Virginia's ACC title hopes are officially on life support. The Cavaliers need to win out (and have multiple results from other games go their way) to have a shot at the ACC Championship game.
Saturday, Virginia put up an admirable fight - but alas, no ACC team has ever won at SMU in conference play. Here are instant takeaways from the Cavaliers' loss against the Mustangs in Dallas, Texas.
In the first half, the Cavaliers ran 22 times for 82 yards. It might not seem like much, but some of those runs were punishing the SMU front and going for first downs. Then, in the second half, Kitchings elected to run the ball just 10 times. That is ludicrous, especially because Virginia was only trailing by three points after halftime.
The run game was setting up the passing game, giving more space for quarterback Beau Pribula. Once Kitchings abandoned the run, the Cavaliers went three-and-out on three of their first four drives in the second half. The offense cratered.
Kitchens has been one of the leading culprits in Virginia's three losses.
Abandoning the run is especially ridiculous considering that the Cavaliers were missing two starting receivers (Rico Flores Jr. and Kam Courtney). Virginia should have leaned harder on Jekail Middlebrook and its talented stable of runners.
Had the Cavaliers won, Saturday might have been known as the Matthew Fobbs-White game. The defensive lineman tallied five quarterback hits, plus a crucial sack and tackle for loss on back-to-back plays in the fourth quarter. Those two plays went for an SMU loss of 24 yards, forcing a crucial punt.
Despite the loss, Fobbs-White has been Virginia's sack leader - as well as a sturdy run defender - and looks like he will receive some All-ACC votes.
Virginia was going to enter halftime with a 17-10 lead. Instead, it was in a 13-10 deficit. Quarterback Beau Pribula fumbled in the redzone (ending a potential touchdown drive), and the defense committed a roughing the passer penalty on the final play of the first half - giving SMU a free field goal.
The defense also had too many missed tackles and angles. The Cavaliers almost had this win, until they didn't. Little details were handled poorly. Late substitutions, missed blocking assignments and other mental errors continue to doom the Cavaliers.
Sometimes, these Cavaliers performed poorly. SPUR Donavon Platt allowed seven catches, while other defensive backs were also torched for huge gains in zone coverage. The six big plays (of 15-plus yards) were costly. However, for the most part, Virginia performed well. SMU was held to just 16 points entering the final quarter of play, relying on explosive plays.
The Cavaliers were solid despite missing Brandyn Hillman, Omillio Agard, Corey Costner, Jason Hammond and others. When Virginia gets Hillman and Costner back, perhaps its defense can build on some positive drives and shut down the next opponent.
Remember, the Mustangs have one of the most talented offenses in the ACC. The final score does not reflect how well the Cavaliers defense performed for most of this game.
Virginia was finding success in the first half. But after halftime, the Cavaliers opened with consecutive three-and-outs. The Cavaliers went on a scoring drought that lasted 15 minutes of game time. The defense was able to hold, but it is extremely concerning to see this team continue to have extended scoring droughts.
Pribula overthrew a few receivers and was off-target on a few more crucial throws. He also made the wrong read on some option plays, and was downed for a loss when he could have tossed the ball and picked up a few yards. It was an ugly outing after the first few drives.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/virginia as Instant Takeaways From Virginia's Frustrating Defeat Against the Mustangs .
