Virginia’s Mike London could very well be coaching his last season opener with his current team. The Hoos have been underachieving for years under his leadership, and another poor season will likely spell the end for him. But a Week 1 win against the No. 13 UCLA Bruins, who will have one big question mark starting at quarterback, would go a long way to saving his job.
Can the Hoos hand the Bruins a big upset right out of the gates? Read on for our preview of Virginia vs. UCLA. And for more ACC-related previews, we’ve got you covered with Wofford vs. Clemson and Louisville vs. Auburn.
Virginia head coach Mike London is once again on the hot seat after going just 5-7 (7-5 against the spread) in 2014, the Cavaliers’ third-straight losing season. However, there is hope that the Hoos can finally get it together for this upcoming campaign.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]It starts under center, as Virginia might finally have the answer to its quarterback questions this year with Matt Johns. The junior split time with Greyson Lambert last season, and had some promising performances.
Most notably, Johns went 13-for-22 with 154 yards and two touchdowns in place of Lambert to spark Virginia’s close 28-20 loss to UCLA in last year’s season opener in Charlottesville.
Johns will have an experienced receiving corps led by last year’s top receiver Canaan Severin (42 catches, 578 yards, five touchdowns, all team-highs) that can attack UCLA’s iffy secondary. However, the Hoos’ offensive line and running game are both pretty questionable as well. Virginia finished next to last in the ACC in rushing yards (137.8 yards per game) last season.
Virginia’s defense, which was undoubtedly its strength last season, held the Bruins to just one offensive touchdown in their meeting last season. But that defense could be much less effective this year with the some significant losses to its pass rush and linebacking corps.
The secondary should be plenty deep, though, and a run defense that ranked 18th in the nation (120.7 yards allowed per game) returns both David Dean and former five-star prospect Andrew Brown at tackle.
The UCLA Bruins are just about set in every position with 18 starters returning from the team that went 10-3 (5-8 against the spread) last season. However, there’s still the small matter of the starting quarterback to settle. Much-hyped freshman Josh Rosen is still projected to get the nod over junior Jerry Neuheisel, but head coach Jim Mora is making his young quarterback earn that starting gig the hard way.
Rosen, a five-star recruit out of California, was the No. 2-ranked prospect nationally by Rivals.com. He threw for 3,200 yards with 39 touchdowns in his junior season at St. John Bosco.
If Rosen does start as expected, he’ll have an offensive line returning all five starters waiting to protect him, and to provide some nice running lanes for Paul Perkins. The junior running back, who had 1,575 rushing yards and nine touchdowns last season, should get his share of touches as Rosen (or whoever does start at QB) settles into the job. Perkins had 80 yards on 16 carries against Virginia last season.
Meanwhile, the Bruins’ defense has a chance to be dominant with a lot of talent returning. Deon Hollins, who had nine sacks last season, and Takkarist McKinley look set to be a terrifying pass rush duo, and should be able to put some consistent pressure on Virginia’s quarterback.
Linebacker/running back/safety/corner Myles Jack is also back for his junior year. Jack will be moved inside to replace the departed Eric Kendricks, and will be a disruptive force against the Hoos’ less-than-stellar ground game.
Writer’s Prediction
Virginia’s defense holds its own as UCLA’s new quarterback struggles to produce enough offense. The Bruins win, 27-16, but the Hoos cover the +17-point spread.
