be able to close it out behind the home crowd. 

We already mentioned Colandrea's late-game mistakes against Maryland last year and contrasted that with his sharp play down the stretch against Wake Forest last week. This game presents a massive opportunity for Anthony Colandrea to show just how much he has improved since his freshman year.

Get Pressure

The six-sack performance by the Cavaliers against the Demon Deacons was unexpected, after only recording one sack against Richmond, but it was monumental to the victory of Virginia. After posting only 11 sacks in the entire 12-game season in 2023, the Cavaliers recorded more than half that number in a single game. And they did so from a variety of sources, with only one sack coming from a defensive lineman, while three came from linebackers and two came from the safety tandem of Clary and Sanker. If the Hoos can put constant pressure on Maryland quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., Virginia will have a great chance to get to 3-0. A strip-sack would be a nice touch. Look out for Chico Bennett Jr., who recorded his first sack in more than a year last week at Wake, to lead the charge on the defensive line. 

Believe 

When asked how the Cavaliers came back to defeat the Demon Deacons, Coach Tony Elliot responded with one word, "belief." The Cavaliers have won three games each of the last two seasons, and if this team wants to take the proverbial step to greatness, it starts with an expectation of winning and pure belief as a team. The win over Wake Forest was a statement win for the Cavaliers. In contrast, a win over Maryland could propel Virginia to be a contender rather than a bottom feeder of the ACC. 

For More Virginia Football News

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Stat Comparison: How Virginia Stacks Up Against Maryland on Paper

A Test From the Terps: What to Expect From Maryland on Saturday at Virginia

Virginia Football: Players to Watch in UVA's Matchup Against Maryland

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